Ashton Shumpert Update: 7/3/12

A 4-star running back/safety (scout.com and 247sports.com) from Itawamba Agricultural High School, Ashton Shumpert took some time to talk to me this afternoon. A big thanks to him for giving me some of that time (he's a pretty busy guy, ya know?).

(Photo courtesy of NEMS360.com)

While talking to Ashton, I had the feeling that I had caught him at just the right time to talk to him. I was right. Ashton has been hitting the gym HARD this summer. He's squatting 405 and benching 225 about 5 times. Everyone who knows anything about life knows that that hard work, will translate into a better product on the field. He thinks IAHS can surprise some people this fall. "I believe we can go as far as we want." Shumpert told me, "Everyone needs to play every down as hard as they can and everything will take care of itself."

On his college recruitment, Shumpert told me that "everybody is pretty much even, so it basically is wide open." Although its anyone's guess where he will end up, Shumpert did note that in-state schools Mississippi State and Ole Miss were pursuing him the hardest. I asked Ashton if he had grown up watching and pulling for either of those schools. Get this: Ashton Shumpert did not watch college football until he was a freshman in high school. That's the year that he told himself that if he worked hard enough, he could be a special football player. He also noted that his "special love for the game" is a major reason for his well-developed skills. Shumpert told me that he will most likely end up playing RB at the college level because of his ability to develop holes in the offensive line for himself as well as his ability to use moves that he uses in the second level of the defense. I also asked him about the Ole Miss recruiting tactic controversy (although I should point out, MSU isn't too far behind) and how that affects his attitude towards those schools. "It doesn't change it really."


Good-Win! Sports Blog- " I'm getting the feeling that you aren't going to set a timetable on your commitment, are you?"
Ashton Shumpert- "No, I'm not. I'm going to ride it out as long as I can."
G-W!SB- "Just trying to make the best decision?"
AS: "Yeah. And have a little fun with it too. It's a great time."

Good luck to Ashton this fall with his senior year as well as his college recruitment (I'll wish him a good time too).

Any thoughts/comments/question? Thanks for reading!

Player Profile: Jake Thomas

Jake Thomas is a 4 star Offensive Tackle (scout.com) from Columbus, Mississippi. Below you'll find nearly everything you need to know about his recruitment.

Last updated: 5/9/12

Top Schools-
Alabama (Scholarship offered/Stoutland)
University of Mississippi (No scholarship offered/Luke)
Mississippi State (Scholarship offered/Hevesy)
Southern Miss (Scholarship offered/Unknown)

Jake has no current "favorites", but has spent the most time at MSU and Alabama.

Main Recruiting Factors:
- Good academics
- Good athletics program
- Comfort factor
- Distance NOT a major factor

Jake has been nominated for the Army All American bowl. (5/9/11)

SEC Mascot Mash-Up

As you all know, two new teams were added to the SEC starting in the 2012 football season. With the conference realignment, I think it would be a fun idea to do a little mascot realignment, if you catch my drift.

I just want to start off with a little introduction. My name is Andrew, and I will be helping out my man Will. Keep reading our blog.

Let's start with the West. In no particular order.

1. Alabama, formerly know as the Crimson Tide.

New mascot: Thundering Elephant Herd.

I know this is jipping a certain C-USA team. But seriously, C-USA? No one cares about their mascots anyway. And Alabama has been long overdue for a mascot change. Crimson Tide? What does that have to do with elephants?

2. Arkansas, formerly known as the Razorbacks.

New mascot: The Ones That Never Catch A Break.

Darren McFadden never won the Heisman, and they have only been selected for 1 BCS bowl regardless of their recently high rankings. And then when they actually get a decent coach, he has to mess things up for them. Really Bobby? Really?

3. Auburn. Formerly known as the Tigers.

New mascot: Plainclothesmen.

For all of you familiar with college football locales, particularly in the great state of Alabama, it is known that Auburn University is located in the region of the state called "the plains". But don't think there's anything plain about the state of Alabama. They have the last 3 BCS championships.

4. LSU, formerly know as the Tigers.

Too many tigers. WAY too many tigers. And bulldogs. But we'll get to that later.

New mascot: Ragin' Cajuns.

Sorry. Had to steal another mascot. Sorry to that little Sunbelt team in south Louisiana, but this mascot fits those corndog-eating, beer-watergun-shooting "fans" better than any other.

P.S. I don't like LSU.

5. Ole Miss, formerly know as the Rebels.

This was an easy one, seeing as this is the team closest to my heart, which all you readers will definitely realize as I begin to write.

New mascot: Flood.

Jackson, Mississippi, Easter 1979. One of the worst floods the mighty Pearl river has ever produced. Yeah, it messed a lot of stuff up, which is something the Ole Miss frat boys have been doing a lot of lately to get that atrocious excuse for a football season off their minds.

6. Mississippi State, formerly know as the Bulldogs.

Again, too many bulldogs.

New mascot: Turf Managers or the Fighting Les Miles'.

As most people know, MSU has an excellent agriculture school and they pride themselves on that green glory they call grass. It's a perfect fit.

7. Texas A & M, formerly know as the Aggies.

New mascot: Noobs.

2012 SEC schedule: Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida.

You asked for it, you got it. Welcome to the SEC.

Hey guys, this has just been a little taste of what's in store for ya. Check back later this weekend for the unveiling of the new mascots for the East!

Just Some Thoughts...1/11/12

 I think its important to continue to post on the blog (even during the "off season"), so I'm gonna try to write in the blog several times a week. KEYWORD: TRY. This is a new feature I'm going to write when I don't have much else to write about. So here I go. 

1. Shout out to Lane Myers, who says he doesn't keep up with the blog (he obviously does). He won the blog's college bowl mania challenge with a 98.8%(!!!) accuracy. I will say this for Lane: It's about time he wins something (he's a Tennessee Volunteer). 

2.Congrats to the University of Alabama on their most recent national championship! They were obviously the better team (this time). Some ideas here: a) Is Alabama the #1 team in the nation? (I think so.) b) Will this hurt the SEC's chances of having another all SEC national championship in the BCS-era? (I don't think it will matter. All signs point to a "plus-one" system next year.)

3.As I was writing this, I watched USM lose to Memphis yet again in basketball. Then this thought popped into my head: Has USM EVER  beaten Memphis? I looked it up. Memphis leads USM 63-23 (according to the UM website).

4.I guess I have underestimated the importance of home-court advantage in college basketball. Two examples: a) Logic would tell you that Mississippi State would have beaten Arkansas badly. Not at Bud-Walton Arena. They thrashed MSU.  b) Also as I am writing this, Ole Miss is beating Arkansas by 9 points early in the second half at the Tad- Pad. The only thing (in my opinion) that could explain this abnormal occurence? Home- Court advantage.

5.My picks this weekend in the playoffs with a percentage (picks in bold caps):

Denver (30%) @ New England (70%)- I am SO pulling for Tim Tebow. 

Texans (35%) @ Ravens (65%)- This game doesn't interest me much.

Giants (40%) @ Green Bay (60%)- Good match up. It will ultimately come down to the giants ability (or inability) to score.

Saints (55%) @ 49's (45%) - I don't think there is any defense that can stop this offense. 

Any thoughts/ comments/questions? Thanks for reading!

The Weekend Depth Chart

First String

• Wow. Did you see that game? LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in OT. Both defenses were tough and tenacious. I'm not here to brag that I not only picked the correct winner, but I picked the correct margin of victory. Seriously, I did. Check out the article below this one to see the proof. Now I have a question that I think needs to be answered. So, if the best two teams should meet in the national championship, shouldn't LSU play Alabama again? In my mind, those two are, without a doubt, the best teams in America. Some will argue for other undefeated teams in different conferences. But seriously, if you think that, you need to watch this game again. Guys, you are looking at an Alabama team so loaded that if it had played against any other team in the history of college sports, I would pick Alabama. AND THEY ARE STILL NUMBER 2 IN THE SEC!!!!  On a side note to that, I would love to see a Boise State vs. SEC match up. Then the SEC could beat them by 60 points, and Boise State would be quiet. Back to my point guys, watch this situation. This is potentially VERY interesting.
• Houston Nutt has been fired at the University of Mississippi. While anyone getting fired is a serious situation, I will be the first to say this (because we were ALL thinking it). SYLVESTER CROOM TO OLE MISS. OK, I was joking. But this news will also bring with it new coaching rumors, which can be a distraction to the team. And without an "official" athletic director, finding the right coach will be even harder.
• Compared to College Football news this weekend, NFL was just plain OK. It's official. The Colts have gone from the top to the bottom. And it has been a matter of one player.The good Saint's team is back. And they play pretty well. Tim Tebow says, "Haters gonna hate." Dude can play. And most importantly win. The Patriots are slipping. Oh, and did I mention that Eli Manning is elite? 
• COLLEGE BASKETBALL HAS STARTED!!! MSU fans can watch MSU take on Akron Wendesday at the Hump on ESPNU at 6 o'clock CST.

Second String

• Possibly one of the greatest things I've ever seen. (They got a technical foul.)
• Names to mention on the Ole Miss job opening. Rich Rodriguez, Mike Leach, Mark Hudspeth, Manny Diaz, just to name a few.

What do you think about these things?

Guest Column- LSU @ Alabama Preview

This is a new idea I have finally started up. I'm extremely excited to see other people's opinion on the Good-Win! Sports Blog. If you are interested in writing for the blog, talk to me about it. We'll see what we can do.

Alabama vs. LSU

By: Alex Tubb

Tuscaloosa will be rocking as the "Game of the Century" takes place this weekend in Bryant-Denny Stadium as the #1 LSU Tigers take on the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide. This will be the fifth time since 2000 the #1 and #2 teams play each other in a game other than the National Championship.

College Football is a game of momentum, and Alabama definitely has the momentum going into this game. Think about it. Saturday night in Tuscaloosa is probably the toughest environment in all of sports to play in if the name of your team isn’t the “Alabama Crimson Tide".  Alabama fans are so rowdy that they accidently confused their own offense against Tennessee 2 weeks ago. 

Another advantage Alabama has is just better coaching.  I wouldn't want to face Nick Saban coming off a BYE week.  Not taking anything away from Les Miles, but I think Nick is more built for this situation that Les is. Although both have been in games like this, I believe Nick Saban knows exactly what to tell his players and how to get them in the perfect mind set for Saturday’s game.

Establishing the run is going to be the most important factor in this game for the LSU offense. They're facing an Alabama rush defense that’s only given up an average of 49 rush yards per game.  LSU doesn't have much of a pass attack.  Averaging only 180 yards per game, Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee's passing attack is only the 100th best in the nation. Even IF they had much of a passing attack, Alabama has the 3rd best Passing Defense in the country. Another important factor is that Alabama is not the best first half team. Tennessee and Ole Miss were hanging with the Tide in the first half of their games. LSU is going to have to be explosive in the first half, because that's where they have been most successful.

Like LSU, Alabama needs to get their rushing game started early in the game.  LSU has one of the best rush defenses in the country as well as pass defense, so it will be up to Trent Richardson and company to take the pressure off AJ McCarron, who has thrown 3 Interceptions this year. The biggest flaw in this offense is a lack of scoring in the first half.  They MUST produce some points against this LSU defense in the early stages of the game. If they slip too far behind, it might be too late.  Alabama's defense is the best in nation, averaging less than 7 points per game scored against them. They have stopped the run and pass all year, but they haven't faced an offense like LSU’s. The Tide should watch out for trick plays as well as big plays. There's no telling what the Mad Hatter has up his sleeves. If the Bama defense stays as disciplined as they have all year, they should be in good shape.

In my opinion, LSU is the only team that can beat Alabama; and Alabama is the only team that can beat LSU. Just goes to show the power of the SEC. I think the NCAA should bring the National championship trophy to Tuscaloosa this Saturday and crown the winners national champs right then and there. It would save some Big 10 team both embarrassment and injuries. It's going to be a great game and I can’t wait to watch it!

My prediction, though, is ALABAMA wins at home 28-24.

Thanks to Alex for an excellent column! Any comments/ thoughts on the game this Saturday?