Making the morning rounds.
? Yes, already. Rivals' rollout of the first five five-star prospects of the class of 2012 began Monday with Aledo, Texas, running back Johnathan Gray, a 5-11, 190-pound lightning bolt coming off a ridiculous 320-yard, eight-touchdown effort in a state championship game last December. Gray broke a 57-year-old state record with 59 rushing touchdowns as a junior, and isn't leaving anytime soon: TCU, Texas and Texas A&M are the early leaders for his services. [Rivals]
? Holding up our end of the bargain. As promised, the Big 12 is close to a new television deal with Fox that will triple its annual take from the network, though the projected bottom line still seems to fall short of the huge windfall commissioner Dan Beebe promised his wealthier members to keep them from bolting to the Pac-10 last summer: Even with a $60 million annual cut from Fox ? up from $20 million under the current deal ?�added to its contract with ABC/ESPN, the Big 12's total media pie will come to about $130 million a year to be distributed among 10 members, behind the $155 million-a-year deal the ACC recently negotiated with ESPN.
But the Big 12 is also in preliminary discussions to establish a conference-wide network featuring eight member schools ?�sans Texas, which has already contract with ESPN to produce a lucrative, all-Longhorn network, and Oklahoma, which has serious ambitions of following suit by year's end. With a larger cut from the Fox deal and the freedom to blaze their own media trail (an option that presumably wouldn't have existed in the Pac-10, with its own plans for a conference-wide network on the all-inclusive Big Ten model), UT and OU both stand to reap the kind of $20 million windfalls Beebe promised to keep them in the fold. At least, until they can do even better by dropping the conference altogether. [Sports Business Journal]
? Eh, it was still worth it. Georgia, fresh from self-reporting five minor recruiting violations from five-star signee Ray Drew's commitment press conference in January, has reported another secondary violation for creating a "game day simulation" in its (successful) pursuit of hyped running back Isaiah Crowell. As relayed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month, coach Mark Richt once had Crowell look out from his office window onto UGA's new indoor practice field players lined up in an offensive formation ? only with the tailback conspicuously absent. According to Crowell's mother, Richt escorted them to the field, had Crowell assume the vacant position and began "painting the scene of next season's opener against Boise State, asking her son if he could see himself in that jersey and helmet, behind that offensive line, starting his career in the din of the Georgia Dome."
The pitch worked (Crowell's mom told the AJC, "My baby was excited. He was ready to go."), but it will cost Richt in April, when he'll be restricted from making phone calls to recruits or parents for the entire month as a result of the violation. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
? Decided Schematic Advantage, redux. New Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis says he's teased embattled quarterback John Brantley about spurning Weis' scheme at Notre Dame for Florida out of high school ? "Yeah, you came to run the spread ? that made a lot of sense. That was a great decision on your part." ? but Brantley remains atop the Gators' quarterback depth chart to open spring practice, and won't have to worry about sharing any more time with Trey Burton or Jordan Reed: They're listed at fullback and tight end, respectively, after taking snaps from Brantley as true freshmen in an effort to get more athleticism in the shotgun. Mega-hyped incoming freshman Jeff Driskel, an early enrollee, is listed third, for now. [Palm Beach Post, South Florida Sun Sentinel]
? I'm sorry. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, appearing before a roomful of about 400 Buckeye fans at an annual luncheon sponsored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, received "a polite standing ovation" and formally apologized Monday "for what we've been through." It was Tressel's first public appearance since he admitted last Tuesday night to withholding information about possible NCAA violations last year, and ? unlike his initial press conference ?�actually included the word "apologize."
Elsewhere, the Columbus Dispatch wonders this morning if Tressel's original tipster, former Buckeye Christopher Cicero, violated attorney-client privilege by e-mailing Tressel with information about an ongoing federal investigation immediately after speaking to a client, tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife, who was under investigation in the case. But the paper doesn't get anyone to say on the record that Cicero did (or is specifically suspected of) anything unethical. [Associated Press, Columbus Dispatch]
Quickly: Trev Alberts is under fire from the locals for his decision to eliminate Nebraska-Omaha's football and wrestling programs, the latter just hours after the rasslin' Mavericks clinched their third straight Division II national championship. … LSU also paid alleged "street agent" Will Lyles for information about prospective recruits, but not nearly as much as Oregon did. … Michigan raises ticket prices. … Texas gets its annual etiquette lesson. … And Les Miles eats that grass in a new venue.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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