The Stars of Tommorrow, with a side of Cool Ranch Tacos, topped with Don Johnson

(Source:espn.com)

Signing Day 2013

The stars of tomorrow are signed, sealed and delivered to college football programs around the country. And guess who took home that big fella pictured above (Derrick Henry), and an abundance of other talent? ALABAMA. surprise, surprise. Look, They are the creme de la creme of the college game right now, and players have taken  notice. For those that think that prospects pick universities for universities are sadly mistaken. It’s who’s winning, and winning at a high level, and what coaching staff can get them to the next level the fastest. Check, Check, Check for Nick Saban and his staff. Here are my Top 5 recruiting classes in the SEC:

1. Alabama- Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Altee Tenpenny, Robert Foster, A’Shawn Robinson, the list goes on and on. Kudos to Saban’s coaching staff (Mike Groh, Lance Thompson, etc)  on landing some of these huge gets across the country. Every recruiting service out there has tabbed this class as numero uno.

2. Ole Miss– Had Alabama missed out on one or two players late on signing day, Ole Miss would have grabbed the top spot. What Hugh Freeze and his staff did is nothing short of unbelievable. Not only did they grab the nation’s number one player, DE Robert Nkemdiche, but then the nation’s top lineman in Laremy Tunsil, and then the possible next great SEC  WR in Laquon Treadwell, along with a slew of other instant talent, the Rebels could have laid a foundation to be special down the road.

3. Auburn- I’m putting the Tigers here because the way Gus Malzahn and his new staff hustles and close the deal on a number of talented prospects, that include DE Carl Lawson, and DT Montravious Adams. Getting Jonathan Ford to flip his commitment from Vanderbilt to Auburn was also huge, he could be a sleeper for the Tigers in the future. Overall from top to bottom a very solid class that fits the need of what Malzahn wants to do in his offense and what defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson wants to establish in his 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

4. Florida- Will Muschamp established  a toughness and physical nature during his tenure in Gainesville. He has restocked his cupboard with some top end talent. Vernon Hargreaves II could be the next great DB, with Alex Anzalone becoming a versatile LB that can run sideline to sideline.

5. Texas A&M– Kevin Sumlin has recruited some new weapons for Johnny Football to throw to, and it starts with Sealy, TX native Ricky Seals-Jones. a huge target that can stretch the field, he along with teammate Jaquay Williams could be much-needed infusion of talent for the Aggies passing game. Sumlin and the Aggies are as hot as any program in the country.. and they have that QB for the next two seasons

(Source:nydailynews.com)

College Hoops quick hitters

–Hated to see Nerlens Noel go down with a apparent knee injury Tuesday night against Florida. It was revealed Wednesday that he has a torn ACL is out for the season. Even as Duke fan that was born and raised in the great state of Kentucky, It stunk seeing this guy get hurt. He works so hard and does so much for a team that is average at best. Here’s to a speedy recovery Nerlens, the NBA is waiting.

–there are about 10 teams I think that can win a National Title. yes we’ve had a ton of upsets during the regular season, and yes there are no all time great teams (i.e Kentucky 2012), but there are still a handful of teams that are very, very good. I’ll talk about those teams next week.

— Victor Oladipo is sick.

–The Louisville Cardinals will be fine.

–Even though Miami beat the brakes off Duke, I still need to see more. this is the same team that loss to Florida Gulf Coast this season. It’s one thing to be the hunter, but when you are the hunted, things change, they will find that out heading into March.

–Ben McElmore is sick.

–Speaking of Kansas and other teams that have had losing streaks of late, does anyone expect teams to just go undefeated? Teams will have lulls in seasons, not a huge deal in the grand schemes of things. Now if you start losing late heading into Conference Tourney play…

(Source: huffington post.com)

ITS ON THE WAY! YES!

I ate seven Los Doritos Tacos last week… in one sitting. On March 7th, my favorite flavored Doritos will now come to the Taco Bell. I will eat 10, and wont blink.  I am so excited to destroy as many of these as I can in about a 2 week period. Thank you Taco Bell for blessing us with this pure goodness.

FINALLY.. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Here’s my Love day song to you by the greatest musician ever. Enjoy below.

That’s it! Enjoy the weekend!

It’s BACK! First Post of 2013!

To start this off right.. Enjoy below:

Now.. A TON of things have happened since my last blog post on Carl’s Clipboard. The last time I posted, Alabama was getting ready for the SEC Championship game against Georgia. Fast forward two months later, and The Tide are BCS National Champions for the third time in four years. For those that may have forgotten that beat down of Notre Dame in Miami:

(Source: aol.sportingnews.com)

Three Things I learned from the sidelines of that game:

1. Alabama is the programs of programs RIGHT NOW. Kudos to Nick Saban for finding a way to win back to back  National Titles. His last two teams have had one thing that other programs didn’t have… All time great defense (2011 Title Team Vs LSU), and an all time great offensive line (2012 Vs Notre Dame).

2. Notre Dame is relevant, but still has a way to go. Whether you love or hate the Irish, they aren’t going anywhere for a LONG, LONG time. Were they one of the five best teams in the country? Yes. Were they better than Alabama, or Oregon? No. But you’re crazy if you didn’t think they shouldn’t play for a National title undefeated. The program will never win from Notre Dame haters, because they are Notre Dame, I get it. But when you look at what Head Coach Brian Kelly has done in just three seasons, that previous coaches couldn’t do (Weis, Willingham, Davie) how can you not say that the Irish will be in the Hunt for a BCS crown, and WIN a few in the next five seasons?

3. The margin for the SEC and it’s dominance is thisclose. The morning after the game, Tide head coach Nick Saban  said the difference from his team winning a National Title and playing elsewhere, was 5 yards (Vs Georgia in SEC Title game). As great as the Tide were in spots this year, they could easily have had three losses, and played on New Years Day. The rest of the country and the rest of the SEC is catching up, and I think you will see a number of teams continue to close the gap. BUT, when you have someone like Nick Saban on the sidelines, he understands he will have to make subtle changes to continue to stay on top.

SIGNING DAY EVE!

(Source:USAtoday.com)

A ton of young men will sign their letters of intent on Wednesday to play for numerous colleges across the country. The picture of above is that of 5 star linebacker Ruben Foster. Foster who verbally committed to Alabama, de-committed and verbally committed to Auburn, got a tattoo:

(Source:the big lead.com)

and roughly three weeks ago de-committed from the Tigers and made a announcement on regional TV Tuesday night to recommit to Alabama. Got all that? I’ve listened to people on message boards, and on talk radio about Foster last night and this morning. My opinion, Foster can commit, de-commit,and ride this out as long as he pleases. Here’s why.

There are thousands of 18 year olds that are having to make the biggest decision of their respective lives. What is wrong with taking every official and unofficial visit you can possibly make? Why not be able to travel to the West coast, or go visit LSU, ALabama, USC, and everywhere in between. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these young men, to make a decision for their future. I LOVE the signing day hoopla, and all that it entails. You know why? We have college football coaches that can up and leave a university that these 18-year-old young men “commit” to for them. Coaches have agents, and can go to another destination without penalty. News flash folks. These young men go to a university for the coaches and the relationships they make with them, not because they are a fan of a school. So when Coach A goes to University B, what happens to the so-called student athletes that came there for you to lead them? One word. STUCK.  I get it, opportunities are opportunities, and we all want to make the best decisions for ourselves. BUT don’t get on a young  man who wants to explore all of their options before signing on that “X” on the Letter of Intent on signing day.

SUPER BOWL!!!!!

(Source:theblaze.com)

A GREAT game, period. AS a lifelong 49ers fan, I would have of course loved for my guys to win a World title. But, I LOVE the Ravens and all that they stand for as men, so I couldn’t be that upset. But the stars of stars of the show… well what can you say. Beyoncé was AWESOME during the halftime show:

COMMERCIAL TIME!

Time to rank my favorites of the Super Bowl:

5. Paul Harvey’s God Made A Farmer. Paul Harvey in a commercial. Priceless.

4.  Man Vs Cheetah Sketchers. Animals in the wild in commercials make me laugh. This did as well.

3. Fashionista Daddy (Doritos). If I had a daughter and my buddies were over, this would so happen to me.

2. Joe Montana Miracle Stain. As mentioned earlier, I’m a 49ers fan. I laughed out loud.

1. Old Folks at Taco Bell. The best by far in my opinion. Hands down, I was crying laughing. And if I ever have to go to pasture in my later life, this will be me.

Honorable Mention: Leon Sandcastle.

That’s it for now, I’ll be back next week to talk recruiting classes, college basketball, and reality TV (Big Rich Atlanta, watch it)! Enjoy the Week!