Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Tye Hill's NFL stock is soaring

The Clemson cornerback really impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl, and the Charleston Post & Courier has a story plus a roundup of what the draft experts, including Mel Kiper, had to say about Hill.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Countdown to Signing Day

National Signing Day for football is Wednesday, so expect a lot of stories over the next couple of days about recruiting. The State writes about it today, and here's a list of known Clemson commitments.

"I delivered a baby today!!" The MUSC Tiger describes what it's like.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Whitehurst to NFL: I'm ready

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was impressive in Saturday's Senior Bowl, going 7-for-9 for 90 yards and a touchdown in the North's 31-14 victory against the South. Whitehurst was named the North's offensive MVP. CU Sporting News and The Clemson Gnomes have reactions, though interestingly, they're exactly the same!

More on Wade: The Greenville News plays catch-up on Michael Wade, Jr., the prep quarterback and Clemson commitment profiled by The State the other day.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

For Michael Wade, Clemson runs in the family

The State has a nice profile of Michael Wade Jr., a quarterback from Greer, S.C., who will sign with Clemson on Wednesday. Wade's father played on the Tigers' 1981 national championship team, and his mother played volleyball for Clemson.

Senior bowl-itis: The Myrtle Beach Sun frames a preview of today's Senior Bowl around Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst. The game gets under way, oh, about right now, I think. It's on The Network.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Whitehurst draws praise at Senior Bowl workouts

ESPN's Ivan Maisel reports from Mobile, Ala., where offensive genius Norm Chow has been working with the quarterbacks for the North team. Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst impressed Tennessee Titans quarterback coach Craig Johnson:


"Charlie is the son of an ex-NFL player," Johnson continued. "He's got a very good makeup. He understands the small details. He's been in a lot of quarterback meetings. He's got a lot of skills. He had three different offensive coordinators [in three years]. He learned three different verbiages. He came in here and learned things at our level. That's as big as arm strength."







And in more Senior Bowl news, Mel Kiper, draft expert, sees Clemson cornerback Tye Hill as a first-round pick and Whitehurst going in the second round. Here's Kiper on Whitehurst: "Throws a great pass. Tight spiral. A little erratic." Here's Kiper on Hill: "Natural cover skills. Spunky. Confident."

And here's Tigerpundit on Kiper: "Chooses adjectives carefully. Gravity-defying hair. Superfluous."

Thursday, January 26, 2006

The State calls Clemson's schedule 'grueling'

See why here. The Greenville News kind of agrees. For a different perspective, here's what a Tigernetter posted today on the message board: "Am I in the minority, or does anyone else think it's a good thing to go ahead and get BC and FSU out of the way early? Gotta get the start weak finish strong monkey off our backs eventually right?" So true.

Basketball blogging: I don't really do it, but the Sporting Gnomes do. Check it out.
2006 football schedule announced

Clemson blog The Sporting Gnomes had it first -- "per the rumor mill," as they said in their post. Then CU Sporting News found out. And finally, Tigernet and the official site posted the football schedule. But a Tigernetter with some computer-graphics skills did it real justice. Check it out. And, if you click it, it grows!


Fancy, huh?

How do I feel about the schedule? After mulling it over, I'm starting to like it. We'll start the season with some positive momentum after what should be a certain W again Florida Atlantic, and we have other very winnable games at home against Louisiana Tech and on the road at Temple (?). The Tar Heels are back on the schedule, and that's a game I'm already planning to attend. Georgia Tech, our toughest foe over the past few seasons, has to visit the Valley. We don't have to play Miami, either.

The downside is that we have 11 consecutive contests before an off week prior to the annual tilt with the Gamecocks. Included in that stretch is a Thursday night game at Virginia Tech. (Yikes.) No, it's not like the schedules Danny Ford was dealt when he was takin' names and kickin' rear ends in the 1980s, but this is life in the new ACC. There are very few gimmes anymore.

* Nice digs: Something called Southern Pigskin has written some very nice things about Death Valley. (Via Tigernet.)

* Tiger signs with Denver: Former Clemson defensive standout Khaleed Vaughn has signed with the Denver Broncos.

* "Do the Hokies have large talons?" OK, I'm not much of an N.C. State fan. But this Napoleon Dynamite-meets-Chuck Amato clip looks pretty sweet. It looks awesome. That clip, it's ... it's incredible. (Found on Tigernet's message board.)

* Great rant: And finally, go read this. Hokie blogger Jim Alderson eviscerates a silly Raleigh News & Observer column that claims the ACC is no longer the premier basketball conference because of EEEVIL football-driven expansion. As a Clemson fan, I can certainly identify with Jim's disgust at the Triangle-centric arrogance of so many sportswriters in the Atlantic Coast region. Welcome to the league, Jim. We've been dealing with this crap for 50 years.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Clemson 25th in CFN's pre-pre-pre preseason poll

For what it's worth, the Tigers come in just behind Georgia Tech. Here's how it breaks down, according to CFN. Our strengths: A veteran offense, an easier schedule and a great kicking game. Our weaknesses: Too many key players gone on defense and an untested replacement for QB Charlie Whitehurst. Personally, I think we're going to be MUCH better than 25th, but what do I know? I've got that Kool-Aid problem. (Link found at Tigernet's message board.)

* STILL more recruiting: The State has a nice profile of Byron Maxwell, a top-ranked prep defensive back who has rebounded from a devastating knee injury and is committed to play at Clemson.

* Spotted on eBay: These items might interest that special sports fan in your life. StateFans Nation has a link to an eBay auction for Wake Forest basketball player Justin Gray's pre-chewed bubblegum, which he tossed after the Deacs lost to the Wolfpack the other day. And then there's this pro-Gamecock T-shirt, which a Tigernetter spotted and posted on T-net's message board. These must have been printed after the Chickens beat Florida this year. (We know what happened the following week.) Hey, maybe the first 100 orders will receive a free "USC: 2005 Independence Bowl Champions" T-shirt. Or maybe one of these:





"But I don't wanna be a Gamecock!!"
Tye Hill gets some love from The Network

Mel Kiper, draft expert, writes on ESPN's Web site that Clemson cornerback Tye Hill "was one of the most impressive players at Monday's North practice at the Senior Bowl." And coming from Mel, that's saying something!

* The fine college football blog Sunday Morning Quarterback ranked Clemson No. 22 in its final poll of 2005. Here's what SMQ said about the Tigers: "Ahead of Florida State because it beat the ACC champs, for the second straight year, by two touchdowns. A significant enough all-around improvement, against a vicious, two-by-four-wielding schedule, to earn Tommy Bowden another year or two."

Monday, January 23, 2006

It's all about recruiting ...

Most of the Clemson football news from around the Interweb today is about recruiting, both past and present.

* The State looks at the status of Clemson's recruiting class of 2004.

* The State also has an article about the lack of serious talent in the state of South Carolina this year.

* The Post & Courier writes about the use of text-messaging in the recruiting wars. I think it goes something like this: "OMG UR considering UGA? That's a WOMBAT, AFAIK. U should totally go to CU! Whoops! POS! BFN!" (For details on what all this means, click here.)

Friday, January 20, 2006

The Three-Dot Column ...

Clemson freshman defensive end Xavier Littleberry has been kicked off the team for waving his pee-pee at a CLEANING WOMAN!!!! ... Tigernet updates how recruiting is going in the off-season. Apparently, quite well. ... Departing quarterback Charlie Whitehurst talks about his chances in the NFL draft ... OK, ESPN Gameday fans. Here's the drinking game you've been looking for. (Link via Kyle on Football, who appears to be a Georgia fan, but he's all right otherwise.) ... The funny folks at Every Day Should Be Saturday have conducted a study about colleges with big-time football programs and the financial burden they place on students to support those shimmering fall Saturday afternoons. Here's EDSBS' Orson Swindle on Clemson, which ranked 17th: "If we were Clemson students, we'd want auditors. Now." Hey, if you were a loyal IPTAY donor like my father USED TO BE, you, too, would want some answers for the underachieving, lets-lose-to-Duke/Wake-but-scramble-to-make-the-Peach-Bowl-on
-the-strength-of-our-devoted-fan-base finish we've been subjected to by coach Tommy Bowden over the past several seasons. Now, we like Bowden, and I think he's got the potential to be a great coach. But if we don't kick ass next year with the team we've got coming back, then I'm going to become a full-time Appalachian State fan.
Tigerpundit lives again!!!!


Enjoy!!!