SB Nation Chicago: All Posts by Bob Lynch

Cornerback Quintavious Knight Commits to Ole Miss

2013-06-18T15:12:41Z

A teammate of Akeem Judd's and a tall rangy cornerback, Quintavious Knight is the newest addition to the 2014 Ole Miss recruiting class. Listed as being six feet tall and 170 pounds, Knight is a consensus three star prospect. He is ranked as the No. 3 junior college cornerback in the country by 247 Sports, and a top-50 juco prospect overall. (Interestingly enough, Shattle Fenteng, the number one junior college cornerback, is thought to be favoring the Rebs as well.)

His highlights show him as being quick to the ball, decent in coverage, and an effective tackler. He also took on some responsibilities as a returner for Georgia Military Academy, further attesting to his speed and athleticism. Knight will graduate in the spring, and will therefore join the Rebel program next summer.

Corner is a desperate need for the Rebels, as it is one of the thinnest positions on the defensive side of the ball for Ole Miss. Knight and hopefully Fenteng will add much needed depth and skill right away for 2014.

Rebel Roundup - June 17, 2013

2013-06-17T13:13:20Z

I worry that our video people are spoiling us. More great work from Micah, Chris Buttgen, Michael Thompson, and whomever else is behind these great productions. And good on us for supporting our teams this season, but I'm pretty sure we can do much better than 810K for this next year, right?

Ole Miss AD: Rebels building momentum under Hugh Freeze | OrlandoSentinel.com

It’s an exciting time in Oxford and now we just got to keep growing and keep talking about the process knowing that we really haven’t done what we wanted to accomplish...We’ve got bigger aspirations, but we’ve laid the foundation.

So sayeth Ross Bjork. I'm definitely reading into what he said much more than he probably would have intended any of us to, but a winning football program does benefit the entirety of the athletics department. "A rising tide floats all ships," so they say, and even if that analogy isn't perfect for this situation I do believe that, if Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss football team can continue to improve, we should see significant progress made in fundraising, facilities, and coaching decisions.

'Nkemdiche effect' still pushes Ole Miss on recruiting trail | EotC
About as beneficial to the program as signing Robert Nkemdiche, Leremy Tunsil, Laquon Treadwell, and the other members of our Rebels' top-10 recruiting class is the press Ole Miss has received as of late for Hugh Freeze's recruiting. In a way, the "Nkemdiche effect" has made Ole Miss a more popular destination for high school recruits, which stands to reason. If top-flight guys are coming here, then others are wont to follow them.

Carver-Montgomery receiver Charles Standberry commits to Ole Miss | AL.com
Charlse Standberry is a flex TE/WR type of prospect - think of Evan Ingram last year - out of Montgomery, Alabama. He committed to our Rebs this past Friday during his visit to Oxford. He is listed as being 6'3" and 208 pounds, and caught 54 passes for 623 yards and seven touchdowns last season. His offer sheet is not particularly impressive (Schtuyte, UAB, LA Tech, etc.), but he has impressed scouts at both the Ole Miss and Auburn camps. Regardless, this guy's excited to be a part of the program as are his future teammates:

@ssnug8 Congrats on committing bro. Welcome to the family... Hotty Toddy! #RebelNation show some love
— Quincy Adeboyejo (@QuincyA18) June 15, 2013

See, it's not just us that this shit happens too.

I mean, how does that happen?

Weekend Plans - June 15, 2013

2013-06-15T14:03:13Z

Marshall Henderson - Switching to chamomile with lavender to calm nerves after a bad experience with a poorly brewed Earl Grey. Devouring the ENTIRE Iris Johannson collection of murder mysteries. (!!!)

Nick Saban - Still trying to figure out the funniest thing a player has ever told him. Smirking, but never cracking a full smile.

Houston Nutt - Developing an offense centered around emoticons and pictures of actual photographs of the players involved in the play call. Living in New Mexico. Wearing floppy hats.

Juco and Wiskey Wednesday - Winning a chili cookoff. Day drinking.

Jason Kidd - Reading Head Coaching for Dummies. Completely giving up on that whole "retirement" thing after a week. Good on him.

Hugh Freeze (in the minds of recruiting conspiracy theorists) - Stepfordifying more hot girls to become Ole Miss football Twitter enthusiasts. Run a bunch of catfishing Facebook accounts to woo recruits. Buy SUVs for the Nkemdiches. Duffel bags of cash dropped from helicopters. Blackmail. Bribery.

Hugh Freeze (in real life) - If his Twitter feed is any indicator, he's going fishing.

Good morning 10 pounder pic.twitter.com/tSLdvZSePR
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) June 10, 2013

The Rebels are in Omaha! (Sorta!)

2013-06-14T18:00:55Z

The Mississippi State Rebels are in the College World Series, per a rogue Nebraska t-shirt manufacturer.

Blake Kirby, a friend of the Cup who knows a thing or two about baseball and the passion of the Egg Bowl rivalry, tweeted this out earlier today:

Go MSU Rebels? pic.twitter.com/7RL9CILsGN
— Blake Kirby (@blakekirbyreb) June 14, 2013

I don't know who is more bothered by this, us or them. Regardless, this is about as humorous and sad a slipup as I've seen. It really does make one wonder how this could happen and with such frequency. Of course, my perspective lends me to think such a mistake to be impossible, being as how obsessed I am with SEC sports, but even from the perspective of an entrepreneur trying to cash in on some College World Series fan dollars one would have to think that a detail such as the actual names of the teams participating in the event would not be overlooked. Right?

Anyway, one billion cup dollars and reimbursement in actual US dollars to any one, Bulldog or otherwise, who purchases whatever's left of those shirts and sets them on fire, preferably right in front of whomever it is that's selling them.

TLV #182: In Defense of Mike Bianco's Contract Extension

2013-06-13T19:35:31Z

This past weekend, the Ole Miss Rebel head baseball coach's contract has been extended to 2015. Mike Bianco's initial agreement was set to expire at the conclusion of next baseball season, but in spite of his team performing well under Rebel fans expectations this past season and in the several seasons prior, he will have one more year added to his agreement with the university. His salary will not change, as will not those of his assistants, but he has been given a vote of confidence of sorts by Athletics Director Ross Bjork for this next season at the very least.

I write to you in defense of this decision.

As unpopular as the move is among the Ole Miss Rebel faithful, it is a move that is a smart one for the longevity of our beloved baseball program, even though it may rightfully be seen as a resignation to next year's seemingly inevitable decline in on-field performance.

The Diamond Rebs have not been what they were in Bianco's heyday for four seasons now. Whereas for much of 2004-2009 the Rebels were one of the top performing teams in college baseball - with all-American honors, NCAA Super Regional hosts, and an SEC Championship or two to show for it - Mike Bianco's team simply has not been much better than average since. The wins have not been as plentiful, the players have not been as talented, and Oxford-University Stadium - a stadium expanded for the purposes of containing our ever growing fan base and our much anticipated opportunities to host postseason play - has been empty during the NCAA's regionals and super regionals. Adding insult to injury, our fiercest rivals have recently performed well in the NCAA postseason, leading many of us fans to ask "well, why not us?"

These are all understandable reasons to terminate Mike Bianco. The program simply has declined, and does not look to be on the upswing. The drop in performance has been precipitous enough to make this very discussion valid. But I posit to you that doing so at this juncture would be a bad move, in that it would make the much desired return to college baseball success more difficult to come by than the alternative of this announced extension.

My argument is threefold. First, this year's team, while not good, was far from bad. The Rebs were a mainstay in the top-25, finished right around the middle of the SEC, and earned a bid as a No. 2 seed in an NCAA regional. It would be one thing if Ole Miss were, say, Georgia this past season, who fired their head coach after a disastrous 7-20 record against the Southeastern Conference. It is another thing to finish ahead of eight other conference teams, even if such a finish were quite disappointing. Firing a coach who, for all intents and purposes, did not have a bad season, makes hiring his predecessor much more difficult. By giving Bianco just another year - not any more money, mind you - we are signaling to potential future Rebel coaches that they will be given this sort of leeway if they have earned it.

And it is tough to argue that Bianco does not deserve a last chance at redemption. Keep in mind, it is his coaching, his teams, that have given us the expectations necessary to postulate that he should be fired in the first damn place.

My second argument is that it behooves Ross Bjork to show some clemency to Mike Bianco. Bjork, as much as we may love what he has done thus far in Oxford, is still a bit of an unknown with regards to coaching moves. If he makes a decision this early in his career that gives people reason to think of him as impatient and giving in to the demands of fickle fans, then that could make things difficult for him moving forward in his handling of all sports, not just baseball.

My third argument, I must apologize, is a bit defeatist. I do not believe next season's Ole Miss team will be better than this past season's team. In fact, if pitchers Bobby Wahl and Mike Mayers take their MLB Draft offers - as I anticipate they will - this team will be without its two most reliable starters and its most powerful bat in departing catcher Stuart Turner. Outside of freshmen phenoms or significant growth amongst underclassmen, next season's Rebels might struggle to even earn an NCAA postseason appearance. If that is the case, then Ross Bjork's decision can become much easier to make and mitigate the controversy that could arise if he is to can Bianco now.

While we Ole Miss fans may be frustrated with the program as of late, how in spite of our increased fan support and monetary investment we have not seen improved performance out of the team itself, we must consider the longevity of Rebel baseball when voicing our concerns. We need a program that is in a very good position to make a very good hire; firing Mike Bianco will not give us that, yet.

Every SEC Team's Overall Rating in EA Sports NCAA 2014

2013-06-12T22:14:36Z

Do you like video games? Do you like college football? If you answered yes to both, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just think of this as what a bunch of software engineers think of our football teams.

Team	Overall	Offense	Defense
Alabama	99	99	99
LSU	93	93	92
TAMU	91	95	88
Georgia	91	95	88
Florida	90	90	92
SCar	90	88	90
Ole Miss	90	91	88
Auburn	88	88	90
Missouri	88	90	87
Arkansas	88	88	87
Schtuyte	88	90	85
Tennessee	86	84	88
Kentucky	84	84	83
Vanderbilt	83	84	82

These are the overall, offense, and defense ratings of the 14 SEC teams. Some initial observations:

Playing with Alabama is hereby considered cheating.
How Texas A&M doesn't have the conference's best offense is beyond me.
What the hell does Vanderbilt have to do to earn some damn respect? They won nine games last season, some of which were won convincingly! And yet EA Sports has them as the worst team in the SEC?! As in KENTUCKY AND MISSOURI are rated higher than they are?! That's just nonsense.
Ole Miss has the fifth best team overall (tied with Florida and South Carolina), the fifth best offense overall, and the sixth best defense overall (tied Texas A&M, Geogia, and Tennessee). I'll take it, even if I only really buy our offensive prowess right now.
I'll probably still buy this game.

Rebel Roundup - June 10, 2013

2013-06-10T19:24:13Z

Murphy Holloway Worked out with the Memphis Grizzlies Today

Great workout in the M-Town
— Murphy Holloway (@Murphys_Law31) June 10, 2013

Let's hope this turns into something fruitful for him, even if it's just a cushy-ish overseas gig. Best of luck to Big Murph.

Texas-Ole Miss Game Could Be Longhorn Network's Make-Or-Break Moment | Forbes
Forbes has picked up on Texas and ESPN's game, and that is their gamble of putting the Ole Miss vs. Texas game on the Longhorn network being a ploy to goad cable providers to carry the channel.

Ole Miss Men Claim Best NCAA Finish In School History | OleMissSports.com
Ole Miss finished 8th overall at the NCAA men's track and field finals this past weekend in Eugene, Oregon. Sam Kendricks won the national title in the pole vault (WHOOOOOO POLE VAULT CHAMPS Y'ALL) and Isiah young finished 3rd in the 100m and 2nd in the 200m. Great work, Rebel men's track and field.

Cox Must Learn the Art of Tenacity | FanPost by Ezio
The Ole Miss men's basketball team will need help down low now that Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner are no longer in Oxford. Demarco Cox, among others, need to step up their game if they want to get this team back into the NCAA Tournament next season.

Ole Miss rewards Bianco with extension | The Clarion-Ledger
Controversially, Ross Bjork extended Mike Bianco's contract for yet another year without giving him a raise or boosting any of his incentives. Fans are largely not happy about this, but we at the Cup are okay with it, and we'll spend some time discussing it tomorrow.

Ole Miss Recruiting Weekend: Rebels Earn Five Commitments in Two Days

2013-06-10T13:00:11Z

Alfred Dickens commits to Ole Miss (via: 247Sports)

Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels coaching staff are maintaining their early recruiting successes, and have added four new commitments to the 2014 recruiting class, plus a commitment for the 2016 class. Of these five new commitments, four are from the state of Mississippi, showing this coaching staff's strategy of securing the homegrown talent first.

The pickups are as follows (with links to their 247Sports profiles):

Alfred Dickens - 6'1" 195lb S/OLB - Olive Branch HS
What's this? A star prospect from Olive Branch commits to Ole Miss? The high school which has seemingly been closed off to Ole Miss for several years, despite being a couple of counties away from campus, is led on defense by Alfred Dickens who plays both linebacker and defensive back for the Conquistadores. He plays some on offense too, but Dickens is a defensive back who could perhaps grow into a linebacker at the next level a la former Olive Branch turned Ole Miss star Allen Walker. He is also the punter at Olive Branch, a point which isn't all that interesting until you see this video of him tossing a touchdown on a fake punt. Damn, I love high school football.

Akeem Judd - 5'11" 219lb Halfback - Georgia Military Academy
He's not a defender, but he's a landshark all the way per his Twitter. Akeem Judd is the top junior college halfback in the 2014 class, and the story on him is that he's a rare combination of size and speed, and ready to contribute in the SEC right away. He will graduate this December, making him even more valuable to a team such as Ole Miss which needs a bigger bodied back.in the worst way. His practice highlights are here, and they do show him using his eyes and feet well, and demonstrating significant versatility. I think this is a fantastic pickup, and being as how we had to fight of Auburn and Tennessee to get this guy's commitment, that's a good sign of his potential.

Alvin Moore - 6' 190lb ILB - Bassfield HS / Calvin Moore - 6' 182lb ATH - Bassfield HS
If these guys having similar first names, identical last names, and coming from the same high school didn't tip it off for you, Alvin and Calvin Moore are a pair of identical twins. They're also very, very fast. Each of them ran a 4.4-ish 40-yard dash at Ole Miss' camp this past weekend, earning Calvin the offer that his brother Alvin received a few weeks prior. With each having an offer in hand, they committed, and have pledged to help commit their teammates to Ole Miss, most notably Jamal Peters, an elite 2015 safety prospect.

DeKaylin Metcalf - 6'2" 175lb Athlete - Oxford HS
This is a really interesting commitment for the class of 2016. Metcalf is the son of former Ole Miss all-American offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf. As you may know, Metcalf moved back to Oxford post his career with the Chicago Bears, and is carrying on a long tradition of former Rebel stars making our little corner of north Mississippi their home. DeKaylin plays receiver for the Oxford High Chargers, and could project at receiver or wideout for the Rebels. I'd say Terrence Metcalf's accomplishments have earned his son a football scholarship regardless, but it's good to see that he himself might have the size and athleticism to be a valuable asset to the program on his own merits - just like dad.

In other recruiting news, Mississippi native and four-star wideout Markell Pack, who is currently committed to Florida State, recently said that he was 50/50 between the 'Noles and the Rebs after he and his family took a recent visit to Oxford. Naturally, Florida State fans are unreasonably upset over this.