AUBURN: Rodney Garner is leaving the Georgia staff after 15 years to go back to Auburn as assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. He held the same positions at Georgia. Garner has been Georgia’s recruiting coordinator since 1998, under both Jim Donnan and Mark Richt. Garner was Georgia’s defensive line coach this past season as well as the Bulldogs’assistant head coach. Garner was an All-SEC player at Auburn in the late-1980s. Over the past 10 years, the Georgia recruiting classes have been in the top 10 of the Rivals.com ranking seven times and No. 15 or higher 10 times. The Bulldogs are currently No. 9 in the Rivals.com rankings.
- Rodney Garner (left) is on his way back to Auburn, where he starred in the ’80s. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)
GRIMES ABOARD: J.B. Grimes is leaving Arkansas State in order to coach the offensive line at Auburn. He replaces Jeff Grimes, who coached the Tigers’ offensive line the past four years under previous head coach Gene Chizik. Grimes has coached at Mississippi State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Kansas, East Carolina, Virginia Tech and Louisiana-Monroe in 30 years as a college coach.
ALABAMA: Tide defensive tackle Denzel Devall has a sprained knee, but he has not been ruled out for the BCS National Title game. Tide linebacker C.J. Mosley said he will return for his senior season rather than going out early for the NFL. Mosley, who leads the Crimson Tide in tackles with 99, said receiving his undergraduate degree in December, was a big reason for him returning. Tide starting tailback Eddie Lacy and starting cornerback Dee Milliner are not tipping their hands until after the title game.
ARKANSAS: Offensive guard Alvin Bailey has decided to forgo his final season at Arkansas and enter the 2013 NFL Draft. Bailey, who started 38 straight games, became the second Arkansas junior to declare for the NFL Draft this month along with running back Knile Davis.
GEORGIA: According to UGASports.com, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said he will be the person responsible for hiring Garner’s replacement, and that the hire will be for a new defensive line coach. Grantham said he will hire a coach solely to coach that position. UGAsports.com also reported that it’s believed that tight ends coach John Lilly, who served in that capacity at Florida State, could assume the role.
DAWG INJURIES: Defensive lineman John Jenkins (concussion), offensive tackle Austin Long (fractured right hand), tight end Jay Rome (hip flexor) and backup cornerback Devin Bowman (left quad contusion) are slowly getting healthy. Running back Richard Samuel remains out with a left shoulder AC joint sprain. Receiver Malcolm Mitchell (groin) and Tavarres King (groin) should be ready for workouts in Orlando. Defensive end Abry Jones, who has not played since injuring his ankle against Kentucky, is practicing again.
BULLDOG SIGNINGS: Georgia announced the signing of JUCO wide receiver Jonathan Rumph Thursday. Rumph, who spent the past two seasons at Holmes (Miss.) Community College, caught 45 passes for 569 yards and three touchdowns following a freshman season which saw him catch 42 balls for 778 yards and four scores. Mayes originally signed with Georgia in 2011 before enrolling at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
LSU: Coach Les Miles said punter Brad Wing has been suspended for the Chick-fil-A Bowl for an unspecified violation of team rules. Wing will be replaced by freshman Jamie Keehn, who is also Australian. Wing has averaged 44.8 yards on 59 punts for the Tigers this season.
TENNESSEE: Quarterback Tyler Bray is leaving Tennessee early to put his name into April’s NFL Draft, a source told CBSSPORTS.COM. Bray (6-6, 220), a three-year-starter for the Vols, threw 69 TDs and 28 interceptions in his career. In 2012, Bray threw for 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and over 3,600 yards while completing 59 percent of his passes. However, in games against teams currently ranked in the Top 25, Bray had an 8-8 TD-INT ratio and failed to complete more than 50 percent of his passes in two of those four games.
CLEMSON: Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd has officially filed his paperwork with the NFL draft advisory board. He will discuss his future after the Tigers’ bowl game. Boyd would be smart to come back because he is not rated as a first round pick. For example, Mel Kiper Jr. does not list Boyd among his top five junior quarterbacks.
BREELAND OUT: A lingering groin injury has ended the season for Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Head coach Dabo Swinney confirmed Wednesday that Breeland will not play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against LSU due to a groin injury. He sustained the injury in mid-October against Virginia Tech and played in just two of the Tigers’ five subsequent games. Prior to the injury, he started five of seven games.
FLORIDA STATE: Coach Jimbo Fisher has hired Sal Sunseri to coach defensive ends. Sunseri will coach in the Orange Bowl. He replaces defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot, who went with Mark Stoops to Kentucky to become defensive coordinator. Sunseri was the defensive coordinator at Tennessee this past season. He was also the assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Alabama the three years prior to going to Knoxville.
COLEY LINKED TO JOB OPENING: The Miami Herald is reporting that James Coley, the FSU offensive coordinator rumored to be a candidate for the FIU job.
NOTRE DAME: Defensive tackle Louis Nix, who is from Jacksonville, Fla., said he is returning for his senior year. One of the key matchups in the BSC title game is Nix going against Alabama center Barrett Jones.