- bryantconger
All the news that dropped from Pac-12 Media Day, (probably)
Bryant Conger | July 24, 2019
Miss Pac-12 media day? Don’t worry, so did most of the media on the East Coast. And, if you did tune into the Pac-12 Network, you quickly noticed that the televised portions didn’t involve the media…awkward.
Fear not. Sharp College Football scoured the dirtiest, most uncivil corners of Twitter to get you the best tidbits that dropped throughout the day in Hollywood. They include:
Woody Dixon is no longer allowed to influence officiating
Woody Dixon, the Pac-12 lawyer famous for (likely) eating guacamole at his home while overriding a clear targeting call in the USC and Washington State game, has been removed from the officiating process so he can focus on suing networks over tennis royalties. Source: James Crepea, The Oregonian
Pac-12 Football Officiating Declared (lol) “Fundamentally Sound” A company named Sibson, whose website includes multiple, soft-lensed stock photos of the not-football variety, ran an independent review of the Pac-12’s football officiating. They declared Pac-12 officiating, “fundamentally sound and predominantly consistent with industry best practice.” At the same time they made four major recommendations including:
1. Don’t let this Woody Dixon fellow within 50 feet of anything related to officiating;
2. Maybe you guys should update your manual with codes making sure Woody Dixon isn’t within 50 feet of anything related to officiating;
3. Perhaps you should have a more transparent and public communications system so we can see if Woody Dixon is within 50 feet of anything related to officiating;
4. Train your refs better.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said, “We are committed to ensuring that our football officiating program continues to improve and is best-in-class, and our implementation of these recommendations will allow us to do so.”
The Pac-12 Football Title Game Will Move to Las Vegas for the 2020 & 2021 Seasons The Conference of Champions announced a two-year deal to bring the Pac-12 title game to Las Vegas, home of a new state-of-the-art football stadium that will house the Raiders.
The 2019 title game will remain a 50 minute drive, not accounting for traffic, outside of San Francisco. Source: pac-12.com
New Bowl Announced in Which an Over-Performing Mountain West Team Will Defeat a Middling Pac-12 Team The Pac-12 announced the new Los Angeles Bowl, a five-year contract played at the LA Stadium and Entertainment District. The Mountain West is 3-0 against Pac-12 teams in the last two years.
Source: pac-12.com & sports-reference.com
Conference in Talks with Fox About Kegs-N-Eggs Games (9 am Kickoffs) Conference Commissioner Larry Scott unveiled preliminary discussions with Fox surrounding “one or two games this season” that would kick off at noon eastern time/9 am pacific time. Scott cited the feedback regarding late kickoffs and said that he wanted to put everything on the table to increase exposure to the Pac-12. Source: SI.com
Laviska Shenault had awesome shoes
Keisean Lucier-South is Still Slated to Play for UCLA in 2019
Chip Kelly announced that linebacker Keisean Lucier-South (who had 11.5 tackles for a loss, 6 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles last year) is straightening out some academic issues. Lucier-South will not participate in training camp but could potentially play starting in the season's fourth game. This is partially good news for the Bruins. Lucier-South missed Spring camp and there was concern surrounding his status. Source: Bruin Report Online
There is No Timetable to Bru McCoy and Chris Steele’s Eligibility at USC The decision of Bru McCoy, the #1 wide receiver in the 2019 class, to commit to USC, flip to Texas, then transfer back to USC, all before the season started, has the NCAA’s eligibility calculator dividing by zero. Trojan head coach Clay Helton says that there is no timetable on finding out whether Bru McCoy and Chris Steele are eligible for this upcoming season. Source: Alicia de Artola, Reign of Troy
Washington State Loses a Running Back and Gains a Running Back An already thin Washington State running back corps took another hit when it was announced that Jamir Thomas, a highly rated athlete projected to compete for immediate playing time, would likely qualify at Wazzu. The 6’1, 215 lb, freshman was the #55 athlete of 2019 class with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Kentucky, and others.
But…
Washington State announced the addition of Deon McIntosh, a Notre Dame transfer who blue-shirted and will officially join the roster. McIntosh, a 5’11, 195 lb running back rushed for 365 yards for Notre Dame in 2017, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and netting 5 touchdowns.
Half of Arizona’s Two Needed Defensive Tackles Have Been Cleared Big news out of Tucson coming into Pac-12 media day was the status of two defensive tackles: Trevon Mason and Kane Bradford. Their status was of particular interest because of Arizona’s thin depth in the middle of their defensive line following the departures of P.J. Washington and Dereck Boles. Kevin Sumlin announced that JUCO transfer Trevon Mason is now cleared to play and is expected to report for training camp on Thursday. The team is still waiting to hear from fellow defensive tackle Kane Bradford. Mason was a two star commit with offers from Nebraska, Southern Mississippi, and Western Kentucky. Source: Arizona Daily Star
Colorado Head Coach Mel Tucker Promoted Wide Receivers Coach Darrin Chiaverini to Assistant Head Coach
USC Loses Three Players from its 2019 Class Clay Helton shared that Trey Davis, a 3-star cornerback commit with offers from Washington State, Portland State, and Sacramento State, entered the Transfer Portal due to a family matter. Jaylen Watson, a 3-star JUCO cornerback and Tilini Livai, a 2-star offensive lineman both fell short of being academically eligible. Source: Antonio Morales, The Athletic
Austin Jackson Back With USC After Being a Rock Star
USC starting left tackle, Austin Jackson, is back with the team after donating bone marrow to save his sister’s life. Clay Helton says that Jackson is getting back into shape and will be eased into football activities. Best wishes to the Jackson family. Source: Keely Eure, USC Football
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