KSR Today: Peach Jam wraps up
Down in Augusta, the top AAU event of the summer is ongoing, and we’re reaching the end of the tournament. KSR has been on the scene from the jump to provide wall-to-wall coverage.
On Friday night, Kentucky commit Robert Dillingham went head-to-head with top Kentucky target DJ Wagner in a battle of elite lead guards. Meanwhile, both big Aaron Bradshaw and wing G.G. Jackson were also on the court. Behind 15 points from Dillingham, CP3 came out on top.
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim will provide some more detailed notes later in the day as we get set for some more heated action tonight down in Georgia. In the meantime, get caught up on some key recruiting updates.
Nasir Addison makes a decision
Irvington (N.J.) High wide receiver/defensive back Nasir Addison committed to Maryland on Oct. 9 but backed off his pledge to the Terps on July 8. Since the calendar turned to 2022, Addison has received Power Five offers from Florida State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, and Virginia. Meanwhile, Kentucky has always been in the hunt since defensive coordinator Brad White issued a scholarship offer last April.
The three-star prospect is now ready to make a decision and will go live on Instagram at 5:00 p.m. ET. Kentucky is considered the heavy favorite at this point.
Addison is reportedly being recruited as a defensive back, and Kentucky needs length in the secondary. At 6-foot-2 with a long reach, the size and burst combo could succeed in the zone-heavy scheme utilized by Kentucky.
The Wildcats could be ready to add another cornerback to the class to join blue-chipper Avery Stuart. A rare recruiting win in New Jersey could be completed later today. KSR will be locked in to provide the Big Blue Nation with full coverage as a busy July continues on the recruiting trail.
Vols are back
In the class of 2023, Tennessee currently has 19 verbal commitments highlighted by five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. With an average star rating of 89.14, Josh Heupel has the Vols on pace to sign a top-20 class. Much of the recruiting success early in this haul was due to a huge collective that is making waves behind the scenes.
However, it wasn’t that long ago when NIL was not a thing in college sports. Back then, teams had to drop bags the good, old fashion way. Former Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt and his coaching staff got pretty wild on the recruiting trail.
In just three short seasons on Rocky Top, the former defensive coordinator at Alabama, Florida State, and Georgia was famously fired by Tennessee with a weird press conference that praised athletic director Phillip Fulmer while throwing 100 percent blame on Pruitt who went 16-19 over three seasons. It was later reported, that Tennessee was dishing out McDonald’s bags full of cash to prospective recruits.
That turned out not to be true, but no reason to worry because there were many blockbuster violations as the NCAA gave the university its Notice of Allegations on Friday.
The Vols were hit with 18 Level I violations as the coaching and support staff in Knoxville paid student-athletes $60,000. Former Kentucky assistant and current Los Angeles Chargers staffer Derrick Ansley was named in the report. Perhaps the biggest news was that Pruitt’s wife, Casey, paid players and people around them over $15,000.
Tennessee is fully cooperating with the NCAA as the Vols are determined not to pay Pruitt a penny of his large $12.6 million buyout. However, that hasn’t really helped schools in the past when it comes to issuing punishments.
It’s important to remember that things are changing rapidly in college sports, and the NCAA is losing power by the day. We’ve seen them take their time with punishments. The Vols might not get hammered here but something significant should come some day in the future.
But we’re also still waiting on Louisville’s punishment in basketball. So you never know.
Sydney McLaughlin obliterates world record
Out at the World Championships in Oregon, the best track and field athletes are competing for gold medals. Former Kentucky products have had a heavy presence at the event. Perhaps the biggest star in sports is Sydney McLaughlin.
The 22-year-old superstar competed on Friday night and destroyed a world record by clocking 50.68 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles final.
McLaughlin now has another world record and should have a great shot at a historic run when the Olympics arrive in 2024.
Unions forming in college football?
Speaking of the NIL world, we are in the land of the unknown in college football. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and many others have talked about the need for regulation in college athletics. However, there seems to be no plan in place. As the money continues to grow, college players are going to want a bigger piece of the pie.
It seems like only a matter of time before universities have to make football players employees of their institution. With that likely comes big unions and a collective bargaining agreement. We could have just seen a big step in that direction on Friday.
The College Football Players Association (CFBPA) has joined forces with players at Penn State as the student-athletes are searching for independent medical care, post-football health protections, and revenue sharing from media rights deals with the Big Ten.
This group and Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford have had discussions with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren. Another meeting between the group will take place in Indianapolis next week at Big Ten Media Days. This could be the first step toward a seismic change in college football.
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