SB Nation Tampa Bay: All Posts by Peter Berkes

• Bill Connelly previews Auburn: Please be patient, Tigers fans

• Oklahoma State’s insane transfer restrictions list

For more on the Gamecocks, check out Garnet and Black Attack

South Carolina lands commitment from 2015 DE Shameik Blackshear

2013-05-21T18:33:41Z

Defensive end Shameik Blackshear has committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks, according to Tony Morelli of 247sports.com. Blackshear is a prospect for the 2015 recruiting class, and while he is not rated yet, Morelli thinks he will be a five-star recruit.

Blackshear stands 6'4 and weighs in at 235 pounds. The Bluffton (S.C.) High School product recorded 97 tackles and 5.0 sacks in 2012 as a sophomore. Despite being so young, he has a slew of offers from some of the biggest programs in the country, including Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, N.C. State, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Morelli noted that Blackshear is the most talented player to commit to South Carolina since Jadeveon Clowney, which is high, high praise.

Blackshear is the Gamecocks' second commitment for the 2015 cycle, following behind Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson High School wide receiver Dexter Neal. However, that's not much smaller than their 2014 recruiting class, which only includes three players at the moment.

More from SB Nation:

• Bill Connelly previews Auburn: Please be patient, Tigers fans

• Oklahoma State’s insane transfer restrictions list

For more on LSU football, check out And The Valley Shook

D'Haquille Williams decommits from LSU

2013-05-21T18:01:38Z

D'Haquille Williams, the top JUCO prospect in the nation, has decommitted from LSU, according to Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Williams told Smith that he's decommitting in order to pursue all of his options.

Williams, a 6'3, 213-pound Reserve (La.) native, is currently enrolled at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He committed to LSU less than two weeks ago on May 10, but has already changed his mind. A five-star recruit according to 247, Williams already has offers from almost every major school in the southeast, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC.

Williams was originally part of the 2011 recruiting class, but did not qualify due to spending the first two years of high school at an unaccredited school. He's spent the past two years in junior college, and seemingly has his academics in order. Last year, Williams caught 67 passes for 1,295 yards and 17 touchdowns.

More from SB Nation:

• Bill Connelly previews Auburn: Please be patient, Tigers fans

• Oklahoma State’s insane transfer restrictions list

Jake Golic transferring from Notre Dame to Cincinnati

2013-05-21T17:33:36Z

Former Notre Dame tight end Jake Golic will transfer to Cincinnati, according to his father, Mike. The elder Golic, a former NFL player and longtime ESPN radio host, announced that his son would be attending Cincinnati as a grad student next year, where he will play his final season of eligibility.

More: For more on the Irish, check out One Foot Down For all things Bearcats, head to Down The Drive

Since Golic will be a graduate student, he will be able to play right away without having to sit out a season. He's the second Notre Dame player to make his way to Cincinnati via transfer this offseason, following former super recruit Gunner Kiel.

Golic didn't record a catch for the Irish, but he was stuck on the depth chart behind Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert during his time in South Bend. Cincinnati will have to replace Travis Kelce, who was a third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The other tight end who will compete with Golic for the starting job, Blake Annen, had one reception in 2012.

More from SB Nation:

• Bill Connelly previews Auburn: Please be patient, Tigers fans

• Oklahoma State’s insane transfer restrictions list

Florida football recruiting: WR Ryeshene Bronson decommits from Gators

2013-05-21T16:28:56Z

The Florida Gators 2014 recruiting class took a hit on Tuesday, as four-star wide receiver prospect Ryeshene Bronson decommitted, according to GatorBait.net. The 6'3, 180 pound Bronson, from Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar High School, was the first member of Florida's 2014 recruiting class when he committed last June.

More: For more on Gators football, check out Alligator Army

Bronson is the second player to decommit from Florida's 2014 class in the past five days, following four-star linebacker Christian Miller out the door. However, this move is not much of a surprise when it comes to people plugged into the recruiting scene.

Didn't have to be an insider to know something was up with Ryeshene Bronson and Florida.
— SB Nation Recruiting (@SBNRecruiting) May 21, 2013

Bronson holds offers from Miami, Florida State, Auburn, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, but now that he has reopened his recruitment, more could follow shortly.

The loss of Bronson and Miller drops Florida eight places to 14th in the 247Composite team rankings for the 2014 recruiting class, but it's still a long way from Signing Day.

More from SB Nation:

• Bill Connelly previews Auburn: Please be patient, Tigers fans

• Oklahoma State’s insane transfer restrictions list

• Longform: Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens returns

Indy 500 2013 qualifying: Full results from Bump Day

2013-05-19T23:11:04Z

The 33-car field is in place for the Indianapolis 500 after Bump Day on Sunday, and Michel Jourdain Jr. is the only driver who failed to qualify.

More: Complete Indy 500 coverage Pole Day results

The top 24 cars from Pole Day on Saturday are slotted into the field in the top 24 spots. The final nine spots in the field are determined the next day on Bump Day, when cars can run again and take another shot at qualifying for the field. If a car that qualifies on Bump Day is faster than one in the top 24, they still start behind them in order. However, once the field reaches 33 cars, the slowest drivers are then "bumped" out of the field.

Ten drivers attempted to qualify on Bump Day, and Jourdain was the only one who could not.

Here are the nine drivers that qualified on Bump Day:

25. Josef Newgarden - 225.731
26. Graham Rahal - 225.007
27. Sebastian Saavedra - 224.929
28. Tristan Vautier - 224.873
29. Ana Beatriz - 224.184
30. Pippa Mann - 224.005
31. Conor Daly - 223.582
32. Buddy Lazier - 223.442
33. Katherine Legge - 223.176

2013 Preakness picks and predictions: Experts sticking with Orb

2013-05-18T15:41:12Z

With the Preakness Stakes just a few hours away, experts from across the horse racing world are beginning to make their picks for the race. Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner, is a strong favorite according to the oddsmakers, and the experts are seeing it the same way.

SB Nation's horse racing blog, And Down The Stretch They Come, posted their staff picks, and four of the five went with Orb. Itsmyluckyday was the only other horse to get a nod. On the New York Times horse racing blog, seven of the eight pickers went with Orb to win, with Goldencents being the only different choice. The media poll at the Baltimore Sun also had Orb winning on some ballots, but Itsmyluckyday, Mylute and Goldencents also received some picks.

Orb is currently at even odds to win the Preakness, which gets underway at 6:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Weather may be an issue, however, as rain is in the forecast.

More Triple Crown coverage:

• Preakness preview and picks

• Preakness Stakes betting guide | Orb remains favorite

• Complete 2013 Preakness Stakes coverage | How to watch

• SB Nation's horse racing blog: And Down The Stretch They Come

Mike Gundy will stalk Wes Lunt to the end of this Earth

2013-05-18T15:11:07Z

"I'm just glad all that nonsense is finally in the past," Wes Lunt said as he settled into his new dorm room at his new school. "All I ever wanted to do was play ball, and that's what I plan on doing. But first, I'm gonna relax and watch some TV."

Lunt grabbed the remote control and jumped on his bed while letting out a contented sigh. The past few months had been difficult for him. His old coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy, made his transfer a much bigger deal than it had to be, but it finally seemed that all that was behind him. He turned on the TV, and his eyes went wide in panic.

Staring back at Lunt from the TV was the cold, unblinking gaze of Mike Gundy. He was in a brightly lit yet featureless white room, and was wearing an orange polo and white visor. He said nothing, but he didn't need to speak.

Lunt screamed and changed the channel. Gundy was still there. He turned off the TV in a panic and sat alone with his thoughts for a few minutes. "Maybe I just imagined it. Maybe I'm seeing things. Stress can do weird things to your brain, I just need to get a grip. Maybe I should email my parents."

He walked over to his laptop and turned it on, but was horrified once again to see Gundy's gruesome visage in the same white room.

"Wes."

"Why around you running, Wes?"

Lunt sat there frozen, unsure of what to do.

"This isn't the way real men handle themselves, Wes."

Finally, Lunt worked up the courage to respond.

"It just didn't work out, Coach. It's not the end of the world. Why are you following me like this? Also, uhhh, how are you appearing in my electronic devices and speaking without moving your lips?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know. That's the problem with you, Wes, you want everything right away and you're not willing to work for it."

"Coach, what the hell are you talking about? I just wanted to play football somewhere else. This isn't the end of the world."

"Oh, but it is," Gundy said, as the computer screen quickly faded to black.

Silence.

***

Lunt didn't sleep well that night, as he was worried that the spectral version of Mike Gundy would emerge and take him while he slumbered. However, it didn't happen, so he got up the next day and prepared to go work out and watch film.

"Maybe I really did imagine the whole thing," Lunt thought. "There's no way Coach is haunting me. I know winning the Heart of Dallas Bowl can give you powers, but not powers like this. Anyway, time to get to work."

Lunt finished his lift and was alone in the film room, breaking down tape. He was on edge about seeing Gundy again, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He began to relax, but suddenly when he looked back up at the screen, there he was, dressed as the umpire.

"WATCH THE SAFETY, WES! WES! ARE YOU LISTENING?! CALL OUT THE BLITZ! YOUR TEAMMATES ARE DEPENDING ON YOU! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME, BOY?!"

"Coach, why can't you just leave me alone! I don't go to Oklahoma State anymore, and I don't play for you anymore!"

"I'LL LEAVE YOU ALONE WHEN I'M GOOD AND READY, BUT FIRST YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN TO ME AND ALL YOUR TEAMMATES WHY YOU CAN'T TAKE CARE OF THE BALL! THAT'S MY BALL, AND YOU NEED TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF IT, Y'HEAR? TURNOVERS ARE PERSONAL INSULTS TO ME AND MY FAMILY!"

Lunt got up quickly and ran back to his dorm, where he took a cold shower and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

Lunt had only been at his new school for a few days, but he already had a date lined up with a cute girl he met at the union. He didn't really know her at all, so he figured he should take her to the one place everyone loves: Buffalo Wild Wings.

He picked her up from her apartment, and they made pleasant small talk on the ride to the restaurant. They were seated quickly, and the two began talking about their class schedule and home life over a couple ice-cold diet colas. "Things are going pretty well, I think she really likes me," Lunt thought, as the waiter approached to take their order. "Yeah, I'll get the OH DAMN IT!"

It was him. He was still wearing his visor with a Buffalo Wild Wings uniform. The room fell quiet.

"Oh, what can I get you Wes? Let me just wait on you hand and foot, Wes. Sounds like a great gig, huh, Wes? How about you grow up and take some responsibility for yourself, Wes? Here, how about you just eat a bunch of wings and get FAT!"

Lunt had heard enough, and he grabbed his date and quickly left the restaurant. She never called him back.

***

Lunt walked out of his dorm and onto the sprawling, sun-drenched quad at his new school, which was verdant and lush with greenery. He joined the student foot traffic, and noted how much everyone was smiling and seemed to be having fun. "You know, I think I like it here. Look how friendly everyone looks. Aww shoot, my shoes."

He bent down to tie his shoelaces, which had come undone. As he was on one knee, Lunt noticed someone walk up next to him and stop. He looked up, and there he was.

Gundy began to say something, but before he could finish, Lunt popped up from his knees and punched him square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. He was very much there in physical form.

"Coach, what the hell are you doing following me around like this?"

"Dammit, Wes, it was just a goof!"

"But why are you here? And seriously, how did you do that thing with the TV and my computer?"

"Just being a jerk, I guess. I mean, look at me. What did you expect? And yeah, that's an old trick Mack Brown taught me. Been using it on Chris Simms for years."

"But don't you have better things to do than make my transfer a living hell, then torment me after I leave?"

"You know, you would think that, but here I am. Anyway, I gotta jet. I'm going back to Oklahoma to put some ketchup packets and a fake finger underneath Bob Stoops' doormat. It'll drive him crazy."

"You're a weird guy, Coach."

"I know," Gundy said, as he turned and walked away. It was the same direction that Lunt was walking, though, so the two walked awkwardly next to each other for about 15 seconds before Gundy swatted the drink out of Lunt's hand and sprinted away.

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