Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Headlinin?: Michigan lures a big one from Ohio State

Making the morning rounds.

? Yoink. To the surprise of no one who keeps an eye on the recruiting trail, Lakewood, Ohio, offensive lineman Kyle Kalis ? a one-time Ohio State commit ranked by Rivals as the 18th-best player in the entire 2012 class ? has spurned the Buckeyes for Michigan. Kalis' commitment instantly makes him the headliner of the Wolverines' stellar 2012 haul, which already included five offensive linemen and nine players from Ohio. Five of them bear a four-star rating from Rivals, and Kalis and California lineman Erik Magnuson are both in line to pick up the rare fifth star later in the process.

For Ohio State, Kalis' defection is the latest in a string of whiffs on in-state targets, who had already fled the Buckeyes in favor of Wisconsin (Cleveland offensive lineman Kyle Dodson), Michigan State (Canton defensive end Se'von Pittman) and, yes, Michigan (Mentor defensive end Tom Strobel) since Jim Tressel was forced out as head coach on May 30. [TheWolverine.com, MGoBlog]

? The Rap Sheet. Arkansas offensive lineman Anthony Oden was arrested and booked Saturday morning on a litany of charges stemming from a drunk driving stop, including DWI, possession of a controlled substance, driving left of the center line, failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, no proof of ownership, driving on a suspended/revoked driver's license and no driver's license. According to the police report, Oden's blood-alcohol level was .09, just above the state limit of .08, which still amounts to a lot of alcohol for a guy who checks in at 6-foot-8 and 328 pounds.

The arrest came almost exactly a year after Oden was arrested for DWI on July 4, 2010, which got him suspended for the season opener against Tennessee Tech. His season was later shortened by a case of mononucleosis that forced him to drop out of classes, but Oden returned to the team in the spring and was considered a candidate to take over one of the Razorbacks' two vacant offensive tackle slots. The operative word there being was. [Arkansas Democrat Gazette]

? Terrelle Pryor welcomes you to the club. His college career now derailed by academics, outgoing Georgia running back Caleb King is throwing his hat into the NFL's supplemental draft instead. There's no firm date for the proceedings, but the league confirmed earlier this summer that the draft will go on, lockout or no lockout. If Pryor or King is selected in any round ?�which is not a given; only 40 players have been taken in the supplemental draft's 34-year existence ?�the team that drafts him will have to give up its pick in the corresponding round of the 2012 Draft for the rights. [Columbus Ledger-Enquirer]

? RIP. Former Notre Dame lineman Pete Duranko, an All-American defensive tackle on the Irish's 1966 national championship team, died of Lou Gehrig's disease last week in a hospice in Windber, Pa. As a senior in 1966, Duranko anchored a defense that allowed 3.8 points per game and shut out six of ten opponents, and went on to an eight-year pro career with the Denver Broncos. He was 67. [Chicago Tribune]

? Goings and goings. Barely a week after being personally welcomed aboard by head coach Charlie Strong, former Missouri quarterback Tyler Gabbert may be backing out of his decision to transfer to Louisville. Multiple sources in the Derby City reported over the weekend that Gabbert has already left the team and may be making a (probably futile) bid to return to his old stomping grounds at Mizzou. [Card Chronicle]

? We know drama. If you can make it through this earnest and extravagantly shot video of Ole Miss running back Brandon Bolden pushing his body to the limit to keep a spinning ball from coming to rest on the turf without laughing at least twice, well, you've got a better poker face than me:

I mean, when does he stab Joaquin Phoenix? [University of Mississippi Media Documentary Projects]

Quickly? The Houston Chronicle gets in the act of profiling Willie Lyles. ? The requirements for Oregon's new compliance position are kind of intense. ? A bit of alternative history at Oklahoma State. ? What Alabaman could possibly resist Crimson Tide-themed chicken? ? And I'm not sure which is more intriguing: Robert Griffin III planking a Baylor goalpost, or those yellow socks.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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