Alabama Crimson Tide: Mississippi Rebels
ESPN 150 offensive guard Viane Talamaivao (Corona, Calif./Centennial) established himself as a 2014 prospect to watch a year ago when he dominated the 2012 Los Angeles Nike Football Training Camp and took home position MVP honors.
Talamaivao performed well again earlier this spring and earned an invitation to The Opening this summer. Recruiting hasn't stopped since that initial breakout performance, but after spending the past few weeks in a boot, Talamaivao is glad to change things up a bit by getting back on the field for spring ball.
Thursday night, Centennial had its spring showcase practice. More than 30 colleges were represented, including Alabama, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington. But Talamaivao was more focused on his teammates.
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Alabama Crimson Tide
What they are selling: What's not to sell? Alabama is coming off back-to-back national championships, and the Crimson Tide had nine players taken in April's NFL draft, including three in the first round. For the critics who say you won't play early at UA, ask T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper how much they contributed as freshmen.
What they are missing: Although they won a national championship, the Tide didn't generate much pass rush last fall, and they had trouble containing freshman sensation Johnny Manziel. Also, they need to rebuild the offensive line, a unit that anchored the offense last year.
Arkansas Razorbacks
What they are selling: New head coach Bret Bielema runs a completely different offensive system than the previous two Arkansas coaches. The Razorbacks are selling an opportunity for freshmen to come in and earn playing time early in their careers.
What they are missing: The Razorbacks signed only one offensive lineman, Denver Kirkland, who was rated a four-star prospect or higher last year. In this run-heavy system, look for Arkansas to focus on landing talented players along the offensive line.
Auburn Tigers
What they are selling: It's a new regime for Auburn, but there's a familiar face running the show. New head coach Gus Malzahn knows the program from his days as offensive coordinator. He's already shown the ability to recruit, stealing ESPN 150 linebacker Tre Williams away from the Tide. There's a sense of excitement on The Plains again.
What they are missing: Malzahn filled out his first recruiting class with playmakers, but Auburn needs to build up front on the offensive and defensive lines. No matter what offense you run, if you want to win in the SEC, you need to be able to compete up in the trenches.
Florida Gators
What they are selling: With no proven wide receivers on the perimeter, Florida is attempting to sell early playing time at the position. A chance to play for one of the best defensive minds in college football in Will Muschamp is another selling point to defensive prospects.
What they are missing: Production on offense. After finishing 114th nationally in passing offense, it will be hard to sell playing time to wide receivers without an explosive passing game in place.
Georgia Bulldogs
What they are selling: Freshmen, if they're good enough, play early at Georgia. From running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall to offensive tackle John Theus to defensive end Jordan Jenkins, several freshmen Bulldogs made major contributions on a team that was a few yards away from making the national championship game.
What they are missing: Georgia has brought in four top-12 recruiting classes in the last four years. Depth might become an issue for some recruits, but Georgia has certainly shown a willingness to play younger players.
Mitch Sherman of Recruiting Nation attended the event. Here’s what he learned:
Youth has been served
While a strong contingent of upperclassmen dominated the positional MVP honors, a few 14- and 15-year-old prospects shared time in the spotlight. Notably, linebacker Dylan Moses of Baton Rouge, La., showed no hesitation in facing players four years his senior. Moses, an eighth-grader set to begin high school at LSU Laboratory School in the fall, added an offer on Saturday from Ole Miss to a list that already featured Alabama and LSU. Running back Gabe Angel, a freshman at Lebanon (Tenn.) Wilson Central, performed well on Sunday after recently adding Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Tennessee to a Mississippi State offer he received last year. Another 2016 prospect, receiver Harry Ballard of Florissant (Mo.) McCluer North, showed well, too.
Ole Miss is surging
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Alabama recruiters tried their best to hide Charles Mosley.
It at least seemed plausible at the time, since Mosley is from a rural area of West Tennessee. Brighton High is 30 miles north of Memphis, far from the more established, well-known programs that beckon for college football recruiters.
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Vandy, Vols impress Watch List receiver 
Class of 2014 receiver Dominique Booth (Indianapolis/Pike) added offers from Tennessee and Vanderbilt recently, and he made a return trip to Knoxville in January. It was his first time visiting the Volunteers under new coach Butch Jones, though.
“I’ve been to Tennessee before but it was real different with the new coaching staff,” Booth said. “I don’t know how to explain it, it’s a different atmosphere going on around there. Everybody’s a lot different. The last time [under former coach Derek Dooley] was real gloomy.
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LAKE CITY, Fla. -- Five-star tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia) has signed his letter of intent to play for the Ole Miss Rebels.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound athlete announced his decision live on ESPNU on Wednesday morning.
"I'm just trying to start special," Tunsil said. "You know, do something different besides go to Georgia or Alabama."
The No. 5-ranked prospect in the country chose Ole Miss over Georgia and Alabama.
He joins the nation's No. 1 overall prospect, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche, among additions to Ole Miss' class that have helped it move into the top 10.
Tunsil said Ole Miss was a factor long before his official visit to Oxford, Miss.
"It really wasn't the official visit to be honest with you," Tunsil said. "Me and Chris Kiffin had a relationship for about a year. He never gave up, he never gave up. I told him that Alabama was on top then I told him that Georgia was on top and he still didn't give up."
What kind of player is Ole Miss getting?
"A hard-working player, who's down and dirty," he said. "But I have to get adjusted to the spread offense."
And how did Rebels coach Hugh Freeze react when he learned what Tunsil's decision would be?
"I told him I wanted to be a Rebel," Tunsil laughed. "He started kissing me."
What is the impact of Tunsil's decision?
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ESPN 300 Moore ready to announce - again
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Not surprisingly, Arkansas was the first school to extend the offer for the junior running back. Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have also shown interest, according to his head coach, Brad Bolding.
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Angel can bench press 250 pounds, and while he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds at the U.S. Army National Combine on Friday, his personal-best time is 4.6 seconds.
Angel’s efforts at the combine made heads turn. During 1-on-1 drills, Angel made a beautiful, one-handed catch. He immediately followed that with another one-handed catch. All eyes were on the player wearing No. 404 in his first Army combine -- despite the fact that he’s only 15 years old.
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The ESPN 300 prospect from Rosedale (Miss.) West Bolivar shut down his cell phone last week after decommitting from Mississippi State. Why? The pressure had become too much.
"I just turned my phone back on," the running back said this week. "I had it off since I decommitted. It got a little hectic. Everyone was being crazy and calling my phone, blowing my Twitter account up, coming by my home and asking me questions at the store."
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The four-star prospect from Batesville (Miss.) South Panola told ESPN this week he was considering announcing his decision Friday, during events leading up to the Under Armour All-America Game. That apparently won't happen know.
Conner told ESPN that Alabama and Ole Miss were standing out among the other schools recruiting him. However, Conner said he plans to take all five of his official visits. He has also expressed interest in Mississippi State and LSU.
Conner is the highest-rated prospect in Mississippi. He is the No. 2 safety in the country and No. 21 overall prospect.
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- There were several standouts at Tuesday's Day 2 practice for the Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN). Two players -- one for Team Nitro, the other for Team Highlight -- said they are closing in on their college decisions and will make their announcements Friday. Meanwhile, the nation's No. 1 player left the field at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports with an injury.
Folston closing in on decision
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Four-star Conner plans decision, visits
Despite making a decision, Conner plans to take all five official visits.
"I'm going to be taking some after this game," Conner said Sunday during Under Armour All-America Game registration at Disney's Yacht Club Resort. "I've got a lot of them to take, but I am going to take them to Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU and Georgia. I'm going to start on the 11th with Alabama, then take the rest."
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SEC's 'Dandy Dozen' of assistant coaches
The head coaches are the ones who make the big money in the SEC.
But without a quality staff, a head coach isn’t going to survive very long in this league.
So as we look back on the 2012 regular season, let’s pay tribute to 12 assistant coaches who separated themselves from the rest. Each of these guys made a huge difference in their development of players and units.
We’ll call it our “Dandy Dozen” of SEC assistant coaches, and they’re listed in alphabetical order:
Mike Bobo, Georgia, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks: A finalist for the Broyles Award, Bobo has the Bulldogs ranked in the top four in the SEC in both rushing and passing offense. They scored 28 or more points in 11 of their 13 games, and did it with an offensive line that was both young and unproven when the season began.
Burton Burns, Alabama, associate head coach/running backs: Despite injuries to Dee Hart and Jalston Fowler, Alabama didn’t miss a beat in its running game. In fact, Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon became the first two players in school history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
John Chavis, LSU, defensive coordinator/linebackers: Like clockwork, Chavis just keeps on churning out rock-solid defenses at LSU. The Tigers are No. 8 nationally in total defense and No. 11 in scoring defense, and that’s despite losing their top playmaker on defense (Tyrann Mathieu) in the preseason.
D.J. Durkin, Florida, special teams coordinator/linebackers: When you play as many close games as the Gators did this season, you better be good on special teams. They weren’t just good. They were excellent in all facets, which is a credit to Durkin and the job he did in coordinating the entire kicking game.
Herb Hand, Vanderbilt, offensive line: For the second year in a row, Zac Stacy rushed for 1,000 yards, and for the second year in a row, the Commodores more than held their own up front offensively. One of the best decisions James Franklin made when he took the job was holding onto Hand from the previous staff.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas A&M, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks: Just his work with Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel alone was enough to get Kingsbury some serious props. But Texas A&M’s offense also put up crazy numbers in its first season in the SEC. Kingsbury, a finalist for the Broyles Award, has suddenly become a hot commodity in the head coaching ranks.
Brad Lawing, South Carolina, defensive line: One of the more underrated coaches in the SEC, Lawing has been doing it for a long time at a very high level. His defensive lines at South Carolina have been excellent the past few years and are one of the big reasons the Gamecocks have made their move into the SEC’s upper tier.
Matt Luke, Ole Miss, co-offensive coordinator/offensive line: Just about everybody agreed in the preseason that the offensive line was Ole Miss’ weakest link, but Luke was able to get everything and then some out of that group after a lackluster showing by the Rebels in the trenches in 2011. What’s more, Ole Miss was one of only three teams in the league (Texas A&M and Georgia) to average more than 250 yards passing and 165 yards rushing this season.
Sam Pittman, Tennessee, offensive line: Few units in the league improved as much from 2011 to 2012 as Tennessee’s offensive line. The Vols gave up just eight sacks in 12 games, which was tied for fourth nationally, and padded their rushing average by more than 70 yards per game. Pittman’s approach was exactly what the Vols needed up front, and they blossomed into one of the top offensive lines in the SEC.
Dan Quinn, Florida, defensive coordinator/defensive line: The Gators won 11 games in the regular season, and they held the opposition to 17 or fewer points nine times. Quinn, a Broyles Award finalist, put a defense on the field during his first season at Florida that was very good. But the one this season played at a championship level. The Gators head to the Allstate Sugar Bowl ranked No. 3 nationally in scoring defense and No. 5 in total defense.
Bob Shoop, Vanderbilt, defensive coordinator/safeties: For the second straight season, the Commodores rank among the top 20 teams nationally in total defense. They’re also No. 15 in scoring defense. They’re not real big up front and lost three key players from last season (Chris Marve, Casey Hayward and Tim Fugger), but Shoop keeps finding ways to stop people.
Kirby Smart, Alabama, defensive coordinator/linebackers: Alabama fans were holding their breath when it looked like Smart might be going to Auburn as head coach. The Crimson Tide had six players drafted off of their 2011 national championship defense, but here they are again going back to the national title game and ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense.
ABOUT TIDE NATION
Greg Ostendorf
Greg Ostendorf joined ESPN.com in 2012 after covering University of Alabama football and basketball recruiting at the Tuscaloosa News and Rivals.com. Ostendorf graduated from the University of Alabama and currently resides in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Email him at gsostendorf.espn@gmail.com.
Alex Scarborough
Alex Scarborough joined ESPN.com in 2012 after covering University of Alabama athletics and high school football for The Tuscaloosa News. He currently resides in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Email him at alexscarborough.espn@gmail.com.