Tenn. Player Quits Team Via Text

If all goes well, David Sills will be in California—in 5 years

(NEWSER) - Unlike many 13-year-olds, David Sills knows exactly where he’ll be in 5 years: playing football for USC. The Delaware quarterback has made a verbal commitment to Lane Kiffin after the coach was wowed by a YouTube video of the phenom and offered him a scholarship. “His skill set is off the chart,” his personal coach tells ESPN . “I've never seen anyone at his age do what he's been able to do.” Of course, Sills’ father tells the Los Angeles Times , “he can always decommit.” More»

34-year-old led Vols for just 1 year after short NFL stint

(NEWSER) - Just days after losing football coach Pete Carroll to the NFL, the University of Southern California has hired Lane Kiffin, a former Trojans assistant, away from his head job at the University of Tennessee, sources tell ESPN . Kiffin, 34, led the Volunteers to a 7-5 record in his only season there; he previously coached the Oakland Raiders for less than two seasons after being hired away from USC, where he was Carroll’s offensive coordinator. More»

(NEWSER) - At least two Southern universities are spending some cash this year to try to correct a historical football inequity—at least in the eyes of the South, the Wall Street Journal reports. The SEC has won more national titles than any other conference since the Heisman Trophy debuted in 1935, but its players generally get the cold shoulder from Heisman voters. “A discussion about the Heisman quickly veers from a conversation about stats to one about self-esteem,” says the author of a book on college football. More»