Sports News Direct

By now you’ve probably heard all the talk about whether or not AJ Green’s Pro Day at Georgia helped him or hurt him.  There were a bunch of crazy NFL rules related to who would and could pass to Green—former University of Montana QB Justin Roper– who now lives in Buford–was the choice, but because he didn’t live in the Greater Athens area, rules stipulated scouts weren’t allowed to watch him in person pass to Green or to Kris Durham or fullback Shaun Chapas.  Nothing to do with the NFL lockout, as people had initially speculated.  So the end result was that the scouts had to walk off the field to watch AJ’s and Kris Durnham’s drills on ESPN3!

I had a chance to talk with AJ one-on-one and he told me, “I have nothing to hide.  I went to the combine and did everything they asked me to do. I answered every question they asked me, too.”  AJ Green just did height, weight and WR drills on Pro Day. He kept all his scores from the NFL combine.

When I asked him how it feels to be back in Athens, he smiled and said, “It feels good to be back with the boys and my ex-teammates, and back in the college atmosphere.”

I have known AJ Green since the day he walked onto UGA’s campus.  He’s a really humble guy who works hard and can achieve whatever he puts his mind to—even a trip to New York City as a top NFL Draft pick.

“Hard work pays off, Kelin,” he told me.  “And I have a lot more to do.”

After we spoke, I gave my good friend AJ a hug, wished him well and watched him get into his shiny, new all-black Porsche. Not bad, AJ!

And I hope you guys will wish me well  tomorrow—Saturday—when I’ll be live on the radio at 790 The Zone in Atlanta  from 12 noon to 2 pm.  Tune in and feel free to call in at (404) 264-0488 and ask any questions about sports or your favorite team. Go to http://www.790thezone.com/index_b.aspx to listen live. Thanks for your support.

The recent fire of Dave Van Halanger, Director of Strength and Conditioning for the University of Georgia, sparks new names and faces.

Brown playing for the Atlanta Falcons

Joe Tereshinski was recently promoted to the position of Director of Strength and Conditioning by Coach Richt. It is not clear yet if Keith Gray (Assoc. Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) or Clay Walker (Strength and Conditioning- doctoral student), will be coming back to assist Coach Joe T. These men have given many years to the University of Georgia’s program, they truly bleed red and black.

Effective January 1st, one of Georgia’s greatest running backs, Thomas Brown, will be rejoining the UGAfamily once again; not on the field, but in the weight room, on Joe Tereshinski’s strength and conditioning staff. I had the opportunity to talk to Thomas about his new opportunity and how he felt about coach Richt offering him the job. “I chose the University of Georgia coming out of high school because I wanted to be a part of a program that is committed to excellence. It will be an honor to return to this great University and aid in the continuing development of our student-athletes on and off the field”.

Thomas, an Atlanta native from Tucker High School, just recently ended his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns. Thomas has a beautiful wife, Jessica Brown, and two lovely kids, Orlando and Tyson. Thomas is very excited to be back close to home with his friend and family. So if you see some new faces around UGA’s practices or games don’t hesitate to go up and Meet the Brown’s and shake the hand of the strongest pound for player UGA has seen in a long time.

A common occurrence for Brown

Recent firing of head coach at the University of Miami, Randy Shannon, turns a lot of attention to the future of UM. Randy Shannon gave the University of Miami four good years of football. After graduating from “the U” and becoming the head coach years later was a dream come true.

Melvin Bratton

University of Miami has always been known to be a power house program when it comes to college football. With the recent departure of coach Shannon I had the opportunity to talk with one of Miami’s greatest running backs to ever come through the program, Melvin Bratton. When asked how he felt about the recent firing of coach Shannon, he had this to say: “Coach Shannon gave four years of head coaching. Randy will be a success as a head coach. He made mistakes on the job, but he also learned from those mistakes. That is why he will be a good head coach somewhere else.”

When asked about the struggles of Miami over the past few years under Randy Shannon, Bratton felt that Randy shouldn’t have hired Randy’s guys.” Meaning friends and ex-teammates. Bratton was very clear with me. He felt like Randy had no one on the staff to step up to him and give him that positive and negative feedback.

Darrell Fullington

Miami is known for their bad boy mentality in the past years; the swagger on the field, the high intensity level, and their showmanship. Bratton said that he went away from what he knows and what he was taught as a player at UM. The bad boy mentality wasn’t there and it showed. “Randy cut and shut the door off for alumni coming back and having relationships with current players.” Growing up in the state of Florida I have always known that Miami has a strong alumni presence when it comes to football. When players finish their senior year they always stay and train for the combine at the University of Miami. That shows that the program and the school support their ex-players and invite them to keep a relationship with the program. This was very shocking to me hearing that Randy shut the door on his fellow teammates which created a division, whether he meant it or not. Former Safety for University of Miami, Darrell Fullington said, “Disappointing one of our own couldn’t lead us back to the top. Out of respect, he’s still family. Family doesn’t always do what you want them to do.”

ESPN’s 30/30 host “The U”, Melvin Bratton, had this to say when asked about who he would like to see as Miami’s next head coach. “If they have the money for Jon Gruden he will be our ideal coach for the job. He has the mentality that works for what Miami needs. I also asked him what he thinks about UM going after UGA’s Head Coach Mark Richt. “No, that’s a bad move. You’re getting back into the same type of coach Randy was, the good boy mentality.”

Those are two big time coaches for The U to go after. It makes sense for Mark Richt to go back to his roots at UM. He’s a Florida boy at heart and it won’t be a bad look for Miami. If Jon Gruden takes the job, so many positives will come out of his hire. The experience, relationships, and success he has built in his coaching career will be an immediate impact on the University of Miami’s program. Other coaches up for UM hire are Texas Tech’s Tommy Tuberville, and Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator Brent Venables. It’s been reported that Gruden has been offered $3.4 million per year.

I have also gotten word that the alumni of Miami will come together and help the university pay for the coach they want, so money will not be a problem as long as they get the production that they’ve been waiting for.

Kelin Johnson Exclusive: Zach Tells Me About His Top Choices

Courtesy of Marc Browning and Kansas.com

Mettenberger’s Butler Community College rolls into the National Title Game at the Citizens Bank Bowl in Pittsburgh on December 5th, as the departed former Georgia would-be starting QB narrows down his choices of which team he’ll play for next season.

This past Saturday Zach passed for 382 yards and six touchdowns, pushing his season total to a school-record 31 TD’s and one rushing touchdown in the Region VI title game at Blackmore Stadium.  The ex-Dawg has been through a lot since his departure from Athens.  He has been working really hard to get back to the top after his lost Bulldog opportunity.

Butler is No. 1 in the NJCAA football rankings and much of the success has came from QB Zach Mettenberger.

When I asked Zach about his season this year, he told me “We have worked so hard for this and all my accomplishments this year are a reflection of the teammates around me. We have one more goal now and that’s to be National Champs.”

Mettenberger has been named the Offensive Player of the year and the Overall Player of the year for the Jayhawk West Conference.  I know hard work always pays off.  It may not come when you want it, but it pays off soon or later!

With 31 TD’s on the year – 2 rushing TD’s, with only 3 INT’s for 2,512 yards. Zach has received offers from Arizona, Alabama, Louisville, Cinncy, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole’ Miss, Arkansas, and Troy.

Mettenberger tells me that LSU, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Arizona are his Top choices. Zach will be on his way to LSU for a visit this weekend and I am sure they will lay out the red carpet from him.

Where do you think he will end up?

I can no longer keep my mouth shut about Cam Newton and the
allegations against him. As an ex- player in the NCAA and having
played for one of the top teams in college football, I take pride in
this game.

I am not happy that Cam has been accused, and practically
convicted in the media, of taking money to play college football. I
am sure that thousands of other alums of college football share these
feelings. For me and many others, football has created life-long
memories, opportunities and blessings. The game has taught me many
lessons. In Pop Warner football I learned keep my mouth shut and
let the play on the field speak for itself.

Cam Newton is an amazing football player and definitely has the “IT” factor. Yes, he has made mistakes before, which has been proven. He left UF and attended junior college. He served his punishment and appeared to have learned his lesson.

This is why the allegations against Newton make me angry:

If the NCAA has known about this since January of 2010, why is it coming out now?

Why does it come out when he is being considered for the Heisman
trophy, which honors the best college football player in the nation.
Why why is it coming out when his team has a chance to compete for
the national championship?
Why are leaks springing now about his academic records at UF that happened two years ago? Why should that matter now? What does that have to do with his current enrollment at Auburn?

I know as an ex-athlete that academic records are confidential. Nobody is supposed to leak that information. The only people who have access to a player’s academic record are his
counselors and his football coaches? So you tell me how it leaked out
of UF?

The Media seems to be bent on bringing this young man down. 
may not take away from the fact that he’s a wonderful football player
but it does significantly tarnish his image. Cam Newton’s image is now
being questioned by the NFL teams and this will hurt his draft stock
immensely. This was a man that had paid for making bad choices and now
seemed to be on the right track. The University of Florida,
Mississippi State, the media and whoever else made these claims should
be ashamed. If a football player broke rules- YES, he should be
punished- but at the same time PROVE IT. There are only unproven
allegations against Cam Newton.

The NCAA knew about these allegations since January. If they have the
evidence to prove them, they should do so. If not, they should “let
the young man enjoy his short time in the spotlight of fame because
tomorrow is not promised to you!

It’s crazy the world we live in, it’s a What have you done for me lately.. so if Cam Newton wasn’t the Star QB he is right now the allegations against him right would still be under the table.

-Kelin

Copyright 2010 Kelin Johnson

Turnover Turnaround Needed!

1. Turnovers…Turnovers…Turnovers are what hurt UGA in last week’s game. They didn’t get enough of them and gave too many up! The Dawgs have to win the turnover battle!

2. Offense needs to get Murray back in the swing of things. Giving him a solid running game will help the passing game and continue to build his confidence.

3. Have fun.. It’s not a huge game against the Idaho State Bengals at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, but the Dawgs need to win two of the next three games in order to be Bowl-eligible. Hard hits, long runs, and bodies flying around on defense.. Making big plays is what UGA needs right now coming off the loss to Florida and will be a huge boost looking ahead to the undefeated Auburn Tigers!

On Kelin Keepin’ It Real Radio this week:

Gil Tyree will be checking in with us from Tallahassee, where FSU hosts UNC.

And UGA great Boss Bailey will be stopping by to talk with me about UGA football.

So check us out at 11 AM EST on Voice America Sports and right here on kelinjohnson.com.

FL V GA– The Big One.

1. The Gators are down this year big time. Tim Tebow left and with him the leader of their program. In order for UGA to win this ball game I advise them to hit UF square in the mouth, where it hurts! This Florida team can’t handle adversity very well so Georgia can take advantage of that.

2. A.J. Green and Kris Durham can deliver the one two punch in the form of the best receiving corps in the nation. The Dawgs have to get the ball in their hands to win. UGA has not done the best they can so far to do this, but it is crucial for a win over arch rival Florida.

3. Georgia’s defense, just started making plays on a consistent basis the past few weeks. In this huge game against UF and to keep hope alive in the SEC East, The Georgia defense must show up, and show off. Florida’s Brantley, the QB, will come ready to play because he still has so much to prove, and the Dawgs have to shut him down, and get in his head. If the leader of the Gators is not focused, then the rest of the team will be lost, and Georgia will win big.

Listen to My Podcast with David Ching for more about this game.

October 27, 2010  -Butler Community College QB Zach Mettenberger told kelinjohnson.com exclusively today that Nick Saban at the University of Alabama has just extended an offer for him to play for the Crimson Tide with a full scholarship.  The offer comes just over a month after he received a full ride to play for Louisiana State University. And this weekend, Zach is taking a visit to Texas A & M.

Things have been looking better and better for Mettenberger since his departure from the University of Georgia back in April, after he ran into some legal problems.  With his new starting role at Butler Community College, he was named NJCAA Offensive Player of the Week on September 8^th.  Mettenberger has averaged 212 passing yards and almost three touchdowns per game this season, with a total of 1907 yards through nine games.  With these kinds of stats, there will be plenty more top teams knocking on his door.

KelinJohnson.com originally broke the news that Mettenberger was being offered a full scholarship to Louisiana State University back in early September, click here to read the original story.  LSU fans were getting pretty excited with the prospect of having the Butler CC standout return to the SEC and to a team who’s desperate for a reliable QB.  Only time will tell where he ends up, but this kid has got options.

Check back with kelinjohnson.com for updates on Mettenberger’s plans and Kelin’s Keys to the Game for this weekend’s Georgia-Florida game.

Kelin’s Keys to the Game

Tempo Tempo Tempo ! This UK team has a fast-paced offense…can UGA keep up?

1. Can UGA match the tempo of UK? Kentucky’s coming off a big win against USC in the fourth quarter. Cobb is their best player and he’s all over the field for them. UK moves the football down the field really well with Cobb–he plays QB, WR, and RB. Georgia defense has to be on top of his whereabouts at all times…otherwise he will burn them.

2. Georgia offense has to help their defense out during this game with long drives that eat up the clock. More rest for the defense and less chances for the UK offense to hit the field. Murray has been lights out so far. If he can keep it up with the weapons around him, the Dogs should come out with a win.

3. UGA has one of the Top Special Teams in the country, It’s time for them to show up. Big time plays in the kicking game this weekend are a must.

They’re a team that no matter what the score is they are going to keep  fighting, they’re going to keep playing the entire game.  Aaron Murray on Kentucky 10/19/2010.