Incoming Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson wants his new league to expand.
Benson, the longtime Western Athletic Conference commissioner, was introduced as the Sun Belt’s next leader Thursday.
The 60-year-old Benson will replace Wright Water, who is retiring after 12 years. He will begin working with the Sun Belt on April 1 and take over as commissioner in July.
“While this may be a time of uncertainty in the college sports landscape, the Sun Belt is well positioned to take advantage of this uncertainty,” Benson said during a teleconference.
The Sun Belt has 10 football members and Benson said he thinks there is “an advantage to getting to at least 12.”
Benson declined to mention potential targets for Sun Belt expansion, but said any FBS school within the Sun Belt’s existing footprint could be a fit—as well as FCS schools with aspirations to move to the highest level of Division I football.
The Sun Belt currently spans the south with members as far east as Florida (Florida Atlantic and Florida International) and as far west as Texas (North Texas). In between are Troy University in Alabama, Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama and Arkansas-Little Rock.
South Alabama will launch its FBS football program in 2013. Arkansas-Little Rock does not compete in Sun Belt football.
While Benson will be looking to expand the Sun Belt, his first job could be to convince its current members to stay.
The university leaders who are working to merge Conference USA and the Mountain West into a new conference have stated they would like to add at least two and as many as eight schools to the 16 they already have.
Sun Belt schools could be targets for the new league, especially those located Texas and Florida.
“The fact that there have been Sun Belt members mentioned is a testament to the growth those institutions have made, as well as a credit to the conference,” Benson said.
Benson has been commissioner of the WAC since 1994, guiding that league through several transformations. Before that he was Mid-American Conference commissioner for four years.
He leaves the WAC during another upheaval.
Boise State left the WAC for the Mountain West after the 2010-11 season and Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii are leaving the WAC after this season for the Mountain West.
The WAC is left with Utah State, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Idaho and San Jose State, and it has Denver, Seattle, Texas State, Texas-Arlington and Texas-San Antonio joining for the 2012-13 season. Denver, Seattle and UT-Arlington do not have football programs. Boise State plans to rejoin the WAC in everything but football when it joins the Big East in 2013.
The new merged C-USA/Mountain West will likely look to the WAC for more members and Louisiana Tech is a geographical fit for the Sun Belt as well.
“There are schools in the footprint that would make sense,” Benson said about the possibility of recruiting new Sun Belt members from his old employer.
“It’s not the first time a commissioner has moved. While there may be a sensitive and some awkwardness, I think everybody understand once you change positions you’re obligated to that conference.”
Benson said his other goals for the Sun Belt are securing a third bowl contract for the conference and increasing the league’s media revenues as well as exposure. The Sun Belt currently has an agreement with ESPN.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
So, this happened.
Apparently, this Florida player (who throwtheflagblog.com says is defensive tackle Dominic Easley) thought it would be smart to take his scooter into the football complex and ride it around the Gator head that the players all touch before they head out to the field before games.
Safety Matthew Elam, who took the picture and tweeted it out, astutely points out that his teammate is crazy, but he hasn’t seen crazy until coach Will Muschamp gets a hold of this shot because we know he’s like when he’s fired up, and angry and really angry.
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Curtsy (female version of the hat tip) to Throw the Flag.
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Yahoo_Graham
Alabama really, really wants four-star recruit Alvin Kamara to be its next running back.
So much so that the Tide sent Kamara, a junior for Norcross, Ga., 105 letters — in one day.
“Yea it was 1 days worth of mail!” Kamara said via Twitter. “I was shocked!! I didn’t even know they could do that.”
There were so many letters that they were overflowing out of the mailbox and onto the ground. Kamara scooped up all the mail, spread it on the table, took a couple pictures with it and then saved the lot in a shoebox.
It wasn’t the first time Alabama had spammed Kamara. He recalled a time when he received “six or seven” letters from the Tide at one time. Georgia Tech had sent him a similar amount.
“When I saw that 105 from Bama I didn’t know what to do,” Kamara said.
Kamara rushed for more than 1,500 yards in 2011 and increased his stock during the Rising Seniors Georgia Junior Bowl in December.
In addition to an offer from Alabama, Kamara said he also has offers from Auburn, Clemson, Maryland, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Tennessee and Mississippi State. Kamara said he’s going to Florida this weekend and hopes to pick up another offer.
But Kamara said no one is recruiting him as hard as Alabama.
“I went there [for junior day] and it went well,” Kamara told Rivals.com. “I liked the atmosphere. It’s SEC football. It’s big-time football. You can feel it when you go up there.”
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Mad props to TideSports.com.
Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham
Florida lost out on a top recruit, but picked up another on Tuesday.
Darius Hamilton, the Don Bosco Prep senior star who was named the National Defensive Player of the Year, announced during a live TV show Tuesday night he would be staying close to home to attend Rutgers University. Hamilton, the son of former New York Giants All-Pro Keith Hamilton, had narrowed his choices to Florida, Miami, Cal and Rutgers.
But Skyler Mornhinweg, the Pennsylvania QB who had orally committed to Penn State in July, announced publicly on Tuesday that he plans to sign with Florida today. Mornhinweg, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound QB from St. Joseph’s Prep, is the son of Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg. He decided to commit to Florida after a visit to Gainesville last week, which was reported, but not confirmed by Mornhinweg. Mornhinweg informed Florida coach Will Muschamp during that time, but did not make it public out of respect for Joe Paterno’s family and the former Penn State coach’s funeral services.
“I really like Penn State, but I think Florida is the better fit for me,” Mornhinweg told the AP. “I’m really excited to start. I can’t wait. I also have to admit it is a relief. It’s good to have it all over with.”
