• Wherefore art thou, Kouandjio? So top-ranked defensive end/predator drone Jadeveon Clowney isn't the only big name keeping recruitniks in suspense after signing day: Five-star offensive lineman Cyrus Kouandjio remains firmly in the "undecided" column today despite committing to Auburn on national television on Wednesday morning (see video above), after which the 6-foot-7, 322-pound Hyattsville (Md.) product immediately began to waffle. (Quite literally: He left the press conference for IHOP with his teammates.) Kouandjio never submitted his letter of intent, left open the possibility of joining his older brother at Alabama and called it a day with message boards across the state melting down.
• Fastest Ducks on earth. Signing day's other master of suspense, five-star Los Angeles cornerback/running back De'Anthony Thomas, left no doubt about his choice on Wednesday night, arriving (45 minutes late) to his announcement press conference decked head-to-toe in Oregon gear. Thomas' decision to spurn USC after a long, seemingly solid commitment to the hometown Trojans ranks among the greatest 11th-hour recruiting coups in recent memory, and seals easily the most celebrated recruiting class in Oregon history on the heels of the Ducks' run to the BCS Championship Game. Incredibly, with speedster Tacoi Sumler arriving in the same class, it may also make LaMichael James merely the third-fastest player on the team – and last year's five-star coup, running back Lache Seastrunk, may have his say in that race, too. [Rivals, @BFeldmanESPN]
• Illegal touching. Ohio State commit Chris Carter, a 6-5, 350-pound behemoth from Cleveland's John F. Kennedy High, was jailed for misdemeanor sexual imposition Tuesday night after allegedly fondling as many as eight teenage girls under the pretense of measuring them for JROTC uniforms. (Carter is a member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corp, according to his attorney.) One of the victims, a 15-year-old, went to police, who subsequently wrangled a confession from Carter, as well as a book where he reportedly recorded "measurement information" for eight girls. Charges are still pending, as is Carter's status with the Buckeyes. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch]
• Second chance Bruin. Cyrus Kouandjio wasn't the day's only press conference tease: Three-star Los Angeles lineman Torian White initially put on a USC cap in a televised ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, but later signed a letter of intent with UCLA, as expected. "When he picked up the other hat, I was depressed," said UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel. "[Tuesday] night was the first time I wasn’t able to talk with him. He wasn't answering [the telephone]. I got worried because of however many nights there were in the contact period, I had talked with him. I felt we had a good relationship." [L.A. Times]
• The rap sheet. In non-recruiting news, North Carolina running back A.J. Blue was arrested early Sunday morning on charges of driving while impaired, driving with an open container of alcohol and failing to maintain lane control. Blue's blood-alcohol limit was reportedly .12, well above North Carolina's legal limit of .08. [News & Observer]
Quickly… It's not settled yet, but Tom O'Brien is planning to begin life without Russell Wilson at N.C. State. … Rutgers transfer Tom Savage is taking a recruiting trip to Arizona this month. … An Arizona State target spurns the Sun Devils because of a license plate he spotted on Tuesday night. … Clemson assistant Brad Scott, former head coach at South Carolina, announces his retirement. … Kirk Ferentz still can't figure out what went wrong with the drills that sent 13 Iowa players to the hospital last week. … Urban Meyers severs financial ties with Florida. … And it's safe to say three-star lineman Cooper Washington's commitment to Texas Tech came as something of a surprise to his high school.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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