“When I talked to coach McClendon about the offer, he told me that I was the youngest kid he has offered.”

Before you get too appalled by this, realize that South Carolina has already offered this kid.

I guess that means Spurrier intends to coach until he’s, what, eighty?

You don’t mess with the Saban.

You will be shocked, shocked to learn that Alabama has just adjusted its COA figures.

Alabama football coach Nick Saban has called cost of attendance a “nightmare” because of varying numbers by schools and concerns the figures could be fudged. He even suggested the NFL’s salary cap could be a model to cap stipends for college players, missing the point that the Ed O’Bannon ruling won’t allow such collusion and the NFL salary cap gets negotiated by a players union that doesn’t exist in college sports.

Don’t feel too bad for Saban, though. As it turns out, Alabama’s cost of attendance stipends will rank among the leaders nationally at $5,386 for out-of-state players and $4,172 for in-state players, according to information the university provided to CBSSports.com.

This represents a 34-percent increase in Alabama’s cost of attendance figure for out-of-state students from two years ago and a 14-percent increase for in-state students.

Man, Alabama must be one expensive state to pursue a higher education.  I’m sure it’s merely a coincidence that the costs rose so dramatically just in time to pay student-athletes a stipend.

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Mark Bradley’s quote is killing South Carolina’s recruiting.

Er, not exactly.

The speculation is reasonable given that Spurrier, the best coach in Gamecock history, is 70 years old. It’s also entirely supported by a slip of the tongue that Spurrier had at the end of the 2014 season.

Give me two or three more (years). I used to say four or five, now I’m down to two or three. I mean, I could get in a car wreck, but I’m definitely planning on being back.

Two or three more seasons from that point would have Spurrier retiring after the 2016 or 2017 season. Which means that if true, Spurrier would be the coach for less than half of a current recruit’s career in Columbia.

Brandon Larrabee of Team Speed Kills put it well.

The truth is, no one — including Spurrier — likely knows how long it is that he’s going to coach. It’s not going to be a particularly long time, but the Head Ball Coach first said he would probably coach another four or five years, roughly four or five years ago. When he recently modified that answer to two to three years, it was bound to cause some anxiety with recruits. Spurrier created his own monster here — not the AJC or anyone else.

And that monster is looking pretty bleak right now, if you’re a Gamecock fan.

South Carolina’s recruiting class floundered down the stretch, finishing ninth in the SEC. That’s well behind division rivals Tennessee and Georgia, and about even with a Florida Gators program that was fresh off a coaching change.

This year, it is even worse. South Carolina would be last in SEC recruiting if not for the sinking ship that is Vanderbilt under Derek Mason. The Gamecocks have just two four-star recruits and eight total commitments. Only one of the eight is from the Palmetto state.

Compare that to where Georgia stands right now.  Ouch.

Spurrier’s a brilliant game planner, and he’s certainly had his way with Mark Richt of late.  But at some point, he won’t be smart enough to overcome a big enough talent gap.  Nobody, including Spurrier, is that sharp.

Bang for the buck, Gamecock edition

Check out this chart of what the top defensive coordinators are being paid this season:

You may miss it at first glance, but South Carolina is paying its co-DCs as much money as Alabama is paying Kirby Smart.

I wonder which school will have the better return on investment in 2015.

“He’s been a speed guy from the very beginning…”

Richt reports that Keith Marshall’s lost weight.

After two consecutive injury-ridden years, Richt said Marshall appears healthy while trimming his weight to improve his on-field speed.

“(Marshall’s) moving very well. He’s decided to cut his weight down to closer to where he was earlier in his career,” Richt said. “You show up as a freshman, about 210 pounds, and then you just get in the weight room, and you eat. You get the nutrition and training table, and before you know it, you weigh 225, 230 and still look like dynamite. But I think he feels more comfortable carrying a little less weight to help his quickness and speed.

“He’s been a speed guy from the very beginning, so that will help him. But I think he’s in great shape, great spirits, and he’s been a guy that we’re going to count on. He’s been a guy we have counted on, and we expect to see a bunch from him.”

That seems like a good idea, and not just because it will help his quickness.  Some of what’s been holding Marshall back is confidence – understandably, for sure – and if the weight drop makes him feel more comfortable about his running, that’s bound to help.

I doubt there’s a Georgia player who will have the fan base more in his corner this season than Keith Marshall.  Here’s hoping that this is a step towards giving us plenty to cheer about in his case.

There’s penny pinching. Then there’s Steve Patterson.

You read this, and suddenly Greg McGarity doesn’t seem so bad.