SB Nation Los Angeles: All Posts by Peter Berkes

• It’s okay, Johnny Manziel. All college towns are BS

• 2013 bowl projections: Bama-Oregon and 34 other games

• What can the Nebraska dynasty teach us about the SEC?

• The Devil went to Tennessee: what’s Nick Saban doing here?

Mike Gundy eventually lifted some Wes Lunt transfer blocks

2013-06-18T17:24:28Z

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy eventually lifted some of the transfer restrictions placed on quarterback Wes Lunt, according to an interview Lunt gave with Illinois radio station Channel 1450. Lunt announced his transfer to Illinois on Monday, picking the Illini over Louisville.

The Saga of Wes Lunt

It's unclear which of the 37 transfer restrictions Gundy lifted, but it doesn't seem like it mattered. His final two of Louisville and Illinois weren't blocked in the first place. However, his decisions may have played out differently if he was allowed free rein to talk to other schools.

Lunt struggled with injuries in 2012, starting only five games and throwing six touchdowns and seven interceptions during that span. He'll have to sit out the 2013 season, but will have a good shot at taking over as starting quarterback in 2014.

More from SB Nation:

• It’s okay, Johnny Manziel. All college towns are BS

• 2013 bowl projections: Bama-Oregon and 34 other games

• What can the Nebraska dynasty teach us about the SEC?

• The Devil went to Tennessee: what’s Nick Saban doing here?

Ryan Sousa commits to Florida State

2013-06-13T20:05:08Z

The Florida State Seminoles have secured the commitment of three-star wide receiver Ryan Sousa. Sousa, who plays at Orlando (Fla.) Lake Nona High School, went with the Seminoles over a host over other schools, including Arizona, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan State, Missouri, Rutgers, South Florida, UCF, UCLA and Wisconsin, amongst others.

More: For more on the Seminoles, check out Tomahawk Nation

Sousa, who sands 6'0 and weighs in at 177 pounds, is rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN, and a three-star recruit by 247, Rivals, and Scout. 247 and Rivals have him among the top 100 wide receiver prospects in the 2014 recruiting class.

Sousa's commitment gives Florida State 11 commits for the 2014 recruiting class. According to the 247Composite rankings, they have the ninth-best class in the country at this point, and the top class in the ACC as well.

More from SB Nation:

• The Devil went to Tennessee: what’s Nick Saban doing here?

• No. 2 recruit explains his new top three schools to SB Nation

• NCAA 14 team ratings, compared to Football Outsiders’ ratings

• Bill Connelly’s entire SEC preview series is complete

NCAA 14 player ratings: Top 10 for each team revealed

2013-06-13T18:55:20Z

The top 10 players for every team in NCAA Football 14 have been revealed in a video courtesy of Operation Sports. We discovered the top 15 players in the game earlier this week, headed by South Carolina defensive end ~~Jadeveon Clowney~~ DE #7 with a 99 rating. Shortly afterwards, the team ratings for all 124 teams were revealed, with Alabama predictably leading the way with a 99 overall rating.

Check out the video below to see the top-rated players for your favorite team:

Some observations:

Arkansas' top-rated player is their kicker, and Auburn's and Florida's are their punters.
BYU's top-rated player is a wide receiver hahaha good one, guys.
~~De'Anthony Thomas~~ Oregon RB #6 has a 98 speed rating. Way to undersell him, EA.
Idaho and UMass both have top player ratings of 77. They're going to be so bad.
~~Johnny Manziel~~ Texas A&M QB #2's headshot doesn't look like him at all. It's not even smiling knowingly. This is surely the NCAA and EA trying to throw a wrench into the O'Bannon arguments.
I want to have ~~Jadeveon Clowney~~ South Carolina DE #7 transfer to Georgia Tech so he can quarterback an option offense. It will be the best offense in the game, and you can't possibly tell me that I'm wrong.

More from SB Nation:

• The Devil went to Tennessee: what’s Nick Saban doing here?

• No. 2 recruit explains his new top three schools to SB Nation

• NCAA 14 team ratings, compared to Football Outsiders’ ratings

• Bill Connelly’s entire SEC preview series is complete

• With Payton back, will Saints rebound?

Three steps to success: Bills step into the unknown

2013-06-12T14:30:05Z

The Buffalo Bills are taking a step into the unknown heading into the 2013 season. Gone are Chan Gailey and Ryan Fitzpatrick, the backbone of yet another failed regime in Orchard Park. Even general manager Buddy Nix is gone, retiring after the 2013 NFL Draft. The organization has received a massive makeover over the past several months, led by new general manager Doug Whaley and new head coach Doug Marrone.

More: For more on the Bills, check out Buffalo Rumblings

The biggest on-field change for the Bills is quarterback E.J. Manuel, whom the Bills took in the first round of the draft, but that's not where the changes stop. The wide receiving corps will be completely remade behind Stevie Johnson, and with the additions of Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin to go along with running back C.J. Spiller, there will be speed at nearly every position on offense.

On defense, many of the same players return from 2012, but the biggest change is the addition of new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. The team didn't make a huge splash in free agency like they did last year when they signed Mario Williams, but that may not be necessary for the unit to improve.

With so many changes in Buffalo this year, what would constitute a successful 2013 season? Let's take a look.

Three steps toward success

1. E.J. Manuel exceeds expectations

Manuel will be given every opportunity to take the starting job in training camp. With Kevin Kolb there, the team doesn't necessarily need to rush Manuel, but he's the quarterback of the future, so they may as well get him on the field early.

No one questions Manuel's physical tools. He's big, has a strong arm, and can move well. If his decision-making can match his measureables, then the Bills may really be on to something.

2. Doug Marrone transitions seamlessly from college to the NFL

Marrone turned around a Syracuse program that was one of the worst in all of major college football during his four years in charge, bringing multiple eight-win seasons and some respect back to the program. Before that, he spent the better part of a decade as an NFL assistant, so he does have experience working with the professionals as well.

The NFL and college football are fundamentally different beasts, but if Marrone can show the same flexibility and tactical acumen that helped turn around Syracuse, he could very well do the same thing in Buffalo.

3. The defense bounces back from a disappointing 2012

The Bills spent big money last year to bring in Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, and there were high expectations for the defense. They fell well short of those expectations, finishing 22nd in the league in total defense and 26th in scoring defense. Pettine will shake up the very vanilla schemes they ran last year, and it's not difficult to imagine a significant improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Anderson should contribute after being injured for almost the entire year, and there are a pair of bona fide stars in the secondary in cornerback Stephon Gilmore and safety Jairus Byrd.

Three feats toward failure

1. Manuel and the quarterbacks struggle

If Manuel really struggles early, then Kevin Kolb or Tarvaris Jackson could be brought in to try to steady the ship. If these two's careers have been any indication, that isn't necessarily their strong suit. The team did the right thing by parting ways with Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the quarterback situation could get worse before it gets better.

2. Marrone looks overmatched

Marrone has years of successful experience as an NFL assistant, but that doesn't predict whether he'll be a good head coach at the NFL level. The new trend among NFL coaching hires is bringing in college coaches, but it still remains a dicey proposition. Nick Saban is one of the greatest college coaches in the history of the sport, and he looked average at best during his tenure with the Dolphins. Marrone could be in over his head at this level, which would be crushing for a franchise that desperately needs a bit of good luck.

3. The defense remains a mess

The consensus among fans was that many of the problems with the defense in 2012 were related to scheme, and the change from Dave Wannstedt to Mike Pettine will fix much of the problem. That may not be correct, though, and it's entirely possible that the same problems rear their ugly heads once again in 2013.

Ultimate answer

This process looks like it will be a slow build rather than a breakthrough. The team is now run by a young, energetic coach and general manager, which is a far cry from the old heads that were running the show just a year ago. Ultimately, much of this regime's success will depend on the development of Manuel, which will require patience. Some positive signs from him in 2013, paired with a resurgent defense whose production better matches its talent level, would make for a good year.

More from SB Nation:

• Ravens SB rings are big, shiny

• Let’s move the Jaguars!

• Raiders have nowhere to go but up

• How signing Bradshaw could help the Colts

• #Panquake: The pancake-eating marathon for charity

U.S. Open odds 2013: Tiger Woods not budging as pre-tournament favorite

2013-06-12T14:00:05Z

The 113th US Open gets underway from Merion Golf Club in roughly 24 hours, and Tiger Woods remains firmly entrenched as the pre-tournament favorite. Woods hasn't moved off his 9/2 odds for winning the tournament, well ahead of Phil Mickelson at 16/1. Mickelson had dropped down to 20/1 earlier in the week, but he's back up to 16/1 as of Wednesday morning.

More: Complete coverage of the 2013 US Open

Other than that, there hasn't really been a ton of movement in the odds near the top. Adam Scott is back down to 22/1 after briefly rising to 20/1, but that's it. Barring a late rush in betting, the odds won't change much.

Here are the odds for the 2013 US Open, courtesy of Bovada.

Tiger Woods - 9/2
Phil Mickelson - 16/1
Graeme McDowell - 20/1
Matt Kuchar - 20/1
Rory McIlroy - 20/1
Adam Scott - 22/1
Justin Rose - 22/1
Brandt Snedeker - 28/1
Charl Schwartzel - 28/1
Lee Westwood - 28/1
Luke Donald - 33/1
Sergio Garcia - 33/1
Dustin Johnson - 40/1
Jason Day - 40/1
Jim Furyk - 40/1
Steve Stricker - 40/1
Keegan Bradley - 40/1
Webb Simpson - 40/1

For the odds on the full US Open field, check out Bovada.

Da'Shawn Hand to SB Nation on eliminating Virginia Tech, naming top 3

2013-06-12T12:40:37Z

Da'Shawn Hand has eliminated Virginia Tech and South Carolina from the running for his commitment, and named a final three of Alabama, Florida and Michigan. Hand, a 6'5, 247-pound defensive end from Woodbridge (Va.) High School, is either the first or second-highest rated recruit in the 2014 recruiting class, depending on which service you prefer. Many thought the in-state Hokies would have a great shot at landing him.

More: Da'Shawn Hand scouting report Daily national recruiting coverage

Hand spoke with SB Nation's Bud Elliott back in the beginning of June, and while he said that Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster was his favorite coach, he actually hadn't spoken with Foster "in a while." He also said that his favorite coaching staff was at Michigan. When asked why he eliminated Virginia Tech and South Carolina and named his favorites, Hand told Elliott this:

"I eliminated Virginia Tech because they don't offer a sports marketing program. And with South Carolina, the professor just didn't wow us. I have the utmost respect for Virginia Tech and South Carolina, and their coaches, and wish them the best of luck.

At Michigan, the [sports marketing] program was so impressive, I wanted to sign up right there. During my visit to Alabama, I met the dean of their [sports marketing] program, and it's an excellent program. He actually played football, and he gets it. And I haven't been to Florida, yet, but I've heard their defensive coaching staff and that defensive line with coach [Brad] Lawig and coach D.J. Durkin is amazing. And Alabama's engineering program was working on a $25M project when I was down there."

Hand didn't note if there was a favorite among the three schools, but up until this point, Florida's name hadn't been mentioned very often in connection with him. Hand could still take visits to LSU and USC and others at some point.

More from SB Nation:

• Bill Connelly’s entire SEC preview series is complete

• Could LSU have the best recruiting class ever?

• Spencer Hall interviews Baylor head coach Art Briles

• New college bowl games … with one in Dubai?