Tennessee coach Butch Jones lambasted a report from Wednesday night that suggested WR Marquez North, one of the top playmakers the Volunteers offense has, had suffered a serious knee injury. Turns out, North will be back in no time. As media brow-beatings go, this one rings the bell.
Jones went on something of a rant on a local radio station about the report.
"A report that a young man is out for the year -- that's the most erroneous, misconstrued piece of reporting and journalism I've ever been a part of," Jones said. "It's really unfortunate because you have to call all the family members. They hear all that. You've got a young man walking up to you saying, 'Coach, what is all this out there' ... I just believe in being factual, and it's really unfortunate."
According to the Tennessean, the report came from a Knoxville radio station website affiliated with FOX Sports.
It's not surprising that North would be sensitive to bad injury news. He had more than one of them last year, including a shoulder injury that ended his season early. He didn't play in Tennessee's last three games, and didn't make a catch in its last five.
Here are six other things we learned from fall camps around college football Thursday:
2. Edge Harris. The quarterback battle at LSU is reportedly well on its way to a conclusion. After Anthony Jennings struggled mightily under center for the Tigers last season, and was suspended over the summer, the door for sophomore Brandon Harris couldn't have been opened wider. And according to The Times-Picayune, he is bursting through it early in fall camp. That would mean the former four-star recruit is getting the bulk of the practice reps with the first unit, although practices are closed to the media and LSU coach Les Miles hasn't tipped his hand on the quarterback competition. Based on Jennings' play last year (49 percent completion rate), he shouldn't have to.
3. Once in a lifetime moment. College football doesn't get much better than when a walk-on earns a scholarship. Sometimes it happens in the private setting of a coach's office, but when it happens in front of the team, it's outstanding theater. Watch Notre Dame's Josh Andersonget the big news Thursday.
4. Seriously? Only Les Miles. The LSU coach who can't always be taken seriously, well, can't be serious about this. The No. 1-rated basketball signee in the country, Ben Simmons, landed at LSU. And Miles thinks he could do some landing in the end zone.
5. Big loss for legit contender. The always-solid Michigan State defense is about to have its depth tested in a very public way. Senior linebacker Ed Davis has been lost for the season with a knee injury, taking one of the Spartans' top playmakers out of the lineup for good. Whoever emerges as the replacement, don't be surprised if opponents find ways to test him early this season. Oregon, anyone?
6. I know you from somewhere. At tiny Henderson State in Arkansas, preseason practice opens with a former NFL starter coaching the running backs -- former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Carnell Williams.
7. Showing more. Alabama LB Reggie Ragland, who received a second-round NFL draft grade last winter, will get to show NFL scouts some versatility this fall. A career-long inside linebacker, Ragland has been practicing some outside and believes he'll get a chance to show he can reach the quarterback from the edge this fall. Nothing like a flash of pass-rushing skill to move forward from Round 2.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
