SEC Media Days: Auburn notebook

HOOVER – On Wednesday, Alabama coach Nick Saban and Florida coach Urban Meyer hammered away at the “dirty” NFL agents who constantly try to woo college players with money, trips and women.

On Friday, Auburn coach Gene Chizik took a nearly opposite stance, instead placing the blame on the beneficiaries rather than the enablers.

“A lot of this has got to go back on the young guy,” Chizik said. “I mean, he’s got to have an allegiance to his school, he’s got to have an allegiance to his teammates, he’s got to have an allegiance to his football team and his coaches and his university.”

Chizik isn’t one of the four coaches whose players are under the crosshairs of the NCAA during its ongoing investigation, but he wasn’t alone with his opinion Friday — a day where the tenor was drastically calmer in regards to the hot-button topic.

“You have a drug dealer and you have a decision to buy from a drug dealer and do drugs,” Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said. “At the end of the day, it’s really no different.”

Auburn offensive tackle Lee Ziemba briefly considered departing after his junior season to test the waters in the NFL. Though he wouldn’t elaborate on certain instances, Ziemba clearly faced situations where he could have made a questionable decision to benefit his bank account.

The education he received from Auburn’s compliance department, along with a little common sense, allowed him to brush off the not-so-secretive dirty agents, he said.

“They usually introduce themselves. You know who you’re dealing with,” Ziemba said. “And you also know the rules about all them. And you’re responsible for those rules.“

Zac attack: Chizik offered up congratulations to safety Zac Etheridge for his speedy, improbable comeback from a neck injury Friday, but was unable to offer a clear-cut timeline for his return to contact.

“We’re going to obviously be very prudent in how we proceed with him but we’re just excited he’s back,” Chizik said. “He brings a leadership element and an experience element to our team that’s hard to get.”

Etheridge donned pads for the first time Tuesday during a medical evaluation that ultimately cleared him to resume his football career. He’s been a constant fixture on the practice fields this summer, though, performing in non-contact, seven-on-seven drills.

How has he looked?

“Just like Zac always looks,” linebacker Josh Bynes said.

Fresh and ready: Thirty-one new faces will dot the Auburn roster when practice opens Aug. 4, the result of a nearly flawless 2010 signing class that should quickly load up the depth chart at multiple positions.

Though plentiful, Chizik said there isn’t much wiggle room for under-performers. In a meeting with the group Thursday, Chizik told the freshmen he expects a number of them to see real playing time immediately.
“It was a highly-ranked class on paper,” Chizik s

aid. “But what we’re excited about is that they’re student-athletes and we have a high expectation for them as a student at Auburn.”

Springville wide receiver Jeremy Richardson was the lone 2010 signee not to qualify academically. Richardson, a four-star recruit, is currently enrolled East Mississippi Junior College with the expectation to enroll next season. Five-star offensive lineman Shon Coleman (Olive Branch, Miss.) is also not with the team as he continues to battle cancer.

Seven members of Auburn’s 2009 signing class did not qualify. Two others (Tyrik Rollison and Dontae Aycock) have left the program.
Auburn played the majority of last season with 75 scholarship players, 10 below the NCAA maximum.

“Obviously to get to 85, I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” Chizik said. “But I think that really gives you a good idea of last year. And we brought in 30 and we’re still not at 85.”
Chizik said he would prefer to distribute the remaining available scholarships to certain walk-ons if the opportunity presents itself.

“That’s been a huge, huge source of pride for Auburn through the years is to take a young guy who has really earned himself a scholarship after being here for so many years,” Chizik said. “Any time I have a chance to be able to do that, we’re definitely going to do that.”

Who’s standing out?: Bynes had his scouting report ready when prompted about the incoming freshman class Friday.

Bynes’ potential successor, linebacker LaDarius Owens (Bessemer), has stood out the most, he said. Fellow four-star Jake Holland (Pelham) is also primed and ready, he said.

In the secondary, Bynes said cornerback Jonathan Mincy “came in and understands a lot of this stuff quickly.” On the defensive line, Jeffrey Whitaker (Warner Robins, Ga.) and Kenneth Carter (Greenville) should add size and speed to the unit.

“We do a lot of our sprint stuff and (Carter’s) up there in the front because he can run for his size,” Bynes said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are going to contribute to this team and I look forward to playing with them this year.”

Not just yet: Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, LSU’s Les Miles, Ole Miss’ Houston Nutt and Meyer have all been longstanding members of Twitter.

Chizik has an account and even has close to 1,500 followers, but has yet to express himself with a 140-characters-or-less message.

Asked if he planned to join the Twitter-sphere anytime soon, Chizik didn’t make any promises.
“You’ll have to stay posted on that,” he said.