Get your pre-season fix on with these dedicated Clemson Football publications:

Tiger Time. This magazine is flat out awesome in all aspects of a magazine. High gloss, good binding, in depth news, reviews, interviews and tons of pictures.

CU Tigers. I would grab this one off of a news stand if you can as an annual subscription may not be your cup of tea. Another good publication, but in terms of coffee table worthiness, doesn’t hold a candle to Tiger Time.

And for those who need the pre-season college football fix, I hear Steele’s is the best (although the sporting news from last year was good as well.

Courtney Vincent officially will be off the team come this season. According to reports on ESPN and TigerNet, Vincent had been suspended for a violation of team rules which was widely known. Due to be a 5th year senior, Vincent apparently did not fulfill goals external to keeping his academic standing that Bowden had put forth this spring. He will have to transfer to a D-II or III school to play in the fall. The defense will now have 7 returning starters.
In other transfer/roster news, Jeff Ogren has left the Tigers as well. He is transferring for currently unspecified reasons. He played in four games with his only reception against La Monroe last year for 8 yards. He’s a 6′2″ WR from Tuscaloosa, AL.

It’s like a bad dream while listing to Bob Seger’s song “Turn The Page”. Here Clemson is again, getting rolled up in national media attention about how we are going to be a top ten team in 2008. I for one would rather start out the season ranked somewhere around 60th then come in and kick some chicken all season long. I have to admit, Harper, Spiller, Davis and Kelly is an amazing one, two, three, four combo offensive punch, but what is the typical routine we are all used to. Yep, we’re going to be the best in the ACC, only to lose a game by one point which could have meant a possible BCS Bowl birth. Hopefully disaster will not come knocking in a few months, then again, I think I’ve said that before too.

Last week Plyler wrote a gushing post about the football team’s coaching staff and their success in recruiting. Certainly the rankings of the recent classes have been good. And his post was spurred by the recent commitment of Craig Loston, who lives in Texas. Plyler writes, amongst other things, “[o]ne of the ways this staff has been able to become so successful is they have identified prospects very early in their high school careers… Clemson has been able to beat many schools to the punch,” and “[t]his staff has decided to take a backseat to no one.”

I definitely don’t follow recruiting much. Part of it is a lack of time. Nonetheless, Plyler’s words certainly made it seem as if our coaching staff is becoming a nationwide force in recruiting. Unless they’re breaking the rules in the process, this certainly sounds like good and comforting news.

Unfortunately, today’s news makes things sound a bit less exciting. Per the Post & Courier

Loston actually initiated the contact with Clemson by sending them film. “They didn’t know anything about me, and I put myself out there to them,” he said. “I like the way they play, I like their style and I think I would fit in well with their defense.”

Another reason I don’t follow recruiting very much is that it is mostly rumor and speculation.

Nonetheless, congratulations to the coaching staff for paying attention and not screwing up when a 5-star recruited himself.