After the weight gain associated with a two-year layoff, just getting through practice was an ordeal for Jerrell Powe last season. No more.

Jerrell Powe interview audio link

Hey folks. I'm around the office today and will have some baseball notes up later this morning after Mike Bianco speaks on the SEC teleconference.

In response to UPTexan's question below, the new website has wobbly legs, but we're young and growing. We've gotten some good response and some not so good response. Most folks don't like change. It's a new thing for us too, as we learn the different ways to manage the blog.

Thanks Texan and others for moving over with us. The site is different, but the content will be the same and hopefully better.

It took 10 innings, but the Rebels won in the last inning for the second straight night to complete a sweep of three non-conference games in three days. Ole Miss has played six straight days and now takes off today before Kentucky comes to town Friday.

Memphis link here

A few notes from Wednesday’s football practice, the second in full pads.

• The big news was the move of starting right guard Reid Neely to left tackle, where he took the vast majority of first-team reps. The move may be temporary, and may be an effort to spark more toughness from sophomore Bradley Sowell, believed to be the heir apparent to Michael Oher, but the coaches liked what they saw from Neely today.
• There are two freshmen in the February signing class who graduated early, enrolled and are taking part in spring drills. One is defensive end Craig Drummond. The other is offensive lineman A.J. Hawkins, who was getting lots of reps today, some of them with the first team. Offensive line coach Mike Markuson likes what he sees and says Hawkins could help out next fall.
• Some plays from the line contact drills and scrimmage that stood out:
• Defensive tackle Lawon Scott had a big hit tackle for loss against running back Devin Thomas in which Scott burst through the second offensive line with Peria Jerry-like quickness.
• On the very next snap linebacker Allen Walker crashed through with a big hit.
• Later in the drills Jerrell Powe got past mid-year junior college transfer Logan Clair, who was lined up at right guard, and caused a fumble.
• Powe, with less weight and more quickness, also chased down a ball-carrier for a tackle on a play that was running away from him.
• Quarterback Jevan Snead, before leaving early to handle some classroom work, laid a perfect pass to hit Markeith Summers in stride after a cornerback bit on a curl route.
• In the same drills there was nice pass coverage on a couple of plays by Marshay Green and sophomore Marcus Temple.
• With Snead gone early, there were more reps for backups Billy Tapp and redshirt freshman Nathan Stanley. It was a mixed back of results for Stanley, who had a couple of nice tosses, one for a 50-yard touchdown to Andrew Harris, who got a step on Temple. Stanley also threw an interception on the last play of practice and was nearly picked off the play before that.

Now that the Kentucky basketball hire is out of the way most fans in the SEC can return their attention to spring football.

That being said, here are five big questions for the league this spring, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Click on the link below.

Five questions for the spring

I will be a chaperone for a school field trip today on the streets of downtown Tupelo. Spring football practice resumes this afternoon at 3:50, and I'll have some notes on the blog tonight. The baseball Rebels are back on the field tonight at 6:30 against Memphis at AutoZone Park.

The Rebels rallied with two in the bottom of the ninth on a basehit and a timely error by the visiting Tigers. All of JSU's five earned runs were scored against the middle relief pitching of Ole Miss. Every non-conference game will be a challenge for the Rebels. There's another one tonight against Memphis at AutoZone Park.

Here's the link for the JSU game.

As we've made some progress with our link-ability on the blogs, here's one to my column from today's print edition that talks about some good things in the Rebels' series loss at No. 2 LSU.

Click here for baseball column

Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy is among several coaches the Memphis Commercial Appeal says could be a replacement for Memphis coach John Calipari, should Calipari leave for Kentucky, as expected.

Click here for the link.

As the coaching wheel spins Andy Kennedy's name has come up in a Memphis story as a possible replacement for John Calipari at Memphis. Calipari has not officially been named coach at Kentucky, but his departure from Memphis appears imminent.

The story mentions Kennedy's legal issues as a possible hindrance.

I wonder how good the Memphis job is if Calipari takes that recruiting class, as apparently will be the case.

Throw in a possible transfer, and if there's a talent drain is that just another C-USA job?

Elsewhere ...

Missouri coach Mike Anderson may or may not have been offered the Georgia job, depending on conflicting reports. I know Georgia offers a lot of positives with Atlanta nearby, but I can't believe positioning yourself between St. Louis and Kansas City, as Anderson is in Columbia, Mo., right now, is a bad thing in terms of recruiting.

Seems like the Big 12 is a better basketball league right now too.

Perhaps a reported offer of $2 million will sway Anderson, who coached under Nolan Richardson at Arkansas.