Morning reads: Latest Auburn news, NCAA changing targeting rules and more

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Catching up on Auburn news

I hope you didn’t miss Jeffrey Lee’s Sunday night Hoop Scoops. Tennessee transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield committed to Louisville two days after visiting Auburn. That’s not surprising, as the Tigers didn’t put the full court press on BHH. He wasn’t the top priority. Auburn could be in line for more big news on the recruiting trail.

OK, I’m officially a believer in what this Auburn baseball team is capable of after a sweep of South Carolina this weekend. Before the SEC season started, I’ll be honest. I thought this was a 15-15 team in league play, at best. They weren’t expected to do all that much, picked last in the west by some publications. However, they’re sitting at 11-7, one game out of the second-best record in the league. They possess solid pitching, including an ace in Joseph Gonzalez, and they have two of the league’s best hitters in Sonny DiChiara and Blake Rambusch. That’s enough to make them dangerous. We’ll see how dangerous this weekend when they travel to No. 1 Tennessee.

Bryan Harsin was honored as the pace car driver at Talladega on Sunday. “Have fun babe,” Harsin’s wife, Kes Harsin, said as he drove off. “You’re not going to get him out of that car. He’s going to stay in there as long as he can. It’s his thing.”

In case you missed it, former Auburn corner Ro Torrence committed to Arizona State.

NCAA changing rules on targeting, faking injuries

In an effort to clarify things regarding injuries, the NCAA playing rules oversight panel approved three measures Wednesday that will take effect in 2022.

Targeting, faking injuries and blocking below the waist were at the center of the rule changes.

Previously, anyone ejected for targeting during the second half of a game had to sit out the first half of their team’s next game.

For any game that has instant replay, conferences now will have the right to appeal the decision to the NCAA national coordinator of officials.

If video suggests the player shouldn’t have been removed because of targeting, the player will be eligible immediately for his team’s next game.

Schools and conferences will also be able to report scenarios where an opposing team may have been awarded an injury timeout suspiciously.

The conference or school involved in the complaint would be able to issue discipline if the national coordinator of officiating deems it necessary.

Any injured player will still be required to sit out at least one play.

Coaches await transfer portal deadline

With only one week to go, there is heightened anticipation of a final, dramatic bum rush to transfer freedom before the portal’s doors close, writes CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd.

May 1 marks the day the transfer portal shuts down for this academic year. It closes for three months before reopening Aug. 1, the start of the 2022-23 academic year. Players in the portal by May 1 can still transfer after that date, but the deadline provides a shred of roster certainty amid what has amounted to free agency in college football.

Takeaways from LSU spring game

From our On3 LSU site The Bengal Tiger: The biggest question throughout the spring was about the quarterback competition and who would start to emerge as the starter. That seems even less clear now than before as what initially felt like a two-man race feels a lot more open with Garrett Nussmeier’s play throughout the spring. Coming into the spring Myles Brennan and Jayden Daniels were the two names most in the mix for the job after Daniels transferred in from Arizona State. In the later part of the spring though, Nussmeier started emerge as another possible option in that role. He looked the best out of the three in the LSU Spring Game, making multiple big throws and finishing with the best stat line of the day throwing for 136 yards and a touchdown. This will without a doubt make for an exciting position battle going into the fall.

Read more about LSU’s spring game and the takeaways from observers.