1. With less than a week remaining until national signing day, the recruiting drama is hot and heavy. Some of the potential signing day drama involving one SEC team was removed late Thursday night when ESPN 300 quarterback Kyler Murray affirmed his commitment to Texas A&M. Murray, a five-star quarterback prospect who is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country and the 13th-ranked player overall, originally committed to the Aggies in May but flirted with Texas recently, taking a visit to Austin last week. That sparked some intrigue and uncertainty about the strength of his pledge to the Aggies, who are thin at quarterback with freshman Kyle Allen and former walk-on Conner McQueen being the only scholarship quarterbacks on the current roster. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin and Jake Spavital made an in-home visit to Murray on Thursday, who assured the Aggies that he'll sign with them on Wednesday and canceled his scheduled in-home visit with Texas' Charlie Strong on Friday. There was so much buzz around Murray not only because of how highly rated he is but how accomplished a quarterback he is, recording a 43-0 record as a starter and leading Allen High School to three consecutive state championships in Texas high school football's highest classification.
2. The biggest news of the day came out of Missouri, where athletic director Mike Alden announced that he will step down from his post effective Aug. 31. Alden, Mizzou's athletic director since 1998, said "it's time for a change" and he'll be joining the school's College of Education as an instructor. The Tigers accomplished quite a bit under his watch and he oversaw the move to the SEC, where Missouri has won two SEC East titles in football. There were renovations to Faurot Field and a new football complex is scheduled for construction. Mizzou Arena was also among the facilities built under Alden's watch. Football success is usually tied to an AD's legacy and because of that, chances are Alden's will be thought of favorably.
Around the SEC
ESPN 300 safety Rico McGraw decommitted from Alabama on Thursday.
Four-star linebacker Quart'e Sapp committed to Tennessee.
Auburn might have received a recruiting boost from a fellow SEC team.
South Carolina tight end Drew Owens said he won't be back with the Gamecocks in 2015.
Tweet of the day
Following my heart... #GigEm
— Kyler Murray (@TheKylerMurray) January 30, 2015