Billings Signs

Former Auburn wide receiver Montez Billings has signed with the New Orleans Saints. Billings tried out last week at the Saints' minicamp.

BREAKING NEWS

Montez Billings has left the team and has left Auburn. Billings has been serving a four game suspension. He already has his degree and will "pursue other opportunities".

Two Notes

• Josh Harris has won the deep snapping job for field goals and extra points. Clayton Crofoot will hold.
• Interesting note that Inside The Auburn Tigers has made me aware of: 8 of 13 seniors have already earned their degrees (Montez Billings, Antonio Coleman, Walt McFadden, Chris Todd, Gabe McKenzie, Aairon Savage, Ben Tate and Tommy Trott).

Billings To Miss First Four

Montez Billings will miss the first four games of the 2009 season due to an academic issue that has been ongoing since spring. Billings graduated in the spring but the NCAA has made the ruling. The first for games of the season at home vs Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia and Ball State.

Billings

Chizik says the Montez Billings situation is "out of (his) hands" hinting that it is up to the University. He expects that decision within days.

More Notes

• Tyrik Rollison has a touch of the flu. NThe H1N1 has hit Auburn pretty hard but there is nothing that makes me think it is swine flu, just pointing it out...
• News on Montez Billings' status will come this week according to Gene Chizik.
• A depth chart should also come out this week.
• Aairon Savage was at practice watching from the sidelines.

Billings Update

Trooper Taylor says that Montez Billings is still in limbo as to if he will play against LA Tech. It will come down to Chizik's decision.

Morning Practice Notes

I know this is slacking today but it has been a busy day for me. This is basically just the big points from today:

• The Tigers wore full pads Monday morning.
• Trooper Taylor praised Neiko Thorpe today on defense.
• D'Antoine Hood has moved from safety to cornerback.
• Tim Hawthorne seems to be tutoring DeAngelo Benton.
• Tyrik Rollison seemed to be off to a slow start with the offense but now appears to be learning it quickly.
• Trooper Taylor named the top 3 wide receivers as Terrell Zachary, Darvin Adams and Montez Billings, in no order.

More From Practice

• Vance Smith has moved from right tackle to left tackle.
• Chizik says Mike McNeil has made great progress but is not sure of a return timeframe. He is day to day.
• The team will practice in full pads in one of tomorrow's practices and scrimmage in Jordan Hare on Tuesday.
• Zach Clayton is working at defensive tackle and defensive end.
• Aubrey Phillips did make it to practice today but did not participate.
• Montez Billings says he is not sure if he will be back for the LA Tech game. He says the academic issue that held him out of spring is ongoing even though he got his degree this summer.

Media Days Wrap Up

• Votegate '09, Chizik DID vote for Tebow and Spurrier is the one who did not.
• Montez Billings will play this fall
• Chizik believes the offensive line and runningbacks could be the strengths of the offense this season. Luper said similar things last night.
• He wants a quarterback soon. Says guys from spring have an advantage.
• Pierre-Louis and Henderson are on the team.
• Fall practices will be closed.
• Says the goal is winning the SEC West.
• There was really not much more new information from Chizik.

Billings Returning?

Gene Chizik finally stated what we all already knew.  They had been covering up Montez Billings as having an unspecified injury but, on Monday, Chizik stated that they are trying to clear up an "academic issue".   Just two weeks ago, Trooper Taylor said that he did not expect to have Billings in the fall.  The way Chizik has been speaking about this situation leads me to think there is a good but not great possibility that Billings will be back for the 2009 season.  He caught 24 passes for 277 yards last season as a junior.

Tuesday Wrap-Up

Having posted my notes I took from practice earlier, here is everything else I can find including recruiting and post-practice interviews:

• Gus Malzahn confirmed that the quarterback battle has been narrowed. Kodi and Caudle will get the majority of the reps. Malzahn also noted that Barrett Trotter is not out of the "race" but he just will not receive as many reps. He made sure to note that no quarterback has been named starter or co-starter.
• Safety Mike McNeil underwent surgery to repair his broken shin on Saturday. Rivals is reporting 6-8 weeks until he has recovered but teammate Mike Slade said 8-10 weeks, being 100% by August camps.
• I noted that Montez Billings was not in pads. He was at practice in sweats and his jersey. Coach Gene Chizik has attributed this to an academic issue that they are "trying to clear up". I'll try to find out more.
• The offensive line remains a problem. There are currently only seven healthy scholarship o-linemen which is not many with the pace that our offense runs at.
• Another thing I noticed were many drops by the receivers today. I counted three drops by Mario Fannin alone, only one of which was contested. Trooper Taylor seems to be good at actually COACHING the receivers and I feel confident in his ability to help this group.
• Walk-on kicker Chandler Brooks has been hampered by some sort of injury and Wes Byrum has been consistent and has taken back the number one job according to Coach Boulware. In the opening special teams of practice I did not see a missed field goal but Boulware said Byrum was 7 for 8 Tuesday.
• Boulware noted that Clinton Durst is the leading punter.
• Coach Gene Chizik has said that Auburn's scoring system for A-Day will be released later this week. The defense can score various points for turnovers, sacks, etc.
• I know I said recruiting would be in this but I will include recruiting updates in tomorrow's notes.

Thursday Notes

• I know for a fact two signees out of the 2008 recruiting class will visit this week/weekend. Ken Adams and Reggie Hunt are both in attendance. I believe they arrived for Thursday's practice. Hunt is at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and I'm not sure where Adams currently is.
• The biggest news out of practice is that Harry Adams has moved back from cornerback to wide receiver, hoping to exploit his speed.
• Montez Billings is not likely to return to playing this spring due to injury.
• Eric Smith is day to day after injurying his leg Tuesday. Possibly a bruised bone?
• Onterio McCalebb is also day to day with a hamstring injury.
• Practice was 90 minutes on Thursday with a scrimmage coming again Saturday at Jordan Hare Stadium at 10:30 am which is closed.
• Kodi and Neil Caudle still were splitting reps with the ones. Sorry you had to read that possibly expecting something different.
• Second string safety Mike Slade reportedly had "nearly" 10 tackles in Saturday's scrimmage. Zac Etheridge and Mike McNeil remain starters at the safeties.
• The only running backs not banged up right now that are considered to receive playing time are Ben Tate, walk-on Justin Albert and Mario Fannin, although Fannin is taking a lot of reps running and catching the ball.
• Jay Boulware says he no longer considers Chandler Brooks the number one kicker but I am about to stop writing about this because it changes every day.
• Boulware did say we will run a "spread punt" with six or seven gunners and a small group of blockers to protect the punter.
• 2010 linebacker prospect Tyrone Cornileus made his first visit to the Plains on Thursday. He was "very impressed". He currently holds offers from Auburn, Boston College, Ole Miss, Miami, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky. Miami is believed to lead right now.
• More to come if I find more.