College football notes … With just a couple of weeks to go until college football programs across the country open their fall training camps, there have been several comings and goings of note. Alabama OG Alphonse Taylor, a solid second-tier prospect for the 2017 draft, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence over the weekend. No word yet on whether he will face any supplementary discipline from the school which likely won’t be announced until the case is resolved in the courts. The 6-4, 345-pound Taylor, a pre-season first team all-SEC pick, is the second Alabama offensive lineman to have had a run-in with the law this off-season. Earlier in the year, All-American junior LT Cam Robinson, along with safety Hootie Jones, were arrested on drug and gun charges, but the local district attorney declined to prosecute the players. And while the pair faced some internal team discipline, neither was suspended from any game time. Meanwhile, North Carolina OG John Ferranto, another solid mid-to-late round prospect for the upcoming draft, will miss the year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle. Out west, sources are reporting that Oregon State TE Caleb Smith is no longer with the team. The 6-5, 270-pound Smith, who had 16 starts with the Beavers and had been considered to be something of a rising star with the team, played in only two games last year because of a bout with mono. No reason was given for Smith’s departure and so far there is no word on his future football plans.
