Happy New Year

Greetings, OVC fans. Sorry for the long hiatus, but I needed a bit of a break after my first season of following the league's football action. Throw in the holiday festivities, and things were a bit busy here around OVC Football Blog headquarters.

Now that 2007 is here, I'll be checking in regularly on off-season moves and whetting your appetite for the upcoming season.

Here's a quick look at some of the recent news from around the OVC:

Jacksonville State is beefing up at quarterback, adding junior college tranfer Cedric Johnson, of Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.). At 5-foot-10, Johnson stands just a bit taller than the Gamecocks' 2006 starter Matt Hardin, and weighs in at 190 pounds, according to The Anniston (Ala.) Star (sorry, subscribers only). Johnson led Copiah-Lincoln to a 9-3 season in 2006, according to a release from JSU. He's an Americus, Ga., native, and The Star says he chose JSU over Georgia Southern.

Murray State also added three players in time to take spring practice with the Racers, according to a release from the school. Bruce McCurdy signed with the Naval Academy but did not enroll; he passed for 1,800 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior sesason with Brentwood (Tenn.) High. Wade Peters and Nico Yantko both come to MSU after signing with UT-Martin during Racers coach Matt Griffin's tenure there. Peters started one game as a free safety at Martin in 2005, and spent 2006 at North Central Missouri Community College without plaiying football. Yantko went to Iwoa Central Community College after leaving Martin. He played quarterback in high school.