McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts presented by Harry Alexander

1. Another National Signing Day has come and gone. Ole Miss finished the day with the nation’s No. 7-ranked class, at least according to Rivals.com. The Rebels landed the nation’s top-ranked quarterback and top-ranked offensive tackle as well as arguably the best trio of wide receivers signees in the country.

Still, there was disappointment on Wednesday. Ole Miss missed out of cornerback Shyheim Carter (Alabama), defensive ends Jeffery Simmons (Mississippi State), Jonathan Kongbo (Tennessee) and Terrell Hall (Alabama) and linebacker Mique Juarez (UCLA) on the final day of the recruiting cycle.

Despite the slow finish, the accusations continued from opposing fans and in veiled shots from media and other coaches/administrators. In summary, according to the speculating masses, the only way Ole Miss can possibly recruit so well is by cheating.

The problem with that theory is it stands to reason that a program that throws buckets of cash (drink up!) at prospects would finish strong and not limp to the finish line. For the third straight year, however, Ole Miss struggled on National Signing Day.

So, at least for me, there are only three possible explanations.

One, other programs are throwing bigger buckets of cash at the prospects in question and out-bidding the Rebels. First a disclaimer: I believe you’ll find a purple unicorn ridden by a sexy mermaid (I’ve had a thing for mermaids since Darryl Hannah played the role of Madison the mermaid in the 1984 romantic comedy “Splash.” There. Now you know. Make fun all you want. I was 14. She was naked on a beach. The movie moved me. OK. Now you know.

Edited to add: We once took the girls to Disney World, did the whole lunch with the princesses thing. Ariel, the mermaid princess -- SMOKESHOW.

Where were we? Oh, yeah, I believe you’ll find a purple unicorn ridden by a sexy mermaid before you find a clean college football program. That said, I don’t think any program is throwing buckets of cash (drunk yet?) at recruits. Ole Miss certainly isn’t. You may have read about the thiree-year colonoscopy the Rebels’ football program has endured, one that is now nearing its conclusion. Ole Miss would be insane to risk giving the NCAA reason to continue exploring for the sake of a prospect or two. But if Ole Miss is tossing cash at kids, a bunch of other schools are tossing more. Otherwise, Wednesday’s results are inexplicable.

Two, Ole Miss is cheating all wrong. I guess it’s possible Ole Miss is offering incentives to prospects but they’re turning down those offers to go to their school of choice for a scholarship and an opportunity. Possible, I suppose, but I would assert I have a better chance of finding my own personal mermaid than I would kids turning down the supposed cash incentives to go to another school for nothing. Maybe I’m too much of a cynic…

Three, it’s all overblown. If I have a vote, mine is cast here. Sure, stuff happens in recruiting, but most kids go where they want to go. Most kids go where they feel the most comfortable, where the relationships pull them in. Hugh Freeze and his staff have built a certain atmosphere in four years at Ole Miss. In his words, he’s created a niche of sorts. It appeals to some prospects and their families. It doesn’t necessarily resonate with others. Kids are targeted 2-3 years before they can sign and deep relationships are built. Sometimes (see: Little, Greg) that works. Sometimes (see: Simmons, Jeffery) it results in heartbreak.

Some in the media (I won’t name names) struggle with this concept. They don’t really understand the recruiting environment these days. Prospects grow close to one another. Relationships are built. Kids have a built-in recency bias. Their version of tradition typically last 2-3 years, and Ole Miss has been pretty good the past 2-3 years.

Things change. When I was a kid fantasizing about Madison the mermaid, Christie Brinkley, Paulina Porizkova, Carol Alt (damn, I’m old), Nebraska and Miami were college football superpowers. Now they’re not. Again, things change, and programs that weren’t attractive decades ago are now. That’s difficult for some in locales such as Louisville, Ky., (that city listed just as an example, totally random, apropos of nothing) to grasp.

2. A.J. Brown signed with Ole Miss on Wednesday. He did so from his high school in Starkville, Miss. He was _ wait for it _ applauded. I feared for young Mr. Brown’s life. After all, I’d heard horror stories about the pressure he would endure to stay home in Starkville or go anywhere but Ole Miss. What would happen if he stared down that pressure and went to Ole Miss, where he could follow his dream of replacing Laquon Treadwell and catching passes from Chad Kelly and Shea Patterson? Would he be drawn and quartered? Would his family home burn to ashes overnight?

No, nothing happened. Sure, some idiots went after him on social media, but that’s hardly news. Unbalanced people tweet at ‘croots. It’s painful to see, and I’d support the presidential candidate who tried to make tweeting at ‘croots a federal offense, but I suppose creepy tweets at 17-year-old boys aren’t going away anytime soon. Brown wasn’t harmed physically. His house still stands. His family can still go to the local grocery store. The world kept spinning.

Brown wanted to go to Ole Miss and he did. Oh, sure, Egg Bowl week will be different for him for the rest of his life, but I have a suspicion he’ll revel in that. Brown will be a bit of a villain in his hometown and he’ll be beloved in Oxford.

However, the people who truly matter in his life were going to keep loving him no matter where he chose to attend college. I’m glad that story line can be put to bed. It was ridiculous.

3. One story line that became obvious on Wednesday was Alabama’s renewed focus on Mississippi. The Crimson Tide landed Germantown cornerback Nigel Knott and West Point offensive lineman Scott Lashley. Alabama also pursued Brown and Simmons with abandon.

I’m sure Nick Saban would say it’s all part of the plan, but Alabama and Ole Miss squared off on too many recruits this time around for it to be pure coincidence. The Crimson Tide has gone to two college football playoffs and won a national title in the past two years, but it’s apparent Ole Miss’ consecutive wins over college football’s superpower is bugging Saban a bit.

There are rumblings out there that the feud is even more personal, but I can’t begin to prove that and won’t try. I will say, however, that all the spin in the world won’t prevent me from expecting an intense/nasty environment in Oxford when the Crimson Tide heads to two in September.

4. The run-up to National Signing Day 2017 has already begun. Here’s a quick look at some names you’ll hear a lot of over the next 360 days or so:

QB

Jake Fromm

Gage Maloney

Tristan Gebbia

Lindell Stone

RB

Cam Akers

Ty Chandler

Cordarrian Richardson

Kylin Hill

WR

Tee Higgins

D.D. Bowie

Devonta Smith

Tyquan Ulmer

Kalem Reddix

OL

Trey Smith

Austin Troxell

Walker Little

Netori Johnson

Ben Brown

Andrew Thomas

Jordan McNair

DL

Aaron Odom

Isiah Stokes

Aubrey Solomon

Zach Carter

Malik Herring

Tae-kion Reed

Jordan Bonner

LB

Will Ignont

Willie Gay

Josh Clarke

Jaden Hunter

Justin Foster

Bruce Swilling

Jarez Parks

Shadid Reese

Ronald Ladd

DB

CJ Avery (pictured above with Akers)

Chevin Calloway

Kaleb Oliver

CJ Cotman

Devon Hunter

Ath

Malcolm Askew

Kam White

Emmanuel Dabney

5. Ole Miss knocked off Vanderbilt, 85-78, Saturday night to improve to 15-8 overall and 5-5 in the Southeastern Conference.

The Commodores led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Rebels cut the deficit to two points by halftime and then dominated the second half.

"We knew Vanderbilt wasn't going away and I think they'll have a tremendous season," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. "But we stepped up in adversity and performed well. This win puts us back in the (postseason consideration) game."

That's the amazing thing about this Ole Miss team. It isn't particularly deep or talented in the first place, but it's a resilient club. Stefan Moody scored 23 points despite playing with a hamstring injury that has hampered his play for the past few weeks. Martavious Newby's eye injury has limited his production, and Sebastian Saiz has missed the past six games with an eye injury of his own.

Saiz will be re-evaluated early this week, and it's possible he could return to action in the not-too-distant future (Ole Miss travels to Florida Tuesday and entertains Arkansas Saturday afternoon). That's what's interesting about this team. In Saiz's absence, Marcanvis Hymon (13 points, 8 rebounds versus Vanderbilt) has steadily emerged as an SEC-caliber post player. Post-grad transfer Tomasz Gielo (16 points, 4 rebounds) has apparently adjusted to the speed of SEC play. Rasheed Brooks (15 points, 9 rebounds) has become a consistent second threat when opponents key on Moody.

If the SEC tournament began today in Nashville, Ole Miss would meet Vanderbilt in the first round. Of course, there's four weeks of games left, and suddenly, there's a very real chance Ole Miss gets Saiz back and heads down the stretch as a deeper, more versatile team.

"Once we get (Saiz) back, what is now a bit of a weakness may become a strength," Kennedy said. "This team needs to win games. We need to keep this thing in the road until we can get whole. Hopefully there are no setbacks as it relates to (Saiz) or Moody and try to protect our home floor ...and stay in the running where we have a chance to make a run at the end. (Hymon) getting these minutes, Donte Fitzpatrick getting these minutes, Rasheed Brooks continuing to have his moments, get Moody back healthy, get (Saiz) back healthy and let's see what we can do."

6. I didn't make it to the Pavilion at Ole Miss on Saturday night. Instead, I watched most of it on television, and I couldn't have been more proud of and happy for my friend, Richard Cross, who served as the play-by-play commentator on ESPNU's broadcast, which also featured color analyst Joe Dean Jr.

Cross has been doing SEC games all season, and he's no longer pegged as just an "Ole Miss guy." He's called games involving Tennessee, South Carolina and other schools. In so doing, he's established his credibility as a guy who can move up in the broadcasting field. A random viewer in Iowa, New Hampshire or Louisville, Ky. (again, totally random, apropos of nothing at all) would not have listened to Saturday's broadcast and sensed Cross had any connection to Ole Miss at all.

7. I have followed Peyton Manning's career since he was a junior at Newman High School in New Orleans. I suspect it ended Sunday in northern California with a Super Bowl 50 win. Manning, once the most dominant force in the NFL, was a game manager on Sunday, guiding the Broncos to a 24-10 win over Carolina.

If it was the end, it was the kind typically reserved for fairy tales. Manning doesn't appear to have much left in the proverbial tank. He can no longer make the deep throw; Father Time holds no hostages, after all. He's no longer mobile in the pocket, but on Sunday, in a game dominated by the Broncos' defense, Manning didn't mess up.

If, as expected, Sunday was the end, he'll end his career as a certain Hall of Famer with a pair of Super Bowl rings and a legacy that will be difficult for anyone to match. Watching football with no Peyton Manning will be take some getting used to.

My favorite moment from Sunday, and maybe my favorite moment from a fairly forgettable NFL season, came at the end of Super Bowl 50 when Carolina defensive back Josh Norman paid his respects to Manning. The gesture was total class. Manning deserved nothing less.

8. I don't have a favorite NFL team (I'm considering adopting one for the sheer hell of it, though, so feel free to give me your recommendations), so for me, the Super Bowl has always been as much about the commercials as it was the game. Here's a look at some of the ads that made their debuts on Sunday during Super Bowl 50.

Just for fun, by the way, here's a look at the 10 most popular Super Bowl ads of all time.

9. OK, I'll say it, and if I'm wrong, I'll eat the words: The Oklahoma City Thunder is going to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. If I'm right, the Thunder will be the only real obstacle in the Golden State Warriors' path to consecutive world championships.

Can the Thunder beat Golden State? On Saturday night in California, the Thunder were tied at 104-104 with just under four minutes left before losing, 116-108. Golden State won its 41st straight home game and improved to 46-4. Still, the Thunder did some things that had to create a little bit of concern for Steve Kerr's Warriors.

Golden State won the game, but it felt like a chess match with both teams looking ahead to late May/early June. Down by 20 in the first half, Oklahoma City gave the Warriors fits in the second half. In short, it felt like the Thunder did something.

"Man, we're not scared of neither one of those teams," Durant told ESPN.com's Royce Young, including the Spurs in that group. "We're going to play our game. Nobody in this locker room is scared. We gotta play 'em. If we want to get to where we want to get to, we gotta play 'em. We're not ducking nobody."

The always-confident Westbrook said, "I mean they're a pretty good team. But it's not nothing we're seen before. We'll be ready to play them next time."

If the two teams meet 4-7 times in the playoffs, the match-ups could be fascinating. Can the Thunder play Kevin Durant for 40-plus minutes at power forward? Can Serge Ibaka guard Draymond Green? Does the Thunder need to make a deal for another wing (Mitch McGary to Memphis for Courtney Lee perhaps?) to better match the Warriors' perimeter scoring? Does Andrew Bogut have a role? I expect a fascinating, incredible series, and yes, I think a slightly tweaked Thunder team could take the Warriors to a seventh game. Here's a much more thorough breakdown of Saturday night and what it could lead to moving forward.

10. Here are some articles of interest to me (and hopefully to you) for the coming week. Have a good one.

Kris Bryant went swimming with sharks recently. If the Cubs' third baseman/NL Rookie of the Year gets eaten by sharks in the offseason, I give up.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara said the NFL is very serious about its concussion problem, a better message than the one delivered earlier in the week by commissioner Roger Goodell.

France is changing the spelling of "onion" and people are unhappy about it. First-world problems, you know?

This man drank four bottles of wine a day and lived to be 107. As Jeffrey Wright always said, not every hero wears a cape.

Can playing football and baseball in college save some players from some of the physical tolls of the gridiron? Antwaan Randle El and Jeff Samardzija, among others, think so.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Howie Kendrick said the current free agency system, one that has draft picks tied to players as compensation, is hurting everyone.

Research has shown couples bond over Netflix. Who knew?

Scientists can now radically expand the life expectancy of mice. Could humans be next?

Former Ole Miss star Chris Coghlan studied advanced metrics to become the best fourth outfielder in Major League Baseball.