This may be out all over by now, but I talked to Willy about 11:30 a.m. this morning. He is coming. He will get his degree in May and be in Huntington ASAP, like the next day, to join the program.

Dan Sabreen has supplied me with a link to Donnie Jones’ halftime speech from the Memphis game. I have yet to see it, and might not for a while — I have off-the-field issues to tend to today.

Here it is…

Word is Marshall has landed defensive end Rashaw’de Myers, the defensive end from Cocoa, Fla., who was committed to Colorado State. Some of the others you probably know about, but I have heard Stefone Grace of North College Hill has *not* gotten on board, at least yet.

Good evening from Cam Henderson Center, where the game is late and my deadline is no earlier …

I will seek a little additional confirmation to make sure, but I was told tonight that Darius Marshall has been invited to the Combine. If so, I consider that a pleasant surprise… hey, I do want him to do well, as Ahmad Bradshaw before him.

In case you haven’t gleaned from some of my comments on the subject, we are being visited by part of Conference USA’s most arrogant press corps. And it’s not close, either. And Commercial Appeal beat writer has about as much love for this part of the world as I do Detroit, probably moreso. Check out his Twitter page, if you dare… keep scrolling down, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

My preview comes in the a.m. (actually, it will be first posted tonight, Tuesday), but some stuff from the Memphis Commerical Appeal:

On Wesley Witherspoon, who will cause mismatch problems.

On how the Tigers’ win over Houston was critical.

Recap of Memphis-Houston.

And going back, the Tigers’ loss to UTEP.

And see if you find anything slightly awry at the end of one of those stories.

First off, I did chat with Eddie Sullivan and yes, he’s solid … and furthermore, he could be accompanied by one of his receivers at Boca Raton, Terrell Williams. Williams, though, still has to beef up his test scores.

Mike Fleurizard, the 6-4, 285-pound defensive tackle from Dwyer High in West Palm Beach, Fla., is discussing things with his family about now, but he wants to come to Huntington.

Garrett Scott, the offensive lineman from Coffee County, Ga., and Joe Johnson from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., also has committed.

ESPN is reporting that Eddie Sullivan, one of the purest passers in the West Palm-Boca Raton area, has decommitted from Wake Forest and is going with the Herd.

It is indeed Willy Korn, the redshirt sophomore from Clemson. Here’s the deal: He will have his Clemson degree in his back pocket and is looking for a master’s program (which fits the rule in which you don’t lose a year) and a good place for his final two years of eligibility. Marshall appears to be a fit, and he’s a comin’.

I’ll look over the rest of the visits and serve up a quick story before I go to a high school game tonight.

WVU took a 32-14 lead and are up 42-19 as I type this… I know the Mountaineers are ranked and all, and the Herd has a key injury, but … sheesh … you have to wonder if the new AD won’t take a long look at that program.

First, a column from Bob Hertzel. Now, I do give him credit for this: He does tend to call things as he sees it, even if it ruffles the feathers of the old gold and blue. I try to operate in the same manner, though it doesn’t please the drunk who called me up at 11 last night to give me hell because I’m “always against Marshall” (that conversation lasted about 8 seconds).

But … this piece is mostly flapdoodle. Mountaineer fans don’t always much admit it, but they treat this one with the utmost anxiety. I have lived in the Kanawha Valley 21 years, so I think I have a handle on that.

Next, I’ll just copy and paste a paragraph from Da Boss’ column, where he sizes up the two teams.

MU’s Hassan Whiteside vs. WVU’s Kevin Jones - Again guessing, but the hunch is the Mountaineers will glue the 6-8, 250-pound Jones to the 7-foot Whiteside rather than Wellington Smith. The 7-foot Thundering Herd freshman, of course, will be the center of attention in the Civic Center. He’s a unique talent, with long arms and athleticism to boot. He has good timing in regard to blocking shots. He can hit a 15-foot jumper. The question is, can he withstand the pounding that Jones can bring? The 6-8 Mountaineer always plays hard. He rebounds; he can hit short jumpers; he can drain 3-point tries. Advantage: WVU.

Mitch had better be right on this one, lest he have me chirping in his ear the whole game.