TENNESSEE: Former Vol quarterback Brent Schaeffer is considering eight schools for his transfer: Clemson, UCF, Miami, South Florida, Maryland, Pitt, Texas A & M and Miami (Ohio). He must sit out this season and will have three years of eligibility left. UCF is scheduled to play Tennessee in 2007. Coach Phil Fulmer made it clear that Schaeffer could not transfer to another school on the Vol’s schedule. Tennessee athletics brought in $67 million last year through tickets sales, TV money, concessions, contributions, etc. The profit from that $67 million was a sobering $10,310. Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel has been indicted on a felony charge of aggravated assault for hitting a student in the face during a pickup basketball game by a grand jury. No trial date has been set. McDaniel, who will be a junior this fall, was suspended after the season ended. He started the bowl game win over Texas A & M. (Volquest.com and Tennessean.com)

KENTUCKY: Receiver Lonnell Dewalt is academically ineligible for this upcoming season. He caught 11 passes for one touchdown and was a standout on special teams after blocking seven kicks. (Courier-Journal)

LSU: Marcus Tillman (6-4, 248), a defensive end from Franklin County High in Meadville, Miss., verbally committed to the Tigers. Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Texas A & M, Ole Miss and Alabama are recruiting him. Coach Les Miles has a policy that he doesn’t accept a verbal commitment from a prospect, if they still have a desire to visit other schools. Tiger receiver Xavier Carter won the 200-meters in the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Vanderbilt in 20.16 second. Carter missed three games last year after breaking his clavicle against Vanderbilt, but he returned for the Capital One Bowl. Other SEC football players involved in the meet were Tennessee cornerback Jonathan Wade, Georgia tailback Albert Hollis, Florida cornerback Dee Webb and Arkansas cornerback Michael Grant. LSU and Tulane have agreed to a 10-year home-and-home series beginning in 2006. The teams have met only twice since 1994. LSU officials will sell 40,000 tickets at $40 each to the Superdome. Tulane will get 7,000 tickets and $600,000 payout at Tiger Stadium. (TigerBait.com and advocate.com)

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Coach Sly Croom was proud to point out that his team’s grade point average was 2.55, the highest since 1996. It is the third semester of improvement for the football team. (Sunherald.com and Bulldogblitz.com)

SOUTH CAROLINA: The possible 12th game against North Carolina has drawn little support from Tar Heel officials. Still, Charlotte officials are pushing hard for the game even though most of the talk has been about a home-and-home series. Coach Steve Spurrier told a group in Rock Hill South Carolina that he was excited about coming to South Carolina in order to coach against some of his “old buddies”. After Spurrier’s arrival, the Gamecock Club has gathered a record $13 million in pledges with seven months remaining in the year. The Gamecock Club has nearly 600 new members. USC is also on pace for record season ticket sales this year after 60,000 were sold for the 2005 season. Two players, who are yet to be announced, are academically ineligible. The NCAA has denied quarterback Michael Rathe’s appeal for a sixth year of eligibility. He said that he will appeal the decision. This is the second time that Rathe had been denied this year. Rathe came off the bench in the fourth quarter and led a drive that beat Kentucky last season. The starting quarterback will come from a group consisting of Blake Mitchell, Antonio Heffner, Brett Nichols, and incoming Tommy Beecher and Cade Thompson. (The State and Gamecockcentral.com)

FLORIDA: Coach Greg Mattison will be recruiting the Jacksonville area. His recruiting area stretches from Nassau through Jacksonville into Flagler and Putnam counties. Some of the local talent that Florida is recruiting includes Nease’s Tim Tebow (the first invitee to the EA SPORTS Elite 11 Camp), Sandalwood’s Jamar Hornsby, Wolfson’s Rodney Gant and St. Augustine’s Quinton Hancock and Jacque Rickerson. Gator fans requested 14,400 tickets to the South Carolina game, but only 6,300 tickets were allotted. This meant that nearly 8,000 Gator fans had to have money reimbursed. Coach Urban Meyer said too much has been made of tailback DeShawn Wynn being in the doghouse. Meyer said Wynn had a good spring and is having an outstanding offseason. He added that two freshmen linebackers and one freshman cornerback may have to play next season. LINDY’S preseason college football magazine has selected Florida as the No. 4 team in the top 25 poll. Athlon has chosen the Gators as the No. 13 team. (GatorBait.net and Gainesville Sun)

ARKANSAS: Several members of the Hog coaching staff visited with Ben Cleveland (6-4, 230), a tight end from Springdale (Ark.). Florida, Colorado, Michigan State, Colorado State, Tulsa and Arkansas State have offered him. (HawgSports.com)

OLE MISS: Sam Johnson (6-2, 220), a linebacker/tailback from Eureka High in Missouri, has committed to the Rebels. He is the Rebel’s eighth verbal commitment. Michigan State, Minnesota and Iowa offered him. (RebelGrove.com)

ALABAMA: Bamaonline.com came out with predictions this week on the SEC East picking Tennessee to win the division. The rest of the division picks in order are Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. (Bamaonline.com)

CLEMSON: Former Tiger defensive coordinator John Lovett has ended up in the same position at Bowling Green University. The football staff received nearly a $200,000 raise next season. Eight of the nine Tiger assistants will make more than $100,000. Tommy Bowden received a raise that bumped him up to $1.16 million. South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier makes $1.25 million. (The State and the Orlando Sentinel)

GEORGIA TECH: The Yellow Jackets have scheduled games with Division I-AA Samford in 2006 and ’07 and I-AA Jacksonville State in ’08 and ’09. (AJC.com)

NORTH CAROLINA STATE: The Wolfpack and Middle Tennessee State announced last week that they will meet Nov. 19 in Raleigh. N C State had to fill the schedule vacancy after Temple pulled out games with both teams because the Owls are moving to the Mid-American conference. (Orlando Sentinel)

FLORIDA STATE: Defensive line coach Odell Haggins told Warchant.com that Andre Fluellen and Clifton Dickson got better as spring progressed. He said Fluellen “just kicked butt”. Emmanuel Dunbar and Aaron Jones have to play this year due to depth issues according to Haggins. He added that Callahan Bright and Kendrick Stewart will play as freshmen at defensive tackles and nose tackle. Haggins said Bright is working very hard to qualify. The NCAA will take another look at Native American nicknames by 30 of its members. Meetings begin next month and the NCAA could decide something by August whether it should impose a ban on Indian imagery. The NCAA 17-member Executive Committee, which meets in early August, has the ultimate responsibility. (Warchant.com, Clarion-Ledger and Tallahassee Democrat)

MIAMI: Sam Shields (6-1, 180), a receiver from Sarasota (Fla.) Booker High is a soft verbal commitment to the Canes. He still wants to take some other official visits to LSU, Pitt and some other schools. His father likes Miami, but his mother wants him to reconsider Florida. (Canesport.com)

ACC: more first weekend TV: Sept. 3: Georgia Tech at Auburn (night game TBA) ESPN, Texas A & M at Clemson, 8 p.m., ABC, Boston College at BYU, 3:30 p.m., ABC (regional telecast). Sept. 4: Virginia Tech at N. C. State, 7:15 p.m., ESPN. Sept. 5: Miami at FSU, 8 p.m., ABC. (AJC.com)

ACC’S TV contract calls for a Labor Day night game for the duration of the seven-year period. Miami and FSU are committed to the first two years. Talks are ongoing about future Labor Day night games. (AJC.com)

UCF: Three Golden Knight home games have been moved to 6 p.m.: Marshall (Sept. 24), Memphis (Oct. 8) and Tulane (Oct. 22). (Orlando Sentinel)

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE CLAY COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE PARK, FL.
HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM AND SAMSPORTSLINE.COM.