SOUTH CAROLINA: Receiver signee O. J. Murdock found out last week that he has met freshman eligibility standards. Murdock has a superstition of putting a picture of entertainer Michael Jackson in his cleat before every game. Murdock said he wants to “perform” as well as Jackson, who he considers the greatest entertainer that ever lived. Murdock, nicknamed “Juice”, caught seven passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff game last year against Armwood High. The team he wants to beat this season the most is Florida. (Gamecockcentral.com)

TENNESSEE: Receiver Jayson Swain had his knee scoped last week, but is expected to be ready for fall drills. Swain, who caught 29 passes for four scores last year, is a junior this year. Offensive line signee Darius Myers did not qualify and is going to Hargrave Military School. Myers also wants to shed 15 pounds from his 330- pound frame. (SI.com and Volquest.com)

GEORGIA: Quarterback D J Shockley was honored recently for his community work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens and summer camps for disabled children and cancer patients. Freshman defensive back signee Antavious Coates of Greenwood, S C., suffered a knee injury that requires reconstructive surgery. He will redshirt this season.

Tony Wilson (5-10, 165), a receiver from Daytona Beach (Fla.), said he will decide between Georgia and Florida. Wilson is the No. 34 player in the state according to Rivals.com. Recent verbal commitment Shaun Chapas, a fullback from The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., is rehabbing after ACL surgery. Chapas said he is still committed to Georgia. He added that the Bulldogs continue to have faith in him. (UGASports.com, AJC.com and Columbus-Ledger)

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Four members of the freshman class—Brookhaven defensive lineman Jesse Bowman, Lanier defensive lineman Louis Ellis, Seminary running back Tim Holloway and Englewood (Fla.) linebacker Brandon Whittie—out of the 27 signees are not on the recently released roster. The NCAA has cleared at least 14 signees as of this week. (Clarion-Ledger and Bulldogblitz.com)

LSU: Virginia Tech announced that they have a game at LSU scheduled for Sept. 8 of 2007. All 13 Tigers signees are enrolled in summer school. (advocate.com and The Times Dispatch)

AUBURN: The Tigers have 18 of 21 signees enrolled in school and eligible to play. Offensive lineman Mike Harness, who is from Columbus (Ga.) Pacelli, will spend the fall at Hargrave Military Academy before coming to Auburn in January for the spring semester. Rex Sharpe, a linebacker from Fairfield High in Birmingham (Ala.) will attend Butler Community College in Kansas. He could return in 2007. Robert Dunn, a receiver from Augusta (Ga.) Laney, is awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse before he comes aboard. (AuburnSports.com)

ALABAMA: Tide head coach Mike Shula has received a one-year contract extension Tuesday, but his $900,000 salary was not raised. Recently, Alabama basketball coach Mark Gottfried received a $200,000 raise that moved him to the $1 million mark. This the first time in Alabama history that a non-football coach has been the highest paid employee in the athletic department. Tight end Nick Walker is sporting a back brace during summer workouts. He suffered an injury during spring that did not require surgery, so the brace is a precautionary measure. Quarterback Brodie Croyle is up to 210 pounds. Redshirt freshman receiver Will Oakley, who is from Nease High, has bulked up to 195 pounds. He has recovered from a persistent hamstring injury. Ali Sharrief (5-8, 212), a tailback signee from Stevenson, Ala., is rehabbing his shoulder after he had surgery to repair ligament and tendon damage. Sharrief said he will be ready to go by fall drills despite being limited in his conditioning. (BOL.com)

ARKANSAS: Darren McFadden, a tailback signee from Pulaski Oak Grove, was named the Outstanding Back for the East team against the West in last Friday night’ all-star game in Fayetteville. McFadden, who gained 75 yards on 14 carries, could see plenty of early playing time this season. (Hawgsports.com)

HIGH SCHOOL TELECAST: ESPN will televise the Nease (Fla.) High season opener at Hoover (Ala.) High on Aug. 27 at 11 a.m. Hoover, 15-0 last year, has won four of the past 6A title games. Nease, quarterbacked by Tim Tebow, a five-star player according to Rivals.com, went 11-2 last year. Buccaneer Stadium will be expanded to hold 11,500 seats. This is the first time an Alabama high school football team has played on ESPN. (The Birmingham News)

CONFERENCE CHANGES: The new conference alignments that affect 27 schools and six of 11 Division I-A conferences began Thursday night at midnight. (Orlando Sentinel)

FLORIDA STATE: Chad Roark (6-3, 275), a lineman from Ada, Okla., has committed to the Noles. Roark has a 3.6 grade point average and scored a 24 on the ACT. Last season, Roark had 117 tackles, nine sacks and 32 tackles for loss on defense. On offense, he had 47 pancake blocks. He is the No. 9 ranked player in Oklahoma. With all the losses on the defensive line, look for freshman signee Kendrick Stewart (6-1, 280) to play a lot this season. Freshmen receivers Richard Goodman and Rod Owens were impressive during Monday workouts. Goodman, who is from Ft. Lauderdale, has been one of the more difficult receivers to cover. Receiver signee Fred Rouse is involved in workouts after he received a qualifying test score on the ACT. Freshman running back Russell Ball said he wants to redshirt. Signee Matt Dunham, a running back/athlete is home in Columbus, Georgia completing an English class that he needs to qualify. Quarterback Xavier Lee said his first name is pronounced “X-av-ier” not “Zavier”. Lee was very sharp in pasing drills in Tuesday workouts. (Tallahassee Democrat and Warchant.com)

MIAMI: Receiver Lance Leggett, who fractured his foot last March, decided against doctors orders and refused surgery. Instead, Leggett decided to let the bone heal by itself because he would have been unable to play this season after the surgery. Leggett has gained 16 pounds since last year and weighs 186 pounds. Linebacker Willie Williams (6-2, 240) has increased his bench press to 330-pounds and his vertical leap to 38-inches. Williams said his four-month old daughter named Willasia Williams is his inspiration to have a big season. (Canesport.com)

CLEMSON: Former Tennessee quarterback Brent Schaeffer could sign with Clemson at anytime. He has visited Clemson and Texas A & M. He also plans on visiting North Carolina, but his mother said Clemson is his favorite school of the three. Julius Wilkerson (6-3, 200), a linebacker from Gaffney, is the sixth verbal commitment for the Tigers. Virginia Tech has also offered him. Offensive line signee Corey Lambert (6-7, 300) has been certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse and is ready to play this season. He was rated the top offensive lineman in the state of South Carolina last year. Defensive back/running back Brandon Nolen and offensive lineman Clint LeTray have decided to transfer from Clemson. Both were redshirt freshmen last season and played in two games. (TigerIllustrated.com and collegesports.com)

ILLINOIS: Ron Zook, the former Florida coach, is making inroads in recruiting after picking up six verbal commitments including Isiah Williams, a quarterback from Chicago Vocational, who has been invited to the Elite 11 camp. (Daily Herald)

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