Three football players-defensive end Titus Brown, reserve De’Mon Glanton and defensive end Michael Heard-- were arrested in two separate nightclub brawls. Coach Sly Croom said no disciplinary action would be taken because the players were defending themselves. (Clarion-Ledger and BulldogBlitz.com)

OLE MISS: Former N C State receiver Richard Washington is transferring to Ole Miss. Washington caught 73 passes for 848 yards and eight scores in two seasons at N C State under former Wolfpack offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who is now in the same position at Ole Miss. (Clarion-Ledger and RebelGrove.com)

TENNESSEE: Vol quarterback signee Jonathan Crompton will not play this season due to a shoulder injury sustained during offseason workouts. A MRI has shown a torn labrum, but exploratory surgery on August 8 will be needed to determine the extent of the damage. Defensive tackle Tony McDaniel was sentenced to probation and court costs from his misdemeanor assault charges coming from a fight at a pick up basketball game last January. He has been suspended for two games this coming season. (Volquest.com)

AUBURN: Coach Tommy Tuberville said tailback Tre Smith is recovering well from having his appendix removed and is expected to be ready for the opener against Georgia Tech. Redshirt freshman Brad Lester is back after pulling a hamstring. The Tigers have their sixth verbal of the season after Steven Ensminger (6-2, 182), a quarterback from West Monroe (La.), committed last week. His father, Steve, coaches tight ends at Auburn and is a former LSU quarterback. (AuburnSports.com)

FLORIDA: Florida Atlantic has announced games with Florida in 2007 and 2011. Coach Urban Meyer said signee Reggie Nelson could end up playing cornerback, although he is projected at safety. Ben Cleveland (6-4, 230), a tight end from Springdale (Ark.), has committed to the Gators. Cleveland is the No. 7 prospect in the state of Arkansas according to Rivals.com. Only tight end Brian Ellis, a tight end from Daytona Beach Mainland, failed to qualify from this year’s signing class. Jevan Snead (6-3, 205), a quarterback from Stephenville, Texas, was named one of the top five quarterbacks of the EA SPORTS Elite 11 camp. Snead will also be a part of the new Rivals100 list that comes out this month. Former Gator Taurean Charles has landed at Bethune-Cookman. (Gainesville Sun and GatorBait.net)

GEORGIA: Mark Richt is 42-10 in his first four seasons a better start than Jim Donnan (32-15), Ray Goff (29-18), Vince Dooley (28-12-1) and Wally Butts (30-12-1). Richt said during Media Days that redshirt freshman Blake Barnes is pushing junior Joe Tereshinski for the No. 2 job at quarterback behind D J Shockley. Dallas, Texas quarterback commitment Matthew Stafford (6-3, 210) won the camp most valuable player award at the EA SPORTS Elite Eleven camp. He said throwing the ball well and making good reads won him the honor. The new coffee and sandwich shop that former Bulldog greats David Greene and David Pollack opened is called “POLLACK’S PRESS”. Linebacker signee Tavares Kearney was a suspect in an altercation that happened in a classroom at Georgia. A teaching assistant accused him of using his phone to obtain answers on a test. The instructor has filed a battery charge against Kearney for twisting her wrist after she took his camera phone. Georgia had two commitments on Monday. Tony Wilson (5-10, 165), a receiver from Daytona Beach, Fla., committed to the Bulldogs over Florida, FSU, Tennessee, LSU, Michigan and Oklahoma. Prince Miller (5-8, 165), a defensive back from Byrnes High in Duncan, SC, chose Georgia over Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, among others. Eight of the Bulldogs 15 verbal commitments are from out-of-state. (UGASports.com)

ALABAMA: Eryk Anders (6-2, 220), a defensive tackle/outside linebacker at Smiths on Valley (Texas), has signed with Alabama replacing one of the signees who failed to qualify. Last season, Anders had 71 tackles, nine sacks and two blocked kicks in Class 5A action. Tide defensive end Mark Anderson had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, but he is expected to ready for the opener against Middle Tennessee State. Running back signee Mike Ford has been accepted by Hargrave Military Academy. Because of his grade point average there is a chance that Ford could enroll in January at Alabama. Going to prep school allows non-qualifers the chance to become eligible without sacrificing any eligibility. Charlie Kirschman (6-3, 225), a linebacker from Nease (Fla.) High, committed to Alabama on Monday. He chose Alabama over Florida, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Louisville, Maryland, Purdue, and Nebraska. (Bamaonline.com and Montgomery Advertiser)

SOUTH CAROLINA: The dismissal of leading rusher Corey Boyd and the loss of Antonio Lamar due to academic ineligibility has left the tailback spot thin. Boyd was the leading returning rusher and receiver. Senior Daccus Turman, redshirt freshman Albert Ashcraft and freshmen Mike Davis, Taylor Rank and Bobby Wallace will be pressed into action immediately. Walk-on football players Michael Flint and Ike Crofoot have been awarded scholarships for the upcoming season. Coach Steve Spurrier made good on his promise that he would reward walk-ons, if they outperformed scholarship players. Moe Brown (6-0, 170), a receiver from Anderson (S.C.) Westside, has committed to the Gamecocks. USC players report tonight and practice begins tomorrow. Quarterback Blake Mitchell might have a slight lead in the five-man quarterback race after having a stellar offseason. Garrett Anderson (6-4, 270), an offensive lineman from Irmo (S C) Dutch Fork has committed to USC. Clemson and Virginia Tech have also offered him. (Gamecockcentral.com)

LSU: The Tigers were picked by the media in Birmingham last week to win the SEC West. Auburn was second and Alabama was third. Bani Gbadyu (6-1, 205), a linebacker from Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has committed to the Tigers. He is a four-star linebacker according to Rivals.com. Penn State, Georgia, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Ohio State are recruiting Gbadyu (pronounced Bah-jou). Shomari Clemson (6-2, 210), a safety from West Monroe, La., also committed to the Tigers. Ole Miss, Florida, and Tennessee are recruiting him. Richard Murphy (6-2, 210), a running back from Rayville (La.) High, committed to LSU last Wednesday. Charles Scott (6-2, 220), a running back from Jonesboro-Hodge (La.) High, also committed to the Tigers on Wednesday. Murphy and Scott are considered the two top tailbacks in the state. (Tigerbait.com)

ARKANSAS: Myron McKinney (6-4, 305), an offensive guard from Putnam City (Okla.), has committed to the Hogs. He is the No. 13 overall prospect in the state according to Rivals.com. McKinney has a 355-pound bench press and a 710-pound squat. Iowa State, Missouri, Texas Tech and Wyoming have offered him. (Hawgsports.com)

The event next year will be at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. A total of 211 media members registered for the event this year. (Florida Times Union)

GEORGIA TECH: When the Tech preseason roster was released punter Kyle Belcher was not on it. Belcher handled kickoff duties last year as a true freshman and was thought to be the leading punter in spring. Receiver Eddie Ivery, recovering from his third major knee injury since 2002, was also off the roster. (MaconTelegraph.com)

MIAMI: Cane athletic director Paul Dee said negotiations are ongoing to extend Miami coach Larry Coker’s contract. Dee and Coker’s agent Jimmy Sexton are working on a deal. Coker, 44-6 in four seasons, has three years remaining on his contract. Defensive lineman Teraz McCray is hoping to see action after tearing an ACL in spring practice. McCray said he was impressed with linebacker freshman Spencer Adkins, who has a 400-pound bench press, 330-pound clean and 500-pound squat. Linebacker Jon Beason had gained 10 pounds since the spring. He weighs 235. The other first team linebackers are Tavares Gooden (strongside) and Leon Williams (middle). Roger McIntosh, Glenn Cook and Willie Williams provide depth. Starting tailback Tyrone Moss is now 222 pounds (down from 234), his bench press has risen from 295 pounds to 325 and his 40-yard dash time has improved from 4.6 seconds to 4.5. (Canesport.com)

FLORIDA STATE: Cornerback Antonio Cromartie had his ACL, LCL and hamstring tendon repaired in surgery last Thursday. Weakside linebacker Marcello Church is healthy for the first time in years. He can squat over 500 pounds. Defensive lineman Aaron Jones is expected to see playing time with a thin defensive line. He is down to 280 pounds. Plenty of running back depth means that Russell Ball will take a redshirt season. FSU might have the deepest corps of backs in the nation with Leon Washington, Lorenzo Booker, Lamar Lewis, Jamaal Edwards, and Antone Smith. Fullback Chad Canfield has left the team for medical reasons. James Coleman, B J Dean, Joe Surratt and walk-on James Jackson will battle for time at fullback. Percy Harvin (6-1, 188), a receiver from Virginia Beach, will officially visit FSU during the season. Harvin, the No. 1 ranked player according to Rivals.com, will also visit Southern Cal and Florida. Miami, Tennessee and Michigan are also in his top six. Harvin has a 3.0 grade point average and scored an 890 on his SAT. Besides running a 4.36 in the 40-yard dash, freshman Antone Smith lifted 315 pounds nine times on the bench press. Offensive lineman Matt Meinrod was primed to defend his strength champion title, but he was discouraged to do so by strength coach Jon Jost. Meinrod, who is recovering from a torn ACL, was expected to have a 625- pound squat, 500-pound bench press and 450-pound hang clean. Tailback Lorenzo Booker has reclaimed the strength title after winning it two years ago. Booker, who weighs 190 pounds, had a 371-pound bench press, 490-pound squat and 358 pound clean. Senior defensive lineman Kamerion Wimbley was second. In 2002, he weighed 209 pounds. He currently weighs 255 pounds. D’Vontrey Richardson (6-1, 200), a quarterback from Leesburg, Georgia is commitment No. 7 for the Noles. Georgia, Clemson and Marshall are recruiting him. Evan Bellamy (6-4, 315), an offensive lineman from Gulliver Prep in Miam, has committed to the Noles. (Warchant.com and Tallahassee Democrat)

VIRGINIA TECH: Fifteen starters return including several players who must make impact for the Hokies this season. The first is quarterback Marcus Vick. If Vick stays out of trouble, he will add a lot to the VT offense that was lethargic last year (187 yards passing per game and 4.2 yards per carry). Defensive back Jimmie Williams, a candidate for the Jim Thorpe award, is the only returning member of the trio including Eric Green and Vinnie Fuller that was the strength of the Tech defense last year. Williams led the team in with five picks and supported the run strongly. Defensive end Darryl Tapp led the team in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hurries last year. He could also see some time at defensive tackle. Defensive lineman Jonathan Lewis had 40 tackles and 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Defensive end Chris Ellis could be on the verge of a breakout season after being the most valuable player of the spring. He was the No. 2 ranked recruit in 2003. Will Montgomery, who moved from defensive tackle to center last year, is moving to right guard. Linebacker Xavier Adibi is back from an injury and expected to be a star. (HokieHaven.com)

NORTH CAROLINA: Barrington Edwards replaces Ronnie McGill, who injured a chest muscle while weight lifting. Vince Wilson, a sophomore, could see some action also. The offensive line could be all seniors with right guard Kyle Ralph, right tackle Skip Seagraves, left tackle Brian Chacos, left guard Charlston Gray and Steven Bell. Senior Matt Baker, who spent three years as the backup to Darian Durant, has a lot of pressure to be the No. 1 signal caller. Fortunately, he will have four receivers that each have 19 catches or more. Cornerback Jacoby Watkins is predicted to have an outstanding season. Defensive tackle Chase Page, who missed all last year with injuries, is expected to be an impact player. (CarolinaBlue.com)

MARYLAND: Sam Hollenbach will be the starting quarterback for the Terps this season. He earned his first win as a starter against Wake Forest in the team’s final game. (Rivals.com)

NC STATE: Receiver Tramain Hall said the offense should be much improved this year with the addition of new coordinator Marc Trestman. Hall said quarterback Jay Davis is improving in summer drills. The Wolfpack offensive line is three deep this season. The leading returning rusher is junior Reggie Davis. Most of the attention will be on sophomores Darrell Blackman and Bobby Washington. (TheWolfpacker.com)

CLEMSON: The Tigers must improve on their 107 yards per game rushing average from last year (ranking 10th out of 11 teams). Duane Coleman, Kyle Browning and Reggie Merriweather are expected to carry the load. Last season, defenses knew the Tigers couldn’t run so they would send the fewest players possible to stop the run and play cover-two with deep safeties. This year the Tiger defense will play 80% zone under new defensive coordinator Vic Koenning compared to 90% man-to-man last year with John Lovett. Florida Atlantic will be Clemson’s 12th-game opponent in 2006. Former Tennessee quarterback Brent Schaeffer will not be coming to Clemson. He has visited South Florida, Clemson, Texas A & M and North Carolina. Clemson has one verbal commitment (Michael Wade) and three underclassmen (junior Will Proctor and redshirt freshmen Tribble Reese and Cullen Harper) at quarterback. (Tigerillustrated.com and The State)

BOSTON COLLEGE: Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and Will Blackmon are expected to have big years for BC. Blackmon could play receiver, defensive back and kick returner. He also had one of the better quotes of the week by saying the BC home field advantage is nil because the alumni are quite and there are plenty of senior citizens behind the bench. Blackmon said a “Hail Mary” completion would not even excite the fans. (Rivals.com)

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