GEORGIA: Clifton Geathers (6-7, 280), an offensive line from Carvers Bay, S. C., has signed with Georgia after considering Clemson and South Carolina. He eliminated FSU earlier. The Bulldogs are off until March 20. In Friday’s practice, Mikey Henderson, who moved from cornerback to receiver, caught the eye of the coaching staff. At quarterback, Joe Tereshinski, Blake Barnes, Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford are getting equal work with the first and second offense. Defensive linemen Jeff Owens and Ray Gant are getting used to a starting role. Redshirt freshman Kade Weston, true freshman Ricardo Crawford and senior Dale Dixson are back-ups.

AUBURN: In Thursday’s scrimmage, tailback Tre Smith scored on a 57-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Cox. Linebacker Kevin Sears scored on a 79-yard interception return. Tray Blackmon, a linebacker, had eight solo tackles. Brad Lester led all rushers with 48 yards on 10 carries. The spring game is Saturday. The offensive line is in better shape because three starters return-Ben Grubbs, Joe Cope and Tim Duckworth—at guard and center. King Dunlap is working well at left tackle but the right tackle spot is up for grabs. Leon Hart appeared to have the job at first, but Jonathan Palmer and Antwoin Daniels are pushing him. Courtney Taylor returns as the most experienced receiver. He is now the No. 1 punt returner. Senior defensive back David Irons is back at practice after spending much of the time concentrating on academics. Smith had 94 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving on nine catches in Auburn’s second scrimmage last Saturday. He even threw a halfback pass to the tight end. The defense had 16 sacks in Auburn’s 144-play scrimmage. Cox was 19- of- 30 for 161 yards including a 5-yards scoring pass to receiver Lee Guess. Freshman Ben Tate ran for 83 yards and a score on 18 carries. Tailback Kenny Irons gained 53 yards on 11 carries. Safety Will Herring led the team with 14 tackles. Two of the more impressive defensive linemen are Tez Doolittle and Pat Sims.

OLE MISS: Thomas Eckers has been moved to the starting center position even though juco transfer Corey Actis was considered the frontrunner. Tailback BenJarvus Green-Ellis has had most of the work at tailback. Tight end Robert Lane has also drawn praise for his play.

LSU: The Tigers had a brief scrimmage Wednesday. Coach Les Miles said tailback Jacob Hester, linebacker Luke Sanders, and defensive back Jonathan Zenon got his attention. LSU will have a major scrimmage on Saturday. Tailback Alley Broussard is having trouble rehabbing the knee that he injury last summer in fall drills. He did not practice on Monday because his knee was bothering him. Tailback Justin Vincent is also rehabbing his knee after injuring it during bowl game preparation.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: The defensive line is the strength of the defense. Defensive lineman Deljuan Robinson has shown great leadership. Senior defensive lineman Antonio Johnson continues to draw praise from Sly Croom. Linebacker Quinton Culberson has also taken a leadership role on the team.

FLORIDA: Last season, Florida’s defense had 33 sacks, the most in the past five seasons. Co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said defensive end Jarvis Moss has great potential to be an excellent pass rusher. He also said the coaches are counting on a big year from defensive lineman Derrick Harvey who is entering his redshirt sophomore year. Linebacker Darryl Gresham is being moved to the defensive line to take advantage of his quickness. Mattison said lineman Marcus Thomas has become a real leader on defense. He also said two of the reserves that have really stepped up their performance in the offseason are Clint McMillan and Javier Estopinan (former linebacker), who was redshirted last year. Mattison said what McMillan lacks in height he has in leverage.

TENNESSEE: The Vols had the first of three scrimmages last Saturday. Tennessee’s offense showed everything from a three tight set to five wides. Receiver Robert Meachem (5 catches for 66 yards) had a solid scrimmage. Jonathan Crompton (10- of- 16 for 106 and three scores) scored on a quarterback draw and threw a touchdown to receiver Lucas Taylor. Quarterback Erik Ainge (14- of- 23 for 178 yards) looked comfortable. Neither quarterback had an interception. Tennessee has another scrimmage Tuesday, but coach Phil Fulmer was not happy with the offense. The scrimmage was closed to the public.

SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks started spring practice this week. Receiver Kenny McKinley has stood out in the early going. He is trying to be the second receiver to Sidney Rice. The offensive line has only seven scholarship players. Running backs Cory Boyd and Mike Davis ran well in the first day of pads Wednesday. Mike West has been temporarily moved from rover to receiver.

FLORIDA STATE: The Seminoles started Monday. Look for FSU to run the ball more. They threw the ball 60% of the time last season. They ran the ball 110 times less in 2005 than they did in 2004 through the first 12 games. Tailbacks Antone Smith, Lorenzo Booker, Jamaal Edwards and Russell Ball should get plenty of work this spring. Lamar Lewis is transferring, but his destination is unknown. Myron Rolle starts at strong safety after Darius McClure moves to free safety. Offensive lineman Shannon Boatman, a JUCO All-American, will get a lot of work at the tackle spots. Redshirt freshman Everett Brown will finally get a chance to show what he can do. Brown will get plenty of work with D J Norris and Darrell Burston limited with injuries. Kendrick Stewart has gained 10 pounds and is now up to 265 at nose tackle. He was one of the big surprises in mat drills and was awarded a starting position because of it. Quarterback Xavier Lee’s shoulder injury might be worse than expected. He reported that last year the shoulder was very loose with some tears and some damage to the rotator cuff. He is now recovering from shoulder surgery. Nole coaches are trying to find a replacement for receiver Willie Reid. They are hoping that receiver Speedy O’Neal will have more of an impact this season.

CLEMSON: The Tigers scrimmaged Tuesday. Coach Tommy Bowden said there were too many turnovers. Receiver Jacoby Ford had four catches for over 100 yards in his first scrimmage last week. Redshirt freshman running back Demerick Chancellor, who ran for 43 yards on 14 carries, has also played well. Quarterback Will Proctor was 14- of- 25 for 154 yards in the scrimmage. Cullen Harper and Tribble Reese are also battling for a reserve role.

MIAMI: Freshman defensive end Richard Gordon was one of the standouts in the weight room. He squats 475, power cleans 264 and benches 320. Running back Charlie Jones squats 490, power cleans 274 and benches 300. Offensive lineman Andrew Bain came in last year at 365 and is down to 327 pounds. Offensive lineman Cyrim Wimbs came in a 365 and is down to 339. Chris Barney, another offensive lineman, came in a 370 last year and is down to 351. Receiver Lance Leggett came in at 167 and he is up to 187. Linebacker Willie Williams, who weighs 230, squats 465, power cleans 328, and benches 365. This spring the quarterbacks need to be on the same page as the receivers Ryan Moore, Lance Leggett and Darnell Jenkins. New quarterbacks coach and new offensive coordinator Rich Olson are also adjusting to the offense.

ESPN Saturday night college football has made changes in the broadcast booth with Todd Blackledge and Mike Patrick replacing Bob Davie and Ron Fr

BRENT BEAIRD IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR THE CLAY COUNTY LINE IN ORANGE PARK, FLA., HE ALSO WRITES FOR RIVALS.COM, SAMSPORTSLINE.COM AND GATOR BAIT MAGAZINE. HE CAN BE HEARD ON ESPN 1460 ON MONDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOONS ON THE RUMBLE WITH MIKE DEMPSEY AND TOM MCMANUS.