Art Evans (6-1, 185), an athlete from Lakeland Evangel Christian (Fla.) Academy, has committed to Tennessee. He is the No. 9 commitment for the Vols.

ARKANSAS: Receiver Crosby Tuck (6-1, 185), a receiver from Springdale, Ark., has committed to the Hogs.

LSU: Coach Les Miles is back from his trip to Iraq. He said he was asked many times who the starting quarterback would be this season. Miles was greatly impacted by being around the troops.

Tiger commitment Jarrett Lee (6-2, 192), a quarterback from Brenham, Texas, has made the Rivals100 as the No. 7 pro-style quarterback. He was an outstanding performer at the EA Sports Elite 11 regional tryout in Las Vegas.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: Tailback Brandon Thornton said he is 95% recovered from shoulder surgery. He is expected to take up the slack for the departed Jerious Norwood.

ALABAMA: Inside linebacker signee Charlie Higgenbotham has reported to campus and said his knee is 85% ready to go after sustaining an ACL injury.

FLORIDA: Terrance Toliver (6-4, 185), the top receiver prospect according to Rivals.com from Hempstead, Texas, is visiting Florida. LSU, Miami, Southern Cal, Nebraska and Oklahoma are among the schools that have offered him. He will visit Miami and Florida during a road trip July 19-23. Junior Hemingway (6-2, 205), a receiver from Conway, S. C., visited Florida Thursday and is visiting Miami this weekend.

The big question is who will replace cornerback Avery Atkins? Reggie Lewis is the only senior at the position. Tremaine and Jermaine McCollum are also possibilities. If Kyle Jackson and Tony Joiner hold down the safety spots, then Reggie Nelson could also play cornerback. Also freshmen Jacques Rickerson, Wondy-Pierre-Louis and Markihe Anderson could play too.

Tyrod Taylor (6-1, 200), a dual-threat quarterback from Hampton, Va., said he will make his decision at the EA Sports Elite 11 camp. Jacoby Monroe (6-2, 270), a four-star defensive end from Sandalwood (Fla.) High, is down to Florida, Georgia Tech, Miami and maybe FSU.

Twenty-two Gator freshmen are enrolled in Summer B classes. Derrick Robinson, who is going to be playing pro baseball, is the only missing signee.

The father of former Utah defensive back Ryan Smith said if he graduates with his sociology degree then he will transfer to Florida under the new NCAA legislation. He started all 12 games in 2004 under Urban Meyer.

GEORGIA: Linebacker signee Darius Dewberry has been certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse after coaches spent an anxious several days wondering if he would make it. He comes from Hargrave Military Academy. Guard signee Justin Anderson will be attending Hargrave after failing to qualify. Georgia is still awaiting word on linemen Ben Harden and Clifton Geathers.

UGASports.com is speculating that redshirt freshman Joe Cox and freshman Matthew Stafford will be the top two quarterbacks for the opener.

Georgia has jumped into the lead for Cliff Matthews (6-4, 223), a defensive end from Cheraw, S. C., a Rivals100 selection.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Stephen Garcia (6-2, 202), a Rivals100 quarterback from Tampa Jefferson (Fla.) High, might commit to the Gamecocks this summer. He is favoring them over Florida, Louisville and N C State.

MIAMI: Receiver signee Sam Shields is still awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Linebacker Willie Williams is rumored to be transferring, possibly to Tennessee. He has missed most of the voluntary workouts. His only appearance was to meet privately with coach Larry Coker. Williams is second on the depth chart after missing most of the spring with a stomach virus. Miami officials went out of their way to get him into school and would be reluctant to grant a release to certain schools. His probationary status is also an issue.

FLORIDA STATE: Strength and conditioning coach Jon Jost said offensive lineman Cory Niblock is close to recovering from his injury. He is excited about the progress of tackle Mario Henderson and ecstatic about the gains of Shannon Boatman. He also complimented the strength of defensive lineman Paul Griffin. He also said Andre Fluellen is back at full strength after being “dinged up”.

FSU linebacker signee Marcus Ball wants to make an immediate impact this season. He has improved his speed after surprising many by qualifying this season.

Deonte Thompson (6-0, 180), a five-star receiver from Belle Glade Glades, was a surprise visitor this week for the FSU football camp. He is also looking at Miami, Florida and Southern Cal.

Nole Signee Matt Dunham, who had a 4.0 grade point average, is moving to tight end from fullback. He enrolled in January.

CLEMSON: Mason Clay (6-4, 285), an offensive lineman from Spring Valley, has committed to the Tigers. He chose Clemson over Georgia Tech. Clemson has 10 verbals including eight from in-state. Virginia leads the ACC with 11.

Sixteen of 19 signees are on campus. Safety signee DeAndre McDaniel, who is from Tallahassee Godby (Fla.) High, failed to qualify and is headed to prep school. Running back signee JoJo Cox from Jeffersonville, Ga., and receiver Kendrick Johnson from Ft. Lauderdale Dillard (Fla.) High are still awaiting word from the Clearinghouse.

VIRGINIA TECH: Collegefootballtalk.com has a story about some members of the Hokie administration, former players and prominent alumni upset about the coaching staff recruiting players with moral character problems. Some ex-players have blamed the problems on head coach Frank Beamer.

NCAA SUMMER RULES: The organization allows schools to have four weightlifting sessions per week and four conditioning sessions. The conditioning sessions involve position specific drills. Optional seven-on-seven passing drills are allowed twice per week at night.

MANNING PASSING CAMP: The annual event, in its 11th year, takes place from Thursday through Sunday of this week at Nicholls State. The camp features 1,000 campers from 44 states and 100 staff members.

STREET AND SMITH TOP TEN: Ohio State, West Virginia, Texas, Notre Dame and Florida are the top five. The next five are Cal, Southern Cal, Auburn, LSU and Oklahoma.

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.