The second trend is momentum for an early signing period. Coaches have suggested that an early signing period, perhaps before a player’s senior season, might prevent losing some early verbal commitments that change their mind at the last minute and sign with another school.

LSU coach Les Miles uttered an expletive about one of his rivals at the public signing day party on Feb. 7. In speaking to a crowd of fans including women and children, Miles said, “But we have a new rival in ******* Alabama.” Part of his anger stemmed from Miles losing Luther Davis (6-3, 280), a defensive end from West Monroe, La., who de-committed from LSU and signed with Alabama. The Tigers and Tide play on Nov. 3 in Tuscaloosa.

Only 11 of LSU’s 26 signees came from the state of Louisiana. LSU, who had the No. 4 overall recruiting class according to Rivals.com, signed two five-star players in Chad Jones (6-2, 220), a safety from Baton Rouge Southern Lab and Terrance Toliver (6-4, 185), a receiver from Hempstead, Texas. Toliver is yet to qualify academically. Todd Monken, a former assistant on Miles’ staff, has taken a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Monken, Stacy Searels and Jimbo Fisher have all left the Miles staff after the season. Running backs coach Larry Porter is Rivals.com recruiter of the year. He signed eight players that averaged a 4.0 star rating. He was only one of three coaches (Southern Cal’s Todd McNair and Florida’s Stan Drayton) to sign two five-star players in Toliver and Chad Jones (6-2, 220), a receiver from Baton Rogue (La.) Southern La. He also signed two Rivals100 players in Stefoin Francois (6-0, 188), a defensive back from Reserve, La. and Drake Nevis (6-1, 281), a defensive tackle from Marrero, La. AD Skip Bertman has announced his plans to retire in June of 2008. He has been on the job since 2001. LSU’s 2007 football schedule was released Thursday and the SEC office announced that the opener at Mississippi State on Aug. 30 has been set for a Thursday night ESPN game. The next week is the home opener against Virginia Tech.

Tennessee, who had the No. 3 overall recruiting class, replaced receivers Robert Meachem, Jayson Swain and Bret Smith with a nice crop of signees including Gerald Jones (6-0, 185) from Oklahoma City, Ok., Ahmad Paige (6-3, 175) from Sterlington, La., Kenny O’Neal (6-0, 195) from San Francisco, Calif., and Brent Vinson (6-2, 180) from Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. O’Neal is a former Florida State player. The Vols signed 11 in-state players. Tennessee starts spring practice Feb. 22 and plays its spring game on March 31. Several battles are shaping up in the early going such as Chris Scott and Ramone Johnson at right tackle. Tennessee needs all kinds of help in the secondary with the loss of three starters and Inky Johnson. As mention above, three starters also need to be replaced at receiver. Players such as Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers, Quinton Hancock and Josh Briscoe need to step up.

Alabama coach Nick Saban salvaged a top ten recruiting class in a short amount of time. Saban said his staff spent 18- of- 30 days on the road recruiting. The Tide signed 24 players from seven different states. Six of the signees were defensive lineman and four were linebackers, two areas of great need. Former Tide defensive coordinator Joe Kines has been hired for a position with Tide Pride, a fundraising part of the school. FSU assistant coach John Lilly turned down an opportunity to join Saban’s staff. Alabama starts spring practice March 24 and the spring game will be April 21. Two days after spring practice is over, the entire Tide staff will conduct a clinic in Mobile and support a fund-raiser for Mike Gottfried’s Team-Focus organization.

Arkansas needed tight end depth to compliment Ben Cleveland. They signed two four-star prospects in David Williams (6-3, 253) from Little Rock, Ark. and Grant Freeman (6-7, 240) from Paris, Ark.

Florida has several players who need to step up in spring practice including sophomore defensive back Markihe Anderson who played in 13 of 14 games. With Reggie Lewis and Ryan Smith gone, he will have a chance to do more than just play in nickel and dime packages. Redshirt junior defensive tackle Javier Estopinan has a chance to move into a wide-open situation with both starting defensive tackles gone. Coach Urban Meyer praised him as he moved up the depth chart until he tore an ACL in the LSU game. He had five tackles in the first five games. Redshirt sophomore receiver David Nelson has seen little action, but he has performed when called upon. He will have to fight off some talented freshmen. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Spikes could be the guy in the middle with Brandon Siler gone. He has all the tools to be a gifted player. Sophomore tailback Mon Williams could finally be the go-to guy in the backfield. Challenging him will be Markus Manson, Kestahn Moore, Brandon James and some talented freshmen.

Auburn kicker Wes Byrum might see the field the fastest of the other signees after the loss of John Vaughn. Chris Slaughter (6-3, 180), a receiver from Hargrave Military in Chatham, Va., could be a big play receiver that the Tigers need. Of Auburn’s seven offensive line signees, Lee Ziemba (6-7, 295), a four-star prospect from Rogers, Ark., could have the best chance to play immediately. Ziemba, a Parade All-American, is following in the footsteps of his parents, who are Auburn grads. Six of Auburn’s 30 signees are going to attend either a junior college or a prep school. Sophomore linebacker Tray Blackmon is not in school because he is dealing with personal problems according to Coach Tommy Tuberville. Blackmon, who was suspended six games last season for an alcohol related arrest, will have a lot of academic ground to cover if he returns in June.

The Tiger start practice Feb. 27 and the spring game is March 17. Offensive coordinator Al Borges said his No. 1 goal of the spring is to boost the passing game that was No. 10 in the SEC. The Tigers must replace six offensive starters including four offensive linemen.

The Tigers 2007 schedule is set. They open at home against Kansas State on Sept. 1. South Florida visits on Sept. 8. The Mississippi State game was moved to Sept. 15. Auburn plays 11 straight weeks, and then they have an open date before the Alabama game. Their toughest stretch is at Florida on Sept. 29, home against Vandy on Oct. 6, at Arkansas on Oct. 13, at LSU on Oct. 20 and at home against Ole Miss on Oct 27.

Georgia running back signee Caleb King (5-11, 186), who is from Norcross, Ga., is the total package according to Bulldog recruiting analysts. He was the top target at running back for Georgia. The priority need for Georgia was offensive linemen. Georgia signed eight linemen. Five are already enrolled. Georgia already has six early commitments for 2008. The Bulldogs start spring practice on March 5. Georgia has no seniors in the spring offensive line 12-man depth chart. The veterans are juniors Chester Adams, Scott Haverkamp and Fernando Velasco. Vince Vance and Seth Watts are the only two sophomores. The rest are true or redshirt freshmen.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said one of the pleasant surprises from signing day was Charles Mustafaa (6-3, 231), a weakside defensive end from College Park, Ga. Mastafaa is the son of former NFL defensive back Najee Mastafaa, who played with the Vikings, Browns and Raiders under the name Reggie Rutland.

Ole Miss Coach Ed Orgeron said Anthony Fein (6-3, 245), a linebacker from Scottsdale, Az., could be a player who will come in and contribute immediately. Oregon said Fein could fill the team’s urgent need to replace the departed Patrick Willis. Fein served nearly four years in the army out of high school and one year in Iraq. Orgeron also lavished praise on Chris Strong (6-3, 251), a defensive end from Batesville, Ms., by saying he was one of the best players that he has signed while at Ole Miss. Jerrell Powe (6-2, 345), a defensive tackle from Wayne County, Ms., has signed with the Rebels for the third straight year. He has yet to qualify. Powe has been diagnosed with a form of dyslexia and a mild case of attention deficit disorder.

Mississippi State’s Sly Croom said he is going to move backup tailback Brandon Thornton to free safety and utilize Anthony Dixon, last year’s starter, as both a fullback and tailback, in order to open some playing time for freshman signee Robert Elliott, a heralded running back from Okolona, Ms. Elliott, an Ole Miss verbal commitment, changed his mind and signed with Mississippi State. Elliott said he grew weary of the Rebels constant pursuit of Joe McKnight, a running back from John Curtis High in La, considered one of the top players in the nation, who signed with Southern Cal.

State officials are looking at extending athletic director Larry Templeton’s contract one more year and begin looking for a replacement under a proposal that will be presented to the state college board next week. Templeton, 60, is in his 20th season as AD. Ben Pollard, who worked at Alabama and Texas A & M, is the new strength and conditioning coach at Mississippi State. State’s first three football games for 2007 have been announced starting with a Thursday night home game against LSU on August 30. The second game is at Tulane on Sept. 8. State travels to Auburn for their next game on Sept. 15.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was pleased to sign seven receivers to fill the void left when Sidney Rice decided to move on the NFL. Perhaps the most anticipated receiver signee is Chris Culliver (6-1, 194), who is from Garner, N. C. Culliver was a five-star prospect despite catching only two passes as a senior. Another promising prospect is Jason Barnes (6-3, 203), who is from Charlotte’s Independence High, which produced Florida’s Chris Leak. Coach Steve Spurrier denied that Clemson assistant coach Chris Rumph turned down a chance to join the USC staff. Spurrier said Rumph had not been offered a job. Linebacker coach Dave Wommack’s contract was not renewed. Former Mississippi State assistant Shane Beamer replaces him. Marque Hall was the Gamecock’s top defensive lineman until he was sidelined after the Georgia game with a serious knee injury. Spurrier said he could be ready for spring practice. David Reaves has been promoted to full time quarterback coach. Spurrier is still the offensive coordinator and will call the plays. Spring practice is set to begin March 20 and the spring game is April 14.

Florida State tight end Brandon Warren has left to return home due to homesickness. He has told friends that he has no intention of returning to FSU. Warren, who had 28 catches for 301 yards, has requested his release, but it is not known whether the school will grant it. There is speculation that he will try to transfer to Tennessee. As of Monday night, he had not withdrawn or asked for his release. The Vols signed his former teammate Rae Sykes (6-4, 240), a four-star defensive end from Alcoa, Tenn. Jonathan Hannah (6-4, 260), a tight end from Laurinburg College in North Carolina, who was originally a South Carolina signee, signed last week. Mat drills started Monday. Demands on the offensive line have increased considerably in terms of body fat and conditioning. One major change is that they are running as a group on a daily basis. Strength and conditioning Coach Jon Jost said he wants all linemen to be under 25% body fat and hopefully less than 22%. The linemen have also met with a dietitian. FSU starts spring practice on March 16 and the spring game is April 14. Redshirt junior D. J. Norris is moving from defensive end to tight end with Brandon Warren back in Tennessee and Caz Piurowski moving to the offensive line.

Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey has hired John Bond, the former offensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. He will call the plays and coach quarterbacks. He replaces Patrick Nix, who went to Miami. Before going to NIU, Bond’s offenses broke 35 school records at Army.

Miami signed Chris Perry (6-3, 319), a defensive tackle from Keller, Texas. Miami has 18 signees from eight states. Michael Barrow has been named as the new linebackers coach. Coach Randy Shannon named Tim Walton as the defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach. Wesley McGriff has been hired to the defensive staff, probably to coach defensive backs. He was at Baylor then hired in January at Kansas State before agreeing to come to Miami after only 36 days in Manhattan. McGriff, who was also the recruiting coordinator at Kansas State, was the fifth coach to leave Ron Prince’s staff since the bowl game.

Clemson linebacker Maurice Nelson, a redshirt linebacker, has quit the program because of tendonitis in both knees. He started 10 games last year due to injuries to Anthony Waters and Tramaine Billie. Coach Tommy Bowden had to turn away tailback Jo Jo Cox, who is from Hargrave Military and receiver Dwight Jones (6-5, 210) of Burlington, N.C., who signed with North Carolina, before national signing day. The problem is stems from a rift between athletics and academics. Last season, Bowden had the fourth highest graduation rate among top 25 teams. School president James Barker said there would be a review of the problem. Clemson defensive back Byron Maxwell doesn’t have a torn ACL as originally thought and should be ready for spring practice. He will compete to replace C J Gaddis.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee met Sunday through Wednesday in Albuquerque, N. M. The committee recommended repealing the clock rules put in last season. The proposals are to limit the play clock to 15 seconds following a TV timeout, move kick offs from the 35 to the 30 yard line, limit instant replay reviews to a maximum of two minutes, enforce penalties that occur on kicks at the end of the run and start the clock when the ball is snapped not just when it is marked. In 2008, the play clock will be 40 seconds and it will start when the previous play ends. Last season within the SEC, 11 minutes were taken off the average game resulting in 11.4 fewer plays. Time was not the factor, but shortening the plays was. The Playing Rules Oversight Panel will take up the recommendations on March 12.

HOOP NOTES

Mississippi State (at LSU) has won consecutive SEC games for the first time since the 2005-05 season with wins over Auburn and Arkansas. State is in a tie for second place with Alabama, one game behind division leader Ole Miss. Arkansas guard Gary Ervin, a Mississippi State transfer, failed to score. State hit 11 of 19 from three- point range.

State won its first SEC road game of the season last Saturday at Auburn. It was the first road win in the league for the Bulldogs since the 2004-05 season snapping a 12

game-losing streak. Charles Rhodes led the Bulldogs with 25 points and six rebounds. State’s defense made the difference in the second half as they held Auburn to 38% shooting after allowing 68% in the first half. The Bulldogs have beaten Auburn 11- of- 13 times. State welcomes Arkansas and former point guard Gary Ervin, who is averaging 10 points per game, on Wednesday night.

Tennessee (at South Carolina) beat Kentucky on Tuesday night. Vol officials retired Bernard King’s jersey at halftime. The Vols have climbed back to at least .500 in conference play. Chris Lofton led the way with 33 points. Tennessee had a season high 25 assists in the game. Duke Crews had 18 points and freshman Wayne Chism contributed 14. Dane Bradshaw didn’t score, but dished out nine assists.

The Vols beat Vanderbilt easily at home last Saturday leading at one point in the second half by 32 points. Vol coach Bruce Pearl took his blinding orange blazer out for this game. He wears the bright coat for rivals Vandy and Kentucky. The Vols held Vandy to only 6- of- 26 shooting from the arc. Bradshaw didn’t score, but he dished out seven assists. Chism led the Vols with 17 points.

Vanderbilt (Florida) is trying to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Their performance against Tennessee didn’t help as they made a season low 17 field goals and committed the same amount of turnovers.

Vandy rebounded with a big win over South Carolina as Derrick Byars scored 32 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Shan Foster, Dan Cage and Alex Gordon all scored in double-figures. Vandy was 11- of- 24 from three- point range.

Ole Miss (at Arkansas) has won five- of- six in the SEC after starting the season 1-4. Clarence Sanders, who scored 29 points, hit the winning shot at the buzzer to beat LSU Wednesday night. Todd Abernethy had 12 points and 11 assists. Coach Andy Kennedy has molded the Rebels’ experience with his system. The Rebels win over Alabama last Saturday put Ole Miss in a tie for the division lead. Sanders, who was playing with four fouls, scored 11 of the Rebel’s final 12 points. A record crowd of 9, 452 fans filled the Tad Pad. The win was the first for Ole Miss over a ranked team since 2003. They clinched a winning season for the first time in five years.

Alabama’s (Kentucky) last five games have come down to the final couple of minutes in each contest. The Tide has lost two straight games coming into the Kentucky game Saturday. In the Florida loss, the Tide shot 37% (10- of- 27 shooting) in the second half as the Gators made 14- of- 22 shots. In the first half, Alabama made 10- of- 12 shots and five three-point baskets. ‘Bama had four turnovers in the first half and 10 in the second. Starting guards Brandon Hollinger and Ron Steele didn’t score in the second half. Richard Hendrix had 16 points and eight rebounds and Alonzo Gee scored 15 points.

The Tide had won three straight before losing at Ole Miss. Hendrix led Alabama with 18 points and eight rebounds. Tide coach Mark Gottfried said he is pleased with the play of Jermareo Davidson and Hendrix inside. He added that the play of bench players Demetrius Jemison has also helped. Gottfried said the guard play has been inconsistent. He also said he would not hesitate to bench players if they were not giving maximum effort.

LSU (at Mississippi State) are 1-6 in close games after the late meltdown against Ole Miss. Glen Davis scored 26 points and gathered 11 rebounds. The Tigers scored three points on its final six possessions. LSU had 16 turnovers to ruin a 61% shooting night. They also outrebounded Ole Miss by 14.

The Tigers finally got off the snide breaking a six game losing streak with a home win against Arkansas. Davis had 19 points and 18 rebounds (15 points and 11 rebounds in the second half) in the win. Tasmin Mitchell, Davis and Terry Martin combined for 48 of LSU’s 71 points.

Georgia (Auburn) beat South Carolina, but lost sophomore Mike Mercer to an ACL knee injury for the rest of the season, but he will be ready for the start of next year. Mercer was the second leading scorer averaging 13 points per game. The win broke a three game losing streak. During the game, Levi Stukes become Georgia’s all-time leader in three pointers putting him ahead of D. A. Layne.

Florida (at Vandy) beat Alabama with Taurean Green, who scored all his 20 points in the second half, making 6- of- 13 from the field with three assists and two rebounds. Corey Brewer had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Joakim Noah had 10 points and eight rebounds and Al Horford had 12 points and six rebounds. Freshman Marreese Speights was 4- of- 4 with two blocks in limited play.

The Gators beat Kentucky despite the starters shooting 16- of- 37 from the floor. The key stat for the game was the Gators limited the Wildcats to only 3 of 22 from the arc. Florida, who has beaten Kentucky five straight times, has the nation’s longest win streak at 16. Florida had a season low nine assists. In the last five SEC games, opponents are shooting only 19% from beyond the arc against the Gators. Since 1957, only two Kentucky teams (1995-96 and 2002-03) have been perfect in the SEC. Florida has road games at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and LSU. The Gators could be back in Rupp Arena in March for the first round of the NCAA tournament. In games where Florida has struggled such as Kansas and Kentucky, Noah and Horford had early foul trouble.

Kentucky (at Alabama) lost to Tennessee Tuesday night as Vol post players Crews and Chism scored a combined 34 points after tallying only 11 in a Wildcat win in Knoxville earlier in the season. Randolph Morris scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds, but the Wildcat defense was poor. Joe Crawford had 24 points, the fourth 20- point plus effort of the season. Kentucky had 19 turnovers.

The Wildcats missed 18 three- point shots in the loss to Florida and to add insult to injury they also were only 12- of- 21 from the foul line. Still, the Cat defense held the Gators to only 64 points, their lowest output of the season. Four of Kentucky’s final six games are on the road including at Tennessee and Alabama this week.

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.