By Times wires, correspondents
Published August 10, 2004
CORAL GABLES - Miami's highly touted freshman class was six players short when it reported to campus Monday.
Only 19 of the team's 28 newcomers checked in with coach Larry Coker, but quarterback Kirby Freeman and offensive linemen Tyler McMeans and Jonathan St. Pierre enrolled early and didn't have to report.
At least four of the other six no-shows won't play. Parade All-America running back Bobby Washington was granted his scholarship release this month and enrolled at ACC rival North Carolina State. Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon failed to meet academic requirements and was expected to enroll at a prep school. Offensive lineman Josh Kerr and tight end Cedric Hill have deferred their enrollments until January.
Kellen Heard, an offensive lineman from Wharton, Texas, and Joe Joseph, a defensive tackle from Orlando's Oak Ridge High School, were held up by the NCAA. But Coker said he expects both to join the team. --AP
UCF: for starters, A's
ORLANDO - George O'Leary was hired to turn around Central Florida's fortunes on the field and in the classroom. It appears he's halfway there.
The Golden Knights released their summer class grades, the same day UCF opened practice in preparation for its Sept. 4 opener at Wisconsin.
During the summer sessions, 40 of 73 players taking classes made the athletic academic honor roll, earning grade-point averages of at least 3.0.
The Knights' first practice was limited by the NCAA's rule that schools must hold an initial five-day acclimatization period, which allows a gradual transition to wearing complete uniforms in the August heat. "I really thought for the first day to run the teams ... we didn't make too many mistakes," O'Leary said. -AP
FSU: "It's time'
TALLAHASSEE - With a new rallying cry, "It's time," Florida State began preseason practice.
"It's time for us to get back up with the big boys," coach Bobby Bowden said. "We haven't been with them for the last two or three years. That's the way we approach it."
After three seasons of finishes outside the Top 10, the Seminoles have a lot to prove but not much time in which to prepare for those big boys. FSU's first game, at Miami, will be televised nationally in prime time Sept. 6. The Hurricanes have won five straight over FSU and handed the Seminoles two of their three losses last season.
"Anybody that keeps up with Florida State football probably knows exactly why that is (our) motto," Bowden said.
DAVIS IMPRESSES: St. Petersburg Catholic's Chris Davis stood out during the first day, Bowden said. The sophomore receiver missed most of spring practice with an ankle injury. Davis spent much of his summer in the weight room. He didn't say how much he gained on what was a slight 6-foot frame, but the results were evident. "My goal was to get as big as I could," he said.
THORPE HEALTHY: Bowden said of Craphonso Thorpe, the team's top receiver last year before a broken leg against North Carolina State ended his season: "He looked good today. I watched him make some moves that if a guy was injured, he wouldn't have made." -ZACHARY SPAIN, Times correspondent
UF: shaping up nicely
GAINESVILLE - After a tumultuous offseason marred by violence, arrests and suspensions, the Gators returned to a more familiar routine.
Coaches were pleased with the progress players made during the offseason. "They are in tremendous shape. It's unbelievable," offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said. "Now, on the first day you've got to watch them because on the first day, with their anxiety and adrenaline burning, it'll burn right out of them quick."
IN AND OUT: Linebacker Channing Crowder and safety Jarvis Herring, suspended for the first game against Middle Tennessee State, practiced. Running back Skyler Thornton and linebacker Earl Everett, arrested during the offseason, practiced. Linebacker Taurean Charles has been suspended indefinitely. Receiver Marcus Baker, from Hawthorne High, was a no-show will not to play for Florida. -BRIAN SHAFFER, Times correspondent
