Colleges

Ex-Countryside star off to N.C. State

By BOB PUTNAM
Published August 12, 2006

Former Countryside High quarterback Harrison Beck, who left Nebraska this week, transferred to North Carolina State.

Beck, a backup with the Cornhuskers, picked the Wolfpack over 11 other schools.

"He is ready to move on," Countryside coach John Davis said of Beck.

Beck, a former All-Pinellas County first-team selection, was a highly sought recruit when he signed with Nebraska in spring 2004 and was expected to compete for a starting job as a freshman.

He lost out to Zac Taylor and completed 1-of-10 passes for 23 yards last season. Beck's only completion set up a winning field goal Nov. 12 against Kansas State that helped the Cornhuskers become bowl eligible.

Beck slid down the depth chart in the spring. He was a no-show at practice Aug. 4 and 5, unhappy that Joe Ganz was getting more reps behind Taylor. Beck was released from his scholarship Monday.

Of the dozen Division I-A schools interested in Beck, three were from the Big East, Davis said. USF was not one of them.

One of the biggest factors in Beck's decision to go to N.C. State was his close ties with former Wolfpack quarterback Jay Davis, son of John Davis.

Jay Davis, a former Clearwater Central Catholic star who helped tutor Beck in the offseason, is now a graduate assistant at N.C. State.

"Having Jay up there helped because it was someone Harrison knew," John Davis said. "Harrison didn't handle things as well as he should have (at Nebraska). He is ready for a new start and anxious to get going."

Women's soccer

Florida State is No. 4 in Soccer Buzz magazine's preseason poll, the program's highest preseason ranking. The poll also marked another first; FSU, and not North Carolina, is the top-ranked team in the Southeast. UCLA is No. 1. Florida is No. 11.

[Last modified August 12, 2006, 02:34:37]