Posted: Thursday July 27, 2006 10:24AM; Updated: Thursday July 27, 2006 10:24AM      
Alabama's players and coaches are certain wide receiver Tyrone Prothro will return to the Crimson Tide. What they don't know is when. Prothro suffered a horrific leg injury in last season's 31-3 victory over Florida and was lost for the rest of the year. After surgery and some difficult rehabilitation, it now appears Prothro won't be able to return until 2007. But Alabama coach Mike Shula was not ready to make that concession Wednesday. A group of former college administrators led by former NCAA president Cedric Dempsey and former UF president Charles Young announced plans Wednesday to start a spring professional football league aimed at attracting college fans during their schools' offseason. The All American Football League expects to field eight teams with ties to schools in the Big Ten, ACC and SEC, playing on campuses or in cities with large bowl affiliations. They are preparing to play a spring schedule beginning in 2007. USC's wealth of football talent last season led to a feeding frenzy of agents that had Pete Carroll seeking a change in the rules. Carroll grumbled about his younger guys falling prey to unrealistic talk of high draft positions and multimillion-dollar signing bonuses. When agents return for the start of USC training camp there might be leftover hostility. They probably will run into a team assistant at the gate trying to limit the crowd to family and fans. Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson said he hopes to rush for 2,200 yards and have 500 receiving yards. Peterson needs just 1,086 rushing yards to break OU's all-time record held by Billy Sims (4,118). Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, a true freshman, opened everybody's eyes with his big arm and lofty recruiting ranking. But coach Mark Richt didn't sound sold on Stafford as the starter just yet. "We can't play a guy based on potential right now," he said. In Richt's eyes, the race is still on. And it's tight. Mark Richt said Wednesday that senior wide receiver Sean Bailey, the team's top big-play producer a year ago, will "more than likely" redshirt this fall after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during bowl practice seven months ago. As recently as a month ago, Georgia coaches had held out hope that Bailey may be healthy enough to play this season. There's probably no way to measure the responsiveness in Paul Posluszny's recuperating right knee or the doubts inside his head. Penn State's all-American linebacker spurned an off-season operation after tearing ligaments in the knee late in January's Orange Bowl. Now time, nature, and a rigorous exercise program have repaired it as best they can. Marvin Johnson, a defensive back from Compton, Calif., is serving a 30-day sentence stemming from original allegations of sex abuse and burglary committed during a January recruiting visit to Oregon. Johnson spends each day inside the home of teammate and redshirt freshman Titus Jackson. But Johnson can venture out for a few hours a few days a week to work out with Oregon players at the Casanova Center. With an experience void at the wide receiver position, Terry Richardson gets a chance to become Arizona State's go-to guy, provided he got the right message out of being suspended. Missouri freshman Jeremy Maclin tore one ligament and sprained anoher in his right knee during 7-on-7 play Tuesday. He is expected to miss four to six months and will take a medical redshirt for the season. Sophomore Tommy Saunders, senior Brad Ekwerekwu and junior Will Franklin are the starting wide receivers listed on the preseason depth chart.    |  | ||||||
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