ESPN College Football

As mentioned in lunch links, Clemson announced the signings of undrafted lineman Landon Walker (Cincinnati Bengals) and punter Dawson Zimmerman (Atlanta Falcons). And a couple of generous readers have passed along a few more signings from ACC schools.

Virginia Tech guard Blake DeChristopher signed with the Cardinals, and Hokies defensive back Cris Hill signed with the Bills.

Big thanks to Matt from Alexandria, Va., Ben in Blacksburg, Va., and Lynn in Blacksburg, Va., for the head's up.

The updated, working list is below. Feel free to pass along any oversights.

BOSTON COLLEGE
CB Donnie Fletcher: New York Jets

CLEMSON
DE Kourtnei Brown: San Francisco 49ers
FB Chad Diehl: Baltimore Ravens
OL Antoine McClain: Baltimore Ravens
DT Rennie Moore: Houston Texans
OT Landon Walker: Cincinnati Bengals
P Dawson Zimmerman: Atlanta Falcons

DUKE
S Matt Daniels: St. Louis Rams

FSU
WR Bert Reed: Cleveland Browns
S Terrence Parks: Kansas City Chiefs
P Shawn Powell: Buffalo Bills

MARYLAND
CB Cameron Chism: Indianapolis Colts
RB Davin Meggett: Houston Texans

MIAMI
WR LaRon Byrd: Arizona Cardinals
OL Joel Figueroa: Miami Dolphins (rookie camp tryout)
TE Chase Ford: Philadelphia Eagles
DL Marcus Forston: New England Patriots
LB Jordan Futch: Tampa Bay Bucaneers
G Harland Gunn: Dallas Cowboys
QB Jacory Harris: Miami Dolphins (rookie camp tryout)
C Tyler Horn: Atlanta Falcons
S JoJo Nicolas: New York Giants
DL Adewale Ojomo: New York Giants
DT Micanor Regis: Atlanta Falcons

UNC
CB Charles Brown: Baltimore Ravens
C Cam Holland: Kansas City Chiefs
WR Dwight Jones: Houston Texans
S Matt Merletti: Indianapolis Colts
DT Tydreke Powell: Minnesota Vikings

NC STATE
TE George Bryan: Dallas Cowboys
FB Taylor Gentry: Kansas City Chiefs

VIRGINIA
CB Chase Minnifield: Washington Redskins
OG Austin Pasztor: Minnesota Vikings
S Rodney McLeod: St. Louis Rams
DT Matt Conrath: St. Louis Rams

VIRGINIA TECH
WR Jarrett Boykin: Jacksonville Jaguars
OT Jaymes Brooks: Green Bay Packers
G Blake DeChristopher: Arizona Cardinals
CB Cris Hill: Buffalo Bills
S Eddie Whitley: Dallas Cowboys

WAKE FOREST
TE Cameron Ford: Green Bay Packers
S Cyhl Quarles: Baltimore Ravens

Thirty-one players from ACC schools were drafted this past weekend, but many more signed free-agent deals with NFL teams in the aftermath of the draft.

The following is a list of ACC players, by school, who have signed undrafted free agent deals with NFL teams. It was compiled largely from NFL.com, along with official releases from NFL teams and ACC schools. Georgia Tech is the only ACC school currently without an undrafted free-agent signing.

By all means, feel free to let me know if I have overlooked anyone.

BOSTON COLLEGE
CB Donnie Fletcher - New York Jets

CLEMSON
DE Kourtnel Brown - San Francisco 49ers
FB Chad Diehl - Baltimore Ravens
OL Antoine McClain - Baltimore Ravens
DT Rennie Moore - Houston Texans

DUKE
S Matt Daniels - St. Louis Rams

FSU
WR Bert Reed - Cleveland Browns
S Terrence Parks - Kansas City Chiefs
P Shawn Powell - Buffalo Bills

MARYLAND
CB Cameron Chism - Indianapolis Colts
RB Davin Meggett - Houston Texans

MIAMI
WR LaRon Byrd - Arizona Cardinals
TE Chase Ford - Philadelphia Eagles
DL Marcus Forston - New England Patriots
LB Jordan Futch - Tampa Bay Bucaneers
G Harland Gunn - Dallas Cowboys
C Tyler Horn - Atlanta Falcons
S JoJo Nicolas - New York Giants
DL Adewale Ojomo - New York Giants
DT Micanor Regis - Atlanta Falcons

UNC
CB Charles Brown - Baltimore Ravens
C Cam Holland - Kansas City Chiefs
WR Dwight Jones - Houston Texans
S Matt Merletti - Indianapolis Colts
DT Tydreke Powell - Minnesota Vikings

NC STATE
TE George Bryan - Dallas Cowboys
FB Taylor Gentry - Kansas City Chiefs

VIRGINIA
CB Chase Minnifield – Washington Redskins
OG Austin Pasztor - Minnesota Vikings
S Rodney McLeod – St. Louis Rams
DT Matt Conrath – St. Louis Rams

VIRGINIA TECH
WR Jarrett Boykin - Jacksonville Jaguars
OT Jaymes Brooks - Green Bay Packers
S Eddie Whitley - Dallas Cowboys

WAKE FOREST
TE Cameron Ford - Green Bay Packers
S Chyl Quarles - Baltimore Ravens

The Hurricanes also announced that quarterback Jacory Harris and offensive lineman Joel Figueroa have both been invited to rookie camp tryouts with the Miami Dolphins.

It's NFL draft eve, and it's the last Wednesday before the event, meaning one last chance for our team of analysts to predict how this weekend will unfold.

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay reveal their final draft boards, and each has a mock , with McShay and the rest of the Scouts Inc. team going seven rounds full .

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, naturally, tops the list, going No. 5 to the Buccaneers. North Carolina end Quinton Coples is next off the board at No. 19, to the Bears, with wideout Stephen Hill from Georgia Tech going two spots later to the Bengals.

How do the rest of the ACC's draft-eligible players stand? Let's take a look:

ROUND 2
No. 36, Buccaneers: RB David Wilson (Virginia Tech)
No. 50, Bears: OLB Zach Brown (UNC)
No. 58, Texans: DE Andre Branch (Clemson)
No. 59, Packers: RB Lamar Miller (Miami)

ROUND 3
No. 64, Colts: DT Brandon Thompson (Clemson)
No. 68, Buccaneers: CB Jayron Hosley (Virginia Tech)
No. 72, Dolphins: OT Zebrie Sanders (FSU)
No. 76, Texans: TE Dwayne Allen (Clemson)
No. 80, Cardinals: DE Olivier Vernon (Miami)
No. 82, Titans: WR Chris Givens (Wake Forest)
No. 91, Ravens: G Joe Looney (Wake Forest)
No. 95, Raiders: DE Cam Johnson (Virginia)

ROUND 4
No. 100, Browns: OLB Nigel Bradham (FSU)
No. 124, Bills: OLB Sean Spence (Miami)
No. 125, 49ers: CB Chase Minnifield (Virginia)
No. 128, Vikings: OLB Terrell Manning (NC State)
No. 129, Raiders: OLB Kyle Wilber (Wake Forest)
No. 130, Ravens: WR Danny Coale (Virginia Tech)

ROUND 5
No. 154, Jets: WR Tommy Streeter (Miami)
No. 157, Falcons: WR TJ Graham (NC State)
No. 159, Steelers: G Brandon Washington (Miami)
No. 162, Saints: CB Coty Sensabaugh (Clemson)

ROUND 6
No. 176, Jaguars: DT Marcus Forston (Miami)
No. 178, Bills: ILB Audie Cole (NC State)
No. 188, Broncos: DE Rennie Moore (Clemson)
No. 191, Bengals: WR Travis Benjamin (Miami)
No. 197, Packers: OT Andrew Datko (FSU)
No. 205, Browns: G Antoine McClain (Clemson)

ROUND 7
No. 209, Rams: WR Dwight Jones (UNC)
No. 240, Steelers: DE Matt Conrath (Virginia)
No. 242, Jets: TE George Bryan (NC State)
No. 243, Packers: RB Davin Meggett (Maryland)
No. 245, Browns: DT Markus Kuhn (NC State)
No. 250, Chargers: CB Donnie Fletcher (BC)

Here's a breakdown by school of the 37 ACC players that Scouts Inc. thinks will be drafted:

Miami: 7
Clemson: 6
NC State: 5
Virginia Tech: 3
UNC: 3
Virginia: 3
Wake Forest: 3
FSU: 3
BC: 2
Georgia Tech: 1
Maryland: 1
Duke: 0

Here's what's happening around ACC country today ...

• AthlonSports previews Florida State's spring.
• UNC's Dwight Jones held his own pro day, Joseph Person writes in the Charlotte Observer.
• Georgia's Mark Richt and Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson agree that the state is their No. 1 recruiting priority, Michael Carvell writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Miami's Eduardo Clements is fearless and focused, Susan Miller Degnan writes in the Miami Herald.
• Virginia Tech linebacker Tariq Edwards will be sidelined for 3-4 months after surgery, Andy Bitter writes in the Virginian-Pilot.

Our offseason spotlight series continues today with North Carolina. A reminder: This series features individual players, position groups and coaches who really need to have big offseasons -- starting this spring.

Spotlight: Receivers.

2011 Summary: Dwight Jones was one of the best receivers in the ACC and led UNC with 85 catches for 1,196 yards and 12 touchdowns. Erik Highsmith, who returns for his senior season, was second on the team with 51 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns. UNC had the No. 1 passing efficiency in the ACC under first-year starting quarterback Bryn Renner, and he and Jones had one of the best connections in the league. UNC ran the ball more than it passed last year.

The skinny: There will be many more opportunities for the receivers in Larry Fedora’s first season, as his offense will use three or four at the same time. North Carolina has to replace its top pass catcher from a year ago in Jones, but the Tar Heels have recruited well at the position. T.J. Thorpe led the league in kickoff return yardage, and he’s likely to get a lot more looks in this system. Jheranie Boyd can stretch the field and has been pretty explosive at times, but he can really flourish in this offense. Reggie Wilkins and Sean Tapley are sophomores who will also be given more opportunities.

• More in this series

The official invite list for the NFL combine is out. Every school but Duke is represented, and there are a total of 43 former players from the conference who will participate, including Miami's entire starting lineup from 2011. Well, ok, not really, but it's a pretty big hit for the Canes. Best of luck to all of these guys at the next level.

Here are your ACC representatives:

BOSTON COLLEGE (1)

• Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

CLEMSON (6)

• Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
• Andre Branch, DE, Clemson
• Antoine McClain, OG, Clemson
• Rennie Moore, DT, Clemson
• Coty Sensabaugh, DB, Clemson
• Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson

FLORIDA STATE (6)

• Nigel Bradham, LB, Florida State
• Andrew Datko, OT, Florida State
• Mike Harris, CB, Florida State
• Shawn Powell, P, Florida State
• Beau Reliford, TE, Florida State
• Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

GEORGIA TECH (1)

• Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

MARYLAND (1)

• Davin Meggett, RB, Maryland

MIAMI (8)

• Travis Benjamin, WR, Miami
• Marcus Forston, DT, Miami
• Jacory Harris, QB, Miami
• Lamar Miller, RB, Miami
• Sean Spence, LB, Miami
• Tommy Streeter, WR, Miami
• Olivier Vernon, DE, Miami
• Brandon Washington, OT, Miami

NORTH CAROLINA (6)

• Charles Brown, CB, UNC
• Zach Brown, LB, UNC
• Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
• Dwight Jones, WR, UNC
• Donte Paige-Moss, DE, North Carolina
• Tydreke Powell, DT, UNC

NC STATE (5)

• Audie Cole, LB, NC State
• T.J. Graham, WR, NC State
• Markus Kuhn, DT, NC State
• Terrell Manning, LB, NC State
• J.R. Sweezy, DT, NC State

VIRGINIA TECH (4)

• Jarrett Boykin, WR, Virginia Tech
• Danny Coale, WR, Virginia Tech
• Jayron Hosley, CB, Virginia Tech
• David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech

VIRGINIA (2)

• Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
• Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia

WAKE FOREST (4)

• Chris Givens, WR, Wake Forest
• Joe Looney, OG, Wake Forest
• Cyhl Quarles, S, Wake Forest
• Kyle Wilber, LB, Wake Forest

Overall, it was a pretty quiet performance for the ACC in this past weekend's Senior Bowl. The North team won, 23-13, and Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after totaling 129 all-purpose yards for the North.

Former NC State receiver T.J. Graham started for the North team, along with his former teammates, quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Audie Cole, and former Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson. For the South team, former FSU offensive lineman Zebrie Sanders started at right tackle, UNC's Quinton Coples at left end, Clemson's Brandon Thompson at defensive tackle, and UNC's Zach Brown at linebacker.

Here are some highlights from the official stats:

NORTH

T.J. Graham, NCSU WR, two catches for 27 yards; 1 KOR for 27 yards
Donnie Fletcher, Boston College CB, four tackles
Audie Cole, NC State, LB, four tackles

SOUTH

Dwight Jones, UNC WR, one catch for 7 yards
Sean Spence, Miami LB, five tackles
Zach Brown, UNC LB, five tackles, one TFL
Nigel Bradham, FSU LB, three tackles, one sack for a loss of 3 yards, one pass breakup
Quinton Coples, UNC DE, three tackles, one sack for a loss of 5 yards, two TFLs, one pass breakup
Brandon Thompson, Clemson DT, two tackles, one TFL
Tydreke Powell, UNC DT, two tackles

The latest notes from ESPN's Scouts Inc. crew featured two former North Carolina players, receiver Dwight Jones, and linebacker Zach Brown, as both struggled on Day 3. Kevin Weidl wrote that Jones' stock went down:

Given all the issues we've seen today and over the rest of the week, Jones could end up dropping from a second-rounder entering the season all the way out of Day 2.

An excerpt from Todd McShay on Brown:

Brown also has good range in coverage, but he simply could not catch the ball on Day 3. He's using his hands to attempt to snatch the ball out of the air, but Brown had three drops during coverage drills and looked shaky all day.

Former North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples and receiver Dwight Jones were among several players who stood out on Monday, which was Day 1 of Senior Bowl preparation. Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. said they got off to a fast start, and Coples has lived up to the hype so far. Here's an excerpt from Kevin Weidl:

"He was clearly the best player on the field during the South team practice. He made everything look easy, getting off the ball smoothly and showing quick hands, and it's clear the game has slowed down for him. Coples beat Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders — a late-first-round prospect — cleanly on more than one occasion, and no other offensive tackle had a chance either."

McShay also wrote that Jones turned some heads during the weigh-in, and followed that up with some impressive route running.

Once again, it looks like another good year for North Carolina's NFL prospects.

We’ve already taken a look at what the recruiting needs were for the Atlantic Division. Let’s shift our attention to the Coastal Division. Here’s a look at where each school’s biggest holes will be in 2012 or are anticipated to be in the near future:

DUKE


Offensive skill positions: After last year’s rare class that didn’t include either a quarterback or running back, both positions are needed in this group. Quarterback Thomas Sirk -- the MVP of the 57th annual Florida Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star Football Classic last December -- has already enrolled in school while Shaquille Powell -- a PARADE All-American running back from Las Vegas -- has committed to the program. In addition, with David Cutcliffe’s offense, wide receivers and tight ends also are a priority.

Kicker: Will Snyderwine, who earned first team All-America honors as a junior before struggling through a sub-par season in 2011, graduated, but Duke has a commitment from Ohio native Ross Martin, considered the No. 2 placekicking prospect in the country by ESPN.com.

Safety: With the transition to a 4-2-5 alignment that utilizes three safeties, this becomes an annual point of emphasis. The Blue Devils lose All-American Matt Daniels to graduation.

GEORGIA TECH


Defensive line: This is the most glaring need in the current class. The Yellow Jackets have to replace senior starters Logan Walls (DT) and Jason Peters (DE), but return Izaan Cross (DE) and solid backups T.J. Barnes (DT), Emmanuel Dieke (DE) and Euclid Cummings (DE). The Jackets are expected to sign about 18 players in this year’s class, and five of them should be defensive linemen.

Wide receiver:This is another glaring need after the departures of Stephen Hill, who decided to leave early for the NFL draft, and Tyler Melton. Darren Waller and Jeff Greene, who both played last season as true freshmen, have lots of potential, but the position still needs depth.


MIAMI

Defensive backs: There’s still a lot of depth with this group, and the return of Ray-Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque helps, but the Canes have to replace two starters in the secondary and have six commits in the current class to help do that.

Defensive line: The Canes have to replace Adewale Ojomo, Micanor Regis, Andrew Smith and Olivier Vernon from last year’s two-deep. The defensive end position was a particular focus in this class.

Receiver: This position lost a lot with the departures of Tommy Streeter, LaRon Byrd and Travis Benjamin. Allen Hurns is now the veteran of the group, along with redshirt senior Kendal Thompkins. There are five receivers currently committed in this class.

Quarterback: Beyond Stephen Morris, Miami has a lot of questions at the position and not a lot of experience. True freshmen Gray Crow and Preston Dewey are already on the roster, along with redshirt sophomore Ryan Williams.

NORTH CAROLINA

Defensive line: This is one of the biggest areas of concern after the departures of Quinton Coples and Tydreke Powell.

Receivers: Larry Fedora’s offense will make good use of this group, but he needs to replace standout Dwight Jones.

Linebackers: This group was thin to begin with in 2011, and now the Heels need to replace outgoing senior Zach Brown. Kevin Reddick is now the main man.

Safety: UNC will have to replace two starters in Matt Merletti, Charles Brown and Jonathan Smith, so this position will have to be rebuilt for the future.

VIRGINIA

Defensive back: This should be the main priority in this class. The Cavaliers will lose four DBs, including two starting safeties in Rodney McCleod and Corey Mosley, and standout cornerback Chase Minnifield. They’ll also miss Dom Joseph, who came in for the nickel packages. Demetrious Nicholson, who started as a true freshman last year, is suddenly the veteran of the group.

Offensive line: The Hoos will have to replace their starting center and left guard. Redshirt freshman center Cody Wallace could get a promotion, and sophomore right guard Luke Bowanko started in the bowl game. They’ve got some big bodies waiting in the wings, but they’ll have some questions to answer here this spring.

Kickers: This position needs to be rebuilt, as the Cavaliers lose Robert Randolph, who finished sixth all time in scoring at UVa, kickoff specialist Chris Hinkebein, and four-year punter Jimmy Howell. The position is wide open heading into the spring.

VIRGINIA TECH

Running back: This one is a no-brainer, as the Hokies have lost four players here in the past two years. David Wilson and his backup, Josh Oglesby, were the latest to depart, and Tony Gregory just had ACL surgery and is out for the spring. The staff likes Michael Holmes, who redshirted last year, and J.C. Coleman enrolled last week.

Receiver: The Hokies will miss Danny Coale and Jarrett Boykin, and next year’s class has three seniors in Dyrell Roberts, D.J. Coles, and Marcus Davis. The future of the position is young, and the staff is still going after several uncommitted players pretty hard.

Defensive line: This year’s class already includes at least five committed defensive linemen, and the Hokies will be particularly thin at noseguard. They had some players graduate early who didn’t play a lot, but at least provided depth.

Linebacker:The Hokies have four committed, and are still chasing another just to build the depth. The staff missed on some recruits at this position last year and would like to make up for it in this class.

The ACC will have 14 players represent the conference in the 2012 Senior Bowl, which will be held at 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 28 in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game and all practices will be televised by NFL Network.

North Carolina leads the ACC with four players on the roster, as defensive end Quinton Coples, defensive tackle Tydreke Powell, linebacker Zach Brown and wide receiver Dwight Jones have all accepted invites to the 2012 game.

Clemson will have three players (DL Brandon Thompson, DL Andre Branch, FB Chad Diehl), and the league will also send two apiece from Florida State (OL Zebrie Sanders, LB Nigel Bradham) and NC State (LB Audie Cole, WR T.J. Graham) and one each from Boston College (DB Donnie Fletcher), Miami (LB Sean Spence) and Virginia (DL Cam Johnson).

North Carolina (7-5) will make its fourth straight bowl appearance and first in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl when it faces Missouri (7-5) in Shreveport, La. Here’s a quick preview of the game:

WHO TO WATCH: The 1,000-yard club. For the first time in school history, North Carolina has a 1,000-yard rusher (Giovani Bernard) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Dwight Jones) in the same season. UNC is also one of five FBS teams in the country with a rusher and receiver that have reached at least 1,100 yards. Missouri has played two of those five teams and lost to both Baylor and Oklahoma State. Bernard enters the game with 1,222 rushing yards and ranks first among all freshman runners in the country with 101.8 yards per game. He is the first 1,000- yard rusher at UNC since Jonathan Linton in 1997. Jones, only the second player in school history with 1,000 receiving yards, has 1,119 on a school-record 79 catches and 11 touchdowns, one shy of the single-season school record.

WHAT TO WATCH: UNC’s defense vs. dual-threat quarterback James Franklin. He is one of only three FBS players with 800 or more rushing yards and 2,000 or more passing yards in 2011. Missouri lost some of its offensive identity when running back Henry Josey suffered a serious knee injury. The Tigers go as Franklin goes, and UNC will have to contain him. Defensively, Carolina is 16th in the nation against the run and features a pair of first-team All-ACC selections in defensive end Quinton Coples and linebacker Zach Brown. Coples ranks fourth among active players with 24 career sacks. Brown led the Tar Heels with 91 tackles, including 11.5 for losses and 5.5 sacks. UNC’s passing defense, though, was statistically the worst in the ACC this season.

WHY TO WATCH: Farewell parties. This will be the final game for North Carolina interim coach Everett Withers, who took over after former coach Butch Davis was fired just days before summer camp began. It will also be the final game for Missouri in the Big 12 before the Tigers join the SEC.

PREDICTION: Missouri 31, North Carolina 28: The Tar Heels will get an inspired performance in Withers’ last game, but Missouri is a better team than its five losses indicate. North Carolina will make one or two costly turnovers, and the Tar Heels’ defense won’t be able to make enough stops in the red zone.

North Carolina interim coach Everett Withers has been tasked with two of the most difficult jobs in college football this year. First, he had to take over a program that had just fired its head coach days before summer camp began. Now, he has to prepare his team for a bowl game, knowing that the entire staff won’t be retained when it’s over.

“My process here is, when I get back, I’m ready to move to the next one,” he said.

The next one will be at Ohio State, where Withers confirmed he will join Urban Meyer as a co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. With one foot out the door, he and his staff have worked to prepare the Tar Heels for what should be a difficult matchup against Missouri in the Dec. 26 Independence Bowl. Add to that a brief side note that star receiver Dwight Jones was declared ineligible and then quickly reinstated by the NCAA on Wednesday, and there has been no shortage of distractions. Those within the program, though, say the team has remained focused and is determined to send the staff and the seniors out on a winning note.

“I think he’s done a remarkable job,” quarterback Bryn Renner said of Withers. “We couldn’t have asked for a better character guy to handle this program and handle the adversity we’ve gone through these last 18 months. He’s really been there for all of us. This has been a tough time around here, and he’s really done a great job -- wouldn’t have had a better guy do it.”

Withers did a respectable job this year and led the Tar Heels to a 7-5 record, but it obviously wasn’t enough to impress first-year athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who hired Larry Fedora as the Tar Heels’ next coach.

“When the decision was made that they were going in another direction, really the kids knew, so there wasn’t a need for me to tell them I was moving on,” Withers said. “They knew I was moving on. We’ll talk a little bit more as we get ready to prepare to leave about everything. We’re just trying to keep things as normal as possible so we can have our practices here. It’s important we have good practices here because we don’t have much time there.

“I think kids, coaches, people understand this business, and the bottom line in this business is winning and preparing to win and getting yourself ready to win, and that’s what we’ve tried to focus on.”

A win would give the Tar Heels eight wins for the fourth straight year, and the 32 wins would be the most in a four-year period since UNC won 36 from 1994-97. Withers said his main motivation, though, is his players.

“It’s important for me, for the seniors more than anything else, and for this football team,” he said. “I want these players to go out on a winning note. It really doesn’t register personally with me that much. I want to win the game, but I want to win the game because I want these kids to have a good feeling going out.”

There’s no question the feeling is mutual, and despite the temporary feel to the final game, North Carolina is in this one together until the end.

Santa Claus: How about a nice football?
Adult Ralphie:Football? Football? What's a football? With unconscious will my voice squeaked out 'football.'
Santa Claus: Okay, get him out of here.
Adult Ralphie: A football? Oh no, what was I doing? Wake up, Stupid! Wake up!
Ralphie: No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!
Santa Claus: You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

• Georgia Tech receiver Stephen Hill and guard Omoregie Uzzi have both submitted paperwork to the NFL draft advisory board.
• Will Utah be without its offensive coordinator in the Sun Bowl?
• Maryland hasn't made a habit out of recruiting junior college players, but the Terps might have gotten some help on defense with this cornerback.
• Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris has already had his contract upgraded, but coach Dabo Swinney is still waiting.
• North Carolina's offense will take a big hit without receiver Dwight Jones in the lineup.
• Will incoming UNC coach Larry Fedora bring most of his old staff with him?
• It's good to be FSU punter Shawn Powell.
• There was some controversy about the Sugar Bowl's invites this year.
• Georgia Tech is trying to avoid its seventh straight bowl loss.
• Virginia isn't expecting any dramatic changes to Auburn's defense.

North Carolina senior receiver Dwight Jones has been reinstated by the NCAA and will play in the Independence Bowl, according to a school spokesman. Jones was declared ineligible by the university after it learned that he allowed his name and picture to be used on a flier promoting a party.

“It’s a big relief,” quarterback Bryn Renner said. “Dwight is one of the best receivers in the country in my opinion, and to have No. 83 on my left side and know he’s going to be there, it’s a great feeling.”

Jones caught 79 passes for 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His reinstatement means that the Tar Heels don’t have to depend on true freshman kick returner T.J. Thorpe, a talented young player whose experience as a receiver pales in comparison to Jones.