ESPN College Football

Taking a stroll around the SEC:

• Florida coach Urban Meyer says Chris Rainey is on track to play Saturday against Georgia.
• Tennessee fullback Kevin Cooper will sit out the South Carolina game after being suspended for academic reasons.
• Auburn's players say they will stay the course as the No. 1 team in the BCS standings.
• NCAA statistics show that Alabama has the toughest remaining schedule, writes Izzy Gould of The Birmingham News.
• Derrick Locke, Kentucky's leading rusher, will miss his third straight game with a shoulder stinger and won't travel with the team to Mississippi State on Saturday.
• South Carolina freshman running back Marcus Lattimore pronounces himself "100 percent" and ready to go against Tennessee.
• Mississippi State is zeroing in on its defensive mistakes from a week ago with Kentucky coming to town.
• Ole Miss safety Damien Jackson, the Rebels' second-leading tackler, appears doubtful with a knee injury for Saturday's game against Auburn.
• The NFL draft stock of Georgia outside linebacker Justin Houston is soaring.
• Vanderbilt starting defensive back Jamie Graham underwent knee surgery Wednesday and may be lost for the rest of the season.

A check of what's making news around the SEC:

• With Jeremiah Masoli on hold, Ole Miss' Nathan Stanley says he's ready to lead the Rebels.
• Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the NCAA was wrong on the Masoli ruling.
• Alabama has problems beyond Mark Ingram's injured knee, writes Mike Herndon of The Mobile Press-Register.
• Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney plans to rotate 10 to 12 guys on the Gators' defensive line.
• Tennessee senior receiver Gerald Jones is in top health and top speed.
• Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen names captains for the 2010 season.
• Vanderbilt's Jamie Graham has found a home at cornerback.
• Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution takes a look at his "Freshmen of impact" in the SEC and across the south.
• Who'll get the nod at running back for LSU: Stevan Ridley or Richard Murphy?
• Auburn's newcomers add depth and competition, writes Jay G. Tate of The Montgomery Advertiser.

Schedule: Practice starts Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The first day in full pads is Tuesday (Aug. 10).

What’s new: Bobby Johnson decided he’d had enough of football a few weeks before the start of preseason practice, and veteran offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell was chosen to succeed him. Caldwell was initially named the interim coach, but Vanderbilt officials have since removed the interim tag. Caldwell brought in former Tulsa offensive coordinator Herb Hand to take Caldwell’s place as offensive line coach. Before he retired, Johnson had already announced that quarterbacks coach Jimmy Kiser would call all of the offensive plays this season after sharing that role with Ted Cain, who remains on the staff as tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. Mike Pelton is in his first season as defensive ends coach.

Sidelined: Senior offensive guard Chris Aaron will not return because of an inner ear problem.

Key battle: The Commodores are set at two of their linebacker positions with Chris Marve in the middle and John Stokes at one outside spot. If Triston Strong is healthy, he could be the starter at the weak side spot, but will have to fend off challenges from Dexter Daniels, DeAndre Jones and Archibald Barnes.

New on the scene: Redshirt freshman Wesley Tate joins an already talented running back stable that includes Warren Norman and Zac Stacy. Redshirt freshman Wesley Johnson is in line to be one of the starters at offensive tackle, and the same goes for redshirt freshman Jay Fullam at free safety. Redshirt freshman defensive end Walker May had a strong spring and will provide pass-rushing help. The Commodores are looking for all the help they can get at receiver, which is where redshirt freshman Brady Brown and true freshmen Chris Boyd and Jordan Matthews come in.

Breaking out: Junior tight end Brandon Barden has All-SEC potential. He led the nation two years ago in catches by a freshman tight end. If he avoids the key drops, he could develop into the Commodores’ top receiving threat this season.

Don’t forget about: Jamie Graham has played a little bit of everywhere during his career. He even played on the Commodores’ basketball team at one point, but looks like he’s settled in on the defensive side of the ball at cornerback where he’s the front-runner to be a starter opposite Casey Hayward.

All eyes on: Junior quarterback Larry Smith. The Commodores have to get better play out of the quarterback position after completing just 48.3 percent of their passes last season. It goes much deeper than just throwing the ball, too. Vanderbilt needs a leader at quarterback, whether it’s Smith, junior college newcomer Jordan Rodgers or senior Jared Funk.

Quoting: “You have to earn everything you get in this league. We saw that last year. It can get away from you in a hurry. The only way to get it pointed back in the right direction is to go to work every day, and that’s what we’ve done.” -- Vanderbilt linebacker Chris Marve

We wrap up today our post-spring look at each team’s strengths and weaknesses by turning our attention to the Commodores.

Strongest position: Secondary

Key returnees: Junior strong safety Sean Richardson (84 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups), junior cornerback Casey Hayward (58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions), junior cornerback Jamie Graham (27 tackles, two interceptions), sophomore cornerback Eddie Foster (17 tackles, one interception)

Key departures: Cornerback Myron Lewis (41 tackles, four interceptions), safety Ryan Hamilton (seven tackles)

The skinny: It’s hard to argue the Commodores’ strength at running back with SEC Freshman of the Year Warren Norman returning along with a healthy Zac Stacy. But they should be even stronger in the secondary, where Richardson and Hayward will be among the best players at their respective positions in the conference next season. Richardson has All-SEC potential after a terrific sophomore season. He’s a sure tackler who’s always around the ball and making plays. He also showed his toughness a year ago by playing through a hand injury. Hayward’s running mate at cornerback will be the versatile Graham, who spent some time on offense earlier in his career, but seems settled in now in the defensive backfield. Foster returns as the nickel back and added some size and muscle during the offseason. Jamie Bryant’s secondary has finished in the top-20 nationally against the pass each of the past three seasons and will incorporate some promising young players into the mix this fall, including redshirt freshman safety Jay Fullam.

Weakest position: Wide receivers

Key returnees: Sophomore John Cole (36 catches, 382 yards, one touchdown), junior Udom Umoh (20 catches, 267 yards, one touchdown)

Key departures: Alex Washington (11 catches, 125 yards)

The skinny: The Commodores have had some bad luck at the receiver position the last couple of years with Terence Jeffers not making it academically and Justin Wheeler suffering a serious knee injury. And even though Cole battled and scrapped his way to an SEC All-Freshman season a year ago, the Commodores simply didn’t have a lot of options in the passing game, at least the kind that are going to keep SEC defenses honest. One of the most encouraging developments of the spring was the way sophomore Brady Brown came on after playing early last season as a true freshman and then injuring his leg. He could be a nice complement to Cole, who was pretty much a one-man show a year ago. Umoh still needs to be more consistent catching the ball, and perhaps junior Tray Herndon will find his niche in this offense after doing very little last season following his transfer from Minnesota. The same goes for sophomore Akeem Dunham. Nobody on the team caught more than one touchdown pass a year ago, which isn’t all the receivers’ fault. But they do need to make more plays down the field to open up things for the offense in 2010. A pair of 6-4 incoming freshmen, Chris Boyd and Jordan Matthews, won’t have to wait long to show what they can do once they get on the practice field in August.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

A year ago, Vanderbilt hung on just enough during the second half of the season to qualify for its first bowl trip in 26 years. This year, the Commodores have their work cut out if they’re going to win another game. Injuries have taken their toll on Bobby Johnson’s club, although it looks like Vanderbilt will be getting back senior defensive end Steven Stone from a broken foot these last five games. With games against three nationally ranked teams remaining, the Commodores would need a miracle to get to .500 and become bowl eligible. They’ve attempted to generate more offense by moving Jamie Graham from defensive back to receiver, but this is an offense that has failed to produce more than 10 points in an SEC game this season.

Best-case scenario: Quarterback Larry Smith finds himself or Johnson goes with backup Mackenzi Adams, who adds a spark, and the Commodores pick up two more wins to finish 4-8.

Worst-case scenario: The Commodores’ three-game losing streak turns into an eight-game losing streak, and they limp to a 2-10 finish, including an 0-8 record in the SEC. Vanderbilt hasn’t gone winless in the league since Johnson’s first season in Nashville in 2002.

Prediction: Vanderbilt manages to find an SEC win somewhere, avoiding a winless season in the league and finishing 3-9 overall.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

One of the keys to the improvement in Vanderbilt’s program under Bobby Johnson has been the added depth.

The Commodores have better players and more of them.

As a result, when they’ve lost starters in recent years, it hasn’t been as catastrophic.

That theory is really being tested this season.

Two more starters had surgery earlier this week -- receiver John Cole and strong safety Sean Richardson. Cole broke his hand and will miss the Ole Miss game Saturday. Richardson tore a tendon in his thumb and may possibly be able to play this weekend with a cast, but Johnson knows there are no guarantees.

Vanderbilt was already without senior free safety Ryan Hamilton, who suffered a season-ending injury against LSU. Hamilton was a captain and huge component in the Commodores’ defense. Also, senior defensive end Steven Stone remains out after breaking his foot in the preseason.

The Commodores aren’t sure about the status of freshman running back Zac Stacy (ankle) and defensive tackle T.J. Greenstone (knee) for the Ole Miss game.

Counting academic suspensions and injuries, Johnson said the Commodores are without nine or 10 players they were counting on back in the spring.

They’ve been decimated at receiver. Losing Connecticut transfer Terence Jeffers-Harris to academics was a crippling blow, as was losing senior receiver Justin Wheeler to a knee injury in the spring.

“Like just about every football team at this time of the year, our depth is going to be challenged,” Johnson said. “There’s not much you can do about it. You try to mix and match at places the best you can. I think our coaches have done a good job of that already.”

If Richardson can’t go this weekend or is limited, the Commodores plan to slide Brent Trice from linebacker back to safety.

They’re also hopeful that nickelback Jamie Graham will be able to play this week. Graham missed the Rice game with a concussion.

Despite the injuries on defense, Vanderbilt has held together well. The Commodores are fourth in the SEC in scoring defense (13.8 points per game) and fifth in total defense (266 yards per game).

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Terence Jeffers-Harris, we hardly knew you.

His bid to gain eligibility came up short this summer, and Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson announced following practice Monday night that Jeffers-Harris would not be playing for the Commodores.

Jeffers-Harris, who sat out last season after transferring from Connecticut, was not eligible under NCAA rules, according to Johnson.

"Obviously, he's a very good player. But unless you've got him out there playing, he's no good for you," Johnson said of the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Jeffers-Harris, who was one of Vanderbilt's top playmakers during the spring. "He's going to have to go elsewhere. I would think he needs to transfer. I don't think he's ready to go pro, in my opinion."

It's certainly a blow for the Commodores to lose a player the caliber of Jeffers-Harris, but Johnson sounded like he was almost braced for it a couple of weeks ago at the SEC media days. Jeffers-Harris wasn't even included in the media guide. So, obviously, this is not a huge surprise for Johnson and his staff.

What it means for some of the other receivers on the team, none of them proven, is that the race is on to become the Commodores' go-to guy.

Right now, they don't have one.

The door is wide open for John Cole, Alex Washington, Udom Umoh and Tray Herndon, a transfer from Minnesota.

Jeffers-Harris is the second key cog in the passing game the Commodores have lost. Fifth-year senior Justin Wheeler went down with a knee injury in the spring, ending his Vanderbilt career. He started 10 games a year ago.

Jamie Graham, who moved over to defensive back, may end up doing a D.J. Moore impersonation and playing both ways this season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Vanderbilt's Myron Lewis, one of the top returning cornerbacks in the SEC, will miss spring practice after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery this offseason.

Lewis had five interceptions and five sacks last season for the Commodores, who open spring practice on Tuesday. He's expected to make a full recovery in time for preseason practice in August.

A priority this spring is filling some holes in the secondary and building more depth. Gone are cornerback D.J. Moore and safety Reshard Langford, and with Lewis being out for the spring, that will give several other guys chances to make an impression.

One in particular will be sophomore Jamie Graham, who Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said will move from receiver to cornerback. Graham is also concentrating on football full time now after leaving the basketball team in January.

"Jamie's a competitor, and that's what you like to have over there at corner," Johnson said. "You could have taken D.J. across the country, and he would have wanted to cover anybody out there on the field. Myron's like that, too, and Jamie is the same way. You've got to have that confidence if you're going to play that position."

Johnson said the Commodores would also take a look this spring at redshirt freshman Ryan Seymour on the offensive line. Seymour came to Vanderbilt as a defensive lineman.

"We don't make changes just for depth," Johnson said. "If we make a change, it's because we think that guy has a chance to earn a starting spot."

In addition to Lewis, Johnson said running back Jared Hawkins (foot surgery), linebacker John Stokes (shoulder surgery) and defensive end Broderick Stewart (broken leg) will not practice this spring. Senior Brandon Bryant, a starter two years ago at linebacker, will also be held out of spring practice as he continues to recover from a broken leg.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

I was prepared for the onslaught of responses (some nice, some not so nice) to my list Thursday of the 15 freshmen most likely to have the biggest impacts this season in the SEC.

Going into the project, I knew there would be some oversights, and South Carolina's Charles Whitlock was an obvious one. There's a reason everybody in the SEC wanted the Chester, S.C., native.

And to be honest, there will be a handful of freshmen that come out of nowhere to surprise even their coaches this season. There will also be a few that we're all expecting big things from that never get close to the field during a game.

Anyway, here's a few more that warrant mention as likely impact freshmen this season, and remember it can be true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. They're listed alphabetically:

Akeem Auguste, CB, South Carolina: The Gamecocks are deep and experienced in the secondary, but senior cornerback Carlos Thomas had better not get too comfortable. Auguste, a prep school player from Fork Union, looked more than capable in the spring.

Brandon Barden, TE, Vanderbilt: Originally signed with Virginia Tech, but transferred after a semester there. A quarterback in high school, Barden was impressive as a scout team tight end a year ago.

Mark Barron, LB/S, Alabama: Rated by some as a defensive back in high school, Barron may grow into a linebacker at Alabama and brings the kind of speed Nick Saban is looking for in that unit. He also rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a senior running back in high school.

Quindarius Carr, WR, Auburn: After redshirting last season, Carr raised his stock with a productive spring. He's bigger, more in tune with what's expected of him and more consistent. The Tigers are counting on him to be a part of their rotation this season.

Jeffrey Demps, RB, Florida: There's fast, and then there's Jeffrey Demps fast. He ran a 10.01 in the 100 meters last month at the U.S. Olympic Trials, the fastest time ever for an American teenager. Urban Meyer is drawing up plays as we speak to get Demps the ball.

Jamie Graham, WR, Vanderbilt: A redshirt freshman, Graham was a defensive stopper on the Commodores' basketball team last season. He'll move from defensive back to receiver in football and should be one of the most explosive athletes on the team.

Tavarres King, WR, Georgia: Most of the hype has centered around A.J. Green, but King went through spring practice and didn't take long to make an impression on the Georgia coaches with his ability to get open and make plays.

Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida: The Gators were painfully young in the secondary last season, but Jenkins is physical and can cover. What's more, Florida will take any help it can get in the secondary this season.

Tyler Love, OT, Alabama: The Crimson Tide will be looking for some help along the right side of their offensive line, and Love has what it takes as a true freshman to step in there and contribute this season.

Ahmad Paige, WR, Tennessee: The Vols don't really have a deep threat at receiver right now, and the wiry Paige might end up being that guy. He redshirted last season for the Vols and needed the extra year in the weight room.

Tristan Strong, LB, Vanderbilt: With Marcus Buggs now trying to make an NFL team, there could be a spot at outside linebacker for a freshman. The 220-pound Strong is a leading candidate.

Courtney Upshaw, LB, Alabama: Anybody who can play linebacker is going to have a chance this season with the Crimson Tide, and Upshaw was one of the most heralded outside linebacker prospects in the country last year.

Charles Whitlock, WR/CB, South Carolina: He went through the spring at receiver after graduating high school early. He can also return kicks and has shown great closing speed at cornerback, which may wind up being his future home.

O'Neal Wilder, WR, Miss. State: A world-class track athlete, Wilder brings some of that speed the Bulldogs are desperately seeking on the offensive side of the ball. He was also able to go through spring practice after graduating high school early, so the coaches know what he can do.