College football notebook

Defending champs face depleted roster

AUBURN, Ala. -- Auburn coach Gene Chizik had an easy sales pitch on the recruiting trail, besides touting a chance to play for the defending national champions.

Chizik also offered an opportunity to, well, play for the defending national champions. Quickly, if not immediately.

The Tigers opened preseason camp Wednesday night with just 71 scholarship players -- 14 fewer than the NCAA maximum. More than half of those going through camp -- 54 of 105 -- are freshmen, including redshirts and walk-ons.

Chizik wasn't just saying what all blue-chip prospects want to hear. With three starters returning on each side of the ball, there really were immediate needs all over the depth chart either as a first-teamer or a backup.

"We did not recruit our freshmen to watch," the coach said. "We didn't recruit them to observe everybody else play. We recruit them to come in here and play.

"We told them that when we recruited them, and here they are. They understand that this is real and they have a chance to play here now. Not one of them are we saying, 'Look, you're redshirted until you prove you can play.' It's the opposite. It's, 'You can play until we feel like there's no way, and we'll redshirt you.' That's how we see it, and that's how we have to see it right now with the numbers we have."

That means many of the two dozen signees will have strong chances to see action when the Tigers open Sept. 3 against Utah State, or soon after.

The numbers crunch was exacerbated when quarterback Cam Newton, defensive tackle Nick Fairley and wide receiver Darvin Adams opted to skip their senior seasons to enter the NFL draft, joining a large group of departing seniors. Eleven scholarship players have left or been dismissed since last season. Four of them -- including starting safety Mike McNeil -- were kicked off the team following their arrest on armed robbery charges.

Also, just seven players remain from Tommy Tuberville's 2007 and 2008 signing classes.

Beamer: Virginia Tech handled gunman situation properly

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech's first football practice of the preseason was delayed for an hour Thursday after reports of a gunman on campus.

No gunman was found despite a massive search of the sprawling campus. A lockdown put in effect after the initial report of the possible gunman was lifted at 2:42 p.m., just more than an hour before the scheduled 4 p.m. start of practice.

Classes also were c

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