A quick fall camp roundup highlighting the latest from some of the top players in the SEC East:
Georgia
Bulldogs safety Josh Harvey-Clemons got a look at outside linebacker in practice this week, and while he's expected to play safety when he returns from a one-game suspension, UGA coach Mark Richt indicated injuries at the linebacker position had something to do with it, as well. Ledgerenquirer.com reported Richt called the move a "quick fix."
Given that Harvey-Clemons is just one year into his college career, he's well on his way to being a massively sized safety, already at 6-5, 212. It may be a quick fix for now, but don't be surprised if Harvey-Clemons eventually outgrows the secondary and finds a permanent home at linebacker.
Missouri
Coach Gary Pinkel may use wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, one of the team's elite athletes, on special teams this year. But the Kansas City Star reports that the former five-star recruit isn't just getting a look at kick returns. He may also send the 6-foot-6, 225-pound speedster off the punt rush edge.
"If we decide to put him there, we've got a guy with remarkable speed and he's 6-6 and (with) his wingspan and his reach, he can probably get a foot or two closer (to the punter) than a guy who is 6-foot or 6-1," Pinkel said.
South Carolina
When Vic Hampton's time to take a shot at the NFL comes, there will be plenty of questions about his past. For a guy who attended four high schools in four years, and later was nearly dismissed by Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier, he'll have to expect that. But Hampton's attitude turnaround, reports greenvilleonline.com, appears to be of the permanent sort. And as one of the most talented cornerbacks in the SEC, he'll have every chance to prove it. Said Hampton:
"When I was almost dismissed from the team, it was a reality check because I was so close to being out of the University of South Carolina and that would have proven all my naysayers right. That was something I didn't want to do. It was motivation."
Florida
Gators cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy is leery of the new targeting penalty in college football that will result in a one-half suspension for targeting defenseless players above the shoulders.
"Yeah, about those rules ... I ain't the biggest fan of that," Purifoy said.
The Palm Beach Post reports coach Will Muschamp is working to educate his secondary on the penalty. If officials determine a targeting foul has been committed in the first half, the penalized player will be ejected for the rest of that game. If it occurs during the second half, the player will be ejected for the balance of that game and be suspended for the first half of his next game.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
