Speaking of UM, much will be made of the 'Canes QB race but one other interesting storyline to follow is the evolution of Eric Winston. The towering Texan played a lot last season as a true freshman at TE and H-back, measuring up at about 6-7, 270 pounds, but this spring he is working at left tackle. The move seems to be a natural. Winston easily has grown to 290 yet still has the agility and flexibility of a skill player. He says he doesn't want to get up past 310 or so, but don't focus too much on his poundage. Winston reports that he's picked up a few tips on his footwork from former UM All-American Bryant McKinnie when the Vikings OT was back at Miami for the 'Canes Pro-Day earlier this month.

And keep in mind, Winston played at Texas powerhouse Midland Lee, where he was essentially an OT since the school loves to run the ball so much. He also has an ideal temperament to fit in with Miami O-line coach Art Kehoe, says K.C. Jones, a Lee grad who was a Kehoe favorite at UM before moving on to the NFL.

One other odd note from the Sooner front: Kory Klein, who has started every game at DT over the last two seasons, has been hired as an intern by FlintCo. That's the company that is doing OU's stadium expansion and Klein is involved in that project. Even though the work the 285-pounder is doing is mostly white collar, it is still kind of interesting that he's interning on a stadium in which he will play.

Carter, a.k.a. Pee-Wee, has a lot of intriguing ties to big-time football: He was a teammate of blue-chippers Joe Cohen and Reggie Nelson (both signed with Florida.) His mom is an LSU grad. His uncle Alonzo Jefferson played at Notre Dame. Jefferson played for Lou Holtz, who is now at South Carolina, whose track program recently produced the hurdling sensation Terrence Trammell. And Pee-Wee's dad Ken, a Southern University grad, tells us that he is a long-time Miami fan. "But," says Ken, "we're telling Pee-Wee to strip everything down and block all that out and just focus on what's best for him."

Carter already has offers from ND, South Carolina, UF, West Virginia, UCF, LSU, Oklahoma and Indiana. He says he plans on camping at ND, LSU and Miami and might also go out to OU as well.