Notes from around the country as spring football starts to heat up.

North Carolina
Durant's leaving opens the door for Stephens
While North Carolina coach John Bunting is leaving the door open to Darian Durant returning, it looks like Florida transfer C.J. Stephens may be the starter next season for the Tar Heels.

Stephens, who sat out last season and has taken just one snap in a college football game, will likely battle redshirt freshman Matt Baker for the starting job. Heading into spring practice, Bunting said the two are about even. Terrance Highsmith, another redshirt freshman, is in the mix as well. The Tar Heels didn't recruit any QBs mainly because they expected Durant, who said he's transferring for "personal reasons" to return.

"There wasn't much talk about who was going to start," Stephens said in a telephone interview with the Raliegh News & Observer Tuesday. "All of us had the opportunity to compete for it. I think, really, the coaches were just going to play who they felt deserved to play."

A dropback passer, Stephens, 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, was lost in the depth chart at Florida behind Rex Grossman, the Heisman Trophy runner-up last season, and Brock Berlin, who has since transferred to Miami.

"I don't think players need to really worry about competition," Stephens said in the News & Observer. "It's something you go through. The biggest thing I can ask for is just the opportunity. After that, as a good coach, [Bunting] has the obligation and responsibility to play the players that are best for the team."

Texas
Simms No. 2
Chris Simms is no longer No. 1 in Texas.

He's No. 2 ... and he likes it.

Simms changed his jersey number for the third time in his Texas career, changing from No. 1 to No. 2. He wore No. 8 in his freshman year.

Simms said he always wanted No. 2 -- the number he wore in high school at Franklin Lakes, N.J. -- but it was taken by WR Montrell Flowers and LB Everick Rawls -- coach Mack Brown allows players to wear the same number if one is offense and the other is defense. Both Flowers and Rawls completed their eligibility last fall.

"I could never talk Montrell out of the number, and I offered him everything," Simms told the Austin American-Statesman.

Simms, in his first real work since being demoted to second string in early Decempber, has looked good and upbeat.

"I wanted to come out here, throw the football and get it all out of my system," Simms told the American-Statesman. "And move on."

Of course, most of the spring will be spent trying to locate Simms' backup. Chance Mock, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman Matt Nordgren will battle for the role.

Another Option
The Longhorns are adding option plays to the offense. With Mock's mobility, Brown told the Dallas Morning News this is "something we need in our offense." Incoming QB Vincent Young can also run the option.

Benson Breezin'
Sophomore TB Cedtic Benson is about 95 percent recovered from the pinched nerve in his shoulder/neck area that sidelined him at the end of the season. He said he'll take part in contact drills when the Longhorns put on the pads for the first time Friday.

"I've been able to bounce back," Benson told the Morning News. "After the injury I was unsure if I would ever return or if I could ever play again."

The injury not only caused pain, it temporarily weakened Benson's right arm. Benson, the first freshman in UT history to run for 1,000 yards, has participated in the off-season workout program since school started in mid-January.

Texas needs Benson as there is only one other healthy tailback — junior Brett Robin. Redshirt freshman Anthony Johnson will be at tailback, but he's also being given a trial run at cornerback.

Speaking of Benson...
Benson will head to the Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training base in Vero Beach, Fla., over spring break, March 11-16.

"He'll just spend a couple days, maybe suit up," Bill Bavasi, the Dodgers' director of player development, told the Morning News Tuesday. "He'll be back to play in mid-May, whenever school's out. He'll be with us until early August, when he reports to Texas' football training camp."

Bavasi said he's uncertain where Benson will play. Benson excelled as a center fielder at Midland Lee High, where he batted .361 with four home runs and 14 RBIs as a senior. The Dodgers drafted him in the 12th round — 370th overall — in last June's amateur draft.

Benson, not on a football scholarship at Texas, said, "I'm totally excited. Baseball is my first love. That's the first sport I played."

Georgia
'Dawgs Hurting
The Bulldogs will be missing up to 10 players -- including three starters -- for parts or all of the spring drills when they begin Monday.

Starting guard Kevin Breedlove is expected to miss all of spring drills after undergoing surgery on his hand. Also, starting tailback Musa Smith (groin) and offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb (knee) are question marks after missing the team's offseason conditioning program.

Also missing will be many of the 'Dawgs' top reserves. RB Tony Milton has shoulder surgery, LB Odell Thurman and WR Reggie Brown both had knee surgery are are out for the spring.

Add in DT Darrell Holmes and K Brett Kirouac, who are questionable, and RB Albert Hollis II and DT Reggie Weeks, who are still recovering from knee injuries, and the Bulldogs are a little thin in some areas.

"We'll be able to practice," Richt told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We've got the same problems everybody else in the country has at this time of year."

The biggest battle starting Monday should be between QBs David Greene and D.J. Shockley. Greene was the SEC Freshman of the Year after throwing for 2,789 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. But Shockley, a Parade All-American, was praised by Richt throughout his redshirt season.

"David's the starter," Richt said in the Journal-Constitution. "The guys that have earned starting jobs are the starters, and the other guys are going to try to knock them off their perch. I see David being good enough to be an NFL quarterback one day. I think D.J. could be an NFL quarterback. It's very similar to the situation I had at Florida State with Casey Weldon and Brad Johnson."

Richt also said depth at wide receiver is now a concern. Rising sophomore Tavarus Morgan transferred, and Fred Gibson is playing on the school's basketball team. Because of Brown's injury, the Bulldogs will have only three scholarship receivers available for the first two weeks of spring practice --- Terrence Edwards, Damien Gary and Michael Johnson.

"We've got so many areas that we've got to continue to get better," Richt told the AJC. "It will be a real interesting spring."