AU NOTEBOOK: Smith declared ineligible

Eric Smith’s tumultuous sophomore season has ended.

Smith has been ruled academically ineligible, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik said Friday. The sophomore remains with the team, Chizik said, but will not practice for or participate in the Outback Bowl.

Chizik, who said there were no other academic casualties, expects Smith to be back in January for offseason workouts.

Smith’s sophomore saga started on Aug. 21, when he was arrested after allegedly assaulting Auburn University student Decari Jenkins in the parking lot of the Lexington Hotel. Smith was suspended from the team for 2 1/2 weeks after the incident by Chizik, missing the season opener against Louisiana Tech.

Smith rejoined the team after and played in every game the rest of the season.

Smith ultimately received youthful offender status for the third-degree assault charge, and the case was closed against him.

Then on Nov. 19, Jenkins sued Smith for compensatory and punitive damages. The court date for that civil suit is unknown.

Smith finished the season with 20 rushes for 99 yards and touchdown. He also caught 18 passes for 226 yards and a score.

Chizik wouldn’t go into specifics about who would fill in the “3” (fullback) position in Smith’s absence, but said the coaching staff has made the necessary adjustments.

“We’ve made provisions to move on and we feel good about the plan,” Chizik said.

Mario Fannin, Philip Lutzenkirchen and John Douglas are all likely candidates to fill the role.

Tigers pick up another commitment
Two days after signing four early enrollees — two junior college graduates and two high school grads — Auburn picked up its 22nd commitment for the class of 2010 when Tallahassee, Fla., athlete Ryan White verbally committed to the Tigers on Friday.

All three recruiting services that cover Auburn — AuburnSports.com, AuburnUndercover.com and Inside The Auburn Tigers — first reported the news Friday afternoon.

White, at 6-feet, 185 pounds, played quarterback at Lincoln High and is rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.

Top-ranked JUCO QB on campus
Auburn’s already crowded quarterback race for 2010 could get another name added to the mix.

Cameron Newton, the Rivals.com-rated No. 1 junior college quarterback, is visiting Auburn this weekend, according to all three recruiting Web sites.

Newton (6-6, 245) signed with Florida in 2007 and was Tim Tebow’s backup for two seasons. But after being arrested for stealing a laptop computer from another student, Newton was kicked off the team and subsequently transferred to Blinn Community College in Brenham, Texas. According to published reports, the charges were dropped against Newton earlier this month.

Newton led Blinn CC to the junior college national title, throwing for 2,833 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also ran for 655 and 16 scores.

Newton can enroll in a four-year school in January and begin practicing this spring, which he is expected to do.

But where?

According to AuburnSports.com, Newton has narrowed his choices down to Auburn, Oklahoma and Mississippi State.

Coleman, Tate picked for Senior Bowl
Antonio Coleman will return home to Mobile to play in the final college game of his career for the South squad in the 2010 Senior Bowl.

Coleman, Auburn’s defensive end, who leads the SEC in sacks (9) and tackles for loss (15.5), will be joined by teammate Ben Tate, a running back, for the Jan. 30 All-Star game, which Chizik called the “Cadillac” of senior games.

Tate rushed for 1,254 yards and eight touchdowns during his senior season.

Pitts comes back, graduates
Former Tiger cornerback and Loachapoka standout Montavis Pitts graduated from Auburn on Friday, finishing up a degree he started in 2002 when he arrived at AU.

Pitts started every game at cornerback opposite of Carlos Rogers during the Tigers’ undefeated 2004 season. However, before the start of the 2006 season, Pitts transferred to Jacksonville State.

Friday, he walked with seven other current and former Tiger football players.

Chizik, who coached Pitts during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, was excited for his former player.

“I called Montae last summer when I got here and told him, ‘No excuses, no anything, get back into school and graduate,’” Chizik said. “And I’m just really, really excited to hear that he did that today. Just proud of him …”

The other players to graduate Friday were: holder Clayton Crofoot (supply chain management-business), wideout John Cubelic (communications), safety Zac Etheridge (public administration), wideout Tim Hawthorne (public administration), offensive lineman Darrell Roseman (criminology) and linebacker Craig Stevens (business management).

Also, former offensive lineman Jeno James, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2000, graduated.

mszvetitz@oanow.com | 737-2513