Miami QB Stephen Morris dodged camp's distractions

Based on most reviews of the 2013 Manning Passing Academy, the most significant event of the camp was the early dismissal of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Manziel was asked to leave by camp founder Archie Manning after failing to appear for the morning schedule one day.

Manziel said his phone had died and he was unable to receive a wake-up call, a version that has been questioned by numerous on line sites.

"It wasn't really the talk of the camp during the camp," Miami quarterback Stephen Morris said this week at the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C. "The only time it really became a big deal was after the camp, when the media found out and it went [viral].

"I didn't know that he wasn't there. You go to your camp group and you spread out. I could be gone a couple of hours and not know who was there. I had heard on the last day of the camp that he wasn't there."

Morris was the winner of the skills competition, which might have spoken to his focus. Forty college quarterbacks served as instructors, including Alabama's A.J. McCarron, Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater and Morris' fellow ACC signal-callers Tajh Boyd (Clemson), Bryn Renner (North Carolina) and Tanner Price (Wake Forest).

"There's a little bit of a difference between the guy who won the Heisman and the guy who just won a skills camp," said Morris, who will be a senior at Miami this season.

"I'm still not in the spotlight. I try to keep a low profile. I'm not trying to [promote] myself in any way."

On the go

Danny O'Brien, who started games the past two seasons for FBS programs at Maryland and Wisconsin, will wind up his college career at Division II Catawba (N.C.) University.

O'Brien was the ACC rookie of the year in 2010, when Ralph Friedgen was the Maryland coach, but alternated as starter the next year under Friedgen's success or, Randy Edsall.

O'Brien was able to graduate from Maryland in three years and one summer session and targeted Wisconsin as a program in need of a quarterback. He lost his starting job under former Wisconsin head coach Brett Bielsma and couldn't regain it this spring under new coach Gary Anderson.

The graduate exemption under which O'Brien played at Wisconsin is for one time only and required him to drop to a lower classification. Catawba gave him that opportunity at a distance not too far from his home in Kernersville, N.C.

Hancock thriving

Roanoke's Luke Hancock of Louisville started all eight games for the United States men's basketball team in the World University Games and also was accorded the honor of carrying the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies.

Hancock's 10.8-point scoring average was second on the team behind Creighton's Doug McDermott, who averaged 14.1 points. Hancock, a Hidden Valley graduate, shot 42.1 percent (16-of-41) on 3-pointers.

The U.S. team went 6-2 but finished ninth after losses to Australia (93-84) and Canada (94-85). Hancock was held to two points in 18 minutes against Australia, making the only field goal he attempted, but came back to hit five 3-pointers and score 27 points in 27 minutes against the Canadians.

Titan to become Lancer

Hidden Valley outfielder Hayes Nelson, a second-team All-River Ridge District selection this spring as a junior, has become one of the first players to make a commitment to new Longwood University baseball coach Brian McCullough.

Nelson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, started for Hidden Valley as a freshman but was injured as a sophomore. He batted .430 this past season and hit five home runs.

Longwood was the first school to make an offer to Nelson, who said he deliberated for four to five days before picking the Lancers. He had taken an unofficial visit to Farmville and was attracted mostly by the opportunity to play Division I baseball in a competitive conference, the Big South.

Local update

Liberty sophomore quarterback Josh Woodrum from Cave Spring was named preseason Big South Conference offensive player of the year in Phil Steele's annual yearbook. Steele's preseason All-Big South team includes two other Timesland products on the Flames: junior offensive lineman Mitch Hanson from Lord Botetourt and junior linebacker Nick Sigmon from Northside.

Also making the first team were Flames offensive lineman Hunter Steward, a transfer from Virginia, and punter Grant Bowden, a transfer from Virginia Tech.

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