BCSNN - BCS News Nation

A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that the NCAA has agreed to drop at least part of former Miami quarterback Kyle Wright's testimony from its case against the Hurricanes.

The NCAA's enforcement staff agreed to do so in response to a motion Miami filed two weeks ago with the association's committee on infractions, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the association nor the Hurricanes authorized the move to be revealed publicly.

It's a victory for Miami, though the size of that victory remains up for some debate.

Wright was referenced in six allegations that the NCAA brought against Miami. In its response to Miami's move, the NCAA said it was striking at least some of Wright's testimony "in an abundance of caution."

Associated Press

Pittsburgh running back Rushel Shell is taking time off from football to deal with what coach Paul Chryst is calling ''challenges'' off the field.

Chryst released a statement Thursday stressing that Shell ''very much remains a part of our family on a daily basis'' but is not participating in spring drills at the moment.

Shell rushed for 641 yards and four touchdowns during his freshman season last fall and is projected to be the starting tailback for the Panthers when they open fall camp. Chryst said his primary concern is for Shell's well-being and that Shell has the program's full support.

Shell, from Hopewell, Pa., located about two hours east of Pittsburgh, set the state career high school rushing record during his career at Hopewell High, rushing for 9,078 yards.

Associated Press

Georgia Tech players use words like ''high-energy'' and ''intense'' to describe their first week with new defensive coordinator Ted Roof.

Roof described the opening of spring practice as a sweet homecoming.

Roof, who played linebacker at Georgia Tech from 1982-85, is back for his second stint as an assistant coach. He made his first return to his alma mater in 1998 as an assistant and then defensive coordinator.

Last year, Roof had success leading Penn State's defense in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and NCAA sanctions. Now he faces the challenge of reviving the Yellow Jackets' defense.

Roof's departure from Penn State surprised some observers. He says his homecoming was a perfect fit.

''It's home,'' Roof said. ''It's all about family. I've got a lot of pride in this place and a lot of sweat equity. Some of my best friends in the world are Georgia Tech graduates and my family is here, so it made sense for a lot of reasons.''

Roof's return also made sense for Georgia Tech, which was looking for defensive help after ranking 65th in the nation with its average of 28.29 points allowed per game in 2012.

Al Groh's term as defensive coordinator ended in the middle of his third season when he was fired midway through his third season last year. Charles Kelly had mixed success after he moved up as the interim coordinator, but he left in January to coach Florida State's linebackers.

Georgia Tech allowed 40 or more points in six games last season, including in a 42-10 loss to Georgia. The Yellow Jackets' best performance came in a 21-7 Sun Bowl victory over Southern Cal to cap a 7-7 season.

Groh couldn't make a 3-4 alignment fit the Yellow Jackets' talent. Roof is installing a 4-3 scheme.

He's also bringing a renewed emphasis on intensity.

''A lot of coaches are high-energy, but I definitely sense his energy and he's a very personable guy at the same time,'' said defensive lineman Euclid Cummings. ''He has a great balance.

''His first message was that we're a high-energy team and we set the pace for the entire team. And we finish strong.''

Roof, the Duke coach from 2004-07, has a history of bringing improvements in his stints as defensive coordinator at Auburn, Minnesota, Duke, Georgia Tech, Western Carolina and Massachusetts.

Roof led the defense on Auburn's 2010 national championship team. Duke ranked 113th of 115 teams in rushing defense in 2001, and in Roof's first season as coordinator in 2002 the Blue Devils led the Atlanta Coast Conference in stopping the run.

Penn State ranked second in the Big Ten with its average of 19.1 points allowed under Roof last season.

Roof coached under Bill O'Brien at Penn State. The two worked together on George O'Leary's Georgia Tech staff from 1998-2001.

Roof said he had a flash of nostalgia as he walked past fraternity and sorority houses on Georgia Tech's campus and he remembered ''seeing girls laying out sunning and guys having fun throwing the Frisbee in the front yard.''

''It was pretty neat,'' he said. ''You think about 30 years ago and then you think about 15 years ago and then you think, man I used to walk a lot quicker.''

But most of his thoughts are on bringing improvement to a defense which returns eight starters.

''This challenge is the same,'' Roof said. ''It's our responsibility to put a product on the field that we can all be proud of.''

Defensive end Emmanuel Dieke said ''it's like a whole new culture'' with Roof.

''It's been great,'' Dieke said. ''We're learning a whole new scheme. It's like a whole new atmosphere with a lot of talk about intensity. It's a whole new feel.''

Roof said he is using the spring practice to learn about his players while making sure his players learn what will be expected on game days.

''I'm passionate about our guys getting better,'' Roof said. ''When you work like we work, I don't know how you can't bring energy if you're passionate about it.

''I've always tried to be enthusiastic about whatever I'm doing. I certainly believe the old adage about habits, if we want to be enthusiastic players, then we have to practice with enthusiasm. Game days are going to be a reflection of our habits.''

Associated Press

The NCAA is alleging that former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro was responsible for providing about $170,000 in impermissible benefits to Hurricanes athletes, recruits, coaches and others between 2002 and 2010.

Shapiro allegedly spent more than half that amount — at least $90,000 — in an effort to get NFL players Vince Wilfork and Antrel Rolle to sign with a sports agency he was involved with, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because neither Miami nor the NCAA has publicly released the allegations.

Also included in the allegations: That Shapiro spent at least another $56,000 on ''meals, entertainment, clothing, jewelry, travel, lodging and cash'' on football players, recruits and others. The NCAA alleged that Shapiro spent that on 72 then-players, three recruits and 12 ''friends and family members'' of those either on the team or being recruited by the school.

Virtually all of the Hurricane players listed as receiving some sort of extra benefit from Shapiro left the program several years ago.

The figures that the NCAA's enforcement staff cited in the notice of allegations add up to a significantly lower total than what Shapiro told Yahoo Sports in 2011, when he estimated his extra-benefit spending spree as going into the ''millions of dollars.''

If true, the NCAA only listed a sliver of that in the allegations. The figures that were sent to Miami also were described as ''approximate total values.''

The NCAA said Shapiro also provided extra benefits in the forms of impermissible supplemental compensation to at least three former Miami assistant coaches, along with travel benefits and other items.

Miami received its notice of allegations, ones that included a lack of institutional control for failing to properly monitor Shapiro's activities as a booster, last week. It also includes charges that three former assistant coaches broke what's known as the NCAA's Rule 10.1 — governing ethical conduct — by misleading the investigation. Two of those former assistants have asked that their cases be thrown out because of problems the NCAA acknowledged with the way it conducted the probe.

The NCAA's Committee on Infractions wants to hear the case in June.

The Hurricanes have already self-imposed several sanctions, including sitting out two bowl games and a conference football championship game. Miami president Donna Shalala said on two occasions last week that she believes those punishments should be enough, and on Wednesday, the Hurricanes' athletic director echoed those sentiments.

''I would say I agree with everything that was in the two statements by President Shalala,'' Blake James, Miami's athletic director, told The AP. ''I think she was right on in her comments and was very reflective of the general feel of our institution and those involved in this case.''

Shapiro is serving a 20-year prison term for masterminding a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

Associated Press