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Servicewoman, WVW graduate Purcell remembered for her energy and smile

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Chef visits MMI Preparatory School

High school seniors can now sign football letters of intent in December in addition to the traditional signing period that starts the first Wednesday of February.The Collegiate Commissioners Association on Monday announced its approval of the new signing period, the last step in the process of implementing a package of reforms passed by the NCAA in April. The CCA administers the national letter of intent and therefore had final say in whether to adopt the early signing period. Approval was expected as some of the conference commissioners were also involved in crafting and pushing for the recruiting reforms.College football&#8217;s first early signing period is scheduled for Dec. 20-22, 2017, coinciding with the first three days of the initial date of the football midyear junior college transfer NLI signing period.The early letter-of-intent signing period is part of comprehensive legislation that also permits high school juniors to take official visits from April through June and imposes a two-year waiting period before FBS schools can hire people close to recruits to non-coaching positions. The reforms also put restrictions on where and when Division I coaches can participate in summer camps and increases the number of on-field assistants in football from nine to 10, effective in January.Arkansas&#8217; Williams to quit footballFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. &#8212; Rawleigh Williams returned to the football field last season following a broken neck only after assurances from doctors.A second scare that left him sprawled out on the Razorbacks&#8217; indoor practice field last week has ended his career.Williams announced his decision to walk away from football in an article on the school&#8217;s website on Monday, prematurely ending the career for one of the most promising young running backs in college football.&#8220;It still doesn&#8217;t seem real yet, but I really don&#8217;t have a choice,&#8221; Williams wrote. &#8220;I&#8217;ve dodged the bullet twice. I realize that at the end of the day I want to live a normal life and be around my family.&#8221;Williams, who was third in the Southeastern Conference with 1,360 yards rushing last season, suffered what coach Bret Bielema called a &#8220;stinger&#8221; during the team&#8217;s final spring practice a week ago. He fell to the ground after a light hit during a partial-contact portion of practice, remaining there while trainers rushed to his side before loading him onto a stretcher and then taking him to the hospital in an ambulance.Auburn&#8217;s Barrett announces transferAUBURN, Ala. &#8212; Auburn quarterback Woody Barrett says he&#8217;s transferring.The third-year sophomore announced his decision on Twitter Monday, but didn&#8217;t say what school he planned to attend.Barrett, who is from Winter Garden, Florida, didn&#8217;t play last season. He was the nation&#8217;s No. 6 dual-threat quarterback in 2016 according to the 247Sports composite rankings.The battle for the starting job appears down to returnee Sean White and transfer Jarrett Stidham. Freshman mid-year enrollee Malik Willis also saw significant action in the Tigers&#8217; spring game.Barrett saw limited playing time in the spring game, completing both of his pass attempts for 14 yards. Reserve quarterback Tyler Queen has also left the program.Tebow re-ups with ESPN to be analyst for SEC NetworkESPN has announced a multiyear agreement with Tim Tebow, who will continue as an analyst on the SEC Network. Tebow has worked as a studio analyst for the SEC Network since its 2014 debut. He will remain part of &#8220;SEC Nation,&#8221; the network&#8217;s traveling Saturday pregame show.By The Associated PressESPN has announced a multiyear agreement with Tim Tebow, who will continue as an analyst on the SEC Network.Tebow has worked as a studio analyst for the SEC Network since its 2014 debut. He will remain part of &#8220;SEC Nation,&#8221; the network&#8217;s traveling Saturday pregame show.The 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is currently playing minor league baseball in the New York Mets organization. The 29-year-old Tebow is hitting .242 with two home runs in 26 games for the Columbia Fireflies of the Single-A South Atlantic League.Tebow helped the University of Florida win national championships in 2006 and 2008 before being selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos in 2010. He hasn&#8217;t played in the NFL since 2012 with the New York Jets.Autopsy planned after football player found deadKISMET, Kan. &#8212; An autopsy is planned after a junior college football player in Kansas was found dead.The Kansas City Star reports that 19-year-old Sean Callahan was found unresponsive Sunday afternoon at a home in Kismet, Kansas. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.Authorities say the death is under investigation but is not currently considered suspicious.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">The NCAA has voted to allow high school football players to sign with colleges as early as December. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_NCAA-RuleChanges.jpg</photo0><caption0>The NCAA has voted to allow high school football players to sign with colleges as early as December. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>Associated Press</bylineMeta></div>

Commissioners OK December football signing day