After a second surgery on foot, Seward set to go

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Aug. 20, 2004 | 9:25 a.m.

All-Mountain West Conference linebacker Adam Seward has been cleared to practice with the Rebels starting on Monday.

A 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior from Bonanza High School, Seward took part in a few noncontact drills Thursday night after sitting out the past week to allow a sore right foot to heal. Seward, who missed spring practice after undergoing surgery to have a screw inserted into his left foot to repair a stress fracture, had a second surgery on his right foot last month.

"He was starting to get (a stress fracture) in his right foot," Rebels trainer Kyle Wilson said. "This was a precautionary move. Both feet should be fine now."

Seward, who needs 23 tackles to become the all-time leader in Mountain West history, played the 2003 season with a stress fracture in his left foot. He was named to the Butkus Award watch list this week.

"The doctors have said that he can start getting back into drills and activities," Wilson said.

Seward was still limping slightly around the field on Thursday night.

Crandal has a redshirt year available.

Fulmer said the two quarterbacks would prepare the rest of the preseason as the front-runners to start against UNLV on Sept. 5.

Ainge, a 6-foot-5 nephew of Boston Celtics executive director of basketball operations and former BYU star Danny Ainge, was rated the nation's 21st-best quarterback prospect by talent scout Tom Lemming.

Schaeffer, 6-foot-2 and an excellent runner, was rated the nation's No. 16 quarterback prospect by Lemming last year.

The news was a little better for senior safety Will Tagoai, who like Tinoisamoa needed to pass a summer school class to maintain his eligibility. Tagoai passed the class but still might have to redshirt because of a knee injury.

UNLV will travel to TCU, Wyoming, New Mexico and Air Force in 2005 while hosting BYU, Utah, San Diego State and Colorado State. The schedule flip-flops in 2006.

Junior running back JaJa Riley, who was sidelined for two days with back spasms, returned to take part in noncontact drills.