Lamont Jordan

COLLEGE PARK -- Forget the rumors.LaMont Jordan said this week he is not leaving Maryland after his junior year and entering his name in the NFL draft next spring."

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland's Heisman Trophy candidate, LaMont Jordan, is in trouble with the books again. Jordan is being held out of spring practice to concentrate on his classwork, a decision by coach Ron Vanderlinden that comes six months after the nation's fifth-leading rusher last season battled the books down to the wire to remain eligible for the 1999 season. "With LaMont out for the spring, that puts a big scare in everybody," said junior wide receiver Guilian Gary, who led the team in receptions last season with 24. "It means we have to be able to throw the ball and we have to be able to do other things because if LaMont doesn't come back, what happens?

COLLEGE PARK -- Wait until they see The Full Monty.No, the topic isn't the first-run motion picture. Rather, it's LaMont Jordan, the Maryland freshman whose potential is more impressive than the performance he staged in Philadelphia last week.Jordan broke Maryland's freshman record for rushing with 135 yards in the Terps' victory over Temple. He won't start against Duke at Byrd Stadium Saturday, but it still seems to be happening a little too fast for an 18-year-old who four months ago was on the track team at Suitland High in Prince George's County.

COLLEGE PARK - Fanatical, workaholic football coaches just can't figure out LaMont Jordan. They shake their heads in dismay and sometimes in disgust over how Maryland's Heisman Trophy candidate can break all the so-called tried and trusted workout and conditioning rules and still go out on Saturdays and run over, around and through would-be tacklers. Terps running backs coach Mike Locksley has even called Jordan "something of a freak" as a football player. "He can lay off lifting [weights]

COLLEGE PARK - The impressiveness of Maryland's 37-7 win over Wake Forest, forged yesterday afternoon at Byrd Stadium, is open to interpretation. Does it call for praise, because the Terrapins (3-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) gained 500 yards on offense and had two backs hover around the 100-yard mark; because the defense forced four turnovers and pitched a shutout into the 54th minute? Or does it call for yawns? The only thing tougher to imagine than one of last year's bowl teams being as bad as Wake Forest (0-7, 0-6)

Tonight KANSAS CITY AT OAKLAND CHIEFS -- Out: T Kyle Turley (shoulder); RB Michael Bennett (ankle); DE Jimmy Wilkerson (hamstring); LB Rich Scanlon (neck). Probable: T John Welbourn (ankle). RAIDERS -- Out: RB LaMont Jordan (knee). Doubtful: WR Jerry Porter (hip). Questionable: G Corey Hulsey (knee); WR Randy Moss (ankle); RB Zack Crockett (heel); CB Fabian Washington (shoulder); T Robert Gallery (elbow). Probable: QB Aaron Brooks (neck); G Kevin Boothe (elbow).

BaseballBrewers: Named Jack Zduriencik director of scouting.Cubs: Extended partnership with Single-A Lansing through 2002.Dodgers: Named Jeff Schugel special assistant to GM.BasketballNets: Waived G Howard Brown, G Shawnta Rogers (Lake Clifton), F J. R. Koch and F Peter Cornell.CollegeGeorgia State: Announced retirement of associate athletic director Blaine Hughes.Loyola: Christof Lindenmayer was named MAAC men's soccer Player of the Week. Becky Bieneman was named MAAC women's soccer Player of the Week.

Maryland may have another sort of injury problem. Leading playmaker Stefon Diggs, a wide receiver and kick returner, was wearing a walking boot on Tuesday. The injury is not believed to be serious, but the team won't release information about the player's status for Saturday's game at Clemson until Thursday's injury report. Diggs caught both of the Terps' touchdown passes in last week's loss to Georgia Tech. For the season, he's caught 43 passes for 721 yards and 6 touchdowns, and he also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

LaMont Jordan's summer of imposed silence will end tomorrow at Byrd Stadium when the senior Heisman Trophy candidate participates in the Maryland football team's annual media day. Dave Haglund, the school's associate athletic director for media relations, said yesterday that Jordan would attend and talk to the media. But Haglund would not comment on the star running back's academic status or whether he will be eligible for the 2000 season. "Summer school doesn't end until Aug. 25," Haglund said.