FIrst-year defensive line coach John Hendrick, recovering from a heart attack last month, has not been cleared by doctors and could miss the start of USF's preseason practice, which begins Monday afternoon.

Hendrick, who has not returned messages seeking comment, has not resumed regular work hours and will wait for full clearance from his doctors before taking the field with the Bulls, according to a statement issued by USF on Friday.

"John is a part of our family," coach Jim Leavitt said in the statement. "He is an invaluable member of our staff, but we need him to be completely healthy and 100 percent before he returns full-time."

If Hendrick hasn't been cleared, USF would have first-year defensive ends coach Kevin Patrick work with the entire defensive line. The Bulls had only one defensive line coach last season in Dan McCarney, who left for a job on Urban Meyer's staff at Florida. USF shifted its defensive coaching assignments in the off-season to have two defensive line coaches and only one (Troy Douglas) in the defensive secondary; last year USF had separate assistants for cornerbacks and safeties.

Hendrick, who played at Pittsburgh as a defensive lineman, came to the Bulls after serving as defensive coordinator at South Carolina State. His coaching resume includes stops at Mississippi State, Temple, LSU, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh and Delaware State.

-- Can linebacker Ben Moffitt make the Houston Texans' roster as an undrafted rookie? The Houston Chronicle's John McClain addressed that possibility in a chat last week. Read it here.

-- Remember Steve Goins? The big man from Chicago, once a target of USF's recruiting efforts, has been admitted to Maryland, though he's awaiting NCAA clearinghouse approval, says the Baltimore Sun.

-- Really pleased to see 28 people have already signed up to follow this blog's counterpart for free at Twitter.com. It's just another way to get notified of USF news and new blog updates here. I'm putting a goal out there to get 100 people following by the season opener against Tennessee-Martin ...