Eye on the U

Hot time in MIami: Gators at Canes in football: noon on Sept. 7 on ESPN.

University of Miami tailgaters might want to get to sleep early on Friday, Sept. 6th. That's because the highly anticipated Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes football game was announced for a noon kickoff at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 on ESPN -- upsetting fans who would rather have a night game.

A night game would certainly be a great draw and the event to party around at Sun Life. UM would get heavy-duty exposure. And let's face it, night games are always more fun (unless you're on deadline or savor getting broiled outside).

Turns out that ABC has NASCAR from Richmond, Va., that night and ESPN is broadcasting the Notre Dame-Michigan football game in prime time. A game has not yet been announced for the prime-time ESPN2 slot.

"We requested and lobbied ESPN for an evening slot for the game vs #BeatUF.'' tweeted UM athletic director Blake James. "Unfortunately, they were unable to accomodate.'' 

 I just got off the phone with ESPN spokesman Mike Humes, whom I asked about the noon start.

"Essentially, we looked at all the options and this was the best available window for the game,'' Humes said. "We average probably around three million viewers for that time slot. So it wasn’t like, 'Let’s put the worst game on at noon.' The noon window does really well with fans.

"We view this as a great matchup. Scheduling games is like putting together differrent puzzles with different time zones and commitments, and this was the best window.''

 UM AD James also tweeted this: "espn/abc wanted to take game national 3:30 slot is regional coverage."

Humes said the 3:30 p.m. ABC game is Oregon at Virginia.

In other Canes football news, the Aug. 30 season opener at Sun Life Stadium against FAU will kick off at 8 p.m. Aug. 30 -- a Friday -- and will be aired by ESPNU.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN 

McDonald takes WR job at Arkansas

• p>George McDonald, who spent the last two years as UM's receivers coach, accepted the same position at Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema announced Wednesday.

• "George McDonald has a reputation as a top recruiter as well as a great teacher and technician," Bielema said in a statement released by the school. "In his heart, he has always wanted to be a college coach because he believes in recruiting young men and being a part of helping them develop for four years. He will be a positive influence on our wide receivers as they grow and learn under his guidance. His track record of developing NFL-ready receivers and his first-hand experience as a position coach in the league will be attractive to our student-athletes and future Razorback receivers. He knows what it takes to be an NFL receiver and has the ability to teach our players how to be a pro in every aspect so they can maximize their potential in college and set themselves up for a career on the next level."

• McDonald is the first assistant coach to leave UM since Al Golden took over as coach. No word on who Golden is considering as a replacement just yet.

UM announces the signing of junior college tight end Beau Sandland -- he chooses the Canes over Arizona State and Nebraska

Highly recruited Woodland Hills, Calif., Pierce Community College tight end Beau Sandland has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Miami and will play for the Miami Hurricanes.

UM announced the news Wednesday afternoon.

Sandland is counted toward the 2013 signing class -- the newest class. The rest of the class signs in February.

Sandland is rated by Rivals.com as a four-star player, and is listed as 6-6 and 250 pounds. He chose the Hurricanes over finalists Arizona State and Nebraska. Sandland is ranked the No. 6 overall junior college player and No. 1 tight end prospect by 247Sports.com.

In eight games as a sophomore in 2012, Sandland caught 24 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, earning first-team All-Pacific Conference honors. As a freshman, he had 20 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns.

Sandland had about 25 offers, including Southeastern Conference schools Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M, MIssissippi and LSU. But he eliminated the SEC in early October, saying he needed to take an online math class in order to graduate early in December and arrive at a new school in time to compete in spring practice. The SEC, he said, requires that student-athletes must take their online math (and/or English) classes through the school they will attend.

"There's no way I'm not leaving in December,'' he told ESPN in October. "I feel that it's really crucial to enroll early and go through spring ball. That's been my plan since day one, since I was still in high school talking to the PIerce coaches.''

 His official visit to UM was Dec. 1, and he told reporters he loved it. Wednesday, in a ceremony at his school, he cited the coaching staff, tight end tradition, returning UM quarterback and academics among the reasons he chose the Hurricanes, according to recruiting services.

The Hurricanes have been aching for a tight end who makes a major impact. It's been far too long without one.

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN