Fitzgerald honors Rees by naming him a captain

Three months ago, Trevor Rees sat in a Skokie courtroom, waiting to face a misdemeanor DUI charge.

Rees had been suspended indefinitely from the Northwestern football team following an April arrest. The offensive lineman's football future appeared in doubt.

Fast-forward to Thursday, when coach Pat Fitzgerald announced Northwestern's four team captains for the 2007 season at media day.

The second name Fitzgerald called? Trevor Rees.

"It's the best honor you can have," said Rees, a three-year starter at center who joins wide receiver Tonjua Jones, linebacker Adam Kadela and safety Reggie McPherson as captains. "I'm going to handle it with the utmost responsibility."

Rees trained on his own until July, when he was reinstated with the team after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. Fitzgerald said the senior's attitude toward adversity -- Rees missed the 2005 season for academic reasons before reclaiming his starting job -- touched a chord with players.

"Trevor is one of our leaders, regardless of any trouble he gets into," running back Tyrell Sutton said. "He's proven himself, and he's going to keep proving himself.

"With him being away from the team for two, three months, it was devastating. … You don't know what you've got till it's gone, and he learned his lesson the hard way."

There's no official word on discipline for Rees, though any suspension likely wouldn't go beyond the season opener against Northeastern. Fitzgerald said he will address Rees' situation Monday.

"The athletic department or the school will do what they want to do," Rees said. "I don't have any control over that. I'm getting ready to play ball whenever."

Safety squeeze: Starting strong safety Brendan Smith will be a game-time decision for the opener after re-injuring his surgically repaired right shoulder last week. Smith said Thursday the shoulder is "good to go," but Pat Fitzgerald wants to see how it responds to contact.

If Smith can't play, sophomore Brad Phillips would fill in at safety. Rasheed Ward will take over at punt returner.

Sutton back: Tyrell Sutton returned to practice Wednesday after missing all of training camp in Kenosha, Wis., with a strained hamstring. The junior said he's 100 percent healthy.

"I felt great," Sutton said. "Going out there and having an adrenaline rush in a practice is completely different than being off to the side, running by yourself."

Fresh faces: Pat Fitzgerald said Northwestern will play four true freshmen this fall: safety David Arnold, offensive lineman Al Netter and "superbacks" Drake Dunsmore and Josh Rooks. Dunsmore and Rooks will back up sophomore Brendan Mitchell at superback, a tight end-fullback hybrid that likely will be used more this fall.

He said it: Pat Fitzgerald, on moving practices this fall from afternoons to mornings: "We've got a couple of (players) that are not very good morning people, but a little bit of AC/DC or 50 Cent in the team room gets 'em going."

Inches to go: Amado Villarreal will start the opener at place-kicker, while scholarship kicker Stefan Demos will handle punts and kickoffs. … Backup offensive tackle Ramon Diaz (ankle) and reserve cornerback Gerard Hamlett (knee) will sit out at least the opener with injuries. … Freshman wide receiver Charles Brown will miss the season after having surgery to repair a dislocated toe.