Gary Parrish

Tennessee sophomore Emmanuel Negedu had a sub-pectoral implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) implanted in his chest Tuesday and will not practice with or play for the Vols this season, the school has announced.

Negedu suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after a workout Sept. 28.

He had no pulse when medics arrived.

“Emmanuel is such a special young man,” said UT coach Bruce Pearl. “You don’t come across many like him. He’s faced a tremendously frightening obstacle with unbelievable courage. He is going to be an inspiration to many, and we all feel truly blessed that he’s still here with us.”

Negedu is expected to remain at the UT Medical Center overnight.

“I just want to say thanks to all those people that care about me and show me they care,” Negedu said. “I want to say I appreciate everything. God is going to see me through this. With God, all things are possible. God is always in control.”

Tennessee sophomore Emmanuel Negedu -- who had to be revived with a defibrillator after collapsing Monday -- was still at the UT Medical Center resting and having tests run Tuesday morning, a source told CBSSports.com.

Negedu collapsed at the football practice facility after lifting weights.

A source said the forward had no pulse when members of the UT athletic training staff arrived.

Negedu averaged 7.2 minutes per game last season and appeared in all 33 contests. He originally signed with Arizona out of Brewster Academy but later enrolled at Tennessee after getting a release. Whether he'll ever be cleared to play again is now uncertain.

"We just spoke with E-Man and he is in great spirits," Griffin Guess, the Hollywood producer who is married to supermodel Marisa Miller, told CBSSports.com early Tuesday. Guess, like Negedu, is a Brewster Academy graduate. He and Miller befriended the Nigerian during a trip to Brewster two years ago. They have remained in contact ever since and even attended a UT game in Knoxville last season.

"Marisa and I are going to go see him," Griffin added. "We're just happy he is feeling well."

So Erin Andrews excites campuses with her presence, does she?

Man, you haven't seen anything yet.

"Should I paint my face?" Marisa Miller asked by phone, at which point I recommended -- on behalf of heterosexuals everywhere, particularly those in Knoxville, Tenn., -- that she do nothing to hide, disguise or otherwise alter her natural self. After all, it's not everyday that a Victoria's Secret Angel attends a college basketball game; far as I know, this is the first. So get ready, Thompson-Boling Arena, because America's Supermodel and the World's Hottest Woman (according to Maxim ) will be in attendance Wednesd ay night when the Tennessee Vols host LSU.

"This is a special trip," Miller said Tuesday, shortly after arriving in Knoxville. "It's really exciting for me to be here."

Now I know what you're thinking.

What the hell is Marisa Miller doing at a UT game?

The story dates to last January, when Griffin Guess -- a music producer and manager of artists and models -- was invited to speak at Brewster Academy, a boarding school two hours north of Boston from which Guess graduated in 1998. For those unfamiliar, Guess and Miller are married. So the couple traveled from their California home across the country to New Hampshire, where they met a Brewster Academy basketball player named Emmanuel Negedu.

"Griffin and him hit it off right away," Miller said. "It was just sort of a natural relationship that developed."

Guess was intrigued by the story, how Negedu left Nigeria for the United States to pursue a dream. He invited the 6-foot-7 forward to California to shoot some videos as he announced his decision to attend Tennessee instead of Indiana, Georgia Tech and Memphis, and Guess promised he'd make it to campus for a game at some point this season. Of course, that's hard to do given that there's always something going on. Miller was in St. Bart's last week for a shoot, and the couple had to be in Washington D.C. on Monday for another project.

"But I just sort of looked at the schedule and said, 'Let's go down there,'" Guess explained. "I said, 'Let's finally make it over to Knoxville,' because if we didn't go now I wasn't sure when we were going to go."

Thus, Griffin Guess and Marisa Miller are in Knoxville.

They reunited with Negedu on Tuesday night.

"It was really great to see him," Guess said. "I think he's grown about an inch and put on 10 pounds. He looks good."

Speaking of looking good, did I mention Marisa Miller will be at Thompson-Boling Arena tonight? The former basketball player -- "I used to play in school," she said. "I was a guard." -- can't wait to get there (face unpainted, I hope) to support Negedu while trying to help Tennessee improve to 4-1 in the SEC, if only by serving as a distraction to LSU's Marcus Thornton.

"I think the atmosphere will be exciting," Miller said. "I just hope I don't embarrass Emmanuel by cheering too loudly."

Somehow, I don't think that'll be a problem.

Because if Negedu can't handle a supermodel screaming his name, that's on him.

Ever wanted to know how it sounds when a recruit calls a coach and verbally commits?

If so, we've got the video of Emmanuel Negedu ringing Bruce Pearl earlier this week.

Click this link and check it out.

Here's Wednesday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: I understand CBS is doing a documentary on Emmanuel Negedu. Do you know any details?

-- Tony

It's not a documentary as much as it's a Day in the Life type thing. It should be up later today here on CBSSports.com, and I figure this is as good a time as any to explain what's going on and how this all happened.

Emmanuel, as you probably know, attended Brewster Academy, which is also the alma mater of Hollywood producer Griffin Guess. Small world, huh? Anyway, Griffin was invited back to campus this past January to speak to students, and so he and his wife Marisa Miller -- yes, she's that Marisa Miller, the supermodel -- traveled to Brewster and while there attended a basketball game, at which time they met Emmanuel.

Long story short, Griffin became interested in Emmanuel's story.

He kept up with how things were going.

And when the story took a strange turn with the release from Arizona and the recruiting battle between Tennessee, Memphis, Indiana and Georgia Tech, Griffin decided to invite Emmanuel to California to film some stuff and make his announcement from there. So that's what's been going on this week. While you are living whatever life you live, Emmanuel Negedu is kicking it in Santa Cruz with a Hollywood producer and a supermodel (who happened to top Maxim's Hot 100 list this year, case you didn't know), and it's times like these when I really wish I was Emmanuel Negedu.

Or better yet, Griffin Guess.

In all seriousness, check back later today.

The Negedu stuff should be up then with something bigger later in the week.

Emmanuel Negedu has verbally committed to Tennessee.

"I'm going to the University of Tennessee," Negedu said by phone Tuesday in an exclusive interview with CBSSports.com. "Tennessee was one of the schools I considered before I (signed with) Arizona (last November), and when I visited there I liked the campus and I really got along with the players. It just seemed like a family. I love it. And I feel like I've known the coaches forever."

A 6-foot-7 forward, Negedu is the one-time Arizona signee who asked for a release from his national letter of intent last month, unhappy with the uncertainty surrounding Lute Olson and the Arizona program. When the release was granted the African import immediately became the central recruiting target for multiple elite level programs -- specifically Tennessee, Indiana, Memphis and Georgia Tech, all of which were searching for an impact frontcourt player to add to the 2008-09 roster.

Rivals.com ranks Negedu as the 40th-best prospect in his class while Scout.com has him at No. 71. Either way, he's an extremely athletic, explosive post presence who should immediately help the Vols as he competes for minutes with veterans Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith.

For Bruce Pearl, this is a huge development.

It not only solidifies Tennessee as a preseason top 10 team, but it's an example of Pearl -- aided by assistant Steve Forbes -- beating rival John Calipari and Memphis on a "national" recruit as the two programs continue to compete for supremacy in the state. Negedu's pledge also pushes Tennessee's recruiting class solidly into the top 10 considering he's the fourth Rivals.com top 70 prospect to commit. The best of the group is McDonald's All-American Scotty Hopson, who will start in the backcourt beside junior college standout Bobby Maze for a team that should win the SEC and could advance to the Final Four.

Emmanuel Negedu will unveil is college destination this afternoon.

I'm supposed to talk to the 6-foot-7 forward in the next few hours, at which time he will announce his decision and instantly add a top 100 recruit to somebody's program. Negedu will choose between Georgia Tech, Indiana, Memphis and Tennessee.

The Emmanuel Negedu Summer Tour 2008 is halfway complete.

The nation's top uncommitted incoming freshman visited Indiana last week and Georgia Tech on Monday and Tuesday. He's now scheduled to visit Tennessee today before visiting Memphis on Thursday. A decision is expected soon thereafter.

A 6-foot-7 forward, Negedu is rated as the 40th-best incoming freshman by Rivals.com.

He signed with Arizona last November but requested a release that was granted last month.

Here's Thursday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: Just wondering how well you think the Indiana team will be next year. With only two returning scholarship players and the house cleaning Tom Crean has done, the team will be young and inexperienced. However, this team could surprise some people and do well within Crean's guard-oriented system and with the IU faithful behind them. The possible addition of Emanuel Negedu will have an impact on Indiana's success. But I was just wondering what your expectations are and anything to watch out for.

-- Kevin

I don't really have any expectations because when you take a job and lose everybody except two players, well, not much can be expected. The truth is that it'll be a miracle if Tom Crean fields a team that can compete for a Big Ten title or a berth in the NCAA tournament, although I should mention that when I spoke with Crean recently he promised his Hoosiers "would be better than people think." Either way, here's the bottom line: Crean's first few months on the job (and his entire first season) is going to be about laying a foundation and creating a culture much different than the culture that has plagued IU basketball. That should be the only goal this season. But I'm confident that in two or three years Crean will have Indiana basketball back in a big way because he works too hard and has too great an understanding of how this business works to not succeed at a high level. Remember, Marquette basketball was mostly irrelevant until he arrived and turned that program around, and I'm certain he'll do the same thing at Indiana, regardless of what happens on the court this season.

As for Negedu, that's going to be an interesting recruiting battle.

Though Georgia Tech is involved, most believe it'll come down to Memphis, Tennessee and Indiana, and all three schools have reason to believe they can land the former Arizona signee. The key for Memphis is new assistant Josh Pastner, who initially recruited Negedu to Arizona. The key for Tennessee is Drew Adams, a staff member who is the son of Indiana Elite coach Mark Adams; Negedu played summer basketball for Adams with the Indiana Elite. And the key for Indiana will be the Indiana Elite connection, though it's unclear in basketball circles whether Indiana Elite powerbroker Mike Barnett will be helping his good friend (John Calipari) or his local school (Indiana).

Like I said, it'll be interesting

But just know the winner of the Negedu sweepstakes will be getting a fine player who can help immediately.

Arizona has granted Emmanuel Negedu an "immediate and full release" from his national letter of intent.

A 6-foot-7 forward, Negedu told CBSSports.com early Sunday that he requested the release in a weekend meeting with Lute Olson. When Olson left that meeting he gave the prized recruit no indication of whether the release would be granted. But Arizona officials released a statement this afternoon announcing the development, and now Negedu is free to be recruited by other schools.

Scout.com ranks Negedu as the 71st best senior in the nation.

Rivals.com has him at No. 40.

(Update: I just spoke with Negedu by phone. He said the four schools he's considering are Tennessee, Indiana, Memphis and Georgia Tech.)

Arizona signee Emmanuel Negedu has asked for a release from his letter of intent.

Arizona has reportedly promised a decision by today.

Still, Negedu is awaiting word as I type.

The 6-foot-7 forward told CBSSports.com a little while ago that he hasn't heard a thing yet. But just so we're clear, Negedu has made it clear he will not attend Arizona even if Arizona doesn't release him. So if Lute Olson planned to strong-arm the top 50 prospect into following through on his commitment, he'd better have a secondary plan because Negededu seems determined to do another year of high school if that's what it takes to not be a Wildcat.

To be continued, for sure ...

Sunday is turning out to be a big day in basketball recruiting.

Devin Ebanks has verbally committed to West Virginia.

Emmanuel Negedu has asked Arizona for a release.

That means one Top 50 player (Ebanks) is off the board and another (Negedu) is at least trying to get back on it.

So it's been a good day for West Virginia and a bad day for Arizona.

Assuming Arizona grants Negedu a release, the leading candidates to land him will be Tennessee and Indiana. If Negedu wants to play for a legitimate Final Four team, UT should be the spot. But if he wants to be a primary option from the start for a team that'll need him to be a star from the start, IU makes more sense because the Hoosiers will be seriously short-handed during Tom Crean's first season in charge.