Published: Monday, January 11, 2010
College Football Notebook: Riley staying at Oregon St.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State football coach Mike Riley has agreed to a three-year contract extension through 2019.
The extension, announced by the university late Sunday, effectively quashes rumors that Riley might be a candidate for the Southern California job.
At the American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando, Fla., Riley told The Associated Press on Monday he was never contacted by USC and had no intentions of leaving Corvallis.
“I’m very pleased to say I’m going to be at Oregon State for a long time,” he said. “That’s about as long as I’m going to coach probably. I wanted to get it out there that I was going to stay, regardless of whatever happened (at USC). I know that there were a ton of rumors out there and I thought that it was best to just get it all behind me.”
The 56-year-old Riley is in his second tenure with the Beavers. He held the job in 1997-98, coached the San Diego Charges from 1999-2001, and has been at Oregon State since 2003. He has led the Beavers to six bowl games, winning five.
Riley grew up in Corvallis. His father was an assistant coach under Dee Andros.
Georgia Tech players enter draft
ATLANTA — Atlantic Coast Conference champion Georgia Tech lost three more stars to the NFL on Monday.
All-America defensive end Derrick Morgan, 1,300-yard rusher Jonathan Dwyer and hard-hitting safety Morgan Burnett held a joint campus news conference to announce they’ll enter the draft with a year of college eligibility remaining.
They followed the course set by Georgia Tech’s leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas, who said Friday he’ll enter the draft rather than return to the Yellow Jackets for his senior season.
“The best fit for me is going to play at the next level,” said Dwyer, who was the ACC player of the year in 2008. “This is a dream I’ve had since I was 5 years old.”
Florida’s Dunlap, Pouncey enter draft
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has two more underclassmen headed to the NFL and one junior sticking around another season.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap and center Maurkice Pouncey announced their intentions Monday, joining cornerback Joe Haden and tight end Aaron Hernandez in leaving school early.
Guard Mike Pouncey, however, plans to return for his senior year. His decision should give the Gators four returning starters along the offensive line.
Former Vol pleads guilty to attempted robbery
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery on Monday. Richardson, 19, was charged Nov. 12 with two of his former teammates and a friend after three men reported to police that two men tried to rob them while they were sitting in their car at a Knoxville convenience store. Knox County Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz placed Richardson on three years of unsupervised probation as part of a plea agreement he made with prosecutors.
Southern U hires Mitchell
WASHINGTON — Washington Redskins running backs coach Stump Mitchell has accepted the head coaching job at Southern University. Mitchell met with new Redskins coach Mike Shanahan on Monday morning and turned in his final report on the team’s running backs. Mitchell then planned to drive south and appear at a news conference in Baton Rouge on Wednesday. Mitchell joined the Redskins in 2008, coming from the Seattle Seahawks staff with coach Jim Zorn. Zorn was fired last week after the Redskins went 4-12.
Ex-USC coach claims addiction to meds
A former Southern California assistant football coach stated in legal documents that he received prescriptions from team and university doctors he used to feed his addiction to painkillers, SI.com reported Monday. The Web site reported Dave Watson said in a deposition that he told then-Trojans coach Pete Carroll of his addiction in February 2008, but was allowed to keep his job and use a vehicle provided by USC. Watson was involved in a car accident in May 2008, in which he pleaded no contest to DUI charges and received three years’ probation, SI.com reported. The driver of the car Watson hit is now suing Watson and USC. In the three months between Watson’s alleged discussion with Carroll and the crash, Watson was prescribed 1,680 tablets of pain medication, SI.com reported, citing the deposition.
Leavitt to fight dismissal
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Former South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt wants his job back, insisting his dismissal for allegedly striking one of his players and then lying about the incident was unwarranted.
“The allegations were misreported. I said that from day one, and I don’t care how long it takes, I’m in this for my life — my name, my reputation, my family,” Leavitt said. “I want to coach this football team, this is the greatest job in the country, this is the greatest place to live, these guys are special, and I love my players, and I’m going to battle for my players in every way I can.”
Leavitt was fired last week after a university investigation concluded he grabbed one his players by the throat, slapped the athlete in the face and then lied about what occurred during halftime of a game against Louisville on Nov. 21.
Bama LB to enter NFL draft
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama All-American linebacker Rolando McClain is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. McClain anchored for the national champion Crimson Tide’s defense and is projected as a first-round pick. He led Alabama with 105 tackles and 14.5 stops for losses in 2009. He also had two interceptions and two sacks. He won Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker in 2009.
Bama defensive coordinator staying
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will remain with the national champion Crimson Tide. Coach Nick Saban announced Monday that Smart chose to remain at Alabama after being offered the same position at Georgia.
Arizona hires Colorado assistant as co-def coordinator
TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona has hired Colorado assistant Greg Brown as its co-defensive coordinator.
The 52-year-old Brown will run the Wildcats’ defense with linebackers coach Tim Kish.
Brown and Kish will take over for Mark Stoops, who left to take the coordinator’s role at Florida State after Arizona played in the Holiday Bowl.
Brown has been at Colorado the past four years, the last three as passing game defensive coordinator. He has also been an assistant coach at Wyoming and Purdue.
Brown spent 15 years in the NFL with six different teams — Tampa Bay, San Diego, Tennessee, Atlanta, New Orleans and San Francisco — and worked mainly with defensive backs.
The extension, announced by the university late Sunday, effectively quashes rumors that Riley might be a candidate for the Southern California job.
At the American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando, Fla., Riley told The Associated Press on Monday he was never contacted by USC and had no intentions of leaving Corvallis.
“I’m very pleased to say I’m going to be at Oregon State for a long time,” he said. “That’s about as long as I’m going to coach probably. I wanted to get it out there that I was going to stay, regardless of whatever happened (at USC). I know that there were a ton of rumors out there and I thought that it was best to just get it all behind me.”
The 56-year-old Riley is in his second tenure with the Beavers. He held the job in 1997-98, coached the San Diego Charges from 1999-2001, and has been at Oregon State since 2003. He has led the Beavers to six bowl games, winning five.
Riley grew up in Corvallis. His father was an assistant coach under Dee Andros.
Georgia Tech players enter draft
ATLANTA — Atlantic Coast Conference champion Georgia Tech lost three more stars to the NFL on Monday.
All-America defensive end Derrick Morgan, 1,300-yard rusher Jonathan Dwyer and hard-hitting safety Morgan Burnett held a joint campus news conference to announce they’ll enter the draft with a year of college eligibility remaining.
They followed the course set by Georgia Tech’s leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas, who said Friday he’ll enter the draft rather than return to the Yellow Jackets for his senior season.
“The best fit for me is going to play at the next level,” said Dwyer, who was the ACC player of the year in 2008. “This is a dream I’ve had since I was 5 years old.”
Florida’s Dunlap, Pouncey enter draft
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has two more underclassmen headed to the NFL and one junior sticking around another season.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap and center Maurkice Pouncey announced their intentions Monday, joining cornerback Joe Haden and tight end Aaron Hernandez in leaving school early.
Guard Mike Pouncey, however, plans to return for his senior year. His decision should give the Gators four returning starters along the offensive line.
Former Vol pleads guilty to attempted robbery
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson pleaded guilty to one count of attempted robbery on Monday. Richardson, 19, was charged Nov. 12 with two of his former teammates and a friend after three men reported to police that two men tried to rob them while they were sitting in their car at a Knoxville convenience store. Knox County Criminal Court Judge Mary Beth Leibowitz placed Richardson on three years of unsupervised probation as part of a plea agreement he made with prosecutors.
Southern U hires Mitchell
WASHINGTON — Washington Redskins running backs coach Stump Mitchell has accepted the head coaching job at Southern University. Mitchell met with new Redskins coach Mike Shanahan on Monday morning and turned in his final report on the team’s running backs. Mitchell then planned to drive south and appear at a news conference in Baton Rouge on Wednesday. Mitchell joined the Redskins in 2008, coming from the Seattle Seahawks staff with coach Jim Zorn. Zorn was fired last week after the Redskins went 4-12.
Ex-USC coach claims addiction to meds
A former Southern California assistant football coach stated in legal documents that he received prescriptions from team and university doctors he used to feed his addiction to painkillers, SI.com reported Monday. The Web site reported Dave Watson said in a deposition that he told then-Trojans coach Pete Carroll of his addiction in February 2008, but was allowed to keep his job and use a vehicle provided by USC. Watson was involved in a car accident in May 2008, in which he pleaded no contest to DUI charges and received three years’ probation, SI.com reported. The driver of the car Watson hit is now suing Watson and USC. In the three months between Watson’s alleged discussion with Carroll and the crash, Watson was prescribed 1,680 tablets of pain medication, SI.com reported, citing the deposition.
Leavitt to fight dismissal
PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Former South Florida football coach Jim Leavitt wants his job back, insisting his dismissal for allegedly striking one of his players and then lying about the incident was unwarranted.
“The allegations were misreported. I said that from day one, and I don’t care how long it takes, I’m in this for my life — my name, my reputation, my family,” Leavitt said. “I want to coach this football team, this is the greatest job in the country, this is the greatest place to live, these guys are special, and I love my players, and I’m going to battle for my players in every way I can.”
Leavitt was fired last week after a university investigation concluded he grabbed one his players by the throat, slapped the athlete in the face and then lied about what occurred during halftime of a game against Louisville on Nov. 21.
Bama LB to enter NFL draft
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama All-American linebacker Rolando McClain is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. McClain anchored for the national champion Crimson Tide’s defense and is projected as a first-round pick. He led Alabama with 105 tackles and 14.5 stops for losses in 2009. He also had two interceptions and two sacks. He won Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker in 2009.
Bama defensive coordinator staying
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart will remain with the national champion Crimson Tide. Coach Nick Saban announced Monday that Smart chose to remain at Alabama after being offered the same position at Georgia.
Arizona hires Colorado assistant as co-def coordinator
TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona has hired Colorado assistant Greg Brown as its co-defensive coordinator.
The 52-year-old Brown will run the Wildcats’ defense with linebackers coach Tim Kish.
Brown and Kish will take over for Mark Stoops, who left to take the coordinator’s role at Florida State after Arizona played in the Holiday Bowl.
Brown has been at Colorado the past four years, the last three as passing game defensive coordinator. He has also been an assistant coach at Wyoming and Purdue.
Brown spent 15 years in the NFL with six different teams — Tampa Bay, San Diego, Tennessee, Atlanta, New Orleans and San Francisco — and worked mainly with defensive backs.
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