Crabtree, others choose NFL
Several more underclassmen declared Tuesday that they will forgo their remaining college eligibility and enter the NFL draft.
The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is Thursday. Those who declared Tuesday are:
Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: His career totals of 231 catches for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns would be remarkable over three or four years. Compiled over only two years, it’s no wonder he was an All-American both seasons and was a two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. He was fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy this past season.
Aaron Maybin, Penn State: The 6-foot-4, 245-pound sophomore All-American will be one of the top defensive ends available in the draft and is a likely first-round pick. He led the Big Ten with 12 sacks and finished with 49 tackles — 20 for loss — as the Nittany Lions went 11-1 before losing 38-24 to USC in the Rose Bowl.
Asher Allen, Georgia: The 5-foot-10, 198-pound junior cornerback joins teammates Matthew Stafford (junior QB) and Knowshon Moreno (sophomore RB) as Bulldogs entering the draft. Allen had no interceptions last season after having three in 2007 and was fourth on the team with 53 tackles.
Nate Davis, Ball State: The junior quarterback threw for 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions this season and his QB rating was 13th in the nation. He helped his team to a 12-2 season, during which it was ranked as high as 12th and made it to the GMAC Bowl where the Cardinals lost to Tulsa. The previous season, Davis passed for school records of 3,667 yards and 30 touchdowns. He leaves as the school’s leader in touchdown passes (74), yards passing (9,233), attempts (1,124) and completions (678).
Jeremy Childs, Boise State: The junior wide receiver and the school’s No. 2 all-time pass catcher was the Broncos’ leading receiver last season, catching 72 passes for 802 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a first-team all-Western Athletic Conference selection for the second consecutive season.
Mays headed back to USC
LOS ANGELES — All-American safety Taylor Mays has decided to return to the Trojans for his senior season rather than turn pro. A three-year starter, he was one of three finalists for the Thorpe Award as the country’s top defensive back. Malcolm Jenkins of Ohio State won the award.
Utes coach is tops
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was named Tuesday as the American Football Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year for the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Whittingham’s Utes went 13-0 and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl for the best record in the school’s 115-year history. Utah also has the longest current bowl winning streak at eight with Whittingham winning the last four. But Utah finished No. 2 in The Associated Press poll and fourth in the coaches’ final poll.
The other coaches of the year included Mike London of Richmond in the Football Championship Subdivision, Mel Tjeerdsma of Northwest Missouri State in Division II, Larry Kehres of Mount Union in Division III and Kalen DeBoer of Sioux Falls in NAIA.
Boston College has new coach
BOSTON — Frank Spaziani is the new football coach at Boston College, promoted after spending 12 seasons as an assistant with the Eagles. He takes over for Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired after he interviewed for the coaching job with the New York Jets.
Harbaugh likes Stanford
STANFORD, Calif. — Jim Harbaugh set the record straight Tuesday: He plans to stay put coaching at Stanford.
There has been speculation in recent weeks that Harbaugh might interview for NFL openings in Detroit or Oakland and that he reportedly had met with the New York Jets last Thursday about their head coaching vacancy.
In Harbaugh’s second season, Stanford finished one win shy of making it to a bowl game for the first time since 2001 — losing to rival California 37-16 in the Big Game.
AFCA has new president
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — San Jose State’s Dick Tomey took over Tuesday as president of the American Football Coaches Association, replacing Tyrone Willingham, recently fired as the University of Washington’s coach.
Aztecs hire Sipe
SAN DIEGO — Former NFL MVP Brian Sipe was hired as quarterbacks coach Tuesday at his alma mater, San Diego State. It’s the first college coaching job for Sipe, who has spent the past eight seasons as the head coach at Santa Fe Christian High in nearby Solana Beach.
Former USC LB dies
LOS ANGELES — Eric Scoggins, an outside linebacker who helped USC beat Alabama in their big 1978 matchup, has died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 49. Scoggins played three games for the San Francisco 49ers in 1982, then spent time in the United States Football League with the Los Angeles Express and Houston Gamblers.
The Associated Press
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