• Catch me if you can. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh worked overtime after Monday night's Orange Bowl rout over Virginia Tech to avoid addressing his immediate future with the Cardinal, first ditching ESPN's Michelle Tafoya on the field (above) before she had a chance to ask the looming question, then refusing to address reported overtures from Michigan and multiple NFL teams during the trophy presentation and post-game press conference. But his exit may not be quite as certain as we've been led to believe: A source in the Stanford athletic department texted ESPN's Ivan Maisel after the game that the Cardinal think they have a "50-50" shot of keeping Harbaugh aboard, and "a person with direct knowledge of Harbaugh's thinking" told the Detroit Free Press that he's "highly unlikely" to accept an offer from Michigan if it comes. At any rate, the San Francisco 49ers or Denver Broncos seem like more likely destinations this morning barring "an extreme change of heart," or Michigan ponying up to make him an offer he can't refuse. [Detroit Free Press, ESPN]
Meanwhile, back in Ann Arbor, Wolverine coaches are going about their business with the proverbial sword hanging over their heads, while a backup plan or two enters the conversation. [Detroit News]
• It's like he never left. LSU running back Stevan Ridley, a first-team All-SEC pick by conference coaches, has been cleared to play against Texas A&M in Friday night's Cotton Bowl. He'd been declared ineligible for a "one-time" academic violation just before Christmas. [Associated Press]
• Now it can be told. On the other side of the Cotton Bowl coin, Texas A&M quarterbacks coach Tom Rossley acknowledged Monday that the Aggies benched senior starter Jerrod Johnson in mid-October because of concerns over "diminished arm strength" following offseason shoulder surgery, leading to the insertion of converted receiver Ryan Tannehill and a six-game winning streak to close the regular season. "All along, the doctors kept saying [Johnson's shoulder] would get better with time," Rossley said. "And we kept thinking, 'OK, next week it's going to be better.' But it never really got to where we were hoping it would get ... The doctors are still telling him that it's just a matter of him building his strength back up." That will have to be in workouts for pro scouts, however, as Tannehill remains firmly entrenched atop the depth chart for Friday night's finale. [Dallas Morning News]
• Everybody's gonna jump for joy. Holding to his promise to install "pro-style" schemes on both sides of the ball, incoming Florida coach Will Muschamp has tapped Seattle Seahawks defensive line coach Dan Quinn – a former teammate of Muschamp's at Georgia – as the Gators' new defensive coordinator, on the same day Charlie Weis was formally announced as the new offensive coordinator. Quinn has spent the last decade bouncing around the NFL, including a stint alongside Muschamp on Nick Saban's staff with the Miami Dolphins, but with Weis in full control of the offense, the defense will almost certainly be Muschamp's baby. [Gainesville Sun]
• One toke over the line. Iowa has officially dismissed its leading rusher, sophomore Adam Robinson, who was arrested last week on a marijuana charge in Iowa while the rest of the team was in Arizona for the Insight Bowl. Robinson was suspended from the game for a violation of team rules before his arrest, and his exit makes him the third Hawkeye running back to leave the team in less than a month, following transfers by Jewel Hampton and Brandon Wegher. Freshman Marcus Coker's 220-yard breakthrough against Missouri eases the attrition, but when it comes to promising young running backs, Iowa fans have learned to brace themselves for the worst. [Associated Press]
• Well, it is only your son's last college game. The only person not thrilled by Tyrod Taylor's one-man band act Monday night? Tyrod Taylor's mom:
Don't worry, Mrs. Taylor: Ron Jaworski says you'll get plenty of chances to see Tyrod throw it in the NFL, and he's always right about these things. [Mocksession.com]
Quickly… Dave Wannstedt won't coach Pitt in Saturday's BBVA Compass Bowl, which is a real thing. … A former Knoxville body shop employee files a wrongful termination suit that alleges a fraudulent insurance coverup benefiting Lane Kiffin in 2009. … Auburn touches down in Arizona, 400 strong, but are they all eligible? … Oregon eludes local media. … Miami's new defensive coordinator reviews the Sun Bowl debacle. … Cyrus Gray is returning to Texas A&M for his senior year, and he wants to bring Jeff Fuller with him. … Oklahoma defensive end Ronnell Lewis is discharged from the hospital after a scary head and neck injury in Saturday's Fiesta Bowl. … And all hail Virginia Tech's Blackface Viking.
- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
Amanda Bynes Ana Ivanovi Jessica Cauffiel Emmanuelle Vaugier Sarah Silverman
No comments:
Post a Comment