College Football Capsules: Maryland hires Houston's Stewart as D-coordinator
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Maryland has hired Brian Stewart to be its new defensive coordinator. Stewart spent the past two seasons overseeing the defense of the Houston Cougars, who went 13-1 in 2011 and ranked 35th in the nation in scoring defense.
Terrapins coach Randy Edsall announced the hiring Tuesday, saying Stewart will bring an "aggressive style" to a unit that struggled last season under Todd Bradford.
The 47-year-old Stewart went to Houston after an eight-year run as an NFL assistant, including two years — 2007 and 2008 — as the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.
Stewart spent the 2009 season as a defensive special assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maryland went 2-10 last season, Edsall's first since replacing head coach Ralph Friedgen.
Graham taps A&M's Cassidy for executive ASU post
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — New Arizona State football coach Todd Graham has made Tim Cassidy senior associate athletic director of football.
Cassidy spent the last four seasons in a similar job at Texas A&M. In all, Cassidy spent 23 years at Texas A&M, starting as graduate assistant and rising through the ranks. He also had a stint as associate athletic director of football at Nebraska.
In the job at Arizona State, Cassidy will oversee all of the administrative aspects of the football program. John Wrenn, who has worked in the Sun Devils football office for three years, will remain at the school as assistant athletic director of football operations and high school relations.
Big 12
Funeral set for Thursday for ex-Oklahoma State coach
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — A funeral service for former Oklahoma State football coach Jim Stanley is scheduled for Thursday at the Sunnybrook Christian Church in Stillwater.
Stanley died of cancer last week in Arizona. He was the head coach at Oklahoma State from 1973 to 1978 and led the Cowboys to a share of the Big Eight title in 1976. That was the team's only conference title over a six-decade span that ended when OSU won the Big 12 title last season.
The school has set up an endowed scholarship fund in Stanley's name to accept contributions in his honor. The funeral is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Major College News & Notes
Johnson excited to coach at Arkansas, in the SEC
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Taver Johnson didn't need to hear much of Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes' sales pitch before deciding to become the Razorbacks' new linebackers coach.
"Come on, let's go," Haynes told Johnson. "We can do this."
The excitement he heard in Haynes' words was more than enough for Johnson, who spent the past five seasons at Ohio State. He was introduced at Arkansas on Tuesday, promising to bring a high-energy and emotional approach to a program that has won 21 games the last two seasons.
Johnson replaces Reggie Johnson, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Alabama-Birmingham. Taver Johnson, a Cincinnati native, will also hold the title of assistant head coach to Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino, and he said that and the prospect of coaching in the Southeastern Conference played roles in his decision.
"It was a difficult decision, obviously being an Ohioan and my family being there and things like that," Johnson said. "But the opportunity here that coach Petrino and Arkansas has ... Like I told the players last night, 'The way this train is rolling, it's going pretty fast.' To tell you what, we didn't mind trying to hop on board."
Johnson was retained as the Buckeyes cornerbacks coach following the hiring of Urban Meyer last month. However, the added coaching responsibility and the prospect of reuniting with Haynes were too much to pass up.
Johnson and Haynes met during a coaching convention in 1994. When Haynes left Ohio State last month to become Arkansas' defensive coordinator, Johnson quickly heard the excitement in Haynes' voice as he prepared for the Cotton Bowl — which the Razorbacks won 29-16 over Kansas State.
He takes over a linebacker corps that must replace middle linebacker Jerry Franklin, who led Arkansas in tackles in each of the last four seasons. The Razorbacks were ninth in the SEC in total defense this season, allowing an average of 364 yards per game.
Johnson knows that won't do moving forward, not if Arkansas wants to improve on its season-ending No. 5 ranking. The Razorbacks' only losses this season came to No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 LSU.
"Being around (Haynes) for the last five years, for sure, working with him, I understand how he thinks, his expectations," Johnson said. "They will be through the roof for the coaching staff as well as the players."
Johnson had never been to Arkansas before his hiring on Sunday, but he was familiar with the program after the Buckeyes played the Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl last season. He was also familiar with Petrino from when he was the defensive coordinator at Miami (Ohio), during which time the two faced off on the GMAC Bowl while Petrino was at Louisville.
"I know he's tough," Johnson said. "He's more like a defensive coach out there when you see him on the sideline with the energy and passion that he has. That was something that was definitely appealing."
Johnson has also spent two seasons coaching in the NFL, one season each with Oakland and Cleveland.
-- Kurt Voigt
Miles looks forward to 2012, despite Kiel's choice
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Les Miles is ready to move on from last week's deflating defeat to Alabama in the national championship and the loss of a prized quarterback recruit to Notre Dame.
"We have a 4 o'clock team meeting and that begins next season," said Miles while meeting with reporters just prior to the meeting Tuesday. "We know how to compete to win here. We'll put together the best team that can do that."
Signing day for 2012 recruits occurs Feb. 1, and Miles said he feels good about his next class even as Notre Dame announced that quarterback Gunner Kiel of Columbus, Ind., would play for the Irish, meaning he had officially backed out of his verbal commitment to LSU. Miles indirectly referred to Kiel's situation.
"Young people make a variety of decisions for a variety of reasons. A guy in the Midwest wanting to stay close to home was his right decision. I can understand that," Miles said. "We need people who would be happy in Louisiana."
LSU spent most of the 2011 season ranked No. 1, only to come up one victory short of winning their second national championship in five seasons. Alabama, which had lost to LSU in the regular season, convincingly won the rematch in the BCS national championship game on Jan. 9, 21-0.
Still, LSU will be among the favorites for a national title again next season with 12 players who started against Alabama returning, as well as both its punter and placekicker. Miles expects the Tigers will have the depth to overcome the losses of three key players who are leaving early to turn pro — All-American cornerback Morris Claiborne, wide receiver Rueben Randle and defensive tackle Michael Brockers.
"Next year's team will have just as much as talent as this year's team," Miles said. "It will be just as capable. There are pieces which need to mature and come together just like this year."
The most significant change for the Tigers will occur at quarterback where junior Zach Mettenberger will take over for the departing Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. Miles indicated that Mettenberger will provide the Tigers with a better passing threat.
"We'll throw the football more," Miles said. "We'll lose the characteristic of a quarterback who can move his feet. But, we'll have a quarterback who throws the football with a greater percentage.
"We'll have a different view of the quarterback position now. It will enable us to throw the football more effectively. We'll throw the football down the field more efficiently."
As disappointed as Miles was about losing the national title game, he said he thought his players deserved credit for what they did right during their 13-1 2011 campaign.
"This team won the SEC West which at one point had the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country," Miles said. "We won the finest conference in the country. We played in the last game where only two teams get to play.
"The players and coaches did everything they could to win that last game. It was not representative of our best play, but the guys gave everything they had. ... By any count, this was a great year."
Miles was questioned about his decision not to insert Lee when Jefferson was struggling in the national title game against Alabama. Lee was responsible for LSU's first eight victories. Lee was replaced by Jefferson as the starter after he threw two interceptions against the Tide in the regular season game.
"I had a question about changing quarterbacks," Miles said. "We got to Alabama's 32 when Jordan scrambled. The way the pass rush was going, we needed a mobile quarterback to make plays like that. Jarrett came to mind. I was confident in him. But, we needed a guy who could get loose with his feet.
"Jarrett did a great job at the start of the season. Pieces of this season were his. At the back end, we played mobile defenses. Jordan controlled the line of scrimmage with his movement. That enabled us to win those games."
Prized QB Kiel chooses Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Prized quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel is joining Notre Dame.
Coach Brian Kelly announced Kiel's decision Tuesday, marking one of the most significant recruits he has landed in his two-plus years on the job at Notre Dame. Kiel last year said he would go to Indiana, where his brother was among the quarterbacks, and he later expressed interest in LSU.
Instead, he could be in the mix as Kelly decides on a starting quarterback. Already on campus are junior Tommy Rees, who took over after the first half of a stunning season-opening loss to South Florida and started the next 12 games; junior Andrew Hendrix, who showed promise as a change-of-pace runner and passer in Kelly's spread offense; or untested and talented Everett Golson, who did not play last year as a freshman. Dayne Crist has transferred to Kansas.
Kiel was rated by many scouting services as the top recruit in the nation. Last year at Columbus (Ind.) High School, he passed for 2,517 yards and 28 touchdowns, and rushed for 482 yards and 11 scores. He passed for 7,175 yards in his high school career.
"This recruitment process was a roller-coaster ride at times, but I know I have made the right decision for my family and me," Kiel said in a statement provided by the school. "There were three critical elements I was looking for in my future school: the quality of education I would receive, the distance from home and the comfort level I would have with the players and coaches in the football program. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas."
Notre Dame also confirmed the arrival of running back Amir Carlisle, who played for USC last season, as well as defensive lineman Sheldon Day (Indianapolis) and defensive back Tee Shepard (Fresno, Calif.), who like Kiel graduated from high school last December.
Carlisle played in eight games for the Trojans last season, finishing with 19 carries for 118 yards and seven catches for 41 yards with a touchdown. He will have to sit out next season under NCAA transfer rules but will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Kelly has posted consecutive 8-5 seasons that both ended with a bowl appearance. He recently received a two-year contract extension which will keep him with the Fighting Irish through the 2016 season.
Notre Dame's 2012 schedule will be more challenging than Kelly's first two. After opening in Dublin, Ireland, against Navy, the schedule includes Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Southern California and Stanford. There are also matchups against BYU, Oklahoma, Miami, Pitt, Boston College and Wake Forest.
Kelly received good news last month when two other players who might have bolted for the NFL decided to return to South Bend for another season: linebacker and leading tackler Manti Te'o and talented tight end Tyler Eifert.
Michigan dismisses wide receiver Stonum
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan dismissed wide receiver Darryl Stonum, who was sentenced to 10 days in jail earlier this month, for a violation of team rules.
"I love Darryl and wish him nothing but the absolute best," coach Brady Hoke said Tuesday in a statement released by the school. "However, there is a responsibility and a higher standard you must be accountable to as a University of Michigan football student-athlete. That does not and will not change. It's unfortunate because I believe he has grown a great deal as a person since the beginning of the season. My hope is that maturing process continues."
Stonum was sentenced to two years of probation last June for operating a vehicle while visibly impaired. He was suspended indefinitely and eventually redshirted, leaving him one more year of eligibility.
He practiced with the Wolverines during the 2011 season and seemed to be moving toward being fully reinstated as a receiver that could potentially help Hoke in his second season.
But he was sent to jail earlier this month because he violated probation by driving with a revoked license and that proved to be the final mistake Michigan would let him make as a member of college football's winningest program.
"I appreciate everything the University of Michigan, Dave Brandon and Coach Hoke have done for me," Stonum said in a statement released by the school. "I look forward to continuing my football career down the road, but more importantly, right now I'm focused on graduating from Michigan this spring. I understand only I am responsible for my actions. I'm sad about how all of this turned out, but I completely understand."
If Stonum graduates, the NCAA rules would allow him to play in 2012 if he transfers to a school that offers him another chance to play while pursuing a master's degree not offered at Michigan.
Stonum started 25 games for former coach Rich Rodriguez over three seasons, catching 76 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned 62 kickoffs for 1,538 yards and holds the single-season kickoff return mark with 39 returns for 1,001 yards in 2009.
He was sentenced in April 2009 to a year of probation for driving while impaired the previous year and ended up in jail because for not providing random preliminary breath tests, failing to complete a 10-day work program and not reporting to his probation officer.
"It's a dark moment in my life," Stonum said in a 2010 interview. "I want to get rid of it, get past it and look ahead to the future."
Wisconsin hires Canada as offensive coordinator
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin has hired Matt Canada to be the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He replaces Paul Chryst, who left to become the head coach at Pittsburgh.
Canada spent last season in the same role at Northern Illinois, helping the Huskies to an 11-3 record, a MAC championship and a victory in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Badgers coach Bret Bielema says Canada excels at developing quarterbacks and is "very excited" about running a pro-style offense with the Badgers.
Under Canada's direction, Northern Illinois finished among the top 12 in the country in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense last season.
Last year marked Canada's second stint with Northern Illinois. Before that, Canada had spent the last seven years at Indiana.
UCLA selects Spanos as defensive coordinator
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lou Spanos has been selected as UCLA's defensive coordinator, completing new coach Jim Mora's staff. Mora hired the veteran NFL assistant coach on Tuesday.
Spanos was the Washington Redskins' linebackers coach for the past two years, coaching NFL tackles leader London Fletcher, Brian Orakpo and Rocky McIntosh to Pro Bowl seasons.
He spent the previous 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, helping the club to three Super Bowl appearances with a defense annually ranked among the NFL's best.
Mora, the former coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, has hired a coaching staff with more than 90 combined years of NFL experience. He also hired respected offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone away from Arizona State.
Five football recruits enroll at UConn for spring
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Five Connecticut football recruits have already started their college careers by enrolling at UConn for the spring semester. The group includes highly touted quarterback Casey Cochran, who won state titles while playing at New London and then Masuk high schools, and holds the state record for passing yards and completions.
Quarterback Chandler Whitmer from Newman, Ga.; center Kyle Bockeloh of Houston; tailback Joseph Williams of Allentown, Pa. and guard Drew Ghio of Bristol also have enrolled at UConn.
The rest of the school's recruiting class is expected to become official on Feb. 1, the first day recruits can sign a national letter of intent declaring which college they will attend in the fall.
Elsewhere
Big Sky games to be televised by Root Sports
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Big Sky Conference has a five-year television deal that it says could make conference football and basketball games available to viewers across 18 states and bring more money into the league's 13 schools.
League Commissioner Doug Fullerton said Tuesday that Root Sports will televise up to 18 conference football games each season, beginning next season, including the annual Montana-Montana State rivalry game.
"We would look to select that one and frankly put considerable resources into covering that and the leadup to it," said Patrick Crumb, president of DirecTV Sports Networks, which owns Root Sports. "It is a great rivalry. We would definitely like to feature that game."
"The production quality and game-day experience that they're going to provide with their outdoor studio show is going to be second-to-none," Fullerton said.
Under the agreement with DirecTV Sports Networks, Root Sports also may broadcast up to 12 regular-season conference basketball games along with the quarterfinal and semifinal men's basketball tournament games.
The games will be produced in high definition. Root Sports reaches a combined 6.3 million viewers in its Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions, on channels previously owned by Fox Sports Network. It has another 2.4 million cable and satellite homes in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, New York and Maryland in its Root Sports Pittsburgh region.
Fullerton said Root Sports will have to choose the football games it plans to broadcast by mid-March, giving the conference time to work with other broadcasters who might be interested in bidding on the remaining games. The financial details were not disclosed.
Crumb said the featured football game likely will kick off at 1:30 p.m. Mountain, with the possibility of double-headers with a second game at 5:30 p.m. Montana State has begun adding lights to its field while Montana has said it plans to have lights in place in time for the 2012 season.
Fullerton acknowledged that some Montana and Montana State football games will no longer be broadcast on channels that can be received over the air, leaving some pockets of the state where viewers cannot watch the games. However, he said the trade-off is that through Root Sports, the games will be available to millions of viewers.
"My job is to write contracts and try to promote 13 institutions," Fullerton said. "This is more than the Montana media market. This is 13 institutions in the west building the Big Sky brand."
The contract only includes rights to conference games, leaving nonconference games available for broadcast by other stations, Fullerton said. Beginning in 2012, the Big Sky Conference football schools will include: Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington, Portland State, North Dakota, Idaho State, Weber State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, Sacramento State, UC Davis, Cal Poly and Northern Arizona.
Ex-Alabama star Kirkpatrick arrested on drug charge
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Former Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, who is leaving school early to enter the NFL draft, was arrested early Tuesday on a marijuana possession charge.
An arrest report on the Manatee County Sheriff's Office web site said Kirkpatrick was arrested at 12:48 a.m. and charged with possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana. He was released on $120 bond.
Kirkpatrick is regarded as a potential top 10 NFL draft pick. The second-team All-American announced last week he was skipping his senior season with the national champions to enter the draft.
It isn't clear what Kirkpatrick was doing in Bradenton, but the town is home to IMG Performance Institute, which helps athletes train for the NFL combine. A message left with IMG wasn't immediately returned.
A police report said Kirkpatrick was a passenger in a truck driven by another former Alabama player, Christopher Airreun Rogers, 25, of Baltimore, Md., who police stopped for driving on the wrong side of the road. A dog detected the presence of drugs, the report said, and an officer found marijuana on the floorboard of the passenger side at Kirkpatrick's feet.
Rogers told police he purchased the marijuana at a house and was charged with a drug offense.
Kirkpatrick told officers he was in the car when the drugs were purchased by another person, but he didn't realize at the time what was being bought, the report said.
Arkansas State announces signing of Dyer
JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas State has announced the signing of former Auburn running back Michael Dyer. A source with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press last week that Dyer would join the Red Wolves.
Dyer was the first Auburn running back to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, but coach Gene Chizik suspended him indefinitely before the Chik-fil-A Bowl for violating unspecified team rules.
Dyer was the offensive MVP of the national championship game as a freshman last season and was selected to the Southeastern Conference Coaches' All-Freshman team. He set the Tigers freshman rushing record with 1,093 yards, breaking Bo Jackson's the mark of 829 yards in 1982. He ran for 1,242 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
Washington and Lee head football coach retires
LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — Washington and Lee's head football coach Frank Miriello is retiring.
The Lexington school said Tuesday that Miriello announced his retirement effective immediately, but he will remain as a physical education instructor for the remainder of the current term. In a statement, Miriello said he just celebrated his 67th birthday and felt like it was the right time to retire.
Miriello leaves the program with a 90-79-1 overall record across his 17 seasons as head coach. As the program's all-time wins leader, he guided the Generals to a pair of Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles and the only two NCAA Tournament berths in program history. Miriello also was selected as ODAC coach of the year five times.
Colorado State QB Thomas leaves school
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Quarterback Pete Thomas has withdrawn from Colorado State University. Athletic director Jack Graham said Tuesday that Thomas was granted a release from his scholarship and is free to pursue other opportunities. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
In a statement, Graham said, "We appreciate all that Pete gave to Colorado State University during his two years with us, and we wish him the best."
Thomas started his freshman and sophomore seasons for the Rams, who replaced coach Steve Fairchild with Jim McElwain after a third straight 3-9 season last year.
