Applewhite returns to Texas as assistant coach
AUSTIN (AP) -- Former Texas quarterback Major Applewhite is rejoining the Longhorns as an assistant coach, leaving his job as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama.
The 29-year-old Applewhite was the youngest offensive coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season and returns to the campus where he was a fan favorite as a player from 1998-2001.
We're really excited to have Major back," Texas head coach Mack Brown said Wednesday. "We always knew when Major was playing that he was a student of the game and would be a terrific coach one day. He's living up to that."
Texas scheduled a Thursday news conference to introduce Applewhite as the assistant head coach and running backs coach. His salary will be $250,000, the same amount he was paid at Alabama.
Texas had the vacancy after running backs coach Ken Rucker was reassigned within the athletic department. Applewhite is the second new addition from the state of Alabama. Brown hired defensive coordinator Will Muschamp away from Auburn earlier this month.
Applewhite still holds several Texas passing records, including career yards (8,353), season yards (3,357) and touchdown passes (60).
He has been a rising star in assistant coaching circles for several years, moving from a graduate assistant at Texas to the full-time staff at Syracuse in 2005. He was offensive coordinator at Rice in 2006 and spent last season with the Crimson Tide.
"It's exciting to be a Longhorn again," Applewhite said. "The opportunity to come back to my alma mater, working with Coach Brown .... is special.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Clemson star runner Davis to enter NFL draft
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- The "Thunder" is leaving Death Valley.
James Davis, part of Clemson's "Thunder and Lightning" backfield the past two years, has decided to give up his senior season to enter April's NFL draft.
"I can't lie to you, it was really hard for me just to leave here," Davis said Wednesday night after meeting with coach Tommy Bowden for about 30 minutes. "I've been thinking about it every day."
Davis was projected as a third-round pick by the NFL and Bowden thought it was his player's best interest to remain one more season.
"But I'm going to totally support the decision and I'm going to encourage him to come back and get his degree," Bowden said.
Davis said he isn't concerned about other high-profile juniors runners who have entered the draft like Ray Rice of Rutgers and Kevin Smith of Central Florida.
"If I was concerned about that, I'd probably stay in school," Davis said. "I feel like I played healthy this whole season and I did a lot as far as being consistent. That's something I looked at."
Davis struggled with the choice since Clemson's 23-20 overtime loss to Auburn at the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve. He met twice with his family and made a trip to Florida to clear his head.
Part of the reason was financial, said Davis, who has a 1-year-old daughter. A bigger reason was Davis' goal of playing in the NFL.
"It's my dream, man," he said.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Davis led the Tigers in rushing the past three years, going past the 1,000-yard mark in 2006 and 2007. He finished with 38 touchdowns, second on Clemson's career list.
Without Davis, the bulk of the running load next year falls to sophomore C.J. Spiller, who's speed and ability to juke defenders gained him the nickname, "Lightning."
Davis was in regular contact with Spiller, who was supportive of the move.
"He learned a lot from me and I think he'll do well," Davis said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Turner takes lead as Maryland prepares to face Oregon State in Emerald Bowl
SAN FRANCISCO -- Maryland quarterback Chris Turner is a crazy-haired, laid-back California native. He's also one of the few Terrapins who had ever been to the Bay Area before last week's trip out west for the Emerald Bowl.
And though the Terps will be following Turner's lead on the field Friday night against Oregon State, they don't think much of him as a tour guide.
"We were on the plane flying in, and I was going, 'Look, there's the Hollywood sign, guys!" said Turner, a sophomore who became the starter midway through Maryland's injury-plagued season.
Hollywood is a good 300 miles away from the San Francisco Giants' waterfront ballpark, but Turner hopes the Terrapins (6-6, 3-5 ACC) can create a little showtime in a tough postseason matchup against the Beavers (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10).
"I wasn't sitting anywhere near (Turner), so he couldn't lie to me," offensive lineman Andrew Crummey said. "It's a new experience for most guys to be out here, but we're still focused on finishing the right way."
The Terps embraced the chance to travel cross-country to end a disappointing season that began with conference title hopes. Coach Ralph Friedgen, who's won his last three bowl games since losing the Orange Bowl in his first season at his alma mater, hopes Maryland's injury woes and a string of tough losses will be tempered by a strong finish.
"It's been a journey, and we've had so many injuries and disappointments, so many games we could have won," Friedgen said. "Then there were games nobody expected us to win, and we did. This team wants to win very badly, because it would make us 7-6 and maybe salvage our season."
While Maryland has outscored its last three bowl opponents 96-17, Friedgen's rebuilding project has slowed after starting with three consecutive 10-win seasons and an ACC championship from 2001-03. Maryland has just 25 wins in the four seasons since.
"We expected so much more out of the season than what happened," said Crummey, who has recovered from a broken leg in time to finish his stellar career in a bowl game. "Let's just show what we have -- show how dominant Maryland is."
Though the Terrapins are wide-eyed on just their school's second trip to California in 115 years, Oregon State already knows the Bay Area quite well. The Beavers got their most impressive win across the water in Berkeley in October, knocking off then-No. 2 Cal 31-28 early in their 6-1 finish to the regular season.
The Beavers have their own regrets about a good regular season that could have been great, but coach Mike Riley figures it's a fine reward to get the chance to line up against an unfamiliar opponent in a town close enough to Corvallis to draw thousands of Oregon State fans.
"This is really what the bowl season should be," said Riley, who's unbeaten in three bowl appearances with his hometown school. "It's a reward for these guys to come to one of the great cities in America, and they get the chance to play a team they don't know in front of a big national audience."
Both teams began bowl preparations with no knowledge of each other. Friedgen is impressed by Yvenson Bernard, Oregon State's talented tailback, while Riley gained respect for the Maryland defense led by junior linebacker Erin Henderson, who could be headed to the NFL after the game.
The top matchup could be Oregon State's stingy run defense, ranked second in the nation, against tailbacks Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball in Maryland's effective rushing attack.
"As a team player, I just want to go out on a good note and finishing strong," Bernard said. "The great thing about this team is its heart, and we just want to show it off one more time."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
OSU player suspended from championship game for rule violation
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio State backup cornerback Eugene Clifford will not play in the BCS national championship game against LSU after being suspended Thursday for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
Columbus station WCMH-TV and The Columbus Dispatch reported earlier that Clifford, a freshman, and starting cornerback Donald Washington had both been suspended for the game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans.
The school released a statement later stating only Clifford would be suspended. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith did not immediately return a message. Athletic department spokeswoman Shelly Poe said no further comment on the situation was expected.
Clifford was a prized recruit from Cincinnati's Colerain High School. He was listed as Malcolm Jenkins' backup at border corner on the Buckeyes' latest two-deep chart.
The top-ranked Buckeyes' final workout before the holidays was Wednesday. They will be off until Dec. 26, then practice for a week before flying to New Orleans on Jan. 2.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Johnson announced as Ga. Tech coach
ATLANTA (TICKER) -- Navy coach Paul Johnson is bringing his triple-option attack to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Johnson was announced as the new football coach at Georgia Tech at press conference Friday after signing a seven-year deal worth more than $11 million.
"It seemed like a match made in heaven to me," Johnson said. "There's probably not another program we would have left the Naval Academy for."
Johnson, 50, replaces Chan Gailey, who was fired November 26 after guiding the Yellow Jackets to a 7-5 record this season.
"Paul Johnson is the best fit, the best choice for the Georgia Tech head coaching position," athletic director Dan Radakovich said. "At the end of the day, the winner was Georgia Tech."
After coaching Georgia Southern to Division I-AA titles in 1999 and 2000, Johnson was hired by Navy in 2002, inheriting a once-proud program which went 1-10 the previous season.
After struggling in their first season under Johnson, the Midshipmen have flourished in recent years thanks to their triple-option offense.
Johnson is confident that his triple-option system can thrive even against a higher level of competition.
"I think it works in the ACC," Johnson said. "We're not going to try to put a square peg in a round hole. Our system is adjustable."
Navy went 8-4 this season and boasted the nation's top-ranked rushing attack, averaging over 350 yards on the ground. The Midshipmen will play Utah on December 20 in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Johnson told the Capital newspaper that he will not coach the bowl game.
"No, I don't think that would be fair to the players or my new employee or anyone else involved on both sides," Johnson said. "I think when you do something like this, you need to cut and move on."
Johnson compiled a 45-29 record in six seasons at Navy, guiding the Midshipmen to bowl appearances in each of the past five years.
Gailey, 55, coached the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play this season. However, Georgia Tech's season ended in disappointing fashion with a 31-17 loss to Georgia.
It was the Yellow Jackets' seventh straight overall loss to the rival Bulldogs, tying their longest losing streak in the series.
Hired to replace George O'Leary in 2002, Gailey enjoyed only moderate success at Georgia Tech. His best season came in 2006, when the Yellow Jackets went 9-5 and finished tied for first in the ACC Coastal Division.
In his six seasons at Georgia Tech, Gailey went 44-32, including a 28-20 mark in ACC play.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Davis says he will return for second season at North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Butch Davis apparently isn't going anywhere.
North Carolina's coach -- whose name has been mentioned as a possible candidate for other coaching vacancies -- said Thursday he won't talk with other schools about jobs and will return for his second season here.
Obviously, I know that there was interest out there," Davis said. "But I have to be honest and tell you that my interest was to stay at the University of North Carolina. I love this job, and I love being here and I love being a part of it. I look very much forward to the future of this program."
When asked directly whether he could say that he would not talk to other schools or entertain other offers, Davis said, "You got it. Exactly what you said."
The school announced before the season finale against Duke that Davis, who led the youthful Tar Heels to a 4-8 record in his first season, agreed to terms for a one-year contract extension through the 2014 season. The extension also included a raise of $291,000 that will push his annual income to about $2.1 million. The extension has not been finalized yet, team spokesman Kevin Best said Thursday.
The extension came as Davis was rumored to be a candidate for other jobs, including at his alma mater, Arkansas. But he refuted that Thursday, saying, "There is no interest in the University of Arkansas coaching job."
Davis is best known for rebuilding a Miami program weakened by NCAA sanctions that limited scholarships during his first three seasons. But he gradually brought the Hurricanes back to the nation's elite, going 51-20 while leading Miami to three Big East championships and four bowl victories.
His last team went 11-1 and finished ranked No. 2 nationally in 2000 after winning the Sugar Bowl. Then, after Davis left to coach the NFL's Cleveland Browns, his former players went unbeaten in 2001 and won a national title.
His hiring gave North Carolina's beleaguered fans what they had hoped: a big-name coach to return the Tar Heels to the success they enjoyed only a decade earlier, when Mack Brown led North Carolina to consecutive top-10 seasons before leaving for Texas.
Since Brown left in 1997, the Tar Heels have reached just three bowl games.
During the season, Davis sounded like someone who planned to stick around. He talked ambitiously about renovations and upgrades to 60,000-seat Kenan Stadium. He also seemed eager to return to recruiting after putting together a surprisingly strong first class and work with a young team -- 59 of the Tar Heels' 84 scholarship players were underclassmen -- through offseason drills and spring practice.
Davis also noted another reason Thursday: his wife Tammy and teenage son Drew.
"My family and I truly love Chapel Hill," he said. "We've chosen it as a place to raise our son. We've chosen it as a place to stay and I'm real thrilled to be here. I'm fortunate to have this job and I love being a part of it."
Davis also said Thursday that quarterback T.J. Yates will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder later this month. Yates is expected to recover in time for next season.
Also on Thursday, Davis said North Carolina had added McNeese State to open next season on Aug. 30.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno's salary -- more than $500,000 -- finally revealed
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Joe Paterno's salary is no longer one of the most closely guarded secrets in college sports. The Penn State coach will earn more than $500,000 this year.
The State Employees' Retirement System released Paterno's salary Thursday, more than a week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that his salary and those of other top Penn State officials are public information.
Paterno was paid $427,220 in the first 10 months of 2007 -- putting his year-end salary on track to be $512,664. He was paid $490,638 last year, according to the retirement system.
"I'm paid well. I'm not overpaid," Paterno said earlier in the day, during an interview with reporters about his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction. "I got all the money I need."
But it's not even close to what some other big-name coaches are making. Alabama's Nick Saban is the highest paid coach at $4 million per year, while Oklahoma's Bob Stoops makes over $3 million. Ohio State's Jim Tressel, Florida's Urban Meyer and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier make upward of $2 million annually.
Many coaches receive substantial bonuses or outside income, but the retirement system data did not show other forms of compensation.
Paterno said Thursday he makes more money than is reflected in the retirement system's figures, but didn't specify how much.
He has no immediate plans to dip into his pension anytime soon. While Paterno acknowledges the end of his career is near, he said he still tells recruits that he could go another "three, four, five years" if his health allows, and that "all the positive things here will still be here when I leave."
Paterno, who turns 81 on Dec. 21, is under contract through next season. He's already looking forward to 2008, when he said Penn State might be "in the the thick of things" for a national championship.
The disclosure of Paterno's salary was forced by The Patriot News in Harrisburg, which asked the retirement system nearly five years ago to release the salaries of Paterno and three other school officials.
Penn State, which had refused to make the information public, also opposed the release by the retirement system on the grounds that it would be unfair to the affected employees and might hurt morale or make it more difficult to recruit and retain talent.
The legal wrangling ended last week, when the state Supreme Court upheld a lower court order to release the information. The justices said the lower court properly balanced the public's right against the effects the disclosure might have on reputations and personal security.
Paterno has been head coach for 42 years, a record for major college football. He holds records for bowl appearances (33) and postseason wins (22). His 371 total victories put him two behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden for most among major college coaches.
A 2006 comparison by USA Today showed that Big Ten coaches' salaries ranged from $231,000 at Purdue to $2.8 million at Iowa.
The retirement system disclosed Paterno's salary after receiving a formal notice from Penn State that officials would not appeal the high court's ruling.
"We still feel the same way we felt previously -- employees have a fundamental right to confidential financial information," Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said. "It's unfortunate that thousands of them no longer have that confidentiality."
Paterno said his first contract for head coach in 1966 was for $20,000.
"It bothers me that people have to know what I make," he told reporters. "What difference does it make what I make, all right? I don't know what you guys make."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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