Washington RB coach joins Bielema in Arkansas

“‘Twas the day before Christmas with new Arkansas coach Bret Bielema manning his post.

“‘A running backs coach,’ Bielema wished aloud. ‘That’s what I want the most.’

“And, so, Bielema picked up the phone and gave it a dial. Joel Thomas answered in Seattle, joking to Bielema that it had been a while. Bielema offered Thomas a job, to which the coach accepted. Thomas packed his bags for Fayetteville, and that’s how he left it.”

Anyway, here’s what Bielema said less-poetically and festively in a release on Monday announcing Thomas as the Hogs’ new running backs coach.

“Joel Thomas has a proven record of developing running backs. He excelled at the position as a player and has demonstrated a remarkable ability to connect with his student-athletes and pass his knowledge on to them. He also brings a strong background of recruiting in Texas and Dallas specifically, which is a valuable area for us to have a presence. I am extremely confident in Joel’s ability based on his time spent working under Jim Chaney, and I believe Joel’s knowledge and familiarity with Coach Chaney will be a benefit to our offense.”

Thomas has coached four 1,000-yard running backs in as many years with the Huskies. In his final game with you-dub, Thomas coached Bishop Sankey, who rushed for 205 yards and was named MVP of the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas.

AP

Mississippi State has a fever and the only prescription is more Dan Mullen. Mullen has been given a contract extension that will keep the head coach in place through the 2017-2018 season. Jeremy Fowler of CBSSports.com was first to report the contract extension.

The school has not commented on the contract extension, likely because it needs to be finalized and approved by the university. Just as there has been no official word from Nebraska on the contract extension for Bo Pelini, this is a standard practice.

Mullen’s contract extension may come as a bit of a surprise to many. Mullen has been attached to the hot seat discussion for a couple of years now it seems, and after going 7-6 last season some seemed to feel the pressure was on for Mullen to make a big statement this season to possibly save his job. In the division Mullen is coaching in, that is clearly easier said than done. Mississippi State is lumped in the same division as the defending SEC champions (Auburn), a team that has won three of the last four BCS national championships (Alabama), a frequent SEC contender in LSU, an emerging force in Texas A&M and an Arkansas program that is down now but probably not for very long. Ole Miss has been blazing on the recruiting trail and developing some young talent as well that make them a tough out for anyone as well. In other words, Mullen is up against a stacked division, and we have not even touched on the other half of the conference.

A closer look at Mullen’s job since taking over the program in 2009 though sheds a much more positive light than he is generally given credit for. Mississippi State recorded a losing season in eight of the ten seasons prior to his being named head coach. Since 2009, Mullen’s first year on the job, the Bulldogs have finished with a winning season every year but his debut season. Mullen has also coached Mississippi State to three bowl victories (in four straight bowl trips).

Mullen may not be the hot coaching name he was just a few years ago, but his overall impact on the state of the Mississippi State program is certainly not to be disputed too harshly.

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Somebody needs to inform Bo Pelini, still new to this whole Twitter game, that nothing is official until it is shared on Twitter. The Nebraska head coach reportedly signed a five-year contract extension earlier this week, when nobody had heard much of a peep about it.

According to Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com, Pelini signed the extension that will keep Pelini in charge in Lincoln through the 2018 season, so we can officially remove Pelini from any coaching hot seats heading in to the 2014 season. Nebraska has yet to officially comment on the contract status, likely because the extension still has to be approved by the university in an official capacity. This is not uncommon, and it should not be much longer before an official statement can be made about the news.

Nebraska is coming off their first season without a top 25 finish under Pelini since his firsts season in Lincoln in 2008. No Nebraska team under Pelini has finished with fewer than nine wins. Since being hired as head coach at Nebraska, the Huskers are 59-24 and have played in two Big 12 championship games and one Big Ten championship game.

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AP

As previously reported, Florida State offensive lineman Ira Denson was not seen working out with the team during an offseason workout open to the media on Thursday. Head coach Jimbo Fisher told The Orlando Sentinel “We’re going to evaluate how he does,” and suggested they wanted him to focus on his academics while he works his way back from an injury riddled 2013 season. Perhaps there was more to the story.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported Friday Denson allegedly used a debit card belonging to Florida State running back Mario Pender on December 20. Two days later the two were tied to an incident involving a shooting. According to the report, citing the police report from December 22, Pender took a pair of Denson’s sneakers as collateral until he could get his money back from Denson. Denson agreed to meet Pender somewhere to exchange money and the shoes. Denson was accompanied by Tarron Addison, who is now in a county jail facing an attempted murder charge. As reported, Pender sent his half-brother outside an apartment to return the shoes. Once the shoes were placed in the trunk of the car Denson was sitting in, the car started to drive away and Pender claims Addison pointed a gun out from the driver’s side window and fired a few times in the direction of Pender and his half-brother, who had been shot through the left ear.

Needless to say, this is not a good situation.

Some other questions may soon be worth exploring here as well. Both Denson and Pender remain on the Florida State roster (neither traveled with the team for the BCS Championship Game). Did Fisher know about this incident in question? If so, did he address Denson’s absence properly on Thursday? Denson has not been charged with any crime, so his status on the team would not fall under any questioning as far as that is concerned. Denson has denied to police using Pender’s debit card. If there is a rift between teammates that has allegedly involved bullets flying, has peace been made?

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College football could be moving to a change in the recruiting game by offering an early signing period. Sensing momentum and a possible need to change the standard procedures, the Conference Commissioners Association will review the possible plans to add an early signing period in football based off the model used for basketball at a meeting later this year.

“I think everyone wants an early signing period,” NCAA associate director of operations Susan Peal said this week, according to ESPN.com. “It’s just trying to nail down what’s the appropriate date for that.”

Peal said the topic has been discussed before by the commissioners, but the time to revisit the idea has become more necessary now due to the NCAA altering recruiting regulations in recent years. The momentum for discussing an early signing period may be there, but not every coach will be in favor of it. Adding the early signing period means adjusting the recruiting calendar, and possibly distracting from other items of business during the football season.

There is no doubt the early signing period would have some benefits for the game. Players would be able to commit to a program and avoid the headaches of months of recruiting pressure and sales pitches while at the same time showing their commitment to a program. In return, those players would feel security knowing those programs are truly committed to them. Coaches could then spend more time working on recruiting other players waiting until National Signing Day to sign, rather than waste time on a player that has been on board since the summer or previous spring. It would seem to be a win-win scenario for players and programs, at least in theory.

Not every prospect would sign early of course. National Signing Day would still remain a significant day on the college football recruiting calendar, and some players will still use the day to hold press conferences and bask in the national spotlight. Hey, that’s their choice. For those who would choose to avoid that hoopla and just focus on other things, an early signing period would be a welcome addition.

There will be plenty of details to iron out before this become a reality. This topic is expected to be on the agenda for a June meeting of the Conference Commissioners Association. Do you like the idea of an early signing period for football? Why or why not?

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Ex-USC quarterback Max Wittek has ruled out a transfer to TCU, according to Inside USC’s Scott Wolf, and Texas remains in the lead to land his services.

Wittek visited Hawaii last week, and earlier said his visit to Texas “exceeded expectations.” There’s a far lesser chance Wittek would win a starting job at Texas than at Hawaii, as he’d have to compete against David Ash and Tyrone Swoopes in Austin.

Wittek came to USC rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals and played sporadically in three years on campus. He started back-to-back games to end the 2012 season, throwing two touchdowns and five interceptions against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech.

The SEC finally should have a permanent format for its conference schedule beyond 2016 by its spring meetings in May — and that format may stick to the status quo of eight games.

AL.com’s Jon Soloman talked to eight SEC athletic directors who favor sticking to an eight-game conference slate, though SEC commissioner Mike Slive said university presidents and chancellors will have a say in what format the league uses.

With plenty at stake — long-standing rivalries, permanent cross-divisional games and the rigors of an eight-game schedule vs. a nine-game schedule — Slive wants those university higher-ups involved in the process.

And too, if the SEC sticks to an eight-game schedule (six conference games, one rotating cross-divisional game and one permanent cross-divisional game) it’d mean a school could go 12 years between hosting or traveling to one of the six non-permanent cross-divisional campuses.

Soloman has an insightful look at all these issues — you can see why it’s taken the SEC so long to sort them out, that’s for sure.

AP

Ohio State safety Vonn Bell had knee surgery Thursday to repair a sprained MCL suffered in the first spring practice of the year for the Buckeyes. Multiple reports have said Bell will be out for the remainder of the spring practice schedule in Columbus.

Bell, a sophomore, got his first start for the Buckeyes in the Orange Bowl in January, and he was expected to be a favorite to land one of the starting jobs at the safety position this fall. A former five-star recruit, the potential was high for Bell going in to the spring. There will be plenty of time to rehab and get back in to good shape for the fall. Ohio State expects Bell to be able to workout again in May.

According to Cleveland.com, sophomore Cam Burrows will likely get some more reps in spring practices with the first team defense. The former cornerback was already working on switching positions and competing with Bell and Tyvis Powell for a starting job at safety.

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AP

Florida State, the defending BCS and ACC champions, is prepping for another championship run in 2014, but a couple of players were missing from an offseason conditioning drill open to the media Thursday. Linebacker Kain Daub and offensive lineman Ira Denson are each missing out on spring practices right now, according to head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Denson had a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for much of the 2013 season. Fisher said they are monitoring his status and hoping he will be able to rejoin the team.

“We’re going to evaluate how he does,” Fisher said, according to The Orlando Sentinel. “He’s got to continue to do well, we want him to do well academically. If he does, he does. If he doesn’t, we’ll have to adjust.”

It sounds like Fisher is giving the straight coach talk by suggesting the Seminoles will worry about the players they have on hand. Fortunately there is plenty of time before the start of the 2014 season so Denson has some time. Fisher certainly wants Denson to be at full strength though, and the sooner the better. Denson was a four-star recruit out of high school and has potential to be a key player on the line.

Daub’s situation is a bit different, and perhaps a bit more of a headache according to Fisher. As The Orlando Sentinel reports, Daub is working through eligibility problems related to his high school records.

“It’s not anything that he did academically, it’s a [NCAA] Clearinghouse issue that he’s having to clear up with a class,” Fisher said. “So he’s not eligible to be out here right now, but he’ll get through this and hopefully he’ll be here in the summer. He won’t be here in the spring, he’ll be in the fall.”

If nothing else, Daub has Fisher”s support through what seems to be a bit of a messy situation.

“It had nothing to do with anything Kain has done,” Fisher said. “I don’t agree with it, but it’s crazy what they’re making him do.”

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AP

Boise State’s offense figured to have a little bit of a different look this upcoming season with a change in head coaches. Chris Petersen is off to Washington to push the Huskies over the hump in the Pac 12, so one of his former assistants has returned to try to get Boise State to bounce back a little bit as well. Bryan Harsin is getting the Broncos ready to pick up the pace this spring, and that offensive mentality is expected to carry over in to the fall.

“We’ll be no-huddle and we’ll have movement within it,” Harsin said, according to Boise State beat reporter Chad Cripe of The Idaho Statesman. “We’ll still have personnel groups within it. There will be times of tempo and times for getting a little bit of funk in there. … The core still will be running the football on offense. That won’t change. To be a successful team, to be a championship team, you have to run the ball.”

Harsin ran this sort of offense in his short time at Arkansas State and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford dabbled in at while at Stanford. The news of the new style of offense at Boise State, or perhaps more of a renewed vision of the offensive philosophy on the blue turf, comes a day after the NCAA’s Football Rules Oversight committee tabled the 10-second defensive substitution proposal that has ruffled feathers of coaches using up-tempo offenses. Needless to say, Harsin is happy to hear that news. He responded to a question about the proposal being shelved with a dose of humor, staring at his watch for 10 seconds before responding.

“It’s not a lot of fun, is it, to sit here for that long? I’m glad it didn’t pass, to say the least,” Harsin said. “I think the way somebody wants to run their offense, that’s their offense. … You can go fast if you want to but you’re not always doing that.”

Harsin also announced that two players, tight end Holden Huff and linebacker Andrew Pint, will be suspended for the first game of the season against Ole Miss. Both are suspended for a violation of team rules, although the specifics of the violations is not known. Ole Miss announced safety Denzel Nkemdiche will also be suspended for the season opener.

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Michigan State has been climbing a bit of an uphill battle on their way to a Big Ten championship last season. Always flying under the radar and playing with a chip on their shoulders, the Spartans opened some eyes last season by coming together to make a run for the Big Ten title by overcoming rough play early on, handing Ohio State their first loss under Urban Meyer and then shutting down Stanford in a defensive battle in the Rose Bowl. Now on top of the Big Ten, will the Spartans be able to stay there? If nothing else, quarterback Connor Cook is full of confidence heading in to the spring.

“Heading into 2014, our expectations are so high that I feel like anything less than a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl would be a failure,” Cook told Bruce Feldman in an interview for CBSSports.com. “But it’s different now. I feel like we’re going to have more of a swagger heading into this season.”

Michigan State will be moving to a new division in the fall as the Big Ten expands. The Spartans will remain in the same division as in-state rival Michigan, but will also be in the fray with Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana and newcomers Maryland and Rutgers. The increased exposure in the east could not have come at a better time for the program as they currently hold the Big Ten’s title belt. And if they can get out of the Big Ten’s East Division, the odds may be pretty good they can play their way right back to Pasadena, or perhaps enter the College Football Playoff discussion.

“We won the Rose Bowl. We know what we’re capable of.,” Cook explained. “It’s everyone’s dream to win a national championship, and we feel like we can do that but you just have to take it one step at a time. The main goal at our program, which is what it is every year, is to win the Big Ten championship. If you win that, you’re in a BCS bowl. But it’s still the main goal is to win the Big Ten championship and then really everything else will take care of itself.”

Cook also discussed his trianing and how he is preparing for the upcoming season with Feldman, as well as a number of other topics. You can read the full interview on CBSSports.com.

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Army and Connecticut will play a neutral site game in Yankee Stadium this upcoming season, the two schools announced today. Army and Connecticut will play in the home of baseball’s New York Yankees on Saturday, November 8. The official kickoff time has not been determined yet, although it will likely have an afternoon time slot on CBS Sports Network, the network that broadcasts Army home games.

This will mark the third straight season Army has played a game in the newer Yankee Stadium. Army played Notre Dame and Rutgers in the past two games in Yankee Stadium. This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Army and UConn, with the Huskies leading the series 4-1 with a four-game winning streak dating back to 2003.

The venue may have changed, but Army playing in Yankee Stadium is still a pretty cool scheduling twist for the Black Knights. For a program that has been so down over the years, anything that can bring a spotlight on the football program is something to look forward to, so hopefully playing a game in Yankee Stadium will continue to do just that. The options for putting together a game in Yankee Stadium can sometimes get tricky. Notre Dame aside, Army has to do what they can to bring in an opponent that has some schedule flexibility and one that can also draw some fans willing to travel. Rutgers and UConn each are a relatively short distance away, which makes them decent pairings. Perhaps we will see Syracuse kick off against Army in the future, as Army does hope to continue scheduling a game in Yankee Stadium for years to come.

The Army game fills out UConn’s 2014 schedule, although the specific dates for the AAC schedule still need to be released. The conference has likely been holding off on releasing a full conference schedule until some non-conference openings were filled by conference members. The home teams for conference match-ups is known, but the dates the games will be played has not been released.

Army’s schedule is also now complete with a full 12-game schedule. Army will play a rare road game for an FBS program at an FCS school when they travel to Yale of the Ivy League on September 27.

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A line was drawn over the 10-second rule proposal, which was put on the shelf yesterday, but there seemed to be a consensus on the opinions regarding another rule proposal. Today there is much rejoicing.

The targeting rule has been amended to wipe off any 15-yard penalty assessed to a team once a video replay rules a player may return to the game following an ejection. The rule was passed by the NCAA’s Football Rules Oversight committee on Thursday, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. Last season, when the rule was implemented, a player was automatically ejected when penalized for targeting a defenseless player. In addition to the ejection, his team was penalized 15 yards. A video replay was automatic any time the penalty was called and could overturn the ejection. However, even if a replay overturned the ejection, the penalty yardage remained. That will no longer be the case, as the new rule will also take away the penalty yardage if a video replay allows a player to return to the field of play.

This fixes the biggest flaw in the rule that was introduced a year ago, one that should have easily been avoided from the start with a little foresight. the new rule will go in to effect this season. The penalty left many frustrated last fall, form players to coaches and fans, but at least now common sense will prevail on this issue.

What is still left to iron out with the rule is finding some uniformity on calling the penalty from league to league. As witnessed last season by those watching more than one team, there is a lack of consistency in how the rule is interpreted both on the field and in the replay booth. The problems stretch on a conference by conference basis but also vary within the same conference’s officiating crews at times. Here’s hoping that time will be spent with all officials in establishing a clearer definition of how the rule should be enforced.

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The ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014 has been revealed by the National Football Foundation. In all, there are 75 names from the world of the FBS, including Oklahoma’s Brian Bosworth, Miami’s Warren Sapp (pictured), Ray Lewis and Jerome Brown, Penn State’s Shane Conlan, SMU’s Eric Dickerson, TCU’s LaDainian Tomlinson, Texas’s Ricky Williams and Colorado’s Rashaan Salaam. One other name on the ballot is Alabama’s Derrick Thomas, who appears to be this year’s successor to Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier after long being overlooked on the ballot.

The official class will be announced in May, honored in December and formally inducted at a time to be determined in 2015. Votes will be submitted by members of the National Football Foundation and hall of fame members.

FBS PLAYERS

Trev Alberts, LB, Nebraska

Eric Bieniemy, RB, Colorado

Dre Bly, DB, North Carolina

Tony Boselli, OT, USC

Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma

Bob Breunig, LB, Arizona State

Jerome Brown, DT, Miami

Ruben Brown, OT, Pitt

Larry Burton, WR, Purdue

Dave Butz, DT, Purdue

Freddie Carr, LB, UTEP

Mark Carrier, S, USC

Wes Chandler, WR, Florida

Shane Conlan, LB, Penn State

Tim Couch, QB, Kentucky

Tom Cousineau, LB, Ohio State

Bob Crable, LB, Notre Dame

Paul Crane, C/LB, Alabama

Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska

Randall Cunningham, QB/P, UNLV

Troy Davis, RB, Iowa State

Eric Dickerson, RB, SMU

Mike Dirks, DT, Wyoming

D.J. Dozier, RB, Penn State

Tim Dwight, WR/Returner, Iowa

Jumbo Elliott, OT, Michigan

William Fuller, DT, North Carolina

Thom Gatewood, WR, Notre Dame

Willie Gault, WR, Tennessee

Kirk Gibson, WR, Michigan State

Charlie Gogolak, K, Princeton

Joe Hamilton, QB, Georgia Tech

Al Harris, DE, Arizona State

Dana Howard, LB, Illinois

Randy Hughes, DB, Oklahoma

Bobby Humphrey, RB, Alabama

Raghib Ismail, WR, Notre Dame

Roy Jefferson, WR, Utah

Ernie Jennings, WR, Air Force

Keyshawn Johnson, WR, USC

Clinton Jones, RB, Michigan State

Lincoln Kennedy, OT, Washington

Tim Krumrie, DT, Wisconsin

Greg Lewis, RB, Washington

Jesse Lewis, DT, Oregon State

Ray Lewis, LB, Miami

Robert Lytle, RB, Michigan

Bob McKay, OT, Texas

Cade McNown, QB, UCLA

Mark Messner, DL, Michigan

Darrin Nelson, RB, Stanford

Ken Norton Jr, LB, UCLA

Tom Nowatzke, FB, Indiana

Jim Otis, FB, Ohio State

Paul Palmer, RB, Temple

Antwaan Randle El, QB, Indiana

Simeon Rice, LB, Illinois

Ron Rivera, LB, Cal

Willie Roaf, OL, Louisiana Tech

Mike Ruth, NG, Boston College

Rashaan Salaam, RB, Colorado

Warren Sapp, DT, Miami

John Sciarra, QB, UCLA

Larry Seivers, WR, Tennessee

Sterling Sharpe, WR, South Carolina

Art Still, DE, Kentucky

Derrick Thomas, LB, Alabama

Zach Thomas, LB, Texas Tech

LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, TCU

Jackie Walker, LB, Tennessee

Wesley Walls, TE, Mississippi

Lorenzo White, RB, Michigan State

Clarence Williams, RB, Washington State

Ricky Williams, RB, Texas

Steve Wisniewski, OG, Penn State

FBS COACHES

Mike Belotti – Chico State, Oregon

Jim Carlen – West Virginia, Texas Tech, South Carolina

Pete Cawthon – Texas Tech

Danny Ford – Clemson, Arkansas

Billy Jack Murphy – Memphis

Darryl Rogers – Call State-Hayward, Fresno State, San Jose State, Michigan State, Arizona State

You can see the full ballot, which includes brief biographies and the list of FCS, Division 2, Division 3 and NAIA candidates as well via the National Football Foundation.

Texas A&M has dismissed safety Kameron Miles from the program for a violation of team rules. 247 Sports was first to report the roster news, via Twitter, on Wednesday.

Miles was a four-star safety recruit in Texas A&M’s Class of 2013. Despite his high star rating out of high school, Miles never made a dent on the Texas A&M depth chart due to redshirting in 2013 even though the Aggies at times seemed as though they could use some help in pass defense. Texas A&M had the SEC’s 12th ranked passing defense in 2013. Miles reportedly got off to a great start in Texas A&M’s spring practices this season, which makes the roster news a bit more meaningful for the Aggies. Miles was at one point considered a favorite, if not a lock, for a starting job at one of the safety positions this fall.

Miles took to Twitter to issue an apology for his actions, although his Twitter account has since been taken offline.

This is not the first time Texas A&M has had to deal with players getting in to some legal trouble. Defensive lineman Isaiah Golden and linebacker Darian Claiborne were recently suspended indefinitely just before the start of spring practices in College Station. Each were arrested on misdemeanor charges. The exact violation of team rules has not been confirmed, but to be dismissed from the program would suggest it was rater significant. The Houston Chronical reports Miles was involved in a theft.

Photo credit: Rivals.com

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The next time you go to a football game in SEC country, you may be able to do so while responsibly enjoying an alcoholic beverage of choice, but only if that game is being played off campus.

According to a report by Jon Solomon on Al.com, the SEC is prepared to review the alcohol policy for any neutral site game or home game played off campus. Selling alcohol on campus appears to be off the table for now. LSU athletics director Joe Alleva seems to support the idea, saying it would “enhance the fan experience.” Concerns of fans getting a little carried away inside the stadium with the booze is always a concern, especially when a significant percentage of the fans re college students, but Alleva sees some of the benefits and believes it merits further discussion within the conference.

“I don’t think that’s something that would necessarily be a negative for drunkenness and it might curtail the drunkenness if you sold beer,” Alleva told Al.com.  ”Right now, they drink excessively in the parking lot before they come in because they can’t get alcohol inside. Perhaps if they had access in the stadium, they wouldn’t drink as much when they come in. I think it’s something we have to talk about. This may come down the road in the future, and I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

The SEC has two neutral site games within the conference in 2014 with Georgia and Florida’s annual rivalry game in Jacksonville, which coincidentally has tried to step away from The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party nickname in recent years, and the Texas A&M and Arkansas game played in Cowboys Stadium. Arkansas also plays some off-campus home games in Little Rock that would qualify under the alcohol policy.

Some schools already sell beer and alcohol to those seated in the luxury boxes. Arkansas recently expressed interest in selling beer and wine in their boxes, and more and more schools appear to be showing some sort of interest in at least exploring the possibility. Minnesota is looking to extend their liquor licence to continue selling alcohol in their football stadium, and West Virginia has shown some positive results since introducing beer sales in their stadium.

If the SEC opened the sale of alcoholic beverages to more fans, the ultimate decision would still be based on a school-by-school basis.

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