Elliott out, Cristobal in the mix on ‘As the Tide’s OL Job Turns’

By John TaylorFeb 15, 2013, 4:57 PM EDT

Speculation still continues to swirl around the lone vacancy on Nick Saban‘s Alabama coaching staff, with one rumored candidate out of the mix and a new one apparently in.

Just last night, South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier acknowledged that the Tide had “a little bit of interest” in Gamecocks offensive line coach Shawn Elliott. Even today, speculation was that Elliott had already interviewed for the Tide vacancy.

Regardless of whether or not that was the case, Spurrier won’t have to be worried about his own vacancy as Elliott confirmed in a statement Friday afternoon that he will remain in Columbia.

“It was a great honor to be considered for a coaching position at the University of Alabama, but I feel it’s in the best interest of me and my family to remain at South Carolina,” Elliott stated. “We’ve had a lot of success here over the past three years and I’m committed to being part of that continued success for many years. I’m proud to be a Gamecock.”

Miami’s Al Golden, though, might not be as lucky as Spurrier.

According to 247Sports.com, Hurricanes assistant Mario Cristobal is in Tuscaloosa and will interview for the Tide job either today or tomorrow. Cristobal was just added to Golden’s staff last month as associate head coach/tight ends coach.

Unexpectedly fired by FIU following the 2012 season, Cristobal has been a line coach twice in his 15-year collegiate coaching career — at Miami in 2006 and Rutgers in 2003. He had served as FIU’s head coach for six years.

Nebraska AD: Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh ‘running a little bit scared right now’

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By John TaylorApr 25, 2018, 8:48 AM EDT

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This is just the cutest, bless his heart.

As evidenced by the record-breaking spring game earlier this month, there’s an air of excitement once again surrounding the Nebraska football program, thanks in very large part to the return of Scott Frost as the head coach. Riding that wave of optimism, new NU athletic director Bill Moos was a speaker at an Omaha Press Club luncheon Tuesday and, well, let’s just say that he may have initially been planning on dipping his toes into the feel-good spring pool but instead ended up doing a cannonball into the thing.

From the Omaha World-Herald:

We’re gonna run that uptempo offense we saw (at the spring game), and we’re gonna get the Blackshirts back to being Blackshirts. And that’s extremely important,” Moos said. “You’ve got Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh thinking, ‘We better put a little more into that Nebraska game coming up.’ And that’s the way we want it. They’re running a little bit scared right now. And they won’t admit it. We’ll leave that at that.

Nebraska will face both Michigan and Ohio State this season, with each of those serving as road games for the Cornhuskers. Given the heat that seems to be growing under the highly-paid Harbaugh’s seat — finishes of third, third and fourth in the Big Ten East in three seasons in Ann Arbor — mentioning the U-M coach might be apropos. But Meyer? In his six seasons in Columbus, Meyer’s Buckeyes have lost three games combined in conference play; in three meetings under Meyer, OSU has woodshedded NU by a combined score of 181-55.

Perhaps, instead of the Big Dog of the conference, Moos should focus these early public comments on Paul Chryst, whose Wisconsin Badgers are the class of Nebraska’s division — Big Ten West champs three of the last four years — and have beaten the Cornhuskers in five straight meetings (three under Chryst) dating back to the 2012 Big Ten championship game. Or even Kirk Ferentz, whose Iowa Hawkeyes have won three in a row in the rivalry, and by a collective 96-24 score the past two seasons.

Maybe start by finishing higher than fifth in your own division, where you were a season ago, and then work your way up? Just a thought.

As the kerfuffle over Moos’ comments began to gain traction, the athletic director told the Associated Press in a text message that his words were “[a] bit tongue in cheek.”

“Meant to point out that the competition is aware that there’s a renewed energy at Nebraska and we aim to get back in the hunt,” Moos added in an apparent attempt to cram the toothpaste back into the tube.