Deforest cleared of any wrongdoing, violations while at WVU

It’s been a little over a month since a Sports Illustrated expose’, well, “exposed” various levels of alleged corruption in the Oklahoma State football program dating back to the early part of last decade.

While nothing has come of the allegations levied in the series — nor is anything expected to come out of it in the future — there is a bit of housecleaning in relation to that piece that has surfaced today.

Following an internal investigation, West Virginia announced in a statement that the school “has not found any infractions of NCAA rules or other misconduct” committed by Joe DeForest during his two years with the Mountaineers.

Former Cowboy players had claimed that DeForest ran a bonus program, which paid players for certain plays, as late as 2011, the coach’s final season in Stillwater.  Additionally, it was alleged that DeForest gave some players various amounts of “walking-around money,” including one player who claimed the coach gave him a debit card with $5,000 on it and which was periodically refilled.

DeForest, who carries the titles of associate head coach and special teams coordinator in Morgantown, vehemently denied the allegations when they were first levied against him.

“WVU is unable to comment on the veracity of the media allegations levied against the assistant coach while employed at another institution, and defers to that institution, as well as appropriate NCAA infractions personnel, to complete a review and assessment of those allegations,” WVU’s statement read.

(Photo credit: West Virginia athletics)

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Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald was the big winner of this week’s awards circuit. The ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year collected the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy. Somehow though, Donald is not one fo the six finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday in New York. How a player so dominant and decorated on the defensive side of the football misses out on a trip to New York when six finalists are extended an invitation is beyond comprehension.

The likely Heisman Trophy winner, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, received a handful of honors as well. Winston was named the Walter Camp Player fo the Year and Davey O’Brien Award winner.Winston was one of three Florida State players to win an award, with Bryan Stork winning the Rimington Trophy for best center and kicker Roberto Aguay0 winning the Lou Groza Award.

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, another Heisman finalist, was named the Maxwell Award winner. Boston College running back Andre Williams, also on his way to New York for the Heisman festivities, was named the Doak Walker Award winner.

Here is a rundown of the awards presented or acknowledged Thursday night in Orlando at the annual college football awards show.

Maxwell Award (Player of the Year)

AJ McCarron, Alabama

Walter Camp Player of the Year

Jameis Winston, Florida State

Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year)

Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh

Bronko Nagurski Award (Nation’s Outstanding Defensive Player)

Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh

Rotary Lombardi Award (Nation’s Outstanding Lineman)

Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh

Davey O’Brien Award (Nation’s Best Quarterback)

Jameis Winston, Florida State

Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)

Andre Williams (Boston College)

Biletnikoff Award (Best Wide Receiver)

Brandin Cooks, Orgeon State

John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington

Outland Trophy (Most Outstanding Interior Lineman)

Aaron Doanld, Pittsburgh

Rimington Trophy (Best Center)

Bryan Stork, Florida State

Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back)

Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State

Lou Groza Award (Best Kicker)

Roberto Aguayo, Florida State

Ray Guy (Best Punter)

Tom Hornsey, Memphis

William V. Campbell Trophy (Academic Success)

John Urschel, Penn State

Home Depot Coach of the Year

Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Frank Broyles Award (Top Assistant Coach)

Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State defensive coordinator

NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award

John Gagliardi

Disney Spirit Award

Devon Walker, Tulane

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Consider it a bit of a shock, but the Maxwell Football Club always seems to go against the grain. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was named the Maxwell Award winner for the 2013 season, awarded to the top college football player in the country as determined by the Maxwell Football Club.

McCarron became the first player in Alabama’s storied football program history to win the Maxwell Award, considered one of the top individual honors in the game of college football. He edged out Heisman Trophy front-runner Jameis Winston of Florida State and Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M. Earlier in the evening Winston was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Davey O’Brien Award winner. Oddly enough, the Walter Camp Foundation also named McCarron to their first team All-American team ahead of Winston, their player of the year.

Few people probably saw this one coming, although McCarron’s 2013 season is certainly not mediocre. the Maxwell Award has not generally been a solid predictor for the Heisman Trophy either. Only once in the last four years has the Maxwell Award winner gone on to win the Heisman Trophy. Winston is widely considered a runaway for the Heisman Trophy, so perhaps this bodes well for his Heisman outlook anyway.

McCarron is a Heisman finalists as well and will join Winston and Manziel in New York this weekend along with Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch, Boston College running back and Doak Walker Award winner Andre Johnson and Auburn running back Tre Mason.

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o was named the Maxwell Award winner in 2012.

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Make room for one more award on the mantle Aaron Donald. The Pittsburgh defensive tackle added the Bednarik Award to his collection Thursday, being named the top defensive player in college football by the Maxwell Football Club.

Donald topped UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr and Alabama linebacker CJ Mosley for the honor.

Donald is the first player from Pittsburgh to win the award and the first ACC player since Maryland’s E.J. Henderson was named the Bednarik Award winner in 2002.

The Maxwell Football Club has awarded the nation’s top defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award every season since 1995. Current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was the recipient of the award in each of its first two years in existence, in 1995 and 1996. Fitzgerald was the presenter for the award this season.

Last year’s winner was former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o.

Earlier in the evening Donald was named the Outland Trophy winner. Donald also won the Lombardi Award and the Nagurski Award earlier this week.

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Memphis punter Tom Hornsey was named this season’s Ray Guy Award winner, presented to the best punter in the country.

Hornsey punted 62 times this season for the Tigers, averaging 45.2 yards per punt, a career high after punting for the past four years for Memphis.

Hornsey is the first player to win an individual award from the American Athletic Conference. he is also the first punter from Memphis to win the Ray Guy Award.

Hornsey beat out Texas A&M’s Drew Kaser and Purdue’s Cody Webster for the top punter honor. Ryan Allen of Louisiana Tech won the Ray Guy Award each of the past two seasons.

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Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald is racking up some hardware this week. The ACC’s top defensive lineman was named this season’s Outland Trophy winner by the Football Writers Association of America, which goes to the nation’s top interior lineman, on offense or defense.

Donald had some tough competition for the award. the Pitt Panthers edged out Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews and Baylor’s Cyril Richardson. Donald is the first player from Pittsburgh to win the Outland Trophy, which has been awarded every year since 1946.

Donald is the first ACC player to win the award since North Carolina State’s Jim Ritcher in 1979.

Earlier this week Donald won the Lombardi Award and the Nagurski Award. There could be more on the way. Donald is a finalist for the Bednarik Award, which will be awarded Thursday night.

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Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was the most consistently productive quarterback this season. On Thursday night Winston was named the 2013 Davey O’Brien Award winner by the Davey O’Brien Foundation. The award is presented to the top quarterback in college football.

Winston beat out Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and 2012 Davey O’Brien Award winner Johnny Manziel for this year’s award.

Winston joins former Florida State quarterbacks Chris Weinke (2000) and Charlie Ward (1993) as the three Seminoles to win the award. Weinke and Ward also went on to win the Heisman Trophy those years, and Winston appears to be the easy pick for this year’s Heisman Trophy as well. Florida State’s three Davey O’Brien Award winners represent three of the four ACC quarterbacks to win the award as well. Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton won the award in 1999.

Each of the last three Davey O’Brien Award winners —  Manziel (2012), Robert Griffin III (2011) and Cam Newton (2010) — went on to win the Heisman Trophy as well. It would seem history is on Winston’s side as far as the Heisman is concerned.

Manziel was the Davey O’Brien Award winner in 2012, his Heisman Trophy season.

Winston also won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.

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Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard was named this year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner, which recognizes the nation’s top defensive back in college football.

Dennard is the first player from Michigan State to win the award and the sixth Big Ten player to win the honor. The last Big Ten player to win the Jim Thorpe Award was Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins in 2008. Dennard was difficult to throw deep on with his solid coverage skills and speed. The senior also showed some good hands with four interceptions this season as he helped Michigan State’s defense shut down opponent after opponent, including Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game last weekend.

Dennard beat out Florida State’s LaMarcus Joyner and Oklahoma State’s Justin Gilbert for the award.

The Jim Thorpe Award is presented annually by the Jim Thorpe Association. It was first awarded in 1986 to Baylor’s Thomas Everett. Last year’s winner was Mississippi State’s Johnathan Banks.

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Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo joined teammates Bryan Stork and Jameis Winston in receiving some top individual honors Thursday night. Aguayo was named this year’s Lou Groza Award winner, which is represented to the top kicker in college football.

Aguayo, a freshman, converted all 90 extra point attempts this season he was called on to try, and he successfully kicked 19 of 20 field goal attempts as well. In all, Aguayo accounted for 131 points for Florida State.

Aguayoa is Florida State’s third Lou Groza Award winner in program history. First awarded in 1992, Sebastian Janikowski won back-to-back Lou Groza Awards in 1998 and 1999. Graham Gano later won a Lour Groza Award for Florida State in 2008. Tulane is the only other school with multiple Lou Groza Award winners, with two.

Aguayo beat out Texas kicker Anthony Fera and USF’s Marvin Kloss for the honor.

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Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks was named the top wide receiver in college football for 2013. Cooks was awarded the Biletnikoff Award, which was presented by Fred Biletnikoff himself.

Cooks is the second player from Oregon State to win the award, joining Mike Hass and his 2005 Biletnikoff Award. Cooks was the big target for Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion, who himself put up big numbers throughout much of the season.

Cooks accounted for 1,670 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns and added two more rushing touchdowns this season for Oregon State’s potent offense. Cooks beat out Texas A&M’s Mike Evans and Clemson’s Sammy Watkins for the award.

Awarded annually by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation to the nation’s top wide receiver since 1994, there have been just two players to win back-to-back Biletnikoff Awards. Last year’s winner, USC wide receiver Marqise Lee, was not named as a finalist for this year’s award after battling some nagging injuries all year.

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Florida State center Bryan Stork was named the best center in the country Thursday by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Stork was awarded  the Rimington Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate center.

The player who hands off to Walter Camp Player of the Year Jameis Winston beat out Auburn’s Reese Dismukes, Oregon’s Hroniss Grasu, Oklahoma’s Gabe Ikard, Utah State’s Tyler Larsen and Travis Swanson of Arkansas for the award.

The Rimington Trophy was introduced in 2000. Stork is the first player from Florida State to win the award. Alabama’s Barrett Jones won the award last season.

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Boston College running back Andre Williams was named the Doak Walker Award winner for 2013. The Heisman finalist beat out a pair of Pac 12 running backs, Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey and Washington’s Bishop Sankey for the top running back award in college football.

Williams is the first running back from Boston College to win the award and the first running back from the ACC to receive the honor. This season he rushed for 2,119 yards and 17 touchdowns, earning him a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalists on Saturday.

The Doak Walker Award was first awarded in 1990 to Washington’s Greg Lewis.

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Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has been named the 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year by the Walter Camp Foundation. Winston is the second Florida State player to win the award, joining former Seminoles quarterback Charlie Ward (1993).

“Jameis Winston has been the orchestrator of the most prolific offense in the nation this season,” Walter Camp Foundation president James Monico said in a statement.  “His consistency and overall performance have been outstanding and we are pleased to recognize him.”

Winston beat out some of his fellow Heisman Trophy finalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, Boston College running back Andre Williams and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel were all named finalists for the award along with Winston.

Ward went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1993, and Winston appears to be the favorite for this year’s Heisman Trophy honor. The Walter Camp Award winner has not always been so fortunate though in more recent years. Auburn’s Cam Newton was the only player since 2007 to win the Walter Camp Award and Heisman Trophy in the same season (2010).

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o won the Walter Camp Award in 2012, and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck win in 2011.

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While the watch is on in Austin, nerves may be calmed in College Station, Texas. The contract extension Kevin Sumlin agreed to with Texas A&M within the last few weeks has finally been unanimously approved. As previously reported, the contract is for six years and should provide a nice raise.

The Texas A&M regents have unanimously approved a new contract for head coach Kevin Sumlin. Spokesman says it should be signed today. #tamu

— Allen (@Allen_Reed) December 12, 2013

Sumlin had been mentioned among multiple rumors tied to the NFL’s Houston Texans and the USC Trojans. Some even discussed the idea of Sumlin to Texas to replace Mack Brown as a potential back-up plan to missing out on Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The timing of everything seemed to make some sense when you put the pieces together, at least as far as the Houston Texans were concerned. Sumlin is respected as a guy who could coach at the NFL level and his former quarterback with the Houston Cougars, Case Keenum, has been getting playing time for the struggling NFL franchise.

But Sumlin’s locked in at Texas A&M as the program continues to thrive after moving in to the sEC. The future looks bold for the Aggies even though they took a step back after a rousing SEC debut.

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Coming off a five-win season that saw Florida’s offense hit rock-bottom (they hope), attrition on that side of the ball may not necessarily constitute bad news.

Head coach Will Muschamp confirmed Thursday that five players have decided to leave the football program: sophomore tight end Kent Taylor (no relation), redshirt freshman fullback Raheim Ledbetter, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Quinteze Williams, freshman offensive lineman Trayon Young and redshirt junior offensive lineman Ian Silberman (pictured).  The first four will transfer and will (likely) have to sit out the 2014 season, while Silberman will graduate and be eligible to play immediately at a program of his choosing.

“These young men felt it was in their best interest to look for an opportunity to play somewhere else,’” Muschamp said in a statement. “We wish all of them the best of luck.”

Silberman was the only one of the five to see significant playing time, starting seven games the past two seasons.  Taylor was a four-star member of the Gators’ 2012 recruiting class, rated as the No. 1 tight end in the country by Rivals.com.

The Gainesville Sun notes that, with these departures, five scholarships have opened up for UF, meaning the Gators can sign 21 players in February instead of 16.

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Well, that settles that.

Amidst rampant speculation that, when Mack Brown steps down/is forced out at Texas, Nick Saban would leave Tuscaloosa for Austin, the Alabama head coach’s starting quarterback took part in a televised interview as part of the postseason awards circuit.  Of course, the subject of Saban and the rumors connecting him to the Texas job came up.

Just as expected, AJ McCarron said he doesn’t foresee Saban leaving the Tide… if for nothing more than that’s not what the coach’s better half would want.  Oh, and that the coach has never lied to him before.

“I messed with Coach, [saying] he’s getting too old to start up again somewhere else,” McCarron said on ESPN’s “College Football Daily” from Walt Disney World. “He told me he’s not leaving. And I know Miss Terry [Saban's wife] well enough; she runs that house. And she’s not allowing Coach to leave either. I think he’ll be at the University of Alabama for a little while.”

AJ McCarron just made it real hard for Saban to leave. "He's never lied to me, idk why he would start now"—
Dylan Jennings (@jennings_dylan) December 12, 2013

Saban has not addressed this latest round of speculation, which centers both on Texas making a push for the four-time title-winning coach and Saban’s agent using that interest as leverage in contract talks.  School officials are reportedly “getting nervous about the lack of response” on the contract front and that “the longer it goes unsigned the more uncomfortable UA officials grow.”

UA athletic director Bill Battle was asked Wednesday about the rumors, but would only say that both he and the coach are focused on recruiting and the Sugar Bowl matchup with Oklahoma.

Connecting Saban’s name to a potential opening with the Longhorns simply won’t go away, though, as evidenced by this tweet from Geoff Ketchum of Orangebloods.com late Thursday morning:

An OB source has confirmed that Nick Saban has initiated the vetting process of trying to see what a staff at Texas might look like.—
Geoff Ketchum (@gkketch) December 12, 2013

For those growing weary of the Brown/Saban/Texas ménage à trois, you should probably hunker down as I get the feeling this thing is about to kick into overdrive sooner rather than later…