Minnesota’s Jerry Kill plans to return to sideline this season

By JJ StankevitzMay 21, 2014, 10:47 AM EDT

Some good news via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Minnesota coach Jerry Kill, who began coaching from the press box last season after suffering a seizure, plans to coach from the sideline this fall.

Kill coached Minnesota’s bowl game from the sideline three months after suffering a seizure that forced him to take a leave of absence from the program in October to deal with his epilepsy. Since taking over at Minnesota in 2011, Kill has suffered a few in-game seizures but the Star-Tribune reported he’s driving to work every day, a good sign he hasn’t suffered a seizure since last fall.

Minnesota posted its first winning record since 2008 last fall, going 8-5 in Kill’s third year at the helm. The 52-year-old Kill earned a contract extension through 2018 in February.

College Football in Coronavirus Quarantine: On this day in CFT history, including Alabama-USC confirmed for 2020 opener and a book claiming Texas, boosters offered Nick Saban $100 million-plus to leave Crimson Tide

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By John TaylorJul 16, 2020, 8:24 AM EDT

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The sports world, including college football, had essentially screeched to a halt in the spring as countries around the world battled the coronavirus pandemic. As such, there was a dearth of college football news as the sport went into a COVID-induced hibernation. Slowly, though, the game is coming back to life. Hopefully.

That being said, we thought it might be fun to go back through the CollegeFootballTalk archives that stretch back to 2009 and take a peek at what transpired in the sport on this date.

So, without further ado — ok, one further ado — here’s what happened in college football on July 16, by way of our team of CFT writers both past and present.

(P.S.: If any of our readers have ideas on posts they’d like to read during this college football down-time, leave your suggestions in the comments section. Mailbag, maybe?)

2019

THE HEADLINE: Big 12 coordinator of officials clears up when ‘horns down’ is and is not a penalty
THE SYNOPSIS: Amen. It’s about time someone looked out for the feelings of those associated with the University of Texas’ college football team. [/wanking motion]

2018

THE HEADLINE: Lincoln Riley suggests there is a competition for QB that nobody should believe
THE SYNOPSIS: Kyler Murray was the presumptive front-runner. And he won the starting job. And the Heisman Trophy a few months later.

2017

THE HEADLINE: Les Miles’ daughter is trying to convince him to be a broadcaster but Mad Hatter still wants to coach
THE SYNOPSIS: In December of 2018, Miles was named as the head coach at Kansas. But not before building up his acting résumé, though.

2016

THE HEADLINE: THE Michael Jordan to serve as honorary captain for Michigan’s opener
THE SYNOPSIS: Since becoming part of the Air Jordan apparel family in 2015, U-M has finished third, third, fourth, tied for first and third in the Big Ten East. And has stretched its losing streak to rival Ohio State to eight straight and 15 of the last 16. The Jumpman logo on the uniforms does look cool, though.

2015

THE HEADLINE: Clemson K charged with coke possession ‘will miss some time’
THE SYNOPSIS: Courtesy of Clemson, the first cocaine kicker in the College Football Talk collective. What a proud moment. Both for that and the alliteration in this synopsis.

2014

THE HEADLINE: Alabama-USC set for 2016 opener in Arlington
THE SYNOPSIS: Yeah, not so much.

2014

THE HEADLINE: New book: Texas, boosters offered Nick Saban $100 million-plus to leave Tide
THE SYNOPSIS: Saban and his wife both very vociferously stated they weren’t leaving Tuscaloosa. Saban’s high-powered agent, Jimmy Sexton, though, reportedly played point man in at least a couple of meetings with those connected to the Longhorns football program.

2012

THE HEADLINE: Butch Davis says he wants to coach again
THE SYNOPSIS: This pronouncement came two years after his NCAA-induced departure from North Carolina. And five years prior to his return to the coaching game at Florida International.

2010

THE HEADLINE: NCAA probe into UNC football program ‘sounding very serious’
THE SYNOPSIS: Speaking of Butch Davis…

2019 finalist Chuba Hubbard, 2018 finalist Travis Etienne two of the 76 Doak Walker Award watch listers

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By John TaylorJul 15, 2020, 10:40 PM EDT

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If you’re a starting running back at the FBS level, there’s a fairly good chance you are part of the Doak Walker Award watch list.

Monday, it was the Bednarik Award kicking off watch list season. Tuesday, the Davey O’Brien Award joined in. A day later, the Doak Walker Award joined the burgeoning list of honors releasing their preseason watch lists.

This award, given annually to the nation’s top running back, features a whopping 76 preseason candidates. Included in that are 2019 finalist Chuba Hubbard of Oklahoma State and 2018 finalist Travis Etienne of Clemson. Last year’s winner was Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor.

Every FBS conference is represented on the list. The Big Ten and Pac-12 lead the way with 10 apiece, followed by the ACC and SEC with nine each. The other Power Five, the Big 12, landed five. Wih seven apiece, the Mountain West and Sun Belt led all Group of Five conferences.

Of the more than six dozen watch listers, 30 of them are seniors. Another 28 are juniors while the other 18 are sophomores.

Below are all 76 running backs who make up this year’s Doak Walker Award preseason watch list.

Drake Anderson (So.), Northwestern
David Bailey (Jr.), Boston College
Max Borghi (Jr.), Washington State
Rakeem Boyd (Sr.), Arkansas
Gary Brightwell (Sr.), Arizona
Kennedy Brooks (Jr.), Oklahoma
Shamari Brooks (Sr.), Tulsa
Christopher Brown, Jr. (Jr.), Cal
Journey Brown (Jr.), Penn State
Spencer Brown (Sr.), UAB
Noah Cain (So.), Penn State
Jamale Carothers (Jr.), Navy
Stephen Carr (Sr.), USC
Michael Carter (Sr.), North Carolina
Andrew Clair (Jr.), Bowling Green
Elijah Collins (So.), Michigan State
James Cook (Jr.), Georgia
Jashaun Corbin (So.), Florida State
ReMahn Davis (So.), Temple
Travis Etienne (Sr.), Clemson
Demetric Felton (Sr.), UCLA
Alex Fontenot (Jr.), Colorado
Kenneth Gainwell (So.), Memphis
Tyler Goodson (So.), Iowa
Eric Gray (So.), Tennessee
Breece Hall (So.), Iowa State
Najee Harris (Sr.), Alabama
Javian Hawkins (So.), Louisville
Justin Henderson (Sr.), Louisiana Tech
Kylin Hill (Sr.), Mississippi State
George Holani (So.), Boise State
Chuba Hubbard (Jr.), Oklahoma State
Caleb Huntley (Sr.), Ball State
Mohamed Ibrahim (Jr.), Minnesota
Keaontay Ingram (Jr.), Texas
Deon Jackson (Sr.), Duke
Jermar Jefferson (Jr.), Oregon State
Josh Johnson (Sr.), ULM
Amare Jones (Jr.), Tulane
Lopini Katoa (Jr.), BYU
Wesley Kennedy III (Sr.), Georgia Southern
JD King (Sr.), Georgia Southern
Brenden Knox (Jr.), Marshall
Bryant Koback (Jr.), Toledo
Kobe Lewis (Jr.), Central Michigan
Vavae Malepeai (Sr.), USC
Kevin Marks (Jr.), Buffalo
Jordan Mason (Jr.), Georgia Tech
Kevin Mensah (Sr.), Connecticut
Dedrick Mills (Sr.), Nebraska
Elijah Mitchell (Sr.), Louisiana-Lafayette
Marcel Murray (Jr.), Arkansas State
Richard Newton (So.), Washington
Jaret Patterson (Jr.), Buffalo
Trey Ragas (Sr.), Louisiana-Lafayette
Miles Reed (Jr.), Hawaii
Ronnie Rivers (Sr.), Fresno State
Larry Rountree III (Sr.), Missouri
Mekhi Sargent (Sr.), Iowa
Stevie Scott III (Jr.), Indiana
B.J. Smith (Sr.), Troy
Isaiah Spiller (So.), Texas A&M
SaRodorick Thompson (So.), Texas Tech
Toa Taua (Jr.), Nevada
Corey Taylor II (Sr.), Tulsa
Xazavian Valladay (Jr.), Wyoming
CJ Verdell (Jr.), Oregon
Quardraiz Wadley (Sr.), UTEP
Gaej Walker (Sr.), Western Kentucky
Kenneth Walker III (So.), Wake Forest
Jaylen Warren (Sr.), Utah State
Nakia Watson (So.), Wisconsin
Zamir White (So.), Georgia
Charles Williams (Sr.), UNLV
Javonte Williams (Jr.), North Carolina
D.J. Williams (So.), Auburn

Multiple Power Five teams already expressing interest in Virginia transfer Ja’Quay Hubbard

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By John TaylorJul 15, 2020, 8:26 PM EDT

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One erstwhile Virginia football player has already proven very popular in the transfer portal.

Late last week, Ja’Quay Hubbard was one of two Virginia football players to enter the NCAA transfer database. Less than a week later, it’s being reported that multiple Power Five schools have already reached expressing interest in the offensive lineman. Among those? Florida, Iowa State, Michigan, Mississippi State, Pitt, Rutgers and West Virginia.

Reportedly.

Pitt is on Virginia’s 2020 schedule, it should be noted. The Cavaliers are scheduled to play host to the Panthers on Nov. 21 of this year.

Hubbard will not be leaving the Cavaliers as a graduate transfer, it should also be noted. He will have to sit out the 2020 season if he moves to another FBS program. That would leave him with three years of eligibility starting in 2021.

In mid-March, Bronco Mendenhall revealed that Hubbard had decided to leave the Virginia football team. At the time, the head coach stated that the lineman would be on the move to an unspecified junior college. Whether that will still be the case remains to be seen.

Hubbard was a three-star 2019 signee. He played in two games as a true freshman, which allowed the lineman to take a redshirt.

RB Malik Miller not coming back to Auburn for 2020 season

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By John TaylorJul 15, 2020, 6:13 PM EDT

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It appears Auburn will head into the 2020 football season, if there is one, with a little less backfield depth than expected.

According to al.com, Malik Miller won’t be returning to the Auburn football team for the upcoming campaign. No specific reason for the running back’s impending departure from The Plains was given.

The website wrote that it’s “unclear if Miller plans to seek a grad transfer opportunity, and his name is not currently in the transfer portal.” If he does ultimately enter the NCAA transfer database? Yep, you know the drill.

Now, for what’s seemingly becoming a daily disclaimer when it comes to transfers.

As we’ve stated myriad times in the past, a player can remove his name from the portal and remain at the same school. At this point, though, other programs are permitted to contact a player without receiving permission from his current football program.

NCAA bylaws also permit schools to pull a portal entrant’s scholarship at the end of the semester in which he entered it.

Miller was a three-star member of the Auburn football Class of 2016. He was rated as the No. 15 player in the state of Alabama regardless of position.

All told, Miller appeared in 35 games the past four seasons for the Tigers. The back ran for 314 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries. He also caught 20 passes for another 217 yards and a touchdown.

Auburn has seen a bit of attrition via the football transfer portal over the past couple of months, but nothing significant.