college football

college football

News and notes

Oklahoma: Joe Mixon, the star Oklahoma running back who was suspended for the 2014 season after punching a woman in the face, will enter the NFL draft. ESPN and other outlets reported the decision Thursday. Mixon’s lawyers released video last month of him breaking Oklahoma student Amelia Molitor’s jaw and cheekbone in July 2014, and heavy criticism of Mixon and Sooners coach Bob Stoops followed. Mixon gave a tearful public apology a week later. Mixon set the school’s single-season record for all-purpose yards this season with 2,331. He closed out his college career with 180 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns in a 35-19 Sugar Bowl win over Auburn. The Sooners also will need to replace Samaje Perine, the school’s career rushing leader who also declared for the draft this week.

Minnesota: Two people with knowledge of the situation tell The Associated Press that Minnesota reached out to Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead about its open head coaching job and was turned away. Minnesota contacted Moorhead’s agent to gauge the possibility of landing the highly thought of assistant, but was told that Moorhead wasn’t interested in leaving the Nittany Lions. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because the school is not publicly discussing the specifics of its coaching search. Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle fired coach Tracy Claeys on Tuesday after the program became embroiled in a standoff between the players and the administration over the suspension of 10 players in connection with an alleged sexual assault. Coyle promised Tuesday to move quickly to fill the position.

Iowa: Iowa running back Akrum Wadley is returning for his senior season. Wadley contemplated turning pro after a breakout junior year in which he emerged as Iowa’s most explosive offensive weapon. But the 190-pound Wadley decided that one more season in college — this time as the Hawkeyes’ go-to back— would be more beneficial than declaring for the NFL draft. Iowa finished 8-5, losing to Florida 30-3 on Monday in the Outback Bowl. Wadley ran for 1,081 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 36 passes with three TDs last year despite splitting carries with departing senior LeShun Daniels Jr. Wadley will attempt to join Sedrick Shaw, Fred Russell and Ladell Betts as the only Hawkeyes to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season more than once, and if he stays healthy he’ll likely do so. Wadley will be Iowa’s returning back with significant experience.

Buffalo: Willie Evans, the star black halfback of Buffalo’s 1958 team that balked at competing in the Tangerine Bowl because of a rule barring integrated football games, has died. He was 79. The school announced Evans died in Buffalo on Wednesday after a brief illness. Evans grew up in Buffalo and was a member of UB’s 1958 team that went 8-1 and won the Lambert Cup, awarded to the nation’s top small school in the East. Buffalo accepted a berth to play in the Tangerine Bowl before being informed the school district which operated the host stadium in Orlando, Florida, barred integrated games. Buffalo’s roster featured two black players, Evans and defensive backup Mike Wilson. The school left the decision to compete up to its players, who unanimously rejected the invitation.

UCLA: UCLA has hired Michigan assistant Jedd Fisch as its new offensive coordinator. Bruins coach Jim Mora announced the deal Thursday. Fisch spent the past two seasons as Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh’s passing game coordinator, quarterbacks coach and receivers coach. He also is a veteran NFL assistant who most recently served as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator in 2013-14. Fisch didn’t call the plays at Michigan. He should have control over the defense-minded Mora’s offense, which will have promising quarterback Josh Rosen at the controls. Fisch replaces Kennedy Polamalu, who was fired shortly after the Bruins completed their 4-8 season. Polamalu spent just one season in charge of UCLA’s offense, failing to build a run-based scheme with a struggling offensive line.

South Florida: Charlie Strong began filling his coaching staff at South Florida on Thursday, announcing the hiring of Sterlin Gilbert as offensive coordinator. Gilbert was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Strong at Texas this season. He’s also served in similar positions the past four seasons at Tulsa (2015), Bowling Green (2014) and Eastern Illinois (2012-13). Strong was fired in November after three seasons at Texas. USF hired him last month to replace Willie Taggart, who resigned to fill the head coaching vacancy at Oregon. Strong inherits a team that won a school-record 11 games this season. Texas ranked 16th in the nation in total offense in 2016. With running back D’Onta Foreman gaining over 2,000 yards, the Longhorns were second in the Big 12 in rushing, averaging 239.3 yards per game on the ground.

Associated Press