Mountaineers' Slaton to pass up final year to enter NFL draft
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia running back Steve Slaton is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
"I called the NFL about two weeks ago, and they told me that I was assessed as a second-round selection," Slaton said Sunday in a joint statement with new Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart.
In the school-issued statement, Stewart said his conversation with Slaton was "very private and heart-warming," and will remain private.
"I believe every student athlete, male or female, should pursue, exhaust and complete their eligibility and academic requirements for graduation at their institution. With that being said, if someone can be financially secure with a large signing bonus, I understand that decision," Stewart said.
Stewart added that the average career of an NFL player is 3.2 years, and that he supports all player decisions 100 percent.
Slaton said that he felt very good about his chances to do well in the NFL.
"I am as versatile a running back as there is in the draft. There are a lot of running backs going out early, but I believe I have the speed and the ability to get drafted higher than the level where I am projected," Slaton said.
Slaton said that he loved his time as a Mountaineer.
"There wasn't a place that I would rather be because my teammates, coaches and fans have always supported me," he said. "It was a great feeling knowing that the fans supported me whether we won or even when we lost.
"We won a lot of games during my time here at West Virginia, and I have made a lot of great friends and have a lot of good memories. I wish the players and coaches nothing but the best in the future."
After setting West Virginia's school record with 1,733 yards rushing last season, Slaton ran for 1,051 yards this season to surpass 1,000 for the third straight time. Slaton also had 26 catches for 350 yards.
Slaton will leave for Scottsdale, Ariz., this week to train and will remain there until the draft.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
New West Virginia coach Bill Stewart left with just 2 assistants
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Recruiting has taken on a different meaning for new West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart, who needs a few good assistant coaches.
Several assistants have defected to former coach Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and defensive line coach Bill Kirelawich are the only members of Rodriguez's staff who have said they will remain, WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong said Tuesday.
Coach Stewart is familiar with many coaches throughout the country and I'm very confident that with the help of coach Casteel and coach Kirelawich, Billy will put together a very, very strong staff," Pastilong said.
Rodriguez took the Wolverines' head coach job on Dec. 16. Stewart became interim coach and was chosen head coach on Thursday, a day after West Virginia beat Oklahoma 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Joining Rodriguez are ex-WVU offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Gibson, and West Virginia's entire strength and conditioning staff.
Pastilong said other members of Rodriguez's staff who have resigned are safeties coach Bruce Tall, wide receivers coach Tony Dews, offensive line coach Greg Frey and quarterbacks coach Rod Smith. Pastilong said he didn't know if those four coaches had joined Rodriguez at Michigan, and a Wolverines spokesman has declined comment.
Frey and Smith had served one season at WVU after coaching at South Florida.
When Rodriguez became West Virginia's coach after the 2000 season, he rehired two of retired coach Don Nehlen's assistants, including Stewart.
Stewart, who didn't immediately return a telephone message Tuesday, must act swiftly. Coaches can resume face-to-face contact with prospective players on Sunday. The national signing day is Feb. 6.
"He IS recruiting -- assistant coaches," said WVU football spokesman Mike Montoro.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Texas A&M's bowl preparation goes on through turnover at top
SAN ANTONIO -- First, there was the sting and shock of Dennis Franchione's resignation. Then, the uncomfortable acceptance of Mike Sherman as his replacement.
Somewhere in between, Texas A&M had to start preparing for a bowl game.
The Aggies (7-5) play Penn State (8-4) in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday, the last go-round for Franchione's staff -- not to mention his first recruiting class -- before Sherman assumes control of the program next week.
"You never want to have to go through something like that, but when you do, you've got to be able to accept that and know you can't control all that that goes on outside," said junior quarterback Stephen McGee, a staunch Franchione supporter through mounting losses and the embarrassing revelation of a secret newsletter sent to boosters who paid for information unavailable to the public.
Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell was named interim coach on Nov. 24, the day after Franchione resigned. Sherman was hired as Franchione's replacement Nov. 26, but has remained offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, who finish their NFL season on Sunday.
Darnell, a former head coach at Tennessee Tech and Western Michigan, tried to keep things as familiar as possible, and that gave the players a comfort level during the awkward transition.
"He's done a real good job of keeping us fresh and the situation with Coach Fran we knew that he had," running back Jorvorskie Lane said. "We know in our minds that Coach Fran's not there. We know he's missing, but practice hasn't changed. It's just football."
On the surface, Franchione and Darnell would seem to have totally different approaches.
During games, Franchione was always reserved and businesslike, studying a laminated chart of plays most of the time. Darnell was often one of the most animated assistants on the sideline, wildly waving his arms and yelling at players as they ran off the field.
Franchione always chose his words carefully with reporters, giving mostly bland answers and never raising his voice. Darnell is always quick with a quip, delivering it with a folksy drawl that's part Arkansas, part Oklahoma.
It's a different voice the Aggies hear, but the plays and the system are the same.
"For me to say it's not weird (without Franchione), I would be lying to you because he's been the head coach for so long," senior offensive guard Kirk Elder said. "Nowadays in college football, you spend more time with your coaches than you do with your mom and your dad and your family. But we haven't lost a step. We're still who we are, we're still going on. Since we've gotten back into it, it's been real good."
After the Alamo Bowl, the program belongs to Sherman, who's unlikely to retain many of Franchione's assistants. He's already hired Tim Cassidy as associate athletic director for football. Cassidy was A&M's recruiting coordinator from 1989-2004.
Like Franchione's absence, the unknown future of A&M's coaches is an unavoidable topic no one wants to discuss. But Darnell said the uncertainty has motivated the coaches to finish their tenures with a victory.
"It's unique how positive it is, because we come to work every day and our job is to maintain this program until the next guy gets here," Darnell said.
Darnell likened the staff's situation to a changing of the guard at a military base -- appropriate, given A&M's tradition.
"It happens every day, base commanders turn over every day, but it's seamless transitions, because everyone is responsible, everyone is capable, and everyone understands the lines of communications," Darnell said. "This is a perfect example. And then we'll finish, and the next guy's going to come in here and have his go at it, and it'll be his watch."
Darnell isn't worried about any of the assistants finding other jobs. He just wants to do this one right.
"The easiest way to find a job is play well, do a good job coaching," he said. "And plus, these aren't rookies. These guys, they're connected and they're known in our profession as extremely good coaches."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Willingham makes changes to staff
SEATTLE (Ticker) - University of Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham announced Monday that he has decided not to renew the contracts of defensive coordinator Kent Baer and assistant coach Bob Simmons.
Baer has spent a total of 13 years as an assistant under Willingham, which included seven years at Stanford. Both coaches have spent the last three years at Washington and served on Willingham's staff at Notre Dame prior to moving to Seattle.
Simmons served as coach at Oklahoma State from 1995-2000 before joining Willingham's staff at Notre Dame.
Washington's defense ranked 102 out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams and was the worst in school history, allowing 446.4 yards per game. The Huskies started the season 2-0 but were undermined by the defense on a number of occassions in a 4-9 campaign.
"I consider Kent Baer and Bob Simmons excellent coaches and consummate professionals," Willingham said. "Making change such as this is never easy, nor is it done without careful thought and consideration.
"I believe we are continuing to build this football program into a national contender and I truly appreciate the contribution Kent and Bob have made toward our progress both on and off the field."
Willingham will also need to find a replacement for assistant coach Trent Miles, who left Washington to take over at his alma mater Indiana State.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Birmingham duo opening things up?
One of the things that are most impressive regarding the current Bruin class is the amount of players that play for winning programs. The Bruins have committed players who will participate in two CIF Championship games and in the City Section Championship game.
Two of UCLA's recruits play for Lake Balboa (Calif.) Birmingham. They are three-star linebacker Donovan Carter (6-2, 226, 4.65) and four-star running back Milton Knox.
Both players were disappointed when they heard word that Karl Dorrell dismissed.
"It came to a shock to me and other recruits that I know," Carter said. "I wish it could have been worked out.
"Coach Dorrell met with this recruiting class on Veteran's Day and told us he wasn't going anywhere and was planning on being at UCLA a long time," Carter said. "He said that he thought everything would stay the same because of the injury situation the team went through.
"I'm talking to other schools now," Carter said. "If Coach DeWayne Walker and linebacker coach Chuck Bullough stay on board, I'm solid with the Bruins.
"If they wipe out the whole coaching staff, I'll give the coaching staff a chance, but I don't know if I will stay," Carter said. "Washington will be coming in for a home visit and I'm trying to set up a visit to Arizona State."
The ever competitive Knox took the news even harder.
"I'll tell you the truth," Knox said. "I think it is messed up about Coach Dorrell. I think he is the one who was able to haul in this great recruiting class.
"I thought that the guys he (Dorrell) was bringing in would change the face of the program," Knox said. "Everybody said that UCLA is second to USC, we were going to change that and make UCLA No. 1.
"I think this recruiting class could fall apart," Knox said. "We don't know what we are going to do..
"I know if UCLA hired DeWayne Walker, he's going to keep the nucleus of this coaching staff," Knox said. "A whole new coaching staff will bring a whole new set of questions.
"I know Coach Dino Babers and I trust him," Knox said. "He tells you like it is.
"I'm going to open up the market a little and look at Florida, Notre Dame and Colorado."
Copyright 2007 Rivals.com. All Rights Reserved.
Fans campaign for Toledo's perfect quarterback to be in College Football Hall of Fame
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Chuck Ealey was the perfect college quarterback.
Playing for Toledo from 1969-71, Ealey set a record that still stands, finishing his career 35-0 as a starter.
Yet "The Wizard of Oohs and Ahs" as he was nicknamed, has been mostly forgotten outside northwest Ohio, despite three Mid-American Conference player of the year awards and three bowl victories.
His accomplishments, though, won't qualify for a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame because Ealey was never selected to a first-team All-America list recognized by the National Football Foundation.
Now his fans are pushing the foundation to change those rules so that players who starred at mid-major schools have a better chance of getting in the hall.
It's not just Ealey, now 57, who's left out by the foundation's rules.
Quarterbacks Joe Montana, who played at Notre Dame, and Syracuse's Donovan McNabb aren't eligible. Former Miami, Ohio star Ben Roethlisberger and Marshall's Chad Pennington won't be eligible either.
"There's a lot of names people would be very surprised about," said Ealey, who didn't know about the Hall of Fame's requirements until two years ago.
He's clearly uncomfortable about being the face of the campaign to change the rules. He has never worried about whether he'll get in the Hall of Fame.
"Even if they change the rule they might not choose me to be there," he said. "So be it."
The rules punish players at low-profile schools who are less likely to make first-team All-America over a player at a bigger school, said Rick Longenecker, one of two Toledo graduates pushing to get Ealey in the hall of fame.
He wants the National Football Foundation to change its criteria so that a player who finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting would have a chance at the hall.
That would give players at schools in conferences such as the Mid-American and Western Athletic a better chance at the hall of fame, Longenecker said.
The football foundation did expand the election process in 1996 to include players and coaches from NCAA Divisions I-AA, II and III, and NAIA.
Players and coaches who meet the requirements must go through a screening process. Members of the football foundation vote on the finalists, but the final decision rests with a select committee called the honors court.
A message seeking comment about the requirements was left with the football foundation.
The hall of fame will induct 14 new members on Tuesday, including 1984 Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie.
It has never been Ealey's style to draw attention to himself.
Or complain about a slight.
He didn't do that when other colleges recruiting him insisted that he play defensive back. Bo Schembechler wanted him to do that at Miami in Oxford.
Few schools showed interest even though his high school team went 18-0 with Ealey at quarterback in Portsmouth, in southern Ohio along the Ohio River.
Toledo was the only school that saw him as a quarterback.
The Rockets stumbled through a 5-4-1 season when Ealey arrived on campus in 1968. Freshmen weren't eligible to play their first year then.
The next season, the scrambling, strong-armed quarterback led the Rockets to their first undefeated season and first bowl game.
As the winning streak continued over the next two seasons, people nationwide took notice. Toledo climbed as high as No. 12 in The Associated Press Top 20.
Still, the Rockets were playing at a time when few games were televised and they still were in the shadows of Ohio State, which won two Big Ten titles at the time.
Ealey maintained he never felt pressure to keep the streak going or feared losing.
"I lost at basketball, I lost at baseball, I lost track," he said. "I lost other sports so I knew what it was like to lose."
In the last few years, Southern California's Matt Leinart and Miami's Ken Dorsey came close to matching the record, winning 34 straight.
Ealey finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1971 and was named to the third team on The Associated Press' All-America list that year.
He was selected a first-team All-American by the Football News, but the college Hall of Fame did not recognize that list at the time.
Some have suggested that race may have been the reason why Ealey, the first black quarterback to start for Toledo, didn't receive more attention. Not Ealey.
"I don't think that played into the postseason honors at all," he said. "It had more to do with playing at a smaller school during an era when few college games were on television."
Ealey wasn't drafted by any NFL teams after his senior year. He sent a letter to the teams, telling them he wanted to play quarterback. They wanted him to play defensive back or wide receiver.
Instead, he played six seasons at quarterback in the Canadian Football League, winning the league's rookie of the year and the Grey Cup in the same season.
Ealey still lives in Canada and is a financial adviser near Toronto where he and his wife are enjoying their grandkids -- and not worrying about how he's remembered.
Getting into the hall of fame would mean more to his teammates or his school, he said.
"Life is good," Ealey said.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Orange reprieve: Greg Robinson gets a fourth year at Syracuse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Greg Robinson will have another season to get Syracuse turned around.
Athletic director Daryl Gross announced Wednesday that Robinson will remain as coach in 2008, despite leading the Orange through the worst three-year stretch in the history of the program, including the first two 10-loss seasons in school history.
I have evaluated our football program now that the 2007 season has concluded and want to make clear that Greg Robinson remains Syracuse University's head football coach," Gross wrote in an e-mail. "Nevertheless, I have set a bar of significant expectations for all of our programs, and like our players, fans, and supporters, I was very disappointed with the outcome of this season, along with our overall record the past three years."
Robinson, who said he had extensive discussions with Gross about the future of the program, hinted there could be changes on his staff "to maximize the substantial talent we have on our roster to achieve success."
Robinson's teams have gone 1-10, 4-8, and 2-10, and been outscored by 514 points in the 28 losses.
Gross said he sought input from current student-athletes, former players such as Floyd Little and Art Monk, former head coach Dick MacPherson, alumni and fans.
"Despite our collective disappointment with this season, those I talked with agreed with me that stability is tremendously important to our program, specifically as it relates to recruiting, and stabilizing and building solid classes of student-athletes," Gross said. "We also recognize that as deeply as the SU community wants to win, we are a place of integrity and commitment, and that it is important to provide our head coaches with a legitimate and reasonable time frame in which to demonstrate progress."
So far, not much progress has been evident on the field. Robinson, who became a head coach for the first time in his 30-year coaching career when he succeeded Paul Pasqualoni in January 2005, is 2-19 in the Big East.
Improvement was expected this fall after the Orange finished 4-8 in 2006. Instead, they put up these sorry numbers: 1-6 and last in the Big East; 63 yards rushing and 292 yards of offense per game; nine sacks and 54 sacks allowed; 16 points per game and 35 points allowed per game; and 469 yards allowed per game.
All of those statistics rank 107th or worse among the 119 teams that play at college football's top level.
"I had substantial expectations coming into this season, expectations that were not met," Robinson said. "As head coach, I take full responsibility for that, as I should.
"I share the community's desire for a winning program, and there is no one that wants to win more than I do," Robinson said. "I have won before and I expect to win again. I know we have the talent, heart and commitment to bring Syracuse football back, and I plan to make that happen."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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