Coastal Carolina coach voted AP coach of year
Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell was voted The Associated Press college football coach of the year after guiding the ninth-ranked Chanticleers to an 11-1 mark in his third season. The 43-year-old is the first Sun Belt coach to win the award, which was established in 1988, and the third to win it from outside the Power Five leagues. Coastal Carolina was picked to finish last in its division after going 5-7, including 2-6 in league play, in 2019.
■ Iowa: Junior defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon declared for the 2021 NFL draft. Ranked No. 10 among draft-eligible prospects by ESPN, Nixon is the lone player named a finalist for both the Outland (top lineman) and Bronko Nagurski (top defensive player) trophies. He led the Big Ten in tackles for loss with 33 and tied for the league in sacks with 5.5.
■ CFP: Should a situation arise in which any of the top four teams can’t compete in the playoff because of COVID-19 issues, the semifinals would be rescheduled for Jan. 11 (Rose Bowl) and Jan. 12 (Sugar Bowl) and the final for Jan. 18, executive director Bill Hancock said.
■ Southern California: AllAmerica junior safety Talanoa Hufanga said he will enter the 2021 NFL draft. He was Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2020, when he had team highs of 62 tackles and four interceptions along with three sacks.
■ South Carolina: Quarterback Ryan Hilinski said he entered the NCAA transfer portal. The Orange, California, native played two games this season after starting the Gamecocks’ final 11 games as a freshman in 2019.
■ Clemson: Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott will miss the College Football Playoff semifinal Friday after testing positive for COVID-19. The 41-year-old has been the team’s offensive play-caller for the past six seasons.
■ Missouri: An anonymous donor gave $10 million to the university’s athletic department to be put toward a new indoor practice facility.