DEFENDERS MAKING HEISMAN STRIDES
Bryce Young was disappointed for his friend.
The Alabama quarterback was thrilled to find out he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, of course, but believes teammate Will Anderson Jr. deserved the honor as well.
“That one sucked a lot,” Young said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense, if you ask me.”
Anderson, a sophomore linebacker, has been a terror this season, leading the nation in sacks (151⁄2) and tackles for loss (311⁄2), but he wasn’t able to crack the top four in the Heisman voting and that meant no trip to New York for today’s presentation ceremony.
Young will be joined by fellow quarterbacks Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh and C.J. Stroud of Ohio State along with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Defensive players rarely get their due when it comes to the Heisman Trophy.
“It’s tough, because this award is very quarterback dominant, offensively dominant players,” Hutchinson said Friday during a media availability at a Manhattan hotel with Young and Stroud. Pickett was in Baltimore for another award ceremony.
“So to be here and to be a finalist, it’s really great to put on for all the other defensive players in the country,” Hutchinson said. “It’s really such an honor to be here.”
Kelly wanted
Holiday Bowl-bound
UCLA remained in a holding pattern with Chip Kelly while he pondered interest from Oregon as well as from the Bruins, who are believed to want to retain the coach who has guided the team to its best season since 2015.
Kelly is among the candidates the Ducks are considering, according to multiple
people familiar with the search. A report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday said Oregon would announce the hiring of Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning as the Ducks’ new coach as soon as Monday, but other news outlets disputed that account.
Even after posting an 1825
record that is the worst four-year stretch for any UCLA coach, Kelly — who was out recruiting Friday wearing UCLA gear — is considered desirable because of his ability to construct offenses that are among the most prolific in the nation. The Bruins averaged 36.5 points per game
this season, leading the Pac-12 Conference and ranking No. 16 nationally.
Coaching hires
Nevada hired Oregon codefensive coordinator Ken Wilson as the Wolf Pack’s new head coach.
Nevada Athletic Director Doug Knuth announced that Wilson will take over the program after Jay Norvell accepted the head coaching job this week at Colorado State.
Duke is turning to Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko to turn around its football program after a twoyear slide.
Virginia didn’t have to extend its search for a new football coach beyond the Atlantic Coast Conference as the Cavaliers announced they had tabbed longtime Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott to fill their vacancy.
Former Browns and Raiders head coach Hue Jackson is taking over as the coach of Grambling’s storied football program.
Notable
The fake slide Pickett used to help clear his path for a long TD run in the ACC title game is now against the rules in college football — effective immediately.
National coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said the change is a new interpretation of the existing rules regarding when to call a play dead.
Florida DE end Zach Carter is opting out of the team’s Gasparilla Bowl vs. UCF in Tampa to begin preparing for the NFL Draft.
Iowa RB Tyler Goodson said he will declare for the NFL Draft and won’t play in the Citrus Bowl against Kentucky on Jan. 1.