Tennessee defends coaching search
Ohio St. QB Barrett probably will play in Big Ten title game.
Tennessee Athletic Director John Currie is defending his coaching search and vouching for the character of Greg Schiano one day after negotiations between the two parties broke down amid a public backlash.
Currie issued a statement Monday acknowledging the Ohio State defensive coordinator had been a leading candidate for the Volunteers’ coaching vacancy without explaining why the two sides parted ways.
“Among the most respected professional and college football coaches, he is widely regarded as an outstanding leader who develops tough, competitive teams and cares deeply about his student-athletes,” Currie said.
Tennessee Chancellor Beverly Davenport issued a statement saying “I deeply regret the events of yesterday for everyone involved.” Davenport added that “the university remains steadfast in its commitment to excellence, and I look forward to John Currie continuing the search” for a new coach.
The school and Schiano were close to an agreement Sunday before the deal fell apart after heavy criticism from fans, state representatives and gubernatorial candidates.
Their complaints stemmed from Schiano’s background as an assistant at Penn State during Jerry Sandusky’s tenure as the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator. Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in prison for his conviction on 45 counts of sexual abuse.
Court documents released last year of a deposition in a case related to the Sandusky scandal suggested Schiano might have been aware of Sandusky’s sexual abuse against children, though Schiano has said he never saw abuse or had any reason to suspect it while working at Penn State.
Currie said Tennessee “carefully interviewed and vetted” Schiano and that the former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach “received the highest recommendations.”
He said Tennessee officials conferred with Ohio State officials who conducted their own investigation after the 2016 document release.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer praised Schiano on Monday as “an elite person, an elite father, an elite friend, an elite football coach.”
Tennessee (4-8, 0-8 SEC) fired Butch Jones two weeks ago and just finished a season in which it set a school record for losses. This marks Tennessee’s fourth coaching search since the forced exit of Phillip Fulmer in 2008.
Meyer says Barrett ‘probable’ for title game: Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said quarterback J.T. Barrett is “probable” to play against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday.
Meyer on Monday said Barrett, who left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter during a win over Michigan on Saturday, is “really doing a nice job with all the rehab.”
The decision whether to start Barrett or backup Dwayne Haskins will be made later in the week. Barrett did not practice Sunday. Haskins, a redshirt freshman, entered the game with the Buckeyes trailing 20-14 and helped lead a comeback victory.
Barrett said he aggravated a meniscus injury before the game when he was bumped by someone while warming up on the sideline.
Texas A&M regents to meet Thursday: Texas A&M University regents called a meeting for Thursday to discuss hiring a new football coach.
The school dismissed coach Kevin Sumlin after six years on Sunday amid speculation the Aggies will try to lure Jimbo Fisher away from Florida State. The announcement of Thursday’s meeting did not mention any specific coaches to be discussed.
Texas A&M still owes the 53-year-old Sumlin a buyout of more than $10 million. Sumlin was the first black head football coach in program history. He went 51-26 and made a bowl game every season.
But his teams never matched the success of his first season, in 2012, when the Aggies went 11-2 behind Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Frost high on Nebraska’s list: Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos estimates it will take two or three years to return the football program to a level of competitiveness more in line with its traditional place as one of the college game’s blue bloods. He has a list of a halfdozen names of coaches he thinks could get the job done, including UCF coach Scott Frost.
Mike Riley was fired Saturday after a 4-8 season ended with losses in six of the last seven games, including a 56-14 loss to Iowa on Friday. Riley was 19-19 with losing records in two of his three seasons.
Frost, whose unbeaten team will host Memphis this week in the American Athletic Conference championship game, is the overwhelming choice of fans. The Nebraska-born Frost quarterbacked the Cornhuskers’ 1997 team that split the national championship with Michigan.
“I’ve never said I was going after Scott Frost. A lot of other people have,” Moos said. “I’ll let you read my email sometime, that I should be going after Scott Frost . ... He’s got a lot of interest.”
Among names bandied for the Nebraska job, in addition to Frost, are Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente and recently fired Arkansas (and former Wisconsin) coach Bret Bielema.