Larry Brown Sports

Stanford no longer has an offensive coordinator position. Nope, thanks to an anonymous donor, the position has been renamed “The Andrew Luck Director of Offense,” after former Cardinal four-year starter and current Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.

“It is a huge tribute,” said Luck of his named Directorship. “To have anything endowed in my name is a complete honor. I feel very fortunate to have come to Stanford, and I have always enjoyed representing the University. The offensive coordinators I’ve had here helped me not only in football, but also to grow so much as a person. To be a part of that leadership and position is a very proud legacy for me.”

Luck ranks first on Stanford’s career list for wins, winning percentage, touchdown passes, completion percentage, and efficiency, and he’s second in career passing yards. It’s no wonder the position was named after him, though you have to wonder how another former Stanford quarterback feels about things.

If the quarterback coach position gets renamed “The John Elway Quarterback Guru” by an anonymous donor, be leery; the money either came from old number seven, or Ted Danson.

On a serious note, this sets a precedent that will likely be duplicated throughout college football. You know how things run in trends. When one school announced a “coach in waiting,” several others followed. Same with all the schools giving their Heisman Trophy winners statues. Just wait til you see this trend proliferate.

Helmet knock to Around the League

A four-team playoff to determine the national champion is likely coming to college football in the 2014 season, and Urban Meyer is not happy about the development.

“I’ll probably get in trouble for saying this, but I think the ideal setup is what we’ve had the last decade of football,” the Ohio State coach said on Wednesday, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I can understand why [the change] is happening, but I was not one of the screamers or yellers saying it was broke before.”

What’s funny is that Meyer was one of the yellers calling for a playoff system. Remember when he went nuts at the thought of a Michigan-Ohio State rematch national championship game in 2006?

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This story comes to you straight from the Department of “Duh” files. University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman told members of the Rotary Club of Flint on Friday that the school made a mistake by hiring Rich Rodriguez as their head football coach in December 2007.

Coleman told the crowd that the school was being criticized for employing Lloyd Carr and his supposed old fashioned, out of date offense, and that’s why they went for Rodriguez.

“We though, OK, well let’s go hire the guy who invented the spread offense,” Coleman said, per MLive.com. “He was a hot, young coach with a different approach.”

If by different, she means “doesn’t care about defense,” then yes, she’s absolutely correct. Rodriguez was a bad fit from the start. He completely changed the entire program, targeted a different type of recruit, and he got in trouble for extra practice and workout violations. It was just a disaster that they luckily turned around pretty quickly.

As for Brady Hoke, who went 11-2 in his first year as head coach after replacing Rodriguez, Coleman is happy with him.

“(Hoke) has more of the kind of Midwestern ethos,” Coleman said.

In other words, he’s not the king of college football scum.

Helmet knock to College Football Talk
Photo Credit: Greg Bartram-US PRESSWIRE

We know the economy is in rough shape, but can times really be this tough? Just over a month after we saw a college basketball player get himself into trouble for stealing a taco from a street vendor, and we now have college football players getting arrested for stealing snacks. According to the Metro News, West Virginia junior Darwin Cook and senior Terrence Garvin were arrested Tuesday in Morgantown for stealing three bottles of Gatorade, a couple bags of chips, and a couple bags of pretzels from a Sheetz convenience store.

Cook, 20, and Garvin, 21, are facing misdemeanor charges after a surveillance camera showed them taking the items without paying and helping themselves to a plastic bag behind the counter to put them in.

“I have been made aware of the situation and am gathering facts at this time,” WVU coach Dana Holgorson told the Dominion Post according to the Metro News. “When all the facts are in, I will take the appropriate action.”

As The Big Lead pointed out, Holgorson has had to do a lot of fact gathering this offseason. Backup quarterback Geno Smith was also arrested last month after he was driving around drunk at night without his headlights on. The season can’t come soon enough for the Mountaineers.

Photo credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

After being fired last month, Bobby Petrino has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth and for all we know gone into hiding with Sarah Phillips and Gregg Williams. But that’s not stopping an integral part of the Petrino scandal from momentarily returning to the spotlight.

The 2007 “Hawg Wild” Harley Davidson that the philandering former Arkansas coach was riding when he and alleged mistress Jessica Dorrell crashed off the side of a highway last month has been put up for auction and could be yours for less than its value. Granted, there are a few repairs you’ll need to make to the mutilated bike. And by “a few repairs,” we mean $18,000 worth.

The current bid is at $4,600 with the auction ending May 30. According to Copart.com, where you can wager on the bike, the Harley’s estimated value is $16,000.

It doesn’t take a math expert to see that, with the $18 grand you’ll need to make in repairs, you’ll be overpaying for the motorcycle. But this is a bike that has history! Memorabilia collectors who specialize in items shrouded in shame and regret should be all over this one. This is like the Lewinsky dress of college football scandals.

H/T Off the Bench
Photo credit: Beth Hall-US PRESSWIRE

There’s a (likely false but nonetheless hilarious) Internet meme out there perpetuated by college football trolls that alleges former ESPN tool bag and soon-to-be failed Senate candidate Craig James killed five hookers during his playing days at SMU. Evidently, James’ arch enemy Mike Leach is in on the joke, too.

As you see in the above photo, Leach signed a copy of his book, “Swing Your Sword,” to somebody with the transcription, “CJK5H,” an apparent reference to the Craig James Killed Five Hookers gag. James, of course, allegedly had a role in Leach losing his job at Texas Tech after James’ son Adam was reportedly placed in a utility closet after suffering a concussion during practice despite Leach’s own insistence that he had no part in the incident. Leach is now about to start his first season at Washington State.

And, in case you had doubts as to whether Leach himself wrote the “CJK5H,” Deadspin has confirmed its authenticity, thus also confirming Leach’s awesomeness.

H/T Awful Announcing
Photo via Mark Ennis

Notre Dame is going to Dublin, Ireland for its season opening game against Navy on September 1st, and they plan to pay tribute to the host country with special footwear. The cleat you see above that has the colors and design of the Irish flag will be worn by Notre Dame’s players for the game. A member of the Notre Dame equipment staff shared the photo on Twitter and said that’s what the team will wear.

Given all the Irish players Notre Dame has on their roster, I’m sure all the guys will LOVE paying tribute to their native country. (Yes, that’s a joke.)

H/T Eye on College Football

After its spring game last month, Ohio State picked up a commitment from linebacker Alex Anzalone for its 2013 class. Anzalone, of Wyomissing, Pa., is a four-star recruit and the 16th-ranked linebacker in the country, according to Rivals.com. But on Friday, Anzalone decommitted from the Buckeyes after a picture of him with a Kentucky sex offender began circulating on the Internet.

Following the Scarlet vs. Gray spring game, for which Anzalone was in attendance on an unofficial visit, 31-year-old Charles Waugh (pictured), who was convicted on child pornography charges four years ago, asked Anzalone and fellow recruits Mike Heuerman and Joey Bosa for a picture with them. Waugh posted the photo along with others taken that day on his Twitter account, which has since been deactivated. According to ESPN, that was disturbing enough for Anzalone, who already wasn’t solid on his committment, to pull back and reconsider his options.

The university has been aware of Waugh’s previous interactions with current and former student-athletes both in-person and over social media. OSU’s compliance department sent an email this week to Buckeyes athletes warning them about Waugh.

“You would think that these kinds of people would be kept at a distance away from recruits,” Anzalone’s father, Sal, told ESPN. “The fact that he got close to recruits was the issue. Keep people like this away from them. I can’t be everywhere.”

It’s unclear if Anzalone’s decommitment and the university’s email are related. OSU’s student newspaper obtained the email on Thursday, the day before the Buckeyes lost Anzalone. But the linebacker’s father confirmed he played a part in his son’s decision.

“Separate yourself,” Sal Anzalone said, “because you don’t want the NCAA thinking that you’re being influenced by this joke.”

H/T Deadspin

USC is so confident about its dominance against UCLA recently that it’s listing their November game at the Rose Bowl as a home game. Scott Enyeart, who noticed the sly jab by the Trojans, says the schedule is a keychain-sized one that’s being distributed around campus at the bookstore and Heritage Hall.

USC has 12 games on its schedule for the upcoming season — six at home, five on the road, and a neutral-site game against Syracuse. The keychain schedule shows the Nov. 17 game at UCLA as a home contest even though that’s one of their five road games.

The Trojans have won 12 of their last 13 games against against the Bruins, including five of six at the Rose Bowl. Even though they dominated the Bruins 50-0 last year, being too overconfident can be dangerous. Games are won on the field, not on paper. Just ask Rick Neuheisel about that.

Photo, story via Scott Enyeart

The 49ers used the 61st pick of the NFL Draft on Friday to add Oregon’s LaMichael James to their crowded backfield. It was a big day (as evidenced by the logjam of messages on his phone) for James, and there to share the moment with him was none other than Willie Lyles, the very man at the center of the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into alleged recruiting violations by the Ducks football program.

Lyles has been a confidant to James even before he and the Ducks came into the NCAA’s crosshairs. Lyles accompanied LMJ to a college football awards show in 2010, calling himself a trainer and adviser. And on Friday, a story by The Register-Guard in Eugene about James being drafted used a photo showing the two together at LaMike’s draft party.

This shouldn’t be surprising to close followers of Oregon football. James has always said positive things about his relationship with Lyles, even while the media and Ducks fans were hammering the so-called “street agent.” “Him and me are really close,” the running back said last year. “I talk to him all the time. He has never steered me wrong or given me bad advice.” That tone didn’t change when James addressed fans who wondered about Lyles being at the party:

I want to give a s/o to everyone wondering if I’m cool with will lyle yes I”am he’s always been there for me when I needed him #loyalty

— LaMichael James (@LaMichaelJames) April 28, 2012

Somewhere Chip Kelly is cringing.

Photo credit: Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE