Rich Rodriguez Set to Join CBS Sports

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After Rich Rodriguez was fired from Michigan after the 2010 season, college football fans wondered where Rich Rod may end up next? Would it be a head coaching job and could it possibly be back at the University of West Virginia, a place he left to take the Michigan job?



There were also rumors, according to two different sources, who told me Rodriguez was going to surface as the head coach at Clemson.

Turns out neither were correct.

CBS Sports announced a few minutes ago, via Twitter, they have added the former Michigan coach as an in studio and game analyst for the 2011 college football season. Rodriguez joined the CBS staff earlier this year as they brought the former head coach to provide insight to National Signing Day.

Jim Tressel's Apologies, Mistakes Will Be Swept Under the Rug

Jim Tressel lied. It's really as simple as that.

Over the last few weeks, I've watched my twitter feed and have seen everything from those who believe the Ohio State head coach should be fired to those who think this is a "non story."

At first, the university wanted to suspend him for only three games until Tressel felt the heat from the media and subsequently put himself on a five-game suspension. The same amount of games his five players were suspended for selling merchandise to Edward Rife, the owner of a tattoo parlor, who at the same time was being investigated for drug trafficking.

Even with Tressel's self-sanctioned suspension, those outside the university couldn't imagine the NCAA would allow him to set his own time away from the sidelines. It would set a bad precedence. Wouldn't it?

During his first press conference, Tressel seemed to be apologizing because he had to not because he truly felt remorse for not telling anyone he knew about his players selling the merchandise more than eight months before the sale took place. It was almost like he couldn't believe this was a big deal.

He wasn't alone as Ohio State fans took to twitter and every other social media outlet to voice their support, claiming people wanted to see him fired.

Um, he lied.

So here was Tressel sitting in front of media cameras right next to athletic director Gene Smith and gave a half hearted attempt at explaining why he never said anything in the first place. Nevermind the fact the US Attorney's office came to Ohio State to let them know the merchandise had been found in Rife's possession during their investigation.

Tressel could have easily come clean right then. He knew full well where the merchandise had come from and he knew who sold it to him. Yet he still remained quiet.

Chris Cicero, a Columbus based attorney and former Ohio State player in the 1980's, emailed Tressel to let him know quarterback Terrelle Pryor and four other teammates had not only sold the items but had received free tattoos from Rife's store.

Tressel was asked about those emails during his first press conference and whether or not he had forwarded them to anyone else. He nodded his head but was cut off by Smith before Tressel could elaborate.

Now we find out Tressel did in fact forward the emails he received from Cicero. In fact, they were forwarded to Ted Sarniak who is the Pryor's mentor and a local businessman in Pryor's hometown of Jeannette, Pennsylvania.

He lied. Again.

So, another press conference was held by Ohio State with Tressel, Smith, and interim head coach Luke Fickell who will take over the coaching duties for the first five games of the 2011 season.

Except this press conference wasn't to address the head coaching lying for the second time in a matter of a few weeks, it was only to address the team's positions heading in to spring practice. Though Tressel did apologize for "letting people down," the school made it clear they would not address the NCAA's ongoing investigation.

What happens from here? Well, popular opinion among those who root for Ohio State and those who see them from afar is this will be swept under the rug, the NCAA will keep the self-imposed five game suspension on Tressel, and we won't hear anything else about it.

There are others who believe this will or should cost the head coach his job but I think we all know that isn't going to happen.

Recruiting violations are a big deal to the NCAA. Lying to them, twice, apparently is not.

This is what we've come to expect from a governing body who does everything but. There will never be another "death penalty" like was levied upon SMU. Something the school is still trying to recover from almost 25 years later.

They won't make an example of Jim Tressel and the school won't fire him. He's too important to both parties.

This will just be a slap on the wrist and a stern, "don't ever do it again."


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann on Twitter or find him on Facebook

Penn State Defensive End Pete Massaro to Miss the Entire 2011 Season

Penn State didn't want bad news this soon into spring practices. Unfortunately, bad news always comes when you least expect it.

Such was the case with defensive end Pete Massaro who, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, will miss the entire 2011 season after sustaining a torn ACL in his left knee this past Friday.

The 6-foot-4, 264-pound redshirt junior had 37 tackles last season for the Nittany Lions including eight for losses and three and a half sacks.

This isn't the first time Massaro has missed an entire season. In 2009, he tore his ACL in his right knee during the Blue-White scrimmage game which forced him out of that entire year.

The Gazette reports Junior Sean Stanley and redshirt freshmen Kyle Baublitz and C.J. Olaniyan will be working out in his absence.



Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and National Football Authority @NFAuthority on Twitter

Rich Rodriguez: Where and When Will the Former Michigan Head Coach Surface?

Ever since the Rich Rodriguez era came to an end in Ann Arbor, I've wondered where he could land next. Where will his next head coaching job be and who he might open to?

After coaching at two BCS schools, Michigan and West Virginia, it would only seem logical he would return to coach another BCS school. But what if a non-BCS came calling?

Let's assume for a minute a coach like Chris Petersen at Boise State, Gary Patterson at TCU, or Kyle Whittingham at Utah were to get offers they couldn't turn down. And let's assume all three of these schools were to have interest in bringing Rodriguez in as their new head coach. Which job would he take? Would he take any of them?

Of course his name is going to bring with him the stigma of failing at Michigan. There are going to be fans who want no part of having him be the next head coach of a team they root for, especially teams who are so used to success year in and year out.

As for me, I would give Rodriguez a chance at a school that needs a shot in the arm. A school who's been desperate to become what the three aforementioned schools have become.

Since we're looking at this as a debate how about I mention a school I grew up rooting for. A team who needs that shot in the arm I talked about before. A team who seems to be stuck in neutral and a school who's university seems to be ok with it.

I'm talking about Fresno State.

The Bulldogs are finishing their final season in the Western Athletic Conference before they move to the Mountain West Conference to join former rival Boise State along with Nevada and Hawaii who are also making the jump.

Since the Bulldogs hired Pat Hill prior to the 1999 season, the football program is still yet to win an outright conference championship. Not only that, but in the 11 seasons under Hill, Fresno State has won just four of their 11 bowl appearances.

While a losing record got their head basketball coach, Steve Cleveland, fired it landed Hill a three-year contract extension.

If you talk to some of the media who cover the team and they'll tell you that while it seems mediocrity has become a habit in the central valley, the fans will continue to come out because of the hype surrounding quarterback Derek Carr. He's the younger brother of another former Fresno State star, David Carr.

But there's one thing the Bulldogs are missing. It's the one thing that will keep them from even being in the middle of the pack once they move to their new conference.

That one thing is recruiting.

There's a change that needs to be made and the program needs a name players can relate to and a name they recognize.

For the last few years the Bulldogs haven't been able to recruit the players they need to be able to turn their football team into a conference champion and BCS buster year in and year out.

Before we mention money, let's not forget Boise State has a smaller recruiting budget and has somehow been able to to bring players in who have kept them not only at the top of the WAC, but also on the national scene.

They've been a team who have been talked about before, during, and after each college football season. They're hated by just about every BCS fan because they continue to hang around.

There's no doubt Petersen has been the right head coach to bring out the best in his players, but Rich Rodriguez is a guy who can do the exact same thing to a school who desperately needs his experience.

Fresno State won't have the luxury of playing conference cupcakes like San Jose State and New Mexico State. They'll have to face off against not only Boise State, Nevada, and Hawaii, but they'll deal with an upstart San Diego State program along with Air Force and a Colorado State team that can never be taken lightly.

Why not bring in a name that automatically makes recruits think twice about signing with rival schools?

Michigan fans couldn't wait to ship him out of town and West Virginia fans couldn't have celebrated more when he failed in Ann Arbor. Miserably.

But when Rodriguez comes up for air and he makes it known he's ready to get back into coaching, there won't be a shortage of teams willing to pay him what he wants to be their next head coach.

For Fresno State, they need to be on that bandwagon. If for no other reason than to let their fans know they're committed to doing more than they've done to this point.

Put the rules violations and things said about Rodriguez aside. He's still a name that attracts attention and a name that brings instant notoriety.

Say what you want about his coaching styles or the way he handled himself at Michigan, but with that kind of pressure from not only the athletic department but the boosters as well, it tends to change people and not for the better.

Given another opportunity could turn this coach from a villain to a success story.

All it takes is the right program and the right players. Whether it's Fresno State or another school who could be looking for a new head coach, the name Rich Rodriguez is going to be mentioned more than once.

When he finally does return, all eyes will be on him and the program he takes over.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and National Football Authority @NFAuthority on Twitter

Ohio State, Jim Tressel Get a Slap on the Wrist from the NCAA

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Jim Tressel quickly became the talk around the sports world late Tuesday afternoon.

Turns out, Tressel knew about his quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, and four other players selling merchandise eight months before the sale took place.

The university held a press conference on Tuesday evening to address the allegations as well as give Tressel a chance to tell his side of the story. What ended up happening was their head coach falling on the sword and taking full responsibility. He said he wasn't hiding anything from the NCAA or trying to purposely protect his players from any sort of punishment.

What could have happened and what ended up happening are two different things. The facts are what they are and no matter how much Ohio State fans argue and defend their head coach, they can't argue what's already on the table.

He withheld information, proven by emails exchanged between Tressel and an unnamed attorney who was working on the case against a tattoo shop owner. Information he could have easily shared with his athletic director but made a conscious choice to not do so.

But here's where I go from taking shots at Ohio State's head coach to calling out the NCAA for being as weak as they could possibly be.

If you don't think they've already taken sides, all you have to do is look at how they've handled the violations against Buckeye players and now the head coach.

The NCAA had gotten wind of Pryor and four other teammates selling everything from rings to their game jerseys for cash, it was the perfect storm against Ohio State. A chance for the governing body of collegiate athletics to come down hard on them.

Instead, they suspended the five players for the first five games of the 2011 season but still allowed all of them to play in the Sugar Bowl.

While five games isn't anything to sneeze at, it's who the Buckeyes play in those five games that has a lot of college football fans as well as the media fired up.

Four of the five games on the 2011 schedule come against Akron, Toledo, Miami, Colorado and Michigan State. Their road game against Miami could be the one single game that could bite Ohio State.

The rest couldn't be more meaningless.

Turns out, not suspending any of the Ohio State players for the Sugar Bowl saved the Buckeyes in a hard fought 31-26 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Was Ohio State getting preferential treatment?

How could the NCAA possibly look at themselves in the mirror and be ok with the decision they made regarding Pryor and the other four Ohio State players? Wouldn't suspending them for the bowl game be sending a bigger message?

While the NCAA has yet to make its decision against Tressel, it didn't stop Ohio State from making their own suggestion to the governing body about what they felt was fair.

The suggestion was nothing short of laughable.

They want to suspend their head coach for the first two games of the season and hit him with a $250,000 fine. Basically, they feel this is a non-story and their self imposed sanctions prove that.

Another slap on the wrist and another "don't ever do it again."

The NCAA needs to come down hard on Tressel and they need to show Ohio State that two games isn't enough.

No matter what Buckeye fans want to say about their head coach and no matter how many fans want to call this a "non story," they should not get past the fact the head coach withheld information he knew would land his players in hot water.

If they allow the self imposed two-game suspension to stand, it sets a dangerous precedence for years to come.

The NCAA needs to put a stop to this now and make sure head coaches can not and will not take issues into their own hands for no other reason than trying to protect their players.

Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and National Football Authority @NFAuthority on Twitter

National Signing Day: Michigan's Brady Hoke Surprises Everyone

A first year coach isn't supposed to be this good. He's not supposed to come in to a new job, hit the ground running, and surprise everyone on one of the biggest days in a coach's life.

For Brady Hoke, that's exactly what he did. For those that doubted the man that was hired by the University of Michigan from San Diego State may not be doubting him much longer.

When a first year coach, especially one that most would say isn't proven in big time college football, signs 20 high school recruits to letters of intent people tend to stand up and take notice. If you haven't, shame on you.

During his first press conference after being named the new head coach, he said all the right things and responded in all the right ways to get fans believing in this program again. After that, it was up to him to show that he was up to the challenge. So far, he's responded just fine.

He turned around an Aztec football program that had been a joke since Marshall Faulk left the red and black. In 2010, Hoke led them to their best record in quite some time. Not only that, but he had one of the best running backs not only in the conference but some might argue he's one of the best in the nation, Ronnie Hillman.

The Aztecs became a team to be respected. They were a team that everyone in the Mountain West took seriously and a team that should have knocked out Missouri who was ranked in the top 15 at the time. Though, thanks to poor defense, the game slipped away in the final minutes.

Though Hoke had a short tenure at San Diego State, he left a legacy that new head coach Rocky Long will have to live up to. Where Hoke goes from here at Michigan will be up to the players that were left behind with the firing of Rich Rodriguez and those brought in on National Signing Day in February of 2011.

There's still lots to do with the Wolverine football program, that much is for sure. But if today is any indication on just how good this new head coach can be, the fans and alumni will have a lot to celebrate next season.

Don't ever count out a first year coach unless he proves otherwise. Hoke hit the ground running and he's proving that he's ready for whatever challenges might be thrown his way.

Look out Big Ten, there's a new sheriff in town.

National Signing Day: Which Hat Will They Choose?

College football readies for one of their biggest day of the off season. National Signing Day.

It's the day where the top recruits in the country sit at a long folding table, presumably with their parents, in front of three or four hats representing their college choices and several microphones from local television and radio stations.

When the moment comes, they pick their school by putting on the hat of their choice to a loud applause from approve friends and family.

There are already several players from around the country that have already made their choices and have given their verbal commitments.

For the rest, it comes down to having the spotlight for those five or 10 minutes depending on how long the networks want to cover each event. There's no doubt that ESPN will have a lot of those decisions live and if you don't have access to watch television while you're at work, there are several big time internet services that you can check as each decision comes down.

If you're used to hanging out on my blog, go head over to National Football Authority as I'll do my best to keep you updated as each decision comes down and bring you my thoughts on each player, who they signed with, any shockers that might happen, the winners, the losers, and everything in between.

Here are a list of the top 15 players that are expected to make their decision during National Signing Day, the finalists they're choosing from, and where they're expected to commit.

One player that isn't on this list, Jadeveon Clowney, a player that is listed as the number one prospect in the country by Rivals.com, isn't expected to make his decision until February 14th.

Curtis Grant - Linebacker (Richmond, VA)
Finalists: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, Virginia
Predicted: Ohio State

Cyrus Kouandjio - Offensive Tackle (Hyattsville, MD)
Finalists: Alabama, Auburn, Iowa, Miami, New Mexico, USC
Predicted: Alabama

Tony Stewart - Outside Linebacker (St. Augustine, FL)
Finalists: Florida State, Clemson
Predicted: Florida State

Isaiah Crowell - Running back (Columbus, GA)
Finalists: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia
Predicted: Georgia

Stephone Anthony - Outside Linebacker (Wadesboro, NC)
Finalists: Clemson, Florida, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech
Predicted: Clemson

Timmy Jernigan - Defensive Tackle (Lake City, FL)
Finalists: Florida State, LSU, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee
Predicted: Florida

Marqise Lee - Athlete (Gardena, CA)
Finalists: USC, Cal, Oregon, Miami
Predicted: USC

Marcus Roberson - Cornerback (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Finalists: Florida, Auburn, Georgia, USC, Texas Tech
Predicted: Has already verbally committed to Texas Tech but still considering four other schools

Lamar Dawson - Inside Linebacker (Danville, KY)
Finalists: Kentucky, Oregon, Tennessee, UCF, USC
Predicted: Tennessee

Nickolas Brassell - Wide Receiver (Batesville, MD)
Finalists: Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama
Predicted: Ole Miss

Aundrey Walker - Offensive Guard (Cleveland, OH)
Finalists: Michigan State, USC, Ohio State, Florida State, Wisconsin
Predicted: Ohio State

Erique Florence - Safety (Valley, AL)
Finalists: USC, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Cincinnati
Predicted: Auburn

Antonio Richardson - Offensive Tackle (Nashville, TN)
Finalists: Tennessee, Miami, Auburn, Georgia, USC, LSU
Predicted: Tennessee

Jacoby Brissett - Quarterback (West Palm Beach, FL)
Finalists: Florida, Miami, North Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin
Predicted: Miami

There will be many more decisons made by some of the top high school recruits in the country but these 15 are going to be the ones that are talked about the most leading up to their decisions and even after they've made their choice.

If you're a big college football fan, you should love this time of year.