NCAA Football FanHouse

Rich Rodriguez Ends the Fun By Agreeing to Pay WVU $4 Million

Chas Rich — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:36:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

I'm sure Michigan and WVU fans are probably relieved that this is over, but I'm terribly disappointed.

West Virginia University says ex-football coach Rich Rodriguez has agreed to pay a $4 million buyout clause after breaking his contract.

That would settle WVU's lawsuit that had been set for trial this fall. WVU attorney Tom Flaherty says the tentative agreement was reached late Tuesday night.

The past few months have been a fun time to watch -- as long as you are on the outside. The depositions being taken then released to the public for mocking. Rodriguez's lawyer equating the buyout to "slavery" even as Rodriguez's present contract with Michigan just happens to have a $4 million buyout. Good stuff.

FanHouse never even got a chance to ~~mock~~ discuss the deposition of outgoing WVU President Mike Garrison talking about "Product Rodriguez." Instead it ends with a whimper. Not all depositions taken. The chance for more legal filings to accuse each other of broken promises, misused cell phones, shredded documents, and good vitriol dressed in legalese.

It remains to be seen if Rodriguez is paying the money himself or if Michigan and/or a wealthy donor is ponying up the money to end this before training camp opens in Ann Arbor.

UPDATE: It appears that Michigan will pay at least part of the money owed.

Sources today said Rodriguez will pay $1.5 million over a three-year span that begins in two-and-a-half years, with $500,000 due at the end of each 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Michigan will pay $2.5 million immediately, and additionally is expected to pick up Mr. Rodriguez's legal fees.

Rich Rodriguez Ends the Fun By Agreeing to Pay WVU $4 Million originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cal Is Getting New Duds

John Radcliff — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:20:00 EST

Filed under: California Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Pac 10

Fashion is all the rage in college football these days. Well, actually the changing of uniform designs for sales and marketing purposes isn't anything new at all. From the incredibly ugly Orange arm Florida and Va. Tech uniforms to the 230 million combination Oregon uniforms, schools are producing new uniforms on an almost yearly basis. Most likely for the purpose of selling more jerseys. But in some cases, like Cal, for a visual improvement.

The new Nike designs feature bear claw - eque slashes around the neckline along with the Cal Bear Claw logo on the neck. The claw slash look also appears on the side of the pants.

This could have gone so wrong if they would have made the claw slashes more like what a real slash looked like. For some reason I'm thinking Cincinnati Bengals bad here. But the design looks sharp for the most part. I'm not in love with the helmet design, but this is an improvement over the current uniforms.

This should be of particular interest to West Virginia fans, and ostensibly Michigan fans, as the Mountaineer uniforms have followed the Cal design since as far back as I can remember. Maybe it's just the similarities in the school colors that is sticking with me, but West Virginia didn't get gold jerseys until Cal did. Or maybe it's one too many times of walking in front of the TV thinking the Mountaineers were on, only to find out it was Cal. One thing is for sure, these two team should never play each other again! The chance for interceptions would quadruple for any quarterback that isn't color blind.

Cal Is Getting New Duds originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look Out Big East There's Another White On The Way

John Radcliff — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, West Virginia

For those of you that were looking forward to this being the last year that a quarterback named White was running up and down the field on your defense, we've got some bad news for you.

Coley White was among 20-some West Virginia University football recruits who checked in at Puskar Center this weekend for summer workouts.

Yeah, sorry about that. At best, you'll get one year of Jarrett Brown before the younger White will see the field. I know that's not much comfort since Brown is a fair quarterback himself. But that's the reality. Pat White's opinion of his brother might be slightly biased, but if you're just going on size and DNA Coley is almost a mirror image of his older brother.

"He's the best athlete in the family," he said. And he emphasized that he wasn't saying that just to be kind but that's his honest assessment. Coley's statistics as a senior at Daphne High certainly were impressive. He accounted for nearly 2,500 yards in total offense, 1,500 passing and 964 rushing. He led his team to an 11-2 record and a state 6-A runner-up finish.

Not quite as good as his brother's 1,905 rushing and 1,488 passing, but the result was the same. Both finished state 6-A runner-up. Nothing is ever guaranteed, and it would be quite a feet to even match what Pat has accomplished. But the system was made for someone like White (both of them). It doesn't hurt that West Virginia has been recruiting much better talent since Pat started running the offense either. Whether it equals back-to-back Alabama and West Virginia amateur athlete of the year and back-to-back Big East offensive player of the year awards remains to be seen. But it should be fun to watch.

Look Out Big East There's Another White On The Way originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heisman Hype: Pat White Plays Here

John Radcliff — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, NCAA FB Media Watch, West Virginia

One sure sign the season is just around the corner is the launching of websites to promote players for the Heisman. While Pat White Plays Here doesn't say Heisman anywhere I've looked, White will be on everyone's list of potential candidates for the Heisman. There's an extensive collection of videos covering his career from high school to West Virginia. I wish the video screen was a little bigger, but outside that it's a sharp site full of information on White.

In 62 days or so we'll all be at a game or watching on TV. Between now and then, plenty of Heisman hype machines will get rolling. I'm skeptical as to how much these promotions really help an athlete when it comes to Heisman voting. For a player like White that has put together three solid years at West Virginia, I doubt any voters need to be reminded of him. He doesn't play for a big market team, but he does play in a big market conference. His performances in bowl games has been spectacular. But for White to have a shot at the Heisman, he's going to have to stay healthy and West Virginia can't have more than one loss. Something that hasn't happened either of the last two years.

Heisman Hype: Pat White Plays Here originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recruiting Is Just Another Word For Bending The Rules

John Radcliff — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, West Virginia Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, South Carolina Football

If you think you know every ~~dirty~~ creative trick schools use to recruit athletes, you may be right. But I'm willing to guess that you don't. I think I learned at an early age about the sneaky ways of recruiting from reading "That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It", by Alex Hawkins.

When Hawkins, then a South Charleston high school senior, was being sought after by football and basketball college coaches, he chose football because it paid more money. "I was offered a farm to sign with the University of Kentucky but I was offered $1,500 a semester, a complete men's wardrobe and a new automobile to play football for coach Rex Enright at South Carolina.

Depending on how you look at it, those days are sadly over. Too bad I couldn't find the bit about the men West Virginia paid to make sure no other coaches talked to Hawkins. Because the South Carolina coaches had to sneak in the back door to make that offer. Undoubtedly, WVU's men were looking for new jobs that fall.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Recruiting always has been and always will be about getting access to the player, and what you can sell them in that time. Despite the NCAA's best efforts to control the contact coaches have with recruits, it seems there's always a loophole.

So when Oregon coaches identified their top 20 prospects for the class of 2005, Gilmore and his staff designed custom comic books starring each recruit as the hero who leads the Ducks to a national title. Because NCAA rules at the time only allowed programs to send letter-sized, black-and-white pages to recruits, Gilmore sent each prospect one page a week. After a few months, the recruit had the full comic book.

The practice of sending a recruit a comic book about themselves was nixed when the NCAA passed a rule that only material that was created by a coach could be sent to recruits. I would not be at all surprised to learn that Oregon offered a spot on the coaching staff to Stan Lee.

The more recent ban on text messages and the dead period on spring recruiting have just forced coaches to be more creative. Like Nick Saban's video conferencing, or Ron Zook speaking at high school coaching clinics, the NCAA is just making it's coaches better cheaters. As much as you want to think your coach isn't involved in any shady dealing or rule bending, I'd be willing to bet that they are. Good coaches are hell bent on being the best, and that attitude doesn't do a 180 when they walk off the field. It's a way of life. As for me, I'm still waiting on Bill Stewart to give me a call to write a song for a recruit, or one for why they shouldn't go to Ohio State.

Recruiting Is Just Another Word For Bending The Rules originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trindon Holliday Is The Fastest College Football Player Ever According To LSU

John Radcliff — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: LSU Football, West Virginia Football, NCAA FB Media Watch

Via Sports by Brooks, word out of LSU is that junior wide receiver Trindon Holliday is the fastest college football player...ever. When you consider the speed guys that have come out of college football like Deion Sanders, Willie Gault, Hershel Walker, etc., that's quite a statement!

No doubt, speed kills. But in the world of football, it isn't everything. I would argue that speed on the track is secondary to football speed. It's truly the gifted athlete that has track speed and football speed, like Deion and Hershel. Because then you have a weapon.

The man you see at right is James Jett, former West Virginia and Oakland Raider wide receiver. If the name doesn't ring a bell, don't feel bad. He was never an all-pro caliber wide receiver. But he was the definition of fast. He was a member of the 1992 USA 4 x 100 gold medal relay team, and actually beat out Carl Lewis at the trials while he was still playing for West Virginia. Don't get me wrong, he was a good wide receiver. But he was never great.

Back to Holliday. He might be the fastest college football player ever. But at the end of the day it doesn't really mean anything. Much like Spinal Tap being the worlds loudest rock band, they still never sold any records. For all his speed, Holiday really hasn't done anything on the field. Particularly when you look at his stats as a receiver. And that's how he should be judged. But you go ahead and have that "fastest college football player ever" plaque made, LSU. I'll be looking for it on Ebay real soon.

Trindon Holliday Is The Fastest College Football Player Ever According To LSU originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don Nehlen Recovering From Heart Surgery

John Radcliff — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:23:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, West Virginia

Former West Virginia and College Football Hall of Fame coach, Don Nehlen is recovering from triple bypass surgery.

Nehlen's son-in-law, former NFL quarterback Jeff Hostetler, said Nehlen underwent surgery Tuesday following routine testing and that his recovery was going well.

Nehlen always has been and always will be a very important figure to me. Besides being the coach at my school, he also spent a great deal of time recruiting kids from my high school not named John Radcliff. He was also the guest speaker at our football banquet my senior year. Nehlen was and is a kind man that is as real talking to you one on one as he is being interviewed in front of a national audience. Sadly, he's what we consider a throw back these days.

As much as any coach from the early years of the Big East conference, Don Nehlen was an influential force in it's formation. He lobbied hard for the inclusion of a Virginia Tech program that didn't have a winning season in Frank Beamer's first six seasons. Unlike most, he could see that it was a program just waiting to explode if it could get into a major conference. Beamer and company didn't disappoint. Often at Nehlen's expense.

He had the same kind of vision about West Virginia. Before coming to Morgantown, Nehlen was an assistant under Bo Schembechler at Michigan. And although Schembechler thought a lot of Nehlen, he was less that willing to encourage his assistant to take the Mountaineer job.

At some point in all our lives, someone tells us not to do something because it won't end up the way we want it to. And of course we do it anyway just to prove them wrong. And West Virginia isn't such a bad place to be anymore because of it.

I never intended this piece to sound like a eulogy, and I hope it doesn't come across that way. But the man did incredible things building up the West Virginia program, and I can't not salute his accomplishments when I speak about him. He built the foundation that Rich Rodriguez was able to take to a national level. But no matter where the Mountaineers go from here, it's all because of Don Nehlen and his vision. Get well soon coach!

Don Nehlen Recovering From Heart Surgery originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Police Think Charles Pugh Is The Stinker

John Radcliff — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:05:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, NCAA FB Police Blotter, West Virginia

For a team that has aspirations of a national title, West Virginia football players sure do spend a lot of time in trouble these days. Fact is, if this keeps up they will win a title. But it's not the one Mountaineer fans are hoping for.

The latest in a line of troubled Mountaineers is Charles Pugh. The senior safety is under investigation for allegedly stealing a credit card and making fraudulent purchases.

Pugh and an unidentified woman allegedly found a set of car keys at the university's student union center last Tuesday and used the remote control "panic button'' on the keychain to locate the car in a parking lot. There, they allegedly took the credit card and perhaps other items, then used the card at several locations.

As of Monday afternoon there had been no arrests made, but Stewart had been made aware that an investigation was ongoing and was attempting to learn more. Stewart was unavailable for comment Monday night.

Yup, coach Stewart has to be wondering just what the heck is going on around here. Since the Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma, the Mountaineer off season has been highlighted by one arrest after another. He also has to be wondering if he is going to be able to field enough defensive backs to run the 3-3-5 defense this year. The Mountaineers lost two of the starting safeties to graduation, as well as both starting corner backs.

While Pugh hasn't been a major contributor for West Virginia, he was expected to fill one of the two vacant safety positions on this years team. The good news for West Virginia is that Quinton Andrews, the only other safety with starting experience, is not part of the investigation as was originally believed.

Police Think Charles Pugh Is The Stinker originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Return of John Holmes

Charles Rich — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, NCAA FB Police Blotter

I'm talking about the West Virginia linebacker who was dismissed from the team in February after being charged with possession and intent to distribute marijuana. You didn't think I meant that other John Holmes?

At the time, the charges against Holmes and two other Mountaineer players were felony charges. All three were immediately dismissed from the team. Since then one player has pleaded not guilty and awaits a trial in late July. Another player plea bargained to misdemeanor possession and conspiracy to possess marijuana. He received two years probation.

Holmes had his charges reduced to misdemeanor possession. Of the three, only Holmes may be allowed back on the team.

"It was a case of being with the wrong people at the wrong time," [West Virginia Head Coach Bill] Stewart said of Holmes' involvement in the matter. "He's paid a high price for it, an expensive price. It's come as a high cost to him."

Stewart isn't saying it's a done deal. Holmes has to meet all requirements leading up to training camp in August he will be allowed back. Holmes had no prior incidents with the law. The other two players, however, were given "no chance" of returning to the team.

Of the three, Holmes was the only one to play in all 13 games. That's just a coincidence

The Return of John Holmes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 May 2008 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rich Rodriguez Claims He Was Coerced Into Signing Contract. Yeah, Right.

Pete Holiday — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:10:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez, in his tireless effort to weasel his way out of paying his buy-out, has reached the point which even casual observers will recognize as the beginning of the end: he's just making stuff up now.

A Fox Sports column today asserts that, in a deposition, Rodriguez claimed that he was "coerced" into signing his contract. Coerced. Into signing a multi-million dollar contract. Somehow, it seems, that Rodriguez wants us to believe that the powers that be at West Virginia are powerful enough to intimidate him into signing on the dotted line, despite his ready access to legal counsel, agents, financial advisors, and really any other sort of assistance he could ever want.

This is, in a word, nonsense.
Coercion is an interesting claim. A textbook, easy case of coercion would be if WVU's President had held a gun to Rodriguez's head and told him to sign the contract. Not all instances of coercion are as straight-forward, but they all contain the same premise: that the contract was signed under duress from some sort of threat.

What sort of threat would WVU have even been able to legitimately make?

The simple answer: there really isn't one and if there had been, this wouldn't be the first we heard of it. This is an example of Rodriguez tossing out words he doesn't really know the meaning of because they sound good. This is typically what people do when the truth doesn't sound quite good enough.

Take a look at the intro paragraph from the Fox Sports story:

Former West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez says Gov. Joe Manchin and three members of the university's board of governors pressured him into signing a new contract before the start of the 2007 season, even though it had a $4 million buyout clause he didn't want.

They "pressured" him, apparently, into accepting a buyout clause that he didn't want. Pressured him how, we don't quite know. After his flirtations with Alabama, you can hardly blame WVU for wanting the buyout and you can hardly blame his attorney/agent/etc for recommending that he just take it and be happy.

A different claim entirely is that WVU made him promises to get him to sign the contract that they never followed through on. This is also a bit difficult to believe because, honestly, what attorney is going to say "Yeah, we got all of this other stuff in writing... but you can take their word for those deal-breakers that you absolutely need in order to make the deal work."

Still, odd things go on in negotiations of all stripes, and it wouldn't be the first time a hand-shake rider was added to a contract, but Rodriguez should just drop the whole "coercion" argument... it'll never fly.

Michigan should step in, pay his buyout, and make this whole mess go away. It's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better, and it's a shame that Rodriguez needs to be wearing the Michigan logo while he throws his legal temper-tantrum.

Rich Rodriguez Claims He Was Coerced Into Signing Contract. Yeah, Right. originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 May 2008 21:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WV Newspaper Columnists Are S-M-R-T

Brian Cook — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:46:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10

Cleveland Browns receiver and Michigan alumnus Braylon Edwards caused a minor internet meltdown in Michigan-land recently when he said he was mad at new Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez for giving the #1 jersey to an incoming freshman defensive back. Edwards had endowed a scholarship for the jersey, traditionally given to god-like wide receivers, that specifically prohibited any freshman from wearing the #1.

Every newspaper in West Virginia has three guys working the Rich Rodriguez beat; Bob Hertzel is one of them. And Bob Hertzel is very confused:

[The number #1] has belonged exclusively to a wide receiver since 1979, dating back to Chris Carter.

There is something wrong with this sentence: it's "Cris Carter." Oh, and here's a picture of the Wolverine legend donning the precious #1:

Oops.

WV Newspaper Columnists Are S-M-R-T originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 13 May 2008 12:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rich Rodriguez's Lawyer Doesn't Know Much About Sports

John Radcliff — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:09:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, West Virginia Football, West Virginia

Now that the depositions are underway in the WVU vs. Rich Rodriguez case, we are finally starting to learn a few things that weren't apparent. For instance, we didn't know how little Rodriguez's attorney, Marv Robon knows about sports. More to the point, how little he knows about who is coaching where.

At one point Pastilong testified that Texas A&M had a problem when its football coach was given his own Web site, leading to his dismissal. "You mean Bobby Knight?" Robon asked. Bobby Knight? He was a basketball coach. Latest stop at Texas Tech, not A&M. And he was fired at Indiana.

Not satisfied that people knew the depth of his lack of fandom, Robon continued.

"Do people blame Mike Parsons for Bobby Huggins leaving?" When he was corrected and told that Huggins was the current coach, Robon dug himself in deeper. "Attempt to leave?" he asked.

Once again, real life proves itself far funnier than anything I could ever make up. I'm sure he meant former West Virginia basketball coach John Beilein. And being a West Virginia fan, I heard a lot of things about assistant AD, Mike Parsons and the loss of Beilein. His name was also mentioned quite a bit during the Alabama-Rodriguez fiasco. Keep in mind that what I just said is 100% rumor. But the rumor goes that while both Rodriguez and Beilein were at West Virginia, they went to Ed Pastilong on more than one occasion to complain about Parsons. Most likely about facility issues and Parsons lack of concern.

It hardly seems important at this point, as Pastilong and Rodriguez made only sparse contact over his last eight months.

In Rodriguez's final eight months, Pastilong seldom had contact with the coach other than in social settings and was not involved in negotiations, which were done through Team Rodriguez's agent, lawyers and financial experts while the WVU legal team and President Garrison and Walker handled the Mountaineer side.

Yeah, so Pastilong wasn't involved with the negotiations for Rodriguez and Huggins. So anything he says involving the Rodriguez contract isn't going to mean much. And the guy that was involved in the negotiations, WVU President Mike Garrison, kind of has some character issues(language). And one of the things that Rodriguez has been saying from the beginning is that there were verbal agreements to reduce the buyout. I don't know much about law, but right about now I'm not feeling so good about my schools chances to collect the $4 million.

The scenario I've just described might not amount to anything. It might just be that what is in the contract is the only evidence that really matters. But then again, if these things play a part it won't really matter about Robon's sports knowledge. Because Garrison just grooved one down his wheel house.

Rich Rodriguez's Lawyer Doesn't Know Much About Sports originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 09 May 2008 20:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Keeps its BCS Status Sun Rises in the East

John Radcliff — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, Cincinnati Football, South Florida Football

Was it really only four years ago that the Big East was in danger of losing it's BCS status? Miami and Virginia Tech left in 2003 and Boston College in 2004. The conference sent Pitt, one of several 8-4 teams in the Big East to lose to Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. And there wasn't much reason to think the conference was going to get better any time soon. The conference was written off by the media and the blogospher didn't even bother to poke fun.

But something happened last week that most of us didn't even notice. The Big East was granted a spot in the BCS through 2013.

The reason is simple: no one noticed the news. No one questioned the Big East's place at the adult table. The reaffirmation wasn't even a note in BCS meeting coverage. "It was quiet,'' Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said Tuesday. "The way I like it."

You'd never make it as a blogger Mr. Tranghese. You need to rub it in someones face every once in a while. The least you could do is hold up one of those foam we're #1 hands. Or one of six, I guess. How bout a little woot-woot? Oh fine!

Despite the picture on the right, you can't just point to West Virginia and say their two BCS bowl victories and three straight top ten finishes are the reason. But I won't argue with you if you do. It really has been the improvement of several teams in the Big East that has brought the conference back to respectability. Louisville was expected to be one of the better teams in the conference. And mostly, they've come through. But the real surprise has been the improvement of South Florida, Rutgers, and Cincinnati. And more recently, Connecticut.

While the conference still isn't flooding the first round of the NFL draft with players, it is putting a lot more teams in the top 25. Sure, some coaches have left for "greener" pastures. Others like Greg Schiano and Jim Leavitt have made commitments to their schools that don't involve contracts. There's a balance, and certainly enough rising programs and programs that are there to keep the Big East respectable. At least until the Big 11 10 decides to add another team. Wankers.

Big East Keeps its BCS Status Sun Rises in the East originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 07 May 2008 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Louisville Wins the Big East Draft Again

John Radcliff — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:29:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, Syracuse Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, NFL Prospects, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football, South Florida Football

I did this last year, so it seems only fitting that I would do it again.

And it wasn't even close. Louisville had five players drafted, while Pitt and West Virginia had three apiece. Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Connecticut had two each. And for the first time since 1975, Syracuse did not have anyone selected.

That's 19 players drafted. And any way I slice it, that's just not all that good for a BCS conference. Looking at the distribution of what rounds the players were taken, it was pretty well spread out over the entire draft for the Big East. But that doesn't make it feel any better. It's especially bad if you look at a team like West Virginia that has had three 11 win seasons in a row along with three straight top ten finishes. They've had exactly four players drafted in the last three years. And Chris Henry and Pac Man Jones the year before that. So we won't even go there.

The ACC? Yeah, that conference we've been quietly laughing at after Miami, Va. Tech, and Boston College left. Yeah, they had 33 players drafted this past weekend. The coaching must really suck over there or something.

Pac 10? Oh, they had 37 players drafted. SEC? 35. Big 10? 28. Big 12? 27. Hell, C-USA had 11 players drafted! Patriot League? Never mind.

Even more upsetting for West Virginia fans, two players left early for the NFL and weren't drafted. Those two being Darius Reynaud and Johnny Dingle. Yeah, sorry folks. Those Dingle-Berry photo's won't be happening anymore. Those are definitely two players the Mountaineers could have used this year, though. I'm not saying that their stock would go up any with one more year of college. But it sure wouldn't go down.

Louisville will have the most holes to fill as well. You don't replace Brian Brohm, Harry Douglas, and Art Carmody. I know there are others, but those three were special at their positions. West Virginia won't be far behind with the loss of Slaton and most of the secondary and defensive line. Rutgers, well we don't know how bad it is because we haven't seen anyone but Ray Rice run the ball. The rest of the conference should be fine. And that's not a good thing if you think about it.

Louisville Wins the Big East Draft Again originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Houston Texans Coach Loves Steve Slaton; Calls Reggie Bush 'Third Down Type Player'

Stephanie Stradley — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Saints, Texans, AFC South, NFL Draft, West Virginia Football, Houston, New Orleans

It's not a big secret that the Texans were looking for a running back in the draft. They acquired West Virginia standout Steve Slaton in the third round as a change of pace back.

While discussing the NFL trend toward having at least one receiving-type playmaking RB, Texans offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan gave Reggie Bush a left handed compliment in the process (video above):

"I think Steve Slaton pretty much fits any offense to tell you the truth. The reason I think that is because he's a good runner, and a good enough runner can fit into any scheme. What we like most about Slaton, is I think he's got a chance to be a special-type player. You look at guys around the league like Kevin Faulk, a guy like Reggie Bush; guys who come in and fill a specific role on third downs.
...
I think when a guy is 197 pounds and if you look at the history throughout the NFL there are not too many guys that are first and second down player for long periods of time. When you look at a guy that people are projecting as a third down type guy or a change of pace guy I believe a lot of teams have more important needs that go early in the draft. One exception is Reggie Bush; he is the highest guy that I've seen go that is a third down type player. The third round is when these guys start popping out."

That's about as direct as the Texans have come to talking about why they didn't pick The! Best! Running Back! Evaaaar! that a lot of people thought was a no brainer pick in the 2006 draft.

When asked about Shanahan's Reggie Bush-Kevin Faulk comparison, Slaton was having none of that. He is good with being his own fine self.

If you want to see the obligatory music filled, running back highlight YouTube of Slaton, check this one out:
If that doesn't make you want the season to start immediately, I don't know what will.

Previously at FanHouse:
Everything Steve Slaton

Houston Texans Coach Loves Steve Slaton; Calls Reggie Bush 'Third Down Type Player' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jason Gwaltney is the Worst Kind of Tease

John Radcliff — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, Big East, West Virginia

I have a list in my head of the 10 most impossible things. And on it near the top is Jason Gwaltney playing for West Virginia again. Laugh if you will, but it looks rather possible now.

"We'd welcome him back, sure,'' Stewart said. "If he can get his eligibility back, after all he's put into it, everybody deserves a second chance. But understand, it's all about chemistry. And Jason or anybody else in our program will have to follow all of our guidelines as far as going to class and being accountable. If he does all of that, certainly we'd welcome him.''

That's a lot to ask if you consider Jason's past with the Mountaineers, coach. You sure you don't want to tone that down a bit? West Virginia does need someone for short yardage situations. But still, is it worth it? I mean....well....what conversation took place in order to make this possible?

(phone rings)

WVU: Hello?

Jason: Hey baby!

WVU: Oh, it you! I thought we settled this last time!

Jason: Now come on baby. You know you're the only one I've ever been serious about. All those Community Colleges? That was just so I could get back to you.

WVU: But...

Jason: Now look! I really need you in my corner this time! Don't worry your pretty head about anything. Daddy's back and he's going to make everything right. I got myself squared away and I'm going to be everything you thought I was in 2005. You remember 2005 don't you?

WVU: Look! You can't just come running back to me every time you think you've got your act together. I've got feelings and you've trampled on them one too many times! I swore after the last time that I would never let this happen again! And I mean it!!

Jason: Now sugar, is that really the last thing you ever want to say to me? Cause I don't know that I can go on in a world where I don't have a shot at you. You're really hurting me here.

WVU: Oh! (kicks wall) Alright. But you better not do me like that again baby. Hell hath no fury Jason! Hell hath no....

Jason: Get on with that hell hath no fury junk, and get over here and tell me how I'm going to win the Heisman!

And just like that, he comes back into our lives.

HT: Bastard Sons of Pinfall Marks

Jason Gwaltney is the Worst Kind of Tease originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What You Get for the Money: Morgantown

Charles Rich — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:09:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

Got $2 million dollars to spare? Want to live in a gated community in Morgantown? An early 90s McMansion can be yours. It has a tennis court, swimming pool, 5 fireplaces, boat docks and sits on 2 acres. Go ahead, take the photo tour.

Hold off on making an immediate offer, though. The present owner might be more motivated to sell by the end of August. After the trial is finished. At that point, Rich Rodriguez might need the money.

You might be able pick up the house that sits off of -- wait for it... wait for it... Cheat Lake -- at a nice discount.

What You Get for the Money: Morgantown originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rodriguez Lawyer: Buyout Basically Equivalent to Slavery

Brian Cook — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:09:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, West Virginia Football, Big 10, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

Aaaand every Michigan fan would like the Rodriguez lawsuit to be settled quietly right... about... now:

"It's like back before the Civil War when slaves had the right to buy their freedom," said Marv Robon, one of Rodriguez's lawyers. " A penalty of $4 million is almost like a slave from Africa trying to buy his freedom in America."

Yes, it's just like that if the plantation owner has -- quixotically and in total defiance of the language -- paid his slaves millions of dollars and increased the millions of dollars paid to said slaves when a plantation in Alabama came calling. And if the slave already had another, even better-paid slave position available at a really old and prestigious plantation.

But I think we've already established Robon's analogy kinda breaks down when the whole "slavery" thing is brought in, and since that comprises the whole of it, it's probably best if that guy spends the rest of the trial gagged.

No, Justin Boren, not a sexy gag. A functional, non-fetishized gag.

(HT: MVictors.)

Rodriguez Lawyer: Buyout Basically Equivalent to Slavery originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Noel Devine Feels the Long Arm of the Law's Dainty Wrist Slap

Brian Cook — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:11:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, NCAA FB Police Blotter

Several members of the West Virginia team are now prepped for deep frying:

West Virginia running back Noel Devine was among four Mountaineers' football players to plead no contest to misdemeanor battery charges after being arrested Thursday.

"Jockee Sanders," if that is his real name, is the only other 'Eer of note who participated in the nightclub altercation. Fulmer Cup points for all, but more importantly: WVU head coach Bill Stewart says that discipline in this matter has been handled "internally" and no one's off the team or anything rash like that. Upshot: we all get to see Noel Devine do cool stuff as long as he doesn't make this a habit.

Of course, this is all Rich Rodriguez's fault.

Noel Devine Feels the Long Arm of the Law's Dainty Wrist Slap originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WVU President: 12-Year-Old, Bill Stewart "Equally Qualified" to Coach Mountaineers

Brian Cook — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:48:00 EST

Filed under: West Virginia Football, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Coaching

When you're the president of a university that has controversially lost the best coach in its history, then hired a very nice man who won one game and saw that decision publicly lambasted by big-time boosters, maybe you should watch your meaningless public utterances about said coach.

Like, say, you're West Virginia president Mike Garrison. When a twelve-year-old mails you an application, don't say this...

Garrison responded by sending the boy a letter that thanks him and tells him the position has been filled by an "equally qualified candidate."

...because then people will make fun of you. Like this person. In an admittedly meta fashion, yes.

Other items with qualifications on par with Bill Stewart's to run a major college program:

Rich Rodriguez's pinky
dead gopher
two flash cards that read "zone read left" and "zone read right"
Bill Callahan

Well, maybe not that last one.

WVU President: 12-Year-Old, Bill Stewart "Equally Qualified" to Coach Mountaineers originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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