O’Brien staying at Penn State

By John TaylorJan 3, 2013, 9:57 PM EST

Well, that certainly didn’t take long. And, you can apparently breathe again, Happy Valley

Just a couple of hours after it was reported that Penn State’s Bill O'Brien had interviewed for the Cleveland Browns vacancy earlier this week, and after it reported that O’Brien interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles today, Jason La Confora of CBS Sports is reporting that “O’Brien is staying at Penn State” after what was by most accounts a very brief flirtation with the NFL.

“O’Brien has informed the school he is staying put,” La Confora subsequently tweeted. Additionally, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio tweeted that O’Brien will not do any additional interviews with NFL clubs.

The news is huge for a Nittany Lions football program that could’ve been facing the loss of their first-year head coach heading into the second year of stifling NCAA sanctions.

O’Brien’s decision to remain in Happy Valley also comes shortly before a critical recruiting stretch commences, and will allow the Nittany Lions staff to retain what’s shaping up to be an above-average class. That’s critical for O’Brien & Company as part of the NCAA sanctions included deep cuts in scholarships available annually.

UPDATED 10: 34 p.m. ET: In an interview with David Jones of the Patriot-News, O’Brien himself confirmed that he will remain at Penn State.

“I’m not a one-and-done guy,” said O’Brien. “I made a commitment to these players at Penn State and that’s what I am going to do. I’m not gonna cut and run after one year, that’s for sure.”

Jones also reported that, per high-level PSU sources, O’Brien will receive a raise of $1.3 million annually that will bump his salary to $3.6 million. If that’s the case, O’Brien would become the third-highest paid head coach in the Big Ten behind Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

Stephen Lew/Getty Images

Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.