Ark. St. auctioning off chance to be spring game head coach

By John TaylorApr 10, 2014, 8:09 PM EDT

Forget calling one measly play; if you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to be in charge of an FBS football program for a day, here’s your opportunity — and all it will cost you is (maybe) a little scratch.

For its spring game Friday, April 18, Arkansas State is auctioning off what it is calling the “Coach Experience.” The school states that “fans can take part in an online auction by visiting eBay and searching for ‘BCS Head Coach Experience at 2014 Arkansas State Spring Game,'” with the bidding starting at $2,500 and running through Monday, April 14, until 3 p.m.

The person with the winning bid will receive the opportunity to be the head coach of one of the teams in the split-squad spring game, with a Powerade bath afterwards for good measure.

“Our staff wants to have a high level of interaction with our fans, and we felt like this would be another way to do that while adding a fun dimension to the spring game,” said new A-State head coach Blake Anderson in a statement. “Our goal is to make this a truly memorable experience for whoever puts that headset on when we kickoff.”

As of this posting, zero bids have been placed, although there are still just under four days remaining to dive in.

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.