Ex-Maryland, UConn HC Randy Edsall hired by NFL’s Lions

By John TaylorJan 31, 2016, 2:12 PM EST

For those looking for Randy Edsall to surface in the college game, it appears you’ll have to wait at least another season.

Sunday, the Detroit Lions announced that it has hired the former Maryland and UConn head coach to be its “director of football research-special projects.” The organization wrote in its release that “[t]he football research department assists in all aspects of game preparation, and also provides information to the coaching, personnel and football administration departments to help improve the team’s decisions in the draft, free agency and on gameday.”

This marks Edsall’s second job at the NFL level, the first coming with the Jacksonville Jaguars as defensive backs coach from 1994-97. The connection between Edsall and the club is general manager Bob Quinn, who was a grad assistant in the UConn athletic department when Edsall was hired by the Huskies in 1999.

Edsall was fired by Maryland midway through the 2015 season following a 2-4 start to the season. Over the course of four-plus seasons, Edsall’s Terps went 22-33 overall and 10-23 in conference play. Coming into last season, Edsall had gone 7-6 in back-to-back seasons and led the Terps to bowl bids each year.

Prior to Maryland, Edsall had spent 12 seasons as the head coach at UConn. The Huskies went 8-5 in each of his last three seasons in Storrs before leaving for College Park in January of 2011.

In addition to Maryland and UConn, Edsall also spent time as the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech (1998); defensive backs coach at Boston College (1991-93); and long-time assistant at his alma mater Syracuse (1980-90).

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

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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.