Report: Maryland spent $50,000 on coaching search consultant

By Kevin McGuireApr 7, 2016, 10:27 AM EDT

Hiring an outside party to assist in the search for a new football coach has become the norm in Division One sports, so news that Maryland shelled out some money to find the new head coach for the Terrapins football program is hardly shocking. In fact, the school may have gotten a decent bargain on the extra help compared to the amounts other schools have paid in the past to do the school’s work for them.

The Baltimore Sun reports Maryland paid $50,000 to Chuck Neinas and his Neinas Sports Services. That is less than a fifth of what Texas paid for assistance in the hiring of Charlie Strong and less than a sixth of what Colorado State paid to make the hiring of Jim McElwain (now the head coach at Florida). The former Big 12 commissioner has long held a role in the game and has lent a helping (hired) hand in coaching searches at a number of programs over the years, including Texas, Oklahoma, LSU and more. He was busy last year in helping Maryland eventually land Michigan assistant DJ Durkin and Virginia in hiring Bronco Mendenhall away from BYU.

“Most athletic directors have a short list of individuals that they’re interested in and then it frequently gets augmented from various sources,” Neinas said Wednesday. “My assignment is to confidentially contact people to find out if they have any interest at all. If there is interest I can serve as a conduit between the director and prospective candidate to provide information both ways.”

So did Maryland get a steal? We will see. Durkin is a first-time head coach and there is much work to be done in a competitive division. For a first-year head coach, Maryland may have gotten a good deal on the consulting fee, but there is so much unknown with the final result that can only be answered in time.

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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.