USC to name starting QB two weeks before opener vs. Alabama

By John TaylorJul 15, 2016, 12:55 PM EDT

Unlike a lot of the competitions across the country, we actually have a specific timeline for one to actually name a starting quarterback.

USC exited the spring with neither the favorite Max Browne (pictured) nor surging Sam Darnold grabbing the starting job by the throat. The two will resume the competition in summer camp early next month, with Browne holding an edge in the here and now.

At the Pac-12 Media Days Thursday, head coach Clay Helton indicated that he will name a starter after the Trojans have completed 18 camp practices, a number that would put the team two weeks out from its Sept. 3 opener against defending national champion Alabama.

“I think it’ll be sufficient time to name a starting quarterback,” Helton said of his timeline.

The last two seasons as Cody Kessler’s primary backup, the redshirt junior Browne completed 11-of-19 passes for 143 yards. Darnold, meanwhile, was a four-star dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2015 who took a redshirt as a true freshman last season.

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.