Syracuse says coach Dino Babers returning in 2022

Associated PressNov 29, 2021, 2:03 PM EST

Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

Coach Dino Babers will return for the 2022 season, his seventh, Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said Monday.

The announcement came a day after Babers fired three assistants, including offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert after just two seasons.

Syracuse finished 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the fifth losing season in six years under Babers but an improvement over the 10-loss team of 2020. The Orange lost their final three games this season to finish one victory shy of bowl eligibility.

“We’re disappointed how this season ended. The last three games were tough and I respect that emotions are running high,” Wildhack said at a news conference. “Overall, I’m pleased with how this team competed this season. We saw growth in a number of areas.”

Wildhack said he met with Babers several times over the past few weeks and had been evaluating the team since spring football.

“Our young men respect coach Babers and they play hard for him,” Wildhack said. “We all know what the expectations are for 2022. We need to win more games. We want to play that 13th game.”

Babers retained defensive coordinator Tony White and offensive line coach Mike Schmidt, but he fired tight ends coach Reno Ferri and defensive line coach Vinson Reynolds, who were on his original staff in 2016. The moves came in the wake of a 31-14 home loss to No. 20 Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

Getty Images

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.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey suspended after arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 12:05 PM EDT

Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was suspended from the team after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the team said.

The 23-year-old, who was a team captain last season, was booked at about 2:45 a.m. and released after posting $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies.”

Bailey was Mizzou’s third-leading tackler with 57 stops last season. He started all 11 games he played, missing two with an injury. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall after opting to return for his final year of eligibility, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri student-athlete handbook says any athlete who is arrested must serve a minimum one-week suspension.

Bailey was pulled over at about 1 a.m. not far from the Columbia campus for an expired license plate and lane violation, a police statement said. Bailey told the officer he had consumed alcohol and then performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the Post-Dispatch reported.