Baylor, AD Mack Rhoades agree on 10-year contract extension

Associated PressApr 5, 2022, 5:54 PM EDT

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WACO, Texas – Baylor announced a 10-year contract extension for athletic director Mack Rhoades on Monday, saying the deal would allow him to “complete his career” at the Big 12 school.

Rhoades joined Baylor in 2016 after Ian McCaw resigned following an investigation that found the school had mishandled allegations of sexual assault, including claims against football players. The scandal also led to the firing of football coach Art Briles.

The first significant hire for Rhodes was football coach Matt Rhule, who debuted in 2017 after Jim Grobe was the interim coach for a year. Rhule led the Bears to the Big 12 championship game and an 11-3 record in 2019, just two years after going 1-11 in his debut.

After Rhule was hired as coach of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Rhoades chose LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. The Bears went 12-2 in Aranda’s second season in 2021, winning the Big 12 title, beating Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl and finishing No. 5 in The Associated Press poll, the highest season-ending ranking in school history.

School officials said the contract confirms that Rhoades wants to stay at Baylor; his name was connected to other openings recently.

“Our intent is for Baylor to be the last job that Mack Rhoades will have, and we are glad that he has trusted Baylor and has chosen to complete his career here,” Baylor Board of Regents chairman Mark Rountree said. “We expect to share in more success with Mack, our coaches and student-athletes in the decade to come.”

Baylor became the first Big 12 school to win regular-season titles in football and men’s and women’s basketball in the same academic year in 2021-22.

The Bears have 24 Big 12 titles and six national championships under Rhoades, including men’s basketball in 2021 when Baylor beat top-ranked Gonzaga in the title game.

In 2019, Baylor received a $100 million donation to start fundraising for a new basketball arena that’s expected to open in 2024. The school also has plans for a new football training facility.

Rhoades was named the athletic director of the year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 2019-20, one of his three AD of the year honors.

Vick, Fitzgerald and Suggs among stars on College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 1st time

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 9:04 PM EDT

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Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Suggs are among the college football stars who will be considered for induction to the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.

The National Football Foundation released Monday a list of 78 players and nine coaches from major college football who are on the Hall of Fame ballot. There also are 101 players and 32 coaches from lower divisions of college football up for consideration.

Vick, who led Virginia Tech to the BCS championship game against Florida State as a redshirt freshman in 1999, is among the most notable players appearing on the ballot in his first year of eligibility.

Vick finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1999. He played one season of college football before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. Vick’s professional career was interrupted when he served 21 months in prison for his involvement in dog fighting.

Fitzgerald was the Heisman runner-up in 2003 to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. He scored 34 touchdowns in just two seasons at Pitt.

Suggs led the nation in sacks with 24 in 2002 for Arizona State.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be chosen by the National Football Foundation’s Honors Court and announced in January. Induction into the Atlanta-based hall is the following December.

Alabama freshman DB Mitchell says he wasn’t sure he’d get to play again after arrest

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:59 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive back Tony Mitchell said he feared his football career was over after his arrest on a drug charge.

The Crimson Tide freshman said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he knew “something much bigger could have happened.”

A judge in Holmes County, Florida, sentenced Mitchell to three years of probation with a fine and community service on May 24 after Mitchell pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis.

“I didn’t know if I’d be able to play football again, but I continued to work out and stay close with the Lord and those who love me unconditionally,” Mitchell said. “During those times, it helped me to keep my mind off it. But when I was by myself looking at social media, what everybody had to say about it, it just felt like it happened again.

“I didn’t sleep at night.”

He was suspended from the Alabama team following the arrest, but Mitchell’s father, Tony Sr., posted on Facebook last week that the defensive back had been reinstated. An Alabama spokesman declined to comment on Mitchell’s status.

Tony Mitchell Sr. shared his son’s video on Facebook, saying it was filmed during a talk to youth.

“I was doing things I knew I shouldn’t to try to fit in,” the younger Mitchell said, “but not everybody’s your friend.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a four-star prospect and the 15th-rated safety in the 247Composite rankings.

He had been charged in March with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell after a traffic stop when authorities said he drove over 141 mph (227 kph) while trying to evade deputies in the Florida Panhandle. A deputy had spotted Mitchell’s black Dodge Challenger traveling 78 mph (125 kph) in a 55 mph (88 kph) zone on a rural highway north of Bonifay.

He also received 100 hours of community service and paid a fine of $1,560.

Mitchell and a passenger were both charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The other man also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.