Here is a look at some of the latest NCAA Football News:
Urban Meyer Decision Coming Soon
With the investigation set to be concluded by Sunday, a decision may be coming soon for Ohio State coach, Urban Meyer. After concerns over his handling of domestic abuse allegations against one of his former assistant coaches, Zach Smith, came to light, Meyers has been on the hot seat. It really boils down to whether he knew about the allegations or not, whether he properly reported them, and why he retained Smith despite the domestic abuse allegations. It seems like a lot of bullets to be able to dodge as a coach trying to avoid dismissal, but sadly we have seen other examples in college sports. Currently on paid leave, a decision will likely come down within the next week or so.
Quarterback Competition At Major Universities
It is not uncommon for quarterback competitions to stir in most college football programs, and the big universities are not immune from that. The biggest of the competitions is at Alabama, where Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa are battling it out. Hurts got the Crimson Tide to the National Championship game last year, but it was Tagovailoa who closed it out for them. While Nick Saban has not made an official pick, all signs seem to point to Tua Tagovailoa. If that is the direction that Saban goes, it will be interesting to see whether Jalen Hurts stays with the program.
Minnesota also has a competition brewing as coach P.J. Fleck has to decide between redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan or true freshman Zack Annexstad. Regardless of who gets the call, they can’t do much worse than last season, when they finished with the ninth fewest passing yards per game in the FBS. While the Gophers are not expected to compete in the Big Ten West, it will be interesting to see what steps they can take this year.
One last competition is taking place at Texas Tech, but it appears that the job may end up going to McLane Carter. While many have assumed that sophomore Jett Duffey, who has the higher ceiling, would take over as quarterback, but Carter has been getting most of the reps with the first team. For Texas Tech, they may ultimately value the safer pick, but it will be interesting to see if Carter can keep the job for the entire season.
Alabama Offensive Lineman Out With Foot Injury
Offensive tackle, Matt Womack, will likely miss up to six weeks as a result of surgery on an injured foot. Womack cracked a bone in a foot that he had already broken. Last year, Womack started in all 14 of the games for Alabama and will be a huge void for their offense for the first several weeks. With Womack out, players like Alex Leatherwood or Jedrick Willis may be called on to take over the tackle position.
TCU Loses Defensive Lineman With Achilles Tear
Defensive tackle Ross Blacklock is out for the season for TCU. He suffered an Achilles injury during a non-contract drill on Tuesday. Expected to be towards the top in the Big 12, this could be a huge blow to their defense. In 2017, he had 2 sacks and 27 tackles and was named a co-defensive freshman of the year in the Big 12. He was expected to be a big part of a defense that, last year, had the best defense in the Big 12.
Controversy Hits Maryland Football Program
Another controversy is rocking the college football landscape. This one has to do with the death of Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair. McNair died of heatstroke at a workout on May 29. The 19-year-old offensive lineman had been airlifted to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he had received a liver transplant. Unfortunately, he ultimately was unable to survive.
Head coach DJ Durkin and a couple of his staff members were already suspended, but the University has now taken control of the investigations into the death. In addition to the coaches, assistant athletic director Rick Court has resigned and head football athletic trainer Wes Robinson and director of athletic training Steve Nordwall are on administrative leave.
McNair’s family is understandably calling for coach Durkin to be fired, but the university is still processing it. One possibility is that the university will reach a settlement with Durkin, but as of right now they want to give him his due process. While no criminal charges have been filed, it is not out of the picture.
One of the saddest parts of the case is that it may have been avoidable. According to early findings, it does not appear as if the staff took McNair’s temperature, did not follow the emergency response plan and did not apply a cold-water immersion treatment. We will never know whether that could have prevented the death or not, but in hindsight, you wish the program would have done more to take care of one of their players.
