The college football season truly never ends. At the end of every year, programs pick up from where they left and begin building towards the following season right away. That was the case again for several teams in the news this past week as the Nebraska Cornhuskers landed a quarterback from Tulane Green Wave while the Utah Utes took the necessary steps to lock up its head coach for an additional two years. Here is a look at the important news and notes from across the college football world this past week.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Lands Its Quarterback
The Nebraska Cornhuskers addressed a major concern heading in to this offseason with the addition of former Tulane starting quarterback Tanner Lee. The 6’4’’, 220-pound passer threw for 3,061 yards in two seasons for the Green Wave but he wanted out of Tulane following the program’s decision to bring in Willie Fritz as a head coach who will run an option offense. Lee has the potential to be a very good quarterback for Nebraska next season and while he will have a lot of work to do preparing for next season head coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf have to be thrilled that they were able to land him at this point.
Kyle Whittingham Receives Extension From Utah Utes
Kyle Whittingham is another head coach that has to be thrilled right now after receiving a two-year contract extension from Utah, which will keep him with the team through 2020. Whittingham has coached the team since 2005 and has compiled a 95-46 overall record. That includes a 10-3 mark last season that was the Utes’ best record since they joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Utah opened last season with six straight wins and climbed as high as No. 3 in the country before tailing off a bit down the stretch but Athletic Director Chris Hill and his staff had to be happy with the team’s overall performance. They’ve been one of the most underrated programs in the country since joining the power conference and Whittingham has them on the rise. Whittingham certainly deserved the extension but one has to wonder if part of the reason for the extension was to ensure that he doesn’t bounce for a better job later down the road. He’ll be a hot commodity if the Utes continue along this trajectory.
Doug Nussmeier To Stay At Florida
After receiving consideration for the head coaching job at Southern Miss, Doug Nussmeier announced this past week that he had taken himself out of the running for that job by confirming that he will remain the offensive coordinator at Florida. Nussmeier was widely considered the frontrunner for the Golden Eagles job but he reportedly didn’t feel Southern Miss was the right fit for him. He ultimately decided his best option was to stay put at Florida for the time being. The Gators appear to be a program on the rise as they looked really strong in Jim McElwain’s first season as head coach. The Gators were supposed to be a bit of a project but instead turned out to be an SEC contender. It looks like Nussmeier is banking on that continuing, which means that if Florida continues to rise, he’ll be in line for a much better college football head coaching job later down the line.
Ole Miss Rebels Charged With Rules Violations
The outlook isn’t nearly as bright at Ole Miss this week after news broke that the school has been charged with rules violations in the football, women’s basketball, and track and field programs. There have been reports that the majority of the charges against the football program predate Hugh Freeze’s arrival and that the majority of the charges focus on the other two sports. The Rebels have already taken steps to try to curb the punishment they receive but it’s a story worth keeping a close eye on as the details continue to emerge over the next couple of weeks. The Rebels had been a team on the rise in the SEC but this is the type of issue that could slow them down.
