Penn State has gone through a number of changes in the transition from Bill O'Brien to James Franklin, and its coaching turnover may be to Ohio State's gain. In the midst of staff changes, long time Penn State defensive line coach and interim head coach Larry Johnson decided to leave the program.
With Mike Vrabel's departure, it was only logical that Ohio State would look to Johnson to fill defensive line coach position. If reports from Monday night are correct Ohio State has indeed contacted Johnson, and Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel reported early Tuesday morning that Ohio State is finalizing a deal with him.
According to Penn Live's Bob Flounders, Johnson declined an offer from Franklin to remain on staff. Johnson told Flounders that he is grateful for his time at Penn State and all of the players he's coached and associations he's made, "but I've thought a lot about this, I've prayed about it and this is what I want to do. I wish Coach Franklin and Penn State the best but it's time for me. It's a very difficult time but I want to thank the fans, the players, and Penn State. I mean that.''
Johnson had been defensive line coach at Penn State since 2000 and developed some fearsome linemen, among them Courtney Brown, Tamba Hali, and Devon Still. It would be astonishing if a proven Big Ten defensive line coach fell into Ohio State's lap only a few days after losing Vrabel.
BACK TO THE START. After two close losses to top 25 teams, Ohio State men’s basketball dropped to #11 in the AP Poll, right where they started the season. Oddly, the Buckeyes are three spots ahead of Iowa, seven spots in the rather silly Coaches Poll; insert usual diatribe about voters being too slow to reevaluate here.
The offensive struggles for the Basketbucks have been concerning. Ohio State is down to 73rd in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and had 38 combined turnovers against Michigan State and Iowa. Whether it's LaQuinton Ross or the perimeter guards or Marc Loving, somebody has to be able to create offense consistently and efficiently. There's no cause to panic in mid-January, but this is the sort of thing that needs to be ironed out by March.
AFCA BOMBSHELLS. The American Football Coaches Association is in the middle of its annual convention, and its speakers have produced story after story from Indianapolis.
First up is NCAA President Mark Emmert, who had some cogent criticism of his organization. He made the point that many of the same criticisms of the NCAA and of college athletics system are the same that existed 105 years ago, and that the current system is clumsy and causes grief. In addition, Emmert revealed that there had been no discussion over further reducing Penn State's sanctions.
In opposition to everything we currently know about concussions, brain damage and football's correlation to both, Sandra Chapman of the University of Texas - Dallas took the stage to claim that the benefits of football far outweigh the risks of brain damage and that the effects of brain damage are not permanent. Her brazen, tobacco industry-esque statement was part of an overall theme of reactionary behavior toward concussion caution and concerns over football's current viability, such as AFCA president Grant Teaff's statement that the future of football was "under attack."
On a lighter note, Nick Saban spoke and presented a side of himself different from the restless cyborg machine he is often caricatured as, telling jokes and sharing his story of his favorite victory as a coach, Ohio State's 1981 victory over No. 1 Michigan. He also explained hiring Lane Kifffin as Alabama's offensive coordinator, praising his enthusiasm and understanding of offense.
The stacked AFCA Convention schedule continues for two more days.
SEC NETWORK SEEKS MOOLAH. ESPN is wasting no time in pushing for the SEC Network to be the most profitable conference network in the country:
Sports Business Journal reported Monday that ESPN will ask cable and satellite distributors in the 11-state Southeastern Conference football area, including Texas, to pay $1.30 per subscriber per month to carry its SEC Network. Distributors outside SEC territory, the magazine reported, will be asked to pay 25 cents per subscriber per month.
By comparison, the magazine reported, Fox charges about $1 per subscriber per month for the Big 10 Network in that conference’s 11-state footprint. The national average for the network is 37 cents per month, according to the research company SNL Kagan.
That's a pretty bold move considering how ESPN's last two TV channel offerings, ESPN 3D and the Longhorn Network, have turned out. The SEC – or ESPN, it's hard to figure out which entity is which when the two have been in bed with each other for so long – is counting on its rabid fan bases to push for carriage even at the high cost. Good luck with that.
Larry Johnson is (probably) OSU's next d-line coach. RIP NORM PARKER. Following a long battle with diabetes, former Iowa defensive coordinator and Hawkeye legend Norm Parker died at the age of 72 on Monday.
On the field, Parker was known for the 4-3, cover 2 scheme that the Hawkeyes ran for his thirteen years as defensive coordinator, come hell or high water. Off the field, Parker was a "quiet, humble man" as BTN's Tom Dienhart put it, beloved by his players and the Iowa community.
Parker had been suffering ill health for years, with his diabetes requiring the amputation of his foot before his retirement. Iowa fans have had time to prepare for Parker's death, as much as any death can be prepared for, and Black Heart Gold Pants's Adam Jacobi gave him a fine eulogy.
I have to confess that I'm not sure what to say about Parker's passing. It's not that it took any Hawkeye fans by surprise; as soon as he lost a toe to diabetes, we started to have an idea what the endgame might look like; when the disease took his foot and confined him to the golf cart, essentially forcing his retirement shortly thereafter, the writing was on the wall. The UI hasn't released details on Parker's death, but I suspect the details aren't terribly important—and if he didn't succumb to the diabetes, it's only because something else beat it to the punch. It wasn't a surprise; it was time.
..."The graveyards are full of indispensable men," Charles de Gaulle once said. And so Norm Parker was. Put it this way: I can see how the resurgence of Iowa football could have happened without Kirk Ferentz. I cannot see how it would have happened without Norm Parker.
Rest in peace, sir.
BLAZ ROLA'S TRIUMPHANT DEBUT. Blaz Rola played in his first pro tournament after leaving Ohio State an NCAA tennis champion. He played in the first round of the Australian Open last night (nighttime in the States, in any case), defeating Federico Delbonis of Argentina in straight sets.
In his 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 victory, conveniently taking place during primetime Stateside, Rola showed the same steady play that he did in Columbus, maintaining serve on all of his games and breaking Delbonis three times. Rola, who went 110-15 at Ohio State, is currently the 185th ranked player in the world and had to defeat three other players to make it into the tournament field as a qualifier.
Rola now has a date with Slovenia's Martin Klizan in the second round. If he somehow catches lightning in a bottle, he wouldn't face a seeded opponent until the round of 16. However he performs, Rola is on his way up in the world rankings.
WHUH? Bo Pelini: photogenic man, or most photogenic man?
Bo Pelini has three faces: one of pure bewilderment as seen above, one where he'd gnaw through five feet of cinderblock to get at a referee, and one where all is puppies and rainbows. Treasure all the myriad faces for the remainder of his time at Nebraska.
LINKS AHOY. James Laurinaitis and Ted Ginn make ESPN's All-BCS Era team... Tom Osborne on the college football playoff creating more anger than BCS… OSU lacrosse's Joe Meurer is selected tenth in the Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft... Florida State fans make the supermarket pilgrimage to see the crystal football... BBC's excellent Winter Olympics promo... The Chicago Cubs have a creepy and horrendous new mascot... How Greg Maddux turned his average arm into a Hall of Fame career... Syracuse may have a new all-purpose arena coming, compete with retractable roof... Behind Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ scintillating return to WWE… Bah gawd, Jim Ross is close to signing with Fox Sports... Cincinnati shuts its Ohio River intake valves because of West Virginia chemical spill... Ohio Highway Patrol releases video of man with dozens of bombs in his car... Why I Bought A House In Detroit For $500… and OMG BO SCHEMBECHLER SHIRTLESS.
