SLU adds 24th signee
Georgia finally gets letter from celebrated recruit
HAMMOND — Southeastern Louisiana announced Thursday the addition of the 24th member of its signing class as defensive back Kevin Harmon signed a national letter of intent to play for the Lions.
Harmon, a native of Southfield, Mich., was a two-time All-Southern California Football Association selection at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif. As a freshman, Harmon was a first-team selection at linebacker before moving to the secondary and earning second-team honors as a sophomore.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Harmon totaled 26 tackles, with 41/2 tackles for loss, 11/2 sacks and three interceptions in 2011. As a freshman, he recorded 49 stops while leading the team with four interceptions.
The addition of Harmon marks the 11th junior college prospect signed by the Lions and the eighth defensive back.
Georgia
Bulldogs finally land Harvey-Clemons: In Athens, Ga., nearly 24 hours later, Georgia finally has its top prospect and one of the best recruiting classes in the country.
Josh Harvey-Clemons, an outside linebacker from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, went on national television to announce he was signing with the Bulldogs.
But he didn’t immediately follow up by faxing his official letter-of-intent to the school, leading to reports his family wasn’t happy with the decision and wanted him to attend either Florida or Florida State, which are both much closer to their south Georgia home.
Turns out, Harvey-Clemons didn’t waver.
The Bulldogs announced he faxed his papers to the school at 8:30 a.m. Thursday — almost a full day after his announcement — to give the Bulldogs a total of 19 signees and a class ranked among the top 10 in the country by at least two major recruiting services.
“I knew when I went there, that’s where I wanted to go,” Harvey-Clemons said when revealing his decision. “It felt like home. It seemed like they want to win and compete for championships.”
On Wednesday, the 6-foot-5, 208-pound player announced he would sign with the Bulldogs by having his sister pull off her sweatshirt to reveal a red Georgia T-shirt. Harvey-Clemons then put on a red cap with the trademark “G.”
While he figures to make his mark mainly on defense, Richt said in his initial TV interview that Harvey-Clemons could also get some work on Georgia’s offense. He starred on both sides of the line at Lowndes.
“Quite frankly, he’s a heck of a wide receiver, too,” Richt said. “We may need to use his talents inside the 20-yard line. He has such great leaping ability and strong hands.”
Buffalo
Tepper named defensive coordinator: In Amherst, N.Y., former Illinois head coach Lou Tepper is taking over as the University at Buffalo’s defensive coordinator.
Tepper was hired on Thursday to replace William Inge, who left to be an assistant with the Buffalo Bills.
Tepper has a 101-75-2 career head-coaching record split between Illinois, where he led the team to three bowl appearances, Edinboro, Pa., and Indiana, Pa. He has more than 35 years of coaching experience at the Division I level, including a three-year stint as LSU’s defensive coordinator in the late 1990s.
He had a 36-18 record at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2006-2009 and was a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West coach of the year.
Akron
Tressel back on campus as vice president: In Akron, Ohio, through it all, Jim Tressel is back on campus. He’s starting over where he began.
Tressel, forced to resign in May amid a cash-for-tattoos scandal at Ohio State that toppled the football powerhouse, was introduced Thursday as Akron’s new vice president of strategic engagement, — a position created just for him.
Tressel, who started his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant for the Zips in 1975, will earn a base salary of $200,000 per year, more than $3 million less than he made during the last of 10 years guiding the Buckeyes. Tressel will begin his new job on May 1.
“I feel fortunate that I got this opportunity,” Tressel said following a packed news conference on campus unlike any in the school’s history. “It’s going to be a fun one.”
In his new position, Tressel, who said he has no interest in coaching in the NFL, will work with Akron’s students, alumni and community organizations on a variety of issues.
Tressel, 59, is not permitted to have any direct involvement with the school’s athletic department, one of the conditions of the five-year, show-cause sanction he was given by the NCAA following its investigation into the Ohio State mess.
NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn confirmed Tressel will not be allowed to have contact with recruits if he is not a “countable coach.”
Houston
Students support stadium fee: In Houston, a majority of students at the University of Houston voted in support of a service fee to help pay for a new football stadium and renovations to dilapidated Hofheinz Pavilion.
A referendum proposing a $45-per-semester fee passed on Thursday morning after a two-day vote by 9,923 students. A total of 7,334 students voted in favor of the fee (73.9 percent) and 2,589 voted against it (26 percent).
Athletic director Mack Rhoades called the vote a “statement moment” for the school. University regents must now approve the proposal when it meets on Feb. 15. The fee could take effect when the fall semester begins.
The entire project is expected to cost about $160 million, with about $60 million raised to this point.