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News Junkie
By David Ubben
A few notes and nuggets from the offseason weekend that was:
Before Mack Brown began his coaching search that eventually required him to make six offseason hires, he met with the Texas Board of Regents to discuss coaching salaries. It's sounds like they were receptive to what he had to say.
After a shocking and disappointing 5-7 season in 2010, Brown and his assistants all received hefty raises. Brown is expected to meet with the media in Austin later today. Texas already sat comfortably at the top of the heap in assistant coaches' pay, and these latest raises only accentuate that. No one is making what defensive coordinator Will Muschamp made ($907,000) in 2010, but you definitely won't hear any complaints coming from the football facilities any time soon.
Here's a breakdown of last year and this year's salary among the coaching staff, courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman.
Defensive coordinator
Huskers find a new kicker
Nebraska will need a lot of new faces on special teams, after punter/kicker Alex Henery and kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic both exhausted their eligibility following the 2010 season.
The Huskers had a commit for their 2011 class, Niklas Sade, but he decommitted and pledged to North Carolina State last month.
The solution: Nebraska went after Mauro Bondi, a Boca Raton, Fla. native and (former) Wake Forest commit who has an impressive YouTube highlight reel and sounds ready to replace Henery.
"I definitely followed him, so I have to live up to that and maybe do even better," he told the Lincoln Journal Star.
Bondi gives Nebraska 18 commits for its 2011 class. ESPN.com ranks the Huskers' class No. 14 nationally.
Cowboys' top commit 'solid'
One player who doesn't sound like he's decommitting or recommitting anywhere is ESPNU 150 member and running back Herschel Sims, Oklahoma State's top commit.
The Cowboys' running backs coach, Robert Gillespie, left Oklahoma State to join former offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia. Sims had reportedly been wavering earlier in the recruiting season, but took his official visit to Stillwater in January and his high school coach told the Tulsa World that Sims is solid with the Cowboys and ready to sign on Wednesday, adding that there isn't "any doubt about it."
"During his official visit, he called that Saturday night and said, 'I can’t imagine playing anywhere else,' Sims' coach, Steve Warren, said. "He loved it."
With Sims, Oklahoma State has 27 recruits committed to its 2011 class, which can begin signing letters of intent on Wednesday. ESPN.com ranks Oklahoma State's class No. 20 nationally.
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Big 12 Blog
Click here to view the article.

Before Mack Brown began his coaching search that eventually required him to make six offseason hires, he met with the Texas Board of Regents to discuss coaching salaries. It's sounds like they were receptive to what he had to say.
After a shocking and disappointing 5-7 season in 2010, Brown and his assistants all received hefty raises. Brown is expected to meet with the media in Austin later today. Texas already sat comfortably at the top of the heap in assistant coaches' pay, and these latest raises only accentuate that. No one is making what defensive coordinator Will Muschamp made ($907,000) in 2010, but you definitely won't hear any complaints coming from the football facilities any time soon.
Here's a breakdown of last year and this year's salary among the coaching staff, courtesy of the Austin American-Statesman.
Defensive coordinator
- 2011: Manny Diaz - $625,000 (made $260,000 at Mississippi State in 2009)
- 2010: Will Muschamp - $907,000 (took Florida head coach job)
- 2011: Bryan Harsin (will call plays) - $625,000 (made $259,520 at Boise State in 2009)
- 2011: Major Applewhite (also coaches running backs) - $500,00 (made 269,509 in 2010)
- 2010: Greg Davis - $477,084 (resigned after season)
- 2011: Bruce Chambers - $200,000
- 2010: Bruce Chambers - $187,039
- 2011: Oscar Giles - $200,000
- 2010: Oscar Giles - $162,451
- 2011: Jerry Gray - $425,000 (previous NFL salary unknown)
- 2010 Duane Akina - $318,509 (left for Arizona)
- 2011: Stacy Searels - $425,000 (made 301,200 at Georgia in 2010)
- 2010: Mac McWhorter - $292,759
- 2011: Darrell Wyatt - $315,000 (made 250,000 at Kansas in 2010)
- 2010: Bobby Kennedy - 212,519 (took receivers coach job at Colorado)
Huskers find a new kicker
Nebraska will need a lot of new faces on special teams, after punter/kicker Alex Henery and kickoff specialist Adi Kunalic both exhausted their eligibility following the 2010 season.
The Huskers had a commit for their 2011 class, Niklas Sade, but he decommitted and pledged to North Carolina State last month.
The solution: Nebraska went after Mauro Bondi, a Boca Raton, Fla. native and (former) Wake Forest commit who has an impressive YouTube highlight reel and sounds ready to replace Henery.
"I definitely followed him, so I have to live up to that and maybe do even better," he told the Lincoln Journal Star.
Bondi gives Nebraska 18 commits for its 2011 class. ESPN.com ranks the Huskers' class No. 14 nationally.
Cowboys' top commit 'solid'
One player who doesn't sound like he's decommitting or recommitting anywhere is ESPNU 150 member and running back Herschel Sims, Oklahoma State's top commit.
The Cowboys' running backs coach, Robert Gillespie, left Oklahoma State to join former offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen at West Virginia. Sims had reportedly been wavering earlier in the recruiting season, but took his official visit to Stillwater in January and his high school coach told the Tulsa World that Sims is solid with the Cowboys and ready to sign on Wednesday, adding that there isn't "any doubt about it."
"During his official visit, he called that Saturday night and said, 'I can’t imagine playing anywhere else,' Sims' coach, Steve Warren, said. "He loved it."
With Sims, Oklahoma State has 27 recruits committed to its 2011 class, which can begin signing letters of intent on Wednesday. ESPN.com ranks Oklahoma State's class No. 20 nationally.
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Big 12 Blog
Click here to view the article.