The Wiz of Odds

Make Way for the Nick Saban Statue

It's official. Nick Saban has reached legendary status.

Work has started on a bronze statue of the Alabama coach, and officials are hoping to have the project completed by April 17, the date of the spring game.

Saban's wife, Terry, is among several people who will have input on the statue's appearance, according to Corey Beltz, project manager for the company that is handling the project.

"We are sculpting clay right now and we have pretty good direction on what they want for the look of it," Beltz said.

Reporters Notebooks

Scott Terrell, Tucson Citizen: A fan's guide to recruiting. There are three rules: 1. "Commitment" doesn't mean a thing. 2. Everyone always likes their class. 3. Highly rated players aren't always great ... unless they are.

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Breaking down the rosters of the NFL Pro Bowl to see which colleges and conferences are cranking out players at the top of their profession.

Bruce Feldman, ESPN.com: How many five-star college recruits are starting for either the New Orleans Saints or Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl? Answer: Only a handful. You will need ESPN Insider account to access the bulk of this story.

John Hunt, Oregonian: Eugene police have made a second arrest in connection with a brawl late Saturday that seriously injured Oregon kicker Rob Beard.

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Los Angeles: UCLA's Rick Neuheisel said he knew something was up when he saw Pete Carroll working the telecast of the Bowl Championship Series title game. "That's not like him to find time for this," he said. The next morning, word leaked that Carroll was taking over as coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Paul Finebaum, Mobile Press Register: Urban Meyer should win the Waffle House's Man of the Year award.

Heisman Pundit: Ranking the Heisman powers. Ohio State, Florida and Nebraska see their stock rise. USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami and Florida State watch their stock drop.

Lance Zierlein, Houston Chronicle: Thinking like a scout: Offensive linemen in pass protection drills.

Phil Steele: A look at the returning starters for all Division I-A teams. Boise State returns the most starters, 23. East Carolina returns only eight.

As Resumes Piled Up, South Florida Turned to Holtz

South Florida had many candidates to choose from in its search for a replacement for Jim Leavitt, but one person who didn't apply got the job.

Skip Holtz, right, was first approached by South Florida, and he was named coach on Jan. 14, six days after the dismissal of Leavitt.

A public records request by the Tampa Tribune revealed a tsunami of interest in the opening, including an application from Michael Moore, a high school student in Texas who has no coaching experience but decided to email university officials about the job.

At least nine resumes were emailed to South Florida officials on Jan. 8, the day Leavitt was dismissed. Among that group: Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, New York Giant offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Harvard coach Tim Murphy and Syracuse special teams coach Tim Casullo.

Memo: Craig James Threatened to Sue Texas Tech

Craig James' involvement in a complaint that led to an investigation and dismissal of Mike Leach by Texas Tech appears to have packed more punch than previously thought.

James, an ESPN analyst, threatened to sue the university if it didn't investigate Leach's treatment of his son, Adam, who was recovering from a concussion.

This according to a memo by Texas Tech attorney Ronny Wall, who wrote that on Dec. 20, James "indicated that litigation could ensue if TTU did not proceed to investigate Leach for the improper treatment of an injured student-athlete."

"The threat did not appear to be an idle threat as the parent expressed genuine concern for the health and well-being of his injured child, as well as other student-athletes."

Wall's memo was obtained by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in response to an open records request.

Scott McLaughlin, a spokesman for James, said no threat of legal action was made at any point.

Reporters Notebooks

Idaho Statesman: Move over Boise State. Eastern Washington plans to install an artificial red playing surface before the start of the 2010 season. The team's colors are red and white. "There is no doubt that one of Boise State's claims to fame has been their blue turf and like it or dislike it, it has certainly brought them a tremendous amount of notoriety," athletic director Bill Chaves said. "In a similar vein we have a tremendous opportunity at Eastern to do the same by differentiating ourselves with the red turf while providing a superior playing surface."

Dan Hinxman, Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada coach Chris Ault will be at risk of losing his job if the 2010 season is not an improvement on 2009, multiple sources have told the newspaper. According to the sources, athletics director Cary Groth told the 63-year-old Ault that his team must contend for a Western Athletic Conference championship and not have an embarrassing performance in a bowl game or his 26th season could be his last.

Michelle Bearden, Tampa Tribune: Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will preach before the flock of the Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa on Super Bowl Sunday. "He's always put his family and faith before football," senior pastor Ken Whitten said. "We want to give him his due and thank him for a job well done."

John Hunt, Oregonian: Police have arrested a 20-year-old Eugene man in connection with the brawl late Saturday night that seriously injured Oregon kicker Rob Beard.

Lance Zierlein, Houston Chronicle: The first of his scouting reports from the Senior Bowl. Former Cincinnati standout Tony Pike is showing that he's the best quarterback on the North roster.

Fiesta Bowl: Nothing to See Here, Move Along

Did Fiesta Bowl employees violate campaign-finance laws by making contributions to politicians friendly to the bowl?

We still don't know the answer because Fiesta officials did not provide "sufficient information" to an inquiry by the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. The bowl hired former state attorney general Grant Woods to examine the claims, and he turned up "no credible evidence that the bowl's management engaged in any type of illegal or unethical conduct."

State elections director Amy Bjelland told the Arizona Republic that she would begin "independently pursuing leads" in the case.