Sankey: Little SEC role in Freeze, Petrino hires
LOS ANGELES — Two recent high-profile coaching hires in the SEC have received public backlash and raised questions about the optics they present, but commissioner Greg Sankey said Sunday that the conference played a limited role in the processes and that the hiring decisions were made at the campus level.
Auburn hired Hugh Freeze as its head coach in November, while Texas A&M hired offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino last week, two decisions that received scrutiny given both coaches’ history.
Sankey said the SEC has a specific bylaw that defines whether he needs to speak with a university president about a hire, and while that occurred with Freeze, it did not rise to that level with Petrino because his behavior wasn’t an NCAA violation. Petrino was fired from Arkansas in April 2012 after school officials said he lied about a motorcycle crash while riding with a female football staffer whom Petrino had hired and with whom he was having an affair.
Freeze resigned from Ole Miss in 2017 after school officials found a pattern that included phone calls to a number associated with a female escort service. Later in 2017, Ole Miss was placed on NCAA probation for violations that occurred in part under Freeze, and the sanctions included a two-year bowl ban. Freeze was charged individually by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions of a Level 1 violation and found guilty of failing to adequately monitor his football staff and its interaction with boosters.
“Our campuses, despite whatever mythology may exist, make their own personnel decisions, but we provide for any hiring decision, here’s the background from a compliance standpoint,” Sankey said. “Bobby’s situation was public, so there aren’t any secrets there, but it wasn’t an NCAA violation that would create a bylaw review. Our campuses with any hire are going to check to see if there’s any issues that create a trigger for our bylaw that result in a conversation between me and your university president.
“I’ve been open that Hugh did, so Hugh had an outcome of an infractions case. We informed the Auburn University leadership, and they make those decisions, so it’s not an approval or disapproval. It’s actually compliance with the bylaw that’s been established so there’s transparency. There’s a clear understanding of the track record, and there’s an oversight plan so that we don’t have those problems moving forward.”
Sankey spoke to a small group of reporters Sunday morning following the final media availability for TCU coach Sonny Dykes and Georgia coach Kirby Smart before the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday at SoFi Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Asked whether he had concerns about the public perception of those hires, Sankey was clear in his expectations for both coaches.
“I want the people leading and participating in our programs to meet the expectations of the rules and how they conduct themselves, period,” he said, “and to represent their university and this conference well. Period.”
In a separate interview with ESPN, Sankey said the SEC is focused on its growth to 16 members, which includes the arrival of Big 12 co-founders Oklahoma and Texas in 2025, but he remains “keenly aware of conversations” around him regarding conference realignment.
“I tried to take a responsible approach knowing that we created disruption in the summer of ’21,” he said. “So we’re focused on the move of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC in ’25. It’s clear to me the issues around conference-membership movement haven’t just settled. I’m going to be fully attentive and engaged knowing what’s going on around me. That doesn’t predict that we’re going to go beyond 16, but I’m also keenly aware of conversations.”
Sankey reiterated that the timing of the eventual arrival of Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC remains between those schools and the Big 12.
“That’s really for them to speak of,” Sankey said. “This is about contractual relationships between the Big 12 conference and Big 12 members, period. We would have to go back through an adjustment to our invitation. That’s us, but that is likely much less complex than the issue the Big 12 has to deal with. I just have to figure out a football schedule, but we’ve known that.”
Sankey was also asked about a recent proposal by the LEAD1 group that there should be one person in charge of college football. LEAD1, which represents the 131 athletic directors in the FBS, in November proposed appointing a chief operating officer of college football who would report to a proposed FBS football governing board.
“The observation that’s been made doesn’t acknowledge the reality of differences and disparities and diversity that are present in Division I college football,” Sankey said, “So what you’re asking is, is the Southeastern Conference willing to submit its decision-making fully to some individual that’s unknown and undefined without any discussion of how that happens, and the answer is no.”
Last month, the NCAA announced that former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will become the organization’s next president in March. Sankey said the job description of the next NCAA president was six pages long. (“I mean, literally,” he said with a laugh, “I had to take a nap in the middle of it.”) Sankey said there is not one specific topic for Baker to address “that will solve all the problems” because the NCAA and its organization is complex and there are external expectations and pressures that are different from what faces the government.
“I would say for Gov. Baker it’s obviously to pivot quickly from leading a state to leading an incredibly diverse association at its most challenging time, at least in modern history, and to help bring people together to find solutions that make certain we have a breadth of support for college athletics while providing great opportunities,” Sankey said.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Will Howard threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and No. 4 Ohio State‘s defense made a late defensive stand to lift the Buckeyes over No. 3 Penn State 20-13 on Saturday.
Ohio State (7-1, 4-1) kept its hopes alive for a spot in the Big Ten championship game by beating the Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) for the eighth straight time. Howard, who believes Penn State thought he “wasn’t good enough” when it declined to offer the Philadelphia-area native a scholarship, exacted a measure of revenge in front of the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history (111,030).
While Howard wasn’t perfect by any stretch — he threw a pick-six on his first pass and later fumbled as he was crossing the goal line for what would have been a touchdown — he connected on first-half scoring passes to Emeka Egbuka and Brandon Inniss and Ohio State’s defense did the rest.
The Buckeyes held Penn State’s offense out of the end zone, twice turning the Nittany Lions away from deep in Ohio State territory. Buckeyes defensive back Davison Igbinosun out-wrestled Penn State wide receiver Harrison Wallace III for the ball in the end zone to end a Nittany Lions drive late in the first half.
Penn State had a first-and-goal from the Ohio State 3 midway through the fourth quarter, but three runs up the middle went nowhere and Drew Allar threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 5:13 to go.
Ohio State drained the rest of the clock, mashing its way out to midfield. Howard ended it by running for the Buckeyes’ 21st and final first down. He popped up and made the “first down” sign with his arms as the Buckeyes’ sideline celebrated and Ohio State gave its College Football Playoff résumé a needed boost three weeks after a one-point loss at No. 1 Oregon.
Allar, playing on a balky left leg, threw for 146 yards and ran for 31 more, but Penn State’s new-look offense under first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki consistently saw drives bog down in Ohio State territory. Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren combined for 94 yards (47 rushing and 47 receiving) but received little help from Penn State’s other skill position players.
Ohio State: This version of the Buckeyes might not be an offensive juggernaut like its predecessors, but Ohio State still has Penn State’s number and its physical brand of football could translate well as the postseason nears.
Penn State: James Franklin is now 1-10 against Ohio State, and the latest loss looked an awful lot like the eight that came before it. The Nittany Lions lacked explosive plays and, perhaps more troubling, were bullied up front on their home field.
Expect Ohio State to move up to No. 3 at worst on Sunday. Penn State will likely remain on the fringe of the top 10.
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army star quarterback Bryson Daily missed Saturday’s 20-3 win over Air Force with an undisclosed injury/illness, Army officials told ESPN.
With Daily sidelined, junior Dewayne Coleman filled in at quarterback. He finished with 48 yards through the air and 42 yards on the ground in his first career start.
There is no timetable at this point on how long Daily might be out of the lineup, but Army officials don’t think it’s a season-ending setback.
Daily, one of four team captains, has been Army’s starting quarterback over the past two seasons and the main cog in a Black Knights offense that has eclipsed 400 yards of total offense in all seven games this season.
He leads the nation with 19 rushing touchdowns and leads all FBS quarterbacks with 909 rushing yards. He was unable to practice this week.
The No. 21 Black Knights had a bye last weekend after beating East Carolina 45-28 on Oct. 19 to win their seventh straight game this season.
In the win over East Carolina, Daily carried the ball 31 times for a career-high 171 yards and accounted for six touchdowns (five rushing, one passing). The 6-foot, 221-pound senior has already set Army single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (26) and rushing touchdowns in seven games.
Army, off to its best start in nearly 30 years, will be one of the top contenders for the Group of 5’s spot in the College Football Playoff if the Black Knights can win the American Athletic Conference championship. Army (8-0, 5-0) travels to North Texas next week for an AAC contest. The Black Knights get a bye week on Nov. 16 and then face Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium.
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