Report: Texas coach to step down

TEXAS COACH Mack Brown is expected to resign by the end of the week, ESPN reported, citing a source.

On Tuesday, Brown denied a report that he was stepping down, saying he was recruiting in Florida and wouldn't be doing so if he didn't plan to return next season.

But the source told ESPN, "I know Mack, he's a friend, this is his decision, but he wants to tell his players and staff and not [have them] read it on the Internet. I'd be real surprised if it hasn't happened by Friday night with the [Texas] football banquet.''

The source told ESPN that discussions have been ongoing with Brown, Texas president Bill Powers and Brown's agent, Joe Jamail.

The source said there are a "lot of logistics'' to work out regarding Brown's exit.

Brown is 158-47 in 16 seasons at Texas, and the Longhorns won the national championship in 2005.

Texas had a rough start this season but rallied to finish 8-4.

* Boise State hired former player and offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin to be its next head coach.

Athletic director Mark Coyle confirmed he had lured Harsin back to Boise and away from Arkansas State, where Harsin served as head coach for just one season.

The 37-year-old Harsin grew up in Boise and became a backup quarterback after walking on to the program in the late 1990s. He then worked as an assistant coach starting in 2001 and was elevated to offensive coordinator in 2006 by Chris Petersen, the man he will replace.

"We're coming home," Harsin said in a statement issued by the university. "One of the hardest decisions we ever made was leaving Boise. We did that so I could become a better coach, so I could one day have the opportunity to return as head coach - that day has arrived."

It didn't take long for Coyle to find a successor to Petersen, who left last week to take over at Washington.

Coyle focused his search on coaches with ties to the program, including former Broncos head coach Dirk Koetter, now the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.

In his only season at Arkansas State, Harsin led the Red Hawks to a 7-5 record and a share of the Sun Belt Conference title. The team will play Ball State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl later this month.

His 5-year contract at Arkansas State carries a $1.75 million buyout clause if he stepped away in the first year of the deal. His departure also makes him the third straight Red Hawks head coach to leave after 1 year, following Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn.

* Auburn's Gus Malzahn has been named Home Depot Coach of the Year, and Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins was selected the John Mackey Award winner for the nation's outstanding tight end.

In his first season as Auburn coach, Malzahn led the Tigers to a 12-1 record and berth in the BCS national championship game against Florida State on Jan. 6.

Seferian-Jenkins has 33 receptions for 413 yards (12.5 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns.

* Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said he has withdrawn from consideration for Connecticut's coaching job.

* Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell will miss the Liberty Bowl after having surgery to fix a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. The surgery ends Russell's career at Mississippi State. As a junior, Russell set the single-season school record with 2,897 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.

* The Division II football championship game is leaving Alabama after 28 years.

The NCAA announced that the game will move to Kansas City, Kan., starting next season.

Florence has hosted the championship game since 1985 with the last set for Dec. 21.

It is the second-longest continuous period for any NCAA championship venue, behind the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Kansas City will host the games from 2014-17.