LSU aid diagnosed with Parkinson's
STEVE KRAGTHORPE, assistant coach at LSU, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and is relinquishing his duties as offensive coordinator, but is remaining on the Tigers' staff.
STEVE KRAGTHORPE, assistant coach at LSU, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and is relinquishing his duties as offensive coordinator, but is remaining on the Tigers' staff.
Kragthorpe, who was hired during the offseason, will remain as the quarterbacks coach while offensive line coach Greg Studrawa has been elevated to offensive coordinator.
"Our concern is for Steve and his family," head coach Les Miles said yesterday as LSU held its first practice of fall camp. "We are all hopeful that he will have the opportunity to coach for a number of years and be at LSU and continue the things he has gotten started here."
Kragthorpe, 46, is the former head coach at Louisville (2007-09) and at Tulsa (2003-06). He gave up an assistant coaching position at Texas A&M last summer when his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but decided to get back into coaching when LSU hired him last January.
Kragthorpe has built a reputation for working well with quarterbacks, and LSU was looking for more production out of Jordan Jefferson in his senior season after the Tigers ranked last in the Southeastern Conference in passing in 2010.
"This is obviously a bit of a blow to myself, but by the same token we're a family of great faith and will be exactly where God wants us, and that is at LSU," Kragthorpe said. "I am very excited to coach the quarterbacks . . . I hope for the next 10, 12 or 14 years that I can be here at LSU coaching the quarterbacks. It is a place that I love. I love the team, the staff and working for Les."
Noteworthy
Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll.
The Sooners received 42 of 59 first-place votes to easily outpoint No. 2 Alabama, which received 13 first-place votes. Oregon, which lost last season's BCS championship game to Auburn, is third and LSU is fourth.
The Ducks and Tigers will open the season against each other at Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 3 in Arlington, Texas.
Florida State is fifth, followed by Stanford, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin.
Defending national champion Auburn starts the season ranked 19th. Penn State is 25th.
Big Ten football teams will begin playing nine conference games instead of eight in the 2017 season. When the league expanded to 12 teams by adding Nebraska and split into two divisions this year, commissioner Jim Delany said a nine-game conference schedule was being strongly considered.
The Big Ten has been playing an eight-game conference schedule since 1985. The move will leave Big Ten teams with three slots in a typical 12-game regular season for nonconference opponents.