College football extra: The week that was (Jan. 24, 2021) – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

Even when the games stop, college football news never does. Here are three noteworthy items from the past week:NO SMALL MATTER

The Notre Dame-related news everyone in Champaign-Urbana cares about right now is transferring receiver Jafar Armstrong announcing his commitment to Illinois on Friday. What made a few more websites was Thursday’s news that Brian Kelly‘s Fighting Irish have been slapped with one year of probation. Former assistant coach Todd Lyght, who was fired one year ago, is reported to have engaged in impermissible off-campus recruiting contact with Seattle linebacker Sav’ell Smalls. The team was fined $5,000, and the Notre Dame coaching staff is permitted one fewer official visit, 14 fewer days for unofficial visits and a seven-day off-campus recruiting ban for this spring.

NEW LEASE ON LIFEBill O’Brien left the NFL’s Houston Texans under … a cloud, one could say. He was fired as the team’s coach after an 0-4 start to the 2020 season, and after a controversial trade that sent star receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. O’Brien won’t be the top dog or at risk of making any questionable trades in his new role, as Alabama coach Nick Saban hired O’Brien on Thursday to oversee the Crimson Tide’s offense and be its quarterbacks coach. O’Brien’s coaching career is filled with back-and-forth between the college ranks and NFL, with his last four jobs being with the New England Patriots, Penn State, Houston Texans and now Alabama.

THE RESULTS ARE INIllinois received a few bites out of its potential 2021 roster in the form of NFL draft declarations. Offensive lineman Kendrick Green, receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, linebackers Jake Hansen and Milo Eifler and defensive back Nate Hobbs all turned to the professional path in hopes of hearing their name called in April. That makes them five of the 131 individuals on the NFL’s official early-entry draft declaration list that was released Friday. The total figure falls a shade below the all-time record of 132 declarations, established two years ago. Among the hottest commodities are quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Mac Jones (Alabama).

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