Latest news with #Auburn
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Auburn head coach brings a championship mindset to Florida State
FSU head coach Mike Norvell hopes that Gus Malzahn will play a vital role in the Seminoles making a run at the College Football Playoff. Former Auburn football head coach Gus Malzahn considered retiring from the game during the offseason, but has found a new home in Tallahassee, Florida instead. Malzahn was hired by Mike Norvell and Florida State last December after spending the last four seasons as the head coach of UCF, where he won 28 games and led the Knights to three bowl games. However, following a disappointing 4-8 year in 2024, Malzahn jumped at an opportunity to become an offensive coordinator again, a position where he thrived for many seasons. Norvell spoke on the Malzahn hire during his time at ACC kickoff this week by saying that Malzahn's championship mindset could be a major factor in the Seminoles returning to the College Football Playoff discussion. "I mean, having the opportunity to have Coach Malzahn come and be a part of our staff, it was special. It's somebody that I've had a 20-year relationship with. All the respect in the world for the man, just the coach. He's somebody that infuses confidence in everybody around him because he knows what he wants to do. He knows what he wants it to look like. It's the belief that he's able to pour into others, for what it takes on that journey. You talk about the perspective; he does. He's been a very successful head football coach. The last time he was an offensive coordinator he did win a National Championship. To make the choice and decision he made to come to Florida State, I mean, that is the purpose. That is the reason." Malzahn joined the college ranks as an offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2006, and has held the role at four different programs. His most success came at Auburn, both as a coordinator and a head coach. He was the offensive mastermind behind the 2010 National Championship team that ranked No. 7 in overall yards with 499.2 yards per game, and produced the Heisman Trophy winner in Cam Newton. Malzahn led the Tigers to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game in his first season as the Tigers' head coach, a season that saw Auburn rank No. 1 in rushing with 328.4 yards per game. Another notable season for Malzahn at Auburn was the 2017 season, where he led Auburn to the SEC Western Division championship and scored wins over Georgia and Alabama when the teams were No. 1. Norvell and the Seminoles will look to Malzahn to bring his offensive expertise to Tallahassee as they look to return to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2015. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- News.com.au
Salim Mehajer's phone claim in fight against domestic violence charges after jail release
Salim Mehajer has used a bizarre claim about needing to go to an Apple Store to make a failed bid to secure more time in his fight against domestic violence charges. The former Auburn mayor was found guilty of fraud and domestic violence matters after punching his ex-partner in the head during an argument in his car, squeezing her hand and crushing her phone that she was holding, suffocating her by putting his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out, and threatening to kill her mother. A jury found him guilty of six charges, including assault, intimidation and suffocating, and he was later found guilty of creating false documents by forging the signatures of his solicitor, Zali Burrows, and his sister during a separate trial. Mehajer was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months in jail for the domestic violence and fraud offences, and was released from prison last Friday upon the expiry of his non-parole period for the offences. He's since lodged an appeal to fight the domestic violence charges. Mehajer beamed into the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal via video link on Thursday morning where he attempted to push back his hearing in August by three weeks, arguing he needed to go to an Apple Store to recover photos from his phone. He claimed the woman had his ID, and he needed time to get new identification to allow him to go to an Apple Store and recover photos from his iCloud to use as evidence to support his affidavit. He alleged the complainant had edited photos tendered during the trial which depicted bruising from an assault. Sporting a navy blue suit, white shirt and slicked-back hair, he claimed his phone had been 'remotely deleted', and he hoped attending an Apple Store would help him with supporting evidence. He sought a delay of up to three weeks, however the Crown opposed, arguing the hearing date had already been changed to accommodate Mehajer's release from custody and that the issue had already been raised at trial. 'It's not a fresh issue,' the Crown prosecutor told the court. 'The Crown's position is very firmly this: it is too late to be raising it at this stage, this is entirely speculative … the appeal can proceed.' If a delay was granted, the hearing would likely need to be moved to November due to the availability of the crown, to which Mehajer told registrar Peter Clayton he wasn't seeking such a lengthy delay. Mr Clayton said if Mehajer hadn't dropped his bid for a later hearing date he would have rejected it, noting three weeks to obtain new ID was 'optimistic, in any event'. He confirmed the hearing will remain on August 4, with Mehajer telling the court he intends to appear in person. Mehajer was last week spotted visiting Paramatta Westfield, Service NSW for a new drivers' license, and a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby following his release from John Morony Correction Centre at Berkshire Park last week, according to the Daily Mail. He'd been in prison for just short of five years, as he'd also been serving back-to-back sentences for multiple offences. As per a long list of parole conditions, Mehajer will need to participate in any domestic violence programs where directed, receive ongoing treatment from a private psychologist, and also undergo drug and alcohol testing. Mehajer's lawyer Zawat Zreika last week said the former Auburn Mayor's focus is on his family. 'Mr Mehajer has now been released from custody,' she said. 'This is a long awaited and deeply personal moment for him and his family. 'He asks that their privacy be respected during this time.'
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Salim's big phone claim after jail release
Salim Mehajer has lost a bid for more time in his fight against domestic violence charges, having pushed for an extension to sort out new ID so he could get help from the Apple Store and pull together evidence from iCloud. The former Auburn Mayor was found guilty for fraud and domestic violence matters after punching his ex-partner in the head during an argument and threatening to kill her mother. Mehajer represented himself during the trial, and a jury found him guilty of six charges including multiple counts of assault and one each of intimidation and suffocating. He had punched the woman in the head during an argument in his car, squeezed her hand and crushed her phone she was holding, suffocated her by putting his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out, and threatened to kill her mother. He was also found guilty of creating false documents by forging the signatures of his solicitor, Zali Burrows, and his sister, during a separate trial. Mehajer was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months in jail for the domestic violence and fraud offences. He was released from prison last Friday upon the expiry of his non-parole period for the offences, although he'd been in prison for just short of five years as he'd also been serving back to back sentences for multiple offences. He's since lodged an appeal to fight the domestic violence charges, despite being released from prison last week. Mehajer did not attend the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal in person on Thursday morning, instead opting to beam in through an audiovisual link. Sporting a navy blue suit, white shirt and slicked back hair, Mehajer asked for his hearing on August 4 to be pushed back amid 'issues' with his ID. He claimed the complainant had his ID, so he'd need to get new identification to allow him to go to the Apple Store and obtain further material to support his affidavit. Mehajer claimed his phone had been 'remotely deleted', and that he hoped he would be able to provide some supporting evidence — namely, photos from his iCloud server — after attending the Apple Store. He sought a delay of up to three weeks, however the Crown opposed, arguing the hearing date had already been changed to accommodate Mehajer's release from custody and that the issue had already been raised at trial. 'It's not a fresh issue,' the Crown prosecutor told the court. 'The Crown's position is very firmly this: it is too late to be raising it at this stage, this is entirely speculative … the appeal can proceed.' If a delay was granted, the hearing would likely need to be moved to November due to the availability of the crown, to which Mehajer told registrar Peter Clayton he wasn't seeking such a lengthy delay. Mr Clayton said if Mehajer hadn't dropped his bid for a later hearing date he would have rejected it, noting three weeks to obtain new ID was 'optimistic, in any event'. He confirmed the hearing will remain on August 4, with Mehajer telling the court he intends to appear in person. Mehajer was last week spotted visiting Paramatta Westfield, Service NSW for a new drivers' license, and a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby following his release from John Morony Correction Centre at Berkshire Park last week, according to the Daily Mail. Mehajer will need to abide by a long list of parole conditions following his release, including participating in any domestic violence programs where directed, ongoing treatment from a private psychologist, and drug and alcohol testing. Mehajer's lawyer Zawat Zreika last week said the former Auburn Mayor's focus is on his family. 'Mr Mehajer has now been released from custody,' she said. 'This is a long awaited and deeply personal moment for him and his family. 'He asks that their privacy be respected during this time.'
San Francisco Chronicle
17 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Florida State is coming off a brutal year. Coach Mike Norvell is moving forward with exuberance
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Florida State coach Mike Norvell was so exuberant at Wednesday's Atlantic Coast Conference preseason football media days that he was practically yelling during his news conference. 'I'm extremely excited,' he said when asked about his enthusiasm. It's easy to understand why in moving on from last year's remarkable crashout. The Seminoles went from winning the 2023 ACC title that marked the program's first in nine years to becoming a preseason league favorite that finished last — the league's first-ever 17th-place finisher due to expansion — in a two-win season. Things got so bad that Norvell had to fire both his coordinators before the end of the season. That led to changes that include hiring former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to run the offense. FSU also hired Tony White from Nebraska as defensive coordinator. Malzahn's arrival stands out. He coached Auburn to the national title game, where the Tigers lost to FSU to cap the 2013 season, and must fix an offense that ranked among the nation's worst (270.3 yards, 15.4 points per game). 'We've experienced the highest of highs, and we've also found ourselves in a valley," Norvell said. "We've faced some disappointments. But every part of it has come back to our response. This team and this season that's ahead, I've got great expectations.' Georgia Tech averaged 28.9 points and 424.5 yards per game last season. 'I'm excited for him, excited for the opportunity, but more excited for these players to be able to have continuity on the staff,' Key said. 'Continuity on your team, retention of your team, your roster, continuity on your coaching staff. That shows stability of a program.' Claiborne's workload prep New Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert is ready to lean on running back Demond Claiborne, quipping — or maybe not? — that Claiborne might get 40 carries a game. 'I mean, if he wants to give me 40, I'll take 40,' Claiborne said with a smile. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior ran for 1,049 yards and 11 scores last year. He said he's tried to take better care of his body, including more emphasis on stretching after workouts, and said he had slimmed down from about 15% body fat last year to around 13%. 'Not really too much of a difference,' Claiborne said. 'But you can definitely tell when I take my shirt off that my abs are showing a little more.' Syracuse brought a punter? Syracuse coach Fran Brown doesn't mind being a little different. Nor does he mind rewarding hard work. That's why Brown invited punter Jack Stonehouse to ACC media days. Brown said he made the call because Stonehouse is one of the players on his team who best exemplifies the acronymic philosophy he calls 'DART,' or 'detailed, accountable, relentless and tough.' 'So many times coaches don't wanna do it because it's like it's not what's the norm,' Brown said. 'But it's not the norm (for Syracuse) to hire me as the head coach as a cornerbacks coach. They gave me a shot. So who am I not to bring our punter — even though he works really hard?' Stonehouse said he was surprised by the invitation, but eager to accept it. 'I think I have shown since he's been here that I like to work hard,' Stonehouse said. Reid eyes expanded Pitt role It's hard to imagine Desmond Reid's role increasing after working as a running back, wide receiver and return specialist in his debut Pittsburgh season. But The Associated Press second-team All-American as an all-purpose player thinks he's capable of doing more, even as an undersized player. 'Growing up, I was always a smaller guy, so my dad always told me, don't worry about what people say about you, just do what you can do, handle what you can handle,' Reid said. Despite his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame, Reid rushed for a team-high 962 yards on 183 carries, tied for the team lead in receptions with 52 for 579 yards, returned punts and scored 10 total touchdowns after transferring from Western Carolina. 'He's a team guy,' Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said, 'and he's got a chest cavity filled with a big heart.' Louisville's Watts leans into versatility Antonio Watts is listed at linebacker for Louisville but plays more of a hybrid safety position. And he loves to show off that versatility. 'It takes a lot of trust for your coach to put you at different positions that you can play," Watts said. Watts went from a reserve in 2023 to starting all 13 games last year, posting a career-best 51 tackles. He capped his season with a personal highlight, retreating in coverage and reaching up with his right hand to knock away Washington's attempt for a go-ahead 2-point conversion in the final seconds to preserve a 35-34 win in the Sun Bowl. 'I just like helping my team,' Watts said. 'Like, I just like being out there no matter what position. I just want to provide for my team so we can be our best.' Up next The ACC concludes its three-day set of preseason football media days on Thursday with Boston College, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia Tech.
Winnipeg Free Press
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Florida State is coming off a brutal year. Coach Mike Norvell is moving forward with exuberance
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Florida State coach Mike Norvell was so exuberant at Wednesday's Atlantic Coast Conference preseason football media days that he was practically yelling during his news conference. 'I'm extremely excited,' he said when asked about his enthusiasm. It's easy to understand why in moving on from last year's remarkable crashout. The Seminoles went from winning the 2023 ACC title that marked the program's first in nine years to becoming a preseason league favorite that finished last — the league's first-ever 17th-place finisher due to expansion — in a two-win season. Things got so bad that Norvell had to fire both his coordinators before the end of the season. That led to changes that include hiring former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to run the offense. FSU also hired Tony White from Nebraska as defensive coordinator. Malzahn's arrival stands out. He coached Auburn to the national title game, where the Tigers lost to FSU to cap the 2013 season, and must fix an offense that ranked among the nation's worst (270.3 yards, 15.4 points per game). 'We've experienced the highest of highs, and we've also found ourselves in a valley,' Norvell said. 'We've faced some disappointments. But every part of it has come back to our response. This team and this season that's ahead, I've got great expectations.' Georgia Tech extends OC Faulkner Georgia Tech's Buster Faulkner is sticking with the Yellow Jackets with a contract extension. ESPN first reported news Wednesday of the two-year deal, with coach Brent Key later confirming a deal in place with 'the best playcaller in the country.' Georgia Tech averaged 28.9 points and 424.5 yards per game last season. 'I'm excited for him, excited for the opportunity, but more excited for these players to be able to have continuity on the staff,' Key said. 'Continuity on your team, retention of your team, your roster, continuity on your coaching staff. That shows stability of a program.' Claiborne's workload prep New Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert is ready to lean on running back Demond Claiborne, quipping — or maybe not? — that Claiborne might get 40 carries a game. 'I mean, if he wants to give me 40, I'll take 40,' Claiborne said with a smile. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior ran for 1,049 yards and 11 scores last year. He said he's tried to take better care of his body, including more emphasis on stretching after workouts, and said he had slimmed down from about 15% body fat last year to around 13%. 'Not really too much of a difference,' Claiborne said. 'But you can definitely tell when I take my shirt off that my abs are showing a little more.' Syracuse brought a punter? Syracuse coach Fran Brown doesn't mind being a little different. Nor does he mind rewarding hard work. That's why Brown invited punter Jack Stonehouse to ACC media days. Brown said he made the call because Stonehouse is one of the players on his team who best exemplifies the acronymic philosophy he calls 'DART,' or 'detailed, accountable, relentless and tough.' 'So many times coaches don't wanna do it because it's like it's not what's the norm,' Brown said. 'But it's not the norm (for Syracuse) to hire me as the head coach as a cornerbacks coach. They gave me a shot. So who am I not to bring our punter — even though he works really hard?' Stonehouse said he was surprised by the invitation, but eager to accept it. 'I think I have shown since he's been here that I like to work hard,' Stonehouse said. Reid eyes expanded Pitt role It's hard to imagine Desmond Reid's role increasing after working as a running back, wide receiver and return specialist in his debut Pittsburgh season. But The Associated Press second-team All-American as an all-purpose player thinks he's capable of doing more, even as an undersized player. 'Growing up, I was always a smaller guy, so my dad always told me, don't worry about what people say about you, just do what you can do, handle what you can handle,' Reid said. Despite his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame, Reid rushed for a team-high 962 yards on 183 carries, tied for the team lead in receptions with 52 for 579 yards, returned punts and scored 10 total touchdowns after transferring from Western Carolina. 'He's a team guy,' Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said, 'and he's got a chest cavity filled with a big heart.' Louisville's Watts leans into versatility Antonio Watts is listed at linebacker for Louisville but plays more of a hybrid safety position. And he loves to show off that versatility. 'It takes a lot of trust for your coach to put you at different positions that you can play,' Watts said. Watts went from a reserve in 2023 to starting all 13 games last year, posting a career-best 51 tackles. He capped his season with a personal highlight, retreating in coverage and reaching up with his right hand to knock away Washington's attempt for a go-ahead 2-point conversion in the final seconds to preserve a 35-34 win in the Sun Bowl. 'I just like helping my team,' Watts said. 'Like, I just like being out there no matter what position. I just want to provide for my team so we can be our best.' Up next The ACC concludes its three-day set of preseason football media days on Thursday with Boston College, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia Tech. ___ AP college football: and
