Jackson (AP) – At the beginning of June, former Grambling State head coach J.G. Hanks was done with the job of coaching in the NCAA ranks. Injuries he suffered from a crash earlier in the year, coupled with his desire to spend more time with his family were his reasons for stepping down. He showed no regret during his last press conference in Grambling State colors, other than the fact he wouldn’t be seeing his team everyday. So it was to everyone’s surprise when we got a tip that he was searching colleges for coaching vacancies and the possibility of coaching again this coming season.

If this story is true, where could the coach end up? There are more than a dozen schools with first year head coaches slated to start next year. Could Hanks replace one of these men before they even get started? Here are the best guesses we have for where he might pace the sidelines next year:

Boston College – Frank Spaziani is set to coach the Eagles in 2009, but B.C. has never seemed completely sure that he will be a good fit for their program. If he was, they would have given him the job in 2006, when after the departure of Tom O’Brien, he coached Boston College to a win versus Navy in the Meineke Car Care Bowl; however, Jeff Jagodzinski was hired as the permanent head coach. This would be a long move for Coach Hanks and his health is still in question.
Probability: C

Eastern Michigan – The Eagles haven’t been to a bowl since 1987 and new coach Ron English isn’t under any illusions that this is nothing short of a rebuilding task for him. I don’t see Coach Hanks taking over here because he fully supports the hiring of minorities and would hate to take away one’s job before he even gets started. Plus this is another long move for Hanks and his family.
Probability: F

Iowa State – The Cyclones have had a tough go of it as late and seemed to find their man in new coach Paul Rhoads. They get him from Auburn, where the Cyclones old coach – Gene Chizik – is headed. Sounds like musical chairs. Before being hired for the job, Rhoads had previously spent time at Iowa State as an assistant coach in the late nineties and was raised only 20 miles from the school’s football facilities. This factor makes Coach Hanks move here very unlikely.
Probability: D

Miami (Ohio) – New coach Michael Haywood has coached at LSU, Texas and Notre Dame so he brings a good track record with him to the Redhawks. This team will rely heavily on their underclassman this year, so again, this may be another rebuilding project. And for the third time, this is a long move for Hanks.
Probability: C

Mississippi State – This is the most intriguing team on the list. The campus at Starkville is not far from where Coach Hanks currently resides (Philadelphia, MS) and the team has not lost many recruits due to Sly Croom’s departure last year. The main problem is the arrival of Dan Mullen. He is looking to revive an anemic offense in Starkville and the fans and community eagerly anticipate this happening. Maybe the A.D. can convince Mullen to stay on as Offensive Coordinator? Hanks has stated he wants to coach in the S.E.C., so this is right up his alley.
Probability: B+

New Mexico – The Lobos have a solid foundation and wouldn’t need much to make it to the next level. Their defense is solid and they have had a 1,000 yard rusher each of the past seven seasons. New coach Mike Locksley inherits a squad but brings with him personal controversy. In late May 2009, a former administrative assistant at New Mexico filed a sexual harassment complaint against Locksley with the Equal Opportunity Commission.
Probability: B

New Mexico State – The Aggies seem to be in a rebuilding stage and I’m not sure if Coach Hanks wants to have a complete overhaul project on his hands. Under old coach Hal Mumme, the Aggies put up amazing offensive numbers but three of the school’s all-time offensive leaders are gone. New coach DeWayne Walker has his hands full but he is a welcome addition to the short list of minority coaches.
Probability: D-

Oregon – No chance of any coaching change here. The team won 10 last year and Chip Kelly was handpicked on December 2, 2008 to take over as head coach of the Oregon Ducks once current University of Oregon Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny stepped down; at which time then current Oregon football head coach Mike Bellotti would become the new Oregon athletic director. It was announced on March 13, 2009 that Mike Bellotti was resigning and Kelly took over March 30.
Probability: F

Syracuse – Doug Marrone takes over for Greg Robinson for the Orange and reportedly, alumni such as Tim Green and Floyd Little wanted Marrone from the moment Robinson was fired. When interviewed by Green, it was learned that Marrone had kept a folder of current high school players in the Syracuse area to get a head start in recruiting. He is the first Syracuse alumnus (playing from 1983-1985 on the offensive line) to serve as head coach since Reaves H. Baysinger in 1948. He sounds like the popular choice. Little chance for Coach Hanks here.
Probability: F

Tennessee – Lane Kiffin has done a good job of getting everyone in the S.E.C.’s attention with the comments he has made about, well, everyone. The difference between taking this job, and say Mississippi State, is that the expectation at Neyland are ambitiously high. They have tremendous depth at RB but are questionable at QB. Hanks, being from Georgia, once stated ‘You will never see me in orange. Period. NEVER.” I don’t think he was kidding. Don’t expect him to land here. Ever.
Probability: D+

Toledo – The Rockets first three games are at Purdue, Colorado at home at vs. Ohio State. Not exactly the best way to ease back into coaching. Toledo has the possibility of being a great offensive team but their defense is too skeptical for Coach Hanks’ liking. I foresee Tim Beckman as the coach here next season.
Probability: C+

Washington – The Huskies have a very quarterback friendly coach in Steve Sarkisian and I don’t foresee them losing him just yet. He has worked with Norm Chow at USC and also was QB coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2004. That year, the Raiders passed for more than 4,000 yards for the season. He will help the Huskies offense tremendously. Coach Hanks has always been a Southern guy and I think this job would be too far of a trip.
Probability: D

Wyoming – Coach Dave Christensen arrives at War Memorial Stadium with a daunting task. He is going to try and implement an offense he was very succesful with at Missouri when he was Offensive Coordinator. From 2005–2008, Christensen employed a passing-oriented version of the no-huddle spread offense. That offensive scheme has come into vogue recently as several BCS programs have achieved new-found success with it, including Missouri, Tulsa, and Texas Tech. How well the Cowboys adapt to it has yet to be seen but it is a huge learning curve for their offense. The defense here is good but the offense will take some time to learn this new system. Coach Hanks would love to coach a good defense and would maybe leave the offense the way it is and build around his stars.
Probability: C+

So where do you think Coach Hanks will land? Based on this analysis, the most likely candidates are Mississippi State and New Mexico. MSU has a huge advantage because they are both an S.E.C. team and also are in the state the coach currently resides. We will see how this all plays out. Maybe a decision will come sooner than we think.

Jackson (AP) – Despite pressure from the media and alumni, Coach J.G. Hanks’ promising career is over at Grambling State. The coach had these words to say at a press conference earlier this week, “I will always love this school and these kids, but I think it’s time for me to step down. I have thought about this for months, and after my recent brush with death with my accident, I have a lot of time that I want to spend with my family and a lot of things I want to do with my life outside of football. I hope you all understand and appreciate my decision and continue your die-hard loyalty for the Tigers this upcoming season and beyond. Thank you.”

Coach, we will miss you.

Jackson (AP) – News out of Philadelphia, MS (home to Grambling State football coach J.G. Hanks) is that the coach has been seriously injured in a car accident off Highway 16, just past 6:00 am today. The coach was on his way back from visiting relatives, who live in the Calico community of Philadelphia, when his vehicle was struck by a drunk driver returning to Alabama after an apparent trip to the Golden Moon casino. Coach Hanks was air lifted to nearby Rush Hospital in Meridian for evaluation and then sent to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Nothing is known of his specific injuries or condition and all requests from the media have been denied by his family until further notice.

GSU Director of Athletics, Troy Mathieu, had this to say about the incident. “Everyone at Grambling is hoping that the coach is not seriously injured. We aren’t sure how this will affect our upcoming season, but that is our last concern at this time. We wish his wife and family the best possible news of his injuries and ask the fans to put them in their prayers.”

We will keep you up to date as we learn more about this tragedy.

• College Football – Grambling State with me as coach immediately followed by…
• Maybe NFL Football with me and the guys as the Philadelphia Eagles. I am not sure I have enough people to fill a squad so maybe next cycle…then we go to…
• NBA Basketball – Me and the friends I play pickup ball with as the Philadelphia 76ers. I make us all as close to realistic as possible and no matter what I have done so far, Travis can dunk. Unrealistic. Then..
• Possibly College Basketball but it might be basketball overkill to do both. College is more fun as far as rivalries go though. Then…
• MLB would be next with the softball team as the Philadelphia Phillies. I usually just play the games someone I know pitches and since our softball team only had one pitcher that’s every five games.
• I might play a team out in the Premier League but I’m the only one of my friends who really likes soccer. Not sure what team we would be.

So we have the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles and 76ers. Notice a pattern? Yes, I am from Philadelphia, MS not PA but I will take what I can get. Now I’m off to create my teams.

The Tigers finish the season on a down note but were impressive overall, despite losing a close one to the Penguins 17-14 to close out a very good year. Coach Hanks had nothing but good things to say about his team and looks forward to starting the off season. “We did a lot of good things and these guys are chomping at the bit to put the pads back on for next season. I can’t wait until we start practice again.”

Neither can we coach, neither can we.

Coach J.G. Hanks of Grambling State has been awarded the George Munger Coach of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club. He led the Tigers to a 9-4 record, losing in the Alamo Bowl 17-14, finishing up a strong sophomore campaign.

Coach Hanks said, “I am very surprised by this award. I know I get voted being the coach, but without my guys and all their hard work, I wouldn’t have won, so this is for them.”

Official site: maxwellfootballclub.org

Contact
Robert T. Clark (bobclark@maxwellfootballclub.org)
P.O. Box 1067, Roslyn, PA 19001
610-277-8900; 610-277-2239 (fax)

Named for … George Munger, College Football Hall of Fame coach at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1940s and 1950s when Penn was a national power.

2008 presentation banquet: March 2009 (Harrah’s, Atlantic City, N.J.)

Grambling State freshman sensation E.J Scott was named the recipient of the Heisman Memorial Trophy for the Most Outstanding Player of the Year. He finished the regular season with 59 receptions for 1,583 yards and 20 touchdowns. His average per reception was 26.8 yards. Congratulations to E.J. on this award and representing the Tigers well. Good job young man.

Official site: heisman.com

Contact
Rob Whalen (rob@heisman.com)
Director, Heisman Memorial Trophy
17 Battery Place, Suite 943, New York, NY 10004
212-425-7000; 914-489-8616 (cell); 212-269-4547 (fax)

Named for … John Heisman, who played football at Brown and Penn before embarking on a 36-year college coaching career. Heisman is widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest coaches and innovators.

2008 announcement: Dec. 13 (ESPN)

Presentation banquet: Dec. 16 (Hilton New York)

• Poinsettia Bowl – Middle Tennessee State / Alabama A&M
• New Orleans Bowl – ECU / Florida Atlantic
• PapaJohns.com Bowl – Rice / SMU
• New Mexico Bowl – Hampton / Marshall
• Las Vegas Bowl – UMass / Texas Southern
• Hawaii Bowl – Houston / Fresno State
• Motor City Bowl – FIU / Jacksonville State
• Holiday Bowl – Montana / James Madison
• Champs Sports Bowl – South Carolina State / Troy
• Texas Bowl – Tulsa / Utah State
• Emerald Bowl – Hawaii / Arkansas State
• Meineke Car Care Bowl – Western Kentucky / Choctaw Central
• Liberty Bowl – Portland State / UTEP
• Alamo Bowl – Youngstown State / Grambling State
• MPC Computers Bowl – SE Missouri State / North Texas
• Independence Bowl – Weber State / San Jose State
• Armed Forces Bowl – Navy / Southern
• Sun Bowl – Delaware / Philadelphia High School
• Music City Bowl – Samford / Bethune Cookman
• ChickFilA Bowl – Eastern Kentucky / William and Mary
• Insight Bowl – Louisiana Tech / Stephen F. Austin
• Outback Bowl – Tennessee Tech / Alcorn State
• Cotton Bowl – Georgia Southern / Texas State
• Capital One Bowl – Western Carolina / Norfolk State
• Gator Bowl – Compton / Yale
• Rose Bowl – Tennessee State / New Hampshire
• Sugar Bowl – Tennessee-Martin / UCF
• Fiesta Bowl – Sam Houston State / Memphis
• Orange Bowl – Brown / The Grindhouse
• International Bowl – Northwestern State / UAB
• GMAC Bowl – Nicholls State / Southern Miss
• BCS National Championship – SCLSU / Boise State

Defensive standout Derek Leak, safety for the Grambling State Tigers, has won the Jim Thorpe Award for being the Most Outstanding Defensive Back in the nation. Derek had 68 tackles, 27 sacks (leading the nation), 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles completing a stellar freshman season. With all the talent the Tigers have on defense, maybe they can lead the nation in total defense next year. Congratulations to Derek for his award winning campaign and for putting himself, and Grambling State, in the national spotlight.

Official site: jimthorpeassoc.org
Contact
W. Lynne Draper (thorpeaward@cox.net)
President, Jim Thorpe Association, P.O. Box 270716, Oklahoma City, OK 73137
405-427-1400; 405-495-7602 (fax)

Named for … Jim Thorpe, a first-team Walter Camp All-America selection
in 1911 and ’12.

2008 announcement: Dec. 11 (The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show: 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN; preceded by the ESPNU Red Carpet Show at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU)

Presentation banquet: Feb. 9, 2009 (National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City)