Morgantown, W.Va. – West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, like all football coaches, wants his players to show up on time, work hard and play their best. Oh, and another thing: Don't dance on TikTok. “They're going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” said Rodriguez, the former Michigan coach. “I'm just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you're in there in your tights dancing on TikTok ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.” Making TikTok dance videos is a popular activity among high school- and college-age users of the social media platform. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola are among college football players who have posted dance videos. Rodriguez is beginning his second stint as Mountaineers coach. He said he has talked to his players about the tendency in society to emphasize the individual rather than the team and that banning TikTok dancing is something he can do to put the focus where he thinks it belongs. “I'm allowed to do that. I can have rules,” he said. “Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.” As for now, he said: “I hope our focus can be on winning football games. How about let's win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”
Rhule, Stewart reunite
Pat Stewart, the New England Patriots' director of pro personnel the past two seasons, will join Nebraska coach Matt Rhule's staff as general manager, the school announced Tuesday. Stewart, who was player personnel director for the Carolina Panthers when Rhule coached them from 2020-22, will oversee the Cornhuskers' roster management and player acquisition, including high school and transfer portal recruiting, evaluation and retention. “We are moving into an era in college football where roster management and retention more closely resembles the National Football League model,” Rhule said. “Pat Stewart will help us manage our roster and operate in a way that will help give Nebraska the opportunity to compete as one of the elite programs in the country. Pat and I have experience working together in the past, and I look forward to him joining our Nebraska Football family.” Stewart first worked in the NFL for the Patriots from 2007-17 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018-19 before he joined the Panthers. He returned to the Patriots in 2023.
USC All-American Battle dies
Mike Battle, an All-American defensive back and a member of USC’s 1967 national championship team who later played two seasons for the New York Jets, has died. He was 78. He died of natural causes on March 6 in Nellysford, Virginia, the school said Tuesday. In 1967, Battle led a USC defense that allowed only 87 points all season. The Trojans were 26-6-1 and won three conference titles during his three-year career. Battle played in the 1967, 1968 and 1969 Rose Bowl games, all won by the Trojans. Battle was USC’s annual punt return leader in each of his three seasons and still owns the school record for most punts returned in a season. He was the NCAA statistical champion in 1967, when he had 49 returns for 608 yards, a 12.4-yard average. He also holds the school mark for most punts returned with 99 during his three years. He was chosen in the 12th round of the 1969 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and played for two seasons in 1969 and '70. He is survived by his wife Laura and children Christian Michael, Hunter, Frank, Michael, Kathleen, Murphy and Annie.
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