College: Dec. 13, 2005

With a block of free time between the season-ending victory over UCLA and the start of Rose Bowl preparations, USC coach Pete Carroll and his staff are crisscrossing the country in full-tilt recruiting mode. -- Los Angeles Times

There appears to be quite a tug-of-war going on between the Kansas State and Texas A&M football teams for running back James Johnson, and Johnson's junior-college coach is stuck in the middle. That would be Brad Franchione, son of Aggies head coach Dennis Franchione. Johnson made an oral commitment to Texas A&M after Bill Snyder retired last month. But Johnson was quoted Sunday by Rivals.com that he had committed to K-State since the hiring of Ron Prince as the Wildcats' new coach. -- Kansas City Star

Financial records for Gary Barnett's summer football camps were in such "disarray" that nobody could account for hundreds of thousands of dollars in income and expenses, according to a blistering state audit of the University of Colorado's athletic department made public Monday. -- Rocky Mountain News

Butch Davis, a former University of Miami and Cleveland Browns coach, is not a Colorado candidate, a source close to the school said Monday night. -- Rocky Mountain News

Two confirmed candidates emerged Monday for the Colorado football coaching job. UCLA assistant Jon Embree and Boise State coach Dan Hawkins have interviewed for the job, which was opened when Gary Barnett was fired last Thursday. -- Denver Post

University of Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon, one of the nation's hot coaching prospects, said Monday he has not been contacted by anyone related to the University of Colorado or San Diego State regarding their head-coaching vacancies. -- Miami Herald

Rice athletic directory Bobby May has not confirmed Texas State coach David Bailiff as a candidate to replace Ken Hatfield, nor has Bailiff expressed any public interest in the opening. -- Houston Chronicle

Georgia senior cornerback DeMario Minter underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week, but will not miss the Sugar Bowl against West Virginia. -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Marvin Sanders said Monday he has an agreement in principle on a contract to remain North Carolina's defensive coordinator, after exploring two opportunities at Big 12 schools. Sanders said one school offered him its defensive coordinator position, but he decided to stay after consulting with North Carolina coach John Bunting and athletics director Dick Baddour. Published reports had linked Sanders to jobs at Texas A&M and Kansas State. -- Charlotte Observer

Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes on Monday was still agitated from watching tape of the Longhorns 97-66 loss to Duke. Barnes said he blames himself for not emphasizing to his players how physical the game would be while he discussed strategy. -- Austin American-Statesman