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The Associated Press
Northwestern is hiring veteran college football coach Skip Holtz, who has won two straight USFL championships with Birmingham, to a temporary role as special assistant to interim head coach David Braun, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because Northwestern was still finalizing the hire.
Braun was named interim head coach earlier this month to replace Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired after an investigation into hazing allegations in his program.
Holtz, the son of former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, has 17 years of experience as a major college football head coach with East Carolina, South Florida and Louisiana Tech. He is 119-98 overall and was 64-50 with six straight bowl victories at La Tech before stepping down after the 2021 season.
He also coached UConn for five years before the program made the jump to the top tier of Division I.
Braun was hired as defensive coordinator by Northwestern in January after coaching at North Dakota State and has no previous head coaching experience in college.
Holtz's job with Northwestern is expected to run through the season and not interfere with his USFL job, the person said.
Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State sophomore running back Nicholas Singleton was tabbed to the Maxwell Award watch list on Monday.
The Maxwell Award has been presented to the College Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at the Swarthmore College and a renowned sports writer and football official.
Singleton, a 6-foot-0 running back out of Governor Mifflin High School was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2022. He earned freshman All-American honors from the FWAA, ESPN.com, On3 and 247Sports, and was voted third-team All-Big Ten as a running back and All-Big Ten second team as a return specialist.
He led the Nittany Lions with 1,061 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, and set a Penn State freshman record with 12 rushing touchdowns. He became the third PSU freshman running back to rush for over 1,000 yards.
Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska defensive back Myles Farmer, the team's second-leading tackler last season, was not on the 120-man roster when the Cornhuskers opened practice Monday and his return was uncertain.
First-year coach Matt Rhule said he suspended Farmer indefinitely. Rhule didn't disclose the reason other than to say it had to do with a failure to adhere to team standards.
The previous coaching staff suspended Farmer for the game against Michigan last November after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
Rhule also announced that wide receiver Josh Fleeks, a transfer from Baylor, reported "significantly" overweight Sunday and will be held out until he makes weight.