ESPN College Football

Happy Friday.

• Former Arizona quarterback Nick Foles' dream will shortly come true.
• Not many surprises on Arizona State's depth chart -- no resolution at quarterback. Whatever happened to linebacker Vontaze Burfict? (I'll say this: He's worth a late-round pick. Period).
• For the first time in four years, no California player was a first-round pick. But a Bear likely will be tapped today.
• President Obama makes a positive impression on Colorado coaches. When might guard Ryan Miller go in the draft?
• No first round picks for Oregon? Who cares when you beat everybody's brains out! The Ducks do have one unPleasant question (I did that all by myself).
• Oregon State fans should expect good things from San Mannion 2.0. New defensive backs coach Rod Perry, an NFL lifer, is figuring out college life.
• The funny thing is it's a surprise just two Stanford players were picked in the first round.
• This well-traveled defensive lineman is making an impression for UCLA. Has redshirt freshman Brett Hundley made his move at quarterback?
• USC has two players selected in the first round, guys who know each other well from bumping heads. More on Matt Barkley returning to USC.
• A look at Utah after its second spring practice as a Pac-12 member. Questions remain on the offensive line and at linebacker.
• A cheat sheet for understanding the math of Washington's spring game. (Me: "It was my understanding that there would be no math during the spring game.")
• Washington State: The most Jake Rodgers moment ever. I had a great Jake Rodgers in high school back in the '80s by the way.
• Maybe the BCS died because college football listened to the fans. Not sure this guy doesn't deserve some credit, too. How about a T-shirt, Dan, "I killed the BCS."

Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me?

• Arizona may get new turf to replace its natural grass field.
• Excitement, questions for Arizona State as it concludes spring practices. Some thoughts on the spring game.
• Here's California's official response to the Wall Street Journal article about problems with Memorial Stadium financing. Gist: no need to panic. Considering QB play in the spring game.
• A chat with former Colorado LB Matt Russell -- I had an amusing interview with him and Matt Lepsis at the 1997 Senior Bowl -- who knows a thing or two about college players.
• What's going on at kicker for Oregon?
• When new Oregon State secondary coach Rod Perry speaks, his secondary listens. Checking in with the special teams.
• The NFL draft will be a good recruiting tool for Stanford.
• The UCLA QB competition remains wide open.
• Where will former USC OT Matt Kalil get drafted?
• Utah's fundraising gets a boost from a familiar name. The Utes -- unlike 2011 -- have some QB depth.
• It's possible that Washington QB Keith Price will take a step back in 2012.
• The turnout -- and play -- was strong at Washington State's spring game. Some further thoughts a day later.

Maybe Mike Riley is sending a message to Sean Mannion. Maybe not. Maybe Cody Vaz just looked good and the coach wanted people to know it.

Most of the questions surrounding OSU's first spring practice Tuesday were about the running game and Mannion, OSU's second-year quarterback. Riley said Mannion looked good, but also made a point -- a couple of times -- to stress that Vaz looked solid as well.

"I thought Cody Vaz had a real good day," Riley said. "I thought it was good give and take. Good football considering it was pretty much vanilla stuff the first day."

Ok, not exactly grounds for a quarterback controversy, but still worth noting that twice, Riley brought up the back-up.

"Sean has always had a great demeanor," Riley said. "Easy to talk to. Not flustered, I thought that was evident, even more so today in the first day of spring ball. He's always well prepared, makes mostly good decisions. We want to do a better job of being able to protect him and being really precise with our routes. And let him continue to grow in decision making and then I think we have a chance to be real good.

"Again, I'm encouraged by what Cody Vaz did today too. I don't want to leave him out. I think like last spring, he looks good to me."

Day 1 also saw lots of new (and old) faces at practice. Some of those include former Beavers Kyle DeVan, Mitch Meeuwsen and Trent Bray, plus new secondary coach Rod Perry who comes to the team with a wealth of NFL experience.

Riley said there was a "good vibe" as the team worked specifically on fundamentals.

"We've been so disappointed the last two years," Riley said. "We went back, spent all of our offseason, a lot of research. What are we going to do? Now we know a lot of these players. What are we going to do with them? We came out here and it was just step-by-step detail, one inch by one inch.

"... Every minute we get to play with these guys out here is super-important. There are a lot of rules surrounding coaching in the offseason and you can't do this until spring practice. It's real important for us when we get out here that we can utilize this time to the utmost."

In other team news:

• Defensive tackle Desmond Collins broke a bone in his foot over spring break and will not participate in spring drills. He's expected to be ready by August.
• Riley said he thought running back Storm Woods might be the best receiver of the backs: "He looks great physically, he's fast ... has the best hands of all the backs and he's the best route-runner of all the backs. He's very gifted."
• Riley was complimentary of all the running backs -- for good reason: "I thought they all looked pretty good, considering they weren't going to get tackled today. They did OK. They stayed on their feet."
• Tight end Caleb Smith, who joined the program early out of high school, looked the part, Riley said: "You would not know he is the senior in high school out here. I think 15 practices, have a summer to work out, head into fall camp, I'm not sure why he couldn't be in the mix when we get to the games."
• The team is honoring defensive tackle Fred Thompson, who died of a heart attack last December, with a 92/FT on their helmets.

Winter is coming.

• Former Arizona players Nick Foles and Juron Criner look solid heading into the draft.
• ASU VP for athletics Lisa Love reflects on ASU's athletic tradition. And what's up with Rudy Burgess?
• Here's a partial list of some of the players expected to attend Cal's Junior Day.
• An early look at the 2013 Colorado defense.
• Addicted to Quack is oh so in love with De'Anthony Thomas. Who are some Oregon's intriguing redshirt freshmen?
• New Oregon State DB coach Rod Perry came across well in his first meeting with the press.
• Former Stanford offensive linemen David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin are more than just smarts.
• UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, ASU quarterback Michael Eubank and USC defensive tackle Antwaun Woods are all redshirt freshmen to watch.
• Kevin Graf is the probable starter at left tackle for USC.
• Is the Utah-BYU rivalry about to come to an end? BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe says they are locked in for 2012 and working toward scheduling beyond that.
• Part 2 of Bob Condotta's Q&A with Washington AD Scott Woodward.
• Has Mike Leach gone Hollywood? A profile of WSU offensive line coach Clay McGuire.

"According to my source, the end of the world will be on Feb. 14, in the year 2016."

"Valentine's Day. Bummer."

• The Pac-12 has officially broken ground on the studios for its new television network. Here are some notes on the event from Jon Wilner.
• Davonte' Neal -- the top unsigned players in the country -- is one week away from his decision. Fingers crossed Arizona fans.
• Arizona State wide receiver Rashad Ross could have a breakout season.
• What can Cal fans expect from the 2012 recruiting class.
• Former Colorado offensive lineman Ryan Miller is the lone Buff headed to the NFL Combine.
• Despite his size, former Oregon running back LaMichael James could be an NFL difference-maker.
• A Stanford recruiting roundup.
• Some UCLA recruiting notes and grades.
• The folks at ESPNLosAngeles looked at the candidates for USC's vacancy at wide receiver coach.
• Utah offensive line coach Tim Davis is headed to Florida. That leaves a lot of youth on the coaching staff.
• Bob Condotta had a Q&A with Washington athletic director Scott Woodward. Some really interesting answers.
• WSU long-snapper Zach Koepp was arrested Sunday morning for obstructing a public servant.

As expected, Oregon State coach Mike Riley named Rod Perry his secondary coach today to replace Keith Heyward, who resigned last month.

Perry, 58, spent the last five seasons as a special assistant to the defense for the Indianapolis Colts, were he coached in two Super Bowls.

“I targeted Coach Perry as a possibility to join our staff from the beginning of my search, and I feel fortunate to have somebody of his caliber coming to Oregon State,” Riley said in a statement. “He has coached in the professional ranks for 22 years and has college experience as well. He will be a tremendous asset in the development of our secondary and our team overall.”

The hire reunites Riley with Perry, who served as Riley's cornerbacks coach from 1999-2001 with the San Diego Chargers.

“Coach Riley is a great person and he has been very loyal to me; I’m excited to be on his coaching staff again,” Perry said. “Initially, I wasn’t thinking about the college level, but the more I thought about it the more this opportunity appealed to me.”

Perry started his coaching career in 1985 at Columbia University, before moving on to Fresno City College in 1986 and Fresno State in 1987-88. His professional coaching career began in 1989 with the Seattle Seahawks (1989-91/secondary) and also has included positions with the Rams (1992-94/secondary), Houston Oilers (1995-96/defensive backs), San Diego Chargers (1997-2001/cornerbacks) and Carolina Panthers (2002-06/secondary).

Perry is a 1983 graduate of Fresno State University, but played at the University of Colorado, earning All-Big Eight Conference honors as a senior and Honorable Mention All-America. Prior to Colorado, Perry attended Fresno City College and was a Junior College All-American. The native of Fresno attended Hoover High School where his jersey number is permanently retired. Following his college career he was a 1975 NFL draft fourth-round selection of the Los Angeles Rams, where he earned 1978 and ’80 Pro Bowl honors. Perry, who concluded his NFL career playing the 1983 and ’84 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, is a member of the Rams’ 40th Anniversary Team and started in the 1980 Super Bowl. Perry also played his first two seasons with the Rams with OSU and State of Oregon Sports Hall of member, and current OSU broadcaster Steve Preece.

I'm Kevin Nealon, and that's news to me.

• ESPN's Todd McShay says former UA quarterback Nick Foles is better under pressure than Robert Griffin III, and he has the tweets to back it up.
• ASU's Todd Graham rewarded walk-on wide receiver Kevin Ozier with a scholarship.
• More fallout from the Tosh Lupoi departure from Cal to Washington.
• Former Buffs quarterback Tyler Hansen thinks his stock is on the rise. And from late Friday night, an early look at the Colorado offense in 2013.
• Oregon's Dior Mathis and B.J. Kelley both made the 60-meter final at the Husky Classic track meet. Mathis gets the bragging rights, finishing third while Kelley finished eighth.
• Mike Riley is expected to hire Rod Perry as his secondary coach today, according to the Portland Tribune.
• Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck being taken No. 1 is the only lock of this year's draft.
• Early reviews of UCLA strength coach Sal Alosi appear to be positive.
• Lane Kiffin filled two more coaching vacancies over the weekend.
• What are the 100 things a Utah fan must know before they die? Here's how to find out.
• Washington sets its pro day for March 8.
• Here's a recap of all the recent news and notes at Washington State.

Coaches are in, coaches are out. That's the way things go.

Stanford is the only Pac-12 team still looking for a coordinator. Co-defensive coordinator Jason Tarver is off to the NFL to run the Oakland Raiders defense. He'll be joined in Oakland by USC receivers coach Ted Gilmore, who did a great job with Robert Woods and Marqise Lee this past season.

USC coach Lane Kiffin needs to replace three assistant coaches: LBs coach Joe Barry was hired by the San Diego Chargers, and Kiffin still hasn't hired a full-time secondary coach since Willie Mack Garza resigned just before the 2011 season began.

Meanwhile, Oregon State may be on the cusp of filling a vacancy in the secondary after Keith Heyward bolted for Washington. The Corvallis Gazette and Footballscoop.com reported that the deal is nearly done with former Indianapolis Colts assistant coach Rod Perry.

And, of course, there are four new coaching staffs at Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State, while Washington, Utah and California made significant changes.

Colorado and Oregon, in fact, are the only two programs that haven't made any staff changes.