The Aggies also won’t have a spring game — at least not like the one most schools will have.
Because Texas A&M’s Kyle Field is undergoing a $450 million renovation, Texas A&M announced Friday that spring football drills will be held on campus and the Aggies won’t have a traditional spring game for this year and next.
“I am disappointed we will not be able to hold a few scrimmages or the spring game inside Kyle Field the next couple of years,” A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. “Our fans, the 12th Man, have been very supportive of the Kyle Field redevelopment as we take one of the greatest college stadiums and make it even better, and louder.”
Texas A&M explored the idea of moving its spring game off campus, but NCAA rules would have kept the Aggies from interacting with recruits and their families and would not have allowed the university to provide complimentary admission for recruits and their coaches because the game would not be a regularly scheduled event.
Texas A&M begins spring practice Feb. 28 and ends April 5.
CHARGES DROPPED VS. AUBURN SIGNEE
Auburn cornerback signee Kalvaraz Bessent got off to a bad start.
Just days after signing with the 2014 class at Auburn, the 4-star prospect was arrested and one of four people charged with two counts of felony drug possession after 340 grams of marijuana were found in their vehicle. A handgun and brass knuckles were also found in the 2007 Dodge Charger.
But on Friday, all charges against Bessent were dropped.
“We had a meeting with the State Attorney’s office yesterday in which they permitted me to listen to and view some of the evidence and then there were discussions that led everybody to the agreement that Kalvaraz had absolutely no involvement in the circumstances,” Bessent's attorney, Travis A. Reinhold, told the Montgomery Advertiser and other news outlets.
The case is ongoing with the other occupants of the vehicle. Elbert Thornton, 21, is a convicted felon and the only person charged with possession of the handgun, the Opelika-Auburn News reported.
Bessent posted a comment on Twitter on Friday that precluded the news that he was cleared.
"Thanks to all my AU family that stuck with me through this see you guys at Auburn War Eagle!!!" he wrote.
Bessent is expected to compete for playing time in the secondary next season for the Tigers.
QB CAN'T TRANSFER TO TEXAS OR TCU
Former Texas Tech backup quarterback Michael Brewer has lost an appeal to avoid giving up a year of eligibility at either TCU or Texas.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports that a five-member panel unanimously rejected Brewer's appeal Thursday after hearing his case to contact Texas and TCU. Texas Tech policy states that a player who transfers within the conference must sit out the next year and lose a year of eligibility.
Last month, Tech denied Baker Mayfield's appeal to transfer without restriction to Oklahoma.
Brewer, a redshirt sophomore last season, left the program in January.
Freshman Davis Webb, who shared starts with Mayfield, remains at Texas Tech.
RICE COACH GETS 5-YEAR DEAL
Rice coach David Bailiff has a new five-year contract after his second 10-win season since joining the Owls.
Bailiff led Rice to its first conference title in 56 years before the Conference USA champion lost to Mississippi State 44-7 in the Liberty Bowl. The new contract runs through the 2018 season.
Rice finished 10-4 and is 40-48 in seven seasons under Bailiff.
The Owls went 10-3 in 2008 for their first 10-win season since 1949 and first bowl win since the 1954 Cotton Bowl. They beat Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl in Houston.
Athletic director Joe Karlgaard calls Bailiff "exactly the right leader for our football program."
PITT NAMES SETTLE AS RB COACH
Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst has hired NFL veteran John Settle as the program's running backs coach.
Settle spent four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons from 1987-90 and went to the 1988 Pro Bowl after running for 1,024 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 48-year-old Settle got into coaching in 1994 and worked alongside Chryst as assistants at Wisconsin from 2006-10. Settle served as running backs coach for the NFL's Carolina Panthers in 2011-12 and filled the same capacity for the Cleveland Browns last fall.
Chryst also announced Brooks Bollinger has left the staff to focus on "non-coaching" opportunities. Chryst will add quarterbacks coach into his normal duties.
Contributors: Ken Bradley, The Associated Press
