College Football Wire Notes | Willingham to lead coaches' association

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham has been named president of the American Football Coaches Association for 2008.

Willingham served last season as first vice president and will succeed outgoing president Ken Sparks of Carson-Newman College. Willingham was elected president by members attending the association's 2008 convention this week in Anaheim, Calif.

In a statement, Willingham called it "a tremendous honor."

"The reason I am president of the AFCA is because of other people," he said. "So my focus will be to help the game of football and help our membership enjoy the game of football better. Whether that means have a voice or carry their wishes in a certain agenda, it should be one year of service to help them have a better life at the game of football."

According to a news release, AFCA, founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others, has more than 10,000 members from all levels of the profession. According to its constitution, AFCA was formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the coaching profession," and to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football and coaching."

Presidents serve for one year and their main duty is to preside over meetings of the board of trustees and at all meetings of the membership.

Don James served as AFCA president while coach at Washington in 1989.

Notes

• Players declaring for the NFL draft were Clemson running back James Davis, Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington, Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo and Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes. New Mexico State's record-setting quarterback, Chase Holbrook, said he will return for his senior season.

• Ryan Mallett has left Michigan and the quarterback might be reunited with his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee. Other schools he's considering transferring to are Texas A&M, Arkansas and UCLA.

• Notre Dame cornerback Munir Prince has decided to transfer, and three other Irish players — linebacker Maurice Crum Jr., defensive end Justin Brown and cornerback Terrail Lambert — have applied to return for fifth years.

• New Mexico plans to self-impose penalties, including the reduction of two scholarships for next season, in response to an NCAA investigation into academic fraud involving the school's football team. According to a report released Wednesday, New Mexico also proposes cutting the number of coaches who can recruit off campus from seven to six for the next two seasons and reducing the number of official visits for recruits from 50 to 46 during the 2007-08 recruiting period.

• Saskatchewan Roughriders coach Kent Austin interviewed for the Mississippi offensive coordinator's job.

• The director of Florida State's athletic academic support program is the latest casualty of the cheating scandal that stripped the team of two dozen key players in last month's bowl loss to Kentucky. Mark Meleney was told his contract would not be renewed.