Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
In today's links, we here at the Independents and Others blog (it's really just me, but that sounded way more formal) are wishing a happy trails to Houston athletics director Dave Maggard, who announced Wednesday that he was stepping down as the athletics director to spend more time with his family in California.
It's difficult not to appreciate an AD who was able to help Houston become one of the top football programs in the non-BCS and even one of the more successful in the country. He's hired great coaches that have produced winning seasons and draft picks. This is a blow to Houston athletics.
• And it's not just me who thinks so. Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle expresses his feelings about Maggard's departure. And the Chronicle's Megan Manfull has the reaction from past and present colleagues.
• SMU coach June Jones is still feeling the backlash from the dismissal of nine players, but his point that the rules matter was clear.
• BYU receivers haven't usually made an impact in the NFL and Austin Collie is hoping to reverse that trend.
• Marshall strong safety John Saunders is no stranger to fighting for what he wants and now he wants a starting spot.
• Although Utah's spring camp went smoothly, coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff still have a lot of questions to answer.
Watson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Missouri Tigers and the Big 12 Conference for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also covered college football recruiting for the Dallas Morning News.
