The annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Gala is Sunday. Dennis Erickson is in New York today, along for the ride with one of his former Miami players and Heisman winners, Geno Torretta. But it's two other former Erickson players he wanted to talk about on Saturday when I reached him on the telephone.
That would be Mario Cristobal and Jonathan Smith.
You think you like the in-state hires? How about the guy who coached them both in college?
Said the 70-year old Erickson: "I'm so dang proud of them both."
Cristobal, the new coach at Oregon, and Smith, now in charge at Oregon State, were introduced by their respective universities just eight days apart.