Hocutt not talking on NCAA probe into Miami

By David Just

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt offered no comment Tuesday night regarding an NCAA investigation involving his former school, the University of Miami, and impermissible benefits from a booster to Hurricanes athletes.

Hocutt was the athletics director at Miami from 2008 to early 2011 before coming to Tech.

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Nevin Shapiro, formerly a Miami booster, provided benefits to 72 athletes from 2002-10. He informed the university of his actions a year ago, according to the report, and the university relayed the allegations to the NCAA, who began a joint investigation with the school.

Miami football coach Al Golden told reporters Tuesday he was not informed of the investigation when Hocutt hired him in December. Hocutt then resigned in February to take over as Texas Tech’s athletic director.

Hocutt, through spokesman Blayne Beal, declined The Avalanche-Journal’s request for comment Tuesday night. The athletic department later released a statement that said “it would be inappropriate for Kirby Hocutt to comment publicly at this time” due to the ongoing investigation.

According to the Yahoo! report, Nevin provided benefits to athletes that included “cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and, on one occasion, an abortion.”

Nevin is serving a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a reported $930 million Ponzi scheme.

Tuberville: Eguavoen will play

Freshman middle linebacker Sam Eguavoen will play this year, Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said following Tuesday’s practice.

Eguavoen led the team with eight tackles during Saturday’s closed intrasquad scrimmage.

“I just like his tenacity and how he plays defense,” Tuberville said. “He goes all out. He’s going to make mistakes but he loves the sport. It doesn’t make any difference how much you played; it’s how you react to your situation.

“He hasn’t been a surprise, but it’s always a surprise for a freshman to come in and play with the maturity, I guess you could say, as he’s played.”

Sophomore Cqulin Hubert and senior Sam Fehoko were the 1-2 at middle linebacker before practices were closed last week.

Eguavoen came to Tech as an outside linebacker but has been working out primarily in the middle.

Two-deep not settled

Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said last Saturday’s scrimmage wasn’t meant to determine who would make the team’s two-deep. Rather, he said, coaches are still trying to figure out where each player belongs.

The team will have a short scrimmage today and another longer scrimmage Saturday that Tuberville will use to evaluate how and where to use his personnel.

“The thing we want to do is make sure we’ve got everybody in the right spot,” Tuberville said, “to where the last two weeks before our next game we can get everybody in the right position and work toward having a good two-deep and not just depending on one person to carry us through the season.”

The only position where Tuberville said he’s already moved players around is at offensive line, where brothers Alfredo and Tony Morales and Justin Keown have all suffered injuries.