Conference USA Football

Frank Gore Jr., the son of Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore, has committed to play college football for Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic.

The Killian High School (Miami, Florida) star announced his decision via Twitter on Thursday:

He also reportedly received offers from Kentucky, Chattanooga and Southern Miss.

According to 247Sports, Gore is a 3-star recruit and is the 74th-ranked running back of his class. He becomes the second 3-star or better recruit in the Owls' 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

While the elder Gore suited up for the Miami Hurricanes (2001-04), the decision has the five-time Pro Bowler's support:

The elder Gore ran for 1,975 and 17 touchdowns during his Hurricanes career. After spending the 2018 season with the Miami Dolphins, he signed with the Bills earlier this offseason as he prepares for his 15th NFL season.  

Southern Miss football supporters reacted strongly and negatively in response to news that ex-Baylor football head coach Art Briles was being considered for the school's open offensive coordinator position, per Rachel Axon of USA Today.

"In emails to the school's administration and athletic officials, they lobbied against hiring Briles because of his role in a sexual-assault scandal that led to his firing at Baylor," Axon wrote. "Some threatened to revoke financial support, either through season tickets or donations."

Briles was fired from the university in 2016 in the wake of multiple sexual assault allegations against his players, and allegations the football program, athletics department and university mismanaged the handling of those allegations. Axon outlined more details:

"According to a summary of an investigation by Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton released in May 2016, Baylor failed to comply with Title IX in addressing reports of sexual assault. The summary faulted the culture of the school broadly and the football program specifically for not only failing to help victims but also for discouraging some from reporting their assaults."

Southern Miss interim athletic director Jeff Mitchell prevented the potential hire by telling head coach Jay Hopson to "go in another direction."

Hopson disagreed with Mitchell's refusal to consider Briles and released a Feb. 6 statement, per Axon.

"I believe he is a man who believes a second chance," Hopson wrote. "He is a man that seemed sincere and humble in his interview and personally he committed no crime. He may not have acted in the proper protocol but that would be my JOB at Southern Miss!"

There is strong disagreement regarding that sentiment, however.

"There’s no question that he’s very tainted and that it would be ill-advised for any school to take a chance on this guy," Donna Lopiano, president of Sports Management Resources and a former president of the Women's Sports Foundation, told Axon.

She also noted that it wouldn't be a surprise if Briles received another opportunity in college football, noting "how corrupt the system is."

The 63-year-old currently leads the Estra Guelfi Firenze American football team, based out of Firenze, Italy.

The Golden Eagles eventually settled on Buster Faulkner, who was Arkansas State's OC for the past three seasons. He also spent four years as the Middle Tennessee OC and one season in the same position at Murray State.

Southern Miss finished 6-5 last season and opens the 2019 campaign against Division I-FCS Alcorn State on Aug. 31.

Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson recruited a junior college transfer accused of raping two women at knifepoint in 2015, but the player's application was denied by the admissions office after finding out about his past, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.

The sexual assault case against running back Charles West fell apart after the two women struggled to testify in front of him and did "not take the witness stand for a trial," according to Jennifer Emily of the Dallas Morning News.

Per Emily, "both criminal cases were downgraded to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon." West pled guilty to each case and received probation as part of a deal struck with prosecutors.

According to Auerbach, Hopson knew of the player's past but did not notify the school. West signed and was set to enroll in the school until the athletics department discovered his history and informed the university's admissions office.

Southern Miss was also the only school to offer a scholarship to the Garden City Community College player, who was a 3-star recruit out of high school.

The case follows a pattern for Hopson, who has been criticized for the additions he has attempted to make to his football program. Hopson tried to hire former Baylor coach Art Briles as the team's offensive coordinator until the move was blocked by the school, per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

Briles lost his job in 2016 after an extended list of "allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence and other acts of violence involving several Baylor football players" were uncovered by Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.

Hopson also recruited a registered sex offender to play for him while coaching Alcorn State.

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles won't hire former Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles as their offensive coordinator. 

"We have met with Art Briles regarding a position with the Southern Miss football program," Southern Miss said in a statement Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg. "Following that meeting, we informed him that he is not a candidate. The university will have no further comment on this matter."

Golden Eagles head coach Jay Hopson issued a statement of his own in opposition to the school's decision. Hopson wrote Briles "is a man who deserves a second chance," per Stadium's Brett McMurphy:

In May 2016, the Baylor University of Board of Regents suspended Briles with the intention of firing him. 

The move came after a report by ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach detailing institutional failures at the university to properly address allegations of sexual assault made against Baylor football players.

Reporting for Deadspin, Jessica Luther and Dan Solomon offered another thorough examination on Tuesday that was sharply critical of Baylor and the football program:

"But the whole time Baylor was winning games, building stadiums, and basking in on-field glory, its coaches were managing a series of incidents they were desperate to keep from dominating the news. Briles’ players were frequently in trouble, and internal communications from the coach to his staff show they worked hard to ensure that their players’ names didn’t end up in front of the university’s judicial affairs department or cross [Baylor Title IX coordinator] Patty Crawford’s desk."

Briles has yet to receive another college coaching job since his departure from Baylor. He spent eight years in Waco, compiling a 65-37 overall record and leading the Bears to six bowl games.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL were set to bring Briles aboard as an assistant head coach before backtracking on the decision and rescinding the offer. Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young said the team "made a large and serious mistake" by hiring Briles in the first place.

Briles' last stop was with Guelfi Firenze, an American football team in Italy. 

Rittenberg noted the 63-year-old is facing potential NCAA violations and is set to appear in front of the NCAA infractions committee in the spring.