Notre Dame defensive end Derrell Hand may not play again because of a hereditary spinal cord condition, according to his high school coach.
Brian Fulk, Hand’s coach at West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, told Blue & Gold Illustrated that Hand was getting a second opinion, but “at this point, it doesn’t look real good for him to ever play football again.”
Hand, who played in four games as a junior in 2007, was expected to bolster a defensive line already thinned with starting nose tackle Pat Kuntz not enrolled for the spring semester.
— Brian Hamilton
*Retired Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak will be inducted into the Miami (Ohio) athletic Hall of Fame on Feb. 9. … Notre Dame announced it will play South Florida in South Bend in the 2011 season. … New Nebraska coach Bo Pelini signed a five-year contract that pays $1.1 million a year, according to terms announced by the school more than seven weeks after athletic director Tom Osborne hired Pelini.
———-
Edited by Mike Pankow from Tribune news services.