Ken Niumatalolo chooses to stay at Navy

Navy football Coach Ken Niumatalolo is staying put.

Niumatalolo visited Brigham Young on Monday to discuss the opening created when head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced he was leaving for Virginia.

After giving the job at BYU much consideration, Niumatalolo, a devout Mormon, decided Wednesday night to stay at Navy.

“It was a long and agonizing two days, probably the hardest two days of my life, but the Naval Academy has been my life for the last 18 years and I love it here,” Niumatalolo said. “I love the kids that go to school here and the people I work with. BYU was something I need to look into because of my faith and the opportunity to coach my two sons, but ultimately I decided to stay at the Naval Academy because this is the best place for me and my family. We are at peace with the decision.”

Niumatalolo is 67-37 in eight seasons at Navy. He is 8-0 against Army. His next game will be Dec. 28 against Pittsburgh in the Military Bowl in Annapolis.

Etc.

Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz has won the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the nation’s top coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Football Writers Assn. of America announced the honor.

Ferentz, the AP national coach of the year in 2002, took a team that went 7-6 in 2014 and led it to the first 12-0 regular season in school history. Iowa lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game. The Hawkeyes (12-1) close out their season by playing Stanford (11-2) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.

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Alabama Birmingham’s recently restarted football program has signed 19 junior college players. All are expected to enroll in January for the Blazers, who will return to playing football for the 2017 season. Coach Bill Clark is rebuilding a team that UAB dismantled last December, along with two other sports programs, citing expenses.