UCLA will lose assistant football coach

UCLA’s search for a head coach remains unsettled, but the Bruins appear to have lost an assistant coach.

Former Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks coach Jim Mora Jr. is still being considered for the Bruins job, but little progress toward hiring a coach was made as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, assistant coach Jim Mastro is expected to take a job with Washington State, according to a person in the program who was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject. Mastro, the Bruins’ run-game coordinator, was hired away from Nevada in February to massage UCLA’s “pistol” offense.

Mora remains a candidate for UCLA’s coaching job, but Athletic Director Dan Guerrero is thought to be exploring other options.

— Chris Foster

Kansas hires Weis

Charlie Weis’ first try at leading a college team ended with the longtime NFL assistant unable to live up to the lofty expectations at Notre Dame.

He will get another chance at a program with much more modest aspirations.

Weis, 55, accepted an offer to coach Kansas and will set about rebuilding a program that won the Orange Bowl in 2008 but floundered under Turner Gill.

The longtime NFL assistant is wrapping up his first season as offensive coordinator at Florida after spending one season directing the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense. But his most extensive college experience came with the Fighting Irish, where he was 35-27 in five seasons.

Awards handed out

USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil was selected to the Walter Camp All-America team and Trojans receiver Robert Woods was a second-team selection.

Kalil, who plays left tackle, did not give up a sack this season. The Trojans gave up only eight sacks, tied for fewest in the nation.

Woods caught 111 passes and scored 15 touchdowns in 12 games.

Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, who had 113 receptions and 15 touchdowns, and Ryan Broyles of Oklahoma (83 catches, 10 touchdowns in nine games) were selected to the first team.

— Gary Klein

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Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck won the Walter Camp Foundation’s award as college football’s player of the year.

Luck passed for 3,170 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns as a senior, leading No. 4 Stanford to an 11-1 record and a bid to play No. 3 Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Memphis picks Fuente

Memphis hired Justin Fuente, Texas Christian’s co-offensive coordinator, to take over its struggling program. Fuente, 35, will be paid $900,000 in 2012 as part of a five-year contract.

The Tigers fired Larry Porter as coach after their season-ending 44-7 loss to eventual Conference USA champion Southern Mississippi on Nov. 26. Porter was 3-21 in two seasons.

Etc.

A person close to Joe Paterno’s family told the Associated Press that the former Penn State coach is undergoing treatments and progressing after learning last month that he had lung cancer. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Paterno’s son Scott has requested privacy for the family after revealing that doctors discovered his father’s treatable form of lung cancer during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness. School trustees fired Paterno on Nov. 9 in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Authorities have said Paterno is not a target of the investigation. … Tulane announced plans to build a $60-million football stadium on its campus in New Orleans. The Green Wave has played most of its home games in the Superdome since 1975. Tulane’s old stadium was demolished in 1980.