N. Illinois nabs Badgers assistant

Northern Illinois reached into the Big Ten as it completed a whirlwind search Monday for its new head football coach.

Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren was introduced as the school's 21st head coach at an afternoon news conference, only eight days after former coach Jerry Kill departed for the Gophers head coaching job.

"I'm very fortunate to be walking into a place that has the pride and the success and the facilities and the expectations and the academic integrity that this university has," Doeren said. "I know [former coach Joe] Novak and Coach Kill and I know what they stand for. I'm very, very proud to stand on what they've created. I'm not walking into a rebuilding job."

A Wisconsin assistant since 2006, the 39-year-old Doeren has been defensive coordinator the past two seasons and will coach the Badgers against TCU in the Rose Bowl next month.

Auburn will keep offensive coordinatorAuburn coach Gene Chizik said offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has received a raise and contract extension, apparently ending fears Malzahn would leave to take the Vanderbilt head coaching job.

"Gus Malzahn has played a large role in the success of our football program the last two years and we're very pleased to be able to give him a raise and extend his contract," Chizik said in a statement Monday.

Malzahn reportedly turned down an offer from Vanderbilt on Monday in the neighborhood of $3 million a year. He made $500,000 this year. Although Auburn didn't release the figure, the Birmingham News, citing an unnamed source, reported Malzahn got an extension to his current three-year contract that will pay him $1.3 million annually.

UConn's Edsall to stayConnecticut football coach Randy Edsall said he is not looking for any other job.

Edsall, who has led Connecticut to an 8-4 record and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, has been mentioned as a candidate for numerous other major coaching positions, including recent vacancies at Minnesota, Florida and Miami.

He refused to say whether he interviewed anywhere else, but said he is happy in his 12th year at UConn, which he built from a Division I-AA program to a two-time Big East conference co-champion. It is the first school in New England invited to a BCS bowl.

"We built something here from the ground floor, from scratch in my opinion, and there is a certain pride that you take in molding and developing and raising a child," he said. "And that's what we've done, we've raised a child here."

Minnesota coaches finalists for honorsTwenty finalists in four divisions, including five Minnesotans, were announced Monday in the 2010 Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year voting.

The five Division II finalists include Bob Nielson of Minnesota Duluth and Tom Sawyer of Winona State.

Caruso (12-1) led St. Thomas to its first conference title in 20 seasons and improved his three-year UST record to 30-6. Johnson (12-2) guided BU to the Division III playoff semifinals for the second time in four seasons. Auer led Crown to a 6-3 finish in his 10th season. Nielson's UMD Bulldogs are 14-0 and will play in Saturday's national championship game. Sawyer led Winona to a 7-4 finish and has 124 victories in 15 seasons.

Fans can vote at the libertymutual.com website once per day until Dec. 29 for any of the 20 finalists, and that makes up part of the final consideration. The Division I, I-AA, II and III winners will be recognized Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz., at the national championship game.

Etc.• Oklahoma assistants Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell have been promoted to co-offensive coordinators.

• Furman reached into its past, naming former player and assistant Bruce Fowler the Paladins' new head coach.