Cam Cameron (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Cam Cameron, 18-37 in his five years at Indiana, was fired even though the Hoosiers won four of their last five games.

        “Five years is an important time to demonstrate success on the field and in the classroom,” athletic director Michael McNeely said Wednesday. “We expect to be successful on the field and in the classroom.

        “There is not compelling evidence that the current direction of the football program will yield a higher level of competitive success.”

        Cameron, who has three years left on his contract, did not attend the news conference. He will be paid about $150,000 a year for the next three years.

        Quarterback Antwaan Randle El described a meeting Cameron had with the team.

        “He was emotional, teary-eyed. He was hurting,” Randle El said. “This is his love, and he's leaving a lot of players behind.”

        Cameron, 40, came to Indiana in 1997 after three years as quarterbacks coach with the Washington Redskins and the previous 10 years as an assistant at Michigan.

        His first season, after he replaced the fired Bill Mallory, produced a 2-9 record. The Hoosiers improved to 4-7 in each of the next two years but dipped to 3-8 in 2000 despite having Randle El, one of the nation's most exciting players.

        KENTUCKY:

        Four Wildcats, including Highlands graduate Derek Smith, earned all-Southeastern Conference recognition from the Associated Press and/or the SEC coaches in voting announced Tuesday and Wednesday.

        Smith, who led SEC tight ends in pass receiving with 30 catches, was named honorable mention all-SEC by the AP.

        Derek Abney was chosen first-team by the AP as an all-purpose player. He was second in the league and 12th nationally in all-purpose yardage with 153.8 yards a game.

        Dennis Johnson was named first-team by the AP after leading the SEC in sacks (school-record 12), tackles for loss (19) and fumbles caused (five).

        And Glenn Pakulak was picked to the first team by the AP and to the second team by the coaches. He averaged 44.5 yards a punt, second-best in school history.

        NOTRE DAME:

        San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci has removed himself from consideration for the Notre Dame job.

        “I'm staying in San Francisco,” Mariucci said Wednesday. “I'm flattered to read my name in the paper, but I'm committed to rebuilding this team. I'm not interested in any other job.”

        Mariucci, in his fifth season with the 49ers, has been mentioned as a candidate for the job since Bob Davie was fired last weekend.

        GROSSMAN TOPS:

        Rex Grossman might remember his record-setting year at Florida more for the sting of a season-shattering loss.

        Despite a fine effort by Grossman, Florida lost to Tennessee 34-32 last week and missed a chance to play for the Southeastern Conference title and a spot in the BCS' national championship game in the Rose Bowl.

        The loss did little to hurt the stature of the nation's top-rated passer, who was chosen Wednesday as the Associated Press College Player of the Year. Three years ago, he was Indiana's high school Mr. Football after leading Bloomington South to an undefeated season and the Class 5A championship.

        “Our season fell short of what we hoped,” Grossman said of his sophomore year at Florida. “We're a little down in Gainesville. I thought I had a pretty good year, but two losses is kind of all we can think about right now.”

        Grossman received 18 votes in balloting by the 72 members of the AP college football poll board, which includes member newspapers, TV and radio stations. He edged Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey by three votes, with Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch third with 12 votes.

        LOMBARDI AWARD:

        Julius Peppers, the North Carolina defensive end who gave up basketball to concentrate on football, won the Vince Lombardi Award on Wednesday night as the top college lineman.

        “He was a target of all the teams we played this year,” Tar Heel academic adviser Carl Carey said.

        “Teams went into games to stop him, so the fact he still leads our team in interceptions, in sacks, regardless to what other teams have done to stop him, is a credit to him.”

        Peppers, a junior, has 30 1/2 career sacks.

        He beat out linebacker Rocky Calmus of Oklahoma and defensive ends Alex Brown of Florida and Dwight Freeney of Syracuse for the award.

        Peppers was the sixth man on the Tar Heels basketball team, but he decided to put all of his efforts into football this season.

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