Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson yesterday agreed to a one-year extension of his contract, which now runs through 2016.

Johnson initially signed a seven-year contract worth about $11 million when he came from Navy before the 2008 season. The school gave him a new seven-year, $17.7 million deal after he led the Yellow Jackets to a surprising nine wins in his debut.

His second year has been even better. No. 7 Georgia Tech (10-1) has already clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, and the extension keeps Johnson's contract at the original length.

"It goes without saying how much we value what Paul Johnson continues to do for the Georgia Tech program and the energy he has created within the Yellow Jacket family," athletic director Dan Radakovich said. "We remain committed to Paul in every way, and we foresee a long-term relationship with much continued success in the coming years."

Johnson is 19-5 since taking over at Georgia Tech, the highest winning percentage (.792) in school history.

"We appreciate the confidence Dan Radakovich and the Georgia Tech administration have shown in our program," Johnson said in a statement. "We look forward to the opportunity to continue to build the program at Georgia Tech."

Hakim Muhammad, 20, who allegedly was with the man charged with killing University of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard, has pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy charge.

Prosecutors say Muhammad of Bloomfield, Conn., and his friend and co-worker, John William Lomax III, 21, were involved in a minor altercation with others outside a university sanctioned dance early Oct. 18.

The suspects allegedly went back to Lomax's car and returned with knives. Prosecutors say several witnesses identified Lomax, also of Bloomfield, as the person who stabbed Howard.

Alabama's Rolando McClain, Florida's Brandon Spikes, Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon, South Carolina's Eric Norwood and Texas' Sergia Kindle are finalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker. The winner will be announced on or before Dec. 8. The award is named after Dick Butkus, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

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