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Fresh Faces: C-USA
By Jason Collette | June 24, 2008
Conference USA has been fantasy gold these last few years. This is primarily an offense-first conference 
that pays little attention to defense.
The good news is the conference will become even more explosive this year with June Jones taking over at SMU and Larry Fedora taking over at Southern Miss (get to know, DeAndre Brown, right, Icon SMI).
If a freshman is going to have an impact in this conference, it will likely be in the passing game because the ball flies around the skies from Orlando to El Paso.
There are three huge names to replace in the conference as Matt Forté, Chris Johnson, and Kevin Smith took about 7000 yards of total offense with them to the NFL.
Eastern Division
Southern Miss freshmen :
Quarterback : Austin Davis (redshirt Frosh) could win the starting job in August. The incumbent, Martevious Young , hardly played last year as he was injured early in the season. Davis is a very athletic player and whoever calls the signals in the Fedora offense can be a dual threat on the ground and in the air.
Running back : This position should not matter. Damion Fletcher is going to be a stud this year but if he goes down, there could be issues. The school dismissed Tonry Harrison and Antwain Easterling, so the depth chart is thin. Desmond Johnson is a true freshman that turned down offers from Troy, Memphis, and Michigan to stay close to home. He’s a 6’0, 185 lbs back who runs a 4.45 forty.
Wide Receiver : This will be tough because nearly all of last year’s receivers are coming back. However, DeAndre Brown is the freshman with a chance to have a huge impact. 6’6’, 230 lbs, and turned down offers from LSU, Miami, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida to play at Southern Miss. 5 star athletes do not often sign in Conference USA and when they do, it tends to be related to academics. If Brown is cleared in the classroom, he has the talent to be an immediate impact on the field in the Fedora offense.
UCF freshmen :
Quarterback : Drew Weatherford (redshirt Frosh) enters August as the co-starter as George O’Leary has not officially named a starting quarterback. Weatherford is the traditional pocket passer while the only returning starter, Mike Greco , is the athletic mobile type. Greco had his moments last year but was very inconsistent so August will truly be an open audition. The quarterback position in the O’Leary offense has never been a fantasy winner either due to inconsistency or the offensive coordinator calling #24 35-40 times a game.
Running back : Outside of Matt Forté, no one player was more valuable to an offense than Kevin Smith was last season. Making matters worse, the primary backup from last year, Philip Smith , was hurt in the spring and is uncertain to start the season. Luckily, the Knights are bringing in a flock of running backs to fill the depth chart. Former walk-on Ronnie Weaver (redshirt Frosh) was the highlight of the spring game but Brynn Harvey , Latavius Murray , Brandon Davis , and Vance King highlighted the 2008 recruiting class. Watch for updates in August as summer workouts will dictate who gets this job. Do not expect another Kevin Smith out of this group as O’Leary has already said the rock will be shared around much more than it was last year where Smith saw over 90% of the carries.
Wide Receiver : None. None were recruited as nearly everyone from last year is back.
UAB Freshmen:
Nothing to see here, move along. UAB is the antithesis of Tulsa in they return names, not talent, and the offense is anything but stellar.
Memphis Freshmen:
There is very little to see here except for redshirt freshman WR Cam Baker . He runs a 4.4 40 and is 6’0 tall. He’ll have to fight for playing time as Memphis returns nearly its entire wide receiving corps from last season. However, the passing game will likely be under the controls of a juco transfer Arkelon Hall .
Marshall Freshmen:
Quarterback : Mark Cann . Bernie Morris leaves the program so the quarterback position is wide open. Redshirt freshman Cann is not the mobile quarterback Morris was but is a big pocket passer. With receivers like Passmore, Spann, and Slate to throw to, Cann could be a decent sleeper option during week one and eight of the season. Marshall’s overall schedule is very tough with OOC games at Wisconsin, West Virginia, and home to Cincinnati.
Running back : Jo Jo Cox . Cox is a redshirt freshman who is a fireplug at 5’9 210 lbs. He runs a 4.5 forty so Mark Snyder might find some touches for him to give Darius Marshall some help in the backfield.
East Carolina Freshmen
Nothing to see here, move along. ECU brings back seven offensive starters including the entire passing game. Chris Johnson is a huge loss, but senior Dominique Lindsay will do what he can to fill in.
Western Division
Tulsa Freshmen :
Nothing to see here, move along. Tulsa brings back a ton of talent in Gus Malzahn’s fantasy goldmine of an offense. As long as it doesn’t play in Orlando, the offense clicks on all cylinders. However, freshman won’t find any playing time here unless the team has to reach into its 6th string. Tulsa’s schedule is ridiculously easy this year and they very well could be in a BCS bowl. The key thing is don’t expect any freshman contributing to this offense with all the returning talent.
SMU Freshmen:
Nobody has really paid much attention to SMU offenses since the Pony Express days. That will all change with June Jones in the house. However, there is too much talent coming back from last year for a freshman to see many touches. The only shot would be at running back if DeMyron Martin doesn’t gel into the Jones offense. If he doesn’t, look for Keith Robinson to enter the fold. He committed to SMU from New Jersey for the chance to play in the Jones offense and at 5’9, 170, he can run a 4.45 forty out of the backfield. Outside road games at UCF and Texas Tech, the SMU schedule is pretty favorable this year.
UTEP Freshmen:
Trevor Vittatoe returns at quarterback so there is little opportunity for any incoming freshmen to contribute. The running game will miss Marcus Thomas but has enough returning talent. The wide receiver crew returns nearly everyone including Jeff Moturi . UTEP plays in the wild C-USA west where defense is taboo. The best chance for a freshman contribution would be from redshirt freshman WR Russell Carr who is more of a possession type receiver. Marcus Thomas was everything to this offense last year. Expect Vittatoe to be looking to throw more often this season as the talent on this team lies within the passing game.
Houston Freshmen:
Last year, the Cougar offense was fantasy gold as Anthony Aldridge and Donnie Avery lit up the box scores. Both of them are gone now, and there is not anyone in the freshman class that can fill even one of their shoes. Two redshirt freshmen – Justin Johnson at running back and E.J. Smith at wide receiver may help out. Johnson came in running a 4.5 but has since beefed up his frame by stocking on 30 lbs. Smith runs a sub 4.4 forty which puts him in the Avery speed category. Without Aldridge to dominate the offense, Houston may focus more on the wide receivers making Smith an intriguing player if he can get into the regular rotation.
Rice Freshmen:
Nothing to see here, move along. All of the key fantasy components for the Owls return in 2008. Chase Clement will once again be looking for Jarrett Dillard early and often while using James Casey as his main secondary receiver.
Tulane Freshmen:
This team was 99% Matt Forté last year, but now he is gone leaving a gaping hole in the backfield for the Green Wave. The problem is – there isn’t anyone that truly stands out as a replacement. His backup had a whopping 91 carries last year, so the junior Andre Anderson is the starter. This was a bad team with Forté last year; now they are without him and nothing to replace him.
Topics: C-USA, College Football, Fresh Faces, Jason Collette |
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