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Notes From the Margins v6
By Jason Roberts | August 16, 2008
Let’s dive in head first with our first Bullet Edition of this column. We’ll tackle the first half of the conferences today, starting with the ACC.
Get your glasses and highlighters ready - there’s a ton of moving and shaking going on during the month of August . . .
ACC
The News-Observer of Saturday, August 9, 2008 provides exciting news surrounding the North Carolina Tar Heels football program - wide receiver recruit Dwight Jones is now officially a member of the team.
Jones, regarded by many as a five star recruit, originally signed with UNC in 2007, but failed to qualify academically. Subsequently, he spent last fall at Hargrave Military Academy before attempting to enroll in Chapel Hill again prior to the start of this season.
Unfortunately, Jones was again denied admission and his dream of playing for the Tar Heels appeared to be over. Jones thereby enrolled at Valdosta State, where he has been practicing with the football squad over the past week.
Yet, in a final review of Jones’ transcripts, UNC officials determined a mistake had been made; notes the Observer , Jones’ admission paperwork for the fall semester should have been evaluated against his 2007 transcripts and using last year’s NCAA admission standards. (In 2008, the NCAA changed these admission standards to require a minimum GPA in 16 core courses, where previously only 14 core courses were required.)
UNC notified the NCAA of the error and the decision to allow Jones to leave Valdosta State in lieu of his determined eligibility for admittance at UNC was handed down.
On the field, Jones has the potential to be a future star in the ACC. While not likely to make an immediate impact, at 6′5″ and 210 pounds, the Burlington North Carolina native should be more than capable of filling in after senior Brandon Tate graduates; his chances look even better yet should junior Hakeem Nicks forego his senior year in favor of pursuing a professional career in the NFL in 2009. (Authored by Chris Bennett)
Virginia Cavaliers
Cedric Peerman , senior running back for the Virginia Cavaliers, tells the Fredericksburg, Virginia paper, The Free Lance-Star on Sunday, August 10, 2008, that as it relates to his returning to the football field in the upcoming season - this after missing much of the 2007 season with an injury to his foot - he is actually “looking forward to sharing the load with Mikell [Simpson] .”
Simpson, who started last season as a backup wide receiver, suddenly got shifted into the backfield last season when both Peerman and backup running back for the Cavaliers, Andrew Pearmen , were knocked out of commission just prior to UVA’s game against the Maryland Terrapins. Starting as a running back for the first time at the college level, Simpson shined against Ralph Friedgan’s squad, setting a school-record for the sixth best all-purpose yardage performance in Virginia school history. This was a result of posting 271 total yards combined in rushing and receiving statistics.
Head coach Al Groh has yet to name a starter at tailback for the Cavaliers, but is expected to announce that both Peerman, who led the ACC in rushing at the time of his injury last season, and Simpson will share carries equally as UVA heads into the start of their upcoming schedule.
Considering an unstable quarterback situation and an offensive line that finds its entire interior section departed come the 2008 season, there seems little doubt that Virginia is going to rely heavily on its running back tandem in moving the ball on offense. That being the case, both Peerman and Simpson should see plenty of time on the field - and for fantasy owners, that means big numbers.
Big XII
Kansas Jayhawks
Tully Corcoran, sportswriter for The Topeka Capital-Journal , attempts to provide readers on Friday, August 1, 2008 answers to some of the most pressing questions facing head coach Mark Mangino’s Kansas Jayhawks heading into the season.
Of particular importance is the assessment provided of Kendrick Harper and Jocques Crawford . Harper, a senior at cornerback, looks to be the favorite to replace former star defensive back, Aqib Talib . Admittedly, he is inexperienced, having only played in seven games last year, and has yet to have had a camp in which he beat out fellow corner Chris Harris , but could be on the rise this year as he returns to the team healthy and ready to make a name for himself.
As for Crawford? Corcoran dubs him, “Possibly the best running back prospect Kansas has signed since the Nixon administration.” Expected to be used in the same capacity as was Brandon McAnderson in 2007, Crawford could see a great deal of time on the field, particularly in pass-protection situations, as a young offensive line looks to gel with the arrival of two brand new tackles.
Iowa State Cyclones
An interesting development at Iowa State University, as reported on August 9, 2008: Head coach Gene Chizik announced Saturday that suspended tailback for the Cyclones, J.J. Bass , has been reinstated to the team and will be participating in fall practices starting next week.
Unfortunately, as the Cyclones gain back a key player in their backfield, so too do they lose a reserve at wide receiver as reported on Thursday, August 7, 2008. Writes Andrew Logue of the Register , Wallace Franklin has been suspended from the team indefinitely in light of Franklin’s being arrested not once, but twice, during the spring.
A 6′3″, 171 pound senior, Franklin has yet to practice with the team, either throughout the summer or now. Last season he played sparingly, catching only two passes for five yards and a touchdown.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Taking a look at the website for AM radio station KTIC 840 out of West Point, Nebraska, a recent posting considers that freshman tailback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Roy Helu , is currently listed as a “co-starter” at the running back position heading into fall camp. One would think it would seem obvious that Marlon Lucky will be the solid go-to for the majority of the upcoming season.
Asked if he was surprised and/or worried by the announcement of the joint roster position held with Helu, Lucky responded resoundingly that he was not; instead, the senior I-back claimed he was “motivated, not insulted.”
Oklahoma Sooners
The Tulsa World for Sunday, August 10, 2008 includes a name to remember for fantasy owners looking at seasoned wide receivers playing in the Big XII for the upcoming football season.
Staff writer Guerin Emig writes that Manuel Johnson , senior wideout for the Oklahoma Sooners, will be shifting from the slot position to outside receiver. Expectations are that he’ll provide sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford with one of the Big XII’s most experienced targets. Johnson, after all, arrived in 2005, and can clearly recall catching passes as a freshman from a quarterback by the name of Rhett Bomar .
In his first season with the Sooners, Johnson grabbed just 10 passes for 170 yards and a single touchdown. But by his junior year in 2007, he’d upped those numbers significantly, catching 31 passes for a career-high 448 yards and four total scores.
Lining up on the opposite side as returning standout receiver Juaquin Iglesias in the upcoming year, fantasy owners can expect even better statistics to be put up by the 6′0″, 183 pound receiver. Iglesias will in all likelihood remain one of Bradford’s first looks on passing downs, but with defensive backs honing in on him, Johnson could quickly leap forward as a solid secondary option.
Texas Longhorns
Interesting developments out in Austin, Texas, as the Texas Longhorns open up fall camp; notes The Dallas Morning News for Thursday, August 7, 2008, backup quarterback John Chiles is likely to be utilized as a hybrid wide receiver in 2008, while still taking snaps behind entrenched starter, junior Colt McCoy . The Texas coaching staff states that they “still consider Chiles a quarterback,” but that the sophomore was open to head coach Mack Brown’s suggestion that he shuttle between playing under center and lining up as a wideout.
The Houston Chronicle for Tuesday, August 5, 2008, carries a similar story on Chiles, but adds that Brown is determined to see that the athletic youngster gets more involved in the Longhorns’ offensive scheme for 2008, claiming that Chiles could be placed into positions in which he either passes, takes snaps directly as a rusher out of the UT backfield, or catches passes as a wide receiver.
That could mean big things for the sophomore, particularly as offensive coordinator Greg Davis has had plenty of practice developing multi-faceted players, a trend stretching as far back as his days at the University of Georgia, where he coached Hines Ward .
Big East
Rutgers Scarlett Knights
Brendan Prunty, sportswriter for the New Jersey, writes on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 that while there are plenty of candidates in the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ backfield ready to take over where former Heisman candidate Ray Rice left off at the end of last season, their overall experience at the collegiate level remains somewhat of a concern.
Junior Kordell Young is perhaps the most seasoned of the four individuals competing for the right to carry the ball for the Scarlet Knights come fall, Young has played in 14 games thus far in his time on campus, but concerns regarding his ability to run coming off a knee injury that kept him out for the majority of last year leave the upperclassman somewhat of a question mark.
Subsequently, both sophomores Mason Robinson and Joe Martinek can be expected to be looked at closely by the Rutgers’ coaching staff as a key component of the team’s upcoming fall camp and preseason practices.
Keep a close watch as well on freshman recruit Jourdan Brooks , a native of Germantown, Maryland; at 6′1″ and 255 pounds, Brooks, listed as a fullback. He should be a strong addition in the power rush component of the Rutgers ground game and be of strong value, particularly around the goal line. (Authored by Chris Bennett)
Big Ten
Iowa Hawkeyes
A name to watch for as fall camp opens up for the Iowa Hawkeyes: writes Clete Campbell, staff writer for Dubuque, Iowa Telegraph Herald (August 6, 2008), junior Jayme Murphy is making a strong run at playing time in 2008 in the Iowa Hawkeyes backfield.
A former player at Dubuque Senior High School, Murphy has been with the team for two years, but has struggled with injuries that have prevented him from making the cut when it came down to release of Iowa’s starting rosters.
In 2007, the 5′11″, 207 pound youngster was climbing the depth charts when he aggravated a bulging disc in his back that kept him from competing further for the starting role at tailback. He then found the same injury reaggravated during this past spring while working weights in the team gym and sustaining a couple hard hits on the practice field.
Unrelenting in his drive to gain playing time in 2008, Murphy worked hard over the summer and impressed coaches with his willingness to get back on track in time for the opening of fall camp. Now engaged in a six-way race for the starting role as a running back, the junior - now regarded as a walk-on - is currently practicing with the rest of the Iowa football squad and splitting time in drills focused on the running back position, as well as special teams.
Should he remain healthy, don’t be surprised to see Murphy’s name rising quickly on the Iowa depth chart for fall, and listed as a potential starting rusher for the Hawkeyes when the 2008 season opens at the end of the month.
Michigan State Spartans
The Detroit Free Press for Tuesday, August 5, 2008, announces that freshman walk-on quarterback Charlie Snow has joined Brian Hoyer , Kirk Cousins , and Keith Nichol in fall camp in the race to become the starting quarterback for the Michigan State Spartans.
The East Lansing, Michigan paper, The Lansing State Journal , dated Saturday, August 9, 2008, contains a piece on freshmen wide receivers for the Michigan State Spartans. Fred Smith , one of the highest regarded recruits in the class of 2008 for MSU, and Keshawn Martin . Listed at 6′2″ and 212 pounds, Smith is already being touted as the replacement for now departed star wideout Devin Thomas. However, considering his size, there is speculation that he might also be moved to tight end. Also being hyped up is fellow freshman Martin, a young man recruited as a WR but broke the huddle as a quarterback in high school. Given the fact that he played as a dual-threat under center and his excellent speed, coaches see Martin being used much as a Percy Harvin -type - a wide receiver who will play on the outside, but also take snaps as a receiver from the slot position.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota’s Pioneer Press for August 8, 2008 reveals that wideout for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Ralph Spry , who last year caught 23 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, is likely going to be starting opposite junior Eric Decker when UM opens up the season against Northern Illinois on August 30th .
O hio State Buckeyes
Head coach Jim Tressel, tells the Toledo Blade of Friday, August 8, 2008, that after an excellent freshman season as a backup to veteran receiver Brian Robiskie , he believes that one of the players to watch in 2008 is sophomore wideout Dane Sanzenbacher .
A former graduate of Central Catholic High School, Sanzenbacher came to Columbus last year and grabbed 12 receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown, but is expected to contribute more in the upcoming football season. He has since the end of spring worked to improve his speed and strength, an area of concern cited in his inaugural year in 2007 and subsequently earned the attention of Tressel.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Highly touted wide receiver for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Derrick Williams , tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday August 8, 2008, that though he feels that he has thus far never quite lived up to his promise on the football field, PSU fans in 2008 can expect that the “real Derrick Williams will be there this year.”
Head coach for the Nittany Lions, Joe Paterno, seems to agree, noting that in 2007, Williams “turned it around,” while also during the recent offseason “had a heck of a spring.”
For the 6′0″ and 194 pound wideout, his goal, subsequently, will be to “work hard and do all I can do to help the team”; that process will begin with him playing above the standard of play he has provided to PSU thus far, a circumstance which seems most likely come the start of the 2008 football season.
Wisconsin Badgers
Despite missing valuable time last fall and over this past spring because of a pulled hamstring, redshirt freshman wide receiver for the Wisconsin Badgers, Nick Toon - regarded by some as an elite pass catcher coming out of the 2007 recruiting class - is working hard with the start of fall camp to secure playing time with the first-string offense heading into the 2008 football season. Both he and sophomore Daven Jones began camp this past week as backups for sophomore wideout David Gilreath , but standing 6′3″ and weighing in at 214 pounds, Toon could easily move up the UW depth chart as an excellent sized target in the Badgers’ passing attack in 2008.
Meanwhile, the Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin, noted on Thursday, August 7, 2008, that senior tight end for the Wisconsin Badgers, Travis Beckum , missed some practice this past week due to “tightness in his lower body.” Beckum was subsequently held out of practice on Thursday in order to give him some down time before the team begins participating in fall drills in full pads over this weekend. The senior noted he hoped to be back in time to be part of those exercises.
Conference USA
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
From the Tulsa World for August 6, 2008 comes the story of returning Tulsa Golden Hurricanes tailback, Courtney Tennial , who was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA and, according to teammates, “looks lik the Tennial who rushed for a team-high 845 yards and scored 16 touchdowns in 2006.”
Such statements hold true hope for Tennial, who in his entire career with the University of Tulsa has only played one full season. As a freshman in 2003, signed with the Oklahoma Sooners, Tennial broke his shoulder blade in three places and missed the entirety of his first year. In 2004, as a sophomore, the tailback could only sit and watch from the sidelines as Adrian Peterson became the feature back at the University of Oklahoma. Tennial then transferred to Tulsa in 2005, and missed a third straight year because of NCAA regulations regarding transferring between Division I schools.
In 2006, he finally got a shot to make his name known, and did so, finishing second all-time in the school’s record books for the total number of touchdowns scored in that season. He looked to have a repeat of his junior campaign in 2007, but suffered a torn ACL, an injury which knocked him out once more for the duration of the season and left Tennial with a three-inch long scar on his leg.
The 5′10, 238 pound back, listed as fullback on the Tulsa depth chart and now equipped with a sixth-year exemption to play football, heads into 2008 confident that he can stay healthy and have a similar type of impact as he did in 2006. Should he be able to avoid injury, there is no reason to doubt that Tennial will in achieve just that.
Independents
Navy Midshipmen
As featured in The Capital on August 9, 2008, Navy is excited about their QB options beyond this season.
Senior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada rushed for nearly 900 net yards and 12 scores last season, while also adding almost 1000 yards and 8 more scores through the air. Meanwhile, backup QB Jarod Bryant is also a senior, and though listed as the number two quarterback for the Midshipmen, Bryant is expected to see lots of time in the slot this season.
Meanwhile, fantasy owners looking ahead to future seasons will want to take note of the name Ricky Dobbs. States Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo about the sophomore quarterback, “Ricky is a guy that is probably a year away, but we think he has a chance to do some good things in the future.” (Authored by Chris Bennett)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Davey O’Brien Award Committee, don’t tell me I didn’t try to warn you. Less than a week after this writer went on a tirade about the naming of Notre Dame sophomore quarterback, Jimmy Clausen , to the 2008 O’Brien preseason watch list, The Seattle Times for Wednesday, August 6, 2008, reports that Clausen is once more at the center of a probe seeking to explain his alleged participation in an violation of school-code regulations related to the ingestion of alcohol.
Reports both The Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press , Notre Dame school officials apparently became aware of photos posted on a internet site, The Big Lead , in which Clausen is depicted with at least two other teammates participating in an event labeled “Beer Olympics”. Regardless of when the pictures were taken, school rules maintain that the drinking of alcohol underage (all those in the picture were / are underage, with the exception of tailback James Aldridge , who turned 21 on July 6) is cause for “potential disciplinary action.”
That spells bad news for Clausen who already dodged a bullet once last year after being cited with possession of alcohol by a minor shortly before the start of fall camp in 2007. The article notes that both Aldridge and linebacker Brian Smith are readily identifiable in the photos as well.
Topics: College Football, Jason Roberts, Notes From the Margins |
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
[...] Carolina News » News Notes From the Margins v62008-08-23 15:50:07Going tackle the conferences today, starting with the conferences today, starting [...]