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Notes From the Margins v6.5
By Jason Roberts | August 17, 2008
Here is the 2nd part of this weeks NFTM, passing along news on the remaining 6 conferences.
MAC
Marshall Thundering Herd
The Charleston Daily Mail reports on Thursday, August 7, 2008 that Maurice Graham, the Marshall Thundering Herd’s highly regarded junior college transfer at tight end, missed practice on Wednesday, but did so in order to split time between the practice field and the maintaining of a strong academic status heading into fall. Graham, readers may be aware, transferred to Marshall back in January from the College of the Sequoias in California, but underwent ankle surgery earlier this year, forcing him to miss all of spring practice.
Miami (OH) Redhawks
Junior tailback for the Miami (OH) Redhawks, Andre Bratton, will, according to Pete Conrad of the Dayton, Ohio Journal News (Wednesday, August 6, 2008), face two challenges coming into fall camp.
First, he’ll be returning off a knee injury that held him out of the last ten games of the 2007 season.
Second, he’ll face becoming an important contributor to the success of the Redhawks passing attack for the upcoming season.
Head coach of the Redhawks, Shane Montgomery, says that Bratton - who led the team in rushing back in 2006 with 285 yards and four touchdowns - is likely to split carries with sophomore Thomas Merriweather, who last season grabbed 143 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Northern Illinois Huskies
According to John Sahly of the Dekalb, Illinois Daily Chronicle for Thursday, August 7, 2008, senior quarterback Dan Nicholson isn’t the most mobile quarterback that the team has ever seen. However, he will be expected to play the role of one come this season, as new head coach Jerry Kill installs an offense that will include a number of plays in which the man under center is asked to take off with the ball downfield.
Mountain West
Colorado State Rams
From the Greeley Tribune of Wednesday, August 6, 2008, comes key information on projected starter at quarterback for the Colorado State Rams, Billy Farris.
Farris, who has spent the last couple years backing up Caleb Hanie, is currently battling junior Grant Stucker for the lead role under center, but is confident in his abilities to emerge as the starter in his senior season coming out of fall camp.
Coaches have acknowledged that Farris seems more devoted than ever to soaking up all the information he can about the offensive scheme of new head coach Steve Fairchild, and is spending extra time after scheduled practice getting additional reps in so that he is sharp come the season opener for the Rams against the Colorado Buffaloes August 30th.
Reporting on the first day of practice for the Colorado State Rams, the website Coloradoan.com highlighted the on-field presence of junior college transfer at wide receiver, Ryan Gardner.
Gardner, a 6′1″ and 190 pound junior out of Fairfield, California, led Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California in the 2007 football season, grabbing 29 receptions for 680 yards (almost 24 yards-per-catch average) and scoring nine times on the season.
A speedster, clocked with a 4.3 time in the 40-yard dash, Gardner also brings leaping ability, having been measured with a 42-inch vertical; that the latter is the case is not surprising, as Gardner originally reported to Diablo Valley to play on the basketball team, and had a two year hiatus from football before returning to the field last year.
TCU Horned Frogs
According to the Forth Worth Star-Telegram of Thursday, August 7, 2008, two individuals to keep an eye on at wide receiver during fall camp for the Texas Christian Horned Frogs are Antoine Hicks, an incoming freshman recruit, and Alonzo Adams, a transfer from Tyler Junior College.
Hicks, a 6′2″ and 193 pound athlete, is described by senior safety Stephen Hodge as a “big body” who is unique in that TCU doesn’t “have very many of those guys running around this place like that,” while Adams is the type of player “we’re expecting big things” from.
Hicks, who played at Mansfield Timberview High School, was rated by Rivals.com as a three star athlete that, as a senior, rushed for 712 yards and 10 touchdowns, threw for 516 yards and five touchdowns, and caught 17 receptions for 248 yards and two additional scores.
Adams, in the meanwhile, played only one season at Tyler, but was good enough to net 607 yards on 27 receptions and earn All-SWJCA honors in 2007.
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
A sleeper alert from the same article in the Review-Journal: fantasy owners may very well want to keep their eyes on incoming freshman wide receiver for UNLV, Phillip Pane, as the youngster out of Western High School is being talked about widely by teammates for the skills and work ethic shown during voluntary summer workouts and drills.
Ranked by Rivals.com as the third-best recruit out of the state of Nevada for 2007, and rated by ESPN.com as the 70th best receiver in the country, the 6′3″ and 185 pound Payne caught 28 passes for 689 yards as a senior last year and looks, according to sportswriter Mark Anderson of the Review-Journal, to become “a real force” in 2008.
Utah Utes
From The Salt Lake Tribune for Thursday, August 7, 2008 comes the news that head coach Kyle Whittingham of the Utah Utes announced Wednesday that suspended receiver Marquis Wilson will be allowed to return to the team in preparation for playing once more in the 2009 football season.
Wilson has lost his scholarship, but will be allowed to walk-on with the Utes in fall camp, redshirt this fall, and if he puts in “one year of solid work, and no issues, and so forth . . . he’ll be welcomed back” next year.
Readers may recall that Wilson was suspended in the spring, then reinstated for summer workouts; as a wide receiver last year, he caught 18 catches for 285 yards and three touchdowns.
A quick hit for fantasy owners looking at the Utah Utes for a solid draft pick at the tailback position with either Darrell Mack or Matt Asiata: according to the Deseret News for Wednesday, August 6, 2008, head coach Kyle Whittingham has told reporters that he does not foresee the presence of both Mack and Asiata in the Utes backfield as subject for controversy.
From a similar article from the Deseret News for Wednesday - Writing on wide receiver for the Utah Utes, Brent Casteel, sportswriter Dirk Facer notes that Casteel is feeling like, “My health is 100 percent.”
Facer also writes in the same article that junior college transfer for the Utes at wideout, David Reed, drew quite a bit of recognition from coaches during practice on Tuesday.
Reed comes in having played at Pasadena City College over the last two years, where he set a national community college record for most receptions in a season with 111 in 2007.
Even more frightening, the 6′0″, 180 pound native of New London, Connecticut, captured that record in just ten games last year, accumulating along the way 1,661 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns for his sophomore season in 2007.
Pac-10
Arizona Wildcats
From the pages of the Arizona Daily Star for Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - Head coach Mike Stoops tells Ryan Finley of the Daily Star that he plans to line up tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Mike Thomas on opposite sides of the Wildcats’ offensive formations in order to avoid opposing defenses from double-teaming both of them on pass plays.
Finley also reports that freshman tailback Greg Nwoko is now practicing with the team, this after missing the Wildcats first workout of fall due to problems stemming from academic ineligibility. Arizona now has all of its players in camp, with all now academically eligible.
Meanwhile, in the Tuscon Citizen of Saturday, August 2, 2008, Mike Stoops tells reporters that Rob Gronkowski will likely see more action in 2008 at the tight end position, this after putting up 525 yards receiving and six touchdowns last year as a freshman.
Stoops also went out on a limb, claiming that by the end of the upcoming football season, Wildcats fans could expect to find the Arizona tight end having caught anywhere between 50 and 70 passes for the season.
California Bears
From the pages of The Daily Californian for Friday, August 8, 2008, comes a piece on what Andrew Kim calls “arguably the marquee get of the 2008 recruiting class” for the California Bears, wide receiver Marvin Jones.
A 6′2″ receiver from Etiwanda High School in California, Jones accumulated an outstanding 2,349 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in two year of playing prep football.
Rated as a consensus four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Jones comes to Strawberry Canyon recognizing that the there will be challenges in learning a new playbook (he states of the Cal manual for offensive plays, “It’s pretty thick.”), but realizing as well that he should be a critical component of a very young receiving corps for the Bears in 2008.
Given his overall size, speed, and talent, Jones should be one to watch as fall practices continue, and could be a major sleeper out in the Pac-10 for fantasy owners looking for a diamond in the rough at wide receiver.
Oregon State Beavers
From the pages of for Wednesday, August 6, 2008, is provided a focus piece on wide receiver for the Oregon State Beavers, Chris Johnson.
Though perhaps best remembered for an outstanding catch against Stanford back in 2006, Johnson has struggled over the last two years with consistency when it comes to catching the ball.
At 6′1″ and 195 pounds, he a fantastic target that brings plenty of break-away speed on pass patterns; at the start of 2007, Johnson was slated to replace Sammie Stroughter as the star wideout struggled with personal problems. But an inability to make the grab on a regular basis saw Johnson eventually replaced by true freshman Darrell Catchings last season.
Fortunately for Johnson, a more confident sense of being has replaced the doubt apparent in 2007 and the senior appears ready for a solid campaign at wideout this season.
Stanford Cardinal
An article included in the Wednesday, August 6, 2008 edition of the Burlingame Daily News highlights Jason Forcier, one of three quarterbacks competing for the role of starter for the Standford Cardinal in 2008.
Notes the author of the piece, Darren Sabedra, friends of Forcier have been critical of the junior, claiming that had he stayed at the University of Michigan rather than transferring to Stanford as he did last year, he would likely have been a starter for the Wolverines heading into the upcoming football season.
Though never starting a collegiate game, Forcier does have experience on the field, playing as the #2 quarterback for the Wolverines in 2006 in mop up duty for then-starter Chad Henne.
Such background should help him immensely in battling for the starting role this fall, as Forcier will face competition from both incumbent quarterback Tavita Pritchard and sophomore Alex Loukas.
Within the same article comes the statement from Pritchard that, in his opinion, he will be the starter for the Cardinal when Stanford opens up its season on August 28 against Oregon State.
USC Trojans
The Los Angeles Daily News for Tuesday, August 5, 2008 tells readers that a jury began deliberations on Tuesday in the criminal case of USC recruit Maurice Simmons, who was arrested in early July and charged with felony robbery, assault with a firearm, and a misdemeanor charge for allowing someone to bring a gun into his vehicle.
The Los Angeles district attorney’s office offered Simmons a plea bargin of three years in prison, a compromise rejected by the young athlete’s legal team.
Reports are that a verdict is expect no later than Thursday afternoon; if found guilty, Simmons would not be allowed to enroll at USC, while, if convicted only of the misdemeanor, he would likely face some sort of action by the school’s Office of Student Affairs.
Washington Huskies
From The Seattle Times for Thursday, August 7, 2008 - Head coach of the Washington Huskies, Ty Willingham, told reporters Wednesday that he would like to find a way to get backup quarterback to Jake Locker, Ronnie Fouch, some playing time this season, thus allowing Locker “to get some rest and put [Fouch] in a more advantageous position” for the future. In the meantime, coaches would like to see Fouch improve his accuracy, something he struggled with mightily during the spring, as well as a faster release and more consistency in his footwork.
As included within the same article is the news that top returning tailback, Brandon Johnson, is now practicing with the Huskies, but is not yet 100% recovered from a knee injury sustained in April during spring drills.
The Seattle Times for Monday, August 4, 2008, contains the observation of University of Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano that the incoming receivers comprising the 2008 recruiting class for the Huskies is “as good a group of receivers as I’ve been around in my 20-plus years of coaching college football.”
The group includes Jermaine Kearse and Cody Burns, Devin Aguilar, and Anthony Boyles, who signed with the 2007 freshman class, but was forced to sit out last fall due to academic concerns.
SEC
Arkansas Razorbacks
Everyone at the University of Arkansas know that former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Ryan Mallett is the future of the Razorbacks football program.
But with Mallett having to sit out 2008 as a redshirt due to NCAA rules regarding transferring, how does head coach Bobby Petrino plan to get him prepared to take over starting as early as 2009?
According to the Detroit Free Press of Thursday, August 7, 2008, the answer rests, as Petrino puts it, in the coaching staff working to “try to get him as many reps as we can without hurting somebody else’s preparation.”
That likely is the reason why then Mallett was seen taking snaps this past week with the rest of the Arkansas offense; and the Press states clearly that “more of the same can be expected as the Hogs roll forward toward the start of two-a-day practices Saturday.”
Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky freshman wideout Randall Cobb began turning heads as soon as fall practices began this week, the Wildcats wide receiver already displaying a knack for catching just about anything thrown in his direction.
But following the dismissal of quarterback Curtis Pulley, when the Wildcats suddenly found themselves extremely thin under center, Cobb became an even more heavily-spotlighted player than anyone on the team could possibly imagine.
The reason? Cobb could easily be playing from under center for the Wildcats should the need arise.
Cobb, after all, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer of Friday August 8, 2008, played from the quarterback position out of high school, completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,765 yards and 22 touchdowns and two interceptions as a senior. He also was a threat on the ground, rushing for 793 yards and 13 additional scores.
No, Cobb doesn’t have the ideal build for a starting quarterback. Standing only 5′11″, his height and physical build came to be considered a major deterrent by some of the bigger SEC schools who, according to the article, refused to recruit Cobb at any position other than defensive back.
Now it appears as though Cobb will get the chance to make those schools pay for engaging in such shallow thinking.
A scheme made popular last year by RB Darren McFadden at Arkansas, many teams are now lining up their best athletes at the quarterback position in order to get the ball in the hands of their best playmakers as often as possible. Given his prep school track record, Cobb clearly appears to fit this bill.
So while a definitive position is currently lacking for Cobb, one thing is certain - this freshman will see the field in Lexington early and often. (Authored by Chris Bennett)
While Cobb has been a bright spot for Kentucky’s incoming freshman class, fellow WR Aaron Boyd has not been as fortunate. The Courier-Journal reports the star of the Wildcat recruiting haul has been diagnosed with mononucleosis, and will miss at least a month of time. That will make things difficult for the Wildcats, currently lacking depth at the wide receiver position, especially since some think that Boyd may be forced to redshirt. (Authored by Chris Bennett)
Sun Belt
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
Head coach of the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, Rickey Bustle, told the local paper The Advertiser on Wednesday, August 6, 2008, that junior running back from College of the Desert, Undre Sails, arrived on campus Tuesday and will be eligible to join the remainder of the team once his previous school posts an earned Associates’ Degree on his academic record.
Sails, who last year carried the ball for the College of the Desert 119 times, for 639 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns for the season, is expected to battle for a backup spot in the ULL backfield, with his main competition freshman recruit Yobes Walker of Brazoswood High in Texas.
The Louisiana-based paper, The Advertiser, provides readers of its Monday, August 4, 2008 edition the news that Deon Wallace, back-up running back for the Louisiana-Lafayetter Ragin’ Cajuns, has decided to leave the team and give up football due to “family reasons”.
Wallace was third on the team in rushing last year, having accumulated 433 yards on the ground and 148 yards in receiving, allowing him to finish sixth on the team overall with 10 receptions. The junior also finished in the top ten in the conference for kick return average and all-purpose yards in 2007 as well.
This could mean big things for incoming freshman, Yobes Walker, who shocked U-L faithful by recently electing to commit to the Ragin’ Cajuns, this after initially leaning toward the University of Houston Cougars, located in his home town.
Watch for junior Matt Dupre to also get into the mix of things as well; Dupre got plenty of work in the spring after redshirt freshman Julian Shankle broke his ankle and required surgery.
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
The Murfreesboro Post reports on Sunday, August 3, 2008, that with Desmond Gee spending a lot of time in the MTSU backfield with teammate Philip Tanner, head coach of the Blue Raiders, Rick Stockstill, is seeking depth at the wide receiver position.
According to the Post, the solution to that particular problem may be found earlier than expected, as transfers to MTSU Chris McClover and Eldred King, along with freshmen Malcolm Beyah and Marcus Thurmond, progress much faster in fall camp than Stockstill initially figured.
Notes the Post, McClover, a young man from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is 6′5″, 210 pounds, and one heck of an athlete; thus far, he’s shown a great ability to go up, get the ball, and make the big play against opposing defenders.
King, who transferred from Garden City Community College, is 5′10″ and 170 pounds, and, by all assessments, an excellent possession receiver.
Meanwhile, the two freshmen are fitting in well with their teammates and showing a propensity to make catches on a consistent basis, a development which has the MTSU offense excited about their ability to contribute immediately in the 2008 season.
North Texas Mean Green
From the Fort Worth, Texas Star-Telegram for Thusday, August 7, 2008, comes the news that head coach of the North Texas Mean Green, Todd Dodge, has announced the Giovanni Vizza will be the “No. 1 guy” at quarterback for the opening game of the 2008 football season, while Riley Dodge, the coach’s son, will for the time being be relegated to an apprenticeship position as North Texas’ backup at the quarterback position.
Within the same article, the Star-Telegram reveals that Todd Dodge has decided to try out true 6′6″ freshman wideout Forrest Rucker at the inside wide receiver slot for the duration of fall camp, a move intended on seeing how the youngster handles himself on the interior of the field before considering a shift for Rucker out to the outside opposite of the outstanding Casey Fitzgerald.
WAC
Boise State Broncos
From the Yakima Herald of Wednesday, August 6, 2008, comes the news that freshman quarterback recruit Kellen Moore has been voted as the popular choice by participants in a web pole managed by the Herald to win the starting role under center for the Broncos in the 2008 season; in fact, 65% of respondents chose Moore, with Bush Hamden coming in second with 24%.
The Argus Observer provides the troubling news on Wednesday, August 6, 2008, that senior wide receiver, Jeremy Childs, has been suspended for the home opener against Idaho State on August 30.
Fresno State Bulldogs
The Fresno Bee announced on Monday, August 4, 2008, that sophomore wide receiver for the Fresno State Bulldogs, Tim Lang, has quit the football team and will be returning home to Sacramento to take care of a family problem.
Recruited as a multiple-position player that could make big plays from nearly anywhere on the field, Lang played in all 12 regular season games last year and accumulated five passes for 82 yards.
Hawaii Warriors
From the Honolulu Advertiser of Wednesday, August 6, 2008, comes an interesting piece regarding the potential fantasy value that owners can tag onto Hawaii Warriors junior tailback Leon Wright-Jackson.
Handed the ball only 33 times for all of the 2007 football season, Wright-Jackson made big plays happen - for instance, 6.6 yards-per-carry average, a 47 yard bolt for a score against Louisiana Tech, another touchdown run for 33 yards against Fresno State - but didn’t see much time on the football field.
That is going to change in 2008, as head coach Greg McMackin has voiced on several occasions his intention to see that the Warriors run the ball a great deal more come the start of the upcoming football season.
Additional big news from the WAC, as revealed on Thursday, August 7, 2008 in: Tyler Graunke, the most experienced quarterback on the Hawaii Warriors, has apparently been withheld from camp for an undisclosed reason. Sources close to this story report that at this time, there is no word on whether or not Graunke, a senior, will rejoin the team.
In the meantime, head coach Greg McMackin is quoted as telling local reporters that “Graunke’s absence has not and will not affect the team.” And with Graunke out, one can count on Inoke Funaki and transfers Greg Alexander and Brent Rausch continuing to battle for the starting position heading into the 2008 season.
Update: The Honolulu Advertiser for Wednesday, August 6, 2008, reports on the same story as does the Observer, but notes that Graunke was telling reporters he was being withheld from training camp because he did “not do as well as I would have liked” in a summer-semester class that was part of his major. “I have one more opportunity to get the mark I need,” he continued, and will have approximately one more week to complete any outstanding obligations in the course.
Utah State Aggies
From the Herald-Journal of Logan / Cache Valley, Utah for Wednesday, August 6, 2008, comes a report that redshirt freshman Ben Longshore has decided to leave the team to participate in an LDS Church mission, leaving the Utah State Aggies precariously thin at the quarterback position in 2008.
Coaches noted that Longshore was slated to run the scout team this year.
This could pose a particular problem, as freshman recruit Robert Fuller has yet to be cleared by the NCAA to join the team in fall practice and only two quarterbacks with limited exposure to the Aggies offensive scheme - senior Sean Setzer and converted wideout Diondre Borel, a sophomore - are readily available to be drawn upon.
The article does make mention, however, that true freshman Exavier Johnson is turning heads already in fall camp and could challenge for the starting role before head coach Brent Guy names a lead quarterback on August 18th.
Topics: College Football, Jason Roberts, Notes From the Margins |
August 20th, 2008 at 2:46 am
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-20 01:46:41Be week with the rest of the reason why then Mallett was seen taking snaps this [...]
August 20th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-20 12:31:14A new playbook (he states of the Cal manual for offensive plays, … offensive [...]
August 20th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-20 16:59:48Reporting on the website Coloradoan.com highlighted the first day of practice for [...]
August 21st, 2008 at 12:55 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-21 11:55:07A new playbook (he states of the Cal manual for offensive plays, … offensive [...]
August 21st, 2008 at 1:03 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-21 12:03:35Of ten games last year, accumulating along the way 1661 yards receiving and 13 [...]
August 21st, 2008 at 9:04 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-21 20:04:31Be week with the rest of the reason why then Mallett was seen taking snaps this [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:59 am
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-21 23:59:38Reporting on the website Coloradoan.com highlighted the first day of practice for [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-22 21:17:28Of ten games last year, accumulating along the way 1661 yards receiving and 13 [...]
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:25 am
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-23 06:25:26Of ten games last year, accumulating along the way 1661 yards receiving and 13 [...]
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-23 19:09:20Reporting on the website Coloradoan.com highlighted the first day of practice for [...]
August 24th, 2008 at 10:46 am
[...] News » News Notes From the Margins v6.52008-08-24 09:46:48Be week with the rest of the reason why then Mallett was seen taking snaps this [...]