Loading ...
« CHEATSHEET v1: Top 21 Fantasy College QBs | Main | CHEATSHEET v1: Top 55 Fantasy College RBs »
Notes From the Margins v2
By Jason Roberts | July 9, 2008
More options at wideout that originally thought: The Effingham Herald recently passed along the insights of Georgia Tech sophomore wide receiver Correy Earls. It is his belief that new head coach Paul Johnson might have more of a tendency to throw the ball than initially thought by those familiar with his work at the Naval Academy.
“All I knew was people telling me, ‘you’re going to run, run, run.’ That’s all you heard, so that’s all I knew. I was a little puzzled, not sure what to expect and just curious.” Earls is quoted in the article as saying that he was told this shortly after Johnson was named as the new Yellow Jackets coach.
Earls’ inquisitive nature led him to speak more extensively about the subject with Johnson. The coach subsequently pointed out to the young wideout that as one-time offensive coordinator for the University of Hawaii, a large percentage of the game plan revolved around the need for a quarterback to spread the ball around as often as possible.
“It’s not as much running as you think,” Earls concluded after the opportunity to evaluate closely the whole of Johnson’s approach to the Georgia Tech 2008 offensive game plan. “I’m not worried about it at all. It brings a lot of excitement to the table.”
That kind of buy-in should pay off huge dividends, as the Yellow Jackets’ coaching staff has made no attempt to disguise their belief that Earls will play a key role for an offense that returns only four starters in 2008. With Greg Smith moving from wideout to A-back and Jonathan Dwyer serving as B-back in Johnson’s reformed offense, the opportunity for Earls to shine is now. He finished 2007 with only 14 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown, but should greatly improve on those numbers as the featured receiver in Georgia Tech’s revamped offensive playbook.
An interesting story of second chances out of Cincinnati, Ohio: Most offensive-minded fantasy owners won’t find value with the recent story tucked away in the Kentucky Post, but those who remember the name Alex Daniels (former LB/RB for the Minnesota Golden Gophers) just might. Daniels was one of three Minnesota football players ousted from the program in 2007 after allegations arose linking them to the video-taped rape of an 18 year-old female student. Seems that AD Mike Thomas and other officials at the University of Cincinnati, decided earlier this week that Daniels had proven himself enough in one semester at Cincy. After enrolling earlier this spring, he has been cleared by Thomas to begin play with the Bearcats in the fall. Noting that Daniels had focused his time away from the playing field on academics (a 3.0 gpa throughout last semester), Thomas, along with head coach Brian Kelly, deemed it reasonable to grant Daniels request to return to the playing field. It was announced that Daniels would be joining the Bearcats’ football team in summer workouts soon in preparation for the 2008 season.
Not much was made of where Daniels might play at this point, although Kelly is quoted as having mentioned defensive end. Fantasy owners might recall the excitement the youngster brought to the game when Minnesota moved him to starting tailback alongside Amir Pinnix and Duane Bennett. Could this mean that fantasy owners could find Daniels competing for time in the Bearcats’ backfield with leading returning rusher, Jacob Ramsey? Most likely not, but how interesting would it be if fantasy managers turned on their televisions to once again see the physical, bruising running-style of Alex Daniels gracing their screens?
Daniels has been granted two additional years of eligibility to play at Cincinnati, so the possibility of that type of scenario coming to light may not be as far-fetched as it seems. Keep an eye on this one, as this story will likely get a lot more interesting as it plays itself out.
I thought you guys always ran the ball: The West Virginia’s Register-Herald ran a story on sophomore wideout Brandon Hogan and the excitement he maintained about, of all things, this year’s version of the West Virginia passing game. Seems that Hogan and the rest of the wide receivers comprising the 2008 Mountaineers’ football program are ecstatic over the arrival of new offensive coordinator, Jeff Mullen (over from Wake Forest University). And why not…Mullen is working on installing at WVU a more diverse offensive game plan which will include more passing for quarterback Pat White. It will also institute a great deal more motion in order to matchup Mountaineers’ receivers against opposing linebackers and defensive backs. That type of transition could translate to fantastic numbers for WVU wideouts. This makes Hogan, who led all receivers in this year’s version of the annual spring game with six catches for 49 yards, a leading candidate to reap the benefits of this new type of passing schematic.
And speaking of West Virginia and players with the last name White: This one didn’t make the major sports headlines, but probably should have, as it is of extreme interest for fantasy owners. This particularly holds true for those participating in keeper fantasy college football leagues in 2008. The West Virginia’s Register-Herald reports that the younger brother of outstanding Mountaineers’ quarterback Patrick White, Coley White, has arrived on campus and is already involved in voluntary summer drills and workouts. The scariest thing here is that Pat White claims his little brother is the most athletic member of the family, a claim which seems to be backed up by the younger White’s stats coming out of high school. As a senior, Coley White accumulated nearly 2,500 yards in total offense at Alabama’s Daphne High, with almost 1000 of those yards coming via the rush.
Says Patrick White as well, “”I talk to him [Coley] every day (on the phone)…He’s just talking about taking my position once he gets onto the field.”
Pretty big words from a younger brother who has yet to take a snap under center at the next level. However, something tells me that given his brother Patrick’s propensity for playing at the highest levels of the collegiate game, WVU could soon enough find yet another White leading one of the best offenses in all of the Big East (not to mention the nation). Fantasy owners, consider this your opportunity to invest in the future…this one could pay off big time as early as 2009.
Topics: College Football, Jason Roberts, Notes From the Margins |
Comments are closed.
