From Phil Steele's website....
HEARD IT THRU THE GRAPEVINE.
Here are some interesting tidbits I have picked up this past week. I projected Terry Grant (PS#31) as the starting RB at Alabama and WR DJ Hall said last week ?He?s going to have a breakout year. He?s just so fast. When he sees a crease he hits it so hard and fast, that if he gets one step on you, he?s gone.?
We update the injury notes on a daily basis and it lists all the players that are out for the year. I recommend you circle them in your magazine and you can see at a glance the teams that suffered the most attrition during the summer...Very quietly SMU has lost a couple of key players for the upcoming year. LB Reggie Carrington who I had 2nd string All CUSA left the team as did their backup QB Corey Slater who started two games last year as a JC transfer. Freshmen will likely fill both key roles this year....
rFr Drew Burdi has a great shot at winning the Western Michigan QB job before the year is out. That would be quite a feat as Tim Hiller was the MAC Frosh of the Year in 2005 and missed last year with injury....
It happens every offseason at Duke. In 2005 the Blue Devils got a RARE VHT signee in DL Vince Oghobaase (PS#18) but he got injured and missed the season. Last year their returning starting QB Zack Asack was suspended for the year over the summer. This year their top defensive player LB Mike Taulili (#1 tackler in ?06) has been indefinitely suspended and has 5 different charges brought against him for an off-field incident....
One of the reasons I have Wyoming picked 6th in the MWC is the inexperience they have on the offensive and defensive lines. I might be in trouble on that forecast as coach Joe Glenn said that both his OL and DL coaches ?feel good? about their units....
Of the 103 players on the BYU roster 63 of them have returned from missions making the Cougars one of the oldest (if not THE oldest) team in the NCAA....
Last week I noted that ALL new defensive coordinators say they will run a more aggressive, attacking defense than their predecessor. This year the cliche seems to have carried over to the other side of the ball. This quote is from USF?s new offensive coordinator Greg Gregory: ?I like to attack the defense.? UCLA?s WR Marcus Everett on the new offense for 2007: ?You?re going to see us be more aggressive.?
Any time a team lands a JUCO RB there are questions. Will the player qualify academically? How will they adapt to the major college game? This year I went out on a limb and put Utah?s Matt Asiata (PS#17JC) on my 1st team MWC list. Opening reports from fall practice are very good and despite the fact he is currently #3 on the depth chart, he is making waves every day. He will be one of the top rushers in the MWC provided he stays healthy....
Oregon QB Dennis Dixon signed a MLB contract and played baseball over the summer as opposed to working out with his team. While he hit just .164 as a farm hand, in the initial practice in August RB Jonathan Stewart commented ?He came out here and proved everybody wrong, he hasn?t missed a beat?
Pat Bostick (PS#8), a true frosh that I projected to eventually win the Pitt QB job, has left the team and gone home. While the door is wide open for his return the odds of him starting this year have just about evaporated. It looks like Bill Stull (PS#25) will be the starter with Bostick basically taking himself out of the race....
Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione made a comment about the Oklahoma QB situation: ?That may be the only question they have, other than what jobs they are going to work this year?. He was referring to the NCAA sanctions after the job snafu last year. Bob Stoops? rebuttal? ?There are a lot of people who have a lot to say when they don?t have a Big 12 Championship to talk about?. Look for a little bad blood to spill out on the field in their November 3rd meeting in Norman....
The offensive line is a key part of the running game. Last year at UTEP RB Marcus Thomas had a down year running behind a patchwork offensive line and saw his rushing stats drop to 513 yards. This year in the magazine I called for UTEP to have the NCAA?s most improved rush attack and they appear on their way. Thomas was 227 lbs last year but is down to 209 adding speed. RB coach Jeff Banks says ?This is by far the best offensive line since we?ve been here. Regardless of who it is, from third tackle to backup guard to center this is the best group we?ve had?. I feel pretty good about that most improved rush attack prediction....
WR Dorin Dickerson (PS#8WR) moved to LB this spring at Pitt. Dickerson already benched 400 lbs when he weighed just 200 lbs but is up to 225 and was timed at 4.38 over the summer. He could quickly become a force at Pitt where they must replace all 3 starting LB?s from last year. Dickerson was slowed by an ankle injury last year while playing on the offensive side of the ball....
Georgia figures to have an improve rush attack this year. RB Kregg Lumpkin was picked as the team?s best conditioned athlete over the summer by their strength and conditioning coach Dave Van Halanger. He still calls RB Thomas Brown the strongest player on the team pound for pound....
Air Force offensive coordinator Tim Horton left a month ago to coach the RB?s at Arkansas. He inherits the best set of RB?s in the country but I wonder about the offense he left behind as the Falcons were undergoing a shift from the pure wishbone to a pro style offense that will still utilize some option. Last year Darren McFadden lined up at the QB position in the ?Wildcat? package for Arkansas. He will still line up at QB but this year it will be labeled the ?Wild Hog?.
Last year Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron handed former Tennessee and JC Transfer Brent Schaeffer the starting QB job before he even set foot on campus. Orgeron later admitted that it was a mistake. Last week Schaeffer was moved to WR but was back at QB two days later. Adams still has a firm grasp on the job....
Wyoming?s Joe Glenn was told at a press conference that his team was a 3 point underdog at home vs Virginia in the opener and his response in jest was ?Load up on the Pokes?
Clemson C Barry Humphries recently bench pressed 225 lbs 38 times which would have been the 2nd best at this year?s NFL combine for OL?s. He is just a sophmore this year....
Florida St RB Antoine Smith not only benched 445 lbs, making him the strongest player lb for lb on the Seminoles but also was in the top 5 with a 36? vertical leap....
Virginia Tech RB Brandon Ore did not attend VT over the summer and when he reported this fall he was not in top shape. He was the #3 RB on the opening depth chart behind walk-on Dustin Pickle. He should be able to reclaim his spot however in the next few weeks....
DE Albert McClellan of Marshall was the CUSA Defensive Player of the Year last year and this year?s preseason Defensive POY. He tore his ACL last Friday and is OUT for the YEAR!
OT Jason Boone of Utah who is on my preseason 1st Team MWC team tore his ACL and is out for the year! He was a 2 year starter and one of their top OL?s....
1st Team Big East WR Derek Kinder of Pitt tore his ACL and he will also miss the season! He was #3 in the Big East in receiving last year....
Chad Hall, the leading rusher for Air Force in 2006, is now listed as the starting ?Z? receiver in their new 3 WR offense that should feature 20 to 25 passes per game....
The most expensive ticket for the upcoming college football season on Stubhub.com is for the Notre Dame at Penn St matchup with tickets going for an average of $1100....
My projected starting DE on Virginia Tech Jason Adjepong has changed his name to Jason Worilds and had a 57 yard fumble return TD in an early fall scrimmage....
Southern Miss got a big addition when Miss St transfer G Calvin Wilson (PS#37, 6-6 352) was given a waiver and will not have to sit out this year. He was in practice this past week and is eligible....
One name keeps coming up when I read stories on Marshall and that is freshman RB Darius Marshall who is having a great August and will challenge for a starting spot. He is living up to his NEAR VHT (PS#51) billing...
HEARD IT THRU THE GRAPEVINE.
Here are some interesting tidbits I have picked up this past week. I projected Terry Grant (PS#31) as the starting RB at Alabama and WR DJ Hall said last week ?He?s going to have a breakout year. He?s just so fast. When he sees a crease he hits it so hard and fast, that if he gets one step on you, he?s gone.?
We update the injury notes on a daily basis and it lists all the players that are out for the year. I recommend you circle them in your magazine and you can see at a glance the teams that suffered the most attrition during the summer...Very quietly SMU has lost a couple of key players for the upcoming year. LB Reggie Carrington who I had 2nd string All CUSA left the team as did their backup QB Corey Slater who started two games last year as a JC transfer. Freshmen will likely fill both key roles this year....
rFr Drew Burdi has a great shot at winning the Western Michigan QB job before the year is out. That would be quite a feat as Tim Hiller was the MAC Frosh of the Year in 2005 and missed last year with injury....
It happens every offseason at Duke. In 2005 the Blue Devils got a RARE VHT signee in DL Vince Oghobaase (PS#18) but he got injured and missed the season. Last year their returning starting QB Zack Asack was suspended for the year over the summer. This year their top defensive player LB Mike Taulili (#1 tackler in ?06) has been indefinitely suspended and has 5 different charges brought against him for an off-field incident....
One of the reasons I have Wyoming picked 6th in the MWC is the inexperience they have on the offensive and defensive lines. I might be in trouble on that forecast as coach Joe Glenn said that both his OL and DL coaches ?feel good? about their units....
Of the 103 players on the BYU roster 63 of them have returned from missions making the Cougars one of the oldest (if not THE oldest) team in the NCAA....
Last week I noted that ALL new defensive coordinators say they will run a more aggressive, attacking defense than their predecessor. This year the cliche seems to have carried over to the other side of the ball. This quote is from USF?s new offensive coordinator Greg Gregory: ?I like to attack the defense.? UCLA?s WR Marcus Everett on the new offense for 2007: ?You?re going to see us be more aggressive.?
Any time a team lands a JUCO RB there are questions. Will the player qualify academically? How will they adapt to the major college game? This year I went out on a limb and put Utah?s Matt Asiata (PS#17JC) on my 1st team MWC list. Opening reports from fall practice are very good and despite the fact he is currently #3 on the depth chart, he is making waves every day. He will be one of the top rushers in the MWC provided he stays healthy....
Oregon QB Dennis Dixon signed a MLB contract and played baseball over the summer as opposed to working out with his team. While he hit just .164 as a farm hand, in the initial practice in August RB Jonathan Stewart commented ?He came out here and proved everybody wrong, he hasn?t missed a beat?
Pat Bostick (PS#8), a true frosh that I projected to eventually win the Pitt QB job, has left the team and gone home. While the door is wide open for his return the odds of him starting this year have just about evaporated. It looks like Bill Stull (PS#25) will be the starter with Bostick basically taking himself out of the race....
Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione made a comment about the Oklahoma QB situation: ?That may be the only question they have, other than what jobs they are going to work this year?. He was referring to the NCAA sanctions after the job snafu last year. Bob Stoops? rebuttal? ?There are a lot of people who have a lot to say when they don?t have a Big 12 Championship to talk about?. Look for a little bad blood to spill out on the field in their November 3rd meeting in Norman....
The offensive line is a key part of the running game. Last year at UTEP RB Marcus Thomas had a down year running behind a patchwork offensive line and saw his rushing stats drop to 513 yards. This year in the magazine I called for UTEP to have the NCAA?s most improved rush attack and they appear on their way. Thomas was 227 lbs last year but is down to 209 adding speed. RB coach Jeff Banks says ?This is by far the best offensive line since we?ve been here. Regardless of who it is, from third tackle to backup guard to center this is the best group we?ve had?. I feel pretty good about that most improved rush attack prediction....
WR Dorin Dickerson (PS#8WR) moved to LB this spring at Pitt. Dickerson already benched 400 lbs when he weighed just 200 lbs but is up to 225 and was timed at 4.38 over the summer. He could quickly become a force at Pitt where they must replace all 3 starting LB?s from last year. Dickerson was slowed by an ankle injury last year while playing on the offensive side of the ball....
Georgia figures to have an improve rush attack this year. RB Kregg Lumpkin was picked as the team?s best conditioned athlete over the summer by their strength and conditioning coach Dave Van Halanger. He still calls RB Thomas Brown the strongest player on the team pound for pound....
Air Force offensive coordinator Tim Horton left a month ago to coach the RB?s at Arkansas. He inherits the best set of RB?s in the country but I wonder about the offense he left behind as the Falcons were undergoing a shift from the pure wishbone to a pro style offense that will still utilize some option. Last year Darren McFadden lined up at the QB position in the ?Wildcat? package for Arkansas. He will still line up at QB but this year it will be labeled the ?Wild Hog?.
Last year Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron handed former Tennessee and JC Transfer Brent Schaeffer the starting QB job before he even set foot on campus. Orgeron later admitted that it was a mistake. Last week Schaeffer was moved to WR but was back at QB two days later. Adams still has a firm grasp on the job....
Wyoming?s Joe Glenn was told at a press conference that his team was a 3 point underdog at home vs Virginia in the opener and his response in jest was ?Load up on the Pokes?
Clemson C Barry Humphries recently bench pressed 225 lbs 38 times which would have been the 2nd best at this year?s NFL combine for OL?s. He is just a sophmore this year....
Florida St RB Antoine Smith not only benched 445 lbs, making him the strongest player lb for lb on the Seminoles but also was in the top 5 with a 36? vertical leap....
Virginia Tech RB Brandon Ore did not attend VT over the summer and when he reported this fall he was not in top shape. He was the #3 RB on the opening depth chart behind walk-on Dustin Pickle. He should be able to reclaim his spot however in the next few weeks....
DE Albert McClellan of Marshall was the CUSA Defensive Player of the Year last year and this year?s preseason Defensive POY. He tore his ACL last Friday and is OUT for the YEAR!
OT Jason Boone of Utah who is on my preseason 1st Team MWC team tore his ACL and is out for the year! He was a 2 year starter and one of their top OL?s....
1st Team Big East WR Derek Kinder of Pitt tore his ACL and he will also miss the season! He was #3 in the Big East in receiving last year....
Chad Hall, the leading rusher for Air Force in 2006, is now listed as the starting ?Z? receiver in their new 3 WR offense that should feature 20 to 25 passes per game....
The most expensive ticket for the upcoming college football season on Stubhub.com is for the Notre Dame at Penn St matchup with tickets going for an average of $1100....
My projected starting DE on Virginia Tech Jason Adjepong has changed his name to Jason Worilds and had a 57 yard fumble return TD in an early fall scrimmage....
Southern Miss got a big addition when Miss St transfer G Calvin Wilson (PS#37, 6-6 352) was given a waiver and will not have to sit out this year. He was in practice this past week and is eligible....
One name keeps coming up when I read stories on Marshall and that is freshman RB Darius Marshall who is having a great August and will challenge for a starting spot. He is living up to his NEAR VHT (PS#51) billing...
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