Last week we touched on who will be the projected starters on the offensive side of the ball. Today, we go over to the defense.

Gone is Wally Burnham and his 3-4 base from last season. While the 3-man front had its positives (more speed on the field), there were still a lot of negatives as well (lack of penetration from the defensive line).

In comes Jon Heacock and his 4-2-5 scheme, which provides for a 4-man front with multiple defensive backs on the field in this pass-happy Big 12 Conference.

Again, attrition has come by the way of not only graduation, but injuries and transfers. The biggest losses came at the linebacker spot, with three contributors and potential starters in Luke Knott, Levi Peters and Jordan Harris all leaving before their eligibility ran out.

Just like last week, we will run through each position with our first impression grades. Like your momma said: don’t judge a book by its cover. There will be multiple changes and hopefully some impact players that will step up come September 3^rd to give us a much prettier picture.

Cornerbacks -€” B-Plus

Matt Campbell has made it clear that he will never turn down a defensive back recruit. He made that clear when he signed SEVEN in the 2016 class, and with the amount of passes thrown in this conference, the more cornerbacks, the better.

The first thing you will notice, are the “BC” and “FC” positions. FC stands for field corner and is primarily the better cover corner, as it plays on the strong side. He has more ground to cover and is required to fill those gaps with closing speed. Quite possibly the fastest player on the team, Jomal Wiltz, came into his own last season, and beats out Nigel Tribune for the number one spot. Don’t worry fans, Tribune will still be on the field.

The other position marks the “boundary corner,” who plays weak-side and will face more 1-on-1 situations down the sidelines. This position belongs to Brian Peavy, who was a bright spot in last year’s defense, and also the team’s leading returning tackler. Backing him up is transfer D’Andre Payne, who started his career at Tennessee, and has found a home in Ames.

Other names to consider are Jay Jones (converted nickel) and Thadd Daniels (JUCO transfer).

Safeties -€” B

Adding to the depth and talent in the secondary, the safeties are led by 2014 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Kamari Cotton-Moya. Cotton-Moya holds down the free safety spot, and looks to come back from a nagging hamstring injury from a year ago. Backing him up is JUCO transfer Thadd Daniels, by way of Cerritos Community College in California. Daniels was able to practice in the spring, and according to Campbell can play any of the five spots in the defensive backfield.

We would have to think that Duke transfer Evrett Edwards will be the starter at the other safety spot. He played two years in a Power-5 conference, and based on him graduating in 3 years, he will pick up the playbook quickly. Redshirt freshman Mike Johnson made some noise in the spring game and is slated to back up Edwards.

Defensive Tackle -€” C-Plus

The clear leader of this group is 2015 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year Demond Tucker. According to defensive line coach Eli Rasheed, this staff is pushing Tucker much harder this offseason, even demoting him to the second team for a stint. Don’t worry folks, it’s only a motivational tactic to get this beast to bring it 100% on every snap, and not take any plays off.

Behind Tucker, the cupboard is a bit bare. Bobby Leath came in late last season and has a big enough body to play, but not the consistency to find more snaps. At the other defensive tackle spot we find Pierre Aka, who has been touted for what seems like three straight years, and has yet to follow through. Based on his experience, he is number one on the depth chart, but could easily be beaten out by Robby Garcia and/or Vernell Trent. Garcia was always considered undersized, but has bulked up in recent years. Trent will be a step behind, as he broke his leg in the offseason, and is slated to be full strength by mid-season.

Terry Ayeni hung up his cleats last week, and beyond these 4.5 names above, there is a massive drop off. Lets hope there are no injuries during the season.

Defensive End -€” D

We go to the outside, where the majority of Heacock’s quarterback pressure will be called upon. Gone is Sack Mamba Dale Pierson, and hopefully taking his place (and QB hurries) is 6-foot-6 Jhaustin Thomas. Thomas showed glimpses last year, but lapsed in the mental department and needs a better pad level if he wants to take that next step. He will be counted upon to take the LEO position, which sets up as a weak-side edge rusher in a two-point stance and is there to disrupt the backfield. Backing him up is experienced, yet undersized Darius White.

On the other side is Gabe Luna, who sat out most of last season with injuries. Luna has the frame and speed, and backing him up is J.D. Waggoner who has the discipline, but lacks the athleticism. Don’t sleep on some others that could contribute if their names are called -€” most notably redshirt freshman Seth Nerness and senior Mitchell Meyers, who is coming off his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Linebackers -€” D

And we end with the position with the most glaring holes -€” linebacker. Willie Harvey has been ranted and raved upon by this staff as the next best tackler of this group. The sophomore firmly holds the weak-side linebacker spot, and is backed up by capable veteran Brian Mills.

After Jordan Harris’s sudden departure, the middle linebacker spot is one for the taking. Kane Seeley scares the crap out of me, with his slow feet and inability to fill the gaps in the run game. I foresee his spot to be filled up by Mills during the season, as this two-linebacker system needs speed.

Some other names to chew on are Marcel Spears and Bobby McMillen. Both are unproven, and have yet to take many snaps.

At the nickel spot, it is Reggan Northrup’s job to lose. He has the speed to get in the right place at the right time, and improved immensely during last season. I threw Jay Jones in there as a backup, since he has the perfect size for the position, and also played it last year.

—

So there we have it -€” another group of a few talented playmakers, and again, a lack of veteran depth. A lot of unknowns, as well as a bevy of sophomores and underclassmen starting. The loss of multiple linebackers in the offseason greatly hurt the defense, but hopefully this group of misfits can make it work.

Beyond Tucker, the defensive line scares me with their lack of athleticism, and the only pass rush I see comes from Thomas. He is a one-trick pony with an outside speed rush, so let’s hope Eli Rasheed and company can add to his repertoire. The secondary is the lone bright spot, but it doesn’t matter how good they are if the quarterback has all day to throw.

Campbell and company will have their work cut out for them this offseason.

Change has been rampant within the Rutgers football program since head coach Chris Ash was hired in early December. Some have been cosmetic, like designing new uniforms and overhauling the interior design within the Hale Center. Some have been functional, like the upgrades happening with the weight room and a greater emphasis on nutrition.  There have been differences in team motto, moving from the tired “1-0 this week” to “The Hunt” & “10 Strong”. The coaching staff has implemented a spread offense, dropping the pro-style that has been a Rutgers staple for many years. However, there has been no bigger change than the newly established culture of the program. Every single activity the players experience on a daily basis has been made into a competition. They have been scrutinized in everything they do like never before. They are being trained to be comfortable performing in challenging and uncomfortable situations.

Last week, TCU graduate transfer Zach Allen committed to Rutgers football, immediately changing the dynamic of the quarterback competition for next season. With the team already underway with summer workouts and preparing for fall training camp in August, it probably came as a surprise to most, if not all, the players. Adding a quarterback so late highlights the fact that Ash and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer were not satisfied entering next season with just their current options. That doesn’t mean Allen will automatically put on the pads and become the starter. When Ash was about a key factor in determining who will ultimately be the starting quarterback, he had this to say to Dan Duggan of NJ Advance Media after the spring game in April:

“Ask them,” Ash said. “When we need somebody to look up to on the field, who’s going to lead them? And who usually leads is the guys that have earned the trust of others. If you haven’t earned the trust of others and they’re not willing to follow your lead, you’ve got a problem, especially at that position. How do you know if they trust him? Well, you kind of watch their interactions in the locker room, in the weight room, on the practice field. But the best way is to ask them. So we ask, ‘Who do you trust?’ That’s where we’re at. We’re still in that period.”

This is by no means a revolutionary thought, but it does highlight the priority that Ash and his staff put on trust with their players.  Trust in the process, in each other, in the coaching staff, in their preparation, and their focus. Ash is certainly not going to alienate that trust by anointing an outsider as the starter before that person earns it.  Sure, Allen is better equipped to run the spread offense, a system he played in at both the high school and college levels. However, there should be no doubt that Allen will scrutinized, pushed and tested as soon as he steps on campus. In addition to impressing the coaches, he will have to work hard to prove himself and earn the trust of his teammates.

Competition is the main ingredient of the program’s culture now. That has become the overall focus of the program and the addition of a graduate transfer quarterback signals a start contrast from last season. Former head coach Kyle Flood was steadfast in his belief that whichever quarterback came out ahead after training camp would stay the starter throughout the season. He was a man of his word, never wavering with Chris Laviano as the starter, even has he struggled badly through the meat of the Big Ten schedule. Flood’s philosophy on the quarterback competition was very different than Ash’s, and this quote from last July’s article from Duggan highlights the difference:

“What I think is important is that ultimately, whoever you decide is your starting quarterback, you have to give them an opportunity to grow in that position. I don’t think it’s healthy for a person at any position, but more so at quarterback than any other — because of the scrutiny that’s involved with that position — to be looking over your shoulder all the time. So whoever ultimately becomes the starting quarterback, I don’t want them to feel like if they make a mistake then we’re going to put someone else in. That’s not going to be the situation. We’re going to give them an opportunity. What that opportunity ultimately is, that can change from year-to-year. But they’re certainly going to get a significant opportunity.”

Chris Ash wants his players looking over their shoulders and never being completely comfortable with their standing on the depth chart.  He believes in pushing them to the limit in everything they do, and the more challenges they deal with, the better equipped they will be during game competition. That is the single greatest change that Ash has brought to the program and it is apparent with the addition of Allen.

There should be zero concern about whether the players will accept Allen, despite last season’s starter Chris Laviano entering his fourth season with the program. No one player is greater than the long term goals of the team. “The Hunt” is a mantra of the program, a way to motivate the players in approaching next season and moving up the food chain of the Big Ten.

Competition is now ingrained in every aspect of the program, and for players to push back against Allen for the sake of loyalty to Laviano would be going against the culture Ash has implemented. It’s on Allen to win the starting quarterback job and to win the trust of his coaches and teammates. He won’t be handed anything and whoever starts at quarterback on September 3rd on the road against Washington is only guaranteed to start that game. But there will be no doubt whoever that is, whether it’s Laviano, Allen, or even Hayden Rettig, they will have certainly earned it.

Having to prove themselves every time they step on the field is all that true competitors ever want. It gives players peace of mind that there are no politics at play, no favorites. All they have to worry about is what they can control, their preparation and performance. It creates a singular focus and belief in themselves and each other. That breeds team unity and allows the team to play at the highest level that they are capable of. The best players will play, but that competition never ends. Chris Ash has made that clear in adding Zach Allen to the team just two months before training camp begins. As Ash told them team in their very first meeting, it’s “fight or flight” for everyone on the roster. And that’s the way it should be!

We hold ourselves accountable! Every rep counts!!! #RelentlessStrain #RFootball pic.twitter.com/KvnxE38G9m

— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) June 13, 2016

On Monday, the Big Ten Conference announced start times for the first three weeks of the 2016 football season. The Fighting Illini already knew that their September 10 contest against North Carolina will be taking place at 6:30pm CT, but two other games were finally assigned television slots.

The season-opener against Murray State will air at 2:30pm CT on BTN. This first-ever meeting between the two programs will be Lovie Smith’s debut with the Fighting Illini.

Illinois’ Week 3 matchup against Western Michigan will start at 3:00pm CT, and it’ll be televised on ESPNews. The Broncos went 8-5 last year, which includes a victory in the Middle Tennessee in the Popeyes Bahama Bowl.

Here’s a look at 2016 #Illini schedule as it stands now.

4/7 home & 4/5 away times set ” https://t.co/UBR7Y2z4s3 pic.twitter.com/1MQGL4SDTR

— Illini Football (@IlliniFootball) June 13, 2016

So we’re only waiting on information for four more games. But do you notice something about those established start times? There are only two games scheduled for 11:00am CT! What a time to be alive!

Illinois Football News

– Jarrod Clements not facing suspension after arrest (TCR)

The Fighting Illini senior was involved in a fight at a party back on March 4, and police filed charges on April 28. Lovie Smith issued a brief statement on Monday to address the situation.

– Top 5 All-Time Coaches: Illinois Fighting Illini (ESPN)

This week on the Big Ten blog, we’re taking a look at the top five coaches over the years for each program. Some are more widely recognized than others, but all had a positive impact on the fortunes of their respective programs. We begin with Illinois.

– Four must-gets for Lovie Smith and Illinois Football (The News-Gazette)

Illinois football has some momentum after a successful recruiting weekend, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. Here are some players that the coaching staff needs to key in on over the next few weeks.

Illinois Basketball News

– Return of Tracy Abrams fills out intriguing Illinois lineup (Today’s U)

The point guard position isn’t the sole reason Illinois has struggled since Abrams went down (the frontcourt is right up there), but it certainly has been a factor. If a program is narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament field, it’s hard not to point to the weakest position as the main reason.

If you’re the type who likes to plan ahead, good news — more information about the 2016 Iowa football schedule fell into place on Monday. The Big Ten officially announced the start times and TV listings for every game in the first three weeks of the season. We already knew that information for one of Iowa’s three games during that stretch (Iowa’s Week 2 game against Iowa State was previously announced as a primetime kickoff on BTN), but now we know when (and where on the TV dial) Iowa’s 2016 season is going to officially get underway: 2:30 PM CT on ESPNU on September 3rd.  We also know when Iowa’s potentially scary game against North Dakota State will kick off: 11 AM CT on ESPN or ESPN2 on September 17th.  Maybe the Bison will be sleepy at that early hour.

In all, we know the start times for just over half of Iowa’s regular season games this fall (7/12) and the TV assignments for just under half of those same games (5/12).  The full listings are available below:

The remaining games on Iowa’s schedule will likely kick off at either 11 AM or 2:30 PM, although ESPN and BTN have both experimented with non-traditional start times in recent years, so those times aren’t locked in — it’s not inconceivable that Iowa could wind up with something 1 PM start or a 3:30 PM start.

The information for the Iowa-Nebraska game is not set, but if at least one of the teams is still playing for something (like, say, a Big Ten West championship), then there’s a pretty good chance that it will be a 2:30 PM kickoff. TV-wise, nothing has been officially announced yet, but that game has aired on ABC every year since it became an annual fixture when Nebraska joined the league in 2011 and there’s been no indication of that stopping anytime soon.

One other thing we do know: none of the TBA start times will be night games.  The Big Ten’s entire night game schedule is locked into place now and there will be no further additions during the season.

The start times and TV assignments for Iowa’s remaining 2016 games won’t be announced until the season is underway — 6-12 days prior to kickoff for each game, to be more precise.  So the information you see in the table above is the most that we’ll have until mid-September.

A new season means new gear and the 2016 Cougar football team will be getting plenty of new “swag” for this upcoming season. Over the past week the Washington State Cougar Equipment twitter account has been tweeting out pictures of new gear that are not only for players but for the coaches as well.

On Monday morning the twitter page tweeted out this picture:

New Field Generals gonna look sharp with our Icy White unis! Play fast #GoCougs ❄️❄️ pic.twitter.com/S3BFoze5B0

— Coug Equipment (@COUG_Equipment) June 13, 2016

The Cougars have recently debuted a new all white uniform that is very sharp and clean looking. Adding the new icy white cleats to the mix will definitely make those uniforms look even more fresh.

So, while the Cougars will be looking fast, we will also be watching the receivers make phenomenal catches with these new receiver gloves that were tweeted out last Thursday afternoon:

AIR RAID! I’m thinking a lot of touchdowns will be caught with these #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/a55dAw1cRH

— Coug Equipment (@COUG_Equipment) June 9, 2016

The players will not be the only ones receiving new swag this season as the equipment team tweeted out the shoes that the coaches will be given to wear on the sidelines:

Gotta keep our coaches looking fresh too! Nike METCON 2 for our coaches #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/poOGfB25Xl

— Coug Equipment (@COUG_Equipment) June 10, 2016

The equipment team even tweeted out a picture of the two new hats that are available for purchase for fans last week!

Summer of gear has officially begun, first items to hit the door! The mesh back is looking slick #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/sOc4UlmVzg

— Coug Equipment (@COUG_Equipment) June 7, 2016

As the Deion Sanders said “If you look good, you feel good, if you feel good, you play good.” With these new additions to their locker, the Cougar football team will be looking very good and will look to match that with their play on the field.

Go Cougs!

*****

Football:

The top 2016 Pac-12 quarterbacks: Luke Falk leads a green pack of Pac-12 QBs – Pacific Takes
Ranking the Pac-12’s top quarterbacks heading into 2016.

Alabama Crimson Tide, Clemson Tigers, Iowa Hawkeyes rank among college football’s best position groups
It’s easy to name college football’s best players — hello, Fournette, Mayfield, McCaffrey, Watson. But who has the best skill guys, O-line and secondary? Here’s the five best at each position.

Basketball:

Cougars add California JC guard Langston to class | The Seattle Times
Langston, a 6-foot-5 guard who played at Chabot College last season, will have three years of eligibility left for the Cougars starting next season.

NBA Finals: Watch Klay Thompson’s 26 points in first half of Game 5 – CBSSports.com
Klay Thompson is going crazy on Monday.

Baseball:

Mid-Columbia briefs: Stemp plans to sign with Tampa Bay Rays | Tri-City Herald
Former Kennewick baseball star and WSU standout will report to Princeton, W.Va.; Fever owner Teri Carr among finalists for IFL Hall of Fame

Four Cougars Earn Pac-12 All-Academic Accolades – Washington State University Official Athletic Site
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 GPA and be a significant contributor.

Rowing:

Savannah Davison Named Pac-12 All-Conference – Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The senior helped guide the Cougar varsity eight to 12th at the NCAA Championships.

The folks over at CBS Sports have been putting together a Mount Rushmore for some of college football’s most historic programs, and we got tired of waiting around to see if the West Virginia Mountaineers made their list. Which, of course, the Mountaineers should make the cut. The program is 20th in all-time wins with 727 wins, ahead of Virginia Tech and Pitt. They have had 81 winning seasons in the program’s 125 years of existence, and have won 15 conference championships. West Virginia is the winningest program to have never won a National Championship, but hopefully that changes sometime in the near future.

With that said, it is no easy task to look at the entire history of West Virginia football and choose the four most deserving Mountaineers to be enshrined on the side of a mountain somewhere. How does one even determine who is most deserving? Would you base it off pure statistics, or would you go with who made the most impact on the program regardless of how their numbers compared to other players? Are we including coaches? Does the player have to have made an impact on a professional level to be considered? The number of possible criteria is endless, and it would no doubt tear the West Virginia fanbase apart if everyone didn’t agree with who was selected.

And that’s exactly why I’ve done what I did. Without further ado…

West Virginia Football’s Mountaineer Rushmore

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to debate.

Tavon Austin, wide receiver, 2009-2012

Tavon Austin may be the the greatest athlete to ever put on the old gold and blue. Austin came to Morgantown as a running back from Baltimore, MD, where he was named a two-time consensus offensive player of the year and rewrote Maryland high school record books.

Austin converted to a wide receiver upon arrival at West Virginia and flourished, but that may actually be more the fact that Tavon is just a freak of nature and can do literally anything you ask him to. Austin racked up 6,853 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns in his career as a Mountaineer, and became the highest drafted offensive player from WVU since 1966 when running back Dick Leftridge was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Accolades:

Paul Hornung Award (2012), Jet Award (2012), First-team All-Big 12 (2012), First-team All-American (2011 & 2012), First-team All-Big East (2011), Big East Special Teams Player of the Year (2011)

Sam Huff, guard, 1952-1955

Sam Huff is the embodiment of Mountaineer football. Sam grew up in a coal mining camp in Farmington, WV, where he lead his high school football team to an undefeated season in 1951, and earned all-state honors in 1952.

Huff came to West Virginia University and played his first two years as an offensive guard, and finished out his college career as a tackle. Huff helped the Mountaineers go 31-7 and earn a berth in the 1954 Sugar Bowl in his four years in Morgantown. Huff was drafted by the New York Giants in 1956, and it wasn’t until defensive coordinator Tom Landry developed the new 4-3 defensive scheme that Huff found his fit in the NFL.

Huff played in the NFL for 13 years, and is considered one of the league’s greatest players. Sam was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982, and is one of only two Mountaineers to ever have their number retired by the university.

Accolades:

All-American (1955), Academic All-American (1955), Five-time NFL Pro Bowler (1958-1961, 1964), Four-time First-team All-Pro (1957-1960), NFL champion (1956), Washington Redskins Ring of Fame

Pat White, quarterback, 2005-2008

You couldn’t have a Mountaineer Rushmore without Pat White. White was West Virginia football through the mid-2000s.

White came to West Virginia from Daphne, AL after Mountaineer head coach Rich Rodriguez promised him a chance to play quarterback, something none of the other programs recruiting him (LSU, Auburn and Mississippi State, among others) would do.

White began his career, as a redshirt Freshman, as a co-starter at QB beside Adam Bednarik. It wasn’t until the notorious 2005 Louisville game, where Bednarik went down with an injury, when White would take over as the starting quarterback and never look back.

White went on to lead West Virginia to a 35-8 record as the starting quarterback, and became the first quarterback to ever start and win four consecutive bowl games. Pat is sixth in the NCAA in most career wins as a starting quarterback, and is second in career rushing yards by a quarterback.

Accolades:

Freshman All-American (2005), First-team All-Big East (2006-2008), Gator Bowl MVP (2006), Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2007), Fiesta Bowl MVP (2007), Meineke Car Care Bowl MVP (2008), Senior Bowl MVP (2009), Two-time Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist (2006 & 2007), Walter Camp Award semifinalist (2007)

Don Nehlen, head coach, 1980-2000

Don Nehlen came to West Virginia from the University of Michigan, where he served as quarterbacks coach under Bo Schembechler, and became the longest tenured and winningest head coach in Mountaineer history.

Nehlen took over after Frank Cignetti Sr. was fired after four losing seasons, and set out to make the West Virginia Mountaineers a national brand. Nehlen wanted to wash the stink that was left on the program following Bobby Bowden’s departure and the losing seasons that followed it, and his first act was to give the Mountaineer program an extreme makeover.

With the Mountaineers made over, Nehlen began to rebuild the program and in 1988, with Major White under center, he lead West Virginia to their first undefeated season under his watch and a Fiesta Bowl matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the National Championship. The Mountaineers would come up short, after Major Harris was injured on the third play of the game, losing to the Irish 34-21.

Nehlen retired from coaching in 2000 with a 202-128-8 all-time record as head coach, and a 149-93-4 record at West Virginia. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005, and is still very much a part of the Mountaineer football program to this day.

Accolades:

Big East Championship (1993), Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1988), Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (1988), AFCA Coach of the Year (1988), Big East Coach of the Year (1993), Kodak Coach of the Year (1993), Woody Hayes Trophy (1993)

Next Four In:

Major Harris, Chuck Howley, Darryl Talley and Ira Errett Rodgers

Honorable Mentions:

Joe Stydahar, Jeff Hostetler, Oliver Luck, Rich Rodriguez, Avon Cobourne, Amos Zeroue, Marc Bulger, Steve Slaton, Owen Schmitt, Noel Devine, Geno Smith, Bruce Irvin, Kevin White, and Karl Joseph

Purdue picked up its second verbal commitment for the 2017 recruiting class when Tijuan Mason committed to the Boilermakers today. Mason is a 6’6, 220 pound defensive end from Tennessee powerhouse Trezevant High School (Memphis). Mason is currently rated as a 2* prospect, but has been getting looks from high major schools since he hit the summer circuit at a ripped 220, up from the 205 he played at last season. Mason chose Purdue over a recent scholarship offer from N.C. State. Purdue did its work early on Mason, being the first D1 program to offer him a scholarship, and the Purdue coaching staff’s diligence paid off in a commitment from this fast rising prospect.

After watching Mason compete in the Memphis D1 combine, David Johnson, a writer for Rebels 247 (the Ole Miss 247 Sports website) stated that, ” … He’s (Mason) a long and lean pass rusher with a great first step. His body could easily carry another 40 pounds of muscle weight, as well.” http://olemiss.247sports.com/Article/Top-Perfrormers-Memphis-D1-Combine-43552433

Mason is just the kind of 2* guy you roll the dice on. Sure, the 6’6, 205 version of Tijuan Mason might be a 2* prospect, but the 6’6, 240-250 pound prospect he can grow into might be a 4* guy. Mason reminds me of recent skinny high school DE prospects turned stars Vic Beasley (6’5, 210) and Barkevious Mingo (6’6, 210). The key to Mason’s development at Purdue will be to add weight while still maintaining his explosive first step. It will be interesting to what weight Mason enters Purdue at, because he still has another year of high school to fill out his lanky body.