“The Buckeyes have an established superstar in quarterback J.T. Barrett. But part of the excitement around Samuel is the mystery surrounding who he could be.”

– Brian Bennett, ESPN.com

There are plenty of spots up for grabs on the offensive side of the football for Ohio State heading into this season, but the most exciting player on this year’s offense might be someone who has already seen plenty of work in his first two seasons in Columbus. Curtis Samuel made a name for himself in 2014 during his freshman year by rushing for six touchdowns on just 69 touches for the Buckeyes. Last year saw a decrease in the involvement of Samuel in the offense, as he touched the ball just 39 times. A lot of the reasoning for Samuel seeing less activity was because of the reliance of Ezekiel Elliott in the run game, as well as the offense struggling to find their footing for most of the year.

With Elliott and H-back Braxton Miller having moved on to the NFL, it seems like all the cards are falling into place for Samuel to have a big impact this year. The question is how will Urban Meyer utilize Samuel. Not only can Samuel be used as a running back, where he is averaging 6.9 yards per carry through his first two seasons with the Buckeyes, but the junior could also take over at H-back. During the offseason, Samuel had surgery to repair a foot problem, but he should just fine for the season opener. After being on the field for a select number of plays during his first two seasons, it sounds like Meyer is ready to unleash Samuel this year.

“I think any time in football when you’ve worked with different people, there’s relationships. But make no mistake about it, when you compete, you compete.”

– Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano via Dan Duggan, NJ.com

After spending 11 seasons as the head coach at Rutgers, where he compiled a 68-67 record from 2001-11, Greg Schiano returned to New Jersey yesterday for the Tri-State Showcase recruiting camp. Schiano left Rutgers to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but now returns to the college coaching ranks as an assistant on Urban Meyer’s staff. After guiding the Scarlet Knights to just three wins in his first two seasons in Piscataway, Schiano really started to make his mark on the program. Before Schiano took over as head coach, the only appearance Rutgers had made in a bowl game came all the way back in 1978. In six of the last seven years Schiano was in charge, he led his teams to six bowls games, notching at least eight wins in five of those years.

Now former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash is in charge of the football program in Piscataway. Ash knows that had it not been for the hard work that Schiano put in during his time at Rutgers, Ash might not be where he is today. While both Ash and Schiano had great things to say about each other at Wednesday’s camp, which featured more than 1,000 high school players, things will be quite different on the first day of October. Then the Scarlet Knights will travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. Even though Schiano and Ash will be facing their former programs, it will be all business for their squads.

“I think it’s something that’s overlooked, but this year we may get to see it. I like playing receiver. It’s another opportunity to get out in space and get the ball in your hands.”

– San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde via Joe Fann, 49ers.com

During his first two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Carlos Hyde has only hauled in 23 passes, but he is intrigued by the idea of Chip Kelly using him more as a receiving threat out of the backfield. Last year Hyde hauled in 11 passes, but had the former Buckeye played more than seven games that total might have been a lot higher. During the first two days of San Francisco’s mandatory minicamp, Hyde has the 49ers first-year head coach with his hands. The growth of Hyde’s receiving skills could make him an even bigger threat for the 49ers, after he started to make a name for himself last season before injuries shortened his sophomore campaign.

It’s no secret that Kelly likes to get the football in the hands of his running backs out of the backfield through the air. In 2015, Philadelphia’s running backs caught 128 passes, while San Francisco’s running backs caught just 87 passes. The improvement of Hyde’s hands certainly has him looking like a three-down back this coming season, which could allow for him to put together a true breakout season, which he looked to be on his way towards last year before the injuries hit. After tallying seven touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL, it seems like a safe bet that Hyde will at least double that number if he is able to stay healthy throughout the season.

“Former Ohio State football player Ray Griffin is one of four former college players who had lawsuits filed on their behalf Wednesday alleging they suffer from the effects of concussions suffered during their college careers.”

– Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch

40 years after his time at Ohio State, Ray Griffin is one of four former college football players who have filed suit against the NCAA and Big Ten after alleging they suffer from the effects of concussions they suffered during their college careers. The other three players involved in the suit haven’t been named, but were identified to have played for Tennessee, Michigan, and Duke. The suit seeks to be a class action lawsuit, representing “all individuals who participated in Ohio State’s varsity football program between 1952 and 2010.”

Griffin is the brother of two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, and he went on to play in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals for seven seasons. Griffin might be best known during his time at Ohio State for intercepting a pass in the 1975 Ohio State-Michigan game, which setup a game-winning touchdown run by fullback Pete Johnson, which earned Ohio State a spot in the 1976 Rose Bowl. Griffin alleges that during his time at Ohio State he was subjected to repeated head impacts in practices and games, and suffered numerous concussions each year. Throughout the years Griffin has started to experience severe depression, short term memory loss, anxiety, impulse problems, anger issues, and other debilitating problems.

STICK TO SPORTS

We’ve heard a lot this offseason about how much the physical training and conditioning program has changed for Virginia football players under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall. Today we got to see evidence that it’s working.

That’s wide receiver Keeon Johnson making it from the hashmarks to the middle of the field numbers in three hops. On a regulation NCAA football field, the hashmarks are sixty feet from the sideline; the tops of the field numbers are 27 feet from the sideline, with the numbers themselves being six feet tall. Making it to the middle of the numbers puts that at about 36 feet of total distance in three hops.

The world record for the standing broad jump is 12 feet, 3 inches, set by Byron Jones at the NFL Combine in 2015.

Maybe Keeon has been missing lots of class and has had plenty of burpee box jumps to get his hops in order. Whatever the explanation, based on the exclamations of disbelief you can hear in that video, we should all be impressed.

Barry Switzer’s 1986 football squad was one of the best he had ever coached. An early setback, at Miami, on the third weekend of the season was the only thing to keep this team from their second consecutive national championship after the Sooners had already won it all in 1985.

The `86 team ripped through the Big 8 with a 7-0 record and won their games by an average score of 50-6. Minnesota (63-0), Oklahoma State (19-0), Iowa State (38-0), Missouri (77-0), and Colorado (28-0) were all shutout victims of an Oklahoma defense that led the nation in all four major defensive categories (total, rushing, passing, and scoring).

Champions of the Big 8, the Sooners capped off their season with a 42-8 thrashing of #9 Arkansas on January 1st 1987, in the Orange Bowl. With a little more than 52,000 fans watching on, Oklahoma scored 14 points in each of the final three quarters of the game to take the win and finish the year with the #3 national ranking.

The Iowa State football team lost what was assumed to be a key piece of their 2016 defense when it was announced that senior linebacker Jordan Harris would become a graduate transfer, deciding to spend his final season closer to home in Mississippi.

Losing a player who started all 12 games the previous season is rarely ever a positive, regardless of the reason. It is, in my humble opinion, a natural reaction for fans to feel angry/disappointed over the lost of any kind of transfer as well. In the case of Jordan Harris, however, I feel that the why plays a big role in his decision to transfer, and might also help to sort out what his loss means for this football team.

Why would a senior linebacker decide to transfer now?

Here’s my #analysis:

Harris was lightly recruited as a JUCO player, despite being named a NJCAA Second-Team All-American at Copiah-Lincoln CC and leading the junior college ranks in tackles. He ended up choosing ISU over Memphis, Tulane, and Southern Mississippi.

Once he arrived on campus, fans and coaches alike hoped that Harris would be ready to step in and take over the middle linebacker position. This was not the case, however, as he was redshirted in his first season on campus. The decision to redshirt a JUCO All-American, which is probably not very normal, was made due to Harris’s struggles adjusting to D-1 football, as well as difficulties grasping Burhnam’s defensive playbook.

During his year off, Harris made strides on the mental aspects of his game, and came into the 2015 season ready to make an impact on the field. And by all accounts, that’s exactly what he did.

Harris would finish the season ranking 3rd on the team in tackles (70) and fifth in tackles for loss (5), in addition to starting all 12 games. He also became one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball as well, something desperately needed on last year’s defense.

So… Why the transfer? To me, it could come down to a few different reasons (in no particular order).

1. The coaching change. A change in leadership is never a completely smooth transition for a football program. This has been evident with Campbell and Co.’s takeover, as we have already seen many players depart for a plethora of reasons. Jordan Harris was a Rhoads/Burnham recruit, and it’s possible that something just didn’t click with the new staff.
2. Harris’s “role changing”. To me, a player’s role changing is a coach speak phrase for moving down on the depth chart/seeing less snaps. I feel that this may be the case with Harris. Though he did have a pretty effective junior campaign, it should be noted that it took him an entire year of learning Wally Burhnam’s system to reach that level of play. Campbell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock are set to debut a new 4-2-5 scheme this fall, meaning an entirely new playbook to learn. Using only 2 linebackers on most downs means that Harris’s role theoretically may have actually changed as well. In addition, several younger players have been noted as taking big steps forward this spring and summer (more on that later).
3. Take Harris at his word. Though he was a valuable linebacker, and likely would have once again been a leader on the defensive side of the ball, Campbell noted that he had expressed the desire to play his final season closer to home. Coach Campbell was even quoted as saying: “Jordan has done everything we have asked him to do since the first day I got here. He’s a great person and a great teammate. In our meetings recently, Jordan expressed interest in finishing out his career closer to his family. I have the utmost respect for Jordan and we will fully support him in his decision.” Can you blame a player who wanted to spend his last collegiate season closer to home? I can’t…

What does his loss mean for the defense going forward?

This is where examining the depth chart begins to become as enjoyable as watching Big 10 basketball.

Losing an every-down linebacker like Harris is undoubtedly a sizable loss. Even if Harris had seen his role changed or even diminished, losing him still creates a negative impact on a very important position with little depth.

The most notable returning linebacker, with “notable” probably serving as an insult to this talented young man, is sophomore Willie Harvey. Harvey, who finished 4th on the team in tackles (59) as a redshirt freshman and started 8 games in the process, is thought by many to have the potential to become the next great Iowa State linebacker.

Another player who has shown much improvement is Perry, Iowa native Kane Seeley. The senior played in all 12 games last year, starting once. While it has taken him a while to make an impact on the field, Seeley seems poised to take on a more significant role this fall.

Reggan Northrup is another guy fighting for playing time at the linebacker position. Northrup was redshirted in 2014, and ended up being the Scout Team Defensive Player of the Year. He played primarily at the nickel position in 2015, playing in all 12 games and recording 32 tackles (2.5 for loss), one sack, and one forced fumble. With Campbell looking for more speed on the field to combat the air-raid type offenses rampant in the Big 12, expect to see Northrup on the field quite often this fall.

Brian Mills and Josh Jahlas are two other players likely to see time at the linebacker position this fall. Mills is a redshirt junior who played in 9 games and recorded 41 tackles. Jahlas (who we interviewed last week) primarily played on special teams in 2015, but could see time at linebacker.

In summary, while there are still other options at the linebacker position for the Cyclones, it’s unquestionably tough to lose a player like Jordan Harris less than 3 months away from the season opener. Moving forward, the focus (and the spotlight) will be on the players mentioned above to step up and fill the void left by Harris’s departure.

Will the coaching staff be able to mold the second-unit type players into solid Big 12 linebackers? Let’s see what Campbell and Company can do this summer and fall.

Maryland football starts its season in 87 days. Until then, we’re profiling the entire roster.

Isaiah Davis, linebacker

Height: 6’1
Weight: 225 pounds
Year: Sophomore
High school: St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.)

How Davis got to College Park

Davis was a two-way player in high school, but colleges all saw him as a linebacker. He was a consensus three-star recruit and the No. 46 prospect in Virginia by the 247Sports Composite.

His older brother Sean was a starting safety for the Terps while Isaiah was still in high school, and the younger Davis committed to Maryland in August of 2014. Many expected Isaiah to choose NC State, but instead he stayed in the DMV.

No career highlights yet

Davis was named the defensive scout team player of the week before the Iowa game last fall, but didn’t play a single down in his freshman season.

2016 prospectus

Davis is part of a crowded but unproven bunch of linebackers for the Terps. Other than Jermaine Carter, there really aren’t any certainties in the group. Perhaps his most direct competitors are fellow sophomores Brett Zanotto and Tyler Burke.

What a dream season might look like

Davis secures a hefty dose of playing time for a decent Terps defense.

Next in the series …

Our next subject wears the same shirt under his pads during every game as a superstition.

Standings

Testudbro- 2

PeachesTerp- 2

amaymon27- 1

apgibson- 1

ezra2141- 1

Murderlandboy- 1

Mr. Papageorgeo- 1

RedTurtle- 1

Carolina- 1

reborn579- 1

Game 1 – September 5, 2015 – vs Georgia Southern Eagles

In 2015, West Virginia scheduled three out of conference games. One against rival Maryland, one against FCS opponent Liberty and one against still wet behind the ears Georgia Southern Eagles. Georgia Southern made the leap from FCS to FBS in 2014, where they finished 9-3 and first in the Sun Belt conference.

Entering 2015, the Eagles expected to again compete for bowl eligibility and a conference title under head coach Willie Fritz and his extremely unconventional offense. Using a read-zone, spread, triple-option rushing attack, the Eagles were one of the top rushing teams in 2014 and expected to be again behind quarterback Favian Upshaw and Kevin Ellis along with running back Matt Breida.

Out of the three non conference games scheduled for 2015, the Mountaineers shutout of Georgia Southern was the most impressive. The Mountaineers pitched their second shutout under Defensive Coordinator Tony Gibson. GSU, despite being shutout by the Mountaineers, averaged 36 points per game. Excluding the game against the Mountaineers, the Eagles averaged over 39 points per game.

The Mountaineers came out hot against the Eagles, with Skyler Howard connecting with Jovon Durante on a 41-yard strike for Durante’s first collegiate touchdown. The Mountaineers would struggle throughout the half, generating only 9 more points off of three Josh Lambert field goals to take a 16-0 halftime lead.

Entering the third quarter, senior safety Karl Joseph took over and gave Eagles’ quarterback Fabian Upshaw nightmares by picking off two passes in the span of 5 plays. Karl would end up with three interceptions before the quarter ended.

The offense on the other hand finally found their groove. Skyler and company would go three-and-out on the first possession of the second half but then scored touchdowns on their next four possessions before the end of the game.

This game was an unknown for everyone. How good exactly was Georgia Southern? How good was WVU? Would the unique offense of GSU give the defense fits? Would the Mountaineers be able to score against a undersized but speedy GSU defense?

The Mountaineers got lucky in this game as a few times GSU made mental mistakes like not cutting inside when they should. Or throwing behind the receiver which led to a Karl Joseph interception. Other times Georgia Southern fell down when the lane was wide open and would have resulted in a large gain. No one needs to apologize as the Mountaineers were the better team in this game and it showed.

The fact that the Mountaineers held a tricky opponent scoreless, Karl Joseph intercepted three passes in one quarter and Jovon Durante score a touchdown on his first collegiate receptions is enough for me to list this as our #5 game of 2015.

Relieve the game and check out the box score here. The full game video can be found here. Check below for highlights from the game.

NFL Network is presently in the process of releasing its Top 100 NFL Players List for 2016, as new shows each week reveal another 10 players, as we count down from 100. Those selected are not voted on by a bunch of analysts and writers, though; instead, they’ve been voted on by their fellow players. Players 100-41 have been released, and they include two former ‘Nole 2013 national champions. We’ll update this piece as more Seminoles are added to the list, but for now, here’s the first two honorees:

Smith, who’s set to begin his third year in the NFL, didn’t make this list last year, but it seems that his colleagues can no longer ignore his prodigious talent. Smith was described as “Making a name for himself as one of the most versatile — and best — linebackers in the NFL.”

An FSU teammate of Smith, quarterback Jameis Winston, now of the Tampa Bay Bucs, voted Smith considerably higher: “He’s gonna be in my top 22. You better believe it.”

Former Florida State running back Devonta Freeman, a current member of the Atlanta Falcons, praised Smith as well: “Telvin Smith, he’s one of my favorite players,” said Smith, before recounting the number of doubts levied at Smith’s game after his career in Tallahassee: “‘He’s too small. He’s skinny. He wasn’t going to be successful in the League.'” What a difference a couple of years can make. Refuting those early critiques, Freeman put into persecutive just how far Smith has come: “Now I look at Telvin– and he’s one of the best linebackers in the League. . . I’d love to have him on my team. Every day, I would go to war with him. Any and every day.”

Freeman is another new addition to the the Top 100 after a breakout season in 2015 that saw him finish top-five in yards from scrimmage. And the compliments his colleagues issued are a reflection of the strides he’s taken.

Bucs linebacker Levonte David is quite familiar with Freeman, and the challenge he poses: “I got to play against him twice a year, so I know what type of threat he can be.”

Said Bucs safety Major Wright of Freeman: “I gotta play him again? Alright. I know I gotta bring my A game. Because he can shake you, you can run past you, or he can run through you. It puts him in that category of, okay, how can we stop him?” Wright followed up: “He attacks you. What he put on film is just unbelievable. It’s unbelievable.”

One player who knows, firsthand, about Freeman is Browns lineman Cameron Erving, who blocked for Freeman at FSU. Erving detailed exactly what makes Freeman such an imposing threat: “He made the Pro Bowl. He has really good feet. He can make people miss. He has really good vision.”

Chicago Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman spoke to Freeman’s versatility, praising his ability as a receiver out of the backfield as well: “He can run all the routes. He’s a dynamic guy.” And Indianapolis Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson added another line to Freeman’s resume: “You know one thing he really does well? Pass protection. They keep him in to protect Matt Ryan.”

Freeman’s own appraisal of his place on the list? “I feel like I should be one of the top 100 players because I’m an all-around complete back; I can do it all. It’s just all about getting the opportunity.” He certainly showed what he could do with that opportunity in Tallahassee, and now he’s doing the same in Atlanta. And Arizona Cardinals safety Durell Eskridge thinks Freeman will only get better. When asked who the top player for 2016 will be, Eskridge doesn’t skip a beat: “Devonta Freeman . . . I definitely feel like he’ll be the No. 1 player in 2016.” Eskridge cites Freeman’s outstanding work ethic in explaining. Falcons safety Kemal Ishmael concurs with that reasoning: “He’s more driven than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

So as the list evolves, which ‘Noles do you think might — and/or should — be included in the NFL Top 100?

There are no players on the current roster who wear number 86, which gives us a perfect opportunity to reflect on one of the most fearsome defenders ever to play at Penn State. Courtney Brown was the Gatorade National Player of the Year coming out Alvin, South Carolina and made an immediate impact as a freshman, playing tackle and tight end. But he found his calling as an utterly dominant defensive end from 1997-1999. He would go on to shatter the records for career sacks and tackles for loss at Penn State, as teams where basically helpless in keeping him out of the backfield.

Brown would eventually go on to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft, but never found his footing during a six-year career in the pros where he played for the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. Although he is often labeled as a bust, Brown did play very well when healthy and showed huge potential to as an elite pass-rusher. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t stay on the field despite never missing any time with injuries throughout his career at Penn State.

On a personal level, Brown is near the top of my favorite all-time Nittany Lions. His sheer dominance was an utter joy to watch each Saturday, and he had a knack for saving his best performances in Penn State’s biggest games. He also inspired me to wear number 86 as a high school football player, although it’s safe to say I elicited exactly zero of the fear in opponents as Brown did in his playing days.

Just 86 more days until we watch Penn State in action!

Football

– With ESPN’s ACC staff highlighting who could be the conference’s biggest contributors in 2016, the Seminoles have players on the lists of possible 3,000 yard passers, potential 1,000 yard rushers, and the most likely 1,000 yard receivers in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. It seems clear to me that the most probable of these three possibilities is a running back with 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season but after that, much debate can be made of if a 3,000-yard passer or 1,000-yard receiver is more likely.

6. Deondre Francois, Florida State. Best guess here is both Sean Maguire and Francois will play for the Seminoles this season, and Francois eventually emerges as the starter. I am banking on him getting enough attempts to be able to make it to 3,000 yards — though I remain uncertain he gets there because we have no idea how coach Jimbo Fisher will handle the QBs for the fall.

1. Dalvin Cook, Florida State: Cook led the league in rushing last season with 1,691 yards despite missing parts of several games with various injuries. Cook had offseason shoulder surgery but is expected to be completely healthy when 2016 season begins. With Heisman buzz starting to swirl, an even bigger year is anticipated. Perhaps 2,000 yards could be in the cards.

2. Travis Rudolph, Florida State. Rudolph quietly hauled in the third-most receiving yards in the ACC last season (916), and he is the second-leading returning receiver in the league. Modest improvement from his sophomore year should have Rudolph firmly in the mix for 1,000 yards in 2016.

6. Kermit Whitfield, Florida State. Like Switzer, Whitfield’s biggest moments have come in special teams, but that shouldn’t overshadow the work he’s done in the passing game: Whitfield had 798 receiving yards last season. If FSU gets its quarterback situation settled and the offense takes off this year, that number could grow in 2016.

– Chase Goodbread of CFB 24/7 includes Florida State defensive end DeMarcus Walker on his list of the top 16 players in college football who spurned the 2015 draft to return for their senior seasons.

9. DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State

A program known for having a sack master on the edge found another one last year in Walker, who delivered 10.5 of them among 15.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. His return gives Jimbo Fisher a cornerstone defender for 2016. He’ll test offensive tackles throughout the ACC this year and should garner heavy scouting attention.

NFL

– Former Seminole running back Devonta Freeman came in at the exact halfway point of NFL Network’s list of the top 100 players for the upcoming NFL season.

“He’s more driven than any one I’ve ever seen.”

NUMBER 50. @DEVONTAFREEMAN. #NFLTop100 pic.twitter.com/oytYDAjKc6

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 9, 2016

Other Sports

– As postseason honors continue to come in for the collegiate baseball ranks, Florida State catcher Cal Raleigh was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

Congrats, Cal!!

Raleigh was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. pic.twitter.com/RYsoDoUPtB

— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) June 8, 2016

– Unconquered Magazine takes a look behind the scenes at the renovations which are underway on the Donald L. Tucker Center and the nearby FSU Basketball Training Center.