Texas Longhorns senior tight end Andrew Beck will miss the entire season due to the broken foot he suffered in practice last week. Beck’s timetable for return was originally 6-8 weeks.

Beck suffered the injury during a non-contact event in practice. He will undergo surgery this week.

The senior, who was projected to be Texas’ starting tight end before his injury, has 12 career catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

Beck is the only tight end on the roster who has caught a pass in a Longhorns uniform. This summer, the ‘Horns added Syracuse graduate transfer Kendall Moore, who has 14 career catches.

Texas also has a duo of freshman tight ends in Cade Brewer and Reese Leitao, but the latter will be suspended for the first two games of the season.

Beck could redshirt and come back for 2018, but his injury history may make it difficult to return to the field. The Tampa Bay native broke the same foot in February.

“While Wilson is used to calling plays at tempo and distributing widely, how will he do so with the zone/power-read schemes that have defined Ohio State?”

– Ian Boyd, SBNation

In this wonderfully data-rich article, Boyd outlines a pretty convincing case for how Wilson will change the Buckeyes’ offense from fairly focused on a small group of weapons to being able to utilize all of the immensely talented skill position players that Urban Meyer and company have recruited in recent years.

As Boyd lays out, one of the main differences between how OSU’s offense has looked under previous offensive coordinators and how Wilson’s offenses traditionally work is that at Northwestern, Oklahoma and Indiana, Wilson liked to have his teams line up in a small set of standard formations, and then run or pass based on what the defense did. Conversely, the Buckeyes have tended to change up their formations and groupings fairly regularly in an effort to keep the defense off balance.

Last year, Wilson’s strategy allowed a larger number of players to receive substantial targets and yardage at IU compared to OSU, especially in terms of wide receivers. Last season, H-back Curtis Samuel was OSU’s leading receiver with 97 targets for 865 yards. While IU’s Mitchell Paige had the same 97 targets, those only amounted for 646 yards. Ricky Jones, however, had 94 targets for 848 yards, and Nick Westbrook had 92 targets that collected 945 yards for the Hoosiers.

For the Buckeyes, the second and third receivers, Noah Brown and tight end Marcus Baugh, had 52 and 48 targets respectively, accounting for just 402 and 269 yards a piece.

The other main difference that Wilson is already bringing to the Buckeye offense is his version of playing with tempo. As Boyd points out, the fact that Ohio State has a talented, experienced offensive line should allow the offense to play at a rate that maximizes their playmakers’ skills.

The key, as Boyd suggests, is to how well the coordinator, Wilson, and head coach, Meyer, are able to marry their offensive philosophies.

“There’s no such thing as fair in sports and this injury to Burrow will almost certainly give Haskins a chance to prove himself, but maybe that’s ultimately just.”

– Patrick Murphy, BuckNuts

With the disappointing news coming out of the Woody Hayes Center this morning that backup quarterback Joe Burrow will be out indefinitely following surgery to repair a broken hand, the focus of what was a compelling battle behind for the spot behind J.T. Barrett turns squarely onto redshirt-freshman Dwayne Haskins.

While both QBs played well in April’s spring game, it looked fairly certain that Burrow had the upper-hand when it came to backing up the incumbent starter. That idea had been born out since the scrimmage inside The Shoe; while Meyer refused to name an official backup, word of Burrow’s strong grip of the offense seemed to give him the advantage.

However, now that Haskins will be QB2, at least to start the season, he will have the opportunity to catch up to, or even surpass, Burrow. However, as Burrow is expected to return at some point during this season, the unusual early season schedule might end up minimizing Haskins’ on-field ability to shine.

Opening up against a conference foe (Indiana), then playing a highly ranked opponent in Week 2 (Oklahoma), and then having a triple-option based service academy the following week (Army), could mean that Barrett will be seeing more playing time early in the season than OSU starters normally do.

“Now it’s (Parris) Campbell’s turn, and I think he’s ready. It doesn’t hurt that he’s spent the last couple years developing as a wide receiver, either.”

– Ryan Ginn, Land of 10

One of the biggest surprises to come out of Ohio State’s spring practices was that former wide receiver Parris Campbell had made the move to H-back. It seemed odd, especially given the success that Curtis Samuel had in the position as more of a run-first H-back. While Campbell has displayed occasional bursts during his OSU career, they have mostly been as a returner.

However, with Wilson’s high-tempo offense in place, and new co-coordinator and quarterback coach Ryan Day saying that Barrett will be looking to spread the field horizontally as much as vertically, he will need a reliable playmaker at the H-back position.

So, a lot of Ohio State’s offensive success could depend on how well Campbell acclimates to his new position. So, for everyone’s sake, I hope that Ginn is right that Campbell is the Buckeye on the brink of having an offensive breakout season.

STICK TO SPORTS

There is a bowl level excitement with the upcoming match up between Virginia Tech and West Virginia. The two teams will face off on 9/3, and ICYMI, former coach Frank Beamer will be Virginia Tech’s honorary captain. Coach Beamer was on hand today before practice to talk about what the rekindled rivalry means to him, and how great it is to still be included in the program.

Coach Fuente, who is sporting a clean shaven look, talked about the importance of preparedness and what it’s like to face West Virginia. On the Gobbler Country facebook page, there has been much discussion surrounding the problematic parking at FedEx Field. if you are planning to go to the game, please head over to our FB page and share recommended strategies for parking, and more importantly tailgating. We hope to see a ton of maroon and in Maryland, and can’t wait to see you there.

Northwestern opened up the construction gate leading to the Walter Athletic Center for the media on Wednesday. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan and with an estimated cost that has risen $10 million since construction began, the $270 million, 500,000-square-foot lakefront athletic facilities are on schedule to be completed by summer 2018.

Specifically, the facilities could be completely finished by early June and coaches could begin to move into their new offices post-Spring ball. The 2018 recruiting class should spend their entire Northwestern career in the new facilities.

The main entrance of the Walter Athletic Center — the heart of the lakefront facilities — will face south and be directly across from Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. A spacious main lobby will feature interactive displays on both sides.

Note: All photos taken by Inside NU’s Martin Oppegaard.

The first floor will also house football meeting rooms and an auditorium, while the coaches locker room will be in the southeast part of the facility.

Student-athletes will eat on the third floor in a double height space, which houses all dining facilities in the center. There will be a private kitchen for student-athletes to learn how to prepare food among other purposes. Here’s the view they will enjoy while eating.

Windows that will eventually be installed are going to be all-glass, so the rooms will really look as open as they do in these photos. The third floor dining area will also have a balcony.

Coach Pat Fitzgerald’s second floor office will be directly across from Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. He’ll be watching a lot of soccer.

Football sports performance facilities, Ryan Fieldhouse and Wilson Field will be located on the second floor. The 14,000-square-foot football weight room will similarly be a double height space and an isolated slab as the floor of the weight room will prevent the spread of vibration throughout the facility.

The football team will have its own terrace on the northeast part of the second floor overlooking Lake Michigan.

Finally, here’s a look at the 98,000-square-foot Ryan Fieldhouse, which will house Wilson Field. The spacious facility will have the capacity for football and soccer practice, lacrosse competition, club and intramural activities, and special events such as Dance Marathon and Freshman Convocation.

Beneath Ryan Fieldhouse on the first floor will be an Olympic sports performance center complete with a sports medicine and athletic training center, Olympic sport locker rooms, equipment rooms, meeting spaces and more.

For Northwestern students who have played basketball in crowded Blomquist or Patten gymnasiums the past year and half, they got some much welcomed news.

Rosier gives thoughts on being named starter

It hasn’t really seemed to sink in yet for Malik Rosier that he is the starting quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes. It probably really won’t until he steps out on the field for the opening snap against Bethune-Cookman on September 2nd.

Until then, though, there’s still fall practice to finish up. After he was named starter yesterday, it was time for the team to go through drills. As the Canes have been rotating QB’s, usually, the coaches tell the QB’s on the spot who would start out the day with the ones and Rosier was hesitant to walk out onto the field without first asking.

“Coach, what’s the rotation for quarterbacks?” Rosier asked QB coach Jon Richt. “He was like, ‘Malik, you’re with the ones!’ and I was like, ‘Oh, okay Coach,’” Rosier said. “It was one of those things we kind of joked about.”

“I haven’t really got the chance to sit down and say, ‘Wow, I’m the starting quarterback for the University of Miami,’” Rosier said. “It will probably come sometime soon. I got a little freer today. I’ll probably relax and talk to my mom about it. It’ll be nice.”

At the end of the day though, Rosier was relieved to finally put the internal competition behind him so the team could really start to come together, rally behind him, and focus on their goals for the upcoming season.

“It’s one of those things where sometimes you stress out and it’s like, ‘Man, am I going to be the guy?’ Some days, when you watch film, N’Kosi is (throwing) great balls, Cade is throwing great, Evan is throwing great. At any time, any quarterback can come in and step in and lead this team. That was the big thing for me, to just play relaxed and just be myself every day.”

Malik Rosier. State of the U/Stefan Adams

“Consistency” seemed to be the big word of the day that was “consistently” being thrown around, and Rosier felt that bringing his A-game everyday led him to the starting role.

“For me, and even for the coaches, they just want to see consistency,” Rosier said. “They don’t want to see me play one way one week and then another week, play another way. I think that was the biggest thing for them, just to see the quarterback they want consistently grow and consistently get better. That’s one of the things I think that I proved throughout these last few weeks.”

Rosier then went through the process of how head coach Mark Richt named him starter yesterday. Richt entered the QB meeting room before practice and gathered all the QB’s around.

“(Richt) was just like, ‘Malik, I’m naming you my starter,’” Rosier said, ‘Evan (Shirreffs), you’re my second string.’ He told Cade (Weldon) and N’Kosi (Perry) to keep battling, keep learning and keep doing what they’ve been doing the whole camp. For me, it was a very energizing feeling to know that Coach Richt has enough trust in me to name me the starter for Week 1.”

When the news broke, Rosier received congratulations from all around Canes nation, including his competition, current and former teammates, and even Edgerrin James and Gino Torretta.

“The big thing I want to say is thanks to (my teammates),” Rosier said. “N’Kosi gave me a shoutout on Instagram, that was huge love. The first person to actually tell me congratulations was Evan Shirreffs, which means so much to me, and Mark (Walton) and Braxton (Berrios). All the guys came around me and that’s the big thing – making sure whosever in there at quarterback, that the guys supported him. I think the biggest congratulations besides Brad (Kaaya) was Edgerrin James. He actually hit me up, telling me congratulations and that he’ll see me and talk to me soon. I also had Gino Torretta hit me up on Twitter, he told me congratulations and that if I have any questions, that he would help me out as well. So just some of the older guys coming back and helping me out. That means the world to me, that they’re still here to support us.”

Kelly. Kosar. Testaverde. Walsh. Erickson. Torretta. Dorsey. Rosier is aware of the tradition at “Quarterback U” and hopes to add his name amongst the greats.

“It’s a great history,” Rosier said. “Me and Brad still communicate every day. That’s one of my best friends, him and David (Njoku). We still talk. We talk about NFL stuff, we talk about college. He’s still helping me out. It’s different going from being a back-up behind Brad to actually starting now. He’s still helping me out. It’s huge to follow the legacy of great quarterbacks.”

Brown breaks down QB decision, rest of offense

OC/RB coach Thomas Brown. State of the U/Stefan Adams

OC/RB coach Thomas Brown was obviously a part of the decision making process to choose the starting QB. Brown and the other offensive coaches had a tough decision to make, so just what was it that made them feel comfortable going with Rosier? In a word, “Consistency.”

“He was able to be the same guy every single day, put the offense in the best spot to be successful,” Brown said. “Malik did a really good job of being consistent. Also taking care of the football: he did a great job with that.”

When speaking of Rosier as a leader, Brown highlighted his personality, saying guys respond well to him. But what else does Rosier have to work on?

“Be consistent, continue to develop,” Brown said. “I think he has a long way to go along with the rest of our offense as well. He’s taken the lead, it’s kind of his job to lose. He’s done a good job so far.”

Head coach Mark Richt said yesterday that he was not looking to rotate QB’s back and forth and Brown agreed with that.

“You have continuity with the offense (to think about), one or two guys with different cadences or different mannerisms in the huddle,” Brown said. “It’s a lot easier to have one guy kind of manage it.”

Brown is high on second string RB Travis Homer and gave him extended reps with the ones last scrimmage to see how he responded.

“That was important,” Brown said. “Travis has been a very tough kid, reliable. … he had a couple of nice runs (in the scrimmage) in the open field, broke a couple of tackles, made a couple of guys miss.

Walk-ons look to be leading the way at fullback, and LB Mike Smith, who was previously said to be working at fullback part-time, went unmentioned in the competition.

“We’re trying a couple of different guys there,” Brown said. “It’ll be a long competition. We don’t have one on scholarship right now but we have four or five walk-ons competing for that spot, so we’ll see what happens.”

When asked about TE Michael Irvin II, Brown noted his improvement but still wants to see more from the young legacy.

“He can catch the ball well in space, is a pretty good route runner, does a good job at the point of attack when he’s focused, when his mind is in the right spot,” Brown said. “He should be doing it every day. He’s made progress.”

Quarterman, St. Louis, Langham react to QB news, talk upcoming season

LB Shaq Quarterman. State of the U/Stefan Adams

For the players, they were ready to get the QB decision out of the way and focus on the season. And the team appears to have no shortage of confidence that Rosier can get the job done.

“I think with him we’re going in the right direction,” said starting MLB Shaq Quarterman. “I definitely have confidence in him. I was happy to have a verdict, but honestly I was just more focused on the defense.”

“(Rosier winning) the job, I feel he really pushed himself through the fall, spring,” said WR Darrell Langham.

Also, RT Tyree St. Louis said on Rosier: “Malik’s funny… he’s a team guy, not a lazy person, doesn’t let anyone slack off, holds guys accountable.”

The buzz is as high around the program as it’s been in years. The Hurricanes are chomping at the bit for the season to start and, in Quarterman’s words, “hit somebody else”.

“We’re definitely ready for the opener, ready for the entire season,” St. Louis said. “I’m really excited for this year. A lot of expectations come from last year: with a year under our belts we’ll be a lot better.”

“I feel everything I worked on in the spring has helped me out to what I’m doing right now,” Langham said. “If I keep pushing… play big… anything can happen… I feel like I’ll be a part of the receiver rotation (come the season).”

One of Miami’s goals this upcoming season is to win the ACC Championship. However, championship-level teams have depth throughout the roster and the Hurricanes seem to be coming along in that department.

“If there’s no drop-off (between the first and second team) then you’re a very good team, and I feel as though at linebacker we’re getting to that. Everybody’s getting better every day. With that we’re going to be a great defense.”

“(Navaughn Donaldson’s) a truck, a moving house,” St. Louis said. “He’s a young guy, really eager.”

Notes

• The third and final scrimmage of fall camp will be held tomorrow, Thursday 8/24.

• Ahmmon Richards is still being held out due to a tweaked hamstring. He is not expected to play in the scrimmage tomorrow.

• True freshman RB Robert Burns has been cleared for full-contact coming off his shoulder injury, per coach Brown.

• OL KC McDermott and LB Waynmon Steed were both back in action after being held out with undisclosed injuries yesterday.

• In other undisclosed injury news, DT Kendrick Norton was held out today and was off to the side riding the exercise bikes along with OL Zalon’tae Hillery and WR Evidence Njoku (hyperextended knee). Doesn’t look to be anything significant with Norton; Njoku and Hillery are on “Redshirt Watch”.

• In receiver drills, Mike Harley and Jeff Thomas were looking as smooth as a baby’s bottom, effortlessly catching passes and gliding upfield.

• Lightning delayed practice this morning for about a half an hour, the first time that’s happened all fall camp. The indoor practice facility can’t come soon enough.

While head coach Chris Ash has made it known that many freshmen will have the opportunity to play this season, there is a good chance that the wide receiver position will be the one where those newcomers make the biggest impact. Wide receivers coach Jafar Williams met with the media after Tuesday’s practice and seemed excited about his group of players. He started his press conference with an optimistic tone:

“We have an opportunity to be a lot more consistent than we were last year. Obviously, we are a little more explosive, which is probably the most noticeable thing. Once everyone is healthy and have everybody on the field at the same time, I think we will have a solid unit.”

Not surprisingly, the first player Williams was asked about was dynamic playmaker, Janarion Grant. When asked what he hopes he can bring to the team this season, Williams was blunt in his expectations for Grant:

“Everything, I hope (laugh). We’re planning on him being the guy he was and even better than he was before he got hurt. He’s been looking good on the field. He’s knocking off a little bit of rust and we’ve had to monitor his reps a little bit throughout camp to make sure we can get him to gameday and make sure he is healthy.”

Williams was asked how Grant is progressing through camp and whether or not he is on schedule:

“That’s the plan, to gradually get him through practice to get him game ready. With Janarion, he is the type of guy you have to hold back, because he wants to do more. But we have to be smart with him and the training staff does a great job.”

The 2017 recruiting class included five receivers and many of them are making a very positive impression on Williams and the team.

“I’m impressed with all of those guys, to be honest. You look at Hunter (Hayek), he just goes out there and makes a lot of plays. The mental part of the game he has been able to grasp pretty well and that is unusual for a freshman. You look at a guy like (Everett) Wormley, who physically came in from day one and is able to compete. Then obviously, Bo (Melton) has a really good feel for the position and is making plays. Really those three guys stand out, but I’m happy with all of our freshmen.”

He spoke about the importance of the freshmen getting reps during training camp in helping to translate what they see and discuss in the team meeting room.:

“With all of our freshmen, if you aren’t taking a lot of reps, it makes it hard to go out there and execute your assignment. With freshmen a lot of times, you can go over stuff in the meeting room, but they need to go out there and get the reps.

Williams was asked if Melton, Hayek, and Wormley could potentially see the field at the same time during a game and he stressed that class year is irrelevant”

“Right now we are planning on whoever the best players are, then we will put them on the field and whether that is freshmen, seniors, or sophomores, it doesn’t matter. Throughout camp I wanted to put them on the field with the one group, because guess what, when we line up against Washington, we need them to play and they’ve got to play against their best players. And I think the room of our corners and secondary is pretty good, so if they can play and compete against those guys, we can do it when it is game day.”

On the status of Ahmir Mitchell, the former 4-star recruit and Michigan transfer, nothing new regarding his timeline for return was mentioned. However, Williams gave good insight on how Mitchell is doing in learning the offense and mentally preparing during his recovering from injury:

“I don’t know when he is expected back, it’s really for the training staff to decide. He’s been great. Ahmir is an energetic and very passionate person. He is passionate about the game of football. The good news is that he is in our meetings and paying attention. He’s engaged. I want to get him back and make sure he’ll be ready to go.”

And as you already knew, mother’s always know best, as Williams confirmed about Mitchell’s mom’s prediction after the injury:

“His mother said something about that when he got hurt, she said “my boy is a fast healer” and she was right. A couple months after surgery, they said he was out there, trying to run around. Yeah, he has come back pretty fast, so hopefully we can get him back early in the season.”

A major issue last season, despite having two former receivers on NFL rosters right now, Andre Patton and Carlton Agudosi, was that the Rutgers wideouts struggled in gaining separation from their defenders. Williams praised the newcomers and stressed that the group as a whole has a chance to be more explosive this season:

“Good and I think a lot of that is just natural talent. Especially for the young guys right now. When those guys during the summer, they got all of these numbers back from the strength staff and it basically said they were more explosive than guys we’ve had in the past. They were good players, but we have a lot more explosive players and that was the focus in that recruiting class, which was that we need to bring some more guys in here with a little bit more speed and quickness. That helps that part. The technique part of it is going to take time.”

Williams was asked the benefits for his players in now knowing that Kyle Bolin will be the starting quarterback:

“Yes, I do think so. I said before it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is, but right now, as you get closer to games, you do want to have some type of relationship with the receivers and quarterbacks. Some type of consistency, rotation, I think that helps. They are hearing it from one guy, they get used to how he throws the ball, where he throws them open, those things.”

One big takeaway is the positive influence that new offensive coordinator Jerry Kill is having on the offensive assistants. Williams praised Kill for his experience and past success. He explained that it’s helped more than just the head coach as well:

“Coach Ash is always hard on us (laugh), but it’s a good thing because he likes to work. If you asked a difference, it’s probably I’m sure he can lean on Jerry and his experience. That’s the biggest benefit for us as an offensive staff is we really have a head coach in our room. I think that is great for us and obviously I’ve learned a lot from Jerry. We can all learn a lot from Jerry. He’s done it at a high level and he’s done it multiple times. I’m sure coach Ash can lean on him and doesn’t feel like he has to do everything.”

The wide receivers this season give real hope that the Rutgers offense will be much improved in 2017. For a breakdown on each receiver, click here for our positional preview on this group. With Janarion Grant returning, the arrival of Arkansas grad transfer Damon Mitchell, and the potential impact of the true freshmen, there is a chance that the pass offense could be a real strength this season. If Ahmir Mitchell does return before too long and Jawuan Harris can get going, the options seem almost endless for Kill and Bolin to utilize on the field in the passing game. That is certainly an exciting prospect for Rutgers fans heading into this season.

The SEC released its preseason coaches all-conference team this afternoon and four Gamecocks made the grade.

Junior tight end Hayden Hurst and senior linebacker Skai Moore were placed on the first team, while junior offensive lineman Zack Bailey and junior wide receiver Deebo Samuel were third-team selections. Hurst is on the list after a strong 2016 season that saw him make 48 catches for 616 yards and a touchdown while starting every game. Samuel, who has the distinction of appearing twice (both as a receiver and an all-purpose player), battled injuries last year but made 59 catches for 783 yards and a touchdown while rushing for six more scores in ten games. Moore was a first-team pick despite missing all of 2016 due to injury.

With such a young roster, it’s not surprising only a handful of veteran Gamecocks stood out to the coaches, so it’s hard to argue there are any snubs here. USC might have a candidate or two who could make a push for league honors by the end of the season, but only time will tell.

3-star offensive lineman Braeden Daniels, out of Carrollton, Texas, is the latest player joining the class of 2018 for Illinois Football.

Head Coach Lovie Smith has made it a point to boost Illinois recruiting in his home state, and he now has picked up his third 2018 player from Texas.

Daniels had offers from Utah, Boise State, Houston, and Memphis among others.

247 Sports has Daniels ranked as the 132nd best OT in the nation, while Scout puts him as their 106th.

Daniels will be joining a young group of offensive linemen at Illinois along with fellow 2018 Texas recruit Kievan Myers.

Braeden Daniels HUDL Highlights

Analytics say that Arizona Wildcats football fans are currently “distraught,” and are the unhappiest fans in the Pac-12, according to ESPN’s Fan Happiness Index.

The Wildcats ranked 116th out of 128 programs in the index, which not only makes them last in the Pac-12, but second to last among all Power Five programs, only ahead of the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Fan Happiness Index is comprised of six elements: program power, rivalry dominance, coaching stability, recruiting trend, revenue growth and Twitter buzz.

The elements are graded on a 0-100 scale. Here’s how Arizona did on each one:

Program power: 62

Arizona’s program power scored a 62 out of 100, which combines the strength of records from 2012-2016 and current FPI compared to recent history.

Non-conference play at Arizona has been absolutely horrendous, playing one power five school in the past five seasons — Oklahoma State back in 2012.

The FPI, Football Power Index, measures a team’s strength that gives the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season, representing how many points above or below average a team is. Arizona’s 2017 FPI index is currently 1.7, which ranks 54th in the nation.

Rivalry dominance: 47

The next category is rivalry dominance, which combines wins above expectation over rivals in the past five seasons, and how a team’s FPI compares to their rivals. Arizona scored a 47 out of 100, meanwhile Arizona State was at 60.

Rich Rodriguez is 2-3 against Arizona State, pulling off a win in 2014 to clinch the Pac-12 South, and avoided a winless Pac-12 season in 2016. Both of those games were played in Tucson.

The ‘Cats probably should have beaten Arizona State in 2012, but virtually had no chance in Tempe in 2013 and almost pulled off a huge comeback with Brandon Dawkins in 2015.

Coaching stability: 5

Coaching stability is based on how close a coach is to being fired. And while many felt like Greg Byrne should have fired Rodriguez after last season, it will be up to Dave Heeke to make that long-term, financial decision.

This was Arizona’s lowest category, with five points.

Recruiting trend: 82

Recruiting trend was the next topic, and that was based on the difference in percentage of five-, four- and three-star recruits in the current class vs. expectation.

The way I interpret this is looking at the 2018 class right now, and basing it off expectations on National Signing Day.

I don’t think this recruiting class is as solid as the 2016 or 2017 classes looked, but there are a few good pieces. There are some big time pieces on the defensive line with Mykee Irving and Josh Walker. Jamarye Joiner is one of the most electrifying quarterbacks in the country and I think Issaiah Johnson and Jhevon Hill are very solid prospects.

But right now recruiting is hard to gauge, because if Rodriguez is fired, the class could end up looking completely different just a few days after the news.

Arizona scored an 82, which is rather high in my opinion.

Revenue growth: 99

Revenue growth was Arizona’s highest score, with a 99. This compares the 2016 revenue relative to the 2012-2015 average.

In 2016, Arizona football recorded $41 million in total revenue, however the department failed to make a profit as a whole.

Twitter buzz: 69

The last section is Twitter buzz, which is a percentage of tweets from fans that are positive based on social media analysis, where Arizona scored a 69.

That’s nice, however I have always felt that compared to most programs, the social media following for Arizona football isn’t as large as other programs, and it might not even be half the size of Arizona basketball’s social media following.

Just based off pure Twitter followers, Arizona basketball is at roughly 222,000, meanwhile Arizona football is at roughly 92,000.

But I think this section might contradict Arizona’s ranking of 116th. Scoring a 69 seems fairly high for being a program that is second to last in the Power Five, and dead last in the Pac-12.

Now, given the metrics, this seems to be geared more towards program success from 2012-present, not necessarily fan happiness.

So we’ll ask the fans: Are you happy with the state of Arizona football?

I saw this yesterday on my drive home.

Last weekend, Coach Brohm held his team scrimmage. If you have read anything, he said the offense was underwhelming and the defense was pretty solid. It isn’t time to sound the alarm by any means here.

A lot of the times, defenses are way ahead of offenses at this time. But, with Coach Brohm, I feel safe in saying the offense will get up to speed.

But, what Tom tweeted out yesterday is interesting. This came from the first practice after the scrimmage. Generally starting line ups are starting to shake out, as the first game is less than 2 weeks away.

There are a couple of surprises that ran with the ones here. These being Anthony Mahoungou and Jackson Anthrop. For one, I really thought that Zico would come in and secure a starting spot, that isn’t to say he still can’t, but he hasn’t grabbed it yet.

Another, Corey Holmes is with the 2’s. He just recently got here, but his speed will get him on the field. Where is Terry Wright? Our other JuCo transfer seems to be nursing a shoulder injury that nagged him last season as well. If he is not healthy, he could be headed to a redshirt I would suppose.

What sticks out here is Jackson Anthrop. Coach Brohm has praised him many times for his hard work and attention to detail. Things some of the stay overs from the last staff lacked these qualities. Jackson would appear to be a slot guy, similar to how Danny was. I love the move of having Jackson there. I would guess he and Catlett are the top dogs there.

Mahoungou surprises me here. I read over the summer that he lacks some athletic ability. But, his big frame of 6’3”, 220 pounds, probably appeals to Coach Brohm. He is a senior now and we need him to make plays, along with Phillips, who is a captain as well.

Now, nothing is in cement, but with less than two weeks to go before our show down at Lucas Oil against Louisville, you would think Coach is starting to come to grips with who he wants where.

Now, we just need QB1 David Blough to get healthy. I am ready for the season. Boiler Up.