Freeman was named to the second-team offense, along with Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. First-team honors at running back went to LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook.
Freeman was the only Duck named to the first or second teams.
Pac-12 players on the first team included wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and offensive lineman Zach Banner from USC, plus Utah kicker Andy Phillips.
Pac-12 second teamers included OL Conor McDermott and defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes from UCLA, defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei from Utah, cornerback Adoree Jackson from USC and safety Budda Baker from Washington.
That ruckus going on in Big 12 country? Maybe it does affect Syracuse a little bit.
Admittedly, it’s tough to keep up with the daily nonsense around the Big 12’s summer-long expansion quest. But the latest, for those that missed, is that the Cincinnati Bearcats appear to be frontrunners in the race if the conference does, indeed, expand.
You may remember Cincinnati from such hits as “the time they made things miserable for Syracuse in the old Big East,” and “that one time we blew them out in 2010.”
Now, I’ve always liked Bearcats fans. And actioncookbook is a pretty nice dude that you should follow on Twitter. To be honest, I want them to make it into the Big 12 (especially if it’s instead of UConn). But there’s also an argument to be made that their promotion to a Power Five conference wouldn’t do the Orange any favors on the recruiting front.
Take, this year, for example:
Of Syracuse’s current 2017 commits, four (Tommy DeVito, Allen Strizinger, Zach Morton and Aaron Hackett) hold Cincinnati offers. Looking at the 2016 class, six (James Pierre, Jaquwan Nelson, Rex Culpepper, Tim Walton, Andrew Armstrong and Liam O’Sullivan) had offers from the Bearcats and O’Sullivan was a Cincy flip after Babers took over.
While both schools recruit from a variety of areas around the country, it’s tough to deny that there’s some intersection, especially in the Pennsylvania/Ohio/Indiana/Michigan area. SU goes to Florida a little bit more, but that’s because they’re not a state school in Ohio. Back when the two teams shared space in the Big East, they were also pursuing similar recruits, and the Bearcats won those battles more often than not. Several 10-win seasons certainly helped them gain an advantage there. Just like SU’s P5 status has helped them gain an advantage lately.
So what happens if Cincinnati is suddenly on equal footing again?
Because Syracuse is recruiting for the Orange’s new spread offense, the damage could be mitigated (much more so than if we were going for Scott Shafer’s old #hardnosed style of play). But it would certainly make work harder for the SU staff in the Midwest. If Cincinnati gets an invite soon, there’s a potential for at least a few Midwest Orange commits to give the Bearcats, their accomplished coach (Tommy Tubberville) and their Big 12 status a second look before National Signing Day rolls around — especially if the Bearcats rack up eight or nine wins in the AAC while Syracuse is closer to five or six in the ACC.
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Syracuse isn’t singled out in this potential struggle either. Boston College, Pittsburgh, Louisville and others in the region are able to recruit well against Cincinnati right now because of a gulf in perceived status. If that goes away, those teams are suddenly in a much different situation when it comes to Midwest recruits, potentially forcing a major change in strategy. A lot of guesswork here, of course. But it’s worth keeping an eye on if/when Cincinnati gets a bid from the Big 12.
WVU’s eighth opponent of the 2016 season will be the Kansas Jayhawks. David Beaty’s club will travel to Morgantown to square off with the Mountaineers on Saturday, November 5.
Following a difficult road trip against Oklahoma State, the West Virginia Mountaineers will return home to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. WVU has won four out of five all-time meetings between the two schools with the only Kansas victory coming in 2013 when the Jayhawks defeated the Mountaineers 31-19 in Lawrence.
In the 2015 matchup, the Mountaineers steamrolled the Jayhawks to the tune of 426 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on their way to a 49-0 victory. Skyler Howard, Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell all rushed for over 100 yards as the WVU offensive line put on its best performance of the season.
Game #8: Kansas Jayhawks
Wikipedia
As you can tell by the schedule above, 2015 was a season to forget for the Jayhawks. Aside from a season-opening 41-38 loss to South Dakota St., an FCS team, the closest margin of defeat was a 23-17 loss to TCU that had a lot to do with Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson being hurt. Beaty has a tall task ahead of him in 2016 just to win a game or two.
Kansas Offense: Where Are The Points Going To Come From?
The Jayhawks’ offense only scored more than 20 points twice in 2015, and none after the second week of the season. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Willis is expected to be the starter in 2016 with redshirt junior Montell Cozart mixing in to add some athleticism.
Kansas’ top receiver in 2015, Tre Parmalee, graduated and the next closest guy returning is Steven Sims Jr. who recorded 30 catches for 349 yards. It’s unlikely that the Jayhawks will suddenly develop an explosive passing game which immediately puts the team at a disadvantage in the Big 12.
Top rusher Ke’aun Kinner does return, but he only racked up 566 yards on 134 carries in 2015. In addition, the offensive line has a number of question marks surrounding it heading into the season which likely means that the Jayhawks are headed for another porous year in 2016.
Kansas Defense: Worst In The Country
As bad as the Kansas offense was in 2015, the defense was even worse. In fact, it was the worst defensive unit in the country. The Jayhawks gave up a whopping 561 yards and 46 points per game in 2016 and allowed eight different opponents to score at least 40 points.
The Jayhawks’ strength, if you can call it that, on defense will be the linebackers as Marcquis Roberts and Joe Dineen both return to anchor the unit. Fish Smithson is also a very solid safety, but there are still so many holes on the Jayhawks’ defense.
Prediction: Mountaineers Win Handily
Even if WVU lets its guard down a little bit following the road trip to Stillwater, the team should have no problems beating Kansas by at least 25. The Jayhawks just can’t get any recruits to come to Lawrence because they can’t win and they can’t win because they don’t develop talent real well. It’s going to be a long time before Kansas even reaches a bowl game.
Despite finishing in the top half of the conference in passing statistics and being named to the Manning Award Watch List, the Big 12 failed to recognize Skyler Howard as one of their own.
Yesterday, the Manning Award Pre-Season Watch List was announced. The list includes 30 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2016 season. The winner will again be selected by a voting panel, which includes national media and each of the Mannings, after the bowls.
The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting.
West Virginia’s own Skyler Howard was named to the Watch List. You wouldn’t know that if you visited Big12Sports.com, the Official Athletic Site of the Big 12 Conference. On their splash page they advertised “Four Big 12 student-athletes have been named to the watch list for the 2016 Manning Award” From the article:
Four Big 12 student-athletes have been named to the watch list for the 2016 Manning Award.
The Manning Award Watch List includes 30 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2016 season. Big 12 representatives are Seth Russell (Baylor), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) and Pat Mahomes (Texas Tech).
Now wait a minute. Last time I checked, West Virginia and Skyler Howard will still a part of the Big 12 Conference. Skyler finished 5th in the conference in both passing yards (3,145) and total offense (3,647) while finishing 4th in passing touchdowns (26). Skyler enters the 2016 with a full beavy of offensive receivers who have seen Big 12 play and a senior laden offensive line.
Get a little informed about Ohio State’s second opponent.
The Ohio State football season will be here before you know it, and even if you’ve only been paying semi-close attention this offseason, you’re probably aware of the major storylines with the program. This is going to be an exceptionally young, but talented and athletic team. There’s a lack of proven production at wideout, running back, and defensive back. They return the best QB in the conference, and should at least compete for a Big Ten title.
But you may not know a lot about the specific teams on Ohio State’s schedule. We’ll get into a lot more detail before the actual games, but you may want a primer so you can sound smart at the bar, or at the barbecue, or in the grocery store checkout line.
So take a look at Ohio State’s opponents this year. Next up, the Buckeye’s second opponent, Tulsa.
What was the story with Tulsa last year?
After struggling for the last two years under Bill Blankenship, Tulsa turned to new coach and former Baylor assistant Phillip Montgomery, and experienced a bit of a resurgence. The Golden Hurricane didn’t really beat anybody good last season, but after winning a total of five games from 2013-2014, they won six last season, earning an Independence Bowl bid, which they lost in a highly entertaining game to Virginia Tech.
Tulsa football was a lot of things last year, but it certainly wasn’t boring. They beat Florida Atlantic, 47-44. They lost to Cincinnati, 49-38. They lost to Memphis, 66-42. They beat Tulane, 45-34. If you think defense is boring, and want your football games flooded with points, you’ll probably enjoy Tulsa football.
So, that’s two games in a row against high flying offenses, huh?
Yes, and by some measures, Tulsa might be a little more scary than Bowling Green. For one thing, they return their QB from last season. Dane Evans returns for his senior season, after tossing 4,332 yards and 25 TDs last season, while completing 62.9% of his passes. Four of Tulsa’s top five rushers from last season are back, along with four of the top six pass catchers (although leading receiver Keyarris Garrett is gone).
The Golden Hurricane will need to retool their line a little bit (they replace two starters), and they weren’t super effective at running the ball, but they’re going to try and run a lot of plays, spread the ball out all over the field, and score points. Probably a lot of points.
Okay, what about their defense?
Well, there’s a reason Tulsa finished 6-7 … and that was it. High tempo teams often give up more points and yards, but Tulsa’s defense was bad even if you adjusted it for all those other factors.
In fact, by basically every advanced metric, Tulsa’s defense last year was near the very bottom of FBS. They don’t rank above 89th in any defensive metric. They allowed the most gains of 10-yards or more in the country. It was a bend-and-also-break unit.
Granted, it was also pretty young last season, and the Golden Hurricane return most of their starters, but even if injury luck holds, just based on the talent in this unit, an enormous leap seems unlikely. AAC teams will probably be able to score on Tulsa. Ohio State should be able to do it plenty.
Have Ohio State and Tulsa ever played before?
This probably isn’t a surprise, but this will be Ohio State and Tulsa’s first ever meeting.
Is Tulsa supposed to be good?
Well, that’s an interesting question. The defense probably can’t get much worse than it was last season, and thanks to their coach and their returning talent, this offense should still pretty potent, especially their passing attack.
Tulsa’s non-conference schedule outside of Ohio State is pretty manageable (San Jose State, NC A&T, at Fresno State), but they also draw some of the best teams in the AAC, and have to make road trips to Houston, Memphis and Navy.
This probably won’t be a *bad* team, but chances are, they’ll be the worst team Ohio State plays before Big Ten play. The Golden Hurricane figure to be in the conversation for a bowl game, but would need to spring some big upsets to be in the running for anything more substantial than that.
How worried should fans be about this game?
Any time you face a team that can do one thing very well, there’s a cause for some concern, and Tulsa should be able to score. But Ohio State has superior athletes at every position, and has a defense that can potentially make them a little dimensional. A sloppy, turnover-filled performance can make this an uncomfortably interesting game, but if Ohio State and Tulsa straight up get into a points track meet, there’s no much doubt who should have the better team.
We have heard the same refrain for years. Well, we have heard TWO refrains for years:
1. “Purdue needs more of a pass rush!”
2. “Player X (Often Ryan Russell, Gelen Robinson, Evan Panfil, or someone like that) is poised to really break out this season!”
Instead, the pass rush has sucked. The Den of Defensive Ends has been in hibernation. Teams have passed with impunity on third downs because opposing quarterbacks have all day to set down their coffee and scan the field for an open receiver on third and long.
Purdue has not had a player with more than four sacks in a season since Kawann Short in 2012. It has not had a double-digit sack season from a player since Ryan Kerrigan won Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. That’s beyond sad for a school that prides itself on producing elite pass rushers.
It is not like the talent has been missing, either. Russell got his way to the NFL as the most recent member of the Den. Gelen Robinson entered as a highly touted pass rusher. What Purdue has at the position has been greatly misused, and last season’s terrible run defense was also an indictment on the poor state of the defensive line. That all could change this year because of one person, however.
Randy Melvin is back
Melvin is, in essence, the godfather of the Den of Defensive Ends. He served as the defensive line coach for the first three years under Tiller and developed a line that unleashed terror on opposing quarterbacks. Let’s ask former Heisman runner-up Michael Bishop what he thinks of Melvin:
That’s Rosevelt Colvin and Chike Okeafor reeking bloody havoc on one of the best players in the country at the time. Their position coach is now back at Purdue with some talent to work with.
Jake Replogle – Sr. – DT – Purdue does not have many all-Big Ten candidates on the roster, but Replogle is one of the few. The 6’5” 289 pound defensive tackle had three older brothers play in the Big Ten at Indiana, but Jake might be the best after getting picked on by said older brothers growing up. Last season he was 4th on the team in overall tackles with 60 and he was the only player with double digit tackles for loss at 14. He has 24 consecutive starts in his career and is one of the unquestioned team leaders. Basically, Purdue absolutely needs him to be an all-Big Ten level type of player, and he is capable.
Evan Panfil – Sr. – DE – Panfil seems to be on the Ryan Russell plan at Purdue. It always seems like he is poised to break out and be dominant, but it has yet to happen. Last season he had 30 tackles and four sacks for his best season as a Boilermaker. We need more though. He is a big, strong end that GBI has said is benefitting greatly from Melvin:
Often last season, Panfil would rely on power to bull-rush offensive tackles and get into the backfield. That was, really, his pass rush go-to.
Until Randy Melvin came along.
Melvin wanted Panfil to show more variety, not just barrel down the middle of tackles. Not surprisingly, then, Panfil’s point of emphasis over the last six months or so has been developing more pass rush moves. Especially knowing how desperately Purdue’s defensive front needs to generate pressure on the quarterback.
Sounds like basic coaching that Melvin’s predecessor completely failed at. “You mean bull-rushing a 320 pound offensive tackle isn’t working? Well, try it again!”
Shayne Henley – Sr. – DE – Henley was brought in last season as a stopgap JuCo transfer to give Purdue another experienced player on the end. He finished with nine tackles and a sack. Most of that work came early on in the season, so it would seem like he is stuck at the “quality reserve” level.
Langston Newton – Sr. – DE – Newton is officially listed as an end but in some sets so far he is lining up as a tackle. That could be good for him. The he played early last season and even forced a big fumble at Marshall, but has not done a lot since transferring from Kentucky in 2014.
Gelen Robinson – Jr. – DE – Look, I am just going to be blunt here: Robinson needs to remove his head from his ass and play football. He is ridiculously talented as a player, but all we have heard for two years now it off the field incidents (two arrests) and “he has problems with his motor”. We already saw some of it when he started fall camp on the third team. This guy has all-Big Ten talent, but he needs a firm boot up his ass to get him motivated. In two years he has 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks, but when you see him you know he can do so much more. As a four-star recruit more is expected of him, too. Hopefully Melvin gets through to him because a fully motivated Robinson could be dangerous.
Austin Larkin – Jr. – DE – Larkin has taken a circuitous route to Purdue. He originally played as a special teams player when he walked on at Notre Dame in the footsteps as his dad. He then transferred to San Francisco City College, where he played well enough to earn a scholarship at Purdue. As for those all high and mighty about “accepting Notre Dame’s castoffs” relax. This kid earned playing time as a walk-on true freshman at a program that is light years ahead of us right now. Get over yourselves.
Larkin has already been on campus awhile, going through spring practice. he has earned a potential starting job and should be, at minimum, a contributor. Considering his cousin is current NBA player Shane Larkin, his dad played at Notre Dame, and his uncle is MLB Hall of Famer Barry Larkin I am going to say he has the genes to be a good athlete.
Eddy Wilson – So. – DT – Today’s featured player, Wilson is expected to be a starter in the middle alongside Replogle and he looks like a good one. He definitely has the size to be a monster defensive tackle in this league. We just need him to be productive against the run. Let Replogle and the ends get to the quarterback. Just hold down the middle, Eddy.
Keiwan Jones – So. – DT – Jones tore his ACL last season but has reportedly come on well in camp so far. He is battling Wilson to start next to Replogle, which is good. We can definitely use the depth because no one is proven beyond Replogle. The harder Jones pushes, the better, because it means he will play as a reserve at minimum.
Will Colmery – So. – DT – Colmery had a freaking brain tumor removed in the offseason, so his status is up in the air at best. He is trying to work his way back to football, however, so if he plays he deserves a standing ovation.
Mike Zeigler – So. – DE – Zeigler is a walk-on transfer from Southern Illinois that went 29-0 in high school as part of a two-time 5A state champion. His dad is a former Purdue player and he will have to sit this season as a transfer.
Tim Faison – Fr. (RS) – DE – Faison has missed the last few practices battling a concussion but has been getting some looks as a reserve defensive end. He has actually switched positions from linebacker to defensive end, so he is still learning the position, too.
Wyatt Cook – Fr. (RS) – DE – Cook is pretty much in the same boat as Faison. He has moved to DE from linebacker during his redshirt season and has a little ways to go before seeing the field.
Fred Brown – Fr. (RS) – DT – Brown is coming out of a redshirt year and is one of several players battling for time at defensive tackle. He may have to hold off a couple of true freshmen. In his senior season he had an impressive 83 tackles, 10 sacks, four blocked field goals, and four forced fumbles.
Rob Simmons – Fr. – DE – We’re still not sure Simmons is even coming. An incredibly lean 215 pounds for an end, he did well at Valley forge Military Academy but he still “has a project to complete” academically. Regardless, he has redshirt written all over him.
Lorenzo Neal – Fr. – DT – The son of a long-time NFL fullback for the Chargers, Neal comes to Purdue with a massive 6’2” 345 pounds frame that might have him play immediately as a reserve. As long as he has some conditioning we can expect to see him as a big body in the middle.
Anthony Watts – Fr. – DT – Watts and Neal, both from Houston, have reportedly bonded well off the field and formed a great friendship. That should go a long way towards helping Purdue up front, as Watts is another true freshman looking for playing time at defensive tackle.
Alex Criddle – Fr. – DT – Our third true freshman that might play is Criddle. He is another big boy, this time from Oklahoma. He brought in a number of awards from his final season as one of the best defensive linemen in his state, so we could see him on the field early.
Jaleel Wadood and the DBs had a good afternoon practice yesterday. – Joe Piechowski
Mique Juarez’s absence dominated the headlines, but the defensive backs shined in an afternoon practice in San Bernardino.
It probably says a lot that UCLA had two practices yesterday, and the only thing anyone seemed to care about was the status of incoming freshman Mique Juarez. But that’s where we are to start the second week of fall camp and the first in San Bernardino. Thus, I’m going to focus this particular report on last night’s practice, while there will be a separate post for yesterday’s Mique Juarez saga.
Yes, UCLA did manage a practice last night, in full pads and everything. And it was a really strong effort from the defense, specifically the defensive backs. The common perception was that the defensive backfield would be the best unit on the team, and possibly the best DB unit in the conference. Joe did a real good analysis of the unit that you should check out. Anyway, the defensive backs were active all through the period, and it resulted in average play from Josh Rosen. Throwing lanes were tight, and the receivers had issues making catches. What’s most impressive is the continued drive to be better in this unit. Take, for example, this anecdote from Thuc Nhi Nguyen at Inside SoCal:
Tahaan Goodman nearly picked off Rosen, but couldn’t quite get his hands on the high throw. It bounced off his fingertips and he did a few push-ups as punishment.
This appears to be a self-applied punishment, but still speaks to how hard this group is pushing themselves.
Continuing with the offensive struggles, Coach Jim Mora did not appear to be happy with the offense at times yesterday. Thuc Nhi Nguyen wrote:
Mora was really displeased with something going on with the offense while the team was working on some plays in the red zone. Wasn’t exactly sure what he was yelling about, but he was yelling for quite a while at offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu. It looked like the offense was struggling to get the play calls in and get the correct personnel on the field.
Thankfully, this is practice, and the exact moment to iron out these issues. Still, these are the kinds of speed bumps that can hopefully be rectified with a new offense.
Also of note, there continues to be a focus on penalties, as Ben Bolch of the LA Times noted:
Jim Mora made false starting lineman Markus Boyer leave the field in the middle of a series to run around the field. Penalties a focus.
In injury news, Deon Hollins was held out of yesterday’s practices as a precaution due to concussion-related symptoms.
Only one interview after this practice, featuring LB Coach Scott White. Thanks to Edward Lewis at Bruin Sports Report for the video!
Coach White (obviously) talks about the linebackers, including the battle for the middle linebacker spot. Interestingly enough, Coach White describes it as a three-way battle between Kenny Young (who got the start with the ones), Isaako Savaiinaea (boy I really need to learn that name) and incoming freshman Lokeni Toailoa. Toailoa came in the last recruiting class with the expectation of being one of the big linebackers of the future, so it is exciting to see him make an impact this early, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get some playing time during the year.
And, obviously, Coach White dodges any questions on Mique Juarez, though he does say they’ve been in contact and that “he’ll be just fine.”
As a bonus, we also have three videos from yesterday morning’s practice, also courtesy of Ed Lewis of the Bruin Sports Report.
First up is Coach Mora. He spoke about how being in San Bernardino for only six days allows the team to focus on the football for the time they are there. He said:
I think they’re genuinely excited about being here this year. And, I think that that’s because we cut it down a
little bit. And, that was the point of cutting it down a little bit is to make this really a very concentrated, special six days up here in this environment, where we can really grow together as a team and get some great work on two grass fields in a beautiful setting in a great climate.
And, if it’s Monday, it must be Rosen. This week, he talked about working with new receivers and about how the new offense is actually helpful for the defense in that they get to see even more looks than they did under the old offense.
Finally, there’s Nate Meadors. Meadors discussed, among other things, how he likes being in San Bernardino because it’s an opportunity to play in front of friends, family and his high school football coach Ron Gueringer who played fullback for UCLA in 1977.
The next practice will be at 3:00 PM today in San Bernardino. Go Bruins!
We’re still more than six weeks away from an all important game against the Ducks but there won’t be an empty seat in the house for it.
Anticipation for the 2016 season is clearly building amongst WSU fans as the school announced today their first conference game inside the friendly confines of Martin Stadium is sold out.
“Both season and individual game tickets have been selling quickly,” Matt Zolinger, Assistant Athletic Director, Ticket Sales and Service, said via news release. “Oregon will be a sellout and we are over 90 percent capacity for both Eastern Washington and the Apple Cup. I expect all our games to continue trending in the right direction with the goal of selling out all seven games this season.”
We’re still more than six weeks away from WSU’s very important tilt with the Ducks but we already know there won’t be a seat without a butt in the entire house. That game against Oregon starts a very important three weeks for the Cougs, as they take on Stanford the following week and UCLA for homecoming in Pullman thereafter.
If you’d still like to try and go, to the Oregon game the school said the Cougar ticket pffice will open up a limited number of standing room only tickets on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at 9 a.m.
The last time Oregon was in Pullman, the Cougs took the No. 2 Ducks to the brink and save for a … questionable … non-call of pass interference late in the contest, WSU might have forced things into overtime. We all, of course, remember what happened last year.
This had also been the game many folks had thought would be a good candidate for College GameDay’s long overdue arrival in Pullman. So, if you’re listening Mr. Fitting …
Both players are out indefinitely for undisclosed reasons.
Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday evening after practice and shed some light on the status of freshman wide receiver Ahmir Mitchell and defensive end Shelton Johnson. Neither appeared in Michigan’s team photo.
According to Harbaugh, both are currently suspended indefinitely for undisclosed reasons.
Harbaugh mentions two players are currently suspended, didn’t say who, and then abruptly ended his media session.
Johnson was a three-star signee in the class of 2015 and redshirted last season. Mitchell, a four-star prospect, enrolled early at Michigan in January and participated in spring football.
As much excitement as there is for Coach Justin Fuente’s inaugural season with Virginia Tech, there has been an equal or greater amount of anticipation for the future of the Hokies in 2017. The #Statement17 of new high school recruits wanting to make a statement and build a legacy in this new era of Hokie football is certainly an exciting time. The Hokies currently have a solid class of incoming talent, headlined by the announcement of consensus 4 star recruit Tahj Capehart.
Many people, including Coach Fuente himself, will tell you that the stars given by recruiting services don’t matter and I respect their opinions. Both Virginia Tech under Frank Beamer as well as Coach Fuente have historically been able to succeed with lower ranked players and find diamonds in the rough. However, the top teams in the country typically have the highest ranked players. And remember, the goal should be for Virginia Tech to reach that success level. Alabama is ranked #1 for 2016 recruits and is entering the 2016 season atop the preseason polls. According to 247Sports, Virginia Tech had the 38th best 2016 recruiting class which doesn’t deviate much from their preseason rankings (Phil Steele has the Hokies at #39 in his “Power Poll Top 128”).
Other than wide receiver Tahj Capehart, the Hokies do not have another 4 star recruit (hopefully 4 star DE Tyjuan Garbutt decides to recommit). Their best chance to obtain another top recruit is within their own state. Virginia Tech is the best program in the state of Virginia and there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to compete for the best talent in the state, especially in the talent rich Virginia Beach area.
That rich Virginia Beach area talent is home to Safety Devon Hunter, the best player in the state, according to 247Sports (Rivals.com has future Florida State running back, Khalan Laborn slightly ahead of him). Devon Hunter has incredible length at 6’1 and demonstrated the type of playmaking abiliity to make him a great fit in Bud Foster’s Lunch Pail Defense. He had a total of 5 touchdowns last season and has breakaway skill in the open field after creating turnovers.
Watching highlights of Devon Hunter elicits memories of former Hokie Antone Exum of the Minnesota Vikings. Coach Justin Fuente could really use an upgrade in personnel from the defense to adapt to the eventual uptempo style of play that Virginia Tech implement. Devon Hunter’s length, athleticism, and ability to create plays off turnovers make him a perfect fit for the style of play the Hokies will adopt. Along with fellow #Statement17 DB Devante Smith, Virginia Tech will have an outstanding pipeline of talent to add to what has historically been their best position group here at DBU. With fellow Virginia Beach native Coach Zohn Burden allegedly doing the recruiting, the Hokies have a great chance to add Virginia’s best talent, Devon Hunter, and put the statement in #Statement17.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Jaleel Wadood and the DBs had a good afternoon practice yesterday. – Joe Piechowski
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
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