Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
David Shaw isn’t a coach known for throwing around hyperbole, so when he says that All American running back Christian McCaffery might actually be better in 2016, that statement bears discussing. Matt Vassar is here to do exactly that, and also take another look at the incredible dominance of Stanford’s own Katie Ledecky.
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Photo Credit: Student Sports
The Oklahoma Sooners received a pledge that they were expecting to get on Wednesday morning, as 2017 linebacker Kenneth Murray of Missouri City, Texas has chosen OU over Texas and Texas A&M.
Sooner fans were put on “Boom Alert” when current OU commit Robert Barnes sent out a tweet indicating that the Sooners would be receiving a pledge this morning. Murray had previously announced that he would be announcing his commitment this morning, so it was obvious who Barnes was referring to.
Murray is rated as a three-star recruit in the 247 Composite Rankings and is likely seen by the staff as a project due to his relatively small size (6-2, 210). You’ll likely see him use a redshirt season to get up to at least the 225-230 range, and I have no doubt that Schmitty can help him get that done.
Murray is OU’s third commitment in four days, joining 2017 four-star center Creed Humphrey (committed Monday) and 2018 four-star quarterback Cameron Rising (committed Sunday). The recruiting momentum that seems to be building in Norman is sure to help the morale of a fan base that has seen a lot of near misses on the trail in the last five-plus years.
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This is the second of a three part series on a full breakdown of the Kansas offense, defense and special teams.
Kansas football is coming and here is your guide to get ready to watch our Jayhawks this season! Let’s get right into it:
Defensive Line
The Jayhawks don’t have a dominant defensive line by any means, however in the coming years that could change. Led by a budding star in the form of 6-foot-4 241 pound sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., this defense has a solid piece upon which to build. Anthony Olobia will likely come in as the only senior starting on the line. The junior Jacky Dezir and sophomores Daniel Wise, D.J. Williams and Jason Nix fill out a surprisingly solid depth of defensive tackles. Don’t forget about incoming JUCO players DeeIsaac Davis and Isi Holani, who will push for playing time this fall. Also, coaches love the athleticism of incoming freshman DE Isaiah Bean, but he may redshirt this fall to put on some weight. Senior Damani Mosby and sophomore Josh Ehambe hold down the rest of the defensive end’s rotation.
Overall this group is solid, the key will be, how well will they develop? If Armstrong is looking at a possible future in the NFL, Beaty’s group is going to really have to key in on getting him to where he needs to go. The sophomore finished with 3.5 sacks in his first season as a true freshman. Of course, what Kansas football fans should really love about this kid is that he chose the Jayhawks over the Missouri Tigers. This was one guy defensive coordinator Clint Bowen was thrilled about and in due time Armstrong could be looking at double digit sack totals.
Linebackers
The more depth-filled position on this team is linebacker. Kansas has the likes of former South Carolina senior transfer Marcquis Roberts and budding star junior, Joe Dineen Jr. manning the two starting linebacker spots. Dineen had four games last fall with double-digit tackle totals including his most impressive game, vs West Virginia, with 16 tackles. Meanwhile, Roberts has improved upon his production year-by-year even dating back to his days at South Carolina.
Osaze Ogbebor, the sophomore linebacker, is in for a starting job in the near future (most likely next season). Roberts and talented senior Courtney Arnick are leaving after this season so it should end up being Dineen Jr. and Ogbebor at linebacker next year. But watch out for talented incoming freshman Maciah Long. Long was a 3-star recruit with a long list of Power-5 offers who will no doubt look to make an impact as soon as possible.
Secondary
The immediate name that jumps off the page not only in the secondary but the whole KU defense is none other than senior safety Fish Smithson. He has been an absolute superstar for the Jayhawks and most likely has one of the better shots at making an NFL career out of his time in Lawrence.
Overall this part of the defense is littered with young talent that could really be a vital part of the Jayhawks’ future. Players like the freshmen cornerbacks Mike Lee and Kyle Mayberry along with sophomore safety Tyrone Miller only make the future brighter. It will be difficult replacing seniors Brandon Stewart and Fish Smithson after this season, but Kansas is ready for the challenge and so far, David Beaty has done an excellent job of recruiting.
Projected Defensive 2-Deep Depth Chart:
DE: Dorance Armstrong Jr. (SO), Josh Ehambe (SO)
DT: Daniel Wise (R-SO), Deelsaac Davis (JR)
DT: D.J. Williams (SO), Jacky Dezir (JR)
DE: Anthony Olobia (SR), Damani Mosby (SR)
LB: Marcquis Roberts (SR), Osaze Ogbebor (SO)
LB: Joe Dineen Jr. (JR), Courtney Arnick (SR)
NB: Tevin Shaw (SR), Chevy Graham (SR)
CB: Derrick Neal (JR), Marnez Ogletree (SR)
CB: Brandon Stewart (SR), Kyle Mayberry (FR) or Mike Lee (FR)
S: Fish Smithson (SR), Bazie Bates IV (SR)
S: Tyrone Miller Jr. (SO), Greg Allen (SR)
NFL.com writer Bucky Brooks thinks highly of two Michigan pass catching machines
NFL.com writer and former scout for the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, Bucky Brooks, has just released rankings that will make Michigan fans happy. Brooks has listed Jake Butt and Jehu Chesson in his top 4 college pass catchers, with Butt coming in at No. 2 and Chesson at No. 4. Both Michigan standouts are already generating early round chatter for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Brooks on Butt
“It is hard to find an old-school tight end in today’s game, but Butt is a throwback with the size, soft hands and route-running skills to terrorize defenses between the hashes. As a polished route runner with a big body and a rugged game, he excels at “box-out” routes (option and Y-stick) over the middle. He overpowers defenders to establish position and uses his length to expand the strike zone for quarterbacks. Although Butt does most of his work at short-to-intermediate range, he flashes enough quickness and burst to run away from defenders on sail routes (15-speed outs) to the boundary. Given his impressive work on critical downs and situations (third-down and red zone), Butt has all of the tools to thrive as a TE1 on any level.”
Butt finished 2015 with 51 receptions, 654 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Brooks on Chesson
“The Wolverines’ WR1 is a silky smooth playmaker with a polished game. Chesson is not only the best route runner in college football, but he is a natural pass-catcher with strong hands and exceptional ball skills. The 6-3, 200-pounder routinely comes down with 50-50 balls on the perimeter, exhibiting sneaky strength and superb concentration fending off defenders down the field. With Chesson also showing big-time running skills as a returner and playmaker in the open field, it’s easy to see why Jim Harbaugh has made the slender pass-catcher the No. 1 option in the passing game.”
Chesson had a highly productive 2015, with 50 receptions, 764 yards, and 9 touchdowns.
Both players will look to improve on those numbers in 2016, to help their team win first and foremost, and to also boost their seemingly rising draft stock some more.
Your Nebraska Cornhuskers just finished their fifth workout of the 2016 Fall Camp session, the first one in full pads according to Head Coach Mike Riley.
Practice #5 complete at #Huskers fall camp. Riley: “It was a good start in full gear.”
— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) August 9, 2016
I was going to mention how it’d seemingly been a healthy camp so far. And now, I’m glad I wasn’t the jinx breaker.
Michael Rose-Ivey watched much of practice with apparent knee injury, Mike Riley said. “Just hoping it’s not significant,” the coach said.
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) August 9, 2016
Chris Jones, the junior cornerback, apparently had leg cramps. Hot day of work. #Huskers
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) August 9, 2016
There is better depth in this case on the Linebacking crew, but MRI losing time to any injury is bad again, so let’s hope that things are alright.
For many, hopes are that Tommy Armstrong gets it clicking and can be the game manager that many hope can get the Huskers over the hump. However, today was probably not one of his best days of the Fall.
Tommy didn’t look great today at practice. By my count, 3-of-8 and 2 picks during 7-on-7. #Huskers
— Christopher Heady (@heady_chris) August 9, 2016
Passing game was “rusty” in 7 on 7 per Mike Riley. Armstrong threw a Pick Six on the 2nd play of the session. Chris Jones stepped in front.
— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) August 9, 2016
As we mentioned above, it’s the first full day of pads. So, it could be a little bit of difference with some different folks in the fray for both sides. But… there was some “good things” as coachspeak likes to say.
WRs were smoking DBs in the 1-on-1 drill. Kalu and Jones looked good, other DBs not so much. #Huskers
— Christopher Heady (@heady_chris) August 9, 2016
So, we pride that whole #Wideouts stuff, so it could be a spell that some of the youth on the DB side (Jackson, Anderson, Bootle, Dismuke, etc) was just getting it handed it to them. It is the first week of camp, so I’m not going to sweat that too much.
Practice over. First day in pads. Lengthy run game session on the far field. not always easy to see, but it looked like RBs busted a few.
— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) August 9, 2016
There was not much Offense vs. Defense the first few days of camp, so I wonder if these were the 1’s going on each other. If it was the 1’s, we would all like to know how much was “a few”.
It sounds like the Huskers hit a big time heat wave, and there was only really one heat related issue with Jones, so that’s not a bad thing at all compared to last season’s issues.
Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf did have some things to say after practice. Riley on the workout:
“This was the first day of extended interaction between our offense and defense, resulting in probably some obvious give and take,” Riley said. “But it was good for us — it was a little hot, but…I thought overall it was a good start in full gear. We put spent a lot time just putting in plays and practicing individual skills so it was good to do this.”
While Langsdorf talked about backup Ryker Fyfe, who is battling AJ Bush and Patrick O’Brien this season to stay behind Tommy Armstrong.
“I love how he worked through the winter,” Langsdorf said. “I think he’s in the best shape of his life. He brags about it. He feels good about it. I think he looks good, and he’s throwing the ball well. I think he’s doing a nice job through the spring. I think he’s lot more comfortable calling the plays, executing the play, getting guys lined up right. He looks a lot further along. ”
With their only being one football on Gamedays, Langsdorf knows that spreading the ball out to the multiple playmakers the Huskers have, both on the ground & in the air, is vital for success.
“I think we have to have a good menu for each guy. We have to make sure we get Cethan [Carter] the ball and this is how we’re going to get it to him. Same with Brandon [Reilly], same with [Alonzo Moore], you got [Stanley Morgan Jr.] in there [and] the backs. I think that’s a good problem. I just think it’s being organized, making sure you have a good menu for each player and how it fits in the game plan. ”
The Huskers will practice closed tomorrow, and will be available to the media after Thursday’s workout.
Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Former Virginia Tech head football coach, Bill Dooley, has passed away.
Former Virginia Tech head football coach, Bill Dooley, passed away today. He was 82 years old.
Former VT head football coach Bill Dooley, who led VT to its first bowl win, passes away – https://t.co/NzS3TvZ9Rj pic.twitter.com/L3DmAn6JSm
— VT Football (@VT_Football) August 9, 2016
Coach Dooley was the predecessor of Frank Beamer, and lead the Hokies from 1978-1986. During his tenure he accumulated a record of 63-38-1, and coached VPI legends, including Bruce Smith. Additionally, he brought home the program’s first bowl win with a 25-24 victory over the N.C. State Wolfpack during the 1986 Peach Bowl.
Gobbler Country joins the rest of Hokie nation in remembering and mourning Coach Dooley.
John Blake’s first season in 1996 was absolutely abysmal. The Sooners went 3-8 and didn’t win a game at Owen Field. They’d stumble into the State Fair of Texas with an 0-4 record, having suffered losses to TCU, San Diego State, Tulsa and Kansas. OU was in the gutter and would stay there until Stoops arrived, but on Oct. 12 of 1996 there was a brief moment of sunshine.
This is the first OU football game that I vividly remember watching attentively on TV (it was around the time that doctors started prescribing Ritalin to seemingly every child in America), so I’m glad it turned out well. As you may recall, OU had taken a 24-0 lead in Dallas a year before only to watch the game end in a 24-24 tie, so you can imagine how pumped the players were after this win.
James Allen had a pretty solid career in Norman and ended up with the Chicago Bears after going undrafted in 1997. He actually ran for over 100 yards in a Sunday Night Football win over the Vikings and also caught a Hail Mary pass to send a the bears to overtime against the Browns. I’d provide you with a video of the Hail Mary, but you all know how the NFL is with their video rights.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Last week, USA Today released their first coaches’ poll of the 2016 season and had the Oregon Ducks ranked No. 22 in the nation. Earlier today, CBS Sports unveiled their preseason rankings, which also includes all 128 FBS schools. Oregon’s ranking was similar as the Ducks checked in at No. 25 in the nation.
Below is the full top 25 from CBS Sports. According to the website, the rankings are the result of ballots submitted by college football experts from CBS Sports and their partner, 247Sports. Those ballots are averaged together to create the weekly rankings.
Pac-12 teams are highlighted in bold. The conference has five teams in the top 25, including three in the top 15.
CBS Sports Preseason Top 25
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Utah senior wide receiver Cory Butler-Byrd has been charged with criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor, first reported by Kyle Goon along with Matthew Piper of the Salt Lake Tribune. This charge could carry a jail sentence of up to one year. Butler-Byrd was previously indefinitely suspended by Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham for “personal issues.” Prior to his suspension, Butler-Byrd was expected to compete for a starting role at slot receiver and kickoff returner.
According to Goon, the following events transpired leading to Butler-Byrd’s arrest. Butler-Byrd damaged the roof and shattered the back windo of a University Police car and threw a piece of wood through a police station window, shattering it. Butler-Byrd reportedly admitted to causing all of this damage, the cost of which is expected to exceed $500. He will appear in court on Sept. 13.
We will continue to keep you updated on this story if any new developments come to light.
Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images
The senior defensive back has one season left to live up to the four-star hype.
Chaz Elder
RS Senior
Defensive Back
6-2 / 200 lbs.
Atlanta, GA
Recruitment
A four-star recruit out of Banneker High School in the Atlanta area, Elder chose the Gamecocks over in-state favorite Georgia and Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
Rated as one of the top safeties for his class, 247 also has him as the 19th best prospect out of Georgia for 2012.
College Career
Before a regressive 2015 season, Elder accumulated 24 appearances and nine starts in his first two active seasons with South Carolina. After redshirting his first season on campus, he tallied a career-best six starts in 2013 racking up 29 tackles.
He sustained the production in 2014, but on a more porous unit, and only made two appearances last year.
2016 Outlook
After starting preseason camp atop one of the safety positions, Elder hasn’t participated in the full-contact drills since the team went to full pads. As of today, it looks like the fifth-year senior has a spot in the starting line-up of defensive backs that’s bound to be rotated in and out.
Elder hasn’t been the shut-down safety the fans and coaches who recruited him had hoped for, but that’s not entirely his fault and his career thus far with South Carolina hasn’t been a failure. But, after a rocky and limited 2015 season, Elder has one season left to righten the ship and serve as one of the undisputed leaders on the Gamecocks defensive backs unit.
To have a successful season though, Elder will have to erase the giving philosophy of playing off of the line of scrimmage and deep in the secondary and embrace the aggressive and fear-less style his new caching staff wants out of him.