For the third time in as many days, Washington State has added a touted prospect to their 2017 recruiting class as Seattle, Wash. offensive lineman Abraham Lucas has verbally committed to play for the Cougars at the next level.

Abraham, listed at a massive 6-foot-8, 260-pounds, picked Washington State over scholarship offers from Oregon State and Wyoming and becomes the second in-state verbal commitment for the Cougars in the current recruiting cycle.

“Man, I’m in shock,” Abraham, who unofficially visited in June, tweeted. “I would’ve never thought that one day I would be blessed by God with the opportunity to play college football. First off, I would like to thank God for opening up so many doors for me though this game. Without Him nothing is possible.

“Secondly, I would like to tahnk all the coaches and schools that took their time to recruit me. I would also like to thank my high school coaches for teaching me so much about this game and for helping me to improve every day. Last, but most importantly, I would like to thank my family, especially my momma and my pops, for doing all they can to provide for me and support me through everything I do.

“So, without further ado, I am so very proud and happy to announce that I am committing to Washington State University #GoCougs.”

Lucas, listed as a defensive end by several recruiting outlets, was courted by area recruiter Eric Mele, as well as offensive line coach Clay McGuire, and is expected to play offensive line at the next level. Lucas has that long, athletic frame the WSU staff covets on the recruiting trail, and has the ability to easily add much more solid weight.

Lucas becomes verbal commitment No. 14 and the fourth offensive lineman in Washington State’s current recruiting class, which you can view below. They’re sneaking into top-30 overall class territory with Lucas in the fold.

Ladies and gents, this is one of the multiple reasons why I’ve told you to wait until next year to start evaluating how Fuente recruits. A lot of the recruits for 2017 are announcing early, and they had no ties to Fuente. Now? His 2018/2019 jump ahead work is gaining more and more traction. Today, Virginia Tech received a commitment from DeJuan Ellis, a quarterback from Northern Virginia. He’s not rated on 247 and ESPN, rated at three stars on Rivals, and four at Scout. He’s been a recruit since he was in middle school, though- many NoVa and MD high schools were looking for him to come there and play for their teams. He’s a big enough recruit to have verified Nike measurements. This kid is going to be big time and blow up by the time his class actually comes around. So what’s Tech getting in their latest commitment? I’ll pop in the tape and find out.

Very excited to say that I have verbally committed to Virginia Tech ‼️ Thanks to my family for the support!! pic.twitter.com/7eJ9fYKAwm

— DeJuan (@HeadHonchoJuan) August 3, 2016

DeJuan Ellis (Arlington, VA. 160lbs, 5′-11″. Quarterback)

Okay, I’ll start with the obvious- the kid is slight. And based on his measurements in the article about him in high school, he hasn’t grown much. Either he’s just going to be (for a football player) shorter and scrawnier or he has more growing left in him before he’s finished. Being that light, I do fear for him when he gets hit. With that said, I think he’s got good pocket presence, and he puts balls in good places for his wide receivers to make catches. I think ball placement is a very, very important skill for a quarterback, and his already shows signs of being well developed for his age. I think his arm is pretty good, and his presence of mind is clear on how he operates the pocket and steps up or around pressure- usually up. Climbing the pocket is a more professional style move rather than simply running out and escaping. I’d worry a tad that his balls sail a bit high on occasion. But he keeps his eyes downfield, and if he’s throwing into coverage it’s generally done by throwing someone open….OIIh, you want me to mention he’s fast? Yes. He’s fast. Like 4.5-4.4 fast. He needs to learn to properly tuck the ball away when he runs, which he does not do as frequently as you’d like. Carrying a ball like a loaf of bread leads to fumbles.  But is he worth the shot? Oh heck yes, even as an athlete, he’s got great skills in the open field. You take that guy and stick him in the weight room until he puts on 30lbs.

Fuente’s QB pedigree is going to be key in getting offensive recruits like Ellis and others in the door. This is just another sign that better things are around the corner if we can keep success coming.

Welcome to the class of 2018, DeJuan! Go Hokies!

Jovon Robinson wasn’t at practice today and, of course, that started the usual rumor mill and pondering going among Auburn fans on social media. There were all sorts of things it could be, but no one knew anything except that Gus would address it at his press conference.

Boy did he.

Gus Malzahn announces Auburn has dismissed RB Jovon Robinson.

— Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonBR) August 3, 2016

Jovon Robinson, the presumed starter at running back for the Tigers, is no longer with the team. No specific reason has been given.

Whatever the situation, hopefully Jovon gets it all worked out. He’s been through a rough time in his collegiate career. It looks like after the 2012 grades issues and now this, he just was never destined to be a serious contributor.

I don’t know what all happened, but I applaud Gus for making the move. I think you can see the results of his handling the Duke Williams situation with this. He tried to tip-toe around the issue with Duke and it hurt the team overall. He wasn’t going to do that again.

So, now, the running back depth stands at:

A sophomore who has bulked up and coming off off-season surgery (Kerryon Johnson)

Two H-backs/FBs who worked at RB over the spring (Pettway/Cox)

Two true freshmen (Malik Miller, injured in A-Day game, and Kameron Martin).

Auburn Football. It’s nothing if not nerve-racking, right?

After a long, headline-filled offseason, Fighting Illini football will return to Champaign on Thursday morning for the start of Fall training camp. The Orange and Blue will participate in 16 practices from August 4-20, and all sessions will be open to the public. Putting fanfare aside, though, Lovie Smith and his new coaching staff have inherited a program and roster full of question marks.

1. Will Lovie Smith make an impact during his first season?

Let me preface this section with a big, blinding disclaimer: I believe that Lovie Smith is a huge upgrade over Tim Beckman and Bill Cubit as a football coach. That being said, it is unrealistic for him to turn the program around overnight. Remember these are all Beckman/Cubit recruits, and it will be for multiple years to come.

Culturally, Lovie is known for his stingy defenses that force turnovers, his commitment to running the ball, and unflinching loyalty to Rex Grossman. The good news is that the Illini already have pieces in place to fit with what Lovie brings to the table. Illinois was fourth in the Big Ten last season in turnover margin, and second in the conference in interceptions with 13. It’ll be up to Taylor Barton (led the team with four picks last year) and Jaylen Dunlap to continue to turn over other teams and give the offense a short field. The Illini also return sophomore Ke’Shawn Vaughn as their feature back, and he expects to carry a heavy load. He led the squad last year with 723 yards while splitting carries with Josh Ferguson, but his carries will increase as his role expands and the offense shifts away from Cubit’s spread to new offensive coordinator Garrick McGee’s pro-style approach. I’m putting the over/under on Vaughn’s yards this season at 1,100. That’d be the most Illinois has had since Mikel Leshoure ripped off 1,697 yards in 2010.

2. Will Wes Lunt emerge as one of the Big Ten’s best passers?

This is the number one non-Lovie Smith question surrounding the Illinois football team. Wes Lunt, while the arm talent has had NFL scouts drooling for years, hasn’t been particularly dominant in his first two seasons as a starter. There have been some reasons why (injuries derailed his sophomore campaign, along with Reilly O’Toole getting hot down the stretch; his wideouts did him no favors last season — more on that in a bit) but Lunt hasn’t really even had that breakout game where he’s put it all together. Yes, he threw for 456 yards against Western Kentucky in his second career start in Champaign, but he’s topped the 300-yard threshold just three times in 18 appearances since. One of the more frustrating parts was that Nathan Scheelhaase (an incredible competitor, very mobile, and extremely smart quarterback, however he had a below average arm) threw for 3,272 yards the year prior to Lunt under Cubit’s tutelage. That offense was so rare because it featured Scheelhaase, a four-year starter, and four senior wide receivers in Steve Hull, Spencer Harris, Miles Osei and Ryan Lankford, who all worked together to create a product that was greater than the sum of its parts. Lunt hasn’t had that kind of supporting cast, and there have been many instances in the past two seasons where the Illini tried to ramp up the tempo and get rolling, only to be bogged down by confusion at the line of scrimmage, resulting in panic timeouts and/or red-face-yelling-Bill Cubit.

Perhaps putting less on Lunt’s plate will be the best thing for him, and establishing a rushing game is absolutely critical because Lunt is one of the most immobile quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. Seriously, he has -239 yards rushing in his three collegiate seasons and he has a total of zero career games with positive rushing yards. When defenses can pin their ears back and rush him, there’s nowhere for Lunt to go. Lunt has the talent — now it’s time for the production.

3. Who will be Illinois’ backup quarterback?

So Jeff George Jr. killed it at the spring practice. He was slinging pinpoint passes left and right, throwing touchdowns with ease and grace. The legend grows and grows, right? Beware the offseason effect. Given such a tiny sample size, it’s impossible to draw any conclusions for the backup quarterback battle. All we know is that George can make those plays, with no idea whether he can do so consistently or with a defense who’s spent a week watching him on film. The ultimate hope here is that this question is moot, that Wes Lunt can stay healthy, yada yada yada. But Lunt’s body has given Illini fans plenty of reason to pay attention to the backup QB battle as camp unfolds. As it stands, that battle seems to favor Chayce Crouch. The only QB on the roster with playing experience whose name is longer than seven letters, Crouch should begin with the backup nod and brings size and running ability. George and Fitzgerald can’t match his mobility, and Crouch would have to struggle in camp (or in a game as a backup) for either of the other two to get a shot.

Assuming Lunt starts the year healthy, this battle could very feasibly last into the regular season, with the hope being that a couple season-opening romps provide for some garbage-time reps. All three should have their eye on the starting job for next season when prized recruit Cam Thomas enters the fray.

4. Will we see improvement from the wide receiver corps?

To put it mildly, the Fighting Illini receivers struggled last year. OK — maybe “struggled” isn’t the best way to put it. Robert compiled actual statistics over at Illini Board, and they were stunningly terrible. Through the first 8 games last year (I couldn’t find end of season tallies), the unit dropped 50 passes. It gets worse, believe it or not, when you realize how the mistakes impacted the offense. Those 50 drops took away at least 512 yards, 23 first downs, and 6 touchdowns. Not a single offense in America can overcome such a deficiency.

So will we see any improvement this Fall? It’s hard to say at the moment. I’m optimistic that the players can improve under their new coaches, but the depth chart makes it really hard to say for certain. Deep-ball threat Geronimo Allison has graduated and, though that isn’t a huge loss, his departure is compounded by the fact that Mike Dudek will likely miss a second-straight season due to injury. That means we’re looking at junior Malik Turner, sophomore Desmond Cain, and senior Justin Hardee — who missed 2015 with a foot injury — as the starters heading into camp; they combined for 92 receptions and 1,000 yards last year.

Is Turner ready to be the No. 1 option in the passing game? Who will step up as a playmaking threat? Can sophomore Sam Mays become a reliable target? Hopefully the Illini can answer these questions in the coming weeks.

5. Can the Fighting Illini secondary evolve under new guidance?

At each level of the defense, you want someone who you can point to as the leader of that group. Last year, Jihad Ward, Mason Monheim, and Clayton Fejedelem filled those roles for Illinois, and all three are gone. Dawuane Smoot is the heir apparent on the Illinois defensive line, and Hardy Nickerson transferring from Cal saves a lackluster linebacking corps, but the secondary is one of the most interesting position groups to watch as camp opens.

Lovie has made his career coaching defensive backs into attackers, and after losing three of the roster’s four best defensive backs, Lovie has a tall task. Taylor Barton jumps out as the leader of the third level, but he’ll be tasked with being THE playmaker behind Nickerson unless his cohorts show improvement. There’s reason to be optimistic that Lovie can be something of a revelation for guys like Caleb Day, Jaylen Dunlap, and Darius Mosely, who have been inconsistent at best in their time in orange and blue. If those guys can pick up on the fundamentals (which under Lovie includes creating turnovers) and be more confident in trying to make big plays, the dividends could be huge for the Illini. Turnovers lead to short fields, which lead to offensive rhythm, points, and victories.

6. Can Hardy Nickerson Jr. and Dawuane Smoot be dominant?

According to CBSSports, Nickerson is the fourth-best inside linebacker draft prospect, while Smoot is the second-best defensive end. In order for its defense to be good, these guys have to live up to the hype. Smoot showed flashes of being unblockable with eight sacks last season — he’s trimmed down to 255 lb. for 2016, and could have a Whitney Mercilus-type season. Paired with fellow speed rusher Carroll Phillips on the other side, and the Illini figure to have a formidable assault on opposing passers. Nickerson increased his production last season at Cal as the year wore on, ending with double-digit tackles in six of the final eight contests of the season, including a 16-stop effort in the regular season finale against Arizona State. Illinois lost a lot of experience on defense — especially in the linebacking corps — so it will be up to Nickerson to assert himself not only as a sure tackler, but as a leader and mentor to guys like James Crawford and Julian Jones.

Leading up to the beginning of the 2016 season, we’ll be ranking the top Sooners from each position group during Bob Stoops’ tenure at Oklahoma. Here, we count down the top 10 receivers since 1999. Other position groups (such as tight end) will likely be limited to five.

10. Curtis Fagan

A member of the original receiving core of Stoops’ tenure, Fagan was a very solid and consistent contributor from 1999-2002. Originally recruited as a defensive back, he went on to record 1,689 yards and 13 touchdowns.

9. Manuel Johnson

From 2005-2008, Manny Johnson served as the second, third or fourth option in some incredibly powerful offenses. He was a member of the 2005 recruiting class along with Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias, and all three went on to do great things at OU.

8. Jalen Saunders

Saunders didn’t play a down at OU until the Texas game of his junior season, but he made an immediate impact with his speed and play-making ability. I still call him “Marlboro Red”, because the guy was a Cowboy killer. In two close contests against Oklahoma State, Saunders had two touchdown catches and took two punts to the house.

7. Antwone Savage

Along with Fagan, was part of the original receiving core of the Stoops Era. He led the Sooners with 46 catches during the 2000 season, and is remembered for making some big-time plays against Kansas State in both 2000 and 2001.

6. Juaquin Iglesias

Old Reliable. Iglesias wasn’t great at anything but was pretty damn good at everything. He served as the go-to receiver for Sam Bradford in the most productive offense in NCAA history, and he currently stands at fourth all time at OU in receiving yards with 2,861.

5. Kenny Stills

Stills had a lot of ability, even if his attitude was often questioned (justifiably or not). He had 2,594 yards and 24 touchdowns during his three years at OU, but he might be remembered more for that incredible hairdo of his.

4. Malcolm Kelly

If we’re going by talent alone, Malcolm Kelly tops this list. Kelly was physically dominant, standing at 6-4 with a huge wingspan and too much speed for most to catch him from behind. His most memorable moments came against Nebraska in the 2006 Big 12 Championship against Nebraska, where he caught 10 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns before busting out a freestyle rap during the postgame celebration.

3. Mark Clayton

Clayton is the man who perhaps stood out more than anyone in OU’s 77-0 trouncing of the Aggies in 2003, catching seven balls for 177 yards and three scores on that November day. He was incredibly fun to watch in the open field, and I don’t think any receiver in OU history could juke as well as he could. He ended up making a nice career for himself in the NFL, starting 65 games over seven seasons with the Ravens and Rams.

2. Sterling Shepard

Shep stood at 5-10 and wasn’t usually the fastest guy on the field, but his hands were exceptional, his routes were close to perfect, and he had a 40-inch vertical (41 inches at the NFL combine, to be exact). He made some of memorable plays in offenses that often lacked direction (2013, 2014), but then had the opportunity to run a bit more freely as a senior in Lincoln Riley’s offense. He painted his masterpiece in Knoxville with his late-game heroics and helped lead his team to a birth in the College Football Playoff.

1. Ryan Broyles

When Broyles left Norman, he was the NCAA’s career leader in receptions with 349. He played in an offense that would often throw it 60 times in a game, but that hardly diminishes his reputation. He was as crisp a route runner as the college game has ever seen, and he had a serious knack for big plays. Injuries ultimately derailed his professional career, but he’ll be remembered forever around these parts.

I know the last video doesn’t involve a reception, but I don’t care. I LOVE that punt return!

On Wednesday, Notre Dame added to its already impressive 2018 recruiting class with the commitment of 4 star outside linebacker Matthew Bauer. Bauer comes to South Bend via Cathedral Prep School in Erie, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a state that the staff has been mining quite a lot frequently, as they have commits Phil Jurkovec (2018), David Adams (2017), Joshua Lugg (2017), and Kurt Hinish (2017) already in the fold. Bauer’s pledge to the Irish brings the class to 6 commitments and currently ranks #3 in the 247 Sports Composite team rankings. He is currently listed as standing at 6’3″ and weighing in at 208 lbs.

Recruiting Services:

Scout: 4 star, #15 OLB, #1 PA OLB, #171 overall.

247 Sports: 4 star, #2 ILB, #4 prospect from PA, #95 overall.

Rivals: 4 star

247 Sports Composite: 4 star, #2 ILB, #5 prospect from PA, #149 overall.

Interesting to note that the recruiting services are a little varied on if Bauer is an ILB or OLB.

Cohort:

In addition to earning an offer from Notre Dame, Bauer holds offers from Penn State, Michigan State, Maryland, Iowa State, Akron, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Highlights:

Welcome to the Irish, Bauer!

The Associated Press on Tuesday released its list of the top 100 college football programs of all time. Mississippi State was rated ahead of South Carolina, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt on this list. Now depending on your view this is either higher than what you expected, lower than what you expected, or just about right. Today I am going to tell you a big reason why Mississippi State is where they are on this list and why other teams most notably SEC Teams are where they are.

Now, most of you know about the Allyn Mckeen era of Mississippi State. The Bulldogs were able to get the first SEC Title in the State of Mississippi and even had a team claim a National Championship on year that Mississippi State defeated them. Mississippi State would be considered a top 25 all time college football program at this time. So what went wrong from this point to all the way until the Jackie Sherrill era or even until the Dan Mullen era? Well one thing to point to is the schedule. Mississippi State has arguably the toughest schedule historically not only in the SEC but also in the Nation.

Before the 1992 SEC Expansion, Mississippi State’s most common opponents were Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Florida. Ummm wow. That is a combined 27 claimed National Titles that Mississippi State played. To put this into perspective, the University of Mississippi’s most common played opponents during their 6 SEC titles were Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, LSU, Tulane, and Kentucky. Which have a combined 3 National Championships(all LSU).

It is noteworthy that Alabama, the top SEC program by the AP, was played by Mississippi State in their 1941 SEC Championship but not by the Rebels in any of their 6 SEC Titles, all of which came within a 16 year span from 1947 to 1963.

To make things worse for the Bulldogs, the Athletic Department consistently scheduled games away from Starkville. From 1907-1947 Mississippi State did not play Alabama in Starkville. From 1910-1949 not one game against Auburn was played in the state of Mississippi. In fact before 1978, Auburn only played twice in Starkville. The Florida Gators did recently come to the state of Mississippi, although the majority of the games have been in Gainesville.

The Rebels and the Bulldogs have played each other fairly evenly in Oxford and Starkville. However, the most notable drought is from 1931 to 1957 when Mississippi State did not leave the state of Louisiana and had the majority of their games played in Baton Rouge. and to top that off only 3 games were played in the state of Mississippi between 1931 and 1970. The Bulldogs played LSU in 1982 in Starkville for the first time since 1923. You just cannot make this stuff up.

Mississippi State had a tie in 1941 with LSU that could have prevented them from winning the SEC as their tie with Auburn did in 1940. Tennessee, the team that won the 1940 SEC Title by going 5-0 in conference play over MSU’s 4-0-1 record, had games against Vanderbilt and Kentucky where Mississippi State had road games against Alabama Auburn and LSU. Which was the exact same road games MSU had in 1941 and so on… Had there been a rotation of ANY kind. You might be looking at a possible Rose Bowl or some other SEC Titles during this period. And who knows? Maybe you do not run off Allyn Mckeen so that you do not have such a terrible football team from the 1940s to just about the 1990s.

Mississippi State is in as great position today to win the SEC as they ever have been. They have always played Alabama LSU Ole Miss and Auburn. Replacing Florida with Texas A&M doesn’t make it harder for the bulldogs one bit. Mississippi State today hosts Auburn, Arkansas, and Texas A&M on even years and Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss on odd years. While this is not the most ideal situation, there is still a real path to the SEC Championship. Something Mississippi State is not used to winning.

With certain investigations and possible head coaching changes within the next few years, the SEC may once again see an opening for Mississippi State to contend for the SEC and to avenge the 1940’s Athletic Department for not scheduling SEC teams that would travel to Starkville.

Now, I could talk all day about the terrible decisions that the Athletic Department has historically made that affected sports such as men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and so on. But that is another topic for another day. Just be glad to live in an era of Mississippi State where the Athletic Department has a brain and wants MSU to succeed in all sports.

Christian Owens

RS Freshman
Wide Receiver
6-5 / 215 lbs.
Griffin, GA

Recruitment

Owens is split between a three-star and four-star prospect who received most of his attention from the likes of Clemson, Georgia, Louisville and North Carolina. An original Bulldogs commit, 247Sports ranks the Georgia native as the 35th best player in the state for his class.

College Career

Owens redshirted his first season in 2015, but did enroll early for spring practice, therefore he now has two spring practice seasons under his belt.

2016 Outlook

Owens has some work to do this fall camp to garner enough attention from offensive coaches Kurt Roper and Bryan McClendon to prove he deserves to a chance in the receiver rotation. That said, it shouldn’t be too difficult for the towering 6-5 receiver to stand out amongst his peers.

The way I see it, two days into fall practice, the wide receiver depth chart is fluid daily. And what I think the coaches are looking for, aside from work ethic and a pure desire to improve and develop, is play-making ability. Should Owens be able to stick out enough in the coming scrimmages and make some plays with his hands, he could find himself in the mix in 2016.