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NIGEL JONES TURNING HEADS AT HOLY SPIRIT

New Jersey class of 2012 running back looking to follow in the steps of previous Holy Spirit great

by MATT WHITFIELD

A little over ten years ago a running back by the name of William Green came out of Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, N.J. with All-American accolades and went on to an impressive career at Boston College before being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 1st round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Now, fast forward to 2010 and another running back by the name of Nigel Jones has the chance to be something special.

As only a sophomore last season Jones rushed for 1,179 yards and 19 touchdowns on the heels of a freshman year where he rushed for 1,206 yards and 14 touchdowns. Holy Spirit went 8-3 last season and made it all the way to the semifinals where they lost to perennial power St. Joseph’s of Montvale.

Jones, at 5-foot-11 and 203-pounds describes himself as a ‘work horse running back.’

“I would describe myself as a work horse running back with good size speed and power,” he said. “I love the big people that block for me and watch my back every carry.”

Jones so far has an offer from Rutgers coming very soon and heavy interest from Pittsburgh.

“I have one offer coming in September from Rutgers that will be my first and Pittsburgh has shown a lot of interest in the past two years,” said Jones.

Jones, who is being recruited as a running back at the next level, talked about his strengths on the field with NBE recently.

“I’m a very balanced player, I can run and get the corner or cut it up and pound the ball in between the tackles,” said Jones. “I also believe my work ethic can take me a long way on the college level. I pride myself on being a hard worker on the field and the weight room.”

Jones feels he can work on catching the ball out of the backfield and slot. However, to rush for over a thousand yards as a freshman and a sophomore at this high school level is a feat not many others can accomplish. Jones will surely have more coaches and scouts come through his high school in the coming months as Jones may be New Jersey’s top recruit for the Class of 2012.

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL DEPTH CHART NEWS

Orange receive important boost in backfield

By Raphielle Johnson

With Averin Collier’s status still up in the air for academic reasons (it does not look good in terms of him playing this season), Doug Marrone was looking at going into a season with just one experienced running back at his disposal (Antwon Bailey). But Syracuse received quite the depth chart boost on Monday with the clearance of 1,000-yard rusher Delone Carter. Carter, kicked out of school in April for punching another student (February 27^th snowball incident), was cleared by the school’s judicial review board on Monday to re-enroll. While not in Syracuse for practice and the team’s media day at the Carrier Dome, Collier is expected back sometime this week.

There’s no overstating the importance of this news; behind Bailey there was a surplus of inexperienced backs, and the addition of Carter will allow Coach Marrone and running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley some time in developing those youngsters. Also, junior college transfer Lou Alexander (offensive tackle) looks to be on his way towards being cleared to join the team, and his presence will provide the offensive line with more depth and added competition. Lastly, in their quest for a downfield playmaker at wide receiver the Orange will look to Dorian Graham. Graham, who missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury, moves from cornerback to wide receiver and possesses some freakish athletic measurements.

Wide receiver talk segues into the injury woes that have hit USF at the position in their first full week of practice. Senior wideout Colby Erskin, who’d been granted a sixth year of eligibility for medical reasons (three prior ACL tears), tore the ACL in his left knee on Saturday, ending his season before it even began. Add this to the departure of Carlton Mitchell (NFL), four players deciding not to return and projected starters Sterling Griffin and A.J. Love both missing the first month of the season (at least) due to their own injuries. This is not a good start for Skip Holtz and company, who will likely lean heavily on Lindsey Lamar to make things happen from that position.

In other wide receiver news, Cincinnati learned that they will not have the services of junior college transfer Kenbrell Thompkins per NCAA transfer rules. Thompkins, who signed an LOI to play for Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, was not released from the letter by the new coaching staff and as a result will have to sit out the season. However, Thompkins will have two years of eligibility beginning with the 2011 season. Cincinnati will be fine at wide receiver without him, and he should at the very least help out the secondary as they get their reps in against the offensive scout team. Tight end Travis Kelce will not play this season due to a violation of team rules.

Connecticut kicked things off on Monday, and the big move for Randy Edsall’s team actually came in the form of a coaching move. Coach Edsall will handle the safeties this season, allowing first-year secondary coach Darnell Perkins to work solely with the cornerbacks. The Huskies have to replace Robert McClain at free safety and the overall youth is such that it could help them to hear a more familiar voice for the time being. UConn ranked 88^th in pass defense in 2009, and that area could be the difference between contending for the Big East title and simply going to another bowl game.

As for Rutgers, the absence of backup quarterback Steve Shimko (shoulder injury) could open the door for true freshman Chas Dodd to earn the #2 nod in his stead. Tom Luicci of the Newark Star-Ledger writes that the coaches have been impressed with Dodd’s demeanor and ability. But regardless of who wins the backup job the hopes of the Scarlet Knights will rest on the health of Tom Savage; they cannot afford for him to go down due to injury. Pittsburgh is looking for a big season from redshirt junior linebacker Tristan Roberts, who moved ahead of Greg Williams at WILL linebacker due to his play in the spring. Roberts getting the job done will provide even more depth to a unit that’s expected by many to be the best in the conference this season.

Louisville DE Malcolm Tatum is hoping to hold onto his starting job for the entire season, as he lost that spot after just two games in 2009. C.L. Brown of the Louisville Courier-Journal also wrote on Monday that linebacker Deon Rogers, who switched from Georgia to Louisville once the Cardinals hired Charlie Strong, was cleared to join the team. Scout.com ranked Rogers 53^rd in the nation among linebackers and gave him a three-star rating.

West Virginia, which met the deadline to respond to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations, will be looking for significant production from spur Terrence Garvin given the many responsibilities for his position within their 3-3-5 scheme. Given the overall strength of the Mountaineer defense, Garvin (one of two new starters on defense) should have plenty of opportunities to make things happen. At the very least he’ll have experienced voices on the field letting him know where he needs to be.

2012 NOAH SPENCE PICKING UP BIG EARLY OFFERS

Next Bishop McDevitt star already heavily pursued by top college programs

by MATT WHITFIELD

Bishop McDevitt of Harrisburg (PA) has a history of producing high-level football talent. NFL players like LeSean McCoy and Ricky Watters have come through the program and numerous others have made D-1 programs. Noah Spence, a 6-3, 230-pound junior-to-be Defensive End, has a chance to be the best of all them though according to his coach Jeff Weachter.

Spence, despite being only a sophomore last season, had 60 tackles, 20 of which were tackles for loss, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, three batted balls, two fumbles recovered and one touchdown. His Bishop Mcdevitt team went 12-1 and returns recent Pittsburgh-commit Jameel Poteat as well this upcoming season.

Spense has already received 14 offers with interest from top tier programs such as Florida and USC.

“I have gotten interest from USC, Florida, Florida State and Oregon,” said Spence. “I have been offered by Cincinnati, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee and Virginia.”

Spence also added at this time he has, ‘no favorite yet.’

Spence describes himself as one that seeks out ball and makes plays.

“I would describe myself as a quick after the ball, smart football player that has an eye for the ball,” said Spence.

At the next level Spence is being recruited as a Defensive End and an Outside Linebacker. He feels his build is such that he’ll play that could play either position.

“I am being recruited for are Outside Linebacker and Defensive End. I think it’s my build and my mental use during the game and my motor and eye for the ball,” said Spence.

Spence will undoubtedly see more offers as he progresses and gets bigger and stronger. However, for now Spence wants to work on using his strength more effectively.

“I need work on using my strength more for the next level,” said Spence.

With the numbers he’s already put up at such a rich football program Spence is certainly one to keep an eye on this fall. Undoubtedly Stephen Strasburg won’t be the only athlete people flock to Harrisburg to see this year.

2010 ULTIMATE BIG EAST FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

A week-by-week look at the biggest games in 2010 within the Big East

By Raphielle Johnson

With camps getting underway (USF and Louisville kick things off on Thursday), now seems to be as good a time as any to take a look at the Big East football schedule for the upcoming season. Twelve games: seven conference and five non-conference, with the goal of those non-conference matchups to spread the wealth a bit. No teams will be seen twice on this portion of the slate, and seven of the eight Big East members will be on the schedule at some point. Feel free to add in your own thoughts below.

Week 1: Connecticut at Michigan (September 4th)

Michigan debuts their newly-renovated stadium amidst the cloud of NCAA inquiry in regards to practice time and other issues, not to mention two straight losing seasons under Rich Rodriguez. The Huskies, who won their last four games to close out 2009, never beat Rodriguez when he was the head coach at West Virginia (which received a letter from the NCAA today in regards to Rodriguez’s tenure in Morgantown) but this is likely their best chance. If the Huskies can shore up their secondary and tackling in space issues look out; it shouldn’t be a surprise if Zach Frazer, Jordan Todman and company leave Ann Arbor 1-0.

Best game: Pittsburgh at Utah (September 2nd)

Danger game: Cincinnati at Fresno State (September 4th)
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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PRESEASON POLL & AWARDS WATCHLIST

Pitt receives all but two first-place votes in pre-season media poll

By Raphielle Johnson

Tuesday morning marked the official release of the Big East preseason media poll, with Pittsburgh being the pick to win the conference. Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers, who lost their final two conference games a season ago to miss out on a BCS bid, picked up the first place vote on 22 of 24 ballots to separate themselves from two-time defending champ Cincinnati and West Virginia by 48 points. The Bearcats and Mountaineers both finished with 142 points, although Bill Stewart’s squad picked up one of the other two first place votes. Connecticut, who won their last four games to end 2009, picked up the other first place vote and finished fourth in the poll. Rutgers, who has won their last four bowl games, finished fifth by twenty points over USF and Syracuse finished one point ahead of Louisville for seventh.

1) Pittsburgh -190 points (22 first-place votes)
2) Cincinnati – 142 points
(tie) West Virginia – 142 points (one first-place vote)
4) Connecticut – 131 points (one first-place vote)
5) Rutgers – 99 points
6) South Florida – 79 points
7) Syracuse – 41 points
8] Louisville – 40 points

Can’t say that this is much of a surprise; on paper well before Tuesday’s release the Big East looked to be a league of three “tiers”: the top four with Pittsburgh leading the way, followed by a pair of teams in Rutgers and USF who have the ability to be positive surprises and the rebuilding projects at Syracuse and Louisville bringing up the rear. Personal pick for surprise team is USF; the Bulls have a lot more talent at the disposal of new head coach Skip Holtz and his staff than meets the eye. The biggest question in regards to personnel has to be Syracuse. What happens if they don’t have the services of either Delone Carter (led the team in rushing last season) or Averin Collier (slated to be the starter once Carter was dismissed from school)? You’d have to drop them behind Louisville, who has RB Victor Anderson back for his junior campaign (look for him to rebound from last season should he remain relatively healthy).

My picks:

Pittsburgh
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Connecticut
USF
Rutgers
Louisville
Syracuse

Preseason Award Watch Lists

July marks the time of the year when the individual awards release their initial watch lists for the upcoming season, and a number of Big East players found themselves honored. Below are the players from member schools who are on these lists.

Nagurski Award: DE Greg Romeus (Pittsburgh), S Robert Sands (West Virginia), LB J.K. Schaeffer (Cincinnati), LB J.T. Thomas (West Virginia), LB Lawrence Wilson (Connecticut)

O’Brien Award: QB Zach Collaros (Cincinnati), Tom Savage (Rutgers)

Outland Trophy: G Art Forst (Rutgers), G Zach Hurd (Connecticut), T Jason Pinkston (Rutgers)

Thorpe Award: S Dom DeCicco (Pittsburgh), CB Brandon Hogan (West Virginia), CB Johnny Patrick (Louisville), S Robert Sands (West Virginia)

More awards watch lists will be released next week.

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL SUMMER SCHOOL: WEST VIRGINIA

Mountaineers look to regain Big East crown in 2010

By Raphielle Johnson  

When the torch was passed from Rich Rodriguez to Bill Stewart (dropping the interim tag) on the heels of an impressive whipping of Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl following the 2007 season, many Mountaineers expected to remain atop the Big East as the league’s national standard bearer. But while West Virginia remains the program the other schools measure themselves against when it comes to winning the league, it is Cincinnati who owns the throne right now. But with a number of key contributors on both sides of the football back in Morgantown, expectations for WVU to take back the top spot are high. What separates West Virginia from favorite status as we approach fall camp? Look no further than quarterback.  

While Coach Stewart has handed the keys to the spread option to a different quarterback in each of his two prior seasons, Pat White and Jarrett Brown both had a wealth of experience running the show. That won’t be the case this season, with four players vying for the job with a combined 32-of-49 for 309 yards and a score (all by Geno Smith) through the air and a paltry 14 yards on the ground (seven apiece from Smith and Coley White). And those two are the veterans; incoming freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson will both be given every opportunity to earn reps in advance of the season opener against Coastal Carolina. White played for both teams in the Gold-Blue Game, accounting for a total of 189 yards and three touchdowns against a pair of interceptions.  

But fret not for offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen; whoever is handed the keys to the offense will have a very nice array of skill position options to get the ball to, led by running back Noel Devine and slot-S receiver Jock Sanders. Devine racked up 1,465 yards and thirteen touchdowns on the ground in 2009, ranking behind only Pitt’s Dion Lewis (138.4 yards/game) in rushing yards per game with 112.7 per contest. Devine also accounted for 22 receptions with an average of just eight yards per catch, but opponents know better than to think he’s not an explosive option through the air as well. As Gale Sayers once said, “give me 18 inches. That’s all I need” and this applies for the senior from Fort Myers, FL as well.  

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL SUMMER SCHOOL: SYRACUSE

Orange look to improve in Marrone’s 2nd year with nowhere to go but up

By Raphielle Johnson

The Greg Robinson era was defined by an offense that could get little done and a defense that by the end of the season was worn down from being on the field too much. The move from Robinson to SU alum and former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone was met with enthusiasm, as many fans saw what he was able to do with the Saints attack as a sign of things to come in the Carrier Dome. However, there was no Drew Brees, Reggie Bush or Marques Colston in navy blue and orange as Syracuse struggled in picking up a new system, enjoying the occasional success in between bouts with inconsistency.

With eight starters gone from last year’s offense it may be back to the basics in a sense, although such a “fresh start” with guys who have a year under Marrone under their belts could end up being a good thing in the end. Ryan Nassib left spring drills as tops on the depth chart at quarterback, and playing in nine games last season should help the junior. No more Greg Paulus but Nassib will be challenged for reps by sophomore Charlie Loeb, who didn’t see the field in 2009. The Orange ranked fifth in the conference in both pass and pass efficiency offense last season, but the touchdown to interception ratio (16 TDs, 15 INT) needs to improve if the offense is to improve as a whole. A large part of that will be an experienced group of running backs who have yet to reach their full potential.

Antwon Bailey and Averin Collier ranked second and third on the team in rushing yards last season behind Delone Carter, who was dismissed from school following an off-field incident. Bailey and Collier are both talented enough to make things happen on the ground, and they could even receive help from Carter this season. There could be parameters in place in regards to what Carter will have to do in order to gain readmission into school, and should he meet said parameters he’ll be a welcome addition to the team. Carter rushed for 1,021 yards and eleven touchdowns in 2009, with his average of just over 85 yards/game ranking fourth in the Big East. Adam Harris and Shane Kimmel are experienced fullbacks who should be able to open up holes in the running game; neither touched the ball via carry or reception last year (starter Carl Cutler, who was injured in the spring, also returns).

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL SUMMER SCHOOL: SOUTH FLORIDA

New era begins in Tampa for 2010 USF Bulls

By Raphielle Johnson

The 2009 edition of the USF Bulls didn’t enjoy the best of finishes, something that had become a common occurrence in Jim Leavitt’s program. After starting the season off 5-0, a mark which included a win at Florida State, the Bulls lost five of their last seven games to finish the regular season. This included losses to four of the five Big East teams that finished either even with or ahead of USF in the final standings, as the only win came at home against West Virginia (30-19). Removing the 29-27 loss at Connecticut, USF lost the other three games by an average margin of 25 points per game. But while that’s the on-field reason for their 8-5 record, there were also goings on off the field that ultimately led to the firing of Leavitt.

Skip Holtz arrives in Tampa fresh off of two consecutive Conference USA titles at East Carolina, providing the USF program with a spark of enthusiasm that usually accompanies such moves. Of course USF will also have to move on without the likes of QB Matt Grothe (tore his ACL against Charleston Southern last season as a senior), CB Nate Allen and defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul. But do not make the mistake of assuming that the relative lack of household names means a rebuilding year for Coach Holtz and company. A number of players who return did in fact see credible playing time in 2009, including ten returning starters on offense.

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL SUMMER SCHOOL: RUTGERS

Young Scarlet Knights look to build on 2009

By Raphielle Johnson

Big East (and college football) fans had an interesting dilemma going into the 2009 season. Which “experts” should be believed in regards to who was the favorite to win the Big East? The pundits on ESPN almost unanimously picked Rutgers to win, citing an offensive line that was expected to be the best the conference had to offer. However, the conference’s beat writers went in the other direction, picking the Scarlet Knights to finish fifth in the preseason poll. And unfortunately for Rutgers (and their fans) the season opener against eventual champion Cincinnati was a strong signal that the writers were closer in their projection.

Domenic Natale, chosen to be the starter due to his experience, struggled against the Bearcats and highly touted freshman Tom Savage wasn’t much better in the 47-15 pasting in front of a sellout crowd. The loss brought Rutgers and the expectations back to Earth, but there was a silver lining in that loss. Savage became the man, ushering in the future sooner rather than later and as he (and classmate Mohamed Sanu) established themselves the team improved as a whole. There were certainly hiccups along the way, most notably a 34-14 loss at Syracuse, but that’s to be expected of a young squad. To go from how poorly they played against Cincinnati to closing out a nine-win campaign with a whipping of UCF in the St. Petersburg Bowl signaled a growth that head coach Greg Schiano and his staff hope to build upon in 2010.

Savage enters the season as the unquestioned starter, earning Freshman All-America honors from three different entities in 2009 after throwing for more than 2,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. It says something that despite Scarlet Knight quarterbacks being sacked a combined 40 times (worst in the Big East) Savage completed 52.3% of his passes and threw just seven interceptions. A lot of the defensive looks that may have been foreign to the Pennsylvania native last season will be all the more familiar in 2010, which leads many to expect bigger things and rightfully so. And given his connection with Sanu there’s a very good chance of that progression taking place.

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL SUMMER SCHOOL: PITTSBURGH

Can Panthers earn elusive BCS bid under Wannstedt in 2010 season?

 

by RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter of their regular season finale against Cincinnati, the Pittsburgh Panthers took a 38-24 lead on the Bearcats thanks to a 15-yard touchdown run by Dion Lewis. Heinz Field was rocking, with the partisans feeling as if a BCS bowl berth was well with their grasp. But how that game finished left a bitter taste in the mouths of all associated with the Pitt program, as Cincinnati outscored the Panthers 21-6 in the final 11:09 to pull out the 45-44 win to clinch their second consecutive Big East crown.  

That leaves the upcoming 2010 campaign to be one of unfinished business for the Panthers, and with two possible Heisman candidates to go along with the most talented defense in the Big East (on paper) look for many to expect Pitt to do just that. The headliners: RB Dion Lewis and WR Jonathan Baldwin, both of whom put up outstanding numbers in 2009. Lewis, Big East Rookie of the Year in a vote that wasn’t even close, rushed for 1,799 yards and 17 touchdowns last season and did well enough to merit some late-season Heisman talk.  Now a sophomore, Lewis will need to adjust to teams having a full offseason to focus on him in film study and scouting reports but he’s more than talented enough to handle the increased spotlight.  

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