Rutgers

TOP TALENT DOTS BIG EAST SCHEDULES

The best players on each team’s schedule

By Raphielle Johnson

With a schedule that includes matchups with some of the nation’s best teams, Big East schools will encounter some stiff tests outside of league play this season. But who are some of the best players that Big East schools will contend with in 2010? Below is one player on each side of the football that conference schools will need to keep tabs on, and while a few teams have marquee matchups with some of the sport’s biggest names that’s not a guarantee that said teams will provide the best individual. Feel free to add your thoughts below.

Offense

Cincinnati: QB Russell Wilson (NC State; September 16^th)

While much may not be expected of the Wolfpack this season do not sleep on the junior quarterback who is just as accomplished on the diamond (high selection in this year’s MLB Amateur Draft) as he is on the gridiron. Wilson followed up a First Team All-ACC season in 2008 with 3,027 yards and 31 touchdowns to just eleven interceptions, and he’s also a credible threat with his legs as well. And for a conference reference point all the Bearcats need to do is look at the tape from NC State’s comeback win over Pittsburgh last season. If you’re making a list of college football players with the ability to will their team to a win Russell’s name should be present.

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL NEWS & NOTES (8/15/2010)

By Raphielle Johnson

Five more awards announced have their preseason watch lists this week: the Bednarik (awarded to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player), Biletnikoff (awarded to the nation’s best wide receiver), Camp (awarded to the nation’s most outstanding football player), Maxwell (also awarded to the nation’s most outstanding football player), and the Guy (awarded to the nation’s best punter). The Big East players named to each of the watch lists are as follows:

Bednarik: DE Greg Romeus (Pittsburgh), FS Robert Sands (West Virginia), LB Derrell Smith (Syracuse) and LB Lawrence Wilson (Connecticut)

Biletnikoff: Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh) and Armon Binns (Cincinnati)

Walter Camp: RB Noel Devine (West Virginia) and RB Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh)

Maxwell: WR Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh), QB Zach Collaros (Cincinnati), RB Noel Devine (West Virginia), RB Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh), RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati), QB Tom Savage (Rutgers) and RB Jordan Todman (Connecticut)

Guy: Rob Long (Syracuse)

As for the injuries that have hit the wide receiver position within the Big East in the first two weeks of practice (not even a full 14 days), it’s a good thing the conference went with a running back from each school for the cover of its media guide. Rutgers and Syracuse have seen receivers expected to be important cogs within their respective offenses go down, with the Scarlet Knights knowing that their lost receiver will be out for the season. Tim Wright, who won the job opposite Mohamed Sanu in spring practice, went down with a knee injury on Tuesday and was officially declared out for the season on Wednesday. The man who gets the first shot at replacing Wright is Mark Harrison, who fell just short of getting the top spot on the depth chart at the end of the spring. Harrison averaged just over sixteen yards per reception in 2009 but had just five catches on the season.

As for Syracuse, the first day of practice for Delone Carter (and third day of practice overall) ended up being a bad one for freshman Jarrod West. West left practice without sock or cleat on his right foot early in the session, and head coach Doug Marrone didn’t sound too optimistic when discussing the injury with reporters following practice. With the Orange having a number of possession receivers but lacking difference makers on the outside the hope was that West, who was an all-state selection in Pennsylvania last year and originally committed to Stanford, would be a player they could count on to make a difference. Of course the true severity of the injury is still unknown, and you can only hope for good news if you’re a Syracuse fan.

John F. Silver of the Manchester Journal-Inquirer wrote a piece on Connecticut left tackle Jimmy Bennett, who’s sat out the last two seasons and is competing with Adam Masters for the starting nod. Bennett, from Alexandria, VA, was one of the Huskies’ best recruits two seasons ago and after redshirting injured his knee last season. But his return from injury hasn’t tempered the expectations of the coaching staff, which thinks Bennett has the ability to be the best offensive lineman UConn has produced during the Randy Edsall era.

As for West Virginia, who has found itself in the news more for issues involving the NCAA rules manual recently, the focus is on starting quarterback Geno Smith and his ability to lead the offense and distribute the football. Smith is just one of two new starters on the Mountaineer offense, and while he’s got a number of capable skill players at his disposal they’ll only be as good as he allows them to be. Also, Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail focused on the journey to health of left guard Chad Snodgrass, who is currently second on the depth chart behind Josh Jenkins. At the least Snodgrass remaining healthy gives West Virginia more line depth, a luxury that any team would desire.

And while it’s never a bad thing to have a visitor who possesses the resume of a Lou Holtz (who spoke to the team on Wednesday), USF didn’t go through the best of days on the injury front in Vero Beach. With RT Jake Sims out due to concussion-like symptoms, the Bulls saw another tackle go down late in practice in the form of Mark Popek (right knee). Popek, who started five games last season as a true freshman, was second on the depth chart at left tackle going into fall camp. With the number of injuries/departures at wide receiver the last thing head coach Skip Holtz needs is to have another position get hit hard by injuries. But the good news is that WR Sterling Griffin was at practice (still not participating) without the protective boot he’d been sporting due to injury.

Other Links:

Cincinnati is expecting big things from Isaiah Pead this season, and head coach Butch Jones won’t be standing in the way of the sophomore’s progress.

Louisville: A number of newcomers will provide the Cardinals with much-needed depth- and playmaking ability- at wide receiver this season.

Pittsburgh: While they do have big holes to fill in the middle of the defensive line with Mick Williams and Guz Mustakas having graduated, the Panthers aren’t without options. And it’s also helped the defense that sophomore middle linebacker Dan Mason is ready to take on a leading role.

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: 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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CLASS OF 2011 PENNSYLVANIA TOP 25 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS

by CHRIS DOKISH

It’s a down year for talent in the state, both with the number of elite prospects and the overall number of high-major prospects, but there are still some very good players to be recruited.

The glamour positions of quarterback and wide receiver are severely lacking, and there are no elite offensive linemen or linebackers, but there is an excellent running back which is a rarity in the state, three excellent cornerbacks, and a slew of exciting pass rushers.

As always, the final rankings are my own, but only after talking to many high school coaches, college scouts, and independent scouts, such as Joe Butler of Metro Index Scouting.

1. Ben Koyack, Oil City HS (Oil City) TE – It’s not often that a tight end is the best player in the state, but there is little doubt that will be the case this year. At 6′5″ and 230 pounds, he has good size with a frame to get even bigger. He also possesses great hands to go along with good speed and athleticism. More of a threat as a receiver but is a willing and good blocker. Most of all, he just knows how to play football. Committed to NOTRE DAME over Penn State, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, LSU, California, Virginia Tech, USC, and many others. Bottom line – A perfect fit for new coach Brian Kelly and there’s no reason why he can’t be a star at the college level.

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JAMAL MERRITT UPDATES RECRUITMENT

Maryland athlete open in his recruitment, but speaks highly of Rutgers and looks to visit WVU next week

by JOHN TALTY

When a football player gets labeled an athlete it almost always is because of that player’s versatility.

That theory holds particularly true for Sherwood (Md.) 6-foot, 170-pound athlete Jamal Merritt.

Merritt has experience at wide receiver, cornerback and safety for his team and is subsequently being recruited at each position by different schools. He expects to get a better idea of what position he wants to play in college during his senior season, but right now is content to play whatever necessary.

“Right now I’ll just play wherever the coach wants me to play but as the season goes on that’s when I’ll get a better feel for what I want to play,” Merritt said. “That will be one of the main things that will help me choose what school I want.”

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