FOFC-BBCF: The Utah Utes

[st.cronin]

dola
Not to mention that if you are stealing recruits from a 40-something prestige Mountain West team, you won't be able to compete in the Big Ten.

[Blade6119]

Eh, i dont need any recruits this year...i got my class last year, im just biding my time for them to develop(god bless my frosh QB and 3 WRs all being 3.0/5.0)

[DeToxRox]

At Arizona this year I had 21 schollies (I believe it was) and a LOT of money. It'll be interesting how many guys we haul.

[Groundhog]

I'm having MAJOR issues with recruiting. I'm sure I turned staff delegated recruiting off during transfers week 1 (the same time I turned off staff delegated transfers), yet I loaded up the save and the AI has used up all my recruiting budget for the week, and I can't seem to see a way to cancel the AI's actions.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I'm having MAJOR issues with recruiting. I'm sure I turned staff delegated recruiting off during transfers week 1 (the same time I turned off staff delegated transfers), yet I loaded up the save and the AI has used up all my recruiting budget for the week, and I can't seem to see a way to cancel the AI's actions.

This happened to a couple of people last year, too. I forget if there was a fix or not, and what the cause was.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

This happened to a couple of people last year, too. I forget if there was a fix or not, and what the cause was.

Thankfully the AI made good choices for the most part and targetted about 6 guys I would have gone after too, but it didn't target a single QB even with two good options having 10 and 9 interest in my school.

[st.cronin]

Did you submit an export for the last transfer stage?

[Groundhog]

Yup. I turned delegation off for everything in week 1 of transfers and submitted an export for each round, and delegation never turned itself back on again until this stage.

[Groundhog]

OG Randy Reiter forgoes Senior year to enter the NFL Draft

It probably shouldn't have come as such as surprise to me, but our National First Teamer OG Randy Reiter has decided to take his skills to the NFL, leaving us with a huge hole on the offensive line - especially after OG Michael Phillips transfered to another school as well.

We are a little shallow at OG but have plenty of options at OT, so we will likely look to convert one of our OTs to OG.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

OG Randy Reiter forgoes Senior year to enter the NFL Draft

It probably shouldn't have come as such as surprise to me, but our National First Teamer OG Randy Reiter has decided to take his skills to the NFL, leaving us with a huge hole on the offensive line - especially after OG Michael Phillips transfered to another school as well.

We are a little shallow at OG but have plenty of options at OT, so we will likely look to convert one of our OTs to OG.

Good call on the position change. Did it last year when I desperatley needed WR's and turned my 2.5/3.5 RB to a WR. Ended up becoming a 3/3.5 WR. Of course he was an idiot and got suspended but .. it was good at first.

[st.cronin]

Well, TCU got a couple signed:

wr Sylvester Bailey (#964 overall) Granbury, TX 6'0", 186
ot Steven Flores (#883 overall) Ozona, TX 6'6", 306

[Groundhog]

OLB Adrian Esparza Commits to Utah University

We announce our first signing this week, with the #28 OLB in the nation A. Esparza deciding to attend our school. Ranked #417 overall, Esparza is a coverage linebacker with pass rushing skills, and even if he doesn't fill a large need for us, he was too talented to pass up. He will likely redshirt next season.

[Groundhog]

The next recruiting sim is to be run in a few hours, so I thought I'd take a moment to run through our targets.

I'm not going to name names, but the positions we are targetting should be clear: CBs & QBs priority 1, DTs priority 2, general depth priority 3. I have been at somewhat of a disadvantage this recruiting season due to "me" screwing up my settings and having the AI recruit the first 2 recruiting sims for me.

Thankfully the AI went after a score of good CBs - guys who I would have targetted anyway - as well as a good option at WR and the JuCo OLB that commited to me last week, another guy who I would have gone after. What the AI didn't do was target even a single QB - a very dire position for us if we can't bring in a starting-quality recruit, worse than even CB where we at least have Kim returning next season.

I'm hoping to nab at least one of my CB targets this sim. Any of them would be nice as they are all a big improvement over what I've currently got - Kim aside - but two of my targets are true gems that would be great pickups. I have some competition on them from higher ranking schools however.

I've also gone after a couple of QBs, but I fear that I may have started the chase too late so I don't have a lot of hope. DTs are a similar problem as the AI didn't target any, so the couple I've targetted since week 3 will likely end up going to schools who have been looking at them since week 1.

I have also showed some interest in a couple of offensive lineman. It's too early to tell if I have much of a hope with these guys yet, but they appear to have been left alone by the big schools.

[DeToxRox]

Going into tonights sim there are three guys we're fighting over. One is a QB who I liked because he is a freak athlete but he won't come to 'Zona now. The other is a DB and an OL I believe. Forget off hand but that's the gist.

Good luck tonight.

[Groundhog]

CB John Moore Commits to Utah University

This is a MAJOR signing for us, as Moore was easily our #1 target, and I had expected him to go to a higher-profile school. Moore is a 4-star CB and is the #322 overall recruit in the nation, and the #30 overall CB. Described as a "press corner", Moore will start with returning-CB Kim from day 1 and should provide instant help to a secondary that really needs it.

[Groundhog]

A little more on our signings so far:

CB John Moore is a fine physical specimen. When compared with the top 100 CBs in his class, he ranks #21 in the 40 time, #7 in the vert, #8 in the squat, and #17 in the bench. This athleticism, combined with a WR-esque height of 6'1, makes Moore a potentially excellent pressing CB, and will have us looking to line him up primarily man-on-man with opposing receivers.

OLB Adrian Esparza, our JuCo recruit, is not the physical freak that Moore is in comparison to the rest of his class, but still ranks as an above average athlete. When compared to the top 100 OLBs, Esparza ranks #46 in the 40 time, #29 at the vert, #39 at the squat, and #39 at the bench. He is a coverage LB, which fits in well with the other guys we have on our roster. We are pretty stocked at LB, so Esparza will likely redshirt the coming season.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

A little more on our signings so far:

CB John Moore is a fine physical specimen. When compared with the top 100 CBs in his class, he ranks #21 in the 40 time, #7 in the vert, #8 in the squat, and #17 in the bench. This athleticism, combined with a WR-esque height of 6'1, makes Moore a potentially excellent pressing CB, and will have us looking to line him up primarily man-on-man with opposing receivers.

OLB Adrian Esparza, our JuCo recruit, is not the physical freak that Moore is in comparison to the rest of his class, but still ranks as an above average athlete. When compared to the top 100 OLBs, Esparza ranks #46 in the 40 time, #29 at the vert, #39 at the squat, and #39 at the bench. He is a coverage LB, which fits in well with the other guys we have on our roster. We are pretty stocked at LB, so Esparza will likely redshirt the coming season.

Solid gets. How many schollies ya got out?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Solid gets. How many schollies ya got out?

I'm working from memory here as I'm at work, but I believe I had 7 total schollies this offseason, giving me 5 left.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I'm working from memory here as I'm at work, but I believe I had 7 total schollies this offseason, giving me 5 left.

Scratch that, I actually had 9 schollies total this offseason.

[Groundhog]

CB Lester Clayton Commits to Utah University

Well, when it rains, it pours. Clayton is ranked higher than John Moore (#162 overall, #15 CB), though Moore ranked higher on my want list due to his size and specialities. Even so, Clayton is a big-time talent, and it now looks like there's going to be some competition in training camp for that #2 CB spot. It may not just come down to Clayton and Moore however because...

[Groundhog]

CB(A) Matt Herman commits to Utah University

We've gone from having a serious lack of talented CBs to having 3 4-star freshmen on our roster! Herman is the #356 overall & #33 CB recruit in the nation. Like Clayton he is a balanced CB, but doubles as an athlete as well. I was confident we'd land Herman, but didn't expect to get Clayton as well. It's a pretty nice problem to have.

[Groundhog]

Recruiting Losses

The most serious player we lost this sim was hometown recruit QB J. English. English had 10 interest in us, but the AI didn't target him during the first 2 weeks and I felt this played a big part in him signing with Washington over us. A big blow, as we are in dire need of a QB. A couple of other players also looked elsewhere, but we are still in the running for another couple of players who, despite not being as highly regarded as our CB signings, will really help with depth.

[DeToxRox]

You're setting yourself up with a solid young defensive backfield. Should be interesting how you finish up the recruiting season.

[Groundhog]

A little more on our latest signings:

CB Lester Clayton is not a tremendous athlete. Compared with the top 100 CBs in his class, he ranked #84 with a 40 time of 4.63, #34 with his vert of 36.7, #94 with his squat score of 388, and #54 with his bench score of 289. What he lacks in athletic ability he makes up in talent however, and he should be a deadly zone CB.

CB(A) Matt Herman is also not a terrific athlete. Compared to the top 100 CBs, he ranked #51 with his 40 time of 4.56, #76 with his vertical of 35, and #70 with his squat score of 429. He showed solid strength however, ranking #9 overall with his bench score of 333. Much like Clayton, Herman excels in the skills rather than physical attributes, but he is greener than either Clayton or Moore. He is a candidate to redshirt, or perhaps even switch to safety.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

You're setting yourself up with a solid young defensive backfield. Should be interesting how you finish up the recruiting season.

Aye. We have targets at DT and WR that I'd love to pickup in the next sim. We also have a QB on our radar, but he is more of a runningback than a passer, and we already have 2 of those guys on our roster. We had 3 main weaknesses to address this recruiting sim, and we've only nailed 1 of them, so we've still got some work to do.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Aye. We have targets at DT and WR that I'd love to pickup in the next sim. We also have a QB on our radar, but he is more of a runningback than a passer, and we already have 2 of those guys on our roster. We had 3 main weaknesses to address this recruiting sim, and we've only nailed 1 of them, so we've still got some work to do.

May wanna' think about an option attack if that's the case. Love your RB's. You got the depth for it, it may be something to consider.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

May wanna' think about an option attack if that's the case. Love your RB's. You got the depth for it, it may be something to consider.

Yeah, good call on the option attack. That may very well be the way we have to go, assuming we don't land a starting-quality QB.

[DeToxRox]

Quick formatting Q

How do you format your roster to look like it does?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Quick formatting Q

How do you format your roster to look like it does?

I couldn't think of any clever or quick way to do it, so I just typed it up in notepad and pasted it in with [code] tags.

What can I say, I get a lot of down time in my job...

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I couldn't think of any clever or quick way to do it, so I just typed it up in notepad and pasted it in with [code] tags.

What can I say, I get a lot of down time in my job...

Haha touche. I am not good with any HTML, how do you do the code tags?

[Groundhog]

Put a [code] tag in your post, start a new line, paste your roster info from out of notepad, and then put a [\code] tag (changing the \ to a /). That will keep your formatting from notepad, with all tabs and spaces.

[DeToxRox]

Appreciate it, GH!

[Groundhog]

Early-Departure OG Randy Reiter's Stats

Just recalled that I forgot to post the stats of Randy Reiter, our superb OG from last season who made the national first team. He declared following his junior year and will really be missed on our OLine:

Blocking Stats
##############
	GP GS  KRB  Pan  SA  Hold  FS  MB
 2008:  11 11   27   17  10     0   1   0
Total:  11 11   27   17  10     0   1   0

Awards: National First Team (2008), First Team All-Mountain West (2008)

He was only with us for one season, but what a season it was.

[Groundhog]

DT Harold Rhodes commits to Utah University

Two of our three big gaps are now full after Rhodes commited today. Rhodes was one of two DTs we were in the chase for, and again he was not the one I expected to sign. The other DT was a JuCo and less highly regarded, so getting Rhodes - who was being chased by at least one big school - is a major score for us. He ranked #387 overall, #31 amongst DTs, and is a balanced DT who will instantly step in and start from day one. He'll take his lumps while he develops, but this guy should be a future First Team Mount West'er.

[Groundhog]

WR Emilio Martin commits to Utah University

Martin was a guy who, while not filling any pressing needs, showed 10 interest in us from day one. He is a speedy WR, ranked #616 overall and #82 amongst WRs. Depending on how he looks after training camp he may not wind up seeing a lot of time on the field, but should develop into a good 1st or 2nd WR in a season or two.

[Groundhog]

K Mack Curtis commits to Utah University

Our current kicker is coming in to his senior year, and Curtis is now his heir. Has the potential to wind up being better than our current guy, and may redshirt this season. He was the #679 overall recruit, #19 amongst kickers.

[Blade6119]

Congrats on rhodes, i had scouted and recruited him early but he went from 7 interest to 2 in week 2. Your offer must have included a "hate wisconsin" clause lol

[Groundhog]

Overall Recruiting Update

Two more weeks of recruiting to go, and we have two scholarships remaining. Our main goals were, in order of importance: CBs, QBs, & DTs. We have more than had our fill of CBs and brought in a quality DT, but we've struck out on all targetted QBs. We are going to hit this position hard over the next two sims, while also looking for either a DE or an OG with our final scholarship.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Congrats on rhodes, i had scouted and recruited him early but he went from 7 interest to 2 in week 2. Your offer must have included a "hate wisconsin" clause lol

Thanks mate. I'm surprised he was still around. Another coach must've strung him along and then yanked his schollie offer sometime over the past couple of sims.

[Groundhog]

2nd Last Recruiting Sim Update

We didn't nab anyone this round, and still have 2 scholarships left. I'm at work so I'm not sure if the players we chased - a mediocre QB & OG - signed elsewhere. The QB we were after had little interest in us (3) but had no other offers, so it wouldn't take much to lose him, while the OG was a 6 interest.

[DeToxRox]

Which guys you looking at? I can look for you.

[Groundhog]

Thanks, though I just recalled that the recruit lists are displayed on the page. The QB I'm after didn't commit to anyone, but I can't for the life of me remember the name of the OG.

[Groundhog]

OG Kevin Charles commits to Utah University

Charles is the #794 recruit in the nation, and the #46 OG. The early departure of Reiter meant that we had a bit of a hole on the offensive line, but Charles might be a little green to help out straight away. Has the look of a potential future impact lineman however.

[Groundhog]

Utah's Final Recruiting Class

Ratings are according to the league scouts.

#162 CB Lester Clayton, 2.0/4.0
#322 CB John Moore, 2.0/4.0
#356 CB(A) Matt Herman, 1.5/4.0
#387 DT Harold Rhodes, 1.0/4.0
#417 OLB Adrian Esparza, 3.0/3.5
#616 WR Emilio Martin, 1.0/3.5
#679 K Mack Curtis, 2.5/4.5
#794 OG Kevin Charles, 1.0/4.0

I'm very happy with this class. We failed to fill one scholarship which will carry over to next season, but we addressed some issues. Our biggest problem last season was our inability to stop the pass, and our three CBs will all help out in that area - though we may redshirt Herman and convert him to safety, as he just isn't as game-ready as the other 2. DT was another key pickup for us, with Rhodes set to be our man in the middle for the next 4 years. OLB Esparza looks better than advertised as well, and I may struggle to keep him out of the starting lineup.

What we failed to do was bring in a QB. I had some targets, but no luck. My last hope was QB Tran out of California, but it looks like he went elsewhere in the final round, but the QB I really wanted was English, who we lost out on early in the recruiting. Looks like we're stuck with the guys we have, but with the planned option offense we are going to run it might not be such a nightmare... hopefully.

[SFL Cat]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Well, TCU got a couple signed:

wr Sylvester Bailey (#964 overall) Granbury, TX 6'0", 186
ot Steven Flores (#883 overall) Ozona, TX 6'6", 306

Man...Flores is a BIG kid.

[Groundhog]

Recruit Class Ranking

Our class is rated #49 in the nation with 1316 points and 3.38 star average. The rest of the Mount West came in as follows:

UNLV - #56
Two OGs, Lawrence McLeod (#637, #36 OG) & Timothy Barrett (#650, #37 OG), lead this class and should both be potential key starters down the track, but solid depth overall for the Rebels, particularily for their defensive unit.

New Mexico - #60
OLB Henry Reyna (#713, #43 ILB) is quite green but has the makings of a quality ILB, while DE Jeremy Branch (#736, #52 DE) should prove a solid pass rusher.

BYU - #61
The Cougars pulled in some real talents with ILB Todd Eaton (#376, #21 ILB) and C Charles Potter (#633, #30 C), but the talent drop off is quite steep after these two.

TCU - #70
Everyone knows that TCU does their recruiting in the transfer phase, but they pulled in some solid freshmen all the same. CBs Donald Hughes (#368, #34 CB) & Timothy Watson (#588, #57 CB) are the picks of the litter, but an overall quite solid class.

San Diego St - #76
Only 5 scholarships were handed out by the Aztecs. Not sure how many they had, but if it were more than 5 it's a little dissapointing for them. OT David Hall (#313, #18 OT) is a stud and OLB Cornelius Ashley (#784, #62 OLB) is a solid pass rusher, but there's not a lot else here.

Wyoming - #92
Wyoming failed to bring in any major talents, though DE David Spencer (#783, #57 DE) is an intriguing physical specimen who may amount to something. The rest of the class is depth-chart quality.

Air Force - #94
OLB Robin Smith (#384, #27 OLB) will be an impact player for the Falcons with his pass rushing moves and tackling ability, while JuCo CB Larry Thomas (#859, #84 CB) should be able to step straight in with his zone coverage skills. Not much else to speak of.

Colorado St - #99
WR Donnie Hopper (#876, #115 WR) might amount to something with his hands and route running ability, but outside of maybe ILB Cody Holloway (#1346, #63 ILB), I'd be shocked if many of the others in this small class amount to anything more than adequete role players.

[Blade6119]

Congrats on the top class in the conference buddy!

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Congrats on the top class in the conference buddy!

Thanks! I surprised myself to be honest... I quickly ran through one recruiting phase in single player before the league's first recruiting sim and did very poorly against the AI, so I had no idea how I'd do against humans. I think I lucked out a little though because all those CBs had 10 and 9 interest in me from day 1, and the OLB was my "freebie" recruit.

[Groundhog]

Post-Training Camp Roster Evaluation - Offense

Aside from QB, this was a very positive training camp indeed. Ratings are, as always, by the league scouts, and projected starters are in bold.

QB:

			Cur/Pot YR AS PA PT RN HD IN
John Haynes		1.0/1.5 FR  9  8  8  3  6 12
Eddie Mays		1.5/2.5 FR  7  8  9 15 10 12
Albert Saunders		1.5/2.5 SO  8  9  9 14  8  9
Freddie James		1.5/2.0	JR  9 10 10  5  4  8
Herman Maddox		1.0/1.0	SR  6  7  9  8  5 12

Key: AS = arm strength, PA = pass accuracy, PT = pass touch, RN = running, HD = hands, IN = instincts. * = starter last season. # = redshirting this season.

I was really hoping Saunders or James would step up a notch after this training camp, but neither player improved as much as I would have liked, making QB easily my weakest position. We intend on running the option, so James - despite being our best passer - is hurt by his lack of mobility. Eddie Mays, a redshirt freshman who I intended to convert to RB, may get the nod over Saunders due to his superior running skills and instincts, but I have a feeling that I'll be switching this guys in and out as the season progress. Oh how we miss you, Aldridge. Walk-ons Haynes and Maddox fill out this crew, but neither will see time on the field. We hope.

RBs

			Cur/Pot YR RN HD RR AC AG SP ST
*Jeffrey Reynolds	4.0/5.0 JR 17 14 14 14 11 10 10
Isaac Nolan		3.0/4.5 SO 15 14  9 12  9 14  5
Thomas Richardson	1.5/3.0 JR 11 11 10  8  9  9  6
Kevin Blanchard		1.5/2.5 SO 12 10  8  6 10  7  5
Jason Frank		1.0/1.5 FR 10  7  8  6  7  7  5


Key: RN = running, HD = hands, RR = route running, AC = acceleration, AG = agility, SP = speed, ST = strength, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Reynolds is looking in fine form, and should build on a great sophomore season. He was 1st team Mount West last season, and should manage that again this year, especially with the increased carries that will likely result from us no longer running wingbacks. We will miss Paul Green's pass catching ability, but Nolan has the goods to be a solid 2nd RB. Depth falls off after these two, but Richardson and Blanchard are capable of taking a few carries should the need arise.

FBs

			Cur/Pot YR RN HD RR RB
*Randolph Medina	3.0/3.5 SR 12  9 12 12
Russell Smith		2.0/3.0 SR 12 11  8 14
Jim Glenn		1.0/2.0 SR  8  9  8 10

Key: RN = running, HD = hands, RR = route running, RB = run blocking, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Not a lot of improvement from these guys, but then not much was needed. Medina is pretty solid and shocked me with how often he managed to break away on surprise FB running plays. Smith is a stronger blocking FB and has the potential to start should I decide to tweak my blocking game. Glenn is a warm body.

WRs

			Cur/Pot YR HD RR AC SP
*Robert Byrd		3.5/4.0 SR 16 16 12 11
Dewey Wilburn		2.5/3.5 SO 11 12 12 15
Richard Chaffin		2.5/3.5 FR 12 12 10 12
#Emilio Martin		1.5/3.5 FR 11 11 13 10
John Newby		1.0/2.5 JR 10  9  8  9
Donald Haley		1.0/1.5 JR 10  8  7 10
Steven Williams		1.0/1.5	JR  7  9  5  7

Key: HD = hands, RR = route running, AC = acceleration, SP = speed, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Byrd is back for his final season and will be our biggest threat at receiver - providing our QBs can get him the ball. Wilburn and Chaffin are my options at for 2nd WR, and so far I'm undecided. Chaffin appears to have better hands, but I might stick it out with Wilburn due to his experience. Could be some shuffling here as the season progresses. Martin will redshirt and should wind up a contributor next season. Newby is a special teams guy, while JuCo walk-on Haley looks like he might actually have a little talent should we require him.

TEs

			Cur/Pot YR HD RR PB RB
James Evans		2.5/4.0 JR 15 14 13 13
*William Holcomb	2.5/3.5 SR 13  9 11 11
Frankie Barrera		1.0/2.5 SO 10  7  8 10
Marcel Wilhelm		1.0/2.0 SR  7  9  8  8

Key: HD = hands, RR = route running, PB = pass block, RB = run block, # = redshirting this season.

Holcomb was the starter last season, but Evans will be our guy in 2009 after sitting out 2008 as a transfer. Evans is a strong blocker, which is primarily what our TEs will be asked to do, but he can also reel in a catch when needed. Holcomb did fine in his limited role last season, and should be up to the challenge if required. Barrera is more of a pass target who doesn't figure to hit the field much, while Wilhelm is a warm body.

OGs

			Cur/Pot YR PB RB AG ST
*Eugene Fitzpatrick	2.5/4.0 SO 14 14  7 11
Kevin Charles		2.0/4.0 FR 13 12  8 10
Leonard Heath		1.5/2.5 JR 10 10  4  8
Ian McElroy		1.0/2.5 SR 10 11  6  8
Scott Babb		1.0/1.5 JR  8 10  3  9
Greg Rodriguez		1.0/1.5 FR  8  9  6  9

Key: PB = pass block, RB = run block, AG = agility, ST = strength, # = redshirting this season.

The early departure of Reiter to the NFL and Michael Phillips to a transfer hit our OG position quite hard. Thankfully Fitzpatrick has come in to camp looking good, and freshman Kevin Charles looks even better than we expected. Depth is a real concern as Heath and McElroy are really emergency-only options, so we will look at converting an OT accross to OG to help address this.

OTs

			Cur/Pot YR PB RB AG ST
*Joseph Steele		3.5/4.0 SR 13 16  7 12
*Louis Akers		2.5/3.5	JR 13 14  6 12
#Bernard Pruett		2.5/4.0 SO 12 15  7 14
Rodney Munson		2.0/4.0 SO 14 12  6 10
Stanley Rangel		1.5/3.0 JR 11 12  4 12
Brad Carr		1.5/3.5 FR 12 10  6 11
Devin Greene		1.0/2.0 SR  7 10  7  8

Key: PB = pass block, RB = run block, AG = agility, ST = strength, # = redshirting this season.

We are pretty stacked here. Akers and Steele return, and both are great run blockers, which is a must for this team. Pruett will sit out a year after transfering, but will slide right in to Steele's role next year. Munson, Rangel, and Carr are all decent reserves, but one will be changed to OG, though I'm a little undecided as to who that will be. Money is on Rangel at the moment, as Carr may come in handy at OT in a season or two when some of my starters graduate.

Cs

			Cur/Pot YR PB RB AG ST
*Jerry O'Neal		3.0/4.0 JR 14 13  8 10
William Smith		3.0/4.0 JR 14 13  5 14
Patrick Davidson	1.0/1.5 SR  8  7  4  8

Key: PB = pass block, RB = run block, AG = agility, ST = strength, # = redshirting this season.

Both Smith and O'Neal saw time at starter, but O'Neal was the least error-prone, and will maintain his starting role, but Smith will be back in the picture should he faulter.

Outlook

Offense was our greatest strength last season. We got great production out of our running game thanks to some talented backs and a strong OLine, and Aldridge at QB exceeded all sensible expectations by having a tremendous year.

This year we lose some strength on the OLine, and have little passing game to work with, despite some decent WRs. I still expect us to be solid on the ground, but our lack of passing game isn't going to help us as teams will be looking to shut down our running game. How Mays performs in our option offense may be the key for us, but we had better hope our D is better than last year, because we aren't going to be blasting teams for 30-40 points too frequently this season I would think.

[Groundhog]

Post-Training Camp Roster Evaluation - Defense

DEs

			Cur/Pot YR PR PA TK SP ST AG
*John Gaddy		4.0/5.0	SR 18 15 18 10 10 12
*Bruce Gonzales		3.0/4.0 JR 14 12 14 10  9 10
Christopher Lewis	1.5/3.0 SO 12 11 12  6 10  8
Dennis Terry		1.5/3.0 FR 11 11 12  7  8 10
Scott Berry		1.5/2.5 JR 11 11  9  7  8  6

Key: PR = pass rush, PA = point of attack, TK = tackle, SP = speed, ST = strength, AG = aggression, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Gaddy was a little dissapointing last season, but I put much of that down to my gameplanning. The fact is that I didn't blitz nearly enough last season considering my talent, and that is going to be something I address this season. Gonzales is looking improved and combined with Gaddy on the line should form an imposing bunch of bookends on the DLine. Lewis and Terry are adequete as reserves, but neither progressed as much as I would have liked.

DTs

			Cur/Pot YR PR PA TK SP ST AG
Harold Rhodes		2.0/4.0 FR 14 15 13  2 12 10
Clinton Hall		1.0/2.0 JR 10  8 10  5  7  7
Donald Walton		1.0/2.0 SO 12 10  9  6  7  8
Robert Biggs		1.0/1.5 FR  8  9  9  6  8  6
Thomas Greer		1.0/1.0 SO  8  8  9  4  5  6

Key: PR = pass rush, PA = point of attack, TK = tackle, SP = speed, ST = strength, AG = aggression, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Rhodes was a huge signing for us, and should fill up the middle of our DLine for the duration of his 4 years on campus. He is slow as a turtle, but is blesssed with a great set of skills and looks ready to roll from day 1. We seriously lack depth here, but Walton is probably the next best option for us. Hall is passable, but Biggs and Greer aren't much of anything.

OLBs

			Cur/Pot YR PR PA HD TK CV SP ST
Adrian Esparza		3.5/4.0 JR 13 11  9 13 14 10 12
*Daniel Roman		3.0/4.0 JR 14 13  9 15 15  9  9
#*John Barrett		2.5/4.0 SO 14 11 12 13 15  9 10
Stanley Huynh		2.0/2.5 JR 11 10  8 11  9  7  8
David McDonald		1.0/1.5 JR  8  8  7  9  8  8  7
William Geiger		1.0/1.5 SR  9  8  6  8  8  7  5

Key: PR = pass rush, PA = poitn of attack, HD = hands, TK = tackle, CV = cover, SP = speed, ST = strength, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Esparza, my JuCo recruit, has really forced me to change my plans heading in to 2009. Barrett, a Third Team Mount West selection as a true freshman last season, has been pushed out of the rotation after Esparza's impressive training camp. Couple with an improved Daniel Roman this gives us two very solid OLBs, and we are going to redshirt Barrett, because he is too talented to waste. He may wind up transferring after this, but either way, Huynh's improvement has me less worried about depth here. McDonald and Geiger are both attrocious.

ILBs

			Cur/Pot YR PR PA HD TK CV SP ST
Larry Ybarra		3.5/4.5 SO 17 16 12 14 13  9 10
*Jaime Jones		3.0/4.0 JR 13 14 13 13 13  9  8
*Grover Sharpe		3.0/3.5 JR 12 13 11 13 15  9  7
Todd Whiting		1.5/2.0 SR  9 12  9 11 10  6  9
Frank Ware		1.0/2.0 SO  9  7  8  9  9  8  8

Key: PR = pass rush, PA = poitn of attack, HD = hands, TK = tackle, CV = cover, SP = speed, ST = strength, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Ybarra, who sat out last season as a transfer, has also made me make some decisions at ILB. Ybarra looks the real deal, and his addition is going to force either Jones or Sharpe to take a seat this season. At this stage the nod will go to Jones, but Sharpe's coverage abilities may have me changing my mind later. Whiting saw some time last season and was error prone, but can fill in if required - which shouldn't be too often with Ybarra now on the roster. If everything goes to plan Ware will not hit the field again over the next 3 seasons.

CBs

			Cur/Pot YR HD TK CV AG SP
*John Kim		3.0/4.5 SR 15 16 16 13 11
Lester Clayton		2.5/4.0 FR 10 11 13 13 10
John Moore		2.0/4.0 FR 10 10 12 16 12
#Matt Herman		2.0/4.0 FR  8 11 13 12 10
Richard Carpenter	1.0/2.0 SO  9  9  7  9  7
Jesse Williams		1.0/1.5 JR  8  9  9 10  7

Key: HD = hands, TK = tackle, CV = cover, AG = agility, SP = speed, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Kim, who was excellent when not suspended for academics, is back for what will hopefully be a longer senior year. He didn't improve a lot skill wise, but we just hope he hit the books. Clayton, Moore, and Herman were my big signings this past recruiting phase. Clayton and Moore are both ready to roll and will see time straight away, with Clayton the likely starter right now. Herman on the other hand is going to redshirt and I'm likely going to convert him to safety. These three, along with my transfer safety who is sitting out the year, are going to be the keys to my secondary for hopefully some time.

FS

			Cur/Pot YR HD TK CV AG SP
#Emmanuel Abbott	3.0/4.5 SO 12 14 14 11 10
Brian Cox		2.0/3.0 FR  9 12 11 10  8
*Tim Lewis		1.5/2.5 JR  7 10 11  8  9
Benjamin Talbot		1.5/2.5 SR  8 10 11  7  6
Guadalupe Pierce	1.0/2.5 FR  9  8  8 10  9
Eric Smith		1.0/2.0 SO  7  8  8  9  9

Key: HD = hands, TK = tackle, CV = cover, AG = agility, SP = speed, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

Lewis and Talbot split starting duties last season, but Cox, who redshirted last season, is probably going to keep the spot warm until Abbott is back in 2010 after his transfer. Cox is pretty mediocre, but all we are asking from him is that he not commit too many mistakes on D. If he does, Lewis will probably vault back up to starter, as he made few mistakes last season.

SS

			Cur/Pot YR HD TK CV AG SP
Joseph Smith		2.5/3.5 SR 10 13 13  8 10
David Lutz		2.0/3.5 SO  7 13 11 14  9

Key: HD = hands, TK = tackle, CV = cover, AG = agility, SP = speed, * = starter last season, # = redshirting this season.

We don't have nearly the depth here (which is why Herman is converting from CB to SS), but what we have is not so bad. Smith has decent coverage skills and for the most part performed well last season. Lutz saw time at both SS and FS and also was decent if unspectacular.

Outlook

Our defense has been given a big boost this year. Our DLine and LB corps are very solid, and our secondary has really been helped by the influx of young talent we were able to bring in. Looking at the skillsets of the players we have, we are going to be far more aggressive this season and look to blitz more than we did in 2008, particularily from our LBs. Gaddy and co on the DLine should be able to maintain our run defense (which was one of the best in the country in 2008), and I'm confident our CBs will help glue up our pass defense.

We really need to shut teams down this year, because like I said above, points aren't going to flow as easily as they did for us last season. I feel we have the roster to do it. I'd say we are 150% of where we were last season, and I'm confident these guys can get the job done. We just need our offense to bring something to the party as well...