Big East: Jamius Gunsby
- South Florida backup quarterback Jamius Gunsby is transferring to a junior college. The Bulls picked up a walk-on offensive lineman with a great nickname.
- Syracuse is trying to raise $4 million to upgrade its football facilities.
- Hype is building for West Virginia. Athlon ranks the Mountaineers at No. 17.
- The McCourty twins visited ESPN on Thursday and got a nice feature story.
- West Virginia's new offense was on display in the first practice of spring, and it wasn't always pretty. Oliver Luck wants the Big East to look at the shady economics of bowl games.
- Cincinnati expects big things out of Travis Kelce at tight end this season.
- Paul Pasqualoni held a Q&A with UConn students.
- South Florida backup quarterback Jamius Gunsby will take off the rest of the spring to concentrate on his academics.
- A Syracuse recruit faces a misdemeanor charge.
Spring practice is just around the corner -- South Florida will be on its new practice fields next week, while other Big East teams will follow suit shortly after.
So here's a look at what to expect from each league team this spring.
Cincinnati
Spring practice starts: March 29
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 15
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 23
Spring game: April 15
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 15
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 29
Spring game: April 30
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 3
Spring game: April 2
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 8
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Spring practice starts: March 28
Spring game: April 29
What to watch:
So here's a look at what to expect from each league team this spring.
Cincinnati
Spring practice starts: March 29
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Fixing the defense: There's little doubt that improving the defense is the first order of business in Clifton. The Bearcats ranked last in the Big East last season while giving up 28 points per game. The good news is that all 11 starters on that side of the ball are back. The bad news is those are the same guys who couldn't get it done a season ago. An extra year of maturity should help, and Butch Jones expects more depth and competition on defense, including the arrival of junior-college import Malcolm Murray at safety.
- Restocking the Binns: Cincinnati should still be strong on offense with the return of senior quarterback Zach Collaros and senior Isaiah Pead, the leading returning rusher in the Big East. Yet the loss of the league's most productive receiver in 2010, Armon Binns, means the Bearcats need to find a few more guys to make plays at receiver. D.J. Woods is an obvious choice as the new go-to guy, but he'll have to solve his fumble problems. Transfer Kenbrell Thompkins, who couldn't get eligible last season, will look to step forward. Another sidelined receiver, freshman Dyjuan Lewis, won't be cleared to join in team activities until the summer.
- Looking for leaders: One of the problems during the 2010 4-8 season, as voiced by departing senior Jason Kelce and implied by Jones, was a lack of leadership on the team. Hey, it happens sometimes when your program has been to back-to-back BCS games and young players feel an undeserved sense of entitlement. Jones has been trying to change that, and we should be able to tell during the spring whether some new leaders have emerged.
Spring practice starts: March 15
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Back to the future: For the first time since the end of 1990s, and for the first time ever as an FBS-level program, the Huskies will have someone other than Randy Edsall leading them through practice in March. Former longtime Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni took over when Edsall left for Maryland, and Pasqualoni hired new coordinators (George DeLeone on offense and Don Brown on defense) to mix in with the holdovers from Edsall's staff. UConn has been doing things the same way for a long time, and with pretty strong results. How will the team react to Pasqualoni's new-look, old-school ways?
- Backfield in motion: Quarterback Zach Frazer is gone. Star tailback Jordan Todman left early for the NFL. Fullback Anthony Sherman graduated. Everything behind center is new. The quarterback position looks pretty wide open, with sophomore Michael Box perhaps having the edge after making one (very unsuccessful) start in 2010. Early enrollee Michael Nebrich is one to watch. How will the Huskies replace Todman? Good question. Robbie Frey decided to concentrate on graduate school, leaving USC transfer D.J. Shoemate as the only experienced ballcarrier. Freshman Lyle McCombs' status is unclear for spring after his offseason arrest, and the two running backs in the signing class won't arrive until summer. Right now, it's anybody's guess as to who might carry on the UConn running back tradition.
- Reloading at linebacker: The Connecticut defense brings a lot back, but one position that needs refilling is linebacker. Lawrence Wilson, who led the Big East in tackles the past two seasons, and Scott Lutrus, a four-year starter and solid leader, both exhausted their eligibility. Sio Moore looks like a rising star and had some huge games in 2010, but the other two positions have large shoes to fill.
Spring practice starts: March 23
Spring game: April 15
What to watch:
Smooth sailing for Bridegwater?: The Cardinals' most pressing issue is at quarterback, where senior co-starters Justin Burke and Adam Froman are gone. Highly-touted recruit Teddy Bridgewater will participate in the spring, and how quickly he picks up the college game and coordinator Mike Sanford's system could go a long way to determining what happens this fall. If he needs more time, senior Will Stein will happily take the reins.
- Rebuilding the O-line: The key to Louisville's offensive success was its senior-laden line, which proved to be the best in the Big East a year ago. But now four new starters must be found to go along with center Mario Benavides. The new guys must get up to speed and develop chemistry quickly for the running game and presumed new starter Jeremy Wright to duplicate last season's progress.
- Last line of defense: Louisville's defense was most vulnerable at its back end at times last season, and now the Cardinals must replace both starting cornerbacks (including All-Big East first team performer Johnny Patrick), no to mention two senior linebackers. An obvious candidate to take over some leadership is safety Hakeem Smith, who was the Big East rookie of the year. The plus side is that Charlie Strong and coordinator Vance Bedford will have more young talent to work with.
Spring practice starts: March 15
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Golden Graham?: There will be no more drastic change in the Big East this spring than the offense at Pittsburgh, which will go from a run-based pro-style attack to Graham's no-huddle, wide-open, points-per-minute machine. Can the Panthers get this new offense up and running this spring? Does Graham have the players to make it work? And how will his offense, so successful in Conference USA, translate into the more rugged Big East? All those questions will be fascinating to follow.
- Quarterback competition: Junior Tino Sunseri started every game in his first year at the controls in 2010, and he played well at times. But a new style and new coaching staff means that he might have an edge, but not necessarily an insurmountable one, in this spring's competition. Redshirt freshman Mark Myers is multi-talented and will be given a look, along with classmate Anthony Gonzalez and Kolby Gray. The current staff has no loyalty to Sunseri, so he'll need to perform at a high level this spring to keep his job.
- Shoring up the 'D': It's no secret that Pitt struggled in defending the pass last season. Graham's offense may be more explosive, but he doesn't want to have to get into shootouts all the time. He and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson have experience running 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 formations and may go to more of those kinds of looks to counter the increasing spread offenses throughout the league. First Pitt will have to get better play from its secondary and linebackers in pass coverage, and that starts this spring.
Spring practice starts: March 29
Spring game: April 30
What to watch:
Line change: The first thing to focus on this spring for the Scarlet Knights is the front five on offense. The offensive line has been a mess for the past two years and was an utter disaster a year ago. Head coach Greg Schiano is counting on junior-college center Dallas Hendrickson to provide some immediate help, and that another year will lead to better things for the returnees. Rutgers needs answers at right tackle, especially, and if the line can't block its own defense in spring practice, you'll know there's trouble.
- A Frank re-assessment: Former Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti takes over the Scarlet Knights' playcalling duties this spring, and his pro-style background seems like a perfect match for what Schiano likes to do. Look for Cignetti to try to establish a stronger running game this spring (while waiting for mega-recruit Savon Huggins to arrive this summer) and abandon the Wildcat formation and other gimmicks that Rutgers desperately turned to the past two years. His work with sophomore starter Chas Dodd will also be critical, since there are no other experienced quarterbacks on campus.
- Recharging the defense: You always expect a Schiano-led defense to be rock solid, but that defense wore down last season and ended up allowing more points in conference play than anybody. Three of the starting four defensive linemen are gone, as well as the team's leading tackler -- linebacker Antonio Lowery -- and safety Joe Lefeged. Schiano has recruited well and has lots of young players ready to step into bigger roles. Spring will be the time we start to learn who's ready to handle increased responsibilities.
Spring practice starts: March 3
Spring game: April 2
What to watch:
Transfers accepted: Running backs Darrell Scott and Dontae Aycock have strong credentials; Scott was one of the more sought-after recruits in the country before disappointing at Colorado, while Aycock was set to play for Auburn. Both become eligible this year and will show their stuff this spring. The two big-bodied ballcarriers could add some power and explosiveness to the Bulls offense. Notre Dame transfer Spencer Boyd should bring depth, at the very least, to the secondary.
- B.J. still the main Bull?: Junior B.J. Daniels seemed to reassert himself as the starter with a big performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl win over Clemson. But before that, there were serious questions about whether sophomore Bobby Eveld might unseat him. Daniels goes into the spring with an obvious edge, but he'll be pushed by Eveld and redshirt freshman Jamius Gunsby. He'll need to perform at a consistent level to stiff-arm questions about his job security.
- Receiver reconstitution: No doubt, receiver was the position that needed the largest upgrade a year ago. The bad news is, the Bulls lost leading pass-catcher Dontavia Bogan, who was nearly a one-man show at wideout in 2010. On the flip side, A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin return from injury. And Skip Holtz hopes getting thrown into the fire last season sped the development of guys like Evan Landi, Joel Miller and Lindsey Lamar. At the very least, the position has a lot more experience and depth than it did a year ago at this time.
Spring practice starts: March 8
Spring game: April 16
What to watch:
Displacing Delone: Senior Delone Carter brought the thunder to the Syracuse running game the last two years, and he may have been the least favorite ballcarrier for opposing tacklers to bring down. With him gone, it remains to be seen whether the smaller Antwon Bailey can be an every-down back, or if youngsters like Prince-Tyson Gulley and Jerome Smith are ready for an increased role in the offense.
- Linebacker makeover: It would be hard for any team to lose a more productive linebacker tandem than the Orange did with seniors Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith. They were both crucial to what defensive coordinator Scott Shafer liked to do. The lone returning starter is Marquis Spruill, who played as a true freshman last year. Could a newcomer like junior-college transfer Siriki Diabate be ready to help immediately?
- Wideout wonders: Marcus Sales helped rescue an ailing passing game with his breakout performance in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Is Sales ready to play like that all the time now, or was he a one-game wonder? Will Van Chew continue the improvement he showed last season before getting injured? Can the Orange get more out of Alec Lemon? What new faces might help at receiver? The answers to these questions will be key to the attack under Nathaniel Hackett, who was promoted to offensive coordinator this offseason.
Spring practice starts: March 28
Spring game: April 29
What to watch:
Dana days: Mountaineer Nation is salivating at the thought of what Dana Holgorsen will do to revive the offense. Holgorsen has had an immediate and incredible impact at the last two places where he called plays, and some solid work in the spring is required to do the same in Morgantown. A couple of things are for sure: the Mountaineers will be throwing it around a whole bunch during practice, and fans will breathlessly gobble up every small detail. Another thing to watch will be the chemistry between Holgorsen's hand-picked offensive staff and Bill Stewart, the man he'll replace at the end of the season. That relationship will also be dissected relentlessly.
- Defense reload or rebuild?: Most people assume West Virginia will continue to field an excellent defense because of coordinator Jeff Casteel. That may be true, but no team lost more defensive talent than the Mountaineers, who must replace frontline players like tackle Chris Neild, linebacker J.T. Thomas, safety Robert Sands and cornerback Brandon Hogan, among others. There's still a lot to like here, including ends Julian Miller and Bruce Irvin and corner Keith Tandy, but for Casteel must find new contributors to keep his 3-3-5 humming along.
- Who's in the backfield?: It's not yet know just how much quarterback Geno Smith will be able to do during spring practice after his offseason foot surgery. Obviously, the more reps he can take, the better he'll be able to get Holgorsen's system down. And there's no experience behind him. West Virginia will be cautious with Smith, though, because the fall is way more important. With Noel Devine gone and Tavon Austin seemingly making his move to receiver permanent, there will be competition for the starting running back spot. Shawne Alston and Ryan Clarke are bulldozers who could add an interesting wrinkle to Holgorsen's spread if they get the job done.
Skip Holtz wants quarterback competition
February, 10, 2011
2/10/11
4:04
PM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
I talked with Skip Holtz this afternoon, and the South Florida coach was interesting and engaging as usual. Look for highlights from that conversation soon in a blog post near you (this one, actually).
But I thought for now I'd share Holtz's thoughts on the Bulls' quarterback situation heading into this spring, which starts in three weeks. B.J. Daniels, of course, is the most experienced player at the position, but Bobby Eveld showed a lot late in the year as a true freshman. Then there is redshirt freshman Jamius Gunsby, whom Holtz said has "a phenomenal amount of talent." The Bulls also have freshman and early enrollee Matt Floyd, giving them four scholarship quarterbacks a year after they went into the spring with just one (Daniels).
That new-found depth makes Holtz happy. And he plans to use it.
"I always like to roll the balls out in spring and let them compete," he said. "I'm anxious to see all four of them compete, and I'm going to let them compete as we go through spring practice. B.J. is going to have to keep getting better, and Bobby Eveld is going to have to keep getting better.
"Competition is one of the things you have to develop as a coach. You've got to develop your twos and threes as much as you develop your ones, because you never know who's going to finish the season. A year ago, we'd never seen Bobby Eveld throw a football when we went to camp. Then the 11th game of the season, he has to finish the second half against Miami on the road, and he leads us down the field to tie the score and put us into overtime before leading us into the end zone in OT for the win."
While Holtz wants an open competition and for the players to push themselves, Daniels has a huge edge in experience. He struggled early in the season and then was injured late, missing the second half against Miami and the entire season finale against UConn. But he bounced back with a strong performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl win over Clemson, completing 20 of 27 passes for 189 yards and two scores and running for another touchdown.
"That showed me the character, the competitive nature and the determination the young man has," Holtz said. "He's a young quarterback in a new system a year ago, and early on he makes some mistakes. But I think he learned from those, I think he got better as we went through it and he learned from his mistakes at the end of the year. After his injury, I thought he did a great job of preparation for the bowl game, and he played a great game. He played within the system, led the team and made good decisions.
"Now all of a sudden, B.J. will be a junior. And if you look at the experience he's had over the last two years, he's showed an awful lot about what type of leader and competitor he wants to be. Not only am I looking forward to him being a junior, but I think he's laying a foundation for having a great career here at South Florida."
I reminded Holtz that Daniels has the most career starts of any returning quarterback in the Big East in 2011.
"Well, hopefully if he continues to grow and progress, we'll be able to make that comment for the next two years," he said.
First, Daniels has to win the spring competition at quarterback.
But I thought for now I'd share Holtz's thoughts on the Bulls' quarterback situation heading into this spring, which starts in three weeks. B.J. Daniels, of course, is the most experienced player at the position, but Bobby Eveld showed a lot late in the year as a true freshman. Then there is redshirt freshman Jamius Gunsby, whom Holtz said has "a phenomenal amount of talent." The Bulls also have freshman and early enrollee Matt Floyd, giving them four scholarship quarterbacks a year after they went into the spring with just one (Daniels).
[+] Enlarge
Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesB.J. Daniels finished the season strong, earning MVP honors in the Meinke Car Care Bowl.
Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesB.J. Daniels finished the season strong, earning MVP honors in the Meinke Car Care Bowl."I always like to roll the balls out in spring and let them compete," he said. "I'm anxious to see all four of them compete, and I'm going to let them compete as we go through spring practice. B.J. is going to have to keep getting better, and Bobby Eveld is going to have to keep getting better.
"Competition is one of the things you have to develop as a coach. You've got to develop your twos and threes as much as you develop your ones, because you never know who's going to finish the season. A year ago, we'd never seen Bobby Eveld throw a football when we went to camp. Then the 11th game of the season, he has to finish the second half against Miami on the road, and he leads us down the field to tie the score and put us into overtime before leading us into the end zone in OT for the win."
While Holtz wants an open competition and for the players to push themselves, Daniels has a huge edge in experience. He struggled early in the season and then was injured late, missing the second half against Miami and the entire season finale against UConn. But he bounced back with a strong performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl win over Clemson, completing 20 of 27 passes for 189 yards and two scores and running for another touchdown.
"That showed me the character, the competitive nature and the determination the young man has," Holtz said. "He's a young quarterback in a new system a year ago, and early on he makes some mistakes. But I think he learned from those, I think he got better as we went through it and he learned from his mistakes at the end of the year. After his injury, I thought he did a great job of preparation for the bowl game, and he played a great game. He played within the system, led the team and made good decisions.
"Now all of a sudden, B.J. will be a junior. And if you look at the experience he's had over the last two years, he's showed an awful lot about what type of leader and competitor he wants to be. Not only am I looking forward to him being a junior, but I think he's laying a foundation for having a great career here at South Florida."
I reminded Holtz that Daniels has the most career starts of any returning quarterback in the Big East in 2011.
"Well, hopefully if he continues to grow and progress, we'll be able to make that comment for the next two years," he said.
First, Daniels has to win the spring competition at quarterback.
Examining the 2011 quarterback situations
February, 9, 2011
2/09/11
3:28
PM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
It's hard to win in college football without a good, experienced quarterback. So perhaps it should have been no surprise that several Big East teams struggled on offense at times in 2010.
Remember last offseason, when we talked about how South Florida's B.J. Daniels and Rutgers' Tom Savage were the most experienced league quarterbacks in terms of starts despite coming off their freshman seasons? Even that wasn't a great indicator of success, as Daniels had to adjust to a new system and Savage got hurt, benched and eventually decided to transfer.
The good news for the Big East is that there will be many more experienced signal-callers ready to open the 2011 season. First, let's take a look at which quarterbacks will have the most career starts under their belts when next season rolls around:
1. Daniels, South Florida, junior: 22 career starts
2. Zach Collaros, Cincinnati, senior: 15
T-3. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse, junior: 13
T-3. Geno Smith, West Virginia, junior: 13
T-3. Tino Sunseri, Pittsburgh, junior: 13
6. Chas Dodd, Rutgers, sophomore: 8
7. Will Stein, Louisville, senior: 2
8. Michael Box, Connecticut, sophomore: 1
Daniels will be the graybeard as a third-year starter, but Collaros, Nassib and Smith all saw significant time in the 2009 season. Smith, Sunseri, Dodd and whoever Connecticut's starting quarterback is will all be playing for a new offensive coordinator this season.
Now let's look at the likelihood of potential quarterback battles this spring at each school:
Cincinnati -- Chance of competition: slim to none. Collaros is the established guy and a great leader who shouldn't have to worry about job security.
Connecticut -- Chance of competition: high. Box made only one start and it was a disastrous one against Louisville. With new coach Paul Pasqualoni coming in, recruit Michael Nebrich enrolled and several other candidates on the roster, this one looks wide open.
Louisville -- Chance of competition: guaranteed. Stein, a former walk-on who's under 5-foot-10, has a ton of moxie. But he'll have to hold off highly-touted early enrollee Teddy Bridgewater for the gig.
Pittsburgh -- Chance of competition: medium to high. Sunseri started every game last year and improved during the season, but new coach Todd Graham brings an entirely new offensive system. Don't be surprised if redshirt freshmen Mark Myers and Anthony Gonzalez get a serious look this spring.
Rutgers -- Chance of competition: slim. At least for the spring, Dodd should be safe. His only real competition will come from a pair of incoming freshmen this summer.
South Florida -- Chance of competition: good. Daniels may have more starts than anybody, but Skip Holtz is at least going to let Bobby Eveld push him in the spring. And don't forget about redshirt freshman Jamius Gunsby.
Syracuse -- Chance of competition: possible. Nassib started every game in 2010 and had an excellent bowl performance. But Syracuse has a lot of quarterbacks on the roster, including once-hyped recruit Jonny Miller. Nassib has the definite edge but can't get complacent.
West Virginia -- Chance of competition: tiny. Smith is the man in Morgantown, and his two freshman backups in 2010 transferred. The only concern is his foot injury that may hold him out of spring practice drills as Dana Holgorsen installs his new offense. But only a monumental upset or further injury would prevent Smith from starting the opener in 2011.
Remember last offseason, when we talked about how South Florida's B.J. Daniels and Rutgers' Tom Savage were the most experienced league quarterbacks in terms of starts despite coming off their freshman seasons? Even that wasn't a great indicator of success, as Daniels had to adjust to a new system and Savage got hurt, benched and eventually decided to transfer.
The good news for the Big East is that there will be many more experienced signal-callers ready to open the 2011 season. First, let's take a look at which quarterbacks will have the most career starts under their belts when next season rolls around:
[+] Enlarge
Frank Victores/US PresswireZach Collaros should be Cincinnati's starter in the fall.
Frank Victores/US PresswireZach Collaros should be Cincinnati's starter in the fall.2. Zach Collaros, Cincinnati, senior: 15
T-3. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse, junior: 13
T-3. Geno Smith, West Virginia, junior: 13
T-3. Tino Sunseri, Pittsburgh, junior: 13
6. Chas Dodd, Rutgers, sophomore: 8
7. Will Stein, Louisville, senior: 2
8. Michael Box, Connecticut, sophomore: 1
Daniels will be the graybeard as a third-year starter, but Collaros, Nassib and Smith all saw significant time in the 2009 season. Smith, Sunseri, Dodd and whoever Connecticut's starting quarterback is will all be playing for a new offensive coordinator this season.
Now let's look at the likelihood of potential quarterback battles this spring at each school:
Cincinnati -- Chance of competition: slim to none. Collaros is the established guy and a great leader who shouldn't have to worry about job security.
Connecticut -- Chance of competition: high. Box made only one start and it was a disastrous one against Louisville. With new coach Paul Pasqualoni coming in, recruit Michael Nebrich enrolled and several other candidates on the roster, this one looks wide open.
Louisville -- Chance of competition: guaranteed. Stein, a former walk-on who's under 5-foot-10, has a ton of moxie. But he'll have to hold off highly-touted early enrollee Teddy Bridgewater for the gig.
Pittsburgh -- Chance of competition: medium to high. Sunseri started every game last year and improved during the season, but new coach Todd Graham brings an entirely new offensive system. Don't be surprised if redshirt freshmen Mark Myers and Anthony Gonzalez get a serious look this spring.
Rutgers -- Chance of competition: slim. At least for the spring, Dodd should be safe. His only real competition will come from a pair of incoming freshmen this summer.
South Florida -- Chance of competition: good. Daniels may have more starts than anybody, but Skip Holtz is at least going to let Bobby Eveld push him in the spring. And don't forget about redshirt freshman Jamius Gunsby.
Syracuse -- Chance of competition: possible. Nassib started every game in 2010 and had an excellent bowl performance. But Syracuse has a lot of quarterbacks on the roster, including once-hyped recruit Jonny Miller. Nassib has the definite edge but can't get complacent.
West Virginia -- Chance of competition: tiny. Smith is the man in Morgantown, and his two freshman backups in 2010 transferred. The only concern is his foot injury that may hold him out of spring practice drills as Dana Holgorsen installs his new offense. But only a monumental upset or further injury would prevent Smith from starting the opener in 2011.
Lots and lots of smoke out of West Virginia, and I suspect there could be some actual fire by the end of the day.
In the meantime, let's get to some mail, while wondering if the Big East could come up with worse names for divisions than Legends and Leaders. How about the Beef and Brady divisions?
Anthony M. from Providence writes: What would be considered a win for UConn against Oklahoma?
Brian Bennett: You mean other than, um, a win? Well, a lot of people are expecting this game to be a blowout, and in fact Connecticut may end up being the biggest underdog in all of the bowls. There aren't really any moral victories in BCS games, but the Huskies need to prove that they actually belong and represent the Big East with some respect. I would say if they can keep the game close, within 10 points, that would be respectable.
Kenny from Harrisburg, Pa., writes: Why does Pitt seem to struggle to find the right coach? As you stated, if i am correct, Pitt is a good job to have. I feel Pitt is going to end up on the short end of the stick for a new head coach. To me, Pitt should have kept Wanny at this point. ... Let's be honest Steve P doesnt handle these situations well.
Brian Bennett: We can't fully judge this coaching search until it's over, but as of right now, it doesn't look very well organized. We may never know just how serious the Panthers were about Al Golden and Dana Holgorsen, yet all indications were they were at least interested in both og those guys. Maybe Steve Pederson has a candidate we don't know about, but whenever you fire a coach -- particularly one who was by no means embarrassing the program, and who had just turned in three winning seasons as Dave Wannstedt had -- then you had better have someone lined up to replace him. Given the way this search has gone and the one in which Wannstedt was originally hired, it's hard to have a lot of confidence in Pitt's ability to find the right coach. But, again, we'll judge this one when it's over.
David E. from Richmond, Va., writes: If 'Nova didn't move up to BE football, I thought they would go after Temple. With Golden leaving for the south, how do you see this impacting Temple's as a football member for the BE?
Brian Bennett: This is definitely one of those situations where you wonder if it's all about the coach. Golden worked wonders with the Owls, but nobody else could. Will Temple sink back now that he's gone? I would sure wait to find out if I'm the Big East. But I don't think Temple is that high on their wish list to begin with.
Gary P. from Cincinnati writes: Who are the good traveling schools in the Big East for bowl games and who are the weak traveling schools? Will UConn sell its allotment of 17,500 tickets to the Fiesta Bowl? What can the BE conference do to become a better traveling conference for bowl games?
Brian Bennett: West Virginia has the best reputation for traveling, with Louisville not far behind. Rutgers has done well while going to some minor bowls, and it would be interesting to see how the Scarlet Knights traveled for a major postseason game. Cincinnati brought a lot of people to the two BCS games. Pitt has easily the worst reputation for traveling, which has been well earned. Syracuse hasn't been to a bowl since 2004, so we'll see about that. UConn is kind of an unknown, and it's an expensive proposition to travel out to Arizona for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. But if you're a Huskies fan, isn't this the trip you've been waiting for?
Jay from Clinton, N.Y., writes: Brian, there has been some discussion among Syracuse fans that throwing Malcom Cater off the team could be bad for recruiting, that Coach Marrone didn't stand behind his player when times were bad. Personally I think it's rubbish. Committing a serious crime creates upheaval within the team and adversely affects everyone associated with the program. Any thoughts on the matter?
Brian Bennett: Doug Marrone has established some standards at Syracuse and doesn't stand for a lot of nonsense. You could say he was lenient on Delone Carter, but Carter was thrown out of school before being reinstated, and he was a senior with a solid reputation before his snowball-related punching incident. A lot of other players quickly got the boot in Marrone's first year, and I think the way he raised the bar helped the program perform better on the field.
As for Cater, let's remember he is only accused at this point and hasn't been convicted of anything. But if the charges of committing three burglaries on campus are true, then that's a serious offense that needs to be dealt with harshly, and I think Marrone made the right move here.
Aaron from Roanoke, Va., writes: Happy Holidays! Thank you for all your great work in keeping us informed with Big East news. Could you please do me a favor? Call it an early Christmas present. Remind all the ACC lovers/ Big East haters that the ACC Champion (VT) lost to JMU this season, AT HOME! Just thought they could use some reminding.
Brian Bennett: That did happen, didn't it? By the way, did you know that James Madison finished 6-5 and lost to Villanova this season? True story.
Josh from Kansas City writes: It's the end of the decade. It would be fresh if you posted your Big East "All Decade" (2000-2010) team. I'm sure a few WVU players would be on there.
Brian Bennett: Actually, Josh, the decade ended last year, just as the 1990s ended in 1999. Last year, I reviewed the decade in the Big East, did a list of programs of the decade, named the best teams of the decade and top 10 players of the decade and even did a half-decade team to reflect the current league alignment. Don't worry, though. We'll do it again in 2019.
Bob from The 'Burgh writes: How will the pending or potential NFL lockout coming this spring, which I believe could occur before the draft, effect the decision of some players (Jon Baldwin especially) to declare early. If there's a lockout in March is there a draft?
Brian Bennett: The unfortunate problem for underclassmen is they have to declare for the draft by mid-January, and we won't know by then if there will be a stoppage. Most players who declare will sign with agents, rendering them immediately ineligible to return to school. The NFL will likely hold its draft no matter what happens.
I continue to believe there won't be a lasting lockout because there is simply way too much money at stake for all parties involved. But we'll see, and I don't think it will stop underclassmen who feel they are ready to go.
Matt from Tampa writes: Do you know why USF hasn't used Jamius Gunsby or even mentioned him when B.J. Daniels went down with the leg injury? From what I remember hearing last year before he signed with USF people were comparing him to Daniels except bigger (6' 4", 230 lbs) and some were even saying that he had more of an upside than Daniels did coming out of high school. Also wondering how secure B.J.'s future is as the starting QB.
Brian Bennett: Gunsby got hurt in training camp, and then the staff decided to redshirt him. It was way too late in the season to burn his redshirt once Daniels got injured. Plus, Gunsby came in as more of an athlete than a polished quarterback, so he can use some seasoning. I wouldn't say Daniels is secure by any means. Bobby Eveld has played well in spurts, and Gunsby will throw the redshirt off next spring. There could be an open competition for the job.
In the meantime, let's get to some mail, while wondering if the Big East could come up with worse names for divisions than Legends and Leaders. How about the Beef and Brady divisions?
Anthony M. from Providence writes: What would be considered a win for UConn against Oklahoma?
Brian Bennett: You mean other than, um, a win? Well, a lot of people are expecting this game to be a blowout, and in fact Connecticut may end up being the biggest underdog in all of the bowls. There aren't really any moral victories in BCS games, but the Huskies need to prove that they actually belong and represent the Big East with some respect. I would say if they can keep the game close, within 10 points, that would be respectable.
Kenny from Harrisburg, Pa., writes: Why does Pitt seem to struggle to find the right coach? As you stated, if i am correct, Pitt is a good job to have. I feel Pitt is going to end up on the short end of the stick for a new head coach. To me, Pitt should have kept Wanny at this point. ... Let's be honest Steve P doesnt handle these situations well.
Brian Bennett: We can't fully judge this coaching search until it's over, but as of right now, it doesn't look very well organized. We may never know just how serious the Panthers were about Al Golden and Dana Holgorsen, yet all indications were they were at least interested in both og those guys. Maybe Steve Pederson has a candidate we don't know about, but whenever you fire a coach -- particularly one who was by no means embarrassing the program, and who had just turned in three winning seasons as Dave Wannstedt had -- then you had better have someone lined up to replace him. Given the way this search has gone and the one in which Wannstedt was originally hired, it's hard to have a lot of confidence in Pitt's ability to find the right coach. But, again, we'll judge this one when it's over.
David E. from Richmond, Va., writes: If 'Nova didn't move up to BE football, I thought they would go after Temple. With Golden leaving for the south, how do you see this impacting Temple's as a football member for the BE?
Brian Bennett: This is definitely one of those situations where you wonder if it's all about the coach. Golden worked wonders with the Owls, but nobody else could. Will Temple sink back now that he's gone? I would sure wait to find out if I'm the Big East. But I don't think Temple is that high on their wish list to begin with.
Gary P. from Cincinnati writes: Who are the good traveling schools in the Big East for bowl games and who are the weak traveling schools? Will UConn sell its allotment of 17,500 tickets to the Fiesta Bowl? What can the BE conference do to become a better traveling conference for bowl games?
Brian Bennett: West Virginia has the best reputation for traveling, with Louisville not far behind. Rutgers has done well while going to some minor bowls, and it would be interesting to see how the Scarlet Knights traveled for a major postseason game. Cincinnati brought a lot of people to the two BCS games. Pitt has easily the worst reputation for traveling, which has been well earned. Syracuse hasn't been to a bowl since 2004, so we'll see about that. UConn is kind of an unknown, and it's an expensive proposition to travel out to Arizona for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. But if you're a Huskies fan, isn't this the trip you've been waiting for?
Jay from Clinton, N.Y., writes: Brian, there has been some discussion among Syracuse fans that throwing Malcom Cater off the team could be bad for recruiting, that Coach Marrone didn't stand behind his player when times were bad. Personally I think it's rubbish. Committing a serious crime creates upheaval within the team and adversely affects everyone associated with the program. Any thoughts on the matter?
Brian Bennett: Doug Marrone has established some standards at Syracuse and doesn't stand for a lot of nonsense. You could say he was lenient on Delone Carter, but Carter was thrown out of school before being reinstated, and he was a senior with a solid reputation before his snowball-related punching incident. A lot of other players quickly got the boot in Marrone's first year, and I think the way he raised the bar helped the program perform better on the field.
As for Cater, let's remember he is only accused at this point and hasn't been convicted of anything. But if the charges of committing three burglaries on campus are true, then that's a serious offense that needs to be dealt with harshly, and I think Marrone made the right move here.
Aaron from Roanoke, Va., writes: Happy Holidays! Thank you for all your great work in keeping us informed with Big East news. Could you please do me a favor? Call it an early Christmas present. Remind all the ACC lovers/ Big East haters that the ACC Champion (VT) lost to JMU this season, AT HOME! Just thought they could use some reminding.
Brian Bennett: That did happen, didn't it? By the way, did you know that James Madison finished 6-5 and lost to Villanova this season? True story.
Josh from Kansas City writes: It's the end of the decade. It would be fresh if you posted your Big East "All Decade" (2000-2010) team. I'm sure a few WVU players would be on there.
Brian Bennett: Actually, Josh, the decade ended last year, just as the 1990s ended in 1999. Last year, I reviewed the decade in the Big East, did a list of programs of the decade, named the best teams of the decade and top 10 players of the decade and even did a half-decade team to reflect the current league alignment. Don't worry, though. We'll do it again in 2019.
Bob from The 'Burgh writes: How will the pending or potential NFL lockout coming this spring, which I believe could occur before the draft, effect the decision of some players (Jon Baldwin especially) to declare early. If there's a lockout in March is there a draft?
Brian Bennett: The unfortunate problem for underclassmen is they have to declare for the draft by mid-January, and we won't know by then if there will be a stoppage. Most players who declare will sign with agents, rendering them immediately ineligible to return to school. The NFL will likely hold its draft no matter what happens.
I continue to believe there won't be a lasting lockout because there is simply way too much money at stake for all parties involved. But we'll see, and I don't think it will stop underclassmen who feel they are ready to go.
Matt from Tampa writes: Do you know why USF hasn't used Jamius Gunsby or even mentioned him when B.J. Daniels went down with the leg injury? From what I remember hearing last year before he signed with USF people were comparing him to Daniels except bigger (6' 4", 230 lbs) and some were even saying that he had more of an upside than Daniels did coming out of high school. Also wondering how secure B.J.'s future is as the starting QB.
Brian Bennett: Gunsby got hurt in training camp, and then the staff decided to redshirt him. It was way too late in the season to burn his redshirt once Daniels got injured. Plus, Gunsby came in as more of an athlete than a polished quarterback, so he can use some seasoning. I wouldn't say Daniels is secure by any means. Bobby Eveld has played well in spurts, and Gunsby will throw the redshirt off next spring. There could be an open competition for the job.
Walk-on Bobby Eveld unfazed by pressure
December, 2, 2010
12/02/10
3:25
PM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
South Florida's Bobby Eveld is a true freshman walk-on quarterback who just beat Miami and who might make his first career start Saturday against Connecticut in a game to decide the Big East champion. He sounds as excited about all that as a guy getting ready to file his taxes.
Eveld may or may not repeat his performance against Miami. Rookie quarterbacks are prone to ups and downs, and the Huskies surely will try to pressure him into making mistakes. But he's not going to let his emotions take over.
"I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself," he said. "I like to calm myself down. I don't want to think about it as I'm a true freshman in a big spot. I'm just going to treat it like any other game."
Eveld showed his unflappability last week when the Bulls turned to him in the second half at Miami. Starter B.J. Daniels couldn't move on an injured quadriceps muscle, and South Florida was clinging to a 3-0 lead. On the fourth play of the second half, offensive coordinator Todd Fitch called for a bootleg pass to get Eveld into the flow.
"I saw it come out of his hand, and he zipped in there with no hesitation," Fitch said. "I said to myself, 'He seems confident.' He threw some balls in there and saw open receivers and did a great job of throwing it away when nothing was there."
Most impressively, Eveld led a nine-play, 81-yard drive to tie the game at 17 with two minutes remaining in regulation. He completed three clutch throws on the march and finished with a 1-yard sneak into the end zone. The Bulls won in overtime.
Eveld said after the big win that people he'd never met before came up to him and offered congratulations. Before last week, most people probably had no idea who he was.
Despite being 6-foot-5 and putting up good numbers for a strong high school program (Tampa's Jesuit High), Eveld only received offers from Division II and III schools far from home. He wanted to go to South Florida, but during his senior year then-coach Jim Leavitt told him he didn't fit the team's offensive system.
When Leavitt was fired in January, Skip Holtz and his staff scrambled to put together a recruiting class, and they had no backup quarterbacks on scholarship. They signed the athletic Jamius Gunsby but needed depth at the position. Eveld brought over some tapes, and they invited him in as a preferred walk-on.
"He went through a coaching change before his senior season, and that had some effect as he was kind of lost in the shuffle," Fitch said. "His arm strength was good but he doesn't have a cannon, and he's got good feet but they're not great.
"But when we watched the tape, we thought he was pretty good. I was surprised that he didn't have an [FCS] or Sun Belt or Mid-American Conference kind of offer."
When Gunsby got hurt in training camp, Eveld quickly assumed the No. 2 job and has never relinquished it.
"When I first saw him, I was like, 'Man, who is that kid?'" Bulls receiver Dontavia Bogan says. "When they said he was a walk-on, I was like, 'wow.'"
Eveld got some garbage time in games earlier this season and took plenty of practice reps as the second-stringer. He has taken more snaps with the first team in practice since Daniels got hurt against Louisville. Fitch calls him an attentive guy who soaks everything in.
Playing Eveld instead of Daniels changes the Bulls' offense. With Daniels, Fitch could call some zone-read plays and designed quarterback runs. Eveld is an excellent athlete; he starred as a baseball catcher in high school and was drafted in the 50th round by the New York Mets. But he's not the same kind of scrambler as Daniels.
"I'm able to run around, but usually I don't get far," he said. "I could probably avoid a couple of slow guys if I needed to."
Daniels has practiced this week but is still limited. Eveld might get the call in a pressure situation, and his best might not be good enough to beat UConn. But if it is and he's the toast of Tampa, don't expect his demeanor to change. In his mind, he's still the guy no Division I team wanted.
"I don't want it to really settle in," he said. "I don't want to start looking at myself as a really good quarterback because I might stop working as hard as I do."
Eveld may or may not repeat his performance against Miami. Rookie quarterbacks are prone to ups and downs, and the Huskies surely will try to pressure him into making mistakes. But he's not going to let his emotions take over.
[+] Enlarge
Steve Mitchell/US PresswireBulls coach Skip Holtz may need to turn to freshman Bobby Eveld to make his first start at quarterback against the Huskies.
Steve Mitchell/US PresswireBulls coach Skip Holtz may need to turn to freshman Bobby Eveld to make his first start at quarterback against the Huskies.Eveld showed his unflappability last week when the Bulls turned to him in the second half at Miami. Starter B.J. Daniels couldn't move on an injured quadriceps muscle, and South Florida was clinging to a 3-0 lead. On the fourth play of the second half, offensive coordinator Todd Fitch called for a bootleg pass to get Eveld into the flow.
"I saw it come out of his hand, and he zipped in there with no hesitation," Fitch said. "I said to myself, 'He seems confident.' He threw some balls in there and saw open receivers and did a great job of throwing it away when nothing was there."
Most impressively, Eveld led a nine-play, 81-yard drive to tie the game at 17 with two minutes remaining in regulation. He completed three clutch throws on the march and finished with a 1-yard sneak into the end zone. The Bulls won in overtime.
Eveld said after the big win that people he'd never met before came up to him and offered congratulations. Before last week, most people probably had no idea who he was.
Despite being 6-foot-5 and putting up good numbers for a strong high school program (Tampa's Jesuit High), Eveld only received offers from Division II and III schools far from home. He wanted to go to South Florida, but during his senior year then-coach Jim Leavitt told him he didn't fit the team's offensive system.
When Leavitt was fired in January, Skip Holtz and his staff scrambled to put together a recruiting class, and they had no backup quarterbacks on scholarship. They signed the athletic Jamius Gunsby but needed depth at the position. Eveld brought over some tapes, and they invited him in as a preferred walk-on.
"He went through a coaching change before his senior season, and that had some effect as he was kind of lost in the shuffle," Fitch said. "His arm strength was good but he doesn't have a cannon, and he's got good feet but they're not great.
"But when we watched the tape, we thought he was pretty good. I was surprised that he didn't have an [FCS] or Sun Belt or Mid-American Conference kind of offer."
When Gunsby got hurt in training camp, Eveld quickly assumed the No. 2 job and has never relinquished it.
"When I first saw him, I was like, 'Man, who is that kid?'" Bulls receiver Dontavia Bogan says. "When they said he was a walk-on, I was like, 'wow.'"
Eveld got some garbage time in games earlier this season and took plenty of practice reps as the second-stringer. He has taken more snaps with the first team in practice since Daniels got hurt against Louisville. Fitch calls him an attentive guy who soaks everything in.
Playing Eveld instead of Daniels changes the Bulls' offense. With Daniels, Fitch could call some zone-read plays and designed quarterback runs. Eveld is an excellent athlete; he starred as a baseball catcher in high school and was drafted in the 50th round by the New York Mets. But he's not the same kind of scrambler as Daniels.
"I'm able to run around, but usually I don't get far," he said. "I could probably avoid a couple of slow guys if I needed to."
Daniels has practiced this week but is still limited. Eveld might get the call in a pressure situation, and his best might not be good enough to beat UConn. But if it is and he's the toast of Tampa, don't expect his demeanor to change. In his mind, he's still the guy no Division I team wanted.
"I don't want it to really settle in," he said. "I don't want to start looking at myself as a really good quarterback because I might stop working as hard as I do."
The first weekend when every Big East team was in fall camp just concluded, which meant plenty of scrimmages.
Several teams had their first full-bore intrasquad scrimmages of the preseason, which can help determine depth charts and give an early indication of how things are going. Here are some notes from those workouts:
PITT: The Panthers went through an 88-play scrimmage, but they did so without injured key players such as Dom DeCicco, Myles Caragein, Andrew Taglianetti and Greg Romeus, who continues to be unavailable with back spasms. In addition, Jabaal Sheard, Dion Lewis and Jon Baldwin played limited snaps.
Ray Graham was taken out of the scrimmage after going down with a knee injury, but it did not appear to be serious. Quarterback Tino Sunseri was just 5-for-11 for 61 yards, while backup Pat Bostick impressed by going 9-of-15 for 163 yards and three scores.
RUTGERS: Defense dominated in the Scarlet Knights' 2 1/2 hour scrimmage, which is not surprising given how strong the Rutgers 'D' looks. The offense, which played without Howard Barbieri and Joe Martinek, scored just one touchdown while the defense scored off a turnover and had two safeties.
Quarterback Tom Savage went just 8-of-15 for 52 yards as the offense managed just 74 yards on its first 29 plays. De'Antwan Williams hoped to make a push for the No. 2 running back job but finished with just 13 yards on four carries while losing a fumble. Mason Robinson scored the lone TD.
WEST VIRGINIA: Head coach Bill Stewart mostly didn't like what he saw out of the Mountaineers' first scrimmage.
"Sloppy tackling, not breaking on the ball, not doing back-side cutoff blocks, not hustling, drops, exchange snaps,'' he said. "I'm not real pleased. [We] didn't play up to our standards."
Noel Devine did, though, ripping off a 79-yard touchdown run and then taking most of the rest of the day off. And so did Bruce Irvin. The junior-college import recorded two sacks as West Virginia lined up with four defensive linemen. Coaches and teammates are singing the praises of Irvin for his quickness and burst so far in practice.
Quarterbacks Geno Smith and freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson combined to complete 16 of 18 passes for 113 yards on mostly short routes.
SOUTH FLORIDA: Defense was also ahead of the offense at South Florida, as the Bulls mustered one touchdown in a nearly 150-snap scrimmage.
Quarterback B.J. Daniels missed 11 of his first 12 passes and finished 7-for-22 for 70 yards. True freshman backup Jamius Gunsby did look good, though, going 12-for-17 for 169 yards, including a 58-yard completion. But the defense had three interceptions.
"Right now we're a long way from being productive as an offensive football team," coach Skip Holtz said. "With the penalties and dropped passes and missing open receivers and inconsistencies in the passing game, it's very difficult to get anything into rhythm. We've got a lot of work to do right now, but I think the attitude is good and they're willing."
SYRACUSE: Coach Doug Marrone was disgusted by his team's lack of physicality on Friday, especially the offense, so he emphasized that in Saturday's first full-contact, two-hour scrimmage.
So the focus was on running the ball and running it hard, which Delone Carter did. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Nassib remained turnover-free. Freshman linebacker Marquis Spruill got some looks with the first-team defense at outside linebacker, where he's battling with Ryan Gillum.
LOUISVILLE: Head coach Charlie Strong held his scrimmage behind closed doors, with no fans or media allowed to attend. So details of the 90-play scrimmage were unknown. The school's official account said the Cardinals worked on situations like 1st-and-10 from their own 30, 1st-and-10 from the 12 inside the red zone and 1st-and-10 from their own 1.
"Early in the scrimmage, the offense didn't move the ball very well, but the longer we went, the better it got," Strong said. "We still have a long way to go and we still have to get better. We have to improve our tackling and we need some guys to really step up and become leaders of this team."
Several teams had their first full-bore intrasquad scrimmages of the preseason, which can help determine depth charts and give an early indication of how things are going. Here are some notes from those workouts:
PITT: The Panthers went through an 88-play scrimmage, but they did so without injured key players such as Dom DeCicco, Myles Caragein, Andrew Taglianetti and Greg Romeus, who continues to be unavailable with back spasms. In addition, Jabaal Sheard, Dion Lewis and Jon Baldwin played limited snaps.
Ray Graham was taken out of the scrimmage after going down with a knee injury, but it did not appear to be serious. Quarterback Tino Sunseri was just 5-for-11 for 61 yards, while backup Pat Bostick impressed by going 9-of-15 for 163 yards and three scores.
RUTGERS: Defense dominated in the Scarlet Knights' 2 1/2 hour scrimmage, which is not surprising given how strong the Rutgers 'D' looks. The offense, which played without Howard Barbieri and Joe Martinek, scored just one touchdown while the defense scored off a turnover and had two safeties.
Quarterback Tom Savage went just 8-of-15 for 52 yards as the offense managed just 74 yards on its first 29 plays. De'Antwan Williams hoped to make a push for the No. 2 running back job but finished with just 13 yards on four carries while losing a fumble. Mason Robinson scored the lone TD.
WEST VIRGINIA: Head coach Bill Stewart mostly didn't like what he saw out of the Mountaineers' first scrimmage.
"Sloppy tackling, not breaking on the ball, not doing back-side cutoff blocks, not hustling, drops, exchange snaps,'' he said. "I'm not real pleased. [We] didn't play up to our standards."
Noel Devine did, though, ripping off a 79-yard touchdown run and then taking most of the rest of the day off. And so did Bruce Irvin. The junior-college import recorded two sacks as West Virginia lined up with four defensive linemen. Coaches and teammates are singing the praises of Irvin for his quickness and burst so far in practice.
Quarterbacks Geno Smith and freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson combined to complete 16 of 18 passes for 113 yards on mostly short routes.
SOUTH FLORIDA: Defense was also ahead of the offense at South Florida, as the Bulls mustered one touchdown in a nearly 150-snap scrimmage.
Quarterback B.J. Daniels missed 11 of his first 12 passes and finished 7-for-22 for 70 yards. True freshman backup Jamius Gunsby did look good, though, going 12-for-17 for 169 yards, including a 58-yard completion. But the defense had three interceptions.
"Right now we're a long way from being productive as an offensive football team," coach Skip Holtz said. "With the penalties and dropped passes and missing open receivers and inconsistencies in the passing game, it's very difficult to get anything into rhythm. We've got a lot of work to do right now, but I think the attitude is good and they're willing."
SYRACUSE: Coach Doug Marrone was disgusted by his team's lack of physicality on Friday, especially the offense, so he emphasized that in Saturday's first full-contact, two-hour scrimmage.
So the focus was on running the ball and running it hard, which Delone Carter did. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Nassib remained turnover-free. Freshman linebacker Marquis Spruill got some looks with the first-team defense at outside linebacker, where he's battling with Ryan Gillum.
LOUISVILLE: Head coach Charlie Strong held his scrimmage behind closed doors, with no fans or media allowed to attend. So details of the 90-play scrimmage were unknown. The school's official account said the Cardinals worked on situations like 1st-and-10 from their own 30, 1st-and-10 from the 12 inside the red zone and 1st-and-10 from their own 1.
"Early in the scrimmage, the offense didn't move the ball very well, but the longer we went, the better it got," Strong said. "We still have a long way to go and we still have to get better. We have to improve our tackling and we need some guys to really step up and become leaders of this team."
We've reached another weekend, and rest assured we have only a few more of these before there is actual football practice. Let's get to some e-mail to close out the week.
Eddie from Norwalk, Conn., writes: Hey, Brian, I know the UConn secondary has some questions, but I would like to think that are big defensive three could match up with anyones in the conference. I would say Greg Lloyd, Lutrus/Wilson, and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are as good as most in the conference. Yes I know that spring injuries have set Lloyd and Wilson back a bit, but I feel come September everyone will be healthy and be playing better then ever before.
Brian Bennett: Well, Eddie, you kind of answered your own question there as to why I didn't include UConn in my top five Big East defensive triplets. We don't even know yet if Lloyd will play this season. And none of the defensive backs have proved much. Wreh-Wilson showed promise toward the end of the season, but given that he didn't even practice this spring, I'd say it's premature to call him one of the best in the conference at this point.
Brady W. from Barcelona, Spain, writes: After looking at your breakdown at the Top 25, list I was disappointed to see you didn't break it down considering the ranking of each player. I've attached my calculations with No. 25 = 1 pts and 1 = 25pts. It's considerably more interesting than just the number of players or such.
Pittsburgh: Total 92 points
West Virginia: 76
Cincinnati: 53
Connecticut: 41
Rutgers: 33
South Florida: 20
Syracuse: 6
Brian Bennett: I appreciate you doing the math for me there, Brady. But surely there must be better things to do in Barcelona, no?
Mike from Trinity writes: Hey, Brian, got a question that's been on my mind for a while now, maybe you can give me some insight. We all know about South Florida's quarterback issue. The thing that's been bothering me is that Skip Holtz inherited this roster. Had Jim Leavitt remained the head coach he would have the same lack of quarterbacks. In hindsight it looks like Matt Grothe getting hurt last season gave the team a QB with one season under their belt. Coaching changes aside was this going to play out any differently?
Brian Bennett: That's a good question. Leavitt was recruiting Brion Carnes, whose offer fell through the cracks during the coaching transition. But with Holtz picking up Jamius Gunsby, that's basically a wash (and Gunsby might be the better player anyway). I do know Leavitt was enamored with Evan Landi; who knows if he would have kept Landi at quarterback, though Landi's transition to receiver began under the former staff. Either way, there wouldn't have been much depth, and it appears Leavitt missed out on getting a quarterback or two in previous classes.
Andrew from California writes: At the end of the season when 10-2 (6-1) WVU faces 12-1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, how many points do you think WVU will win by? Do you think Texas keeps it close, or do you think WVU wins by more than 10? Also, 10-2 (6-1) Pitt in the Champs Sports Bowl versus (8-4) FSU: do you think Pitt loses by 20 points or 30 points?
Brian Bennett: Hey, I'm just glad we're talking about actual football again.
Eddie from Norwalk, Conn., writes: Hey, Brian, I know the UConn secondary has some questions, but I would like to think that are big defensive three could match up with anyones in the conference. I would say Greg Lloyd, Lutrus/Wilson, and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are as good as most in the conference. Yes I know that spring injuries have set Lloyd and Wilson back a bit, but I feel come September everyone will be healthy and be playing better then ever before.
Brian Bennett: Well, Eddie, you kind of answered your own question there as to why I didn't include UConn in my top five Big East defensive triplets. We don't even know yet if Lloyd will play this season. And none of the defensive backs have proved much. Wreh-Wilson showed promise toward the end of the season, but given that he didn't even practice this spring, I'd say it's premature to call him one of the best in the conference at this point.
Brady W. from Barcelona, Spain, writes: After looking at your breakdown at the Top 25, list I was disappointed to see you didn't break it down considering the ranking of each player. I've attached my calculations with No. 25 = 1 pts and 1 = 25pts. It's considerably more interesting than just the number of players or such.
Pittsburgh: Total 92 points
West Virginia: 76
Cincinnati: 53
Connecticut: 41
Rutgers: 33
South Florida: 20
Syracuse: 6
Brian Bennett: I appreciate you doing the math for me there, Brady. But surely there must be better things to do in Barcelona, no?
Mike from Trinity writes: Hey, Brian, got a question that's been on my mind for a while now, maybe you can give me some insight. We all know about South Florida's quarterback issue. The thing that's been bothering me is that Skip Holtz inherited this roster. Had Jim Leavitt remained the head coach he would have the same lack of quarterbacks. In hindsight it looks like Matt Grothe getting hurt last season gave the team a QB with one season under their belt. Coaching changes aside was this going to play out any differently?
Brian Bennett: That's a good question. Leavitt was recruiting Brion Carnes, whose offer fell through the cracks during the coaching transition. But with Holtz picking up Jamius Gunsby, that's basically a wash (and Gunsby might be the better player anyway). I do know Leavitt was enamored with Evan Landi; who knows if he would have kept Landi at quarterback, though Landi's transition to receiver began under the former staff. Either way, there wouldn't have been much depth, and it appears Leavitt missed out on getting a quarterback or two in previous classes.
Andrew from California writes: At the end of the season when 10-2 (6-1) WVU faces 12-1 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, how many points do you think WVU will win by? Do you think Texas keeps it close, or do you think WVU wins by more than 10? Also, 10-2 (6-1) Pitt in the Champs Sports Bowl versus (8-4) FSU: do you think Pitt loses by 20 points or 30 points?
Brian Bennett: Hey, I'm just glad we're talking about actual football again.
South Florida badly needs depth at quarterback, and the Bulls just got a commitment from an in-state signal-caller.
Stevie Weatherford, who's from Land O'Lakes, Fla., told the Bulls of his decision on Friday morning, according to the St. Petersburg Times. If the name sounds familiar, it's because he's the younger brother of former Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder threw for 2,052 yards and 27 touchdowns with just five interceptions as a junior. He was also considering Cincinnati and East Carolina and had drawn some interest from South Carolina.
ESPN's Scouts Inc. ranks Weatherford as the 41st-best quarterback in his class.
The Bulls had only one scholarship quarterback, starter B.J. Daniels, available this spring. Incoming freshman Jamius Gunsby will add some depth this summer, but clearly South Florida needs more bodies at the position.
Stevie Weatherford, who's from Land O'Lakes, Fla., told the Bulls of his decision on Friday morning, according to the St. Petersburg Times. If the name sounds familiar, it's because he's the younger brother of former Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder threw for 2,052 yards and 27 touchdowns with just five interceptions as a junior. He was also considering Cincinnati and East Carolina and had drawn some interest from South Carolina.
ESPN's Scouts Inc. ranks Weatherford as the 41st-best quarterback in his class.
The Bulls had only one scholarship quarterback, starter B.J. Daniels, available this spring. Incoming freshman Jamius Gunsby will add some depth this summer, but clearly South Florida needs more bodies at the position.
Big East post-spring position rankings: QB
May, 13, 2010
5/13/10
9:30
AM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
Spring is over. Players have shown what they're capable of doing and what they still need to work on. So it's time to start breaking down each position in the Big East to see who is the strongest.
This is a ranking of the entire position group, so while having frontline talent helps, depth matters too. Let's start with the position that everybody always looks to first: quarterback.
1. Cincinnati: Zach Collaros will enter the season with probably the highest expectations of any Big East signal-caller, given his spectacular four-game starting stint in 2009 and the offense he'll play in for Butch Jones. Chazz Anderson also had a strong spring and could easily win games if something happens to Collaros.
2. Connecticut: Surprised? Don't be. Zach Frazer looked sharp this spring after ending the 2009 season strong, and his backup, Cody Endres, has already proved he can win games in the Big East. Michael Box is a promising prospect, Johnny McEntee does some things well and Leon Kinnard is a lightning bug who could help out in certain packages. This may be the deepest team in the league at QB.
3. Pittsburgh: No, Tino Sunseri has never started a game. But Pat Bostick has, and he's won some big ones. Sunseri is skilled and has a lot to work with, while Pitt can feel comfortable with one of the more experienced backups in the league. Remember, depth matters.
4. Rutgers: Though only a true sophomore, Tom Savage has more career starts than any returning starting quarterback in the league, amazingly enough. But the situation is perilous behind him, with only Steve Shimko there now. Can incoming freshman Chas Dodd help out this summer?
5. South Florida: Talk about your dangerous backup situations. B.J. Daniels is an electric player, but right now he only has walk-ons behind him. Incoming true frosh Jamius Gunsby will serve as his backup, but the Bulls don't want to have to go down that road this year.
6. West Virginia: This is one of those rankings that will look silly in time. I think Geno Smith will develop into one of the league's better quarterbacks. But since he was limited in the spring by a foot injury, the jury has to remain out on the sophomore until he's healthy. Coley White stood out this spring when given a bunch of snaps, but he'll likely move to receiver this fall as the Mountaineers see what they have in true freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson.
7. Louisville: Depth is not a problem for the Cardinals, who are still deciding between Adam Froman and Justin Burke, with former starter Will Stein in the wings. Freshman Dominique Brown will be given a look this summer as well. The problem, instead, is the lack of an elite player at the position.
8. Syracuse: The Orange enter the season as one of only two Big East teams to not return a quarterback with starting experience. Ryan Nassib did play a lot this year, and redshirt freshman Charley Loeb pushed him this spring. Highly-touted recruit Jonny Miller arrives this summer.
This is a ranking of the entire position group, so while having frontline talent helps, depth matters too. Let's start with the position that everybody always looks to first: quarterback.
1. Cincinnati: Zach Collaros will enter the season with probably the highest expectations of any Big East signal-caller, given his spectacular four-game starting stint in 2009 and the offense he'll play in for Butch Jones. Chazz Anderson also had a strong spring and could easily win games if something happens to Collaros.
2. Connecticut: Surprised? Don't be. Zach Frazer looked sharp this spring after ending the 2009 season strong, and his backup, Cody Endres, has already proved he can win games in the Big East. Michael Box is a promising prospect, Johnny McEntee does some things well and Leon Kinnard is a lightning bug who could help out in certain packages. This may be the deepest team in the league at QB.
3. Pittsburgh: No, Tino Sunseri has never started a game. But Pat Bostick has, and he's won some big ones. Sunseri is skilled and has a lot to work with, while Pitt can feel comfortable with one of the more experienced backups in the league. Remember, depth matters.
4. Rutgers: Though only a true sophomore, Tom Savage has more career starts than any returning starting quarterback in the league, amazingly enough. But the situation is perilous behind him, with only Steve Shimko there now. Can incoming freshman Chas Dodd help out this summer?
5. South Florida: Talk about your dangerous backup situations. B.J. Daniels is an electric player, but right now he only has walk-ons behind him. Incoming true frosh Jamius Gunsby will serve as his backup, but the Bulls don't want to have to go down that road this year.
6. West Virginia: This is one of those rankings that will look silly in time. I think Geno Smith will develop into one of the league's better quarterbacks. But since he was limited in the spring by a foot injury, the jury has to remain out on the sophomore until he's healthy. Coley White stood out this spring when given a bunch of snaps, but he'll likely move to receiver this fall as the Mountaineers see what they have in true freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson.
7. Louisville: Depth is not a problem for the Cardinals, who are still deciding between Adam Froman and Justin Burke, with former starter Will Stein in the wings. Freshman Dominique Brown will be given a look this summer as well. The problem, instead, is the lack of an elite player at the position.
8. Syracuse: The Orange enter the season as one of only two Big East teams to not return a quarterback with starting experience. Ryan Nassib did play a lot this year, and redshirt freshman Charley Loeb pushed him this spring. Highly-touted recruit Jonny Miller arrives this summer.
2009 overall record: 8-5
2009 conference record: 3-4, T-4th in Big East
Returning starters
Offense: 9. Defense: 4. Punter/kicker: 1
Top returners
QB B.J. Daniels, WR Dontavia Bogan, RB Mo Plancher, LB Sam Barrington, DE Craig Marshall, WR Lindsey Lamar
Key losses
DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DE George Selvie, S Nate Allen, CB Jerome Murphy, LB Kion Wilson, RB Mike Ford
2009 statistical leaders (* returners)
Rushing: B.J. Daniels* (772 yards)
Passing: Daniels* (1,983 yards)
Receiving: Carlton Mitchell (706 yards)
Tackles: Kion Wilson (105)
Sacks: Jason Pierre-Paul (6.5)
Interceptions: Jerome Murphy and Nate Allen (4)
Spring answers
1. B.J. is OK: There were questions about how the Bulls would get through spring practice without any healthy scholarship quarterbacks, but B.J. Daniels managed to take most of the important reps following his offseason shoulder surgery. Then he went out and had a terrific spring game performance, albeit one in which he couldn't get hit. Daniels should be full go for the start of fall camp.
2. New playmakers found: First-year coach Skip Holtz wanted to identify some offensive difference-makers alongside Daniels, and the team thinks sophomore speedster Lindsey Lamar could be that guy. Lamar moved from running back to receiver, where the goal is to get him in open space and let him use his sprinter skills. Running back Demetris Murray also impressed at times during camp.
3. Linebacker strength: Even with leading tackler Kion Wilson gone, defensive coordinator Mark Snyder believes that linebacker could be the strength of the defense. It's mostly an inexperienced group, but Snyder loves the ability of players like Sam Barrington, Jacquian Williams and Mike Lanaris. And there's enough depth to form a good rotation at each spot.
Fall questions
1. Quarterback depth: While Daniels is the unquestioned starter, the Bulls can't afford for him to miss any time. His main backup figures to be a true freshman, Jamius Gunsby. It would behoove South Florida to severely limit contact on Daniels once again in fall camp, but that would mean he enters the season without experiencing getting hit for almost nine months.
2. The replacements: The Bulls bring only four starters back on defense, and they lost some major talent on that side of the ball with four players getting drafted by the NFL last month. Can they replace the production of defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul? And can the secondary reload after losing safety Nate Allen and cornerback Jerome Murphy?
3. Deep threats? Dontavia Bogan became Daniels' main target in the spring game and put up dazzling numbers. Still, the ACL injury to A.J. Love in that game depleted South Florida's already thin receiving group. Bogan was switched from the inside to the outside during the spring and needs to carry his performance over into the fall. Lamar and sophomores Sterling Griffin and Evan Landi also have to step up their contributions.
2009 conference record: 3-4, T-4th in Big East
Returning starters
Offense: 9. Defense: 4. Punter/kicker: 1
Top returners
QB B.J. Daniels, WR Dontavia Bogan, RB Mo Plancher, LB Sam Barrington, DE Craig Marshall, WR Lindsey Lamar
Key losses
DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DE George Selvie, S Nate Allen, CB Jerome Murphy, LB Kion Wilson, RB Mike Ford
2009 statistical leaders (* returners)
Rushing: B.J. Daniels* (772 yards)
Passing: Daniels* (1,983 yards)
Receiving: Carlton Mitchell (706 yards)
Tackles: Kion Wilson (105)
Sacks: Jason Pierre-Paul (6.5)
Interceptions: Jerome Murphy and Nate Allen (4)
Spring answers
1. B.J. is OK: There were questions about how the Bulls would get through spring practice without any healthy scholarship quarterbacks, but B.J. Daniels managed to take most of the important reps following his offseason shoulder surgery. Then he went out and had a terrific spring game performance, albeit one in which he couldn't get hit. Daniels should be full go for the start of fall camp.
2. New playmakers found: First-year coach Skip Holtz wanted to identify some offensive difference-makers alongside Daniels, and the team thinks sophomore speedster Lindsey Lamar could be that guy. Lamar moved from running back to receiver, where the goal is to get him in open space and let him use his sprinter skills. Running back Demetris Murray also impressed at times during camp.
3. Linebacker strength: Even with leading tackler Kion Wilson gone, defensive coordinator Mark Snyder believes that linebacker could be the strength of the defense. It's mostly an inexperienced group, but Snyder loves the ability of players like Sam Barrington, Jacquian Williams and Mike Lanaris. And there's enough depth to form a good rotation at each spot.
Fall questions
1. Quarterback depth: While Daniels is the unquestioned starter, the Bulls can't afford for him to miss any time. His main backup figures to be a true freshman, Jamius Gunsby. It would behoove South Florida to severely limit contact on Daniels once again in fall camp, but that would mean he enters the season without experiencing getting hit for almost nine months.
2. The replacements: The Bulls bring only four starters back on defense, and they lost some major talent on that side of the ball with four players getting drafted by the NFL last month. Can they replace the production of defensive ends George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul? And can the secondary reload after losing safety Nate Allen and cornerback Jerome Murphy?
3. Deep threats? Dontavia Bogan became Daniels' main target in the spring game and put up dazzling numbers. Still, the ACL injury to A.J. Love in that game depleted South Florida's already thin receiving group. Bogan was switched from the inside to the outside during the spring and needs to carry his performance over into the fall. Lamar and sophomores Sterling Griffin and Evan Landi also have to step up their contributions.
Holtz talks about quarterback situation
February, 5, 2010
2/05/10
10:15
AM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
Signing day presented the first chance for reporters to ask new South Florida coach Skip Holtz how he planned to handle his team's thin quarterback situation.
Sophomore starter B.J. Daniels underwent surgery a week ago on his left, non-throwing shoulder. Daniels will be out four to six weeks and will be held out of all contact work and scrimmages this spring.
That's even more of a problem than normal because the Bulls don't have any other scholarship quarterbacks ready to go. There's sophomore Evan Landi, who was Daniels' backup last season. But Landi was making a full-time move to receiver.
"I just have to look at what all's there, who else on this team has played quarterback and how much B.J. can do," Holtz said. "I don't want to move [Landi] there today, only to find that B.J. can take most of the reps. If that can happen, I would like to keep Landi at wide receiver, because right now I think with the job that he did there, he's got a chance to be a starter out there in your four-wide package."
Holtz said he'd rather have to scramble and get through the spring and then see if incoming freshman Jamius Gunsby can take on the backup quarterback role. Of course, that would be putting a true freshman just a snap away from playing the most important position on the field.
"We're going to find out how ready [Gunsby] is to handle that responsibility," Holtz said. "Physically, he's certainly ready to handle it, but we'll find out where he is mentally. And then again Landi is always that wildcard that's in your hip pocket that could be that guy who could move back there in a situation of need."
Holtz also had some interesting comments on how he saw the role of the quarterback in his offense. Daniels led the team in rushing with 772 yards. That marked the fourth straight year that South Florida's leading rusher was its quarterback. Though Daniels and Matt Grothe before him are electric playmakers with the ball in their hand, I've often thought that the Bulls put too much pressure on their quarterbacks to carry the load of the offense. Holtz apparently shares that thought.
"I'm not looking for a quarterback to be our tailback," he said. "So much goes into the development of that position mentally, that you really would rather not just have the wear and tear of having him be your leading ball carrier during the course of the season. I like a quarterback that gives you some versatility, that can throw it, but I think being a quarterback and being successful is more about making good decisions than it is just your physical attributes."
At the same time, Holtz said he'll play to the strengths of his players.
"I remember when we first got to East Carolina, we had a pocket-passing quarterback and a couple of really good receivers, and we had a young man like Chris Johnson, he ended up being our second-leading receiver because we couldn't hand it to him," he said. "We told our offensive linemen, 'Get run over slowly.' We told our quarterback to throw it quickly. So we're just going to have to figure out how we are going to do that and what are strengths are here at South Florida. At this point I really don't know what we'll be offensively or defensively."
Sophomore starter B.J. Daniels underwent surgery a week ago on his left, non-throwing shoulder. Daniels will be out four to six weeks and will be held out of all contact work and scrimmages this spring.
That's even more of a problem than normal because the Bulls don't have any other scholarship quarterbacks ready to go. There's sophomore Evan Landi, who was Daniels' backup last season. But Landi was making a full-time move to receiver.
"I just have to look at what all's there, who else on this team has played quarterback and how much B.J. can do," Holtz said. "I don't want to move [Landi] there today, only to find that B.J. can take most of the reps. If that can happen, I would like to keep Landi at wide receiver, because right now I think with the job that he did there, he's got a chance to be a starter out there in your four-wide package."
Holtz said he'd rather have to scramble and get through the spring and then see if incoming freshman Jamius Gunsby can take on the backup quarterback role. Of course, that would be putting a true freshman just a snap away from playing the most important position on the field.
"We're going to find out how ready [Gunsby] is to handle that responsibility," Holtz said. "Physically, he's certainly ready to handle it, but we'll find out where he is mentally. And then again Landi is always that wildcard that's in your hip pocket that could be that guy who could move back there in a situation of need."
Holtz also had some interesting comments on how he saw the role of the quarterback in his offense. Daniels led the team in rushing with 772 yards. That marked the fourth straight year that South Florida's leading rusher was its quarterback. Though Daniels and Matt Grothe before him are electric playmakers with the ball in their hand, I've often thought that the Bulls put too much pressure on their quarterbacks to carry the load of the offense. Holtz apparently shares that thought.
"I'm not looking for a quarterback to be our tailback," he said. "So much goes into the development of that position mentally, that you really would rather not just have the wear and tear of having him be your leading ball carrier during the course of the season. I like a quarterback that gives you some versatility, that can throw it, but I think being a quarterback and being successful is more about making good decisions than it is just your physical attributes."
At the same time, Holtz said he'll play to the strengths of his players.
"I remember when we first got to East Carolina, we had a pocket-passing quarterback and a couple of really good receivers, and we had a young man like Chris Johnson, he ended up being our second-leading receiver because we couldn't hand it to him," he said. "We told our offensive linemen, 'Get run over slowly.' We told our quarterback to throw it quickly. So we're just going to have to figure out how we are going to do that and what are strengths are here at South Florida. At this point I really don't know what we'll be offensively or defensively."
Weekend recruiting nuggets around the Big East
February, 1, 2010
2/01/10
11:00
AM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
The final recruiting weekend before Wednesday's signing day has concluded. Here's a rundown of some developments at various Big East schools over the weekend:
Cincinnati
To no one's real surprise, the Bearcats officially lost quarterback Luke Massa to Notre Dame and former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly. Massa had been committed since the summer. In the good news department, they picked up three-star receiver Anthony McClung, who had been committed to Louisville. McClung is a teammate of current Cincinnati pledge and fellow receiver Dyjuan Lewis.
Connecticut
UConn gained a commitment from 6-foot-5 Pennsylvania defensive end B.J. McBryde, who was also being recruited by Penn State.
Louisville
New coach Charlie Strong dipped back into the Florida well again, this time landing four-star outside linebacker Deon Rogers of Port St. Lucie, who decommitted from Georgia. Rogers also considered Florida State, LSU and Ohio State.
Strong now has four four-star recruits from Florida on board.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights gained a couple of new commitments over the weekend. Offensive tackle Rob Forst (6-5, 255) dropped Delaware for a chance to play with his older brother, Art. Running back Jawan Jamison, a 5-foot-8, 205-pounder from Jacksonville, Fla., also committed over offers from Clemson and others.
South Florida
It was a busy weekend for new Bulls coach Skip Holtz and his staff.
South Florida gained a pledge from 6-foot-5 quarterback Jamius Gunsby of LaGrange, Ga. He was also offered by Florida and Kentucky. Gunsby is rated as the 69th-best quarterback in the class by Scouts Inc.
The Bulls pulled a scholarship offer from Bradenton, Fla., quarterback Brion Carnes, who wound up committing to Western Kentucky.
South Florida has picked up safety Reshard Cliett from Thomasville, Ga.
West Virginia
Three-star linebacker John Propst, who had committed to West Virginia in June, switched his allegiance to Tennessee.
Cincinnati
To no one's real surprise, the Bearcats officially lost quarterback Luke Massa to Notre Dame and former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly. Massa had been committed since the summer. In the good news department, they picked up three-star receiver Anthony McClung, who had been committed to Louisville. McClung is a teammate of current Cincinnati pledge and fellow receiver Dyjuan Lewis.
Connecticut
UConn gained a commitment from 6-foot-5 Pennsylvania defensive end B.J. McBryde, who was also being recruited by Penn State.
Louisville
New coach Charlie Strong dipped back into the Florida well again, this time landing four-star outside linebacker Deon Rogers of Port St. Lucie, who decommitted from Georgia. Rogers also considered Florida State, LSU and Ohio State.
Strong now has four four-star recruits from Florida on board.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights gained a couple of new commitments over the weekend. Offensive tackle Rob Forst (6-5, 255) dropped Delaware for a chance to play with his older brother, Art. Running back Jawan Jamison, a 5-foot-8, 205-pounder from Jacksonville, Fla., also committed over offers from Clemson and others.
South Florida
It was a busy weekend for new Bulls coach Skip Holtz and his staff.
South Florida gained a pledge from 6-foot-5 quarterback Jamius Gunsby of LaGrange, Ga. He was also offered by Florida and Kentucky. Gunsby is rated as the 69th-best quarterback in the class by Scouts Inc.
The Bulls pulled a scholarship offer from Bradenton, Fla., quarterback Brion Carnes, who wound up committing to Western Kentucky.
South Florida has picked up safety Reshard Cliett from Thomasville, Ga.
West Virginia
Three-star linebacker John Propst, who had committed to West Virginia in June, switched his allegiance to Tennessee.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
