ESPN College Football

Pumpkin bread pudding sounds great right about now ...

• The slipping Cincinnati Bearcats say they are just fine.
• UConn receiver Isiah Moore vows to hold onto the football.
• Buying in has paid off for a young Louisville team.
• Pitt coach Todd Graham says he's not worried about assistants leaving to join Rich Rodriguez in Arizona.
• Quarterback Chas Dodd is bringing Rutgers into uncharted territory thanks to his decision to stay.
• Syracuse safeties Jeremi Wilkes and Ritchy Desir will be in the spotlight against Cincinnati.
• USF quarterback B.J. Daniels missed practice Tuesday but hasn't been ruled out for Friday's game against Louisville.
• Defensive fronts are key between West Virginia and Pitt.

Syracuse starting free safety Phillip Thomas has been suspended for one year for an undisclosed violation of athletics department rules, the school announced late Friday.

His Orange career is likely over.

Thomas, a junior, has been the best player on the defense this season, leading the team with 82 tackles and the Big East with six interceptions. Jeremi Wilkes is the likely replacement in the starting lineup. Syracuse is off this week before playing Cincinnati next Saturday.

• The atmosphere brightens at Cincinnati.
• Sixteen Louisville seniors are suiting up for their final home game.
• Pitt center Ryan Turnley has been the most consistent player on the offensive line.
• Rutgers' success on special teams causes mental breakdowns for opponents.
• Syracuse safety Jeremi Wilkes can't wait to take on his hometown team.
• USF running back Darrell Scott could miss Friday's game against Syracuse with various injuries.
• West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen vows to be united.

Chandler Jones had so much fun working with at-risk boys last summer as part of the Youth Impact Program that Syracuse hosted, he decided to help out once again.

The school announced Wednesday it is hosting the program for the second straight year, and Jones will be there next week when it begins. The program will run from July 5-29, and Syracuse football players will help with classroom work in math, language and writing, along with life skills sessions, a football chalk talk and football practice.

The group of more than 100 at-risk, inner-city boys are from sixth, seventh and eighth grade. They will get to work with players Ollie Haney, Lewellyn Coker, Dyshawn Davis, Jaston George, Deon Goggins, Prince-Tyson Gulley, Sean Hickey, Nick Lepak, Keon Lyn, Phillip Thomas, Shamarko Thomas, Jeremi Wilkes and Jones. Syracuse athletics academic coordinator Joe Fields will direct the program, and public school teachers also will help.

If there is anything Jones wants the boys to take with them, it is an emphasis on getting an education.

"Last year, I wanted to send a message to them they can't do anything without academics," Jones said in a phone interview. "I told them,'You have to stay in school. To do some football drills, you have to get that math skill right. For me to teach you the secret move I do, you have to solve this problem.'"

Jones said he wants to be a mentor because that is something he did not have growing up. "I just look at it from my own perspective," he said. "When I was a kid, I didn't have a high prestigious athlete to talk to me and show me. I had older brothers, but they weren't Division I athletes. Being in the position I'm in, I want to help them be successful."

2010 overall record: 8-5
2010 conference record: 4-3, fourth in Big East

Returning starters:

Offense: 8. Defense: 5. Punter/kicker: 1.

Top returners:

QB Ryan Nassib, RB Antwon Bailey, OT Justin Pugh, DE Chandler Jones, S Phillip Thomas, S Shamarko Thomas, WR Van Chew, WR Marcus Sales

Key losses:

RB Delone Carter, C Ryan Bartholomew, LB Doug Hogue, LB Derrell Smith, CB Mike Holmes

2010 statistical leaders (* returners)

Rushing: Delone Carter (1,233 yards)
Passing: Ryan Nassib* (2,334 yards)
Receiving: Van Chew* (611 yards)
Tackles: Derrell Smith (114)
Sacks: Chandler Jones* (4)
Interceptions: Doug Hogue and Da'Mon Merkerson (3)

Spring answers

1. Antwon's able: Replacing two-time 1,000-yard back Delone Carter was a main task this spring for Syracuse, and Antwon Bailey showed he is up to it. Bailey, a third-down specialist for much of the past two years, is smaller and shiftier than the bruising Carter and adds a different dimension to the running attack with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He also proved he can run between the tackles this spring.

2. O-line strength: The offensive line figured to be one of the team's anchors this season as it returned four of the five starters from 2010. The big question mark was at center, where sophomore Macky MacPherson stepped into Ryan Bartholomew's shoes ably this spring. Despite weighing under 260 pounds, MacPherson excelled with his quickness and knowledge of the game. With one of the most promising linemen in the league at left tackle in Justin Pugh and several other veterans, the O-line should be very dependable this fall.

3. Ryan Nassib's progress: Nassib had a decent first season of starting in 2010 before turning in a big performance in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. His confidence from that game and from his experience in the system showed this spring as he distanced himself from a field of would-be replacements at quarterback. Without the comfort blanket of Carter, Nassib had to step up his leadership and accuracy on throws this spring, and he did both.

Fall questions

1. DT depth: The Orange lost both starting defensive tackles from last season and played this spring with Jay Bromley and Cory Boatman -- two guys weighing under 275 pounds -- at first string. Head coach Doug Marrone said the interior line would mostly be manned by committee this year, and he may have to sacrifice some size for athleticism. The defensive end position should be very strong with Chandler Jones, Mikhail Marinovich and Brandon Sharpe, but the Orange may have some trouble holding up on the inside against bigger teams.

2. Big-play potential: The Orange went nearly the whole season last year without making many big plays on offense before erupting in the bowl game. Was that a function of rest, as Marrone has suggested, or more a product of Kansas State's crummy defense? Nassib needs more reliable targets in the passing game. Postseason hero Marcus Sales continued to stretch the field this spring, but leading returning receiver Van Chew was banged up and Dorian Graham still has trouble holding onto the ball. Syracuse should have more bodies this spring with guys like Jarrod West helping the depth, but these guys have to prove it in Big East play.

3. Cornerback reconstituted: Fifth-year senior Kevyn Scott and sophomore Keon Lyn claimed the starting spots this spring from the departed Mike Holmes and Da'Mon Merkerson. Scott has experience, while Lyn is full of potential. Both must show they can get the job done in the fall. Depth there is probably a bigger issue. Right now, Nassib's cousin -- walk-on Joe Nassib -- is a backup behind Lyn. Freshman early enrolleee Jaston George couldn't get above third string this spring. Ri'Shard Anderson and Jeremi Wilkes could play nickel back, and the Orange are stacked at safety. But will they have enough to counter some of the stronger passing attacks in the Big East?

• West Virginia's president supports Oliver Luck's plan to sell beer at home games to curb alcohol abuse. The Mountaineers have big shoes to fill at safety.
• Syracuse's Jeremi Wilkes added to his versatility by working out at safety this spring.
• Jordan Thomas is trying to learn the cornerback spot this spring at Rutgers after leading the team in rushing a year ago. The Scarlet Knights looked stacked at wide receiver.
• Four early enrollees have gotten a jump start on their college careers at UConn.
• Cincinnati has several graduate students on its roster now.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Some observations after attending Syracuse's 13th practice of the spring on Tuesday (if there are any typos, it's because I spilled Dinosaur Bar-B-Que sauce on my keyboard):

• With the spring game on tap Saturday, the Orange did quite a bit of scrimmage work in a somewhat-abbreviated practice. The defense had the upper hand at last weekend's scrimmage and kept that going on Tuesday. The offense did well in some short-yardage work, but the defense dominated in goal-line and two-minute drills. That's notable, given that the offense returns far more starters than its relatively young counterparts on the other side of the ball. Doug Marrone said the offense had "some lingering bad taste" from Saturday's performance.

• Of course, the offense might have had a better day if Marcus Sales had caught a ball that deflected off his hands on fourth-and-10 from about midfield in the two-minute work. Sales said afterward that he would have caught that in a game. And the best news, at least for the offense, is that he was able to get behind the defense in such an obvious passing situation.

• Sales looked good the rest of the practice and seems to be carrying over his big Pinstripe Bowl performance. The receivers have a little more depth with him, Alec Lemon and Van Chew, who isn't fully healthy yet. Jarrod West looks like he can be a solid possession receiver. Dorian Graham is fast but still has trouble catching the ball.

• You don't hear much anymore about a quarterback competition. Ryan Nassib is the obvious starter and showed some nice skill in a couple of play-action bootleg passes to tight end Nick Provo. Nassib probably isn't going to wow you, but he's solid and there's no one really pushing him for playing time right now. Charley Loeb wold be the backup if the season started today.

• Antwon Bailey showed some nice moves as Syracuse really focused on running the ball during most of the scrimmage portions. He got around the corner a couple of times and flashed good shiftiness between the tackles. I have questioned whether or not the 5-foot-8 Bailey could hold up as an every-down back, but hey, Noel Devine and Dion Lewis have done it in this league. Prince-Tyson Gulley is also coming on. He had maybe the play of the day by the offense when he juked Jeremi Wilkes out of his shoes on a pitch play.

• True freshman Dyshawn Davis is currently running first-string at linebacker. Coach Dan Conley spent time giving Davis a lot of extra instruction. Syracuse could be awfully young at linebacker with Davis and true sophomore Marquis Spruill in the middle. Senior Dan Vaughan is trying to hold on to a starting job at the other spot and would give the Orange some experience.

• The other big question mark on defense is at the interior line spots. Cory Boatman (256 pounds) and Jay Bromley (273) were manning that position with the first unit on Tuesday. While they had success against a veteran line, they are still undersized for those spots. Marrone said the defensive tackle position probably would be filled by committee this season.
• Overall thoughts: The Orange are well-stocked on the offensive line, at defensive end and at safety and will have a veteran quarterback and some potential playmakers at running back. They will need the young guys at linebacker and defensive tackle to really come on, and for the passing game to improve over last year. But it's not unrealistic to consider them a Big East contender in 2011.

Here is the second part of my pre-spring conversation with Syracuse coach Doug Marrone. You can read Part I here.

We talked about Marcus Sales, so let's talk about the other receivers. How much can Van Chew and Alec Lemon improve?


Doug Marrone: Both players got hurt at the end of last year. I do like Van. I told everyone that last spring and no one really jumped on that. I guess they figured I didn't know what I was talking about. He had a good year for us and he's healthy, he'll be ready to go. Alec had a real good end of the year his freshman year, and last year he was a little inconsistent. He's faster right now than he's ever been, which is exciting. He's really worked hard, and there's more competition there. When you create a lot of competition at each position, you'll get better play.

Ryan Nassib started all 13 games for you at quarterback. Is he the no-doubt leader there again this spring?


DM: That's the way we feel now, but we have to go out there and make sure everything is set. He had 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions and completed about 56 percent. We try to get our quarterbacks up to 65 completion percentage. Does he have the lead going in? Absolutely, because he has the experience. But Charley Loeb has done some nice things. John Kinder had a great bowl practice for us -- he really, really did a nice job, so where does he go now? Jonny Miller is coming off shoulder injury, so it's going to be interesting to see him because he's a very good athlete. Does someone have to play extremely well to beat out Ryan Nassib? Yes. But Ryan Nassib has some pretty good competition behind him too.

Any redshirt guys or others who didn't play last year who you're expecting to make a move this spring?


DM: Well, we didn't redshirt many guys. But I think Deon Goggins, on the inside for our defense, is one. We've moved Marquis Spruill to middle linebacker. He played well for us last year as a true freshman [at outside linebacker], but there's still going to be a learning curve for the kid. At corner, Ri'shard Anderson was going to play for us, probably be our corner when went to nickel, until he got hurt last year and he's healthy now. Keondrick Lyn, I think, is a very, very good player there as well. So it will be interesting to see them and Kevyn Scott battle. Then there's Jeremi Wilkes, too. Micah Robinson and Max Beaulieu are two defensive linemen to watch, and Ollie Haney is coming off an injury. He had a pretty good spring last year.

You moved some coaches around this offseason. Was that just to prioritize some positions that need extra coaching this year?

DM: It was. You look at it now, and we have two coaches on the D-line, so coach [Jimmy] Brumbaugh can now spend that time coaching those young inside players. We have to do that to be successful. Our ends are returning, and I really think they'll do a heck of a job, all of them. Then with our linebackers, coach [John] Anselmo is down there now with with coach [Dan] Conley. With so many spread offenses, basically one of the linebackers will have to come out of the box, and coach Anselmo knows that stuff from being a defensive backs coach. So we wanted to strategically put coaches in areas where we need to play well in order to be successful.

You also promoted Nathaniel Hackett to offensive coordinator. Was that really much of a change, since he was calling plays last year anyway?


DM: It's really not. I know I can call plays, that's not a problem. Then when coach Hackett came in the spring, he'd call a segment of practice and I would call a segment. At the end of the day, we come from the same background, and our thoughts are going the same way. my philosophy is I want to be able to manage the game, know when to call timeouts, when to punt, when to do everything. So it's very simple for me to say, 'You know what, go ahead and call the plays, and at the end of the year we'll make sure you have the title because you deserve it.' But every play goes through me, on offense, defense and special teams.

Last year, you publicly stated your goal was to get to a bowl game. What's next?


DM: We're going to go through spring and create this goal for ourselves when we start this preseason. I think it's very important to do things together with the players. Obviously, we won eight games last year and have a challenging schedule this year. What that goal actually is will be verbally communicated when we get closer to the beginning of season. We've still got a lot of time to get ourselves ready and a lot of work to do.

I've said before that the toughest thing to do is turn around a college football program. I think the second toughest thing to do is maintain it. That's the key. So we have a lot of hard work in front of us.

You definitely turned things around, and I know you had a very detailed plan when you took over. Winning eight games and a bowl your second year, how did that match up with your plan?


DM: In the beginning, every coach comes in thinking they're going to win and go to a bowl game. Those were our thoughts coming in. I let other people say where they think we are. I thought we should have been in a bowl game that first year, but we fell short in a couple games. Last year we were in a position where we could have won more football games but we didn't.

So how do we get ourselves playing at the highest level every single week, and still do all the other things that's expected of us as student-athletes -- going to class, getting high GPAs and being leaders on campus? We expect a lot of our players. So we'll sit down and break down these goals, because we have to take it to the next level.

We talked a lot about the big dogs on the All-Big East teams on Wednesday. Now it's time to honor the pups.

Here are my choices for the top freshmen by position in the Big East this year. True and redshirt freshmen are eligible:

Offense

QB: Chas Dodd, Rutgers
RB: Jordan Thomas, Rutgers
RB: Jeremy Wright, Louisville
WR: Jeremy Deering, Rutgers
WR: Devin Street, Pittsburgh
WR: Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
OL: Kevin Friend, Connecticut
OL: Antwan Lowery, Rutgers
OL: Cole Bowers, West Virginia
OL: Macky MacPherson, Syracuse
TE: Brock DeCicco, Pittsburgh

Defense
DL: Shamar Stephen, Connecticut
DL: Brandon Dunn, Louisville
DL: B.J. Butler, Louisville
DL: Ryne Giddins, South Florida
LB: Marquis Spruill, Syracuse
LB: DeDe Lattimore, South Florida
DB: Devan Drane, Cincinnati
DB: Taylor Mack, Connecticut
DB: Hakeem Smith, Louisville
DB: Mark Joyce, South Florida
DB: Jeremi Wilkes, Syracuse

Specialists

K: Ross Krautman, Syracuse
P: Kyle Sullivan, Rutgers
KR: Prince-Tyson Gulley, Syracuse
PR: Terrence Mitchell, South Florida

Some coaches would rather unplug their headsets than play a true freshman, while others don't hesitate to throw newbies into the fire. Of course, most of the time it's not a matter of choice but available talent.

That's why I tracked how many true freshmen played in Week 1 for each Big East team. Sometimes this gives you a good idea of where teams are and sometimes it says how talented the freshmen are. Two true frosh started in Week 1: Marquis Spruill at outside linebacker for Syracuse, and Preston Brown at middle linebacker for Louisville.

Here's a list of which straight-out-of-high-school players played the opener, according to the official participation reports (note that many of them played on special teams, not necessarily their listed position):

Cincinnati (1): Adrian Witty, DB

Connecticut (1): Leon Kinnard, WR/QB

Louisville (5): Preston Brown MLB; Marcus Smith, LB; B.J. Butler, DL; Jarrett Davis, WR; Brandon Dunn, DL.

Pittsburgh (2): K'Waun Williams, DB; Aaron Donald, DL

Rutgers (5): Jeremy Deering, WR; Chas Dodd, QB; Jordan Thomas, RB; Marcus Thompson, LB; Betim Bujari, OL

South Florida (6): Terrance Mitchell, DB; Bobby Eveld, QB; Mark Joyce, DB; Marcus Shaw, RB; Tony Kibler, OL; Steven Bravo-Brown, WR.

Syracuse (9): Spruill; Malcom Cater, LB; Brice Hawkes, LB: Prince-Tyson Gulley, RB/KR; Jeremi Wilkes, DB; Steve Rene, WR; Ross Krautman, K,; Macky MacPherson, OL; Lewellyn Coker, LB; Jay Bromley, DL.

West Virginia (7): Barry Brunetti, QB; Ivan McCartney, WR; Trey Johnson, RB; Doug Rigg, LB; Ishmael Banks, DB; Mike Dorsey, DB; Travis Bell, DB.

Analyzing the 2010 Big East signing classes ...

Syracuse

View class here.

Signees: 31

Heavy on: Linebackers (six), receivers (five)

Geographic trend: New York, Pennsylvania and Florida are heavily represented.

Headliners: QB Jonny Miller (three stars); CB Jeremi Wilkes (three stars).

Sleeper: Take your pick: 16 players earned only two stars or lower.

Best potential for immediate impact: Don't be surprised if Miller makes a serious run for the starting quarterback job as a true freshman.

Needs met: Syracuse needed bodies to fill out the roster and got that with a huge class, seven of whom enrolled in January and will count against last year's class. The Orange also needed playmakers at wideout and more linebackers, and those positions made up a large chunk of this otherwise balanced and diverse group.

Analysis: There aren't a lot of showstopper names in this bunch, but second-year coach Doug Marrone is still working to get Syracuse back in the forefront of recruits' minds. What he has done is get the program back to its traditional recruiting roots in New York, Florida and elsewhere. And he's now got a lot of players to work with, unlike his first season. It's up to Marrone to develop these guys and prove the recruiting rankings wrong.

What Marrone said: “The one thing that I can say about this class as a general topic is that everyone in this class can run. Everyone who is involved with football knows that you have to bring players in who can run. That's an important part of what we're doing here to develop our football team. ... We're starting with players who already have a good frame on them who will keep developing and maturing their body. ... Linebacker, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, defensive back -- they are areas that we're looking to fulfill. The only area that our numbers are not ideal would be at the corner position."

Scouts Inc. grade: C-minus