ESPN College Football

Here are five things the Pac-12, its players and its teams need to focus on with 100 days until the 2013 season begins.

1. Oregon needs to put the NCAA in its rearview mirror: Oregon and former coach Chip Kelly appeared before the NCAA's committee on infractions (COI) on April 20 (it was incorrectly reported that the meeting happened a day earlier). That means the odds are good the Ducks will know their fate before the beginning of the season. Moreover, the odds are favorable that the Ducks won't lose their 2013 postseason. That's nice for the program, considering Oregon is again a top national title contender, and the pressure is on new coach Mark Helfrich to make sure it stays that way. Getting the Willie Lyles matter resolved will make for one fewer distraction for the Ducks to claim they haven't even noticed.

2. New QBs are sometimes crowned in the offseason: Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon State and USC still have wide-open QB competitions. While coaches can't watch offseason workouts, players are gathering on a near-daily basis for conditioning and 7-on-7 work. That means aspirants for starting jobs are working with their teammates, the guys they need to win over to the notion of their stepping into cockpit of the offense. How a QB carries himself matters. How he leads these "voluntary" sessions matters. And a QB sure as heck can substantially improve between May and August. Just look at Arizona State's Taylor Kelly, who went from worst to first in the Sun Devils' 2012 QB race after spring practices.

3. Larry Scott & Co. need to send an SOS: Off-field issues are big-time this offseason. The college football powers are setting up a new four-team playoff to begin in 2014, and the Pac-12's interests are simple: Strength of schedule. The selection committee must create an unforgiving system that demands tough scheduling or functionally disqualifies teams that willfully play weak schedules. First off, there needs to be an agreement on conference scheduling. Every conference participating in the new playoff needs to play the same number of conference games, either eight or nine. If that proves unworkable, which it shouldn't, then the conferences that choose to play eight conference games should be required to play two nonconference games against AQ conference foes. This would fall under the title of "Standing up to the SEC."

4. Get bigger, stronger, faster, and do so without getting hurt: Injuries are the biggest drag in college football. Summer injuries are even worse because they: (1) Happen without full-go contact; (2) Are more likely to take a big or entire bite out of the season, depending on how late in the offseason they occur. Still, players need to work. The offseason can be physically transformative, particularly for younger players. A guy can put on 10 to 15 pounds. Or lose them. Quickness can be boosted and a power-clean total can rise. The best-conditioned team may not always win, but at least it knows it did all it could when the final whistle blows. So: Lots of sweat but no knee injuries.

5. Stay out of trouble: All work and no play makes Pac-12 players dull boys. These guys need to have fun. They deserve it. And the Pac-12 blog is no prude. But, golly, fellas, stay on the right side of the law. If you drink, you cannot drive. Period. No matter how annoying that guy is being at the bar/beach/party, you cannot punch him. Be wary of social entanglements that seem just a bit too eager. If something is not yours, don't take it. While it's entertaining to watch the Hulk smash things, it's not the same with you. Yes, have fun. Just don't be stupid and hurt yourself and your team with your poor decision-making.

If we all go out to dinner with Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott this weekend, he's buying.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Scott is the highest paid college conference commissioner, earning more than $3 million last year.

The WSJ reported:

Scott took home a $1,376,000 bonus in addition to a base salary of $1,575,000 and other compensation of $71,462. His total compensation surpassed that of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who made $2.8 million in salary, bonuses and benefits that year. It also is nearly double the $1.6 million listed for commissioner Mike Slive of the Southeastern Conference, which has won the past seven major-college football national titles and recently announced it will launch a network with ESPN in 2014.

Why is Scott so well paid? Well, a lot of that is his "quadrupling [the Pac-12's] annual television-rights revenue." From the report:

In the span of 2011-12, Scott added the Universities of Colorado and Utah as members after initially exploring the possibility of a 16-team conference. He brokered a broadcast-rights deal with ESPN and Fox worth $3 billion over 12 years, elevating the Pac-12 from a distant fifth place nationally with $58 million in primary media-rights revenue to the leader, with the new deal worth an average of $250 million annually. He led the launch of the Pac-12 Networks, the only such venture to be wholly owned by a conference.

The Pac-12 generated only $176 million in revenue in 2011-12, well behind the Big Ten at $315 million and the SEC at $273 million, but those numbers were based on the old TV deals. This past year, the Pac-12 expects to pocket more than $300 million, though financial details won't be available until next year.

The Pac-12 Network is also expected to turn a small profit in its first year of operation.

It doesn't seem like too many Pac-12 administrators are unhappy with Scott (easy there, Arizona basketball fans). From the article:

"Larry is the go-to guy that pulled all this together," said Ed Ray, the Oregon State University president and head of the committee that approved Scott's compensation package. "I would say he had a hell of a year."

Now if Scott could just get DirectTV to join his fan club.

 

I'm sure many of you have seen my story (and video!) "Wrongs of Spring," which touches on a subject that is close to all of your hearts: The Pac-12 blog being wrong, wrong, wrong!

WRONG!

Now, most of the wrong things that I write in the blog can be traced to some sort of subversive mind control that Kevin Gemmell practices in his underground lab that he thinks I don't know about. The wrong things Kevin writes can be traced to his anti-USC bias. Or is that anti-UCLA bias? Did you know he breaks out in hives every time he writes nice things about Stanford? Really.

Anyway, our guess is you guys would enjoy reliving some of our 2012 preseason wrongness. And occasional rightness.

You can start with our preseason All-Pac-12 team. And here's our postseason take.

Just three players are the same on offense: Oregon RB Kenjon Barner, USC C Khaled Holmes and Stanford OT David Yankey. Defense is much better, with five players the same and there being nothing embarrassing about the misses.

Then, of course, there is the preseason top-25 players. And the postseason version. We know Washington fans would like another opportunity to voice their objections.

Here our our 2012 preseason power rankings. Yes, there's good old USC, gleaming at the top:

1.USC: The Trojans begin the season ranked No. 1 here and in the AP poll. If the national title game were held Saturday, or you could guarantee the Trojans' starting 24 today would be the same at season's end, just about everyone would hand USC the title. But a season is long. Things happen. The Trojans' defense is already down two players, DE Devon Kennard and CB Isiah Wiley. A couple more of those, and the perception of this team could change.

At least that's not completely over the top.

And the worst projection was Arizona State at No. 11:

11. Arizona State: Taylor Kelly was the surprise winner of the QB competition, and new coach Todd Graham has pressed many of the right buttons this offseason. But the Pac-12 blog always sees it as a bad sign when an angry fan base attempts to counter our skepticism by touting players who have played [none] or very little college football.

Turns out those rookies did OK, most notably Kelly and LB Carl Bradford, and we really didn't see the dominating 2012 version of DT Will Sutton coming.

Then there are the "Fearless Predictions."

Four were wrong: USC and Oregon will play twice; A Pac-12 player will be a Heisman Trophy finalist; No Pac-12 coach will get fired after the season; Four Pac-12 teams will be ranked in the final AP poll.

Four were correct (or mostly so): California, UCLA or Washington will win eight -- or nine -- games: But only one of the three. The other two will win fewer than eight games; The Pac-12 will produce two BCS bowl teams and still fill its contracted bowls; At least three Pac-12 defenses will rank in the nation's top 25 in total defense (this actually proved true for scoring defense, but we're giving ourselves a break); and, The Pac-12 blog will, at some point, be wrong about something.

One was pretty darn close: The Pac-12 will go 28-8 in nonconference games (it went 28-15; we didn't include bowl games in the original calculation).

One is pending -- The NCAA will not hammer Oregon -- and the Pac-12 blog continues to believe that to be true.

What about the bowl projections?

BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 7: USC vs. BCS 1 or 2
Rose Bowl Game, Jan. 1: Oregon vs. Big Ten
Valero Alamo, Dec. 29: Stanford vs. Big 12
Bridgepoint Education Holiday, Dec. 27: Utah vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun, Dec. 31: Washington vs. ACC
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, Dec. 22: California vs. MWC
Kraft Fight Hunger, Dec. 29: UCLA vs. Navy
Gildan New Mexico, Dec. 15: Washington State vs. MWC

We batted .000 there, with three of those teams -- Utah, California and Washington State -- not ending up bowl eligible.

Finally, there were our "Best case-worst case" flights of fancy. There is a strong possibility this series will be retired. It feels as if it might have jumped the proverbial shark.

I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies.

• Arizona's backup RB Daniel Jenkins won't transfer to Washington State, as was previously announced.
• Arizona State coach Todd Graham wants to channel Tom Coughlin.
• Memorial Stadium financing at California ... well ... why not be optimistic!
• Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre is looking for Aaron Rodgers but he'd settle for a Whit Taylor.
• This former Oregon great dominated in two sports.
• Some Chip Kelly wit and wisdom, but he's got a couple of Oregon State Beavers competing at cornerback.
• Is Stanford the Pac-12's rising national power?
• You should expect UCLA LB Eric Kendricks to be less underrated this fall.
• Former USC QB Carson Palmer looks for a satisfying career finish in Arizona.
• A former Utah player and coach was the touchstone for the offseason's most ridiculous story: Nick Saban as the devil. Yeah, let's take this seriously.
• Some observations about Washington.
• Logan Mayes adds his name to a list of Washington State players who are having offseason off-field issues.
• And this is the best news you will get today.

Wrapping up his position-by-position look at the top prospects for the 2014 NFL draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. broke down the top offensive linemen and defensive tackles.

While none of the Pac-12's offensive linemen rank in the top five overall , when Kiper breaks them down by position, some of the conference's usual suspects appear.

Tackles

• Cameron Fleming, Stanford
• Aundrey Walker, USC

Guards

• David Yankey, Stanford
• Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA

Centers

• Hroniss Grasu, Oregon

Yankey, Su'a-Filo and Grasu were first-team All-Pac-12 picks last season and Fleming was honorable mention.

Moving over to the defensive tackles , a pair of Pac-12 players are on the board. Cal's Deandre Coleman cracks Kiper's top five, coming in at No. 5. Will Sutton is in the "next up" category of five more players to watch.

Kiper on Coleman: Quick off the ball for a 6-5, 320-pound player, Coleman can really chop his feet, and he has a little shake in him to get a blocker off balance to shove aside. He's best-suited to be either a 3-4 defensive end or a penetrating 3-tech defensive tackle in a 4-3.

Last season he had 8.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. A fellow Pac-12 D-tackle (see below) was more productive, but I like Coleman's versatility.

Kiper on Sutton: A nightmare to block, Sutton piled up 13.0 sacks and 23 1/2 tackles for loss. He could have factored into first-round talk in the 2013 draft.

You can see our posts on the other position groups here.

• Tight ends and outside linebackers
• Quarterbacks and cornerbacks
• Running backs and safeties
• Wide receivers and defensive ends

Here's the quick recap of all Pac-12 players in the rankings. The league has a total of 27 players listed with 14 on offense and 13 on defense. Four players are ranked No. 1 overall within their position group. Stanford leads the way with seven, followed by Oregon and USC with five each, then UCLA with three, Washington and ASU with two and Arizona, Oregon State and Cal with one each.

Quarterback

• Marcus Mariota, Oregon
• *Kiper updated this post to include other quarterbacks he likes, including Taylor Kelly, Keith Price, and he notes that Brett Hundley and Kevin Hogan could be in the mix if they are leaning toward declaring.

Running back

• De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon (ranked No. 1)
• Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona
• Silas Redd, USC
• Bishop Sankey, Washington

Wide receiver

• Marqise Lee, USC (ranked No. 1)

Tight end

• Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington (ranked No. 1)
• Colt Lyerla, Oregon
• Xavier Grimble, USC

Defensive end

• Scott Crichton, Oregon State

Safety

• Ed Reynolds, Stanford
• Jordan Richards, Stanford

Cornerback

• Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon

Outside linebacker

• Anthony Barr, UCLA (ranked No. 1)
• Carl Bradford, ASU
• Trent Murphy, Stanford
• Hayes Pullard, USC

Inside linebacker

• Eric Kendricks, UCLA
• A.J. Tarpley, Stanford
• Shayne Skov, Stanford

Happy Friday.

• As noted yesterday, Arizona's Jake Fischer was named to the Lott IMPACT watch list. Here's some more on the linebacker.
• A spring exit interview with ASU defensive line coach Jackie Shipp.
• In honor of the passing of Chuck Muncie, the San Jose Mercury News asks who is Cal's greatest running back?
• Details of the Webb-Lewis case continue to emerge.
• Chip Kelly bringing a "spark" to the Eagles.
• Oregon State loses a defensive tackle to a medical retirement.
• Incoming Stanford recruits are preparing for strength and conditioning coach Shannon Turley.
• Datone Jones could immediately impact the Green Bay defense.
• Utah coach Kyle Whittingham says USC is still the benchmark in the South.
• What game on Utah's schedule are fans most excited about?
• Some more on Washington's tight end commit.
• WSU's Teondray Caldwell could face assault and burglary charges.

Continuing with his look at the top prospects for the 2014 draft by position, ESPN's Mel Kiper ranked the tight ends , outside linebackers and inside linebackers . The Pac-12 is well-represented at all three position groups.

Three of the top five tight ends are from the Pac-12, headlined by Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins at No. 1. Oregon's Colt Lyerla is No. 2 on the list followed by USC's Xavier Grimble at No. 5.

Kiper on Seferian-Jenkins: This is the definition of a matchup problem: a tight end with the size (6-foot-6, 265 pounds) to block and the hands and athleticism to be split out, where he can overwhelm smaller corners. Extremely productive, Seferian-Jenkins had 109 catches in his first two years in college, and he already holds the school record for catches, touchdowns and receiving yards by a tight end.

Kiper on Lyerla: Don't mistake Lyerla's lack of catches for lack of talent. The one-time star high school running back and linebacker might be the best athlete in this group, and Oregon was eager to find ways to get him the ball. He even rushed the ball 13 times last season, to go along with his 25 catches.

Kiper on Grimble: What I like about Grimble is that he can make catches in traffic, and when he has the ball in his hands, he seems to enjoy looking for people he can run over. The USC offense should see more of him in 2013.

Moving to the other side of the ball, the Pac-12 claims the top spot here as well with UCLA's Anthony Barr ranking first among all outside linebacker prospects. Per usual, Kiper ranks the top five and then has an "up next" section of five more players. This includes ASU's Carl Bradford, Stanford's Trent Murphy and USC's Hayes Pullard.

Kiper on Barr: Barr has a long frame and reach, has a great initial burst and often beats blockers with quickness. He can close fast and shows some decent instincts in space. He needs to work on counters and getting free of blockers who get their hands on him. He'll need to become stronger against the run. But the tools are there, and he's not your typical senior given his limited time at the position.

As I noted in the post about defensive ends, I was waiting to see how Kiper categorized USC's Morgan Breslin, who is making the move to outside linebacker this season. He doesn't show up on either the DE or OLB list -- which is quite surprising to me. I think that changes once the season gets going because my guess is he'll blow up in USC's new odd-front scheme.

Moving to the inside linebackers, no Pac-12 players appear in the top five, but three are in the "next up" portion, including UCLA's Eric Kendricks -- who led the Pac-12 in tackles last season by a very wide margin, and the Stanford duo of A.J. Tarpley and Shayne Skov.

Finally, Insider Travis Haney ranks the top 10 teams nationally in terms of talent -- taking into account preseason rankings, the number of potential prospects and the four-year average rank of the recruiting classes. Oregon checks in at No. 6 and Stanford is No. 9.

Haney on Oregon: The Ducks' recruiting ranks are often dinged by class depth, but they always seem to have a few elite prospects mixed in. If De'Anthony Thomas can approach Tavon Austin's impact -- he might, now that dependable backs Kenjon Barner and LaMichael James have departed -- he could rise from where he is now, just outside Kiper's top 25. In fact, KC Joyner recently listed Thomas as a prospect who could put up huge numbers in 2013.

Haney on Stanford: Stanford can recruit nationally on the backbone of its academic prowess -- and now because of its ability to make prospects into NFL-grade players. Even with all of the talent that has passed through in the past couple of years -- what's the record for tight ends drafted in a two-year span? -- the Cardinal still have all-conference-type players such as linebackers Trent Murphy and Shayne Skov. The offensive line again could be a force, and Kiper has [Kevin] Hogan listed behind only [Johnny] Manziel and [Marcus] Mariota in the 2016 class; his development will be intriguing to watch.

The recent selections of Will Sutton, Shayne Skov, Anthony Barr and Devon Kennard in our "Most Important Player" series has given rise to a very interesting question posed to me in the mailbag. As always, mailbags come out Friday afternoons, but Jerry in San Jose offered this: Kevin, we know Stanford has the best front seven in the league. Which team has the next best?

I won't be answering this question in tomorrow's mailbag for a very simple reason. I don't know. Nor do I immediately agree with his initial premise that Stanford has the best front seven. It might. But so might ASU, or UCLA and I think USC has to be in this conversation, especially if the transition to the 3-4 works the way many think it will.

Stopping the run is the primary role of the front seven, and Stanford certainly was the best in the league at that last year. So is making plays in the backfield, sacks, TFLs etc. Three of the top four and four of the top eight teams nationally in sacks last year hailed from the Pac-12. While it's true this is the conference of quarterbacks, it's also quickly turning into the conference of planting quarterbacks on their keisters.

Instead of hitting this in the mailbag and opining for 700 words only to come with "I don't know" as the answer, it seemed like a dandy of a poll question.

Which Pac-12 team has the best front seven heading into the 2013 season?

Your options:

Arizona State: The Sun Devils were the best team in the country last year at getting tackles for a loss and they were No. 2 nationally in sacks. But they came up short stopping the run, allowing 182.8 yards per game on the ground. Still, with headliners Will Sutton and Carl Bradford flanked by an outstanding supporting cast, they should again be at the top of the rankings in backfield-havoc created.

Stanford: With three All-American candidates in Skov, Trent Murphy and Ben Gardner, it's awfully easy to make an argument here for the Cardinal. They were No. 1 in the nation in sacks, second in tackles for a loss and fifth nationally against the run. Impressive, considering some of the offenses and running backs they faced. It's a deep and experienced group that has scary potential.

UCLA: They return the league's leading tackler in linebacker Eric Kendricks and the dangerous Anthony Barr, who is projected as a top-10 pick in next year's NFL draft. I'm also of the belief that Cassius Marsh is going to have a monster season this year. But the loss of Owamagbe Odighizuwa for the year hurts.

USC: Any scheme that is going to make Morgan Breslin a better pass-rusher is frightening. Add on a healthy Devon Kennard and the league's freshman defensive player of the year in Leonard Williams, and you have a front seven that matches the talent of any in the league.

Other: Cal has a solid front led by standout defensive end in Deandre Coleman. Nick Forbes is a tested linebacker and a lot of folks are excited to see what a healthy Khairi Fortt can do. Oregon State has to rebuild its tackles, but the ends duo of Scott Crichton and Dylan Wynn rival any in the conference and they are strong at LB with Michael Doctor and D.J. Alexander.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for 2013 has been announced and the Pac-12 is well-represented. Of the 42 players on the watch list, 11 hail from the Pac-12 with a wide range of players from all levels of defense.

The award, named in honor of USC and San Francisco 49ers great Ronnie Lott, goes to the country's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year (IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity) and, per its website "is unique because it represents the first trophy to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance from a defensive college player and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast."

Here are the Pac-12 players on the watch list:

• Henry Anderson, DL, Stanford
• Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
• Scott Crichton, DL, Oregon State
• Alden Darby, DB, Arizona State
• Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
• Jake Fischer, LB, Arizona
• Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA
• Devon Kennard, DL, USC
• Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford
• Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
• John Timu, LB, Washington

The lone winner of the award from the conference was Cal's Dante Hughes, who won in 2006.

I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.

• BYU's offensive coordinator gets a strong endorsement from Rich Rodriguez.
• Arizona State is still fighting to get the Notre Dame game in Tempe. Brady Hoke rumored to arbitrate.
• Cal hired a new strength and conditioning coach.
• Colorado's defensive linemen are trimming up.
• Five of the most influential Oregon plays of the past 10 seasons.
• The Oregon State spring tour continues with USC.
• Tracking Stanford's third-down efficiency.
• Johnathan Franklin brings good competition to the position in Green Bay.
• USC appears twice on Athlon's ranking for the 25 greatest dynasties of the AP era.
• A look at the running back hopefuls to replace John White.
• Can Jonathan Amosa make it with the Packers?
• Washington State news and notes.

 

Continuing to look ahead to the top prospects of the 2014 draft, Mel Kiper looks at the top quarterback and cornerback prospects.

Unlike yesterday's post, which enjoyed a wealth of Pac-12 players on the running backs and safeties list, there is only one name each for the QBs and CBs. Both are from Oregon.

Starting off with the slingers, Kiper has Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota currently tabbed as the No. 4 prospect .

Here's Kiper's take:

You watch the Oregon offense and you're not just seeing Mariota play pitch and catch on short routes, or simply flinging it across the line of scrimmage as the Ducks stretch out tired defenses and force them to tackle. They take their shots, and they can because Mariota sees the whole field, and has the arm to deliver strikes.

He completed almost 70 percent of his throws last year, and they went for 8.0 yards per attempt. I also like the way he mixes up his targets, using wideouts, tight ends and his backs as the situation demands. His athleticism and ability to make reads as a runner are pluses, but Mariota can also get it done with his arm.

Surprised to see Brett Hundley absent from this list -- but it's still early. Others who could make appearances are Arizona State's Taylor Kelly. You may remember from yesterday's post that KC Joyner is particularly high on the ASU quarterback.

Hundley does make an appearance in another Insider article, however. ESPN's Travis Haney is looking at quarterbacks who could have "Make of Break" seasons. Hundley is one of the QBs he breaks down -- and he places him in the "make" category.

Writes Haney:

This is an incredibly gifted guy who is bulking up and maintaining his athleticism. The Bruins were surprise Pac-12 title-game competitors in Jim Mora's first year, so Hundley could flourish in his second year in the system. Mazzone sure seems sold, and scouts could follow as they watch him this fall.

He also places Mariota in the "Make" category.

On Mariota:

In terms of size, Mariota is precisely what the NFL wants. If he even replicates what he did a year ago -- a 68.5 completion percentage and plus-26 in TDs-to-INTs -- NFL teams will begin to salivate to have someone like him. I know some coaches who believe he could become the name in the coming college season (as in the Heisman race) and draft lead-up. He's that big and gifted.

On the other side of the ball, Kiper taps cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu as the No. 3 CB prospect.

Writes Kiper:

Extremely good when the play is in front of him, Ekpre-Olomu is explosive out of his backpedal and will close quickly to deliver a big hit or jump a throw to take it the other way. He has good ball skills and led the conference in passes defensed last season.

Also a wide receiver and running back in high school, he's a physical corner who understands routes and will step up to make tackles or put his hat on the ball.

The name's Dangerously. Johnny Dangerously.
Did you know your last name is an adverb?

• Can Rich Rodriguez lead Arizona to a major bowl game in five years? One writer says yes. (But no to Washington and California).
• A post-spring exit interview with ASU linebackers coach Paul Randolph.
• Sad news for the Cal family with the passing of Chuck Muncie.
• Mike MacIntyre is waiting for all the facts before passing judgment on Jordan Webb.
• An analysis of Oregon's special teams.
• Are the Beavers lucky to be missing UCLA this year?
• Another vote for Shayne Skov as Stanford's Most Important Player (at least on defense).
• Tough break for the Bruins, who likely lose defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa for the 2013 season.
• The Trojans are looking to ramp up the power running game in 2013.
• Utah's new football facility is to be ready by July.
• What are the expectations for Desmond Trufant in 2013?
• A WSU defensive lineman was given a liar-liar-pants-on-fire citation.
• Eager to stir the pot in mid-May, Jon Wilner predicts the first-and-second team all-league teams. Very ambitious. Very brave.

It's a Pac back attack!

Continuing with his look at the best NFL prospects by position in 2014, ESPN's Mel Kiper projects that four of the top 10 running backs hail from the Pac-12.

Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas is No. 1, which is understandable, but also a little bit surprising simply because he doesn't fit into any one category. I could see traditionalists arguing this point. But Kiper strongly supports his claim.

Kiper on Thomas: Is he a running back? He's a little bit of everything, but he's a running back on my board because handing him the ball is the quickest way to get it to him, and getting him the ball is the most important thing. Last year, Thomas turned 92 carries into 701 yards, good for 7.6 yards per carry. This after a freshman year where he averaged an absurd 10.6 yards per carry on his 55 touches. So over his first two years, Thomas averaged 8.8 yards per carry, and the sample size is no longer miniscule.

Yes, he can also catch it, as he has 91 receptions over his first two seasons. And he's terrifying in the return game. Thomas will never be a bulk-carry runner, and he doesn't have the route-running skills of a guy like Tavon Austin, who he might be compared to based on the burst. But he's a 180-pound game-breaker, a sprinter with the shiftiness to make people miss and he has added more muscle to his frame since he broke USC's heart and headed to Eugene.

The next two Pac-12 running backs are Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey at No. 3 and USC's Silas Redd at No. 4. They fit the more traditional role.

Kiper on Carey: Extraordinarily productive in 2012, Carey piled up a whopping 1,929 yards rushing. He does it by exploding upfield when he gets a seam, and running through arm tackles with good pad level and strong leg drive and determination. Carey looks like an early-impact NFL running back because of the way he reads plays, and puts his foot in the ground to get vertical and maximize yards when they're available.

On Redd: He was a little bit forgotten about in what was a disappointing season, but you turn on the tape and see a guy who often made the most of what was just average blocking last season. Redd isn't what I'd call an explosive runner, but he does a very good job of running through contact and grinding out extra yards.

Kiper also offers an "up next" segment of five more players to watch. Included in that mix is Washington's Bishop Sankey.

Stanford fans looking for validation that they have the best safety duo in the country just got a bump from Kiper, who also released his top safety prospects for 2014 . He ranks the Stanford duo of Ed Reynolds and Jordan Richards as the Nos. 2 and 3 best safety prospects, respectively.

Kiper on Reynolds: Stanford often had Reynolds playing, essentially, a deep center field, but even from there he was able to make a big impact. He doesn't have elite speed, but he anticipates really well, does a good job of not getting pushed out of position by quarterbacks who can use their eyes well, and gets himself in position to jump passes.

Kiper on Richards: Safe to say the Cardinal will be well-covered at safety in 2013. Richards is themore physical of the Stanford safeties, an in-the-box presence who is capable of making more plays against the run. He has a great sense of angles on the field, perhaps in part due to the fact he excelled in high school as a running back, wide receiver and as a cornerback.

Worth noting that also on the list is former UCLA safety Tevin McDonald, who was dismissed from the team and is now at Eastern Washington. He's No. 4 behind the Stanford tandem.

Finally, ESPN's KC Joyner offered up five prospects who could have breakout seasons in 2013 . Thomas is one of them. The other is Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly.

Writes Joyner: Arizona State coach Todd Graham has a long history of dominant offensive performances -- his Tulsa teams produced three top-five national finishes in yards per game -- so it should come as no surprise that he was able to get this type of showing out of a redshirt sophomore in his first season as a starter. Now that Kelly has a year under his belt to go along with a great 1-2 punch in the backfield and an influx of highly talented pass-catchers, he should be a front-runner for all-conference status this year.

Here's a look at where each Pac-12 teams stands in the recruiting game post-spring.

Arizona

2014 verbal commitments: 3
Spotlight: Running back Nick Wilson (Fresno, Calif.) has good size, so he's capable of running over defenders. But he's also shifty with good breakaway speed. His highlight film offers examples of both.
ESPN 150 members: 1 (Cameron Denson, ATH, Tucson, Ariz.)

Arizona State

2014 verbal commitments: 3
Spotlight: A commit since January, athlete Jaleel Wadood (Bellflower, Calif.) has good closing speed as a defensive back and projects as a corner or safety at the next level. Per his scouting report, there is room to grow on his 5-11, 165-pound frame.
ESPN 150 members: 0

California

2014 verbal commitments: 2
Spotlight: Tagged as an athlete, Koa Farmer (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) could end up as a big-bodied receiver or possibly a safety. His highlight film offers snippets of both.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Colorado

2014 verbal commitments:0
Spotlight:
ESPN 150 members: 0

Oregon

2014 verbal commitments: 3
Spotlight: Four-star linebacker Jordan Hoiem (Wailuku, Hawaii) has good size at 6-5 and should fill out his frame when he gets into a college lifting program. Could develop into a dangerous speed rusher off the edge -- as his highlight film indicates.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Oregon State

2014 verbal commitments: 1
Spotlight: OSU's lone commit, quarterback Nick Mitchell (Snoqualmie, Wash.), looks to be another prototypical Mike Riley pro-style quarterback. Tall and lean with room to grow, he excels at accuracy and timing patterns, per his scouting report.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Stanford

2014 verbal commitments: 3
Spotlight: Stanford's most recent commit, athlete Christian McCaffrey (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), has more than 20 offers -- including the bulk of the Pac-12. He's the top-ranked player in Colorado (you might recognize the name) and, as you can see from his film, has a very diverse offensive skill set.
ESPN 150 members: 0

UCLA

2014 verbal commitments: 1
Spotlight: Wide receiver Barry Ware (Corona, Calif.) has a good frame at 6-2, 195. Per his scouting report, he's got big, soft hands with a large catch radius.
ESPN 150 members: 0

USC

2014 verbal commitments: 5
Spotlight: Offensive tackle Jordan Poland (La Jolla, Calif.) already has the size at 6-7, 333. Having already had one de-commit on the offensive line, the Trojans are hoping for early enrollments from Poland and offensive guard Toa Lobendahn.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Utah

2014 verbal commitments: 4
Spotlight: Offensive tackle Jackson Barton (Salt Lake City) is a hometown prospect whose father played minor league baseball and his mother was an All-American honorable mention basketball player for the Utes. Plenty of room to grow in his 6-6, 275-pound frame.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Washington

2014 verbal commitments: 3
Spotlight: Athlete Rahshead Johnson (Long Beach, Calif.) could, per his scouting report, "literally be a legit threat on both sides of the ball." He's been a Washington commit for almost 11 months so it will be interesting to see where he fits into the scheme.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Washington State

2014 verbal commitments: 3
Spotlight: If he keeps his commitment, quarterback Peyton Bender (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) will be the fourth quarterback Mike Leach has recruited. Like the rest, Bender is at least 6-1 and while he's not a threat to run, per his scouting report, he does a good job extending plays.
ESPN 150 members: 0

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned for Sega.

• Catching up on some Arizona news and notes.
• Todd Graham and Jaxon Hood give a shout out to the moms.
• What are Cal's expectations in 2013?
• More details are emerging about the Webb-Lewis assault case.
• Who is Oregon's next in line after Marcus Mariota?
• The spring tour of Oregon State's 2013 schedule continues with Cal.
• David Shaw: Football coach, motivational speaker.
• Datone Jones weighs in on Colin Kaepernick.
• The Trojans are hoping to avoid drama in 2013.
• Missed this one last week. My bad. Utah's John White is headed to the CFL.
• Justin Glenn signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Washington State picked up a linebacker commit.