ESPNU Top 150 out
ESPNU released its first Top 150 recruiting rankings for the Class of 2010.
Among the four Sooner verbal commitments who made the list:
No. 67 Blake Bell, QB, Wichita (Bishop Carroll), Kan.
No. 80 Quentin Hayes, S, Lancaster, Texas
No. 124 Sheldon McClain, WR, Cibolo (Byron M. Steele), Texas
No. 125 Brennan Clay, RB, San Diego (Scripps Ranch), Calif.
In the Big 12, Texas had the most top 150 players with 14.
The Sooners, however, are in on ESPNU’s No. 1 player, h defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, who is reportedly making his decision between OU, Texas and USC.
OU is also still in on OT Seantrel Henderson (No. 4), RB Michael Dyer (No. 4) and WR Darius White (No. 8).
Oklahoma product Demarco Cobbs is rated No. 17 overall, and is strongly considering the Sooners along with a host of SEC teams. The Sooners have landed the top player in the state the last six years.
-JT
Tebow vs. Bradford (battle of the bios)
My friend Ben Volin, who covers the Florida Gators for the Palm Beach Post, wondered about the length of Tim Tebow’s bio on the official Gator football Web site.
His findings? 3,089 words (9 pages single spaced in Microsoft Word) , which, as Volin puts it, might be the longest sports bio in the history of the world.
I thought for a comparison, I would check out the team bio for Sam Bradford, who for those who forget was named the best player in college football last season.
Bradford’s bio? 785 words, 2 pages, single spaced.
I’m all for informative bios. But when the bio comments that Tebow “had six rushes for 38 yards at Vanderbilt, including a team-best run of 25 yards,” I think we might going overboard.
-JT
TV first week of college football
This is an all inclusive list, but for those who are wondering, here’s what the TV list looks like on the opening weekend of college football.
Thursday, September 3
6:00 PM South Carolina at North Carolina State, ESPN
6:30 PM North Texas at Ball State, ESPNU
7:00 PM Eastern Kentucky at Indiana. Big Ten Network
8:00 PM Utah State at Utah, the Mtn.
9:15 PM Oregon at Boise State, ESPN
Friday, September 4
7:00 PM Tulsa at Tulane, ESPN
Saturday, September 5
11:00 AM Towson at Northwestern, Big Ten Network
11:00 AM Montana State at Michigan State, Big Ten Network
11:00 AM Appalachian State at East Carolina, MASN
11:00 AM Minnesota at Syracuse, ESPN2
11:00 AM Kentucky at Miami (OH), ESPNU
11:00 AM Navy at Ohio State, ESPN
11:00 AM Akron at Penn State, Big Ten Network
11:00 AM Liberty at West Virginia, Big East Network
11:00 AM Toledo at Purdue, Big Ten Network
11:05 AM Northern Iowa at Iowa, Big Ten Network
11:21 AM Western Kentucky at Tennessee, SEC Network
12:00 PM Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech, ESPN 360
1:00 PM Northeastern at Boston College, ESPN 360
2:30 PM San Jose State at USC, FSN
2:30 PM Nevada at Notre Dame, NBC
2:30 PM Western Michigan at Michigan, ABC or ESPN2
2:30 PM Baylor at Wake Forest, ABC
2:30 PM Georgia at Oklahoma State, ABC
2:30 PM Jackson State at Mississippi State, ESPNU
2:40 PM Missouri vs. Illinois at St. Louis, Mo., ESPN
5:00 PM Citadel at North Carolina, ESPN 360
5:00 PM Middle Tennessee State at Clemson, ESPN 360
5:00 PM William & Mary at Virginia, ESPN 360
6:00 PM Louisiana Tech at Auburn, ESPNU
6:00 PM Charleston Southern at Florida, FSN
6:00 PM Connecticut at Ohio, ESPN 360
6:00 PM Florida Atlantic at Nebraska, FSN PPV
6:00 PM Louisiana-Monore at Texas FSN PPV
6:00 PM Wofford at South Florida, Bright House Network
6:00 PM Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma at Arlington, Tex., ESPN
6:00 PM Northern Illinois at Wisconsin, Big Ten Network
6:00 PM Northern Colorado at Kansas, Fox College Sports Central
6:30 PM Western Carolina at Vanderbilt, CSS
7:00 PM Alabama vs. Virginia Tech*, ABC
7:00 PM Idaho at New Mexico State, Altitude
8:00 PM Central Michigan at Arizona, AWSN
8:00 PM Buffalo at UTEP, CBS College Sports
9:00 PM Maryland at California, ESPN2
9:30 PM LSU at Washington, ESPN
Sunday, September 6
2:30 PM Mississippi at Memphis, ESPN
6:00 PM Colorado State at Colorado, FSN
Monday, September 7
4:00 PM Cincinnati at Rutgers, ESPN
8:00 PM Miami (FL) at Florida State, ESPN
-JT
Which Sooners will make watch lists
Monday, to no surprise, Sam Bradford was named to Davey O’Brien watch list. Last year, Bradford won the award and will be the favorite to do so again in 2009. Tight end Jermaine Gresham was already named to the Mackey watch list, which goes to the nation’s top tight end. Gresham, by the way, is more of a favorite to bring home the Mackey than Bradford the O’Brien.
But which other Sooners will find their names on preseason watch lists? Let’s break it down.
Tuesday: Doak Walker Award (running back)
Interesting. Both Chris Brown and DeMarco are probably deserving of being on this list after rushing for 1,000 yards last year, but will they put two from one school on the same list? Tough to say.
Wednesday: Ray Guy Award (punter)
Next.
Thursday: Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back)
Dom Franks is catching some preseason hype and should be on this list.
Friday: Walter Camp Award (all-around player)
It should be a close race between Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow. Heisman runner-up McCoy won it last year; so did former Heisman runner-up Josh Heupel, who won the award in 2000. Heisman winners Billy Sims and Steve Owens also were awarded the Walter Camp.
Aug. 10: Fred Biletnikoff Award (WR)
Broyles is OU’s best chance of placing a player on this watch last, but as a sophomore, he’s no lock.
Aug. 11: Outland Trophy (interior lineman)
DT Gerald McCoy is an automatic on this watch list and has a great chance to become the sixth Sooner to bring home the Outland.
Aug. 12: Lou Groza Award (kicker)
Next.
Aug. 13: Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player)
A relatively new award (14th year), McCoy is OU’s best chance here. But no defensive tackle has ever brought home the Bednarik. Former Sooner DT Tommie Harris, however, was a finalist. Teddy Lehman won in ’03.
Aug. 14: Robert Maxwell Award (all-around player)
Dethroning two-time winner Tebow from this list will be hard, but count on Bradford being on the watch list here and giving Tebow a run for his money.
-JT
Thoughts from Big 12 Media Days, Part III
Just got back to Norman a couple hours ago from a long, but enjoyable week in Dallas. Didn’t want to write this blog, but trying to finish strong after Thoughts from Big 12 Media Days, Part I and II. Today’s lineup included Tech, Colorado, K-State and Texas.
Some quick thoughts:
* By far, the most entertaining kids of the day were those from Colorado, who seem to take on the personality of their coach, Dan Hawkins. Even one, CU tight end Riar Geer, said something to the degree of, “It’s the Big 12, brother” when asked about how tough the league is. For those who wonder why that’s funny, watch this:
* I heard around the grapevine from some Tech people that Mike Leach is still angry about this column CBS Sportsline’s Dennis Dodd wrote during Media Days last year. Dodd called Leach out last year for not bringing Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree to Media Days. Leach didn’t go after Dodd at the public press conference today, but apparently said, “go ahead and write another bad column about me” during coaches-print media roundtable (I wasn’t there, so I can’t confirm, but that’s what some other writers told me).
But Leach can’t be upset with what Dodd wrote this time around.
* Texas came and went without much news or talk, including from Mack Brown. Sergio Kindle, who crashed his car into an Austin apartment late at night while he says he was text messaging, was at the Westin. He said he’s working his way back into the good graces of the team. Colt McCoy was swarmed the way Sam Bradford was, and had several kind things to say about Sam. Who would’ve thought QBs from OU and Texas would ever become such good buddies. But that’s what’s happened.
* Sunday, my Big 12 confidential player poll story is running and I think it’s pretty compelling. I asked almost 30 different players this week from all 12 league schools questions like, who has the best/worst fans, best/worst uniforms and even who will win this year’s OU-Texas game. The results were interesting, and many had funny quotes that I plan to run with the story (the quotes will be anonymous). Stay tuned for that.
Finally, here’s what I wrote from the final day of Media Days.
-JT
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- Texas coach Mack Brown
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- Tech’s Brandon Carter
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- Texas QB Colt McCoy
Thoughts from Big 12 Media Days, Part II
Today, the Sooners finally came to town, though showed up 30 minutes late because of some hangup on the tarmac.
Bob Stoops, Jermaine Gresham, Gerald McCoy and Heisman winner Sam Bradford represented the Sooners. Missouri, Baylor and Kansas were also in the house.
Sam looked as comfortable with a media horde as I can remember since I began covering him in 2007. I know events like this make Sam uneasy because he hates having the attention on him, but he handled it well.
He even opened up about a funny story about having to sign a 2-month old baby recently.
“We had to ask someone to go and get a pen, so the baby was just sitting there for a couple of minutes,” he said. “”I actually signed, I think, on its one-piece (outfit). I’d never pictured that happening before. They placed it on the table. It was a little odd.”
Bradford also spoke glowingly about Texas QB Colt McCoy, with whom he has developed a budding friendship over the last year. I believe as of this time last year, the two had never talked, save for the postgame of the 2007 OU-Texas game. But with the National Awards, the Heisman, and summer camps like the Manning camp earlier this month have allowed the two to develop a close bond. Frankly, the two QBs are very similar in personality, so it’s easy to see why they’ve hit it off so well.
Check out this YouTube video already posted today of Sam being interviewed (with a couple of questions about OU-Texas in there from yours truly)
After the Sooners were done talking, the media got a tour of Jerry’s World, the Cowboys new $1.4 billion stadium. The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel wrote about it, but here are some quick thoughts about the stadium:
* In addition to the height of the stadium, the video board is the first thing you notice. It’s mammoth. Makes OU’s look like a GameBoy. It suspends from the roof from the 25 to 25-yard line, and because it comes in at a tilt, there seems to be an optical illusion that the board is closer to you than it really is. Also, it hangs very low to field, about 90 feet, which means it’s only a few feet away from getting hit with punt. Our tour guide said the official rule is that if a punt catches the board, the play is done over again.
* The stadium is really nice, chairback seats throughout, awesome concessions, 3,000 flat-screen TVs. We’ll have a lot more on this stadium in the coming weeks, but I was pretty dazzled on first impression.
Other observations from the day:
* McCoy believes the Sooner defense has the potential to be the best in the nation. Best, maybe not. But certainly, they have the tools to be a dominant one, especially with players like McCoy up front.
* Baylor has a buzz around its program right now and that was evident today with the attention surrounding sophomore QB Robert Griffin. Look for Baylor to make its first bowl in Big 12 history this year.
* It’s amazing that Kansas QB Todd Reesing is so effective considering his 5-foot-11, slender frame. If he wasn’t wearing his KU polo, you’d assume he was with the daily newspaper.
* Missouri doesn’t fire me up this year. But as The Oklahoman’s Brandon Chatmon wrote, this is a test to see whether Missouri has a program that can sustain success in the muddled Big 12 North.
-JT
Travis Wilson cut by Dallas
Just down the road from Big 12 Media Days in Irving, Texas, some unfortunate news came down that former Oklahoma wide receiver Travis Wilson has been released by the Dallas Cowboys.
Unfortunate for Wilson, who has had a trying year. Remember, Wilson’s younger brother, Oklahoma wide receiver Corey Wilson, was in a tragic car accident just before the start of spring drills that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Travis talked about Corey in a compelling story written by the Dallas Morning News not long after the accident.
Hopefully, Travis, who has also had brief stints with the Broncos and Browns, catches on somewhere and makes a roster. Just too bad it couldn’t have been in Dallas, nearby his family in Carrollton, Texas, or Corey in Norman as he rehabilitates. Because right now, they need Travis around.
-JT
Bradford up to 225
Bob Stoops said Tuesday during Big 12 Media Days that QB Sam Bradford is up to 225 pounds, which is the most Bradford has ever weighed.
Weighing that much should enable Bradford to withstand even more punishment, which no doubt will make him even more attractive to NFL teams. But for now, it should increase his durability for this season.
Since Bradford’s true freshman year, he’s put on more than 25 pounds of muscle.
-JT
Gresham high on Kenney
Another reporter during Big 12 Media Days Tuesday in Dallas was asking Sooner tight end Jermaine Gresham about OU’s wideouts, and Gresham responded by listing his thoughts on each of OU’s receivers.
But Gresham left out one player, who ironically is the one that has impressed him as much as any other receiver: junior-college transfer Cameron Kenney.
When reminded, Gresham replied, “How could I forget him? He’s cold. I like him a lot.”
Kenney will challenge a host of other players for one of OU’s vacant starting wide receiving spots. At worst, he is expected to contribute significantly to the rotation.
-JT
G. McCoy gone after this season?
Gerald McCoy didn’t exactly come out and say that he would enter the NFL Draft after this year. But Oklahoma’s junior defensive tackle sure talked Tuesday during Big 12 Media Days in Dallas like 2009 was going to be his final season.
Said McCoy, “I want to graduate. I want my degree. I will graduate in May. Wherever I decide to train at, I’ll have three hours left. I’ll take my capstone online. Then, I’ll be done.”
When pressed about whether he was saying 2009 would be his final season at OU, McCoy responded, “Yeah, if I can graduate.” Then with a smirk, “I don’t know, we’ll see.”
This should come as no surprise. The Sooners will be in rebuilding/reloading mode in 2010, and McCoy is a lock to be a first-round draft pick, possibly a top-5 selection, in next year’s draft. By attaining his degree, McCoy would have little incentive for coming back to OU for a fifth year (remember, McCoy redshirted as a freshman)
-JT
