College Football Week – Preseason: The Transfer Portal

To boldly go where

no man has gone before

Beam me up, Jimbo!

The most frequently heard term during college football’s offseason had to be “transfer portal.” If I heard it once, I heard it 500 or more times.

Since the NCAA instituted the program in late 2018, the transfer portal quickly became the craze of college football – at least among the players. At one point last spring 26 quarterbacks alone were in the transfer portal, not to mention all the wide receivers, defensive backs, etc. But far more quarterbacks were in the portal than any other position.


Every time I heard or read “transfer portal,” it made me think of Star Trek. I could picture Kelly Bryant saying, “Beam me up, Barry.” Or Justin Fields saying, “Beam me up, Ryan.” Even Jalen Hurts saying, “Beam me up Lincoln.”

In an effort to make the transfer rules and procedures easier and more user friendly for the athletes, the NCAA began the transfer portal program in October 2018.

Entering the transfer portal is a necessary first step for any athlete thinking about transferring to another school. Athletes can enter the transfer portal without getting permission from their school. All they have to do is notify their current school that they are entering the portal. Once in the portal, their name enters a database and becomes available to the coaches at the other schools.

The new procedures give the athletes options they didn’t have before. Once the player enters the portal, any coach from any other school is free to contact the player, without any restrictions. They don’t have to request permission from the current school to talk to the athlete. Entering the portal does not necessarily mean the athlete is going to transfer. But it does indicate they are considering the possibility of a transfer. It allows the athlete to put his or her name out there and see what other schools, if any, are interested in them.

The transfer portal rules still require athletes, who have not graduated, to sit out a full year before they can play for their new school. But the undergraduate athletes can apply for a waiver. The waiver request can be based on family, economic, personal, social, etc. reasons. And this is where the NCAA has been inconsistent – granting waivers for some, but not others, on what appears to be similar transfer reasons. To many, the decision making policy of granting waivers has been “highly illogical.” The NCAA has promised to review their decision policies and establish more consistent measures – most likely making it harder to get a waiver.

Of course, athletes who have graduated and still have a year of eligibility left do not have to sit out a full year after transferring. They can play in the upcoming season. In the case of the quarterbacks mentioned above, Kelly Bryant and Jalen Hurts graduated from Clemson and Alabama respectively last December. They will play this season for Missouri and Oklahoma respectively. However, Justin Fields, in his transfer from Georgia to Ohio State, had to apply for a waiver. Fields was a freshman last season at Georgia. The NCAA granted his waiver and Fields will play for Ohio State this season.

Also, athletes transferring to any lower division school (e.g. FBS to FCS, FCS to Division II or Division II to Division III) do not have to sit out a full year before they can play.

If an athlete enters the transfer portal, the school cannot terminate his or her scholarship immediately. However, schools are allowed to cancel the scholarship of athletes who enter the portal at the end of the semester in which they entered the portal. If an athlete decides not to transfer after entering the portal and considering his or her offers, the athlete can stay at their current school and continue playing, assuming the school doesn’t terminate their scholarship at the end of the semester.

Oh well, to the athletes who have taken advantage of the transfer portal, “Live long and prosper.”

Next to “transfer portal,” the most common occurrence of a name or term during the offseason had to be “Urban Meyer.” Quite frankly, I’m not sure how the retired Ohio State football coach is going to have time to do everything he is supposed to do.

First, last season had barely ended and Meyer had barely retired when we learned that Ohio State rehired Meyer to be an assistant to the school’s athletic director. It wasn’t long following that news when Ohio State announced Meyer had been contracted to teach a “Leadership and Character” course in the university’s Fisher College of Business. (See Quotes of the Offseason.)

Meanwhile, Meyer’s new occupations continued to expand. As winter was coming to an end, FOX Sports announced that Meyer had been hired as a studio analyst on the FOX broadcast network’s new pregame show – “Big Noon Kickoff”. Meyer will join Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Rob Stone on the show. “Big Noon Kickoff” will compete with ESPN’s “College GameDay.”  The show will air every Saturday on FOX during the college football season from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Just when you thought it was all coming to an end, the Urban Meyer saga continued. In late spring, rumors began circulating that Meyer would become the head coach at USC at the end of the 2019 season. This rumor based on the speculation that current USC head coach Clay Helton would be fired during or after the 2019 season. Stay tuned.

Then the icing on the cake. In early June, Meyer announced he is opening a bar-grill restaurant in Dublin, Ohio, – a suburb of Columbus. The new restaurant will be called Urban Meyer’s Pint House.

According to some of the more creative and imaginative members of Twitter and the press, the drafts to be offered at Meyer’s Pint House will be Self-Righteous IPA, Health Problems Hefeweizen, Deleted Messages Doppelbock, Urban’s Looking Pale Ale, Spending Time With My Family No Lager, Sad Pizza Stout and Cold Pizza Porter.

Yes and speaking of the Lager, as the season came to an end last year, Meyer said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family. Assistant Athletic Director, College Professor, FOX Sports Studio Analyst and Restaurant Owner – that’s some family.

Well, wouldn’t you know it. And not to be outdone. Just a week or two after Meyer announced his restaurant plans, Steve Spurrier announced he was opening a bar-grill restaurant in Gainesville, Florida. It will be called “Spurrier’s.”

Spurrier said he wouldn’t be a day-to-day manager at the restaurant. But he said he would make frequent appearances.

Sportswriter Andy Staples said if it had been a hot dog joint it could have been called “The Fun And Bun.” On attire for the restaurant, Gainesville Sun sports columnist Pat Dooley said, “Visors are optional.” Someone else said that one of the menu items will be a pink taco called “The Mullen.”

Unfortunately, all the news during the offseason wasn’t so light. On March 28, former Navy running back and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino died. He was 81. Bellino won the Heisman Trophy in 1960. Navy played Missouri in the Orange Bowl that season on January 1, 1961.

As a ninth grader in November of 1960, I was on a school trip to Washington, DC and Annapolis, Maryland. We stayed at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington and at Carvel Hall in Annapolis. At the restaurant in Carvel Hall one day, I spotted Joe Bellino. I approached him and asked for his autograph. He graciously responded, signing the back of a card. I carried that card in my billfold for many years – well into the 1970s.

Speaking of deaths, David White who formed the doo-wop group Danny and the Juniors in the mid-1950s, co-wrote their No. 1 hit “At the Hop,” and composed their successful follow-up “Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay,” died on March 16 in Las Vegas. He was 79.

“At the Hop” was originally written and recorded as “At the Bop.” Upon hearing it, Dick Clark, a Philadelphia disc jockey and host of “American Bandstand” suggested they change it to “At the Hop.” Clark played the song on “American Bandstand” in 1957. The song took off, leapt to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for seven weeks. “Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay” hit the Hot 100 chart in 1958 and peaked at No. 19.

White left Danny and the Juniors in 1961. He went on to write “The Fly” (1961) for Chubby Checker, “You Don’t Own Me” (1963) for Lesley Gore and “1-2-3” (1965) for Len Barry.

We witnessed a rare occurrence in late April. At the NFL draft in Nashville, Nebraska and Tennessee failed to have any of their football players drafted. It was the first time that happened to Nebraska since 1962.

On May 26, Bart Starr died. The former Alabama and Green Bay Packers quarterback was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. He was the coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1975 to 1983. It was sometime between 1978 and 1982 that I sat near Starr in the Eastern Airlines Ionosphere Club in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. I would have asked him for his autograph too, but he was engaged in conversation with another gentleman.

Late in June, Connecticut announced it was leaving the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and will rejoin the Big East Conference where it will compete in all sports. All sports that is except football. The Big East doesn’t compete in football as a conference.

That leaves the question: What is UConn football going to do? Speculation included remain in the AAC as a football only member or join the MAC or C-USA as a football only member.

Later, the AAC said that Connecticut cannot remain as a football only member. UConn will owe the AAC a departure fee of $17 million. The football team will become an Independent, joining the ranks of Army, BYU, Liberty, Massachusetts, New Mexico State and Notre Dame in that role.

Early in July, former Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen died. He was 38. Lorenzen was a quarterback at Kentucky from 2000 to 2003, playing for three head coaches – Hal Mumme, Guy Morriss and Rich Brooks.

Then, just a few days later, Florida’s “Mr. Two Bits” – George Edmondson – died. He was 97. Edmondson led the “Two-bits, Four-bits” cheer before every home Florida football game from 1949 to 2009.

Around the same time, CFW reader and friend Susan Eaton sent me a picture of the Okefenokee Oar. Susan was in Athens, Georgia, where she took the picture. Unfortunately, it is residing in Athens these days.

What is the Okefenokee Oar? I didn’t know either. Well, the Oar, which was carved from the remains of a 1,000-year-old cypress tree that grew in the Okefenokee Swamp, is presented to the winner of the Florida-Georgia football game. Actually, the 10-foot-long oar is presented to the student body president of the winning school. The tradition of exchanging the Oar didn’t begin until 2009. The Okefenokee Swamp straddles the Florida-Georgia boundary not far from Jacksonville, Florida. Susan, by the way, is a Georgia grad.

Former New York Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton died on July 10. He was 80. Bouton was the author of the book “Ball Four.” He played college baseball for Western Michigan University and then for the Yankees from 1962 to 1968. Bouton also played a year each for the Seattle Pilots, the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves. “Ball Four” was published in 1970.

Just a few weeks ago, the Pac-12 announced it is moving its football championship game from Santa Clara, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada. The move will take effect next season – 2020. The Pac-12 has signed a two-year contract with Las Vegas to host the championship game, following the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Late in July, Swamp Mama and I returned to West Virginia.  Our first stop was Greenbrier County where we visited the towns of Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs. There are four Carnegie Halls in the world – one in Scotland, one in New York City, one in Pittsburgh and one in Lewisburg , West Virginia. In White Sulphur Springs, we stopped in at the Greenbrier Hotel for lunch.

From Greenbrier County, we headed north through Pocahontas County, Pendleton County and Randolph County to Tucker County where we spent a week of relaxation and fun at a charming cottage in Canaan Valley, near Davis, West Virginia. Canaan Valley is the highest valley east of the Rocky Mountains.

Heading to Canaan Valley from Greenbrier County, we followed the “Quilt Barn Trail.” As Swamp Mama spotted a Quilt Barn, I would hit the brakes and pull over. Swamp Mama jumped out of the car and went running onto somebody’s property to take a picture of the quilt block on the side of their barn. I got out of the car to stand guard duty, making sure no one came out with a shotgun pointed at Swamp Mama.

Every morning just after sunrise and every evening at dusk, several white-tailed deer made a point to come by our cottage in Canaan Valley for a visit. We sure enjoyed watching them. I think they enjoyed watching us too. I don’t know who was more curious.

Swamp Mama and I really enjoyed relaxing in our cottage, but we also got out and about and took in as much as we could. One day, we met our friends Fred and Sally Adkins for lunch in Elkins, West Virginia. We hiked trails, visited waterfalls, shops and almost got to the top of Dolly Sods. But that’s another story. Driving along Route 32, north of Harman, a black bear cub came running out of the woods and along side the road. Once the cub realized where it was it ran back into the woods.

As we left the cottage and started our trip home we headed down Route 219 – the Seneca Trail. Along the way, we stopped in for a sumptuous Sunday morning breakfast and final visit with Fred and Sally Adkins. It was fun talking about the upcoming Mountaineer football season, while enjoying Fred’s biscuits and gravy. They are the best.

Further south on Route 219, between Mingo and Lewisburg, Swamp Mama spotted some more quilt barns. Well, you know the routine. Fortunately, no one came out with any shotguns. After a night in Mooresville, North Carolina, we were home the following day.

Gator Gabe turned 14 on August 5. We drove up to the panhandle for a few days for the celebration. Now we are back home, just waiting for football season to start.

I know Don Haddix, Gary Schwartzkopf, Scott Greenwood and Ken Burger can’t wait for the season to start. I heard from them last week. Same for Dan Kleinbeck. I saw his posting on Facebook. Among those five, you have four Huskers, one Gator and one Crimson Tide man.

Rockledge Gator and Bootsie are entertaining grandchildren this week. Some things you have to get out of the way first before football season starts.

Speaking of first, can you believe the first game is just 12 days away? – Florida vs. Miami (Florida) at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. It’s going to be hot. I’m talking about the temperature. Well, the game will be hot too. Stay tuned!

Touchdown Tom
August 12, 2019
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

Quotes of the Offseason 

“Do I still root for the Gophers? I do. Do I enjoy him running up and down the sidelines? No. Do I think he is about the players? No. He’s about himself,” former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill on current Gophers coach P.J. Fleck.

“Urban Meyer’s loss of credibility will hurt him as an analyst on Fox,” USA Today sports columnist Dan Wolken.

“Why would we trust anything Urban Meyer says,” USA Today sports columnist Dan Woken, on Meyer’s joining the Fox Sports pregame show.

“UCLA basketball is like Nebraska football. It used to be important. It’s not anymore,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

“How can Urban Meyer be teaching a course on character? He has been a serial liar throughout his coaching career,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

“Dana Holgorsen always looked and acted like he just came from a fraternity party. Neal Brown is a buttoned-down type of guy. I think Brown will do very well at West Virginia,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

“I am kinda like Osama bin Dabo. I have to navigate my way through the caves and back channels to make my way through Alabama these days,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, when asked if the walls are up when he enters his former state.”

“You know, he ain’t that good,” former Louisiana Tech and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, on Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

“Urban Meyer has a winning record, really phenomenal record everywhere he’s been. Also, controversy follows everywhere he’s been,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.

“The biggest thing is Dan Mullen is thrust into this conversation only because he is the coach at Florida. He would not be in this conversation based on his successes on the field, based on his resume, but he gets thrusts into this group because he got the job at Florida. And why did he get the job at Florida? Because Florida wasn’t an attractive job. It wasn’t. I mean the stadium is not selling out anymore. They really have fallen off. The recruiting has been down, to some extent, especially since the Urban Meyer era. So, it’s like, why did he get the job? He got the job because Scott Frost didn’t want the job. Think about that. This was a job that was top five in the country in 2005 when Urban turned down Notre Dame to go to Florida,” Former Ohio State assistant coach and Urban Meyer protégé Zach Smith, when asked if Dan Mullen is a great coach.

“Clemson will beat Syracuse by three touchdowns,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

The Quarterbacks – 2019 

Needless to say, the top two teams in the country at preseason, Alabama and Clemson or Clemson and Alabama, depending on whose poll you’re reading, have the top two quarterbacks in the country – Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence or Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa, depending on whose review you’re reading.

Clemson sophomore Trevor Lawrence (6-6, 215) led the Tigers to the national championship in 2018. After Clemson began the season at 4-0 under quarterback Kelly Bryant, Lawrence was named the starting quarterback by Tigers coach Dabo Swinney. Lawrence replaced Bryant prior to the fifth game of the season and never looked back. Clemson won 11 more games under Lawrence. Only the Syracuse game, his first as a starter, was close. And Lawrence was injured in that game.

In those 10-plus games, Lawrence threw for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging 219 yards per game passing. He completed 62% of his tosses and only threw four interceptions – all pretty amazing for a freshman. 

Meanwhile, Alabama junior Tua Tagovailoa (6-1, 218) guided the Crimson Tide to a 14-1 record, losing only the national championship game to Clemson. Tagovailoa passed for 3,966 yards and 45 touchdowns. He averaged 264 yards a game passing. Tagovailoa completed 69% of his passes and only threw six interceptions.

There’s no doubt that Lawrence and Tagovailoa are the two most acclaimed and accomplished quarterbacks at preseason. All other quarterbacks will be hard pressed to succeed them – but the potential is there.

Starting in the SEC, among the Power Five conferences, Georgia junior quarterback Jake Fromm (6-2, 220) has some pretty impressive statistics. As a freshman, like Trevor Lawrence at Clemson, Fromm assumed the stating role at Georgia in 2017 after the season had begun. With the Bulldogs 1-0 and starting quarterback Jacob Eason injured, Fromm took over the reins, facing Notre Dame on the road in his first encounter. Georgia beat the Irish and went on to finish 13-2 under Fromm, losing to Alabama in the national championship game.

Last year, Georgia finished 11-3 under Fromm. He had 2,761 yards passing, and 30 touchdowns, averaging 197 yards per game passing. Fromm completed 67% of his passes. The Bulldogs are 24-5 in two seasons under Fromm.

Trevor Lawrence’s predecessor at Clemson, Kelly Bryant, has transferred to Missouri. As a graduate transfer, Bryant doesn’t have to sit-out the season and will be the starting quarterback for the Missouri Tigers. In his one-plus years at Clemson, Bryant was 16-2, quarterbacking the Tigers.

After Fromm and Bryant, the SEC has four more good quarterbacks, beginning with Florida junior Feleipe Franks (6-6, 240). After a rough start to the 2018 season, Franks finished strong, leading the Gators to a 10-3 season, including a 41-15 Peach Bowl win over Michigan. He passed for 2,457 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Meanwhile in College Station, Texas A&M has a very talented quarterback in junior Kellen Mond (6-2, 217). Last year, Mond passed for 3,107 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed for 474 yards.

LSU has strong leadership and experience at quarterback with senior Joe Burrow (6-4, 216). Last year, Burrow guided the Tigers to a 10-3 season. Along the way, he threw for 2,894 yards and 16 touchdowns.

And finally, South Carolina is expecting a good season from senior Jake Bentley (6-4, 220). Bentley has the talent but has often fallen short of his potential. Last year, he passed for 3,174 yards and 27 touchdowns, averaging 264 yards per game passing. But he also threw 14 interceptions. Bentley completed 62% of his throws in 2018.

The Big 12 has a strong crop of quarterbacks led by Oklahoma senior Jalen Hurts (6-2, 219) and Texas junior Sam Ehlinger (6-3, 235). After losing his starting position at Alabama, Hurts, like Kelly Bryant (Clemson to Missouri), transferred to Oklahoma. As a graduate transfer, again like Bryant, Hurts will start this season for the Sooners.

Except for his heroics in the SEC championship game against Georgia, Hurts played second fiddle to Tua Tagovailoa last year at Alabama. But in the two seasons prior to that, Hurts, as a starter, led the Crimson Tide to a 26-2 record and two national championship games.

Texas is loaded at the quarterback position with Sam Ehlinger. Last year, Ehlinger passed for 3,292 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 235 yards a game passing. He completed 65% of his passes. Ehlinger finished the 2018 season strong, leading Texas to a victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Many consider Ehlinger a serious Heisman Trophy candidate.

Iowa State is a highly-ranked team this season. A major reason for the Cyclones ranking is sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy (6-1, 210). As a freshman, Purdy surprised the Big 12 and the nation last season with his feisty play. He passed for 2,250 yards, completing 66% of his throws. Purdy led Iowa State to an 8-5 season and a third-place finish in the Big 12.

Baylor is expecting good things from junior Charlie Brewer (6-1, 202). Last year, Brewer threw for 3,019 yards and 19 touchdowns, completing 62% of his tosses. Texas Tech is in good shape with sophomore Alan Bowman (6-3, 210). Bowman passed for 2,638 yards in 2018, throwing 17 touchdown passes and averaging 330 yards per game. He completed 69% of his passes.

Will Grier has graduated from West Virginia and that means the Mountaineers will have a new quarterback in 2019. Two juniors who both transferred to WVU are vying for the job. The leading candidate is Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall (6-2, 218). But chasing Kendall’s tail is Miami (Florida) transfer Jack Allison (6-6, 208).

In the Big Ten, this is the season that Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines are finally supposed to overtake Ohio State. One of the reasons for Michigan’s preseason loftiness is the quarterback bank in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are led by senior Shea Patterson (6-2, 205). Last year Patterson passed for 2,600 yards, throwing for 22 touchdowns. He completed 65% of his tosses. And backing up Patterson is a capable junior, Dylan McCaffrey (6-5, 217).

But the Buckeyes aren’t hurting at quarterback. Ohio State is sitting pretty with Georgia transfer Justin Fields (6-3, 233). Fields, a sophomore, received one of those lucky transfer portal waivers. He made the decision to transfer to Ohio State when he realized he wasn’t going to replace Jake Fromm anytime soon in Athens.

Nebraska is on the rebound in Lincoln and that rebound could come sooner rather than later with sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez (6-2, 220). Last year, Martinez threw for 2,617 yards and 17 touchdowns, completing 65% of his passes. Even better, Martinez rushed for 629 yards.

Iowa has a steady and stable quarterback in senior Nate Stanley (6-4, 242). In 2018, Stanley passed for 2,852 yards and 26 touchdowns. He led Iowa to a 9-4 season and an Outback Bowl win over Mississippi State.

Indiana also has a strong quarterback in junior Peyton Ramsey (6-2, 213). Last year Ramsey passed for 2,875 yards and 19 touchdowns, while averaging 240 yards a game passing. He completed 66% of his lobs. Michigan State has experience in senior quarterback Brian Lewerke (6-3, 214). The Spartan signal caller was a disappointment in 2018 but looking to have better results this season.

The Pac-12 has one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Oregon senior Justin Herbert (6-6, 233). Herbert threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2018. He averaged 242 yards a game passing. Just behind Herbert in the Pac-12 quarterback race is Stanford junior K.J. Costello (6-5, 205). Last year, Costello passed for an impressive 3,540 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 272 yards a game through the air. He completed 65% of his throws. Herbert and Costello led their teams to 9-4 seasons in 2018.

Arizona has a dangerous quarterback in senior Khalil Tate (6-2, 215). Last season, Tate threw for 2,530 yards and 26 touchdowns. Colorado is in capable hands with senior Steven Montez (6-5, 220). In 2018, Montez passed for 2,849 yards and 19 touchdowns. He completed 65% of his tosses.

Down in Los Angeles, USC is hanging its hopes on sophomore J.T. Daniels (6-3, 210). Last season, Daniels passed for 2,672 yards. He averaged 243 yards per game passing. And in Seattle, Huskies fans are anxiously awaiting the debut of junior Jacob Eason (6-6, 228). The transfer from Georgia, Eason lost his starting job to Jake Fromm in Athens. He sat out last season.

Aside from Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, the ACC doesn’t have many marquee quarterbacks to talk about at preseason. However, that could all change before the season is over. There are three other ACC quarterbacks worth mentioning. First and foremost among the three is Virginia senior Bryce Perkins (6-3, 210). Last year, Perkins threw for 2,680 yards and 25 touchdowns, completing 64% of his passes. More dauntingly, Perkins rushed for 923 yards. He led the Cavaliers to an 8-5 season, including a 28-0 Belk Bowl win over South Carolina.

Virginia Tech has returning experience with senior Ryan Willis (6-4, 223). Last season, Willis passed for 2,716 yards, throwing 24 touchdown passes. In Syracuse, all eyes are on a newcomer – sophomore Tommy DeVito (6-2, 207). Exciting times are expected from DeVito.

Among the Independents, Notre Dame leads the pack at the quarterback position. That would be senior Ian Book (6-0, 208). In 2018, Book passed for 2,628 yards, throwing 19 touchdown passes. He completed 68% of his lobs. Book led the Irish to a 12-1 season and a spot in the playoffs last year.

Army is a vastly improved team, listed in several preseason Top-25 polls. That preseason attention is due to senior quarterback Kelvin Hopkins (5-10, 205). Hopkins was impressive in 2018, throwing for 1,026 yards and rushing for 1,017 yards. Passing and rushing, he was responsible for 23 touchdowns. Hopkins led Army to an 11-2 season last year, including a win over Navy and a 70-14 Armed Forces Bowl win over Houston.

Liberty has a sharpshooter with a fancy name. That would be senior Buckshot Calvert (6-2, 180). Last year, Calvert passed for 3,068 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 256 yards a game. And finally, New Mexico State has a good quarterback in sophomore Josh Adkins (6-2, 218). Last season, Adkins threw for 2,563 yards. He averaged 256 yards per game through the air.

In the Group of Five conferences, the AAC has the most distinguished list of quarterbacks. Topping the list is Houston senior D’Eriq King (5-11, 195). Last year King passed for 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns. He averaged 271 yards per game passing, while completing 64% of his tosses.

Memphis should be set with junior Brady White (6-3, 205). Last season, White threw for 3,296 yards and 26 touchdowns, while completing 63% of his throws. South Florida is in good shape too with senior Blake Barnett (6-5, 217). In 2018, Barnett passed for 2,710 yards, averaging 246 yards a game.

Navy has a top-notch quarterback. But he is a runner, not a passer. That would be senior Malcolm Perry (5-9, 185). Last season, Perry rushed for 1,087 yards. Meanwhile, UCF is hanging its hopes on Notre Dame graduate transfer Brandon Wimbush (6-1, 226).

The Mountain West Conference has two outstanding quarterbacks. They are both juniors – Utah State’s Jordan Love (6-4, 220) and Hawaii’s Cole McDonald (6-4, 205). Last season, Love passed for 3,567 yards and 32 touchdowns, averaging 274 yards per game. He completed 64% of his tosses. Love led the Aggies to an 11-2 season in 2018, including a 52-13 New Mexico Bowl win over North Texas. Meanwhile, McDonald threw for 3,875 yards and 36 touchdowns, while averaging 298 yards a game through the air.

In the MAC, four quarterbacks are worth a shout out at preseason. The leader of the four is Ohio senior Nathan Rourke (6-2, 208). Last year, Rourke passed for 2,434 yards and 23 touchdowns. Rourke led the Bobcats to a 27-0 victory over San Diego State in the Frisco Bowl. Under Rourke, Ohio finished its season at 9-4.

Following Rourke are Akron junior Kato Nelson (6-1, 215), Kent State junior Woody Barrett (6-2, 236) and Northern Illinois junior Marcus Childers (6-0, 222). In 2018, Nelson passed for 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns. Barrett threw for 2,339 yards, while Childers passed for 2,175 yards. Akron, Kent State and Northern Illinois are banking on the experience of their junior quarterbacks to deliver good seasons in 2019.

Six quarterbacks make the preseason highlight film in C-USA. The six are led by North Texas senior Mason Fine (5-11, 185). Fine is the real McCoy. Last year, he passed for 3,793 yards and  27 touchdowns, averaging 292 yards per game. Fine completed 65% of his throws.

After Fine, the other five C-USA quarterbacks are kind of bunched together. Among the five are FIU senior James Morgan (6-4, 213) and Louisiana Tech senior J’Mar Smith (6-1, 226). In 2018, Morgan threw for 2,727 yards and 26 touchdowns. He completed 65% of his passes. Smith passed for 3,160 yards.

Continuing with the other three are Florida Atlantic sophomore Chris Robinson (6-1, 177), Marshall sophomore Isaiah Green (6-2, 212) and Southern Miss junior Jack Abraham (6-0, 204) 2,347 yards 260 73. Last season, Robinson threw for 2,540 yards, completing 63% of his throws. Green amassed 2,459 yards, averaging 246 yards per game passing and Abraham passed for 2,347 yards, averaging 260 yards a game. He completed an amazing 73% of his passes.

The two best quarterbacks in the Sun Belt Conference are Appalachian State junior Zac Thomas (6-1, 200) and ULM senior Caleb Evans (6-2, 210). Last year, Thomas tossed for 2,039 yards and 21 touchdowns. He completed 63% of his lobs. Thomas led the Little Mountaineers to an 11-2 season, including a 45-13 New Orleans Bowl win over Middle Tennessee.

Meanwhile, Evans passed for 2,869 yards and 16 touchdowns. He completed 62% of his throws.

TT’s Top 10 Favorite Quarterbacks at Preseason:

1.       Trevor Lawrence – Clemson

2.       Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama

3.       Jalen Hurts – Oklahoma

4.       Jake Fromm – Georgia

5.       Adrian Martinez – Nebraska

6.       K.J. Costello – Stanford

7.       Sam Ehlinger – Texas

8.       Jordan Love – Utah State

9.       Mason Fine – North Texas

10.   Ian Book – Notre Dame

But keep an eye on:

Justin Herbert – Oregon; Cole McDonald – Hawaii; Khalil Tate – Arizona; Shea Patterson – Michigan; Kelly Bryant – Missouri; Kelvin Hopkins – Army;  Feleipe Franks – Florida; Buckshot Calvert – Liberty; Kellen Mond – Texas A&M, and Nate Stanley – Iowa.

Also,  Joe Burrow – LSU; Brock Purdy – Iowa State; Caleb Evans – ULM; D’Eriq King – Houston; Nathan Rourke – Ohio; Alan Bowman – Texas Tech; Steven Montez – Colorado; Blake Barnett – South Florida; Justin Fields – Ohio State and Jacob Eason – Washington.

The New Coaches – 2019

They’re back! I’m talking about Les Miles and Mack Brown. They’re back in the saddle again. Miles and Brown, both former coaches who won national championships at their respective schools – LSU and Texas – before being forced out of their jobs, will be back on the sidelines this season.

Miles, who hasn’t coached since four games into the 2016 season, was hired last November to be the new head coach at Kansas. LSU was 2-2 in the 2016 season when Miles was forced to vacate his position in Baton Rouge. He had coached LSU for 11-plus seasons (2005-2016), winning the national championship in 2007. After sitting out 2-plus seasons, Kansas signed Miles to a 5-year, $13.8 million contract.

Brown, who hasn’t coached since the end of the 2013 season, was hired last November to be the new head coach at North Carolina. Texas finished its season at 8-5 in 2013 when Brown was forced out of his job in Austin. He had coached Texas for 16 seasons (1998-2013), winning the national championship in 2005. After sitting out of coaching for five seasons, North Carolina signed Brown to a 5-year $17.5 million contract. He previously coached the Tar Heels from 1988 to 1997.

Miles and Brown are just two of the eight new coaches in the Big 12 and ACC conferences. The Big 12 and the ACC are the two Power Five conferences with the most new coaches (4 each) in 2019.

Joining Miles in the Big 12 are Matt Wells (Texas Tech), Chris Klieman (Kansas State) and Neal Brown (West Virginia). Wells, the former head coach at Utah State is the new coach at Texas Tech. In six seasons at Utah State (2013-2018), Wells compiled a 44-34 record.

Klieman is the new coach at Kansas State. He joins the Wildcats from North Dakota State where, in five seasons (2014-2018), he compiled a 69-6 record, winning four FCS national championships. Brown, the former head coach at Troy, takes over the reins at West Virginia. In four seasons at Troy (2015-2018), he compiled a 35-16 record, 31-8 after his first year. Brown’s Trojans beat LSU (24-21) in 2017 and Nebraska (24-19) last year.

Joining Mack Brown in the ACC are Scott Satterfield (Louisville), Geoff Collins (Georgia Tech) and Manny Diaz (Miami). Satterfield, the new Louisville coach, has been the head coach at Appalachian State the past five years, where he coached the Little Mountaineers to a 51-24 record.

Collins, a familiar face to Gator fans, comes to Georgia Tech from Temple, where he was the head coach the past two seasons. Collins was the defensive coordinator at Florida in 2015 and 2016 under Jim McElwain. Prior to Florida, he was the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State and FIU. Miami’s new coach, Manny Diaz, built his reputation as a defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, Texas and Miami. Ironically, Diaz was first named and became the new coach at Temple last year. But that title only lasted about 24 hours. Miami lured him away from Temple when Mark Richt was forced out. A native of Miami, Diaz played football at Florida State.

The Big Ten has two new head coaches this season, the Pac-12 one and the SEC none. The new coaches in the Big Ten are Ryan Day at Ohio State and Mike Locksley at Maryland.

Day has been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Ohio State the past two seasons, briefly the interim head last season. He is a native of Manchester, New Hampshire and played quarterback for New Hampshire. Locksley takes over the Terrapins after serving as an offensive coordinator at Alabama the past two seasons. He has ties to the Maryland area, having been born in Washington, DC, and playing football for Towson State.

The one new head coach in the Pac-12 is Mel Tucker at Colorado. Tucker has been the defensive coordinator for Georgia the past three seasons. He played football at Wisconsin – a defensive back. And as mentioned, the SEC returns all of its head coaches in 2019.

Among the Group of Five conferences, the MAC and the Sun Belt have the most new head coaches – four each. Leading the way in the MAC is Jim McElwain. The former Florida head coach, McElwain takes over the reins at Central Michigan. He coached the Gators for 2-plus seasons from 2015 to 2017. Last season McElwain was the wide receivers coach at Michigan. 

The other new coaches in the MAC are Scott Loeffler at Bowling Green, Tom Arth at Akron and Thomas Hammock at Northern Illinois. Loeffler comes to Bowling Green from Boston College where he was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Eagles the past three seasons. He is a native of Barberton, Ohio, and played quarterback at Michigan.

Arth, the new man at Akron, has been the head coach at Chattanooga the past two seasons. A native of Westlake, Ohio, Arth played college ball for John Carroll University. Northern Illinois reached into the NFL ranks to secure its new coach. Hammock has been the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens the past five seasons. He is returning home. In college, Hammock, was a running back for NIU.

In the Sun Belt Conference, former West Virginia offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Jake Spavital, takes over the job at Texas State. He was at West Virginia for two seasons. Prior to WVU, the Tulsa native, held the same position at Texas A&M and California. The other three new coaches in the Sun Belt are Eli Drinkwitz (Appalachian State), Chip Lindsey (Troy) and Jamey Chadwell (Coastal Carolina).

Drinkwitz takes the reins at Appalachian State after having been the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Boise State (2015) and at NC State (2016-2018). He is a native of Norman, Oklahoma. Troy looked up the road to Auburn to nab Lindsey. He was the offensive coordinator at Auburn the past two seasons. Prior to that, he was OC at Southern Miss and Arizona State. Lindsey is a native of Madison, Alabama.

At Coastal Carolina, Chadwell was the interim head coach (2017) and the associate head coach (2018) the past two seasons. He was also the offensive coordinator both of those seasons at CC. Now he moves up to the top, becoming the full-time head coach.

The biggest name among the new head coaches in the AAC is former West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. He is the new coach at Houston. As the 2018 season ended in Morgantown, Holgorsen wanted a pay raise. West Virginia wasn’t interested in giving him a raise. Holgorsen said, “I’m leaving for Houston.” West Virginia said, “That’s fine with us.” Holgorsen had been the coach at West Virginia for the past eight seasons where he compiled a record of 61-41.

The other two new coaches in the AAC are Mike Houston (East Carolina) and Rod Carey (Temple). Houston comes to East Carolina after being a head coach the past eight seasons at Lenoir-Rhyne (2011-2013), The Citadel (2014-2015) and James Madison (2016-2018). He coached James Madison to a 37-6 record, winning the FCS national championship in 2016 and 2018. Carey was the second choice at Temple. The Owls initially hired Manny Diaz. But, after only 24 hours on the job, Diaz resigned to become the head coach at Miami (Florida). Prior to Temple, Carey was the head coach at Northern Illinois for seven seasons (2012-2018).

In C-USA, Tyson Helton is the new head coach at Western Kentucky and Will Healy is the new coach at Charlotte. Helton, a native of Gainesville, Florida, was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Tennessee last season. He was previously on the staff at Western Kentucky as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2014 and 2015. He is the younger brother  of USC head coach Clay Helton. Tyson may have to offer Clay a job next season.

Meanwhile, Healy joins Charlotte from Austin Peay where he was head coach the past three seasons (2016-2018). He is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The lone new coach in the MWC is Gary Anderson at Utah State. Ironically, Andersen was the head coach at Utah State for four seasons from 2009 to 2012. After 2012, he became the head coach at Wisconsin for two seasons and then at Oregon State for three seasons (2015-2017). Last year, Andersen was an assistant head coach at Utah.

Among the Independents, there are two new head coaches – at Massachusetts and Liberty. UMass hired Walt Bell to be its new coach. Last year, Bell was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Florida State. Prior to that, he held the same position at Maryland for two seasons. Bell is a native of Dickson, Tennessee.

Liberty made a name for itself, not a good one, when the school hired Hugh Freeze to be its new coach. Freeze, a former head coach at Mississippi was fired by Ole Miss after the 2016 season for inappropriate behavior. He was away from the sport the past two seasons as no school would hire him, not even as a position coach. Perhaps Freeze can redeem his character at Liberty.

Twenty-seven schools will have new head coaches pacing the sidelines in 2019. From Les Miles to Jim McElwain, from Mack Brown to Manny Diaz and from Dana Holgorsen to Hugh Freeze, it’s going to be fun.

 

Coaches on the Hot Seat – 2019

Unfortunately, a fair number of coaches always enter the season on the hot seat. That means they are darn near close to getting the pink slip – some closer than others. Some won’t make it through the season. Some will get their pink slip at the end of the season. Some will survive.

This year, 27 coaches begin the season on the hot seat. It’s probably fair to say that 18 of those coaches will be out of a job come December. Nine will return for another season.

Among the Power Five conferences, the Big 12 is the only conference that doesn’t have a single coach on the hot seat. The conference with the most hot-seat coaches is the SEC with five. Atop of the hot-seat list in the SEC is Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason. Mason is entering his sixth season in Nashville. After five seasons, he has a 24-38 record with the Commodores.

Next to Mason, the hottest seat in the SEC lies in Auburn, Alabama. Even though he has a 53-27 record in six seasons with the Tigers, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is teetering on the edge. Auburn fans are hot and cold on Malzahn. The Gus Bus has been like one of those “Hop-on/Hop-off” busses. But if the 2019 season is less than spectacular, everyone will be hopping off the Gus Bus.

Three other coaches in the SEC aren’t necessarily on the hottest of seats, but, let’s say, they are on shaky ground. Those coaches are Will Muschamp (South Carolina), Barry Odom (Missouri) and Matt Luke (Ole Miss). Entering his fourth season, Muschamp is 22-17 in Columbia. Included in that 22-17 are no wins over Kentucky (0-3), no wins over Georgia (0-3), no wins over Texas A&M (0-3) and no wins over Clemson (0-3). If South Carolina finishes the season at 0-4 against those four schools, Muschamp will be putting his house up for sale in Columbia.

Meanwhile, in the other Columbia, Barry Odom is still treading water. After two seasons under the water at Missouri (11-14), Odom finally broke through the surface last year (8-5). But at 19-19, he’s just barely floating. With Kelly Bryant at quarterback, Tiger fans are expecting a good year. Odom better hope it’s a good one.

Ole Miss coach Matt Luke enters his third year in Oxford. He is 11-13 after two seasons. The 2019 outlook is not promising for the Rebels. Luke’s future at Ole Miss may not be promising either.

The ACC has four coaches in trouble, but only one is in serious trouble. That would be Florida State coach Willie Taggart – 5-7 after one year in Bingo Town. Seminole fans aren’t used to 5-7 seasons. If 2019 isn’t an improvement in Tallahassee, Taggart could be two and done.

The three ACC coaches in trouble, but not serious trouble, not yet at least, are Steve Addazio (Boston College), Dave Doeren (NC State) and Pat Narduzzi (Pitt). Addazio, 38-38 in six seasons at BC, is 7-6, 7-6, 7-5 the past three seasons. In fact, he’s been 7-6 in four of his six seasons with the Eagles. Another 7-6 and Addazio is seeing pink.

After six seasons, Dave Doeren is doing a little better at NC State. But 43-34 isn’t a lot better. Still the past two seasons each have been 9-4. That’s encouraging for Doeren. But he never seems to get over the hump. He better get over the hump this year.

At Pitt, Pat Narduzzi is another Addazio and Doeren. In four seasons with the Panthers, he is 28-24. Narduzzi needs to poop or get off the Pitt…..I mean…..the pot.

In the Big Ten, two coaches have one foot in the bucket and the other one on a banana peel. And a third coach better come through this season, or else. The two who are all but gone are Chris Ash (Rutgers) and Lovie Smith (Illinois).

After three seasons at Rutgers, Ash is a disastrous 7-29 – only three wins over Power Five teams. The Scarlet Knights are picked to finish last in their division this season and considered to be the worst team in the Big Ten, along with Illinois. At Illinois, Smith is only two games better than Ash – 9-27 after three years. And only four wins over Power Five teams – two of those wins over Rutgers. It’s already curtains for Ash and Smith.

The Big Ten coach who needs to come through this season is Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. Yes, the Wolverines are a respectable 38-14 in four seasons under Harbaugh. But they are 0-4 against Ohio State. And they ended last season suffering a 41-15 loss to Florida in the Peach Bowl. Harbaugh needs a great season in 2019. Most of all he needs a win over Ohio State.

The Pac-12 has two coaches who may not return next season – Clay Helton (USC) and Kevin Sumlin (Arizona). Helton is a respectable 32-17 in 3-plus seasons with the Trojans. For a while, he was looking pretty good. After a 1-3 start in 2016, USC won nine-straight games, including a 52-49 win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl. In 2017, the Trojans won the Pac-12 championship. Then the troubles began for Helton, as the Trojans went 5-8 in their next 13 games. It began with a 24-7 loss to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2017 season and continued with a 5-7 record last year, including 1-5 in their last six games.

The only thing that may save Kevin Sumlin is the fact that he only has one season under his belt at Arizona. But what a disappointing season it was – 5-7. And the Wildcats were loaded in 2018. They were supposed to have a great season. But Arizona opened with back-to-back losses to BYU and Houston and ended the season with back-to-back losses to Washington State and Arizona State. The Washington State loss was 69-28. With a bad season in 2019, Sumlin could be two and out in Tucson.

The Group of Five conference with the most coaches in trouble is the MWC with four. All four coaches are in serious trouble. In fact, all four should start packing their bags now. Topping the list is New Mexico’s Bob Davie. Davie is 33-54 in seven seasons in Albuquerque. It’s hard to figure how New Mexico kept him this long.

Colorado State’s Mike Bobo isn’t long for Fort Collins. In four seasons with the Rams, Bobo is 24-27. Under Bobo, the Colorado State program appears to be getting worse instead of better. 

Tony Sanchez of UNLV has been a disaster in Las Vegas. After four years, Sanchez is a sad 16-32. He’ll be even sadder when he gets his pink slip later this year. Message to UNLV: Never hire a high school coach.

And lastly in the MWC, Brent Brennan is on the short end of the stick at San Jose State. In just two seasons, Brennan is 3-22 with the Spartans. I guess you could say, “Brennan didn’t know the way at San Jose.”

The rest of the Group of Five conferences have just one or two coaches each on the hot seat. In the AAC, two coaches are in dire straits – Connecticut’s Randy Edsall and Tulsa’s Philip Montgomery. This is Edsall’s second stint at UConn. In his first stint with the Huskies (1999-2010), he was 74-70. In Edsall’s current stint at Connecticut (2017-2018), he is 4-20. This will be his last stint.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, Montgomery is 21-29 after four seasons at Tulsa – 5-19 the past two seasons. The future is not bright for Montgomery.

Likewise, C-USA has two coaches in trouble – UTSA’s Frank Wilson and Old Dominion’s Bobby Wilder. After three seasons in San Antonio, Wilson is 15-21. His worst of the three seasons was last year at 3-9.

Wilder has been a mainstay at Old Dominion. In 10 seasons, he has a 76-45 record. But Wilder has had losing records each of the past two seasons at 5-7 and 4-8. A third straight losing season will be his last.

Two coaches in the MAC are teetering as the 2019 season begins. They are Miami of Ohio’s Chuck Martin and Ball State’s Mike Neu. After four-straight losing seasons, Martin finally broke even last year at 6-6. But overall he is 22-39 at Miami. He needs to finish above 6-6 in 2019. In three seasons, Neu is just 10-26 at Ball State. And the outlook for 2019 is gloomy.

The lone hot-seat coach in the Sun Belt is ULM’s Matt Viator. After two 4-8 seasons, Viator was 6-6 last year. That brings his three-year total to 14-22. The Warhawks are supposed to have a good season in 2019. Viator needs it.

Among the Independents, two coaches are sweating bricks – Kalani Sitake at BYU and Doug Martin at New Mexico State. In three seasons, Sitake is 20-19 at BYU, but 11-15 the past two seasons. Cougar fans expect winning seasons. As a Group of Five Independent, winning seasons will be tougher and tougher for BYU. 2019 could be a tough season for Sitake.

It’s never easy for any coach at New Mexico State. In six years, Doug Martin is 20-53 with the Aggies. After a 7-6 season and an Arizona Bowl win over Utah State in 2017, New Mexico State fell to 3-9 last year. Martin needs a winning season in 2019 to survive.  

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but as the summer was winding down and college football fans were anticipating the start of another exciting season, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1944 was “Swinging On A Star” by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra, and “G.I. Jive” by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five

…70 years ago this week in 1949 was “Some Enchanted Evening” by Perry Como

…65 years ago this week in 1954 was “Sh-Boom” by The Crew Cuts, and “Little Things Mean A Lot” by Kitty Kallen.

…60 years ago this week in 1959 was “A Big Hunk O’ Love” by Elvis Presley

…55 years ago this week in 1964 was “A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles, and “Everybody Loves Somebody” by Dean Martin

…50 years ago this week in 1969 was “In The Year 2525” by Zager and Evans

…45 years ago this week in 1974 was “Feel Like Makin’ Love” by Roberta Flack, and “The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace

…40 years ago this week in 1979 was “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer, and “Good Times” by Chic

…35 years ago this week in 1984 was “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker, Jr.

…30 years ago this week in 1989 was “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx

…25 years ago this week in 1994 was “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories



Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Cliff Branch and Toni Morrison.

Cliff Branch, a former world-class sprinter who was one of the NFL’s top deep threats, winning three Super Bowls in 14 seasons with the Raiders, died last week in Bullhead City, Arizona. He was 71. Branch was one of professional football’s fastest players in his years with the Raiders, 1972 to 1985, first in Oakland and later in Los Angeles. He spent his entire NFL career with the Raiders. Clifford Branch was born on August 1, 1948, in Houston, Texas. He played college ball at Colorado where he was also a sprinter on the track team. 

Toni Morrison, the Nobel laureate in literature whose best-selling work explored black identity in America, died last week in New York City. She was 88. The first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1993, Morrison was the author of 11 novels. Among them were celebrated works like “Song of Solomon,” which received the National Book Critics Award in 1977, and “Beloved,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. Chloe Ardelia Wofford was born on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. She graduated from Howard University in 1953, with a major in English. She earned a Masters in English from Cornell in 1955.