http://www.yardbarker.com/content/school/332 Recent Yardbarker Articles: San Diego State Aztecs en-us While many people love to talk about about 2002 being the most successful recruiting year under Jim Tressel, the 2005 class can put up an argument that it should be #1 in the Tressel Era. Despite that 2002 class having players such as Troy Smith, AJ Hawk, Nick Mangold, Santonio Holmes, Bobby Carpenter, and other greats, 2005 brought in some pretty exceptional talent as well, but were just a little bit more under-the-radar, when entering Columbus. Today, we will take a look at the 2005 class, top to bottom, and show you just how good this sleeping giant has been, as they go into their fourth year at Ohio State. Alex Boone- Rated as the best player in this class and the #2 offensive tackle overall, Boone has not disappointed in his three seasons in Columbus. He enters his senior year as a projected first round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and is a top candidate to be an All-America and All-Big Ten selection at left tackle. Doug Worthington- Worthington was a 5-star defensive end coming out of high school in the Buffalo area, but was moved to defensive tackle after he red-shirted his freshman year in Columbus. He had a solid, not great, season last year and looked to be on the verge of a breakout year in 2008, but a recent OVI charge could stand in the way of him gaining a starting role once again this year. Jamario O'Neal- O'Neal was rated as a top 5 corner back in the nation coming out of Glenville High School, but has not lived up to the bill in Columbus. He did a solid plug-in job two seasons ago, filling in for Anderson Russell (torn ACL), but has seen limited action in the secondary upon Russell's return. O'Neal's lack of hard work and motivation has shown, as his raw talent is certainly NFL-caliber, but he cannot seem to grab a piece of consistent playing time. Todd Denlinger- A 4-star defensive tackle from Troy, Ohio, Denlinger has made a name for himself at defensive tackle and finds himself likely to start again at DT in 2008. The coaching staff would have loved more sacks out of Todd last year, but an injury slowed him down. Expect big things from Denlinger in 2008, as his final two years of eligibility should give opposing quarter backs nightmares. Rob Schoenoft- A four-star QB out of prestigiouts St. Xavier in Cincinnati, Schoenoft had a strong arm and high football IQ coming out of high school. Unfortunately for Rob, he got caught playing behind a Heisman Trophy winning quarter back in Troy Smith, Justin Zwick, and Todd Boeckman upon arriving in Columbus. After Smith and Zwick graduated, Schoenoft was given the back-up job to Boeckman last year, but inconsistent play lead to Antonio Henton passing him on the depth chart. With Boeckman, Henton, and Joe Bauserman still on the roster, and Terrelle Pryor coming in, Schoenoft decided to bolt to the University of Delaware, where first round pick, Joe Flacco, played after transferring from Pittsburgh. Schoenoft is trying to emulate Flacco's career and we wish Robbie the best on his season. Maurice Wells- While Mo Wells has not panned out to be the four-star running back prospect everyone expected, he still has contributed quite a bit since coming to Ohio State. Last year was his most effective year as a spell back, by far, and in his three seasons running as a back up to Antonio Pittman and Beanie Wells, Maurice has racked up 737 yards and 4 touchdowns. Mo Wells should be in the mix again this year with Beanie, Daniel "Boom" Herron, and Brandon Saine, and will be most effective on pitches or counters where he can get to the outside, in open space. Freddie Lenix- Unfortunately many recruiting classes across the nation include players that never make it to their school of choice. Lenix is one of these players, as the 4-star linebacker from Glenville was ruled academically ineligible at OSU and had to transfer to Cincinnati. Lenix Had the potential to be a great one in Columbus and it's unfortunate things couldn't work out. Lawrence Wilson- This four-star defensive end was on the brink of breaking out last season, before a broken leg ended his year early in the first game against Youngstown State. Wilson is back and 100% healthy this year and looks to have a monster season. With two years of eligibility remaining, expect Wilson to have a big season and leave early for the NFL, as he very will can be a first round pick. Andre Amos- The 30th ranked WR and a 4-star prospect, Amos was converted to a defensive back at OSU. Amos will see a ton of time at nickel back and dime this year and if it weren't for an injury he suffered in 2006 that lingered into 2007, Amos may be starting opposite Malcom Jenkins this year. He red-shirted his first year, so he has two years of eligibility remaining and is a top candidate to start in 2009. Jim Cordle- a four-star offensive lineman, Cordle came to Columbus without any direction of what position he would play. Jimmy quickly picked up center in 2006 and was the back-up to Doug Datish, enabling him to make the easy transition to starter in 2007. One of the most underrated lineman in the nation, Cordle showed extreme poise and athleticism last year, including games where had to snap with his left hand (weak hand), due to an injury to his right wrist. Cordle has two years left in Columbus, but another solid season could potentially lead to him leaving early. That scenario is unlikely, but with a talent like Cordle, anything could happen. Brian Hartline- With Anthony Gonzalez poised to break out in 2005, Tressel brought in Hartline to become AG's protege. Hartline has certainly not disappointed, and the former track star had 52 catches for 694 yards to go with 6 touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year. He has 69 catches for 950 yards and 8 touchdowns in his two years on the field and bigger things are expected for the Canton native in '08. Hartline is another candidate to leave early for the NFL and a good year could guarentee him a first day selection. Malcom Jenkins- Rated as the #28 safety and a three-star prospect Jenkins was a little-known talent from Piscataway, New Jersey, who earned his offer by impressing coaches at the OSU Senior Advanced Camp. Jenkins has far exceeded expectations in Columbus, and after being deemed as a probable top 10 pick in the 2008 draft, he decided to come back for one more season in Scarlet and Gray. Jenkins was First Team All-Big Ten and a Second Team All-American in 2007, and has 139 tackles and 8 interceptions in his career. Malcom was a Thorpe Award (best DB) semi-finalist last year, and looks to take the hardwood home this season. James Laurinaitis- Another little-known three-star prospect, Laurinaitis has arguably been the best linebacker in the nation the last two seasons. This Minnesota native has won the Bronco Nagurski Award (best defensive player) in 2006 and the Butkus Award (best linebacker) in 2007, and has been a staple in the Buckeyes line up since filling in for Bobby Carpenter as a freshman in the 2005 Michigan game and Fiesta Bowl vs. Notre Dame. The "Little Animal" has totaled 245 tackles in his career, 236 of those coming the last two seasons. James was a lock to be a top 15 pick in last year's draft, and in coming back to Columbus will be certain to be up there again this year. Ryan Williams- Plagued by injuries, this Mission Viejo, California native fell way back in the depth chart and decided to transfer to San Diego State before last season. Williams had the potential to make an impact at OSU, but it was just one of those cases where things didn't work out as plans. Best of Luck to Ryan this season. Austin Spitler- This 3-star linebacker was sure to be the starting MLB this year had Laurinaitis gone pro, but will have to wait his turn once again in 2008. Spitler can be better known for his running into the punter penalty that took the momentum out of a Buckeye come-back run in the National Championship game, but Austin looks to have a bright future in Columbus. Some people expected Spitler to see some time at full back this year, but with Curtis Terry moving to the position full time, and freshman Jermil Martin and former walk-on Ryan Lukens playing the position, as well, Spitler will primarily play linebacker in 2008. Donald Washington- This 3-star wide out from Indianapolis was one of those under the radar players who caught the eye of Jim Tressel. Washington has been more than solid since being converted to corner back, where he started last year. Off-season troubles have put his starting spot in jeopardy in 2008 and he is likely to face a one or two game suspension to start the year. Washington should re-gain his starting spot back this year, but will it be before the USC game? Brian Robiskie- Who would have thought that a two-star prospect with a better known father (dad Terry is an NFL coach) could tally up 55 receptions for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season as a starter? Apparently Jim Tressel did and Robiskie has not disappointed Buckeye fans since donning the Scarlet and Gray. Playing all three years, Robiskie's career totals include 85 catches for 1,331 yards and 16 touchdowns. Expect big things from "Robo" this year as he continues his ascend toward college football's elite class of wide receivers. Looking back on this 2005 class, I'd say the Buckeyes did pretty well. While 2002 has to be graded out a bit higher, due to NFL talent and the championship they won as freshman, 2005 is certainly writing their own names in the history books. A big part of the nucleus that went to last two national championships, this class will try to make it three in a row, hopefully finishing off the job that they started. Everyone left in this class has the potential to make an NFL team and it will be interesting to see how the cards play out in their final season or two in Columbus. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:50:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302540 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302540 Please stop by and take part in the Football Friday Chat this Friday, August 8 in the IBB Chat Room. Friday's topics will include Media Day, the start of camp, the Beer Olympics, Impact Freshmen, and whatever else you have in mind. Also there will the Moderator of the great Syracuse Blog: Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician, on hand to field any questions you have about the Orange. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:35:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302147 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302147 The preseason Coaches poll is out and surprise, surprise -- Georgia is No. 1. Actually its not that big of a surprise. Most expected Georgia to be ranked in the top 2. What I do find somewhat surprising is Ohio State is No. 3. Is there an anti-Buckeyes movement among the coaches? Or is there just a love for USC. I'm sure the community users have an un-biased answer. Not that it really matters because the Buckeyes will play No. 2 USC on Sept. 13. I'm pretty sure the winner will by No. 1 or No. 2 after that game and all this preseason nonsense will mean nothing. The defending national champions check in at No. 6, right behind Oklahoma (No. 4) and Florida (No. 5). That makes three SEC teams in the Top 6. The biggest surprise to me is Clemson at No. 9 -- that's pretty high for a team that has high expectations every year, but always falls short. The Tigers are pretty stacked this year, especially at running back, so I'm sure the coaches see them as the class of the ACC. BYU checks in at No. 17, which is pretty good for them to make a run at that BCS bowl. They won't have far to go to get into that top 12 if they finish the season undefeated. A few teams with losing records last year, got votes in the preseason poll -- Nebraska (5-7) got 17 votes and Notre Dame (3-9) got 5 votes. Arizona (5-7) and Colorado (6-7) each got one vote. Potential BCS Bowl Predictions (based solely on the Preseason Poll, which we know means nothing, but it sure is fun): BCS Title -- Georgia vs. USC Rose: Ohio State vs. Arizona State Orange: Clemson vs. West Virginia Sugar: Florida vs. Missouri Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. BYU Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:53:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301329 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301329 Notre Dame's media day and first practice is this Friday, and while the Sept. 6 season opener is inching up ever so closely; We at IBB have come up with 10 Questions for the 2008 season. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:34:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301319 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301319 Year two after Dennis Erickson left Idaho is looking to rebound after a disappointing 1-11 season and finishing last in the WAC. There is not too much too get excited about with Idaho, because they have been one of the worst teams in all of college football. Their history is not too kind to the Vandals who have not had any significant wins in their school history. Offense: The Vandals do return all 11 offensive starters, so their offense should be better then last year. They did score 21 points per game which is a good thing to build off of last year and with all eleven starters back this offensive unit will be cohesive and just another year seasoned in division one football. Nathan Enderle was the starter in 2007 when he played in nine games, missing the other three after undergoing surgery on his throwing hand midway through the season. Enderle completed only 44.3 percent of his throws and threw just 10 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions. Most of those miscues were due to inexperience between both the quarterback and the receivers, however this upcoming year they should be better overall. The team did score 21 per game which is pretty good but turnovers were a problem they did not get more points. The only real bright spots in last year's miserable 1-11 season was the performance of then-redshirt freshman Deonte Jackson, who ran for 1,175 yards and seven touchdowns. Jackson has a chance to be a playmaker in the WAC and in a year with the Vandals always behind getting 1,175 yards is quite impressive, and if the team can produce a more stable passing game while keeping games close Jackson could see anywere from 1,300-1,600 yards. Receiving is the weakest point of this team they have solid tight ends but the wide outs are young and frankly were not good last year. The top returning threat at is senior tight end Eddie Williams who caught 29 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns, and he also ran for 81 yards and three scores on nine carries. This position is wide open and any of the newcomers has a chance to make a big play it just depends who will be able to do that. Defense: Was terrible they gave up 36 points per game and ranked in the 100's out 119 I-A football teams. The Vandals returning only half of their starters with five, but out of those the deffensive line and ends are where the strength will be this season. The position is young with multiple players only being sophomores for the upcoming season, but they did play a lot and have the experience. the Vandals lost their four starters at linebacker last season, including the top two tacklers and three of the top six. In saying that the replacements have the potential to be better then that group but they are all new starters who had limited playing time last year. The defense has a lot of holes to fill and hope to improve off of last yeasrs performance, which should not be too hard. Early Predicition: The Aztecs have no business losing to the Vandals, but weirder things have happened look for the San Diego State to win by two touchdowns. Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:48:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300317 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300317 The San Jose State Spartans are trying to recapture their success in 2006 when they won nine games, because last year was to be a springboard year to be able to compete with the top teams in the WAC only managed five wins. Consistency was a problem last year when San Jose lost their first three games before winning their next three, but ultimately going 2-4 in their final six. Head Coach Dick Tomey has done a great job for a program that was almost dropped a few years back, and to get them to a bowl game in 2006 was amazing. This season the Spartans are looking for more consistent play and try to get back to the 2006 season. Offense: The Spartans return six starters from last years team and other players who had significant playing time. The quarterback situation is somewhat clear, as of spring ball Junior Myles Eden is the number one, but not by much and will see competition from Cal transfer Kyle Reed. Reed had a foot injury that limited his time getting to know the Spartans' offense. With that injury, coach Tomey is willing to give him a long look in fall camp to see if he emerges as San Jose State's starter. When Reed was being recruited by Cal he was considered a top 10 QB out of high school, so talent is there. The running back situation is even more confusing then the quarterback position if that is possible. The Spartans are hoping that fall camp begins with Yonus Davis back on his team, but when spring ended, the top running back of 2006 had still not been cleared to receive a medical redshirt from his injury. The top returning ball carrier is senior James Callier who is more of a power back, Caller rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns to finish third on the team, but he's not explosive enough to carry the load. The other potential option is Junior Dominique Hunsucker who averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. Even with the lack of experience Coach Tomey feels they will be fine at running the ball. The receiving corp is the strong point on this Spartans team, and is loaded with experience in this area. Senior Kevin Jurovich looks to be the go to guy in 2008 and with both returning starters and four of the top five returning the Spartans should be solid. Jurovich was chosen second-team All-WAC last season after catching 85 balls for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns and has a good chance to be the leagues top wide out. Defense: This side of the ball needs work, during the 2007 season they gave up 29 points per game and gave up 40 or more in five of their seven loses. The unit does return six starters which should help the Spartan defense to improve, and if they want to get back to bowl eligible the defense must limit those high scoring games. The defensive line is the strength of the team with all four starters returning in that area, but return zero linebackers. The defensive line has two exceptional speed ends in Carl Ihenacho and Justin Cole who had a modest 65 tackles and 9 sacks between the two, have the ability to disrupt the passing game. As for the linebackers they will be bringing in all new starters for this season. The top returning player at linebacker are junior Ryno Gonzales and in only six games last year he had 26 tackles and has the speed and agility to cover a receiver if needed. The other top returning player is Sophomore Jason Swisher who had with 21 tackles in 12 games. If the defensive line is as good as it should be then they can open up lanes for these linebackers to have good years as well. In the defensive backfield senior cornerback Christopher Owens had a great year with 75 tackle, led the team with six interceptions, had three pass breakups and 2.5 sacks. There is question if he can keep that up since Owens was the secondary cornerback so teams thought they could go in his direction, but Coach Tomney feels Owens will have another impact year with his playmaking abilities to get sacks and interceptions. Early Prediction: This game is in San Diego so there is an edge to be given to the Aztecs. Both teams are coming off of disappointing seasons, but the edge goes to the Spartans because of the loss of former San Diego State quarterback Kevin O'Connell to the NFL. The Spartans win by 7 points or less, as of now. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:26:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299469 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299469 More exciting FCS (I-AA) football for the league. The Mustangs are a pretty solid FCS team who went 7-4 last year in the Great West Conference. Wide receiver Ramses Barden and offensive lineman Stephen Field, both seniors, have earned preseason All-America honors and the Cal Poly football team is ranked as high as sixth in preseason Football Championship Subdivision national polls. This team is one of the better FCS teams which the Aztecs can not take lightly. Offense: The offense is potent for the Mustangs by averaging 39 points per game, with returning all of their key skill position players. The leader of the offense is quarterback Jonathan Dally who had 29 touchdowns to five picks, and the leading target for Dally is Ramses Barden who accumulated the most amazing stats by catching 51 pass for an amazing 1,467 yards which is 25 yards per catch, plus he had 18 touchdowns. The only other receiver of note on the team is Tredale Tolver who had 31 receptions and five touchdowns. The running game is also potent since the Mustangs run the triple option so many players get a chance to run the ball and pile up yards. Jonathan Dally is the top of the list at the running game with 763 yards and 12 touchdowns, while the team scored 25 total touchdowns on the road. The offense overall should actually put up better numbers from last year, because the Mustangs only lose one player who is an offensive lineman. Defense: The defense is where Cal Poly is vulnerable, because they return five defensive starters. The defensive unit gave up 25 points and hoped that the offense would just out score the other team, while the defense would try to limit big time plays. The defense will do the same this year by trying to defend the big plays. Early Prediction: San Diego State should be able to win since this is an FCS team, but with NFL calliber wide receiver Ramses Barden who will be tough to cover. Expect this game to come close and be an exciting game which could could go either way, but I am not picking a FCS team to defeat a FBS team. I would not be surprised if Cal Poly were to get the win. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:47:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299443 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299443 The Mountain West isn't a BCS conference, but its teams sure do like to try and crash the party. Every year pundits wonder which team outside of the big six conferences will make a run a major bowl game, and every year the Mountain West has a strong candidate. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:43:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298824 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298824 We all know football season is close when media day arrives. There usually is not much news just the same old coach speak about one game at a time bla, bla bla stuff. Each coach was interviewed by a local radio station and I will post that once it is available on their site. Also, to view all of the podium interviews by coaches, players and Commissioner Craig Thompson go to the offical MWC media day web site. Also this season marks the 10th anniversary of the Mountain West Conference, when they broke away from the 16 team Western Athletic Conference that was a miserable failure, and then added TCU in 2005. The news that comes out is the preseason all conference teams and the league order of finish. Looks like there is a tier system with the league split into thirds. I am not giving any clues about my order of finish, which I will start presenting starting in August. To me Colorado State and Air Force should be switched, Air Force only returns three offensive starters and will struggle. As for the Rams they will have one of the leagues best running back duo in Kyle Bell and Gatrell Johnosn III that should challenge the Utes and BYU for best two back program, plus Kory Sperry who had an season ending knee injury was a huge play making tight end and will help ease in the new quarterback at Fort Collins. 2008 Mountain West Conference Preseason Football Poll Rk. Team (first place votes) Points 1. BYU (29) 299 2. Utah (5) 274 3. TCU 239 4. New Mexico 197 5. Wyoming 156 6. Air Force 141 7. San Diego State 92 8. Colorado State 73 9. UNLV 59 Below is the preseason all conference team listed below. 2008 Preseason All-Mountain West Football Team Position Student-Athlete Class School OFFENSE WR Austin Collie** Jr. BYU WR Ryan Wolfe Jr. UNLV OL Nick Charles** Jr. Air Force OL Ray Feinga* Sr. BYU OL Dallas Reynolds* Sr. BYU OL Blake Schlueter** Sr. TCU OL Robert Conley** Sr. Utah TE Dennis Pitta* Jr. BYU QB Max Hall* Jr. BYU RB Harvey Unga** So. BYU RB Rodney Ferguson* Sr. New Mexico DEFENSE DL Jan Jorgensen* Jr. BYU DL Paul Kruger So. Utah DL John Fletcher** Jr. Wyoming DL/LB Ryan Kemp Sr. Air Force LB Ward Dobbs** Sr. Wyoming LB Russell Allen Sr. San Diego State LB Jason Phillips** Sr. TCU DB Brice McCain** Sr. Utah DB DeAndre Wright* Sr. New Mexico DB Stephen Hodge** Sr. TCU DB Robert Johnson Jr. Utah SPECIALISTS P Louie Sakoda* Sr. Utah PK Louie Sakoda** Sr. Utah Ret. Devin Moore Sr. Wyoming Offensive Player of the Year: Max Hall, Jr., QB, BYU Defensive Player of the Year: Jason Phillips, Sr., LB, TCU Special Teams Player of the Year: Louie Sakoda, Sr., PK/P, Utah Freshman of the Year: Braylon Broughton, DE, TCU Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:40:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294992 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294992 Irish Band of Brothers will be previewing each of the Fighting Irish's opponents this season. First up, the Aztecs of San Diego State. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:58:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285538 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285538 A preview of Notre Dame's match up with San Diego State on September 6, 2008. Included are links to San Diego State articles and audio. You are invited to submit your guess on the score of the game. Wed, 07 May 2008 13:36:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264326 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264326 A look at Notre Dame's past record against teams from the Mountain West. Notre Dame has mostly played Air Force and BYU, but will play San Diego State for the first time on September 6, 2008. Tue, 06 May 2008 15:24:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263992 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263992 A really premature at what UCLA's Depth Chart might look like in 2008. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:26:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/162054 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/162054 Bethel-Thompson gots balls. Craft's two years. Olson's got one. What's the situation for next year? Can Olson finally break out? Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:42:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/112418 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/112418 Kevin Craft Commits to UCLA. A look at where Kevin Craft fits into UCLA's current depth at QB including a look at how Norm Chow's offense, specifically, is tailored to the current situation. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:00:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/111987 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/111987