Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

If you had to hold your breath until I started unveiling my defensive watch lists, you would have died 523890324089 times over. I apologize but the plate has been full.

Let's dive into the defensive line. I think admire the athleticism of a defensive lineman the most. The combined skill set of strength, speed, explosiveness, awareness and technique is truly fun to watch.

I'll never forget the time I told a good friend (who has a great defensive end in his day) to line up opposite of me. He got down in a three point stance, I lined up as a tackle would and I gave off the cadence. I never thought a 230-pound man could move from 0-60 in .034 seconds. Great story, right?

Much respect:

Glenn Dorsey, LSU - I don't know what else to say besides he's probably the best player in this class. I'm not the only one saying this. But this mountain of a man can be the sole reason a team has to abandon the run. I'm excited at the prospect of seeing him in person in September. My favorite stat about him is that he finished third on the team in tackles last year as a defensive tackle with 64 (2nd had 65 and 1st had 74). I can't imagine he'd go No. 1 overall, but he's going to be up there in the Draft order come next spring. His DT partner, Marlon Favorite, is no slouch along the line either. It's no surprise to see LSU's defense among the best because they always have a guy like Dorsey to anchor everything.

Frank Okam, Texas - I was surprised when he didn't come out for the Draft. He's good enough. But, more power to him. Texas has a legitimate chance to make a run at the title and, as arguably their best player, why not stick around for some more history? I bet Matthew McConaughey's biggest Longhorn man crush is on Okam - figuratively and literally - the dude is 6'5, 315.

Bruce Davis, UCLA - This dude is the man. He had 12.5 sacks off the edge last year and was one of the main reasons the Bruin defense was so tough and will be again this year. He's a pretty slender dude for a defensive end, but he has a swagger which only helps. Plus he had a great moment on TV last year after UCLA knocked off USC.





Quentin Groves, Auburn - Think speed. Groves runs about a 4.65 in the 40. I'm about two inches shorter and 65 pounds lighter than Groves and he could probably dust me. He's one of these guys at 6'3, 255, that could easily play outside linebacker in the NFL as well as defensive end. Expect him to play both as the Tigers tinker with the 3-4 this year. Want to see how disruptive he can be? Go back and look at the tape of when Auburn beat Alabama last year. Groves deserved a Gatorade bath after that one.

Eric Foster, Rutgers - It's easy to remember Rutgers' fantastic run last season and point to Ray Rice. While he was phenomenal, it was the Scarlet Knight defense that turned my head. It's a shame not many people know about Foster. The All-American voters didn't overlook him, but it's easy for most to. Type in "Eric Foster" on Google and you'll get info about a guy on "The Wonder Years" for three episodes as "Neal." With 14 tackles behind the line last year, Foster made plays when his team needed him most. He's going to garner a lot of attention from offensive lines this year, and I think he'll respond well.

Other names to watch for: Sedrick Ellis, USC, Keilen Dykes, West Virginia, Ian Campbell, Kansas State and Tommy Blake, TCU.

One last thing. If you feel like I left an important name off, leave a comment instead of emailing. We gotta embrace the comment system! I'm off to go play in the Newsday.com softball game vs. Advertising.

By Adam Abramson

Remember I told you about Terrelle Pryor and EJ Manuel?

Well, the first edition of the Rivals 100 list came out. Guess who are the top two QBs on the list? My boys. Pryor checks in at No. 1 overall, not much surprise. Manuel, who exploded onto the scene late, is No. 18.

See the entire list here.

I swear, the defenses are coming.

By Adam Abramson

The story of Mitch Mustain's short college football career is fit for a soap opera.

A star at Springdale High School, Mustain had every major football program at his beck and call. Schools like Tennessee, Notre Dame and Alabama were itching at the prospect of landing what looked to be the quarterback of the future.

Everything changed when his high school coach Gus Malzahn was hired to run the offense at Arkansas. Malzahn ran a wide-open, no-huddle offense that attracted a ton of talent to Fayetteville. In 2006, the Razorbacks recruited eight wide receivers including two from Mustain's high school team. Ben Cleveland, Mustain's tight end in high school, switched his commitment from Florida to Arkansas after both his coach and quarterback announced they'd be Hogs.

Things in Fayetteville looked perfect, for the most part. Arkansas was winning (a lot). Mustain was the starting quarterback. Cleveland and freshman receiver from Springdale, Damian Williams (also a prized recruit), were catching passes. But there was no spread offense. However, it isn't exactly easy to run a pass-heavy spread when you have Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, arguably the best backfield tandem in the country, itching for carries.

The newcomers were getting impatient. A book was published quoting Mustain in 2005 saying he'd be more inclined to Arkansas if Houston Nutt were fired. Shortly after, Mustain was no longer starting football games, despite an 8-0 record when stepping on the field for the first series.

It became worse. Before the bowl game, Williams bolted for USC. Two weeks after the bowl game, Malzahn was out for Tulsa to implement his offense. The following day, Mustain requested the permission to explore transferring, which he was granted. Four months later, Arkansas is a distant memory.

There's much more to the story at Arkansas that we may never know. The closed-door meetings, the emails and phone calls exchanged, boosters weighing in, parents making demands, etc. may all remain part of a dark chapter in Arkansas football that'll go unread.

Either way, Mustain is now part of a recent lineage that's much larger than him. If you're the quarterback of USC, you're competing for a Heisman and every championship attainable. The competition won't be easy: exit Booty after this season, enter Mark Sanchez - as highly touted as Mustain coming out of high school.

Either way, I was able to get a few minutes on the phone with Mustain to talk about his change in scenery.

Newsday: How long have you been in Los Angeles and how do you like it so far?
Mustain: I got here two weeks Saturday. I've been here six or seven times before, so I'm pretty familiar with it and I like the area and look forward to my time here.

Newsday: What'd you and coach Carroll talk about before you picked a school?
Mustain: It's kind of a long deal. He came in January or February and we talked. I told him why I was leaving Arkansas and what I was looking for. He explained what he had in mind for me and we stayed in touch after that.

Newsday: What other schools did you look at in the process?
Mustain: I didn't look at many. I contacted the ones I was interested in. Tulsa, with coach Malzahn being there, and USC. Those were the options I looked at most. I also looked back to two years ago and considered those schools, but I didn't feel they were best [then and now].

Newsday: What went into your decision?
Mustain: There's a lot of things. Some were off the field, some were on. I was just ready to move on. I sat around and thought about it. I just wanted to get away and start over. I enjoy coach Carroll and coach Sarkisian [the offensive coordinator], and I know they will provide the best opportunity to succeed both on and off the field.

Newsday: How is it being away from home?
Mustain: It's fine with me. I've traveled a lot over the last three years and I've seen a lot of places. However, I do love where I'm from, but like I said, it's time to move on. I love it out here in L.A. I don't regret moving here.

Newsday: How will you do without your Coach Malzahn?
Mustain: I think I'll do fine, I hope I will. It's something I'm confident in with coach Sarkisian and coach Carroll and my abilities to learn. [Leaving coach Malzahn] is something I wouldn't have done if I didn't feel confident in myself.

Newsday: How'd your Arkansas teammates take the news?
Mustain: A lot of them understood. I'm real close to a lot of the guys I came in with and a lot of the older guys, too. I don't think they had a problem with it because they understand and they go through the same stuff. When someone makes a decision, the guys are behind them.

Newsday: How would you classify your relationship with Coach Nutt?
Mustain: I'm not going into that.

Newsday: I know the lore of the SEC women and I know the lore of the Southern California women. Care to compare?
Mustain: [laughs] It's a little bit of a different scene. Not many of the people are on campus yet, but I think I will miss the girls back South.

By Adam Abramson

The fine people at USC arranged the interview with Mitch Mustain. It went well, he was honest in his answers. I didn't dig too deep about the time at Arkansas, mostly because I knew he wouldn't talk about it.

Looking like a busy night, but I'll get around to getting something posted on here before it's all said and done.

And as for Sammie Stroughter, as a reader pointed out, he's definitely a talent at WR. If you're like "WHO?!?!" it's because you live on the east coast. Stroughter is the guy who pretty much broke open the USC-Oregon State game with a punt return in the third quarter. That was a great play in a great game.

By Adam Abramson

Afternoon,

Still waiting for Mitch Mustain, USC said he should be stopping in today, if so, they'd try to get him on the hook with me.

But I figured I'd do a quick drive-by post before the mayhem begins tonight at the office. Loyal reader John dropped me an email this afternoon about something I thought on for a long while yesterday:

You have to appreciate JoePa having his players clean the stadium this fall....
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=dw-paterno052207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&expire=1

Now do you honestly think the Canes or Seminoles (or any other power for that matter) would be doing this?

A couple of things came to mind. Feel free to weigh in on any of them.

1. I think it's unfair to the guys on the team who may be walk ons, work their tails off in class and do it the right way (I'm sure plenty of scholarship players are doing it the right way as well). But then again, that's what a team is all about. They have to be accountable for each other. So, I don't think it's a bad thing.

2. I think there'd be a cold day in hell before Randy Shannon (or Larry Coker before him, for that matter) implemented such a policy at Miami.

3. From experience, Frank Beamer tried to set a policy at Virginia Tech where if you screwed up with the law, the classroom, film, lifting, personal fouls during a game, anything...he fined you by taking away bowl stipend money (players can get up to $500 for big bowls). I thought this was a good system, making each player accountable for themselves. Now, a simple infraction didn't cost you money, it started with things like running gassers after practice, etc. However, Beamer was RIPPED in the media (PTI, Around the Horn, newspapers, etc.) but most seem to love Joe Pa's policy. Am I crazy for thinking there's a double standard here?

Discuss.

By Adam Abramson

The rich get richer.

Mitch Mustain is officially a Southern California Trojan.

Honestly, this is big for them. After Californian Jimmy Claussen went on to Notre Dame, getting Mustain solidifies 2-3 more years at the quarterback position. He'll compete with Mark Sanchez after he redshirts this fall as John David Booty, a senior, vies for the Heisman.

Who really knows what down in Fayetteville. Whatever it was, it doesn't sound good. Arkansas coach Houston Nutt could be on the hot seat if the Razorbacks have a tough year (although Darren McFadden and Felix Jones should run to at least 7-to-8 wins).

Either way, I put a call into Southern California for a request to get Mustain on the phone for a few minutes. So, let's keep the fingers crossed. I'd be sure interested on hearing his take on the transfer and how he likes his new turf.

As far as looking at the 2007 defenses, give me a little more time. I'm doubling up this week on the news side, so I'm hog tied (get it…Hog…Arkansas…right. Talk to you later).

By Adam Abramson

Between local school elections, Mets and Yankees rain delays, a staff meeting two hours before I'm supposed to come in on Thursday and me taking off Friday and heading to Baltimore for the Preakness on Saturday, I'm holding off on looking ahead to the defense until Monday.

Thanks to reader furnk for the thoughts on the OL. Spot on, as usual. Finally, not gonna touch the tight ends. If you can make it to Baltimore on Saturday for the Preakness, I highly suggest you go. Great time.

By Adam Abramson

This is the only part of my blog I don't like.

Offensive linemen.

I know they're important. You can argue they're the unsung heroes of every football team in the country. Ask Virginia Tech or Florida State what happens if you have every piece in place but an offensive line.

But the average football fan doesn't care about the big uglies. I care about them, but I don't really know who's who until we get into the season. I'm going to rattle off the names I can come up with off the top of my head. Leave a comment if you feel some other guys should be on the list (I know they'll be out there).

It's taken me a while to tackle this list, but here goes nothing:

Duane Brown, Virginia Tech - Brown came to Tech as a tight end and made the transition to offensive tackle two years ago, and as you can tell because he's made this list, he's a good one. The play all Hokies remember about Brown is against Clemson when he stepped out on the punt coverage team (as he always does) and beat the gunners down the field to make the tackle. He's also a nice guy - one morning I showed up on the east end of the commuter parking lot for class (impossible to find a spot after 9 a.m.) and Duane was coming back from a class. He saw me looking for a spot, told me where his car was and waited until I drove around so I could get it. But I'll defer to skills over his generosity as to why he made the list.

Andre Smith, Alabama - Well, this is no big surprise. He was on the top of pretty much recruit list when he graduated high school two years ago. As a freshman, he started at left tackle in every game, led the team in knockdowns, snaps played and opponents owned (my stat). I don't think there's anything more impressive than a high school graduate being able to step onto a campus and garner All-American honors right away.

Jake Long, Michigan - I was shocked when he stayed for his senior year. I seriously thought he could have been the second offensive lineman taken in this year's draft. If he stays healthy, he'll have about 40 starts under his belt at both tackle slots. He's 6'7, 330-or-so-pounds and has played against some of the best defensive front sevens in the country. He'll make a lot of money not after…long (zing).

Sam Baker, Southern California - Another guy who could have cashed out and made a ton of money this year, but stayed behind. Baker's body is about 300 pounds, but his body of work is much larger (two-time All American). His linemate, Jeff Byers, is also a beast. I'd kill to get a copy of his video from high school, it was one of the most dominant things I've ever seen.

Others: Alex Boone, Ohio State; Jared Gaither, Maryland (6 foot, freakin 9 inches tall); Eugene Monroe, Virginia; Sam Young, Notre Dame.

By Adam Abramson

Even though the best of the bunch, Adrian Peterson, is now on the Minnesota Vikings, 2007 will feature a stable of great tailbacks.

Before we get into the list, I'll touch on Kentucky's Andre Woodson. Maybe I left him off my quarterbacks list because he torched Clemson and ruined a great streak I had going during bowl season. Either way, his 2006 numbers were fantastic. He has the size and it appears he has the arm to matriculate to the next level. If he keeps improving, he's going to have huge numbers this year.

On to the backs:

Darren McFadden, Arkansas -- McFadden exploded onto the spotlight this past year. He was phenomenal as a freshman (1,100+ yards) and he pretty much owned the SEC as a sophomore, so what's going to happen as a junior? Probably enough to make him a top 5 pick in '08.

Steve Slaton, West Virginia - I had a ton of fun watching him run the ball last year. When the defense knows it's coming, he takes the ball, aims for a spot downhill and has no regard for anything that gets in his way. He averaged about 19 carries a game last year (248 carries). If he can get 270 carries this year, he'll break the 2,000-yard mark.

Ray Rice, Rutgers - It's not like Ray Rice was a nobody before 2006. He had 1,100+ yards as a freshman. So what was different about 2007? He touched the ball 140 more times and the result was almost 600 more yards and 15 touchdowns. It'll be interesting to see if he gets another 300+ carries - will he hold up? If so, you can't deny he's valuable to any NFL team.

Ian Johnston, Boise State - He had long-made his mark on college football before proposing to his girlfriend after a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma. He was last year's No. 2 rusher in the country. I really wish he played against better competition. But he has all the tools to keep on succeeding and his fiancé is quite hot. With his quarterback out, his performance this year is pretty intriguing, probably more so than his team's performance for us east coasters (Although I can't knock the Broncos too much, they were a TON of fun to watch last year).

P.J. Hill, Wisconsin - The Wisconsin Winnebago. He's pretty much Ron Dayne V2.0 (somewhat slimmer). I think it's safe to say his size and durability are pretty well correlated (third in carries last year). Not many people remember that Wisconsin finished 12-1 in 2006 with their only loss coming at Michigan. With quarterback John Stocco gone, more eyes might be on the sophomore big back. We'll have to see if this plays into a potential, and proverbial, slump.

Mike Hart, Michigan - Hart bounced back for a very solid junior year. He handled the ball a ton of times with poise, but I don't know that Lloyd Carr needs to call No. 20 so much this year. Tailbacks Kevin Grady and Brandon Minor are both more than serviceable when they're asked to spell Hart. But with the scouts watching, expect Hart to run with a purpose.

Other studs: Branden Ore, Virginia Tech; James Davis, Clemson; Chris Wells, Ohio State; Javarris James, Miami; Felix Jones, Arkansas; LaMarcus Coker/Arian Foster/Montario Hardesty, Tennessee. The list goes on.

By Adam Abramson

I found the file. I thought I had made more progress on the running backs, but I didn't. Good thing I have until Monday to bang that out.

Reader "Cort" reminded me that one guy I left off yesterday was Marcus Monk from Arkansas. Huge oversight on my part. I'd argue that he's better than Greg Carr, who I gushed over...whoever is throwing the ball in Fayetteville has an amazing talent for a target.

On to the field generals. As we saw in the draft, it was JaMarcus Russell and a bunch of projects. Brady Quinn had a lot of hype, but the people who matter most (coaches and GMs weren't buying what he was selling). I say the same goes for this year. Briam Brohm and a lot of decent hurlers.

Here we go:

Brian Brohm, Louisville - It was pretty big news that he was coming back for this season. He put on a freakin' clinic in the Orange Bowl against Wake Forest. He has 21 career starts and just 12 interceptions (41 touchdowns). Brohm is throwing to two great targets in Mario Urrutia and Harry Douglass. He's not a cone on the field either, if he's gotta take off, he can pick up yards with the legs. If you have the chance to watch UL this year, do it. While they might be not as explosive without Petrino calling the shots, they still have a ton of offensive talent. He has NFL starter written all over him. How funny would it be if Cleveland wins two games this year, gets the No. 1 pick and the Cowboys take him because of that trade during the draft this year? I'd love it.


Colt Brennan, Hawaii - I am surprised his arm hasn't fallen off yet. Competition is weak, but he's doing it like any other quarterback: taking the snap, dropping back, going through his reads and delivering a strike. He had a 186.0 rating last year. Second was John Beck (169.1).

Erik Ainge, Tennessee - Against some tough defenses in some tough environments, he's been pretty steady for the Vols. With a deep receiving corps, a solid defense and stud tailback LaMarcus Coker leading a stable of runners taking the ball from him, there's a lot of pressure on Ainge to perform.

Chad Henne, Michigan - When I see Henne step on the field next year, it'll seem like an eternity since John Navarre was the signal caller in Ann Arbor. I've long-said he's tough as nails. He doesn't put up numbers that'll blow your mind, but he's a winner. Two Rose Bowls in three years.

Kyle Wright/Kirby Freeman, Miami - I really thought Wright was a preseason Heisman hopeful last year. Miami has three stables worth of tailbacks, but they will only go as far as the Wright/Freeman arm goes. Coker wasn't afraid to turn to Freeman last year, and if I had to make an educated guess, I'd think Randy Shannon will do the same. But who knows? Hard to tell with a new coach.

Young bucks on the radar: Colt McCoy, Texas; Chase Holbrook, New Mexico State; Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan; Chase Daniel, Missouri; Bobby Reid, Oklahoma State; Pat White, West Virginia.

I'll come back strong on Monday with the running backs. Call your mom on Sunday.

Loyal reader Jeremy wants to know who will be the top prospects for the 2008 NFL Draft. While that's a valid and important question, I wanted to expand on it some and go into the guys we'll be talking about the most come August as we gear up for the season.

I'll go position by position. Now, it seems natural for me to start at quarterback, which I did, but I can't find the file I was working on (I assume it's on my home computer). I also did running back in this file, so it's imperative that I find it (getting nervous). I'll start with wide receivers.

Any good, eligible receiver bolted to the NFL this year, so we'll see who I can dig up.

Jarrett Dillard, Rice - He had 21 touchdowns last season. That's a solid number for a college career. Yeah, he plays for Rice, but I don't care. Jerry Rice (pun intended) played for Mississippi Valley State. I say the bigger knock is that he's 5'11, but there's plenty of good receivers under 6'. I'm making it a point to watch him as many times as possible in the fall, even if it means I'll have to watch the rest of the Rice Owls.

DeSean Jackson, Cal - Another smaller guy, but he can flat out fly (he weighs about 165 pounds, someone get this kid over to the bench press!). He pretty much owned teams in a very Dante Hall-esque fashion with an 18.2 yards per punt return (best in the country). If Nate Longshore continues to improve, so will Jackson's already impressive receiving numbers. He might be one of the best players with the ball in his hands this fall.

Greg Carr, Florida State - What a menace for cornerbacks. He's 6'6, probably can broad jump a school bus and probably sleeps in one of the Doak Campbell end zones during the off season. First and goal from the one-yard line? I'd seriously consider throwing three straight fades to him (and likely a fourth if FSU's playing Miami…don't need any field goal debacles). I hope to make it to Blacksburg to see him in action this fall against one of the great cornerbacks of the game (Brandon Flowers).

Early Doucet, LSU - Craig Davis is out. Dwayne Bowe is out. Doucet is the man. Coming out of high school, this guy was the truth at quarterback. He's fast and tough to bring down (about 35 pounds heavier than Jackson). He's as go-to as can be for a college team this year. Don't be surprised if he has 80-90 catches this year. Plus his name rules (say it Do-say if you want to sound like an LSU fan).

Pat Turner and Vidal Hazelton, Southern Cal - These guys have been patiently waiting for Jarrett and Smith to move on to the NFL (Turner longer than Hazelton). Both were No. 1 WRs in the country coming out of high school. Hazelton, a Staten Island product, only had one catch last year as a freshman, but I think it's a safe bet to say he'll be a playmaker. Turner, from Tennessee, has the skill set to be better than his predecessors. If they get him 60 balls and 10-12 TDs, he should go pro. I love how both of these kids are from the East Coast (as was Jarrett) and go to USC. It's great to be the king.

Other guys you need to be watching at Penn State's Derrick Williams, assuming the Nittany Lions' passing offense is better, Percy Harvin at Florida, Mario Manningham at Michigan and the trio of Josh Morgan/Justin Harper/Eddie Royal at Virginia Tech.

Check back Friday morning for quarterbacks. Hopefully I won't have to work too hard on it.