The problem with Madden was that he coached from a chair in his office with a bull horn.
Winter Workouts 2017
- Thread starter Godz40Acrez
- Start date
The problem with Madden was that he coached from a chair in his office with a bull horn.
That's a good read for us lay folk. I know the big lift numbers hype up the fans, but I've always held that after a certain point you get diminishing returns.
True. if they go the combine they have to do reps with 225. When your that big you are expected to do a lot.
247 asked, "Who has the most to prove this offseason?" Their writers mentioned several names (below), then gave reasons why.
- Shane Buechele
- Kris Boyd
- John Burt
- Davante Davis
- DeShon Elliott
- Jerrod Heard
- Holton Hill
- Malik Jefferson
- Brandon Jones
Todd Orlando’s Defense
Charlie Strong’s base defense at Texas was a 4-3 Under and the Longhorns would create that front in a variety of different ways from 4-3, 3-4, and of course 3-3-5 personnel packages.
Todd Orlando’s base defense is a true 3-4. Now he’ll mix and match a few different fronts and basically line up his DL wherever he thinks they’ll be needed to clog lanes, occasionally mixing in four-down looks as well, but the underlying front is three down. In particular, Orlando likes to play a 0-technique nose and two 4i-technique DEs and enjoy the benefits of having four linebackers off the ball who can play wide and off the football and move around in the backfield or on the blitz.
The other big difference from Orlando’s nominally 3-3-5 defense (that’s the package they spent the most time in at Houston) and Charlie’s is in the coverage behind it. Charlie Strong based out of single-hi safety coverages and had his DBs play a lot of man coverage outside. Todd Orlando’s base coverage is quarters and he uses single-hi coverages mostly as a changeup or for the fire zone blitzes he regularly dials up.
Quarters is a very flexible base coverage that has lots of different iterations, much like Orlando’s fronts.
One of the benefits of quarters coverage is that the defense can play two different coverages to either side of the field. Orlando uses 2-read a lot against twin receivers to the field, a pattern matching coverage that can become cover 4 or cover 2 based on the route distribution, and uses the nickel as an underneath zone/run support player.
On the boundary Orlando calls a lot of “robber” or “sky coverage” where the corner has to play deep over the receiver and the safety helps on inside routes like the post and supports the run. He’ll also mix in normal cover 2 and Tampa-2 as options for obvious passing downs.
Although we haven’t seen them in Austin in quite some time, these are all really common coverages in the Big 12. What isn’t as common is that Orlando will regularly blitz while playing quarters, a privilege afforded by the 3-4 defensive structure. Either outside linebacker or inside linebacker is liable to join the DL as the fourth pass-rusher while everyone else plays one of Orlando’s quarters calls.
Finally there are the fire zones, which were an essential component to Manny Diaz and Charlie Strong’s defenses and will remain a key piece of the puzzle for Texas moving forward.
Orlando vs the Big 12
Although the Big 12 is down nationally and doesn’t field defenses like you see in other Power-5 conferences, not even the SEC West will stress a pass defense like a round robin trip through the Big 12 can. Orlando’s first priority at Texas may be to get his linebackers up to speed in the fundamentals where they’ve lacked for the past two years, but he’ll also have to tweak his approach to survive and thrive in this league.
[V]irtually every team in this league has embraced vertical passing as a core element to their strategy. The execution level has gotten high enough that every time teams run a play like this, all of the pressure is on the defense to avoid a single mistake that could mean six points.
The teaching on the back end has to be excellent to avoid mistakes, match the routes well, and provide enough depth to play nickel and dime sub-packages and continue to do so if there are injuries. Those are tall orders and Texas really struggled in that regard this past season.
Where Orlando could have a leg up on the rest of the league is his ability to execute rule #5 – Don’t give the QB all day to throw – at a high level. However, if you have DL that are hard for OL to keep their hands on and blitzing linebackers that can come like a ton of bricks off the edges or inside, you can disrupt the whole process by not allowing the QB to see the routes or get a good ball off cleanly.
Don’t be shocked if Orlando decides to tweak his scheme to get as much pass-rushing on the field as possible in order to create leeway for his young secondary. One such route would be taking a DE off the field and creating a 2-4-5 nickel package. That would allow Texas to play both Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager on either edge and bring even greater variety with their blitzes.
Texas hired a good defensive coach in Todd Orlando and the success they’ve had in their secondary amidst serious turnover suggests that his assistants Jason Washington and Craig Naivar are very worthy additions as well. If they can get a young defensive backfield up to speed on fundamentals in this scheme, they may find that they have the tools and support from the offense to adjust to the Big 12 and even offer a clinic on how to play defense in this league.
[Much more of this article at IT]
The Hermanator Passing Game
The Herman passing game [is] a system that can work independently of the power/inside zone run game.
Basic concepts of the Herman passing game
The goal with Herman’s passing game is to attack defenses, in space, with athletes when advantages can be found. This may be done in order to exploit run-stopping defensive personnel, to exploit deficient pass-defending personnel, or just to involve skill athletes. It’s not designed strictly to constrain the defense from stopping the run although it can serve in that purpose.
Here are three of the pass game concepts that Herman utilizes which demonstrate the broader goal of his passing game construct.
“Follow-pivot/whip dig”
This is a two-man concept that reveals the way this passing game tends to work. The QB is reading the weakside linebacker and how he responds to the “pivot” or “whip” route. If that LB chases that slot receiver back outside, he vacates the passing window to the dig route, if he doesn’t then he leaves open a passing window to throw to the whip route in the flat. It’s a simple read for the QB and makes for an easy ball control concept.
Herman’s passing game relies on simple movement keys where the QB is reading defenders for leverage and then firing the ball into windows that the WRs need to be occupying. He may read multiple defenders before delivering the ball but things are generally pretty straightforward and simple.
“Snag”
If there are two deep safeties the QB can read the corner and either throw the flat route or the corner route (to the slot) based on whether that corner sinks deep or matches the flat. The slot is being counted on to get open against the safety. Meanwhile the outside receiver is running the “snag” route, which is like a shallow curl route that’s designed to hunt for space between the nickel and the corner. If the cornerback drops to take away the deep route by the slot then the QB is reading the nickel to determine whether to throw the “snag” or the flat route.
“Houston”
“Houston” is a favored way to attack quarters and it does so by combining a seam-read route by the slot with the traditional curl-flat combo.
The deep choice route by the slot should draw in the deep safety and then it’s a simple read of the nickel to see if he chases the flat route and leaves the passing window to the curl route open or not. So the QB will check to see if the slot can get open deep and then make the simple curl-flat read on the outside.
These aren’t the only concepts that Herman has utilized but they tend to come up a lot and they are indicative of the kinds of plays that he’s tended to utilize in the past.
Key features of the Herman passing game
As I’ve already noted, the goal here isn’t to create maximal stress on the defense for how they play the run game. The goal is to have tactics for attacking different defenders in different ways with skill athletes. It’s a more flexible system than the Veer and Shoot but it isn’t close to as effective for landing haymakers unless you have star athletes executing the plays at a high level.
The nature of the reads puts a lot of onus on the receivers to be in the right spots at the right time. It’s all designed to make things as straightforward as possible for the QB, after all he’s got a lot on his plate with the RPOs and run game and it’s not a great idea to design your offense around requiring high level proficiency in a complex run game and pass game from your signal-caller.
At Texas I think we’ll see him use empty sets due to the abundance of WR talent, the likely improving play up front with Connor Williams returning, and the cast of potential right tackles increasing.
Texas may also see a heavy focus on this passing system over the course of the offseason as Herman takes stock of the positive state of the Texas run game situation and contrasts it with the abundant passing game talent that exists within Buechele and this WR corps but relative inexperience with his system.
No doubt we’ll all be putting our ears to the ground for a dozen different things come spring but the mastery of the Texas passing game could be the one that has the biggest impact on the inaugural Herman season.
[Much more of this article at IT]
I was at a clinic this weekend in DFW and the key note speaker talked about Yancy McKnight like he was the best thing since sliced bread. I was pretty fired up to hear the glowing report about Yancy. Based off what he was saying I think our strength program is going to see some real improvement.
The Hermanator before the Texas State House....
Just another day in the life of the HC of the world's greatest university....
Just another day in the life of the HC of the world's greatest university....
I think this is a Big key for improvement in the program.TCU and Baylor changed their programs starting in the weight room and its not that Texas has not been working hard but how.
Last edited:
Five 2017 Commits With Immediate Impact Potential
QB Sam Ehlinger
Ehlinger seems to fit the pro-spread offense of Tom Herman like a glove. If the Longhorns are unable to land a graduate transfer for depth behind Shane Buechele, Ehlinger could wind up being the backup quarterback as a true freshman. It would be ideal if he could redshirt and sit for a year, but Texas simply might not have that luxury.
RB Toneil Carter
Carter should be able to step in and immediately compete with returnees Kirk Johnson, Kyle Porter, and Chris Warren for playing time. If running backs coach Stan Drayton can help Carter put it all together, the Longhorns could have a special back on their hands.
TE Reese Leitao
The 6-4, 234 pound Leitao... has the size, ball skills, ability as an in-line blocker, and athleticism to be the five-tool tight end the program has been missing since 2008. Leitao can play and could realistically have the biggest impact as a true freshman of anyone in the signing class.
DE Taquon Graham
With the Longhorns moving to a 3-4 defense there's a need for versatile ends who can hold up against the run and get after the quarterback with an equal level of effectiveness. Graham can do that; and with only redshirt freshman Andrew Fitzgerald backing up Charles Omenihu, Graham should come in and compete for playing time right off the bat.
K Josh Rowland
The Longhorns lost four games [last season] by a touchdown or less that included at least one missed field goal. Rowland, the nation's top JUCO kicker, has a chance to fill the biggest hole Texas has entering Tom Herman's first season.
[247]
TFB's Staff Take
Herman brought five of his assistant coaches from Houston with him to Texas. There are no assistant coaches in America that know Tom Herman and his plan better than the assistants that were with him at Houston and his other stops. Whether this particular group will be successful remains to be seen.
Tim Beck
The one coach on the staff that Tom Herman hasn’t actually coached with, but the two have a relationship back from Beck’s days as a high school HC in the DFW area when Herman was an assistant at Texas State and Sam Houston State. They also have the connection of Urban Meyer, as Beck replaced Herman at Ohio State when Herman took the Houston job. Beck has been a very good recruiter in the state of Texas particularly in the DFW area. He had a lot of success recruiting Texas when he was at Ohio State, Nebraska, and Kansas.
Todd Orlando
The one guy on this staff I’d label as a bit of a below average recruiter is defensive coordinator/LB coach Todd Orlando. That’s not a surprise for a DC. His number one goal is to get that Texas defense playing at a high level, recruiting will take care of itself if Texas can get some more wins. Orlando has been a finalist for the Broyles Award multiple times, including in 2016, but this will be his first coaching job at a power 5 school. He was known as the best non-p5 defensive coordinator at UConn, Utah State, and most recently at Houston. His aggressive defensive style should do the recruiting for him.
Oscar Giles
The most familiar name to Texas fans that will be on Herman’s staff is DL coach Oscar Giles. Giles coached on Mack Brown’s staff from 2005-2013. [Herman and Giles] were graduate assistants together at Texas in 1999 and became close friends. While some fans may not have the fondest memories of Giles as a recruiter in his final years at Texas, it sounds like reuniting with Herman has lit a fire under Giles. One source told me, “He was their go-to recruiter outside of Herman [at Houston].”
Stan Drayton
Another really good recruiter on the Texas offensive staff is new Associate HC/run game coordinator Stan Drayton, who will also coach RBs. Drayton coached RBs at Ohio State when Herman was the offensive coordinator in Columbus. Most recently he was the RBs coach for the Chicago Bears. Drayton has coached some really good RBs including Ezekiel Elliott, Carlos Hyde, Chris Rainey, and most recently rookie Jordan Howard. Drayton has never coached in the state of Texas, but is known as a very good recruiter so I don’t expect that to be a problem for him.
Drew Mehringer
If you want to talk about another up and comer on the Texas staff, look no further than WR coach/Pass game coordinator Drew Mehringer. At 29 years old, he has already been an offensive coordinator at two schools (James Madison and Rutgers). Not many guys have that opportunity before they turn 30. Mehringer was the WR coach and recruiting coordinator at Houston in 2015 under Herman. He’s a really good young football coach who I don’t expect to be at Texas for too long if Texas has success under Herman.
Corby Meekins
Herman didn’t retain Jeff Traylor, but this is a guy one could compare to Traylor. Meekins spent more than 10 years as the HC of Houston-area powerhouse, Spring Westfield HS. Westfield consistently produces D1 talent. I was told “there’s not a high school coach in the Houston area that doesn’t know and respect Corby Meekins.” I was also told Meekins has made things much easier for incoming freshman players, as he knows what their everyday life was like before they enrolled in college and how things are going to change.
Derek Warehime
The underrated addition to the Houston staff has to be OL coach, Derek Warehime. Warehime is “the up and comer” per some people inside the UH football building. He’s only 33 and crossed paths with Herman in 2007 at Rice, when he was an offensive graduate assistant when Herman was the offensive line coach. Herman then hired him to coach the OL at Houston and now at Texas. I was told he might be the smartest football mind on the staff. Also being a younger guy he connects well with recruits.
Jason Washington
A guy who should bring a new perspective to a defensive backfield that struggled last year. Washington was with Herman at Texas State for two years, and then at Rice for two years. Washington’s 2nd stint at Texas State lasted four years before joining Herman at Houston and now Texas where he will coach cornerbacks.
Craig Naivar
When some talk about the crazy titles when it comes to college assistants, Naivar is in that group. He was the Associate HC/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safety’s coach in his time at Houston with Herman. Naivar was on the Texas State and Rice staff with Herman and was at Kentucky before leaving to join Herman in Houston and now at Texas. I was told Naivar is a no nonsense guy when it comes to coaching and recruiting and players seem to like that about him. Naivar is also an Austin native and is the special teams coordinator and will coach safeties at Texas.
[TFB]
One of the stories that the media and the fans will be following when it comes to Texas football is will RS Junior Jerrod Heard stay at WR or move to back to QB? It remains to be seen what will officially happen but it’s worth noting that Herman’ most recent offenses were led by elite athletes like Greg Ward, Braxton Miller, and JT Barrett.
What I can tell you guys is that I was told Heard has still been working with the skill guys (WR/RB) during offseason workouts.
Obviously things can change when spring football begins in less than a month from now, but that’s what I know as of today.
[TFB]
What I can tell you guys is that I was told Heard has still been working with the skill guys (WR/RB) during offseason workouts.
Obviously things can change when spring football begins in less than a month from now, but that’s what I know as of today.
[TFB]
E$PN produced their "10 teams with the toughest nonconference schedules in 2017" list and it's amazing the stretches they make to justify the $ec teams in the group. I'm calling "click-bait" on this piece.
1. Pitt Panthers
2. Florida Gators
3. Florida State Seminoles
4. Texas Longhorns
5. USC Trojans
6. Georgia Bulldogs
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
8. South Carolina Gamecocks
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys
10. Clemson Tigers
1. Pitt Panthers
- Sept. 2: Youngstown State
- Sept. 9: at Penn State
- Sept. 16: Oklahoma State
- Sept. 30: Rice
2. Florida Gators
- Sept. 2: vs. Michigan in Arlington, Texas
- Sept. 9: Northern Colorado
- Nov. 18: UAB
- Nov. 25: Florida State
3. Florida State Seminoles
- Sept. 2: vs. Alabama in Atlanta
- Sept. 9: Louisiana-Monroe
- Nov. 18: Delaware State
- Nov. 25: at Florida
4. Texas Longhorns
- Sept. 2: Maryland
- Sept. 9: San Jose State
- Sept. 16: at USC
5. USC Trojans
- Sept. 2: Western Michigan
- Sept. 16: Texas
- Oct. 21: at Notre Dame
6. Georgia Bulldogs
- Sept. 2: Appalachian State
- Sept. 9: at Notre Dame
- Sept. 16: Samford
- Nov. 25: at Georgia Tech
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Sept. 4: vs. Tennessee
- Sept. 9: Jacksonville State
- Sept. 16: at UCF
- Nov. 25: Georgia
8. South Carolina Gamecocks
- Sept. 2: vs. N.C. State in Charlotte, N.C.
- Sept. 23: Louisiana Tech
- Nov. 18: Wofford
- Nov. 25: Clemson
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Sept. 2: Tulsa
- Sept. 9: at South Alabama
- Sept. 16: at Pittsburgh
10. Clemson Tigers
- Sept. 2: Kent State
- Sept. 9: Auburn
- Nov. 18: The Citadel
- Nov. 25: at South Carolina
Tougher non conference scheduling is just another playoff committee farce. Just like everything else they have differing criteria depending on the team in question. Overall though I like watching better matchups, so I am all for schools upping their scheduling game.
I think the issue concerning grades is to teach the players how hard it is to be great. We saw our team last year there's no question they were playing as hard as we could. We lost 5 games by a total of 22 points. But coach Herman sees that and is pushing them harder. It's true we raised our gpa under coach Strong but the kids need to realize their new hc is a member of Mensa. Because of that I don't think he's messing around when it comes to classwork.
It's all about being trusted to take care of every little detail. If you can't be depended on to go to class, turn in homework on time, prepare for a test how can you be depended on to go to film sessions, get in position on time, or prepare for your opponent.
I look at this list and I would like to ask how in the h*ll did Pitt and OSU get on this list? FL and MI are overrated so that's four. Why is South Carolina on this list? NCS is nobody special and they'll be no match at all for Clemson so that's five. I don't know why Clemson is on this list. Auburn and South Carolina don't even belong on the same field with them. Auburn is another overrated team the little ol Big XII rolled them in the SB. They are living off the season where on a fluke they came within 20 seconds of winning a nc a few years ago. I think that makes 6.
As for the other schools. FSU, TX, and the GA schools deserve to be on this list. As a principle I don't like to talk up OK
But seriously they are playing tOSU and in Columbus. They should be on this list. During the bowl season the Big X proved they are the most overrated conference in the country, I call them the little ten, they don't deserve no roman numeral. MI is allegedly a tough game and tOSU isn't? Wth?
Last edited:
Seriously guys, who do you think will be playing on the other side of the ball this season? Every new coach comes and decides to move some guys from offense to defense and vice versa. Who do you think it will be?
Todd Orlando’s Defense
Charlie Strong’s base defense at Texas was a 4-3 Under and the Longhorns would create that front in a variety of different ways from 4-3, 3-4, and of course 3-3-5 personnel packages.
Todd Orlando’s base defense is a true 3-4. Now he’ll mix and match a few different fronts and basically line up his DL wherever he thinks they’ll be needed to clog lanes, occasionally mixing in four-down looks as well, but the underlying front is three down. In particular, Orlando likes to play a 0-technique nose and two 4i-technique DEs and enjoy the benefits of having four linebackers off the ball who can play wide and off the football and move around in the backfield or on the blitz.
The other big difference from Orlando’s nominally 3-3-5 defense (that’s the package they spent the most time in at Houston) and Charlie’s is in the coverage behind it. Charlie Strong based out of single-hi safety coverages and had his DBs play a lot of man coverage outside. Todd Orlando’s base coverage is quarters and he uses single-hi coverages mostly as a changeup or for the fire zone blitzes he regularly dials up.
Quarters is a very flexible base coverage that has lots of different iterations, much like Orlando’s fronts.
One of the benefits of quarters coverage is that the defense can play two different coverages to either side of the field. Orlando uses 2-read a lot against twin receivers to the field, a pattern matching coverage that can become cover 4 or cover 2 based on the route distribution, and uses the nickel as an underneath zone/run support player.
On the boundary Orlando calls a lot of “robber” or “sky coverage” where the corner has to play deep over the receiver and the safety helps on inside routes like the post and supports the run. He’ll also mix in normal cover 2 and Tampa-2 as options for obvious passing downs.
Although we haven’t seen them in Austin in quite some time, these are all really common coverages in the Big 12. What isn’t as common is that Orlando will regularly blitz while playing quarters, a privilege afforded by the 3-4 defensive structure. Either outside linebacker or inside linebacker is liable to join the DL as the fourth pass-rusher while everyone else plays one of Orlando’s quarters calls.
Finally there are the fire zones, which were an essential component to Manny Diaz and Charlie Strong’s defenses and will remain a key piece of the puzzle for Texas moving forward.
Orlando vs the Big 12
Although the Big 12 is down nationally and doesn’t field defenses like you see in other Power-5 conferences, not even the SEC West will stress a pass defense like a round robin trip through the Big 12 can. Orlando’s first priority at Texas may be to get his linebackers up to speed in the fundamentals where they’ve lacked for the past two years, but he’ll also have to tweak his approach to survive and thrive in this league.
[V]irtually every team in this league has embraced vertical passing as a core element to their strategy. The execution level has gotten high enough that every time teams run a play like this, all of the pressure is on the defense to avoid a single mistake that could mean six points.
The teaching on the back end has to be excellent to avoid mistakes, match the routes well, and provide enough depth to play nickel and dime sub-packages and continue to do so if there are injuries. Those are tall orders and Texas really struggled in that regard this past season.
Where Orlando could have a leg up on the rest of the league is his ability to execute rule #5 – Don’t give the QB all day to throw – at a high level. However, if you have DL that are hard for OL to keep their hands on and blitzing linebackers that can come like a ton of bricks off the edges or inside, you can disrupt the whole process by not allowing the QB to see the routes or get a good ball off cleanly.
Don’t be shocked if Orlando decides to tweak his scheme to get as much pass-rushing on the field as possible in order to create leeway for his young secondary. One such route would be taking a DE off the field and creating a 2-4-5 nickel package. That would allow Texas to play both Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager on either edge and bring even greater variety with their blitzes.
Texas hired a good defensive coach in Todd Orlando and the success they’ve had in their secondary amidst serious turnover suggests that his assistants Jason Washington and Craig Naivar are very worthy additions as well. If they can get a young defensive backfield up to speed on fundamentals in this scheme, they may find that they have the tools and support from the offense to adjust to the Big 12 and even offer a clinic on how to play defense in this league.
[Much more of this article at IT]
Thanks for this it's very informative for a fan like me. I can't wait to watch Todd Orlando against the Big XII defenses. I saw his defenses against top notch offenses like FSU, OK, and LV. The LV game really impressed me they flat out shut down Heisman winner Lamar Jackson that night. It's easy to say in February but I think if Tom Herman is the coach I think he is, if Todd Orlando turns out to be the dc I think he can be we could dominate the Big XII the way Stoops has and I may not even take that long. Imo, every Big XII dc is stealing from his employer. I mean we were all frustrated with Vance Bedford but he wasn't any worse than the other dc's.
Looks like they are working hard. Most importantly, it looks like there is a lot of competition.
E$PN ranks Big 12 teams by QB and RB groups....
QB
1. ou: Snowflake Mayfield might be the top returning quarterback in college football. He's twice finished in the top five of the Heisman Trophy voting and broke the FBS passing efficiency season record last season. The Sooners have depth behind him, too, with Austin Kendall and former Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray both returning.
2. Oklahoma State: With 28 career starts, Mason Rudolph will enter 2017 as one of the most experienced passers in the country. Among quarterbacks who also threw for 4,000 yards last season, Rudolph threw the fewest interceptions (four).
3. Kansas State: Jesse Ertz was among the most improved players in the Big 12 during the second half of last season as he quietly finished third in the league in QBR. Ertz was the only Big 12 QB to rush for more than 1,000 yards last season, as well.
4. TCU: If [Kenny Hill] can find consistency, Hill has the talent to be among the top quarterbacks in the league. The future of the position is in good shape, with TCU signing ESPN 300 dual-threat QB Shawn Robinson last week.
5. Texas: Shane Buechele's freshman season got off to an incredible start as he torched Notre Dame in his first career game. But Buechele faded down the stretch in conference play as Texas failed to reach a bowl, leading to Charlie Strong's firing. Buechele might still be Texas' QB of the future. But he'll have to prove it by beating out Austin native Sam Ehlinger, who was one of the country's top QB signees last week.
6. West Virginia: This ranking... will hinge on Will Grier being the same quarterback he was those first six games as a freshman at Florida. After backing up Skyler Howard last season, Chris Chugunov figures to be the favorite... to do the same behind Grier this fall.
7. Bailor: Zach Smith struggled last year as a freshman but he had a breakout performance in Bailor's bowl game in the rout of Boise State. The QB battle between Smith and Arizona transfer Anu Solomon will be one of the more interesting ones in the conference.
8. Texas Tech: [T]he reins of the Tech air raid will be handed over to Nic Shimonek. The Iowa transfer shined in his lone significant action last season, throwing four second-half touchdowns in a victory over Kansas.
9. Iowa State: After taking over the starting spot from Joel Lanning, Jacob Park played well, throwing 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Back as well, Lanning gives Iowa State an experienced backup and a change-of-pace, run-first option behind center.
10. Kansas: The Jayhawks... are in better shape at quarterback than they have been in some time. Carter Stanley gave the offense a spark after taking over... late in the season. But the one to watch will be former Washington State QB Peyton Bender, who arrives in Lawrence as the No. 3 juco QB in the country.
RB
1. West Virginia: Justin Crawford is the Big 12's leading returning rusher after a 1,184-yard junior season that earned Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Kennedy McKoy was one of the conference's more productive freshman backs in 2016 and Martell Pettaway showed his potential.
2. TCU: No returning Big 12 running back put up more total yards from scrimmage than Kyle Hicks. His production (1,459 total yards, 14 TDs), versatility and leadership are invaluable for the Frogs. The return of Shaun Nixon gives their offense a serious boost.
3. Bailor: Lost in Bailor's late-season swoon was all the attention Terence Williams should've earned. He rumbled for 1,048 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore.
4. Oklahoma State: The most productive freshman running back in college football last season was Justice Hill. He was truly the Cowboys' missing piece on offense. Hill needs some help, though, after three seniors graduated.
5. Texas: When Chris Warren III gets 100 percent healthy from the season-ending knee injury he suffered, the 250-pounder will be one of the Big 12's most dangerous running backs. The question is who will back him up? Kyle Porter, Kirk Johnson and ESPN 300 signee Toneil Carter will compete this spring, and Tom Herman called Daniel Young the steal of their recruiting class.
6. Kansas State: If Alex Barnes can become the Wildcats' consistent leader at running back, they'll move up this list. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry and produced two 100-yard games to end his redshirt freshman year, but Barnes received more than 10 carries in a game just once in 2016.
7. Iowa State: If Mike Warren gets back to playing like he did in 2015, the Cyclones have all they need for a potent run game. Warren has a lot to prove after a disappointing sophomore season, and David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu will keep pushing him.
8. ou: Abdul Adams, Rodney Anderson, Trey Sermon, Marcelias Sutton, Kennedy Brooks. One or more of these guys will be the Sooners' next big star at running back, and several others need to make significant contributions in 2017. Sermon and Sutton coming in as midyear enrollees ensures OU will have some fierce competition in spring ball.
9. Texas Tech: Da'Leon Ward came on late in the season as a true freshman, which was encouraging, but here's the problem: Ward, Demarcus Felton and Justin Stockton combined to average 78 rushing yards per game last year. [P]erhaps junior college transfer Desmond Nisby can become the power back the Red Raiders lack.
10. Kansas: Incoming signees Octavius Matthews (E$PN's No. 1 ranked juco RB) and Dominic Williams have an opportunity to make a serious impact right away for the Jayhawks. They'll compete with Taylor Martin and Khalil Herbert, who played limited roles in 2016, as well as former Arkansas transfer Denzell Evans.
QB
1. ou: Snowflake Mayfield might be the top returning quarterback in college football. He's twice finished in the top five of the Heisman Trophy voting and broke the FBS passing efficiency season record last season. The Sooners have depth behind him, too, with Austin Kendall and former Texas A&M transfer Kyler Murray both returning.
2. Oklahoma State: With 28 career starts, Mason Rudolph will enter 2017 as one of the most experienced passers in the country. Among quarterbacks who also threw for 4,000 yards last season, Rudolph threw the fewest interceptions (four).
3. Kansas State: Jesse Ertz was among the most improved players in the Big 12 during the second half of last season as he quietly finished third in the league in QBR. Ertz was the only Big 12 QB to rush for more than 1,000 yards last season, as well.
4. TCU: If [Kenny Hill] can find consistency, Hill has the talent to be among the top quarterbacks in the league. The future of the position is in good shape, with TCU signing ESPN 300 dual-threat QB Shawn Robinson last week.
5. Texas: Shane Buechele's freshman season got off to an incredible start as he torched Notre Dame in his first career game. But Buechele faded down the stretch in conference play as Texas failed to reach a bowl, leading to Charlie Strong's firing. Buechele might still be Texas' QB of the future. But he'll have to prove it by beating out Austin native Sam Ehlinger, who was one of the country's top QB signees last week.
6. West Virginia: This ranking... will hinge on Will Grier being the same quarterback he was those first six games as a freshman at Florida. After backing up Skyler Howard last season, Chris Chugunov figures to be the favorite... to do the same behind Grier this fall.
7. Bailor: Zach Smith struggled last year as a freshman but he had a breakout performance in Bailor's bowl game in the rout of Boise State. The QB battle between Smith and Arizona transfer Anu Solomon will be one of the more interesting ones in the conference.
8. Texas Tech: [T]he reins of the Tech air raid will be handed over to Nic Shimonek. The Iowa transfer shined in his lone significant action last season, throwing four second-half touchdowns in a victory over Kansas.
9. Iowa State: After taking over the starting spot from Joel Lanning, Jacob Park played well, throwing 12 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Back as well, Lanning gives Iowa State an experienced backup and a change-of-pace, run-first option behind center.
10. Kansas: The Jayhawks... are in better shape at quarterback than they have been in some time. Carter Stanley gave the offense a spark after taking over... late in the season. But the one to watch will be former Washington State QB Peyton Bender, who arrives in Lawrence as the No. 3 juco QB in the country.
RB
1. West Virginia: Justin Crawford is the Big 12's leading returning rusher after a 1,184-yard junior season that earned Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors. Kennedy McKoy was one of the conference's more productive freshman backs in 2016 and Martell Pettaway showed his potential.
2. TCU: No returning Big 12 running back put up more total yards from scrimmage than Kyle Hicks. His production (1,459 total yards, 14 TDs), versatility and leadership are invaluable for the Frogs. The return of Shaun Nixon gives their offense a serious boost.
3. Bailor: Lost in Bailor's late-season swoon was all the attention Terence Williams should've earned. He rumbled for 1,048 yards and 11 TDs as a sophomore.
4. Oklahoma State: The most productive freshman running back in college football last season was Justice Hill. He was truly the Cowboys' missing piece on offense. Hill needs some help, though, after three seniors graduated.
5. Texas: When Chris Warren III gets 100 percent healthy from the season-ending knee injury he suffered, the 250-pounder will be one of the Big 12's most dangerous running backs. The question is who will back him up? Kyle Porter, Kirk Johnson and ESPN 300 signee Toneil Carter will compete this spring, and Tom Herman called Daniel Young the steal of their recruiting class.
6. Kansas State: If Alex Barnes can become the Wildcats' consistent leader at running back, they'll move up this list. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry and produced two 100-yard games to end his redshirt freshman year, but Barnes received more than 10 carries in a game just once in 2016.
7. Iowa State: If Mike Warren gets back to playing like he did in 2015, the Cyclones have all they need for a potent run game. Warren has a lot to prove after a disappointing sophomore season, and David Montgomery and Kene Nwangwu will keep pushing him.
8. ou: Abdul Adams, Rodney Anderson, Trey Sermon, Marcelias Sutton, Kennedy Brooks. One or more of these guys will be the Sooners' next big star at running back, and several others need to make significant contributions in 2017. Sermon and Sutton coming in as midyear enrollees ensures OU will have some fierce competition in spring ball.
9. Texas Tech: Da'Leon Ward came on late in the season as a true freshman, which was encouraging, but here's the problem: Ward, Demarcus Felton and Justin Stockton combined to average 78 rushing yards per game last year. [P]erhaps junior college transfer Desmond Nisby can become the power back the Red Raiders lack.
10. Kansas: Incoming signees Octavius Matthews (E$PN's No. 1 ranked juco RB) and Dominic Williams have an opportunity to make a serious impact right away for the Jayhawks. They'll compete with Taylor Martin and Khalil Herbert, who played limited roles in 2016, as well as former Arkansas transfer Denzell Evans.
Similar threads
