Week 1 features several high level SEC vs out of conference games headlined by the No. 9 Auburn Tigers squaring off with the No. 6 Washington Huskies in Atlanta and the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide facing the Louisville Cardinals in Orlando. No. 25 LSU takes on No. 8 Miami Sunday Night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Ole Miss opposes Texas Tech In Houston and the Tennessee Vols under first year coach Jeremy Pruitt battle the No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers in Charlotte. Those are some of the compelling matchups this weekend and there are severl more. The No.3 Georgia Bulldogs host the Austin Peay Generals. Not a major challenge for the Dawgs, but it is still their first game with some new faces on defense and Jake Fromm trying to build on his stellar freshman season from last year. No.14 Michigan travels to No. 12 Notre Dame in a headliner nationally. Here’s a look at this weekend’s action.

Last year: 228-101 (69%)

*** All games Saturday unless otherwise noted***

No. 9 Auburn vs. No.6 Washington

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Atlanta, GA. (71,000)

Chick-fil-A Classic

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay

Auburn by 2

The Tigers have high hopes this season riding on a stellar defense and the star potential of quarterback Jarrett Stidham. But Stidham needs protection and the offensive line, while there is talent, is inexperienced. Cam Martin will start off at running back, but expect Ja’Tarvious Whitlow to get a lot of reps and could be a breakout performer for the Tigers. The defense is potentially spectacular with a defensive line that could be as good as anybody in football, that includes the NFL. Clemson and Auburn both have dominating fronts and Auburn’s linebackers and secondary are even a little better than Clemson’s. Washington returns quarterback Jake Browning, who threw for 2,719 yards, completing 69% of his passes (230-of-336) with 19 TDs and 5 ints. He’s an outstanding signal caller and playmaker. Running back Myles Gaskin returns for the Huskies after rushing for 1,380 yards and 21 TDs last season. The Huskies defense is loaded with one of the best secondaries in the country, so Stidham and the Tigers receivers, led by Ryan Davis,  will be tested.

I expect this to be more of a defensive game. I like the Tigers’ defense a little better than the Huskies, but barely. Huskies Coach Chris Peterson is one of the best in the game and will give Gus and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele everything they want. The Tigers will have a massive group of fans in Atlanta, so with that factor and the Auburn defense, I like the Tigers to get a major victory nationally and show that they’re for real this season. But it’ll be a war.

Auburn 21, Washington 20

 

No.1 Alabama vs Louisville

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL. (65,000)

Camping World Kickoff

7 PM CT

ABC

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor

Bama by 24 1/2

The Crimson Tide still haven’t named a starting quarterback with the quarterback issue prevalent throughout the Bama Nation in the preseason. Tua Tagovailoa was showing signs last year in relief in blowout games that he was a potential superstar, and he showed in the national championship victory over Georgia that he was a bona fide superstar. It wasn’t a complete season of work, but what we saw was pretty convincing that Tua is a legitimate superstar. It’s unclear who will get the start, but I like the Tide offense with Tua under center over Jalen Hurts. He’s a much better passer and can run pretty well. But S will employ them both against Louisville and see who runs the team better and takes ownership of the offense. With the talent around them, either quarterback should have a big day against the Cardinals defense. Damien Harris looks primed to have another spectacular senior season after rushing for over 1,000 yards for the second straight season in 2017. Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III are electric. The offensive line is potentially dominant. The defense is talented, but a little thin at linebacker, and the secondary is untested, so those will be issues the Tide will need to work out in these early season games. Louisville will test the Crimson Tide defense. While they lost Lamar Jackson, who is now a Baltimore Raven. their quarterback, Jawon Pass, is 6’4″, 231, and very athletic. They have good receivers, and a good offense overall. But I like Alabama to put up the points against the Cardinals defense, and the developing Crimson Tide defense to take a first step in trying to become an elite unit like Alabama defenses of the past several years have been. They’ll need to stay healthy, particularly at linebacker, and the secondary will need to step it up against a pretty potent Cardinals’ offense, but I like the Tide to get the job done in Orlando.

Alabama 35, Louisville 10

 

Austin Peay @ No.3 Georgia

Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA. (92,746)

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

No line

The Dawgs can pick their score here, but it’s still an audition at quarterback somewhat. Jake Fromm is a proven winner, but Justin Fields looks headed for stardom. Fromm is the leader, but if he falters, Fields could come on in relief at some point. Georgia has a lot of new players on defense, but like Alabama and Auburn, there is an enormous amount of talent on this team. Georgia takes care of business at home and gets ready for a huge road test next week at South Carolina. Look for a big day from sophomore running back DeAndre Swift. He’s for real.

Dawgs 45, Austin Peay 3

 

Sunday

No.8 Miami vs. No. 25 LSU

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX (100,000)

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

Miami by 3 1/2

LSU will be breaking in a new quarterback in Joe Burrow, a transfer from Ohio State, who has some college experience as a backup for the Buckeyes. While Miami is favored, I trust the Bengal Tigers more. Still don’t trust Mark Richt enough even if his team is the favorite. Like the Bengal Tigers to be “Truckin” back from Jarryville to Baton Rouge with an upset victory.

LSU 24, Miami 20

 

Ole Miss vs Texas Tech

NRG Stadium, Houston (72,220)

AdvoCare Texas Kickoff

11 AM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath

Ole Miss by 2 1/2

I’m going SEC here. I see the SEC as back after a little bit of a down year last year except for Alabama and Georgia.  Excellent matchup here.

Ole Miss 31, Texas Tech 30

 

Tennessee vs. No. 17 West Virginia

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (75,412)

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, Jamie Erdahl

West Virginia by 9 1/2

Maybe the talent level favors the Mountaineers a little bit, but I’m going with the upset. Pruitt gets it done in his first game as a head coach.

Vols 28, West Virginia 27

 

Stephen F. Austin vs. No. 18 Mississippi State

Davis Wade Stadium Starkvegas (61,337)

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Mike Couzens, Kirk “LA Woman” Morrison

No Line

State has a game like Georgia where they can pretty much name their score. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is out of this game due to a 1 game suspension, but backup Keyton Thompson is very capable of carrying the load in this one. I’m bullish on the Bullies this season. They’re a darkhorse in the SEC to me along with South Carolina, Florida and Texas A&M.

State 48, SFA 3

 

Coastal Carolina at South Carolina

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C. (80,250)

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour “Gabor”, Matt Stinchcomb, Kris Budden

SC by 29 1/2

The Gamecocks are ready to compete for an East title. They are very close to being an elite team in the east and maybe in the whole conference. The Gamecocks get ready for them Dawgs to rumble into town next Saturday in a colossal showdown at Williams-Brice.

South Carolina 38, Coastal Carolina 7

 

Other SEC scores

Florida 34, Charleston Southern 0

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

The Gators are the fourth team I see as an under the radar pretty good football team in the SEC that can challenge for the east crown. The conference is going to be spectacular this season.

Tonight

Texas A&M 52, Northwestern State 0

7:30 PM CT

SEC Network

I like Jimbo Fisher’s talent. He takes over a team that has several very good players. Kevin Sumlin may not have gotten the job done overall, but he did some good things at A&M and recruited well. Fisher has potential to have a sleeper team in the West.

Arkansas 34, Eastern Illinois 7

3 PM CT

SEC Network

It might take Chad Morris a couple of years to get his program competing at a high level and I’m not sure if you can get it done at Arkansas. But he brings a lot of energy and passion into the program. 

Missouri 52, UT Martin 3

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Either this game or the Arkansas game will be on SEC Alternate Network, and you may need to watch it on your computer, the Watch ESPN site. Drew Lock is looking to have a big year at quarterback for the Tigers. Not sure he’s totally elite. I want to watch him the first couple of games, particularly against a talented team, and decide.

 

Kentucky 34, Central Michigan 7

2:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Not sure what I think about Kentucky yet. As S says about his team, to be determined. They have a new quarterback, but a phenomenal tailback in Benny Snell. He’s one of the best in the conference and the country.

Vanderbilt 31, Middle Tennessee 28

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network Alternate Channel or Watch ESPN

Derek Mason gets you excited about his team. This is a test for the Commodores. I see them just getting over the hurdle of a pretty quality team in Conference USA.

Key national game

No. 14 Michigan @ No. 12 Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN. 

6:30 PM CT

NBC

ND by 1

I like Harbaugh, new quarterback Shea Patterson from Ole Miss and the Wolverines to go into South Bend and pull off the slight upset. I see Michigan as a sleeper team this season. They’re pretty good.

Michigan 28, Notre Dame 24

Other games

 

No.2 Clemson 48, Furman 7

11:20 AM CT

ACC Network

Kelly Bryant gets the start for the ultra talented Tigers, but he might be looking over his shoulder at stud freshman Trevor Lawrence. This defensive line may be the best in the country in both college football and the NFL.

No.5 Ohio State 45, Oregon State 10

11 AM CT

ABC

This has been a clown show and Urb is a clown, but there is good talent on the team. I’m not sure about elite, playoff talent, but there is plenty of talent. Want to see them play before I pass judgment on this team. 

Friday

No.4 Wisconsin 34, Western Kentucky 10

8 PM CT

ESPN

They had to suspend a couple of wide receivers for a couple of games, but they’ve got very good talent nonetheless. Still not sure if they can compete with the elite teams nationally. Possibly. I want to see them play an Ohio State, a Michigan or a Penn State. Just not sure the Big Ten has the horses that the SEC has, but this team coming up just might.

No.10 Penn State 37, App State 14

2:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

I’m pretty bullish on this team with standout quarterback Trace McSorley. They’ve got a chance to be playing in January. 

Friday

No. 11 Michigan State 30, Utah State 6

6 PM CT

Big Ten Network

 

No. 13 Stanford 35, San Diego State 20

8 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Looking forward to seeing Stanford running back Bryce Love play. He’s phenomenal. 

 

No.2 Oklahoma 41, Florida Atlantic 34

11 AM CT

FOX

OU is breaking in a new quarterback, Kyler Murray, as Baker Mayfield has taken off for the Cleveland Browns where he was the No.1 pick in the draft. There’ll be a little less controversy coming out of Norman after Mayfield’s dysfunctional shenanigans, but not sure if Murray can take the Sooners to an elite level. Kiff will give the Sooners everything they want. I almost picked the upset here, but it’s in Norman. 

No. 23 Texas 27, Maryland 21

11 AM CT

Fox Sports 1

Tom Herman is rumored to have liked a strip club with former Ohio State outlaw coach Zach Smith. This is a big year for him even though it’s his second season. They don’t have a lot of patience in Austin and they want to be good now. Texas had a quarterback competition with Sam Ehlinger emerging. They may give Herman a little more slack this season, but not much more if he doesn’t have a good year this year.

Monday

No. 20 Virginia Tech 28, No. 19 Florida State 27

7 PM CT

ESPN

Should be a classic Monday Night contest in the ACC. Taking VA. Tech in the upset.  

 

Troy 30, No. 22 Boise State 28

5 PM CT

ESPN News

Taking the Trojans in an upset. Troy is a 10 point underdog. Really like Troy’s coach, Neal Brown.

 

Tonight

UAB 38, Savannah State 7

7 PM CT

ESPN+

Really not an interesting game unless you’re one of the 10,000 UAB fans in attendance at the cemetery they call Legion Field.  

Friday, two more predictions

Army 31, Duke 28

6 PM CT

ESPNU

Like the Cadets to build on their momentum from last year when they won 9 games including their bowl game over San Diego State.

Colorado 38, Colorado State 28

8:30 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Like Mike McIntyre and his Buffs to get the job in a hard fought, physical battle. This is quite and underrated rivalry. 

More Saturday scores

No. 16 TCU 59, Southern 3

11 AM CT

Sportsouth

California 35, North Carolina 31

3 PM CT

FOX

No.16 USC 45, UNLV 10

3 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

UCLA 34, Cincinnati 31

6 PM CT

ESPN

No.24 Oregon 38, Bowling Green 21

7 PM CT

Pac 12 Net

BYU 31, Arizona 30

9:45 PM CT

ESPN

Hawai’i 45, Navy 41

10 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Price is pitching sensationally. Sonny Gray had a spectacular start @ the Orioles on Saturday Night. Mike Minor and Walker Buehler are cookin on the hill. Dansby is on fire with the Bravos. Tony Kemp is playing excellently for the Astros and Curt Casali is performing exceptionally well when called upon by the Cincinnati Reds.

Our NFL guys are impressive in the preseason. Will take a look at each guy.

And our Vanderbilt Commodore football team opens the season Saturday Night at 6:30 PM CT @ Vanderbilt Stadium versus a dangerous Middle Tennessee squad that won its bowl game last season and finished 7-6 and will be ready to knock us off. 

David Price

David just pitched a 3 hit shutout over 8 innings against the Cleveland Indians last Thursday afternoon at Fenway. The BoSox had lost the first 2 against the Indians then won Wednesday and David was firing darts on Thursday in a 7-0 Red Sox victory. David didn’t walk anybody, hit 1 batter and struck out 6. He threw 101 pitches with 68 for strikes against 33 balls. He was nothing short of spectacular, as he has been in his last 7 starts. He’s won 5 of them and had a no decision in the other 2, but pitched well in both and the Sox won both games one of them over the Yankees, 5-4, in which he exorcised his Yankees nightmare out of his system. They have caused David problems since he’s been with the BoSox, but against them on Sunday, August 5th, David went 6, giving up 4 hits, 2 runs with 3 walks and 5 Ks. He hung tough against one of the most potent lineups in baseball, top 3 along with the BoSox and Astros. David is using a lot of off speed. His 85-86 change up is cookin. He did use his fastball more on Thursday against the Tribe, hitting 93-94 consistently. David has won 5 straight, he’s 14-6 with a 3.50 ERA and posts a very impressive 1.15 WHIP, walks plus hits per inning pitched. His ERA in his 6 starts since the All Star break has been 1.09, which is best in the majors. Great stuff coming out of DP.

With No.1 starter Chris Sale out with an injury, David is carrying a heavier load. He and Sale are really 1A and 1B and they’re interchangeable. David likes being the unquestioned Number 1 guy. He thrives on that. Sale looks like he’s out till mid September, so the Sox will be relying heavily on David’s talent and leadership. That’s what he likes. He’s a total team guy. David is on the hill again Wednesday vs Trevor Richards of the Miami Marlins at Fenway for a 5:35 PM CT start and broadcast by ESPN+ on the computer. Richards is 3-7 with a 4.32 ERA. David has been excellent with his control. He rarely walks batters. He has 41 walks on the season against 149 strikeouts. The Sox got swept over the weekend by the Rays in Tampa, so they need to rebound against the Marlins. The series starts tomorrow night. The Sox are 90-42, .682 ball, and only 6 games ahead of the Yankees, who I also pull for as Sonny is back in the rotation, possibly at some time again. The Sox were 9 1/2 last Thursday after their victory over the Indians, but the Yanks are studs and aren’t going away, so the Sox need to turn it around starting tomorrow night. The Rays are an extremely impressive team. Outside the Oakland A’s, they’re the best story in baseball this year. They are 70-61, 19 1/2 back of the Sox, but just 9 back of the second place A’s in the wild card with a full month of baseball to go. So a lot can happen and this impressively, super frugal team is making real noise. The A’s are a spectacular story, too. They are 79-52 and just a game and half behind the Astros in the AL West. They are in 2nd in the wild card, 4 1/2 games behind the Yankees and a full 5 games up on the 3rd place Seattle Mariners in the wild card standings. The A’s and the Rays have the lowest team salaries in baseball so that just speaks to what super leadership they have in their organization from the general manager to the on field manager along with some very hungry, hard working players, who have talent. You have to have talent to play in the big leagues. It’s really special what these 2 teams are doing and good for baseball that the small market teams can compete with excellent leadership and ambitious players. 

Sonny Gray

Sonny had a stellar spot start for the Yankees Saturday Night against the Orioles in a 5-1 victory. Sonny went 6.1 innings, he gave up only 3 hits, 0 runs, with 1 walk and 7 K’s. It was his first start since August 1st against the Orioles. He had been struggling as a starter, mainly at Yankee Stadium, but he was awesome at Camden Yards Saturday Night. Sonny threw 79 pitches with 48 of them for strikes against 31 balls. His fastball was hitting 94, and his curve and slider were terrific. He struck out several Oriole batters on his curve, hitting 81-82 and just disappearing under their bats. His slider, hitting about 84-85, had the same effect. It was a sensational performance by Sonny. He moved to 10-8 with a 5.05 ERA on the season, and that was a huge momentum builder for him. I was looking at the Yankee starting rotation this week and it looks like Lance Lynn, the starter for the Yankees Tuesday Night, has been struggling, so maybe that’s an opening for Sonny if Lynn keeps struggling. He has a 4.84 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP with an 8-9 record. In his last 2 starts he’s given up 5 earned runs in 4 and 5.1 innings respectively against the Toronto the Miami Marlins. So there’s a chance for Sonny to get back into the rotation if Lynn continues to struggle. Sorry to pull against the guy, but Sonny is a big league starter and a potential number 1 guy and he’s our guy, so I’m pulling for him to get another shot. For right now, Sonny will pitch out of the bullpen and get spot starts. Hopefully, in time, Sonny will be back in the rotation. Saturday Night was super impressive. I know Yankees manager Aaron Boone thought so.

Mike MInor

Mike continues to put up stellar start after stellar start for the Texas Rangers. In his most recent outing against the powerhouse Oakland A’s, Mike pitched 6 innings, gave up 1 hit, with 1 walk and 4 K’s. The Rangers defeated the A’s, 4-2. Mike has now won 4 in a row and his record is 10-6 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP, which is an excellent WHIP. Mike has only walked 28 and struck out 104. His fastball is hitting 95 and his curve and slider are extremely sharp. Mike said after the A’s game that he wants to get better with his curve, so he’s always trying to improve. He threw 73 pitches with 50 for strikes against 23 balls, outstanding. Mike missed his start before last Wednesday with back stiffness, so Rangers manager Jeff Banister is being careful with him which he should be. The Rangers are 58-74, so they’re out of it with 30 games left, but they’ve got a really exciting young team that has a bright future, so Banister wants to preserve Mike for the rest of this season and what could be a greatly improved 2019 team with a chance to make it into October.

Mike’s next start is Wednesday against the LA Dodgers at 7:05 PM CT from Globe Life Park in Arlington. He’ll face the great Alex Wood of the Dodgers (7-6, 3.60, 33 walks 117 K’s, 1.19 WHIP). Mike is on fire right now.

Walker Buehler

Walker just keeps excelling for the Dodgers with his recent outing, while a loss, impressive. Walker went 7 against the Cardinals, giving up only 3 hits, 0 runs, with 2 walks and 9 K’s. Walker threw 104 pitches with 71 for strikes against 33 balls, which is terrific. Walker regularly hits 96-97 and can get to 98-99. I’ve even seen him hit 100, and his curve has that great dropping ability like Sonny’s and Mike’s. Walker is 6-4 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. The Dodgers are 70-61 and 2 1/2 back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. The Colorado Rockies are 71-59 and 1 back of the 72-59 Dbacks. It’s quite a race going on in the NL West. The Dodgers are 2 1/2 back of Milwaukee and 3 back of St. Louis in the wild card, so September should be spectacular in the NL. Colorado is 1 back in the wild card, Philly is 2 back, so it’s going to be a horserace with a photo finish on Sept. 30th, the final day of the regular season. The Dodgers are used to October baseball, so they are going to be locked and loaded starting right now. They finished off a sweep of the Padres over the weekend with a 7-3 victory yesterday at Dodger Stadium. Walker pitches again tomorrow @Texas, a 7:05 PM CT start. He’ll square off against Ariel Jurado of the Rangers (2-3, 6.40 ERA). 

Dansby Swanson 

Dansby has been really performing for the Atlanta Braves lately. In his last 7 games, Dans is hitting .300 with 3 homers and 5 Ribeyes. He now is hitting .244 for the season with 13 homers and 53 RBIs, 22 doubles and 3 triples with 6 stolen bases in 9 attempts. Dans can be a 20 homer, 85 RBI, .285 hitter and 25+ stolen base player. He has that in him. Ready to see him explode going forward. His defense has been spectacular lately, too. The Braves are still in first place in the NL East at 73-57, 3 games ahead of the 70-60 Phillies and 8 1/2 clear of the struggling Nationals. This Braves team is for real to me now. They are heading into September maybe in first place if they have a good week this week. They host the red hot Rays Tuesday and Wednesday after a day off today, and then the first place Cubs of the NL Central (76-53) come to Suntrust Park for a 4 game set beginning Thursday Night at 6:35 CT. So a major test for the Bravos this week. This is awesome for Dans to be in the heat of a division race in late August. He’s stepping it up in a big way. 

Tony Kemp

Tony has gotten a ton of playing time for the Astros with starting center fielder George Springer out. He struggled yesterday at the plate, but was 3 for 4 on Thursday Night in a 10-7 Stros victory over Seattle. Tony is playing mainly center field right now. His fielding is terrific. In 73 games, he’s hitting .279 with 5 homers and 26 RBI’s, 12 doubles and 8 stolen bases in 11 attempts. Good stuff from T Kemp. 

Curt Casali

When called upon, Curt has been outstanding. Saturday Night against the Cubs in a 10-6 Reds loss, Curt was 2 for 3 with a homer, a 3 run shot, and an RBI double. He played catcher Saturday Night. Yesterday, he was 0 for 3, playing 1st base, but he’s hitting .322 in 36 games with 4 homers and 15 RBIs. Curt has added 7 doubles. The Reds are a team, like the Rangers, who are out of it, but have a bright future. I expect Curt to be a part of that future. He’s been excelling when called upon.

NFL guys in the preseason

Casey Hayward  and Zach Cunningham are established starters for the LA Chargers and the Houston Texans, respectively. I expect big years from both studs. Andre Hal has been coming to preseason games at home for the Texans and appears to be doing better. Andre was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in June which was heartbreaking, but he has the attitude of a champion as you would expect from a Vanderbilt football player, and he’s a superb young guy who is battling this and wants to be cancer free and resume his playing career again. He has been the starting free safety for the Texans and a trusted member of their team. I’ve been saying my prayers for the man frequently and fully expect Andre to recover and even play football again. He’s a really strong faithful young man who has a ton of courage and fortitude, so I expect nothing less than Andre being a starting safety for the Houston Texans in the next year or 2. They love him on the Texans. All of the guys and Coach Bill O’Brien are highly complimentary of Andre, and the whole organization is with Andre the whole way. He’s superb.

Oren Burks has played spectacularly well for the Green Bay Packers in the preseason. Oren had 6 tackles in each of the Packers first 2 games this preseason before suffering a shoulder injury Friday in pregame warmups @ the Oakland Raiders. But Oren is expected to be back for the regular season opener against the Bears @ Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday Night Football at 7:30 PM on NBC, September 9th. He will start if he’s ready and has been super impressive in the preseason. Very proud of Oren. Super young guy.

Stephen Weatherly is a valuable defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings and should see a lot of playing time for them this season. Jonathan Wynn is also competing for a job for the Vikings and has a shot to make the team.

Caleb Scott caught 2 passes for 69 yards for the Seattle Seahawks in their game Friday Night at Minnesota. Great night for Caleb. He has a good shot of making the team.

Don’t want to forget the great Ralph Webb, who was sensational in the New England Patriots opener against the Washington Redskins rushing for 46 yards and 2 touchdowns and catching a 2 point conversion. Ralph was awesome in that game. He hasn’t gotten as many chances in the last 2 games and the Patriots backfield is crowded, but he’s got another shot Thursday Night @ the Giants. Adam Butler is entrenched on the Patriots defense at defensive tackle. He’ll be on the team. Belichick likes him. Hoping Ralph will join him. If not, Ralph should get on some team with his work ethic and talent. 

Tough news for Jordan Matthews. JMatt suffered what was called a severe hamstring injury and was released by the Patriots. Jordan is only 26 though and can work hard this year, maybe help our college team some, and get back on a team and be an established player in the NFL once again.

Trent Sherfield had a super game for the Arizona Cardinals last night in a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Trent recovered a fumbled Dallas punt return in the end zone for a TD and caught a pass for 7 yards. Trent’s got a shot to make the team. C.J. Duncan is also battling for a spot on the Zona roster. They will both get an opportunity Thursday at 9 PM on NFL Network versus the Denver Broncos. The season opener is Thursday, September 6th with the Atlanta Falcons visiting the world champion Philadelphia Eagles at 7:20 PM CT on NBC. 

I would be remiss to not mention our o linemen in the NFL. Spencer Pulley is the starting center for the LA Chargers, Wesley Johnson is the backup center for the Detroit Lions and Will Holden is a backup tackle for the Arizona Cardinals. All 3 should make their respective teams.

VU Football

Our football team opens the season at home Saturday Night versus the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, which finished 7-6 last year including a 35-30 victory in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl over Arkansas State. The game is at 6:30 PM CT on SEC Network Alternate Channel or Watch ESPN. We defeated Middle Tennessee last year and the year before that, but they’ve beaten us before and they have veteran quarterback, Brent Stockstill, returning. Stockstill, MTSU head Coach Rick Stockstill’s son, completed 138 of 239 passes last season (58%) for 1,672 yards, 16 TDs and 8 interceptions. Those aren’t eye popping numbers, but he’s got a ton of weapons to throw to and hand off to. This team is dangerous.

Kyle Shurmur returns for his senior season after completing 220-of-380 passes (58%) for 2,823 yards, 26 TDs and 10 ints. Everybody has high hopes for the team with Kyle under center. We need to play better defense this season. Our linebackers have to tackle better in space and we’ve got to be tougher up front. I like our talent everywhere on defense. Cornerback Joejuan Williams is primed for a massive season, and I like linebackers Jordan Griffin, Josh Smith, Charles Wright and Caleb Peart very much. Donovan Sheffield should be an excellent compliment to Joejuan at the opposite corner and LaDarius Wiley will be a superb safety and I like Zaire Jones playing alongside him. We seem to have more depth up front and Dare and Dayo Odeyingbo should be terrific. But we’ll need depth to step up on defense. I like a lot of players on that side of the ball though.

On offense the line is loaded led by left tackle Justin Skule  and canter Bruno Reagan. We’ve got good depth up front and very good starters. Running back looks excellent with Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Khari Blasingame leading the way. That’s another position of strength for us along with the o line and quarterback. Wide receiver will be led by the awesome Kalija Lipscomb, who caught 37 passes for 610 yards and 8 TDs last season. I’m expecting another huge season from Kalija. Some other guys will have to step up out wide, even freshmen like Cam Johnson and C.J. Bolar, both of whom have had awesome preseasons. Guys like Alex Stump, Chris Pierce and Donaven Tennyson will need to be playmakers for us also. All are talented. At tight end, Jalen Pinkney has had an awesome camp, and Sam Dobbs is also exceptional. Freshman Gavin Schoenwald will also get some valuable playing time. We’ll need another player or 2 to step up there. Unfortunately, freshman Ben Bresnahan is out for a while with an injury.  But Ben’s got good talent and size and will be back at some point, hopefully this season. 

Some other freshmen who have been turning heads are inside linebacker Alston Orji and wide receiver Amir Abdur-Rahman. Heard good things about both guys. Alston was a 5.9 4 star and should see significant time this season. He’s ready. Amir might too. He was spectacular on his film in high school. 

With Deuce Wallace suspended for the season for unspecified reasons, the backup QB is Syracuse transfer Mo Hasan, who has looked good in the preseason. Freshman Allan Walters has a ton of talent, too, so he can help us this season, if necessary, but hoping Kyle can handle it and Mo can come in late in games that we’ve won for experience. Deuce is expected to be back on the team next year, so he’ll be battling it out with those 2 guys for the starting job next season. 

We’re a 3 point favorite over Middle Tennessee after starting out as a 6 point favorite. It’s a toss up game and a very important one for us It’ll set the tone for the season. We’ll have to be ready come Saturday at 6:30 PM CT on SEC Alternate Network or Watch ESPN.  We are certainly capable. They’re good though. We need to be locked in. 

 

 

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City will host the 138th playing of the U.S. Open the final major of the year, and looks to be a classic. Here are my predictions.

Men’s

I see a final between Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Rafa has won 17 Slams and Djoker has 13 on his resume. I like the way the 31 year old Serb is playing right now. He just defeated Roger Federer in straight sets 2 weeks ago at the Western and Southern Open in Cincy, and defeated Rafa in the semis at Wimbledon in a classic 5 setter and then backed that up by defeating Kevin Anderson in the final in 3 sets. Djoker captures his 14th major and 3rd U.S. Open title with the prior 2 coming in 2011 and 2015.

Djoker over Rafa 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4

 

Women’s

I’m going to go out on a limb here and pick the 13th seed in the women’s draw. This 26 year old from Breda, in the Netherlands defeated Simona Halep in Cincinnati 2 weeks ago 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 to capture the Western and Southern Open, on hard courts like Djoker’s victory over Roger was. So with the way the women’s is always so wide open in majors and with so many possibilities for champions, I’m going to take the hottest player playing in women’s tennis right now.

Kiki Bertens over Simona Halep 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4)

The Clemson Tigers, along with the Auburn Tigers, have the most fearsome, prolific defensive front in college football, maybe in all of football, including the NFL. The quarterback competition is a battle between the veteran, battle-tested Kelly Bryant and the No.1 player in the country in 2018, according to Rivals and 247 sports, Trevor Lawrence. Talent abounds and a playoff and national championship run are likely with this ACC powerhouse.

The schedule looks challenging but navigable. Dabo Swinney is, as usual, upbeat, positive and driven. He has every reason to be all of that. Here’s a look at the 2018 Clemson Tigers. 

On most teams, you start with the quarterback, the most important player on the field. But with this Tigers team, the defensive line is the standout outfit. You have four potential All Americans in this group with depth behind them. Defensive end Clelin Ferrell (6’4″, 265, JR.), defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (6’4″, 350, JR.), defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (6’4″, 315, SR.) and defensive end Austin Bryant (6’6″, 280, SR.) are a nightmare for offensive line coaches and offensive coordinators. Between them in their careers, they have 500 tackles and 50 sacks. It’s phenomenal. While Clemson features a potent offense this season, their defense led by Ferrell, Lawrence, Wilkins and Bryant, could be what takes them over the top in the college football landscape. They are game changers. Last year, Ferrell had 18 tackles for loss of 80 yards and 9 1/2 sacks, Bryant posted 15 1/2 tackles for loss of 56 yards and 8 1/2 sacks. Wilkins, in the interior, had 8 1/2 TFLs and 4 1/2 sacks and Lawrence added 3 TFLs and 2 1/2 sacks also in the interior. The thing about Lawrence and Wilkins is they are so disruptive, they make it easier for Ferrell and Bryant to make the game changing tackles or sacks. All 4 of these guys could very well be first round picks in the 2019 NFL draft in Nashville, April 25-27th. Wilkins is so athletic that by the end of the spring game he was lining up at a safety spot, kind of a Minkah Fitzpatrick spot, and tackling the running back behind the line of scrimmage. These guys are extraordinary.

 The players behind them are big and talented. This group is formidable. Linebacker will be led by middle backer Kendall Joseph (6’0″, 235) who posted 87 tackles last season. Joseph is a graduate senior. In the defensive backfield, corners A.J. Terrell (6’2″, 190) and Trayvon Mullen (6’1″, 195) are studs. Mullen took an int back to the house to the tune of 84 yards in the spring game. Strong safety K’Von Wallace intercepted a pass and returned it 50 yards. Wallace is a 5’11, 210 pounder. Tanner Muse (6’1″, 230) is slotted as the starting free safety. There are disrupters and game changers all over this defense and the depth is outstanding.

The offense looks potentially spectacular. The key question is which player will be the starting quarterback in game 1 versus Furman (11:20 AM CT, Sat. Sept. 1 on the ACC Network). Kelly Bryant is the returning starter and had a pretty good year last year, but had some hiccups, particularly against the Crimson Tide in the semifinals of the playoffs. Bama manhandled the Clemson offense and Bryant was totally ineffective. The 6’3″, 225 pound senior is back after completing 262-of-398 passes (66%) for 2,803 yards, 13 TDs and 8 ints. So his numbers are far from elite, and early enrollee Trevor Lawrence, the Number 1 player in the country by Rivals and 247 sports, threw for 41 TDs and 1 interception as a senior Cartersville (GA) High School. His junior year, Lawrence threw for 51 TDs and 9 ints in leading Cartersville to the state championship in Class 3A. That was their second state championship in a row. Last year the team finished 11-1 after being upset in the second round of the playoffs. But Lawrence showed his ability in the Clemson spring game when he threw a perfect 50 yard touchdown strike to dynamic sophomore Tee Higgins (6’4″, 210). So this competition may not be figured out until game 2 at Texas A&M, which is a massive game in which Dabo and his coaches will have to have an answer at quarterback when they kickoff at Kyle Field at 6 PM CT Saturday, Sept.8th, on ESPN. That’s a spectacular matchup and one where quarterback play will be critical. So Swinney and his coaching staff will have to figure this out soon. 

The running back is led, to me, by the electric Travis Etienne, a 5’10”, 200 pound sophomore. Etienne ran for 781 yards and 13 TDs last season, and has world class speed and very good power. Adam Choice (5’9″, 220, SR.) and Tavien Feaster (5’11”, 215) are both very good options behind Etienne. Both are excellent running backs. Maybe not as prolific as Etienne, but very good players. The aforementioned Higgins will be the explosive leader on the perimeter. Higgins caught 17 passes for 345 yards and 2 TDs last year, but he went ballistic in the spring game, catching 4 passes for 112 yards and 2 TDs. He’s special. Hunter Renfrow, amazingly, is back for his graduate senior year. Renfrow seems to have been on the team forever and he just keeps producing. A former walk-on, Renfrow caught 60 passes for 602 yards and 3 TDs last season. He’s a force at wide receiver. Amari Rogers, a 5’10, 215 pound sophomore, is explosive as is senior Trevion Thompson (6’2″, 205). There is more quality out there. This team, with good quarterback play, will be lighting up some scoreboards. The leader on the offensive line is left tackle Mitch Hyatt (6’5″, 305, SR). Center Justin Falcinelli (6’4″, 305, SR) is another bulldozer up front. Left guard John Simpson (6’4″, 330, JR), right guard Sean Pollard (6’5″, 315, JR) and right tackle Tremaine Anchrum (6’2″, 310, JR) fill out the remainder of the starting offensive front. And the depth is there. 

Alex Spence and Greg Huegel are competing for the kicking job, and Will Spiers, who averaged 40.6 yards per punt last year will return to punt. Renfrow and Rodgers are the punt returners and Etienne and Feaster return kickoffs. 

Schedule

The Tigers open with Furman, Sat. Sept. 1st at 11:20 AM on the ACC Network part of WatchESPN on the computer, then travel to A&M in a colossal matchup in week 2 (Sat. Sept. 8th at 6 PM CT ESPN). They then host Georgia Southern, Saturday, Sept. 15th on ABC, ESPN, 2 or the U, to be determined. On Sept. 22, they go to Georgia Tech, then, Sept 29th, they host Syracuse, which knocked them off on a Friday Night last season, 27-24 in the Carrier Dome. Then the Tigers are @ Wake on Oct.6th (Saturday), Off Oct. 13th, N.C. State at home Oct. 20th, @FSU on Saturday, Oct. 27th in a tremendously massive national game. Then Louisville comes to Memorial Stadium, Nov.3rd, @Boston College, Nov. 10th, another tough game as is Louisville, Duke at home Nov. 17th and the Palmetto Bowl vs South Carolina at home on Saturday, Nov.24th, part of that huge rivalry weekend over Thanksgiving. It will be the 116th meeting between the 2 teams and Will Muschamp has his best team at South Carolina, which I will discuss on Monday. Clemson holds a 69-42-4 advantage over the Gamecocks.

So, Clemson, depending on quarterback play, has a chance for an epic 2018. The defense is potentially dominating. The offense has playmakers all over the field and a physical, massive line with depth at every position on offense and defense. This looks like a playoff team right now and one that can win it all come January 7th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA (7 PM ESPN). 

 

The prospects for this 2018 Auburn Tigers football team will rest on a stellar defense and a rebuilt offensive line that, if it can excel, will lead Gus Malzahn’s 6th team to greater heights than it reached last season when the Tigers defeated Georgia and Alabama at home to win the SEC West, before falling to the Dawgs and UCF in the SEC Championship Game and the Chick-fil-A bowl respectively.

With junior quarterback Jarrett Stidham returning after completing 246 0f 370 passes, 66.5%, for 18 TDs against just 6 ints, along with a talented group of receivers and some emerging running backs, the skilled positions looked well manned. The offensive line is the key here for the offense though running back will need to develop in fall camp. J.B. Grimes has returned to coach the offensive line taking over from Herb Hand, who went to Texas with Tom Herman to be co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Grimes brings a wealth of experience and brings more toughness to the Auburn offensive front. While the Tigers lost 4 of 5 starters, there is plenty of talent and size that will need to develop quickly this month as the Tigers get ready to kick it off on Saturday, September 1st against the Washington Huskies at 2:30 PM CT on ABC. The Huskies and the Tigers are both top 10 teams, so this will be a spectacular football game and a pretty good gauge of this team. 

Up front, junior Caleb Kim is expected to start at center. Kim is 6’4″, 300. He will be flanked by junior Marquel Harrell (6’3″, 307) at left guard, and junior Mike Horton (6’4″, 324) at right guard. The right tackle is redshirt freshman Austin Troxell (6’6″, 305) and the left tackle will be the experienced and talented junior Prince Tega Wanogho (6’7″, 307). The offensive line goes 3 deep. There is some starting experience, and Grimes is an excellent coach, so if he can develop this group, the offense should excel. 

Stidham is back after considering going to the NFL. It was a good move. He can learn the system one more season in college, improve his skills for the next level and give Auburn a shot of winning the SEC Championship and making the College Football Playoff. There is good talent at running back though not a ton of experience. Kam Martin (5’10”, 193, Jr.) is a speed burner and a good between the tackles runner as well. He has good experience from last season. From the spring game, the coaching staff is high on JaTarvious Whitlow (6’0″, 216, redshirt freshman), and Malik Miller (5’11”, 216) is a talented player who hasn’t developed like the coaches thought he would, but he’s got a shot in August to impress. His credentials at Madison Academy in Huntsville were comparable to Kerryon Johnson’s. Johnson had a huge year last year running for 1,391 yards and 18 TDs and is now a member of the Detroit LIons after being selected as the 43rd pick in the second round. Miller was expected to be another Johnson, so he’s got a shot to be a good player for the Tigers. Asa Martin, a 6’0″, 193 pound 6.0, 4 star (Rivals ranking) for this freshman class, could be a factor also. Shaun Shivers (5’5″, 175), a 5.8, 4 star and Harold Joiner, a 6’3″, 218 pound 5.8 4 star out of Mountain Brook, may need a year to develop, but with the running back spot up for grabs in some ways, they’ll get some opportunities this month to see what they can do.

Senior Ryan Davis (5’9″, 185), who led the team with 84 receptions for 815 yards and 5 TDs will lead the receiving corps. Auburn got a couple of blows when receivers Will Hastings and Eli Stove sustained MCL knee injuries and are out until mid season or the latter part of this season. But Davis is a stud. Darrius Slayton (6’2″, 190) returns for his junior season, and he’s a go to, deep threat for the Tigers. Slayton caught 29 passes for 643 yards and 5 TDs last season. The Tigers are looking for Nate Craig-Myers (6’2″, 214) to take the next step and become an elite SEC receiver. Craig-Myers was a high 4 star out of high school and has the skillset to excel on the college level and the next level. Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey are expecting a big year out of Craig-Myers. Freshmen Matthew Hill, a 6’1″, 185 5.9 4 star, and Richard Jibunor, 6’4″, 210, 5.8 4 star, could help out wide. Devan Barrett (6’0″, 196) will try to take Stove’s spot as a slot, wide out player for the Tigers. Barrett has excellent speed and good size. 

Defense is where the Tigers look even more imposing. Kevin Steele says this is his best defense at Auburn and expects this defense to be better than last year’s, which was 12th in the country in scoring defense at 18.5 points per game. It all starts up front for the Tigers. A front line of defensive end Marlon Davidson (6’3″, 278, junior), tackle Derrick Brown (6’5″, 325, Jr), big and underrated yet superb tackle Dontavius Russell (6’3″, 320, Sr), and sophomore  defensive end T.D. Moultry (6’2″, 245) gives Auburn massive physicality and a dominating presence that can help win you a lot of games in the SEC. In the spring game, the coaches were very high on Moultry, who will take Jeff Holland’s place on one of the bookends. Holland was highly productive posting 12 1/2 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 sacks in 2017. Steele is just as high on Moultry. There is depth led by defensive ends Nick Coe, a 6’5″, 282 pound sophomore who is highly talented and physical, and Big Cat Bryant, a 6’5″, 253 pound hoss. Sophomore Tyrone Truesdell (6’2″, 314) and Andrew Williams (senior 6’4″, 286) are the backup tackles. The line goes 3 deep. 

Linebacker is experienced, physical and highly skilled led by senior middle linebacker Deshaun Davis (5’11”, 233) and outside linebacker Darrell Williams (6’2″, 240). Both are excellent players and give great leadership, tackling and playmaking ability. Williams had an outstanding spring game. Jeremiah Dinson made a tackle and strip of a running back and knocked the ball out. With the ball bouncing to the sideline, Williams got to the ball jumped across the line without landing on it and batted the ball back into play which Dinson recovered. It was a terrific, heads up play by the senior. Williams also had some jarring tackles and a knockdown of a pass over the middle. Davis is just as tough and intimidating as Williams They are tremendous leaders for the Auburn defense. Montavious Atkinson (6’1″, 219, Sr.) will also start and be an impact player. Depth looks pretty solid led by junior Richard McBryde (6’1″, 232). 

The secondary has developed well this fall. Corner Javaris Davis (5’10”, 187) runs a sub 4.2 40 and has a 44″ vertical. He’s a tremendous athlete. Jamel Dean (6’2″,208) will man the other corner. Dinson (6’0″,195) looks like an All-SEC, All American type player at safety. Daniel Thomas (5’11”, 208), who collected 2 interceptions against Alabama in the Iron Bowl last year, will man the other safety spot. Jordyn Peters (6’1″,191) will play nickel. Sophomore Noah Igbinoghene (5’11”, 196)  is doing some big things at corner after switching over from the offense according to Steele. Freshman Smoke Monday, a 6’3″, 180 pound, 5.8 4 star and Christian Tutt, a 5’11”, 184 pound, 5.8 are making strides and could be impact players this fall. Steele is pleased with how the secondary has developed depth and feels confident in this group heading into the middle of August. There is a great deal of talent in the back 4.

The kicking game looks terrific. Anders Carlson kicked a 62 yard field goal in the spring and converted a 45 yarder, a 37 yarder and a 32 yarder in the first half of the spring game. He is the younger brother of Daniel, who was stellar at AU the last four years and just kicked a 57 yard field goal for the Detroit LIons in their first preseason game. Daniel was a fifth round pick of the Vikings. Anders looks just as good as his brother if not better.  Malzahn brought in a punter from Australia in this freshman class, Arryn Siposs, and he’s expected to be a stud. The last 5 Ray Guy Award winners for best punter in the country have been Australian. Tom Hornsey from Memphis in 2013, Tom Hackett from Utah in 2014, Hackett again in 2015, Mitch Wishnowsky from Utah in 2016, and Michael Dickson from Texas in 2017. So Siposs comes well recommended and should be a major asset to Auburn’s special teams’ punt coverage unit along with field position punting. Ryan Davis is the punt returner, and Igbinoghene, Kam Martin, Devan Barrett and Javaris Dean are kickoff returners. 

Schedule

First, it’s the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic versus Washington at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 1st. Should be a classic there. On Saturday Sept. 8th, Auburn will host Alabama State for a 6:30 PM CT kickoff with SEC Alternate Network covering. On Sept. 15th the Bengal Tigers of LSU visit the Plains for a 2:30 PM CT kickoff which will be televised by CBS. Then the Tigers host Arkansas on Sept. 22nd (TV TBD), versus Southern Miss, Sept. 29th at Jordan-Hare, @ Mississippi State Oct.6th in a what could be a major matchup. The Tigers host the Tennessee Vols and first year head coach Jeremy Pruitt on Oct. 13th. All games are on Saturdays. On Oct. 20th, Auburn travels to Ole Miss. The Tigers are off Oct.27th, Texas A&M comes to Jordan-Hare on November 3rd, @Georgia on Nov. 10th in another colossal tilt, Nov. 17th at home versus Liberty, and Nov. 24th at the Crimson Tide for the Iron Bowl, which in all likelihood will be a 2:30 PM CT kickoff on CBS.

So the Tigers have their work cut out for them with a challenging schedule, but the talent is certainly there to excel. Behind Stidham, sophomore Malik Willis (6’1″, 195) and true freshman 6.0 4 star Joey Gatewood (6’5″, 235) who is already getting compared to Cam, will battle it out. Both are talents.

I see the Tigers, if the offensive line develops, having a real shot at going to Atlanta. Of course, they have to take care of business against Washington first and then handle the rest of their schedule setting themselves up for key showdowns at Georgia and Alabama. But game 1 is tough and that’s all that is on the minds of Coach Malzahn and the players. I see this team as a double digit victory team with a shot at winning the SEC and making the playoff. Very realistic if the offensive line and running backs can develop and Stidham can stay upright. The defense should be tremendous. 

 

Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, 7,316 yards Par 70

Defending Champion: Justin Thomas

Weather: Been very hot in St. Louis. They got a good deal of rain on Monday Night so it’s cooled it off a little but not much and  the fairways and greens will be soft and gettable for a lot of players, particularly the headliners. Thursday, sunny 92, wind 5-7; Friday, 92 Sunny, wind, 6-8; Saturday, partly sunny chance of t storm, wind 6-9; Sunday, 87, morning shower, but rest of the day sunny, wind 6-9.

TV: Thursday-Friday, TNT, 1-7 PM CT; Saturday-Sunday, TNT, 10 AM -1 PM CT; CBS 1-6 PM CT.

This is a course with 11 dogleg right to lefts so the player who draws the ball like Rory, will have an advantage off the tee and in the fairways. A lefty, like Bubba and Phil, who cut the ball will also have an advantage.

This is the last year the PGA Championship will be played in August. In 2019 and going forward, it will be played in May, 3 or 4 weeks after the Masters. The Players Championship will take place in March, and the U.S. Open and Open Championship will remain in June and July respectively. The Fed Ex Playoffs will start in early August and be done before football season starts which is good for golf as it won’t interfere with college football, which is critically important in this part of the country along with other areas of the country, and it won’t interfere with professional football where the big cities are passionate about their respective NFL teams. But nobody thinks the Fed Ex playoffs comes close to the majors or the penultimate event in golf, the Ryder Cup. The playoffs are important to the players due to the financial payout, $10 million to the winner, but not that interesting to golf fans as it’s all about the players’ wallets and not about the game, and the importance of majors and the Ryder Cup are for more compelling. Though the Ryder Cup is played in late September, and sometimes early October, and conflicts with football it’s so captivating as the players are playing for no money and just for their countries. It’s like a major football rivalry and the passion and intensity matches an Alabama-Auburn or an Ohio State-Michigan or Oklahoma-Texas battle. As I wrote last week, if you’re a golf fan, I would highly advocate reading John Feinstein’s classic look at the 2016 Ryder Cup and Ryder Cup human interest stories from many years, in his 2017 piece, First Major. You will really enjoy it.  Onto this week’s winner.

Winner

If you look at it on paper, it looks like a 2 horse race between Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. I like Bubba Watson and Rory to be in the hunt. I also see Francesco Molinari (Open Championship), Patrick Reed (Masters), and Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open), this year’s major winners so far, to be there on Sunday. Sometimes the obvious choice it the right choice, so I’ll take the best golfer in the game right now. Not world No.1 though, but the 25 year old, who as Brandel Chamblee of Golf Channel called him, the Mike Trout of professional golf. Trout, the great centerfielder for the LA Angels, is a 5 tool player. He can hit, he can field, he can run, he can hit for power and he can drive in runs. This young gun from Louisville, Kentucky and the University of Alabama is a 5 tool golfer. He can drive it, he can hit approach shots, he can chip, he can hit it out of the sand, and he can putt. I’ll take the favorite at Bellerive to go back to back at the PGA and capture the 100th Wanamaker Trophy.

Justin Thomas

 

Sleeper

Bubba

Nick Saban enters his 12th season at the helm of the University of Alabama football program featuring a 132-20 record in his first 11 seasons, an 87% winning percentage, and 5 national championships. The expectations never change in Tuscaloosa, so the goals this year are the SEC Championship, the College Football and playoff and ultimately the national championship.

The material is in place once again. The quarterback battle has taken center stage as fall camp has commenced. Jalen Hurts (6’2″, 218)  returns for his junior season and has a 26-2 record over the last 2 seasons, but struggled late in the season last year and was relieved in the second half of the national championship game by true freshman Tua Tagovailoa (6’1″, 218) who came in and promptly completed 14-of-24 passes for 164 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception, with his final TD toss the game winner to DeVonta Smith for 41 yards in a spectacular, surreal moment which secured the Crimson Tide its 5th national title under Saban, a 26-23 overtime victory over the Georgia Bulldogs.

So Jalen and Tua will battle it out for the starting signal caller spot. I like Tua personally. Jalen has a lot of trouble throwing it downfield and Tua can wing it and has good mobility. Maybe not as good as Jalen’s, but pretty darn good. But it has to be decided in fall camp and could go on into the first game or two of the season. S is not showing his hand right now. He doesn’t seem to know which guy will be his starting quarterback will be at this point. I’ll take Tua to win the job. If he does, Jalen has said he will stay and finish his degree, and will be ready if Tua falters or gets injured. But they’ve gotta compete, so it will be an interesting August, and at some point S might explode with the press when they bombard him with quarterback questions. Redshirt freshman Mac Jones played a lot in the spring game and looks like a pretty competent quarterback as well and can certainly win with the talent around him.

And the talent on offense is off the charts great. Damien Harris returns for his senior season after rushing for 1,000 yards last year on the number, with 11 TDs and 7.4 yards per carry. Damien will set his sights on a 3rd straight 1,000 yard season. The 5’11”, 213 pounder made a surprising, but very intelligent and mature decision to return for his final season. He’s a really bright guy and wants a degree and his NFL prospects will skyrocket with another terrific season. He also wants to win another national championship. That’s always an underrated factor in players returning. They want national championships. And at Alabama, they get’em. So Damien is setting himself up for a very bright future this season and in the forthcoming years.

And the backfield is loaded. The great Najee Harris returns for his sophomore campaign. The 6’2″, 230 pound Sherman Tank rushed for 374 yards and 3 TDs last season and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.  Josh Jacobs (5’10”, 216) and Brian Robinson (6’1″, 221) can start for a lot of SEC teams and most all teams throughout the country. They are studs as well. 

Wide receiver will be manney by talented sophomores Jerry Jeudy (6’1″, 218), maybe the next Calvin Ridley, Henry Ruggs III (6’0″, 183), who had 12 receptions last season 6 of them for TDs, and DeVonta Smith (6’1″, 173), who not only caught the game winner versus Georgia, but also caught the game winner at Mississippi State in November. Tight end looks well manned with Hale Hentges (6’5″, 249), and Irv Smith (6’4″, 241), who looks O.J. Howard like. 

The offensive line is massive and loaded. Ross Pierschbacher (6’4″, 301) returns for his senior season at center, and will be flanked by guards Lester Cotton (6’4″, 326m senior), Jedrick Willis (6’5″, 313, sophomore), left tackle Jonah Williams (6’5″, 301) and junior right tackle Matt Womack (6’7″, 327). There is good depth too, led by stud Alex Leatherwood, a 6’6″, 304 left tackle) who could crack the starting lineup by game 1 or 2.

On defense, there were some mainstays lost in the greats Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, Ra’shaan Evans and De’Shawn Hand among others, and there was a tough injury when linebacker Terrell Lewis was lost for a good period of time this season with a torn ACL in his knee. But the outstanding Mack Wilson (6’2″, 237, junior) and the awesome Dylan Moses (6’3″, 232, soph) return lead the way on defense at linebacker. Christian Miller (6’4″, 244, senior) and Anfernee Jennings (6’3″, 262, junior) are highly capable players at outside linebackers. All these guys were high 4 star and 5 star recruits and should have terrific seasons. Just need to stay healthy. And the defensive line should be pretty spectacular led by defensive end Raekwon Davis (6’4″, 240, junior) who posted 8 1/2 sacks last season. Huge defensive end Isaiah Buggs (6’5″, 287, senior) will be very disruptive to opposing offenses. In the middle at defensive tackle, Quinnen Williams (6’4″, 299, Soph) will start. There is good depth up front too with a lot of young guys behind these starters who are talented and hungry.

The secondary will be revamped with some new faces, but talented ones nonetheless. Junior strong safety Delonte Thompson (6’2″, 194 junior) has good experience and talent, and cornerback Trevon Diggs (6’2″, 195, junior) is highly talented and can be a playmaker, ball hawk type. They’re both vets for the most part. Junior college transfer Saivion Smith (6’1″, 198) is a talent, so he should fit in well, and free safety Xavier McKinney (6’1″, 197) will get the first shot there. 

The kicking game duties will belong to Joseph Bulovas, punter will be Skyer Delong, a freshman, and punt returners look to be Diggs, Ruggs III and Jared Mayden. Kickoff return guys will be Diggs, Ruggs, and Xavien Marks.

The 2018 recruiting class brought in 3, 5 stars in defensive end Eyabi Anoma (6’5″, 235, Baltimore, MD), wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (5’10”, 165, Houston, TX) and defensive back Patrick Surtain (6’2″, 183, Plantation, FL). A lot of 4 stars as well. Not the top rated class like S usually gets, but a top 7 class and the 2019 class is currently Number 1 in the country, including 2 quarterbacks, 4 stars Taulia Tagovailoa (Tua’s younger brother, Thompson High School, B’ham) and Paul Tyson (Bear Bryant’s great grandson, Hewitt-Trussville High School B’ham) in the hopper. So it keeps on cookin in T-town.

There are new coordinators on offense with Mike Locksley taking over from Brian Daboll, who took the job as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator. Locksley will be the offensive coordinator and primary play caller, but look for associate head coach/quarterbacks coach Dan Enos to play a big role in the offense. Enos was an excellent offensive coordinator at Arkansas. He’s creative and calls a lot of explosive, take it to the house plays. Tosh Lupoi, an excellent recruiter and high motor coach, will take over from now Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt as defensive coordinator. Look for Tosh to get some help from Pete Golding, an experienced hand, who is co defensive coordinator and has an excellent resume from UT San Antonio and other places. S has a lot of trust in Golding. Of course S will play a big role in the defense as well.

Schedule

The Tide open with the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Sept. 1st in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the Camping World Kickoff Game, at 7 PM CT on ABC. Bobby Petrino will have to replace Lamar Jackson, so the Cardinals may have their problems with the Crimson Tide. Arkansas State comes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Sept. 8th for a 2:30 PM CT game on ESPN2. Then the Tide goes to Ole Miss on Saturday, Sept. 15th for a 6 PM CT kickoff on ESPN. After that it’s versus Texas A&M at Bryant Denny, Sat. Sept. 22nd, versus Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, Saturday, Sept. 29th, @Arkansas, Sat. Oct. 6th, versus Missouri, Saturday, Oct. 13th, @ Tennessee, Saturday, Oct. 20th, off Oct. 27th, @ LSU Saturday, Nov. 3rd, Mississippi State at home, Sat. Nov. 10th, The Citadel at home, Sat. Nov. 17th, then the Iron Bowl versus the Auburn Tigers, Saturday, Nov. 24th, with what could have a lot riding on it.

The SEC Championship game is Saturday, Dec. 1st @ Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 3 PM CT on CBS.

If the playoff happens, which there is always a good reason to believe the Tide will be there come postseason time, the playoff games will be held at the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl this year on December 29th, a Saturday. The games will commence at 3 PM and 7 PM CT. Which one comes first will be determined come Selection Sunday, the day after the conference championship games are decided.

The National Championship game will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, just south of San Francisco, on Monday, January 7th at 7 PM CT on ESPN. ESPN will also carry the playoff games.

So, it’s getting close, kickoff is less than a month away and the expectations are always through the roof at the University and with great reason. This is the ultimate powerhouse in college football, and the playoffs and a national championship are in play every single year. With the talent coming back and coming in, the Crimson Tide will be the favorite to win it all for the 6th time under Nicholas Lou Saban Jr, who carries the torch in college football as quite possibly the greatest of all time. 

Vanderbilt Head Football Coach Derek Mason feels like this is the best, deepest team he’s had in his 5 years at the helm at VU. He likes his lines on both sides, with talent and depth, Kyle Shurmur is a top flight quarterback with NFL pedigree as his dad, Pat, is the head coach for the New York Giants, and Kyle plays like an NFL quarterback. He has an excellent arm, good accuracy and he runs better than most people think. Kyle lost Ralph Webb in his backfield, but the position is well manned heading into the opening game versus Middle Tennessee State on Saturday, September 1st at 6:30 PM CT on SEC Alternate Network. 

Ke’Shawn Vaughn, the Mamba as he’s known on the football team, is 5’10”, 215 pounds, a redshirt junior, who transferred to VU from Illinois. The Mamba was a 4 star highly touted running back coming out of Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville and brings both power and speed to the backfield. Coach Mason is ecstatic about Ke’Shawn. Khari Blasingame is back after having an injury filled junior season, and Khari, at 6’1″, 235, also brings power and speed to the backfield. Add to those 2, Jamauri Wakefield, 6’1″, 218, a stud, and Josh Crawford, 5’10”, 202, along with incoming freshman Ja’Veon Marlow, 5’10”, 190, and DMase has a loaded backfield. At wideout, the great Kalija LIpscomb leads the way. Kalija is 6’1″, 192, and brings physicality, awesome hands and game breaking ability. We have some inexperience out there, but there is a lot of talent. Tight end will be led by Jared Pinkney, 6’4″, 250, and Sam Dobbs, 6’4″, 230, both excellent players. On defense, the great db’s Joejuan Williams and Ladarius Wiley will lead the secondary along with outside linebacker Charles Wright (6’3″, 242) and defensive end Dare Odeyingbo (6’2″, 262). Josh Smith, who was a 95, 4 star coming out of high school, is ready to cut it loose his senior year at outside linebacker. Josh is 6’4″, 236. New defensive coordinator Jason Tarver has the defense hungry, aggressive and ball hawking.

The schedule looks challenging as always. We open at home versus MTSU, then play Nevada, Saturday, 9-8, at 11 AM at home on SEC Network. Then we hit the road for a classic matchup with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Saturday, 9-15, at 1:30 PM on NBC. There is no TV scheduled yet for the rest of our games, but we’ll be able to see them all. We host South Carolina in game 4, on 9-22, host Tennessee State, 9-29, we’re @ Georgia on 10-6, home versus Florida on Oct. 13, then @Kentucky, 10-20, @Arkansas, 10-27, off then @ Missouri, 11-10, vs Ole Miss, 11-17, and vs Tennessee on 11-24, all Saturdays.

James Franklin told me one time that the 3 best conferences in the country are the NFC, the AFC and the SEC. I believe it. But we gotta focus on MTSU before we do anything else. They won their bowl game over Arkansas State last year, 35-31, and return a very good offense and talent on defense. So they’re a tough out and are always ready to knock us off. So fall practice and Middle Tennessee are all that matter right now. Fall practice starts tomorrow at 4:20 PM CT.

I spoke with Coach Mason a while back and here’s what he had to say about his 2018 team.

DW: How is this team looking?

Mason: This team is built for this quarterback, so we’ve got to build around him.

DW: Does 2018 look promising?

Mason: Yes. Any time you have a returning quarterback, you’ve got a returning offensive line and we added some key pieces and athleticism to where we are offensively, that’s a good foundation. And from what I saw this spring defensively, Jason (Tarver, DC)did a really good job. He threw a lot at them. The defense is going to be aggressive. Charles Wright was gone most of the spring, (cornerback), Donovan Sheffield was gone during most of the spring, and they’ll be back. Our interior defensive line looks good, linebackers got a lot of reps, and I do believe those young inside backers, even though they’re young, they’re athletic. Besides Jordan Griffin and Andrew Rector, the veterans, the guys are 230 plus, they can rush and they’re long. LaDarius Wiley has been a great leader in the secondary, Joejuan Williams, those guys need to compete opposite Joejuan and opposite Ladarius to see who’ll run the ship. We’ve got a lot of guys who’ve gotten reps and played, guys like Tae Dailey, Zaire Jones, Austin Quillen. Everybody thinks we’ve lost a lot of players, but we have a lot of players who’ve been in the system a while. I always say that football is a junior-senior sport, and that’s what we had last year. But we’ve got some experience back overall this year too.

DW: I know you’re excited about Kyle (Shurmur). What kind of season do you expect out of him?

Mason: I think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in college football that nobody has been talking about. Because he’ll put up numbers comparable to a lot of guys in terms of the efficiency rating, what he does in the red zone. I truly believe this offense is going to thrive with Kyle. He’s got a great guy pushing him in Deuce Wallace. They’re going at it. That’s been a great thing to see. Two really good friends and two competitors really pushing one another. This is Kyle’s football team and it has been for a while, but Deuce made it known and apparent that he’s more than capable of stepping in and putting up good numbers as well. It starts with the quarterback, and again, I think we have one of the best in the country. And we need to make sure the run game and the people around him can show up. 

DW: What does Deuce bring to the table? (Kyle is 6’4″, 225 and Deuce is 6’2″, 205)

Mason: He’s got a tremendous football IQ, good arm talent and he’s got an ability to extend a play. Kyle had to learn how to extend plays, because he played from the pocket. Deuce can play under center, in the gun, he gives you some different dimensions. Unlike most quarterbacks today, if they’re not starting, they’re transferring. But Deuce is learning the system much like Kyle has and it’s been Kyle and Deuce. Both have great command of the system. I’m glad we’ve got 2 great quarterbacks, who can put up good numbers. That’s the way we want to go.

DW: You have freshman (quarterback) Allan Walters coming in (6’1″, 203, 5.7  3 star). What do you like about him?

Mason: Allan, again, he’s a talented passer, he’s got tremendous arm strength, he knows how to read progressions, he can play from under center and has the ability to extend plays. He can do RPO’s (run pass option). He can put the ball where it needs to be and in a conference like this where you get tight coverage, and the balls always going to be contested, you gotta have quarterbacks who can throw in rhythm, on time and hit moving targets.

DW: Does he have good running skills.

Mason: Yes, that’s why Allen was one of the top passers coming out of the 18 class. He has a tremendous ability to extend plays. Is Josh Rosen (former UCLA) a runner? No. Is the kid from USC (Sam Darnold) a good runner? No. But they can extend plays (both now in the NFL). That’s what you’re talking about that a quarterback has to do. It’s not just about running the football, it’s about extending the play. Can you handle the pocket and deliver the football, or tuck it and run and get 8 yards. 

DW: I know you’re excited about the running backs with the Mamba, and the wide receivers led by Kalija Lipscomb. Can you talk about the running backs and wide receivers?

Mason; For our running backs, Khari Blasingame is the elder statesman of the group. He’s a guy who had a breakout year in 2016, but not as productive in 2017, but he’s at a great playing weight at 222-223, he looks great. We saw him in the spring game take a counter to the end zone. Khari’s a different back. He can play between the tackles, he can get on the outside, he’s a good receiver and he’s good in pass pro (blocking). So he’s 3 dimensional. When you talk about the Mamba, he’s a complete back. Ke’Shawn Vaughn is really what Vanderbilt and the city of Nashville has been waiting for. He’s the heir apparent to Ralph Webb. Ralph did a lot of great things here, but when you look at this stable of running backs, Ke’Shawn can run by you, he can run over you, there aren’t too many things he can’t do. The guy who really caught people’s eye in the spring game was Jamauri Wakefield. I’ve got 3 tailbacks that are all 220, they’ve all got different dimensions, and bring different things to the table. It just gives us flexibility to use different backs on the field. They all have great ability. I just like who this running back group is. And we really haven’t touched on Josh Crawford. I think Josh has the best hands of the group. He sort of reminds me of the backs in New England. Every time he touches the football he gets 5 yards a carry. And when you look as his ability to play outside. This may be the most versatile running back corps to come to Vanderbilt in 30 years. 

DW: What about the wide receivers, you have Kalija and Alex Stump (6’3″, 210, transfer from Ohio State). What about those guys?

Mason: Everybody has seen Kalija grow up in front of us. He was productive as a freshman. In 2017, he was productive. This guy knows he’ll be the center of the defense’s attention, but he’s still able to produce. I don’t care what other teams are going to do because of the depth of our wide receiver corps. Chris Pierce (6’4″,208, sophomore) had a phenomenal spring. James Bostic (6’4″, 208, sophomore) had a phenomenal spring. We’ve seen the emergence of Alex Stump (4 star out of high school). The last 2 weeks of spring ball, Alex Stump played like the dude I expected when he came in. He can move the chains, he’s big, he’s good in the slot. He’s willing to block. He can work the middle like a tight end, and he’s a matchup problem for a linebacker. You talk about Bostic, 6’4″, 6’4″ with Pierce, and 6’3″, with Stump. We’re a much different team then we were in 2016. These 3 guys, Kalija has great hands, but these other guys have long catch radiuses. That’s what we saw in the spring. These guys can make tough catches, contested catches. So if they double Kalija, we’ll have to make’em pay.

DW: Coach how is Jackson Winrow developing. Is he going to be a player for us? (6’1″, 185 sophomore whose high school film was off the charts good)

Mason: He and Trey Ellis will have to give us quality snaps. I saw Jackson look more like a receiver. Cortez Hankton did a good job of developing these guys, but Coach (Aaron) Moorehead (first year from Texas A&M) has been able to fine tune these guys. He’s helped them understand the idea that if you want playing time, you’ll have to play multiple positions. If you can’t play more than one position, you’ll have a hard time getting on the bus.

DW: Tight end you have Jared and some others. You feel good about this group?

Mason: Jared is a terrific player. But I want to go back to receiver and talk about C.J. Bolar (6’2″, 185, 5.7, 3 star freshman from Purvis, MS. who was an early enrollee). You’ve got people talking around here about Earl Bennett. There’s been more than a fair share of guys at practice including Jay Cutler and they’re like, Wow, he’s got it. He’s an incoming freshman who made a big impact this spring. He gained 10 pounds this spring to go from 175 to 185, He can run. He’s more on the line of Kalija Lipscomb. This is a group that can make an impact, but they need to grow up fast.

Back to our tight ends, Pinkney, Sam Dobbs, Cody Markel. I think this group did a really good job of coming a long way. Dobbs was hurt, Pinkney had some injuries this spring, but I look at this group and they’re ready. They’re ready because they’re older now. Sam Dobbs is finally above 240. Pink is around 260, and he’s a problem. He’s a matchup problem. The guy who caught people’s eye was Ben Breshahan, the true freshman ( early enrollee 6’4″, 225, 5.6 3 star from Cumming, GA.). 

DW: What do you like about Ben?

Mason: These guys all cause you problems. He can play on the line or off the line. When he’s flexing, he’s no different from Alex Stump. He’s too big for safeties and too fast for backers. That, plus incoming freshman Gavin Schoenwald (6’5″, 220, 5.6, 3 star from Brentwood Academy in Nashville). These tight ends will make this offense go. We’ve got guys who can give matchups inside and create 1 on 1 matchups outside. And when they cover, we can run it down their throats. This receivers group is a talented group (along with the tight ends).

DW: I know you like your offensive line. Who do you consider your leaders?

Mason: You’ve got guys who’ve played a lot of football. It starts with Bruno (Reagan, senior center, 6’3″, 315). And then you go out to Justin Skule (left tackle, 6’6″, 310), then you go back to the right side and Devin Cochran (right tackle, 6’7″, 305). You have guys who’ve gotten a lot of playing time and you gotta feel good about that. Then you have Cole Clemens (6’6″, 305, sophomore), Bryce Bailey (6’5″, 305) who are chasing Justin and Devin. Saige Young (6’4″, 320 guard). This dude, watching him in the weight room this morning, we haven’t had a guard like him in a while. At 320 pounds, extremely athletic, 30+” vertical jump. He was learning how to play in this system a year ago. Now he’s healthy after being hurt some of the spring, and he’s athletic. Him and Egidio DallaRipa (6’4″, 295) and Jared Southers (6’4″, 310) are battling and that will give us more depth all the way around. Looking at this group from a year ago, they look ready, and they’re going to lead the way. It’s a line of scrimmage league and you’ve got to be able to move people up front.

DW: I know you’re excited to have Jason Tarver on your defense. How much has it helped you to have Jason Tarver as your defensive coordinator? (Tarver came to VU from the NFL and was a co dc with Mason at Stanford in 2011).

Mason: He’s been unbelievable. Jason’s done a great job of rallying the troops quickly. The defense isn’t different. The defense is very much in line with where I’d like to see this defense go. It’s attacking, aggressive. This will be the first time I’ve been here where we’ve had a rolling group of 3 deep on the interior line. You’re leaning on guys and they’re pushing you. We’re playing to the strengths of each of these guys. It’s going to be an attacking defense and it starts up front. I’m truly excited about what Jason is bringing to the table. We’re looking like we need to look.

DW: Do you like your personnel up front?

Mason: I do. It starts with Dare and Dayo (Odeyingbo, Dare’s little brother, 6’6, 250, if you want to call him little). You look at what Cameron Tidd (6’3″, 290) and what Drew Birchmeier (6’4″, 290) are now. They are players now at 300 pounds who look like the Kansas State team we played a year ago. Big, strong, athletic dudes who can keep pressure off our linebackers. We couldn’t do that a year ago. You add in a Darion DeBrossard (6’4″, 295) a Josiah (Sa’o, 6’2″, 298). And Stone Edwards (6’5″, 245). He’s grown into a monster (at defensive end). I like the length, athleticism. You add a Jonah (Buchanan, 6’4, 270 defensive end). We’ve just got more bodies. It’s going to be good to see what this defensive line can do. We’re going to roll them around so they don’t wear down. 

DW: Sounds like you’ve got pretty good depth there.

Mason: We do.

DW: Inside and outside linebackers sounds like you’re pretty excited about them. Talk about that personnel group.

Mason: Coach (Chris) Marve is handling the inside backers. He’s been fortunate with Stephen Weatherly three years ago, Zach (Cunningham) a couple of years ago and Oren (Burks, all 3 are in the NFL) last year. This year, Jordan Griffin is finally grown into the player we need him to be. He’s 6’0″, 226, he’s trimmed down and has just 9% body fat. That’s the best he’s ever been. He’s got young guys coming at him like Faleti (Afemui (6’3″, 235), Brayden DeVault-Smith (6’3″,215), Dmitiri Moore missed part of spring but he’s sitting now at 231 pounds. Now we’re adding Alston Orji (incoming freshman, 6’2″, 216, 5.9 4 star) who’s going to make an impact right away. These guys are all competing for playing time. I thought they played a little more down hill in the spring, they understood coverage better and we played well collectively. We had one guy, Zach or Oren, but this may be the most athletic group we’ve had here. On the outside with Coach Tarver (coaching outside linebackers) you add Josh Smith and Charles Wright, a Michael Owusu. Caleb Peart (6’1″, 235). Caleb is going to be a monster. He had a great spring. I thought he was the most improved player on the outside. Andre Mintze has really grown into himself. He’s physical , his motor is high, we’ve just got more depth. 

DW: Charles will be ready to go in the fall?

Mason: Yes, he’s 248 pounds, he’s got his body fat down to 11%, and the thing you see is you’ve seen an increase of strength in his lower body.

DW: Coach, just to backtrack a little, Cam Johnson, your 4 star incoming freshman ( from Brentwood Tennessee), he could be an impact player for you too at wide receiver.

Mason: We’re going to get him on the field and get the ball in his hands as much as we can. When you talk about groups of guys. C.J. (Bolar, wide receiver) and Cam can do it all. We’re still waiting for Donaven (Tennyson, wide out) to step up for us. He’s going to be a junior. We expect him to be impactful. Cam Johnson is going to come in and challenge every one of these guys. And i’m not reaching. You’re talking about somebody who’s a true competitor. He wants to be on the field, he’s physically ready. This city’s going to stand up because we’ve got some guys, and Cam is one of them, who are going to make an impact and affect the return game.

DW: I know you love the secondary. You sound like you feel good about that group.

Mason: It’s like anything else. They’ve grown up. Joejuan Williams seems like an old vet. He’s a great corner. You’ve got LaDarius Wiley who’s tremendously experienced. You’ve got Zaire Jones, Tae Daley played as a young guy. Donovan Sheffield has played a lot of snaps. This is his year. It is. Again, when you’ve got a guy like Donovan and you’ve got Joejuan. Joejuan played lights out the last 3 games of the season. I thought he played outstanding. Now to have Elijah (Hamilton). We’ve got Frank Coppet back and Austin Quillen. You’ve got Brendan (Harris, 5.8 4 star safety 6’2″, 195, Chattanooga) you’ve got  Maxwell (Worship, 5.6 3 star safety, 6’2″, 185, Fort Lauderdale). This group may be the most talented group of secondary guys to ever play here along with talented upperclassmen who’ve played a lot of football here. Dashaun Jerkins (6’0″, 190, 5.6 3 star from Woodbridge, VA.) is going to be a good player. There’s not one incoming freshman guy in the secondary who won’t step on the football field and play special teams. 

DW: You feel like the freshmen will be ready to play. 

Mason: They will be. You look at Dashaun, he played for 4 state championships. You look at Maxwell Worship, at 200 pounds, yes they can play. B.J. Anderson is more explosive than Allan George his former teammate in high school, who’s now on this team. We have more depth on this defense than we’ve ever had.

DW: Coach finally your kicking game. Do you feel good about those guys?

Mason: I do. Javan Rice and Ryley Guay are battling it out at kicker. I feel good about those guys. Parker Thome who’s coming in as a grad transfer (from Columbia University) was an All Ivy League punter. He was a second team All American. He’ll punt the ball lights out. Looking at our long snappers, I feel good about them. 

DW: Who will return punts and kicks?

Mason: We’re talking about Cam, we’re talking about Kalija, we’re talking about Mamba. We’re going to put Jamauri back there. Any one of these guys can make a house call. 

DW: Sounds like you’re pretty excited about this football team.

Mason: Spring ball is spring ball. We’ve gone against each other. We haven’t gone against anybody. We’re a football team that’s coming off a 5-7 record where we let games get away. You are what your resume says you are until you do something different. So let’s go out here and make this football team will be big on a big stage and get our minds set on MTSU. 

DW: What about MTSU. They’re pretty dangerour.

Mason: They are. They have a really good quarterback. They’ve been to four consecutive bowl games. Coach Stockstill knows what he’s doing down there. But on my staff, this is the best staff I’ve had since I’ve been here. To lose (wide receivers coach) Cortez Hankton (to Georgia) and get Aaron Moorehead  (from Texas A&M) to replace him, that’s a tremendous get for us. He’s going to make an immediate impact. Then to have Terrence Brown coaching corners, he’s sent 3 corners to the NFL in the last 3 years at Washington. It speaks highly of his ability to coach. He’s a rising star. You look at Coach (Shawn) Mennenga (Special teams) and with his NFL experience, he gets guys to the next level. What can I say about JT. Jason, 20 years in the NFL, 16 at San Francisco. This dude is a teacher of the highest caliber. He knows NFL football he knows college football, he knows how to move guys from where they are to where they ought to be. 

DW: And the guys you have coming back, you have to feel good about them.

Mason: This is the best group I’ve been around. Andy Ludwig is the longest tenured offensive coordinator in college football. He knows what he wants. You look at Cam (Norcross, offensive line), Cam does a great job, and I feel really good what will happen with the quarterbacks and Gerry Gdowski and what he’s done with Kyle and Deuce. And you move over to the defensive side, C.J. (Ah You, d line coach) has finally got a full deck of players. Chris Marve has his work cut out with a young group (inside linebackers) Marve is a great teacher and they love him. And then (Marc) Mattioli (safeties) is the next coming of Jason Tarver. I feel really good with this group. So now it’s time to take class to the grass and translate it into wins.