Derek is set to hire Dartmouth wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton as our new wide receivers coach. Cortez has done well at Dartmouth helping lead the team to an 8-2 season this year and 6-4 years the two years prior. Cortez played in the NFL for six seasons, four with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the other two with the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Vikings. He had an excellent college career at Texas Southern. Cortez has a reputation as a top flight recruiter. His recruiting areas included Arkansas, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oklahoma and Texas. A lot of stellar football players in those states. Like this hire. Will have more when it comes down, but looks like we’ve rounded out our staff for 2015-16. Like where we’re headed.
Huge recruiting weekend with all commits and key targets in town. Four-star cornerback Donovan Sheffield and four-star linebacker Josh Smith will head up the group of all 15 commitments in town along with high three-star signal caller Kyle Shurmur and high three-star defensive end Caleb Peart. I’m expecting Hoover, Al. running back Bradrick Shaw to be coming our way this weekend. Would be an excellent pickup. Very good size (6’1”, 2o5) and excellent quickness and speed. Solid three-star wide receiver Jared Pinkney (6’5″, 223, Norcross, Ga.) and solid three star defensive end Dylan Jackson (6’6″, 245, Maryville, Tn) will also be visiting. Could have three pops there. There should be a couple of others. Exciting stuff going on.
Bball lost a tough one Wednesday to a good Georgia team, 70-67. We’re now 11-5 overall and 1-2 in conference. Proud of the way the kids fought back. Riley LaChance was trying to will us to victory with three triples late. Need Damian and Luke to play better underneath and Wade and Shelton to run the point even better. MFD shooting it well. Jeff Roberson getting better and better. Like all the young guy’s upside. They’re talented. James has been a little banged up, so we’ll be better when he returns to full strength. Got Ms. State @ State tomorrow @ 4 PM ET/3 PM CT on Fox Sports Network. State is 7-9 overall and 0-3 in the SEC, but we need to play well. They’ll be tough at home. We need to get our momentum back.
The Bears are set to hire John Fox as their head coach. Like Fox a lot. He should be good for Jay. Good man and an excellent football coach. He’s taken the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl and he’s an outstanding defensive coach, which the Bears need to get back to. They need to start playing Chicago Bears football again and with Jay and the skilled players in place and a very good o line, we can get back to the playoffs next year and make a run at the big game. Fox should hire an excellent offensive coordinator who will jell very well with Jay. Will have more on that later on this weekend as well.
Will be talking to Carson Fulmer, Hayden Stone and Dansby Swanson hopefully next Wednesday and will have a piece up Thursday or Friday with our stud baseball players. Our team has been picked by Baseball America as the preseason number one team in the country. A lot of great players back, great arms, bats, good speed, gloves and an incredible group of kids. Psyched to see Corbs and the boys do work.
Jon Curran playing in the Sony Open in Honolulu on the PGA tour this weekend. Jon at -1 and will tee off at 5:10 PM ET/4:10 PM CT. If he plays well he’ll probably get some coverage on the Golf Channel which starts its broadcast at 7 PM ET/6 PM CT. Brandt not in the field, but I’m expecting him to be playing next week at the Humana Challenge on the PGA West Course in La Quinta, Cali. It’s the William Jefferson Clinton Tournament. Will have the list of players at 5 PM ET/ 4 PM CT.
Great stuff going on at VU. Will keep you posted on all developments. Thanks.