The fledgling UTSA fan base has been chirping with excitement and optimism this off-season. And it's not just because the young school's inaugural kick-off is just a month away. The UTSA coaching staff has been able to secure four high profile transfer players in the past couple of months, three of which come from Automatically Qualifying conferences (Big XII-2, SEC). While many, if not all, college football programs receive promising transfers that fail to pan out, I believe every transfer should be judged according to their own abilities and demerits. Even with tempered expectations, each of these transfers are a huge boost for a team simply from a depth stand point. Let's take a closer look at each:
Patrick Hoog (Oklahoma St., Medina Valley HS) - 6'4, 279 lbs.
A statuesque offensive lineman that bench presses north of quarter-ton, Hoog is (in my most humble opinion) the crown jewel of this crop of transfers. Coming into what is arguably the Roadrunners' most under-staffed position on the team at offensive tackle, Hoog brings a proverbial anchor to an immature, inexperienced offensive line that desperately needed a pillar of support. Hoog saw limited action throughout his two years under Mike Gundy and was expected to act as a sort of utility-lineman for the Cowboys in 2011. Since Patrick is moving down to FCS ball, he will be active to start on 9/3/11 as a redshirt junior. Hoog was named as an FCS Independent player to watch for this upcoming season. On top of his athletic accolades, Patrick was honored as an all-academic Big XII scholar. Watch for Hoog to dominate FCS and NAIA competition this season.
Lekenwic Haynes (Ole Miss., Rosenberg Terry HS) - 6'3, 225 lbs.
Lekenwic Haynes was a highly recruited linebacker (ranked #52 in the nation) with an illustrious career in high school. In the past four years, Haynes has seen action at several defensive position but seems to have found his groove at defensive end. Lekenwic will be classified as a redshirt junior this season. Despite failing to find a consistent spot in the Rebels' defensive packages, Haynes had 7.5 tackles in five games in 2010, with most of his playing time coming against SEC opponents. Haynes was a constant presence on Ole Miss's special teams and forced a fumble on a kick off. My greatest fear for Lekenwic is that his position shuffling has stunted his technical growth, but considering that UTSA has a projected starting defensive end that has never played a football game on defense before... well beggars can't be choosers. Haynes received first-team all-FCS Independent defensive line honors from Phil Steele this off-season. I predict 5 sacks and 100 tackles for Haynes in 2011 if he stays at defensive end as anticipated.Ashaad Mabry (Oklahoma St., MacArthur HS) - 6'3, 295 lbs.
Yet another transfer from Stillwater, Mabry never even moved in to his dorm from what I can gather. Perhaps the most impressive transfer from an athletic stand point, Mabry also comes with the most red flags. Ashaad was a late bloomer for the hometown MacArthur Brahmas but still managed to rack up several BCS offers during his senior year. The giant defensive tackle originally committed to Art Briles at Baylor, only to sign his Letter of Intent with Oklahoma St. On top of all that, Mabry is extraordinarily close to his extremely ill mother. Despite these concerns, Ashaad will most likely start at defensive tackle for the Roadrunners as a true freshman. At his best, Mabry is a stand-out player that draws double teams while stopping the run, and opens up blitzing lanes for teammates, which could be a huge plus in the 4-2-5 defense. At his worst, Mabry is a poor pass rusher that (supposedly) displays a lack of effort on occasion. Let's hope that Ashaad's mother regains her health and her son is able to develop into a stud. Prediction: 2 sacks, 70 tackles.
Chance Vernon (Stephen F. Austin, Gregory Portland HS) - 6'7, 335 lbs.
While Chance's transfer hasn't been officially acknowledged by the UTSA administration, I have it on a very good source (his facebook page, lolz) that he is already on campus and will be participating in practices this season. Unfortunately, Chance will be the only transfer unable to play in 2011 due to his transfer being from an FCS squad. Vernon has a behemoth frame that he has yet to completely fill out. A true example of the phrase "bookend tackle". Vernon was redshirted at SFA and will have three years of eligibility at UTSA. Not sure on his scholarship status.
Oddities
The WAC's lone bowl for the foreseeable future was just renamed to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. You think I'm shitting you, but I'm totally not. This is so stereotypical of the current WAC it blows my mind. Check out the delicious bowl logo though. Notice how the sour cream & chives make a mop of hair for the simile face on the football. TOO CUTE!
