WAC Jack Podcast Episode 1

Hey everyone I wanted to let you know that Jack Hopkins, formerly of bobcat report has a new show on the as-yet-revealed podcast network.

So think of this show as a sister podcast on which you will hear lots of college football goodness.

LINK



Talk about this post on twitter and on the Forum

Live CC Podcast Episode 23: Roster Turnover

Jared's back and we talk about the Spring Game, spring practice, Chris Johnson leaving and other roster changes, and of course, Conference Realignment -- podcast@cokerchronicles.com

You can find the links to the episode on the iTunes on Stitcher or just subscribe directly to the podcast.

Enjoy!

Weekend Updates: Rileigh Davis, Charlie Reeve, Chibuzor Ugwu

Got a couple of small stories to report on this weekend-- funny how much more media coverage UTSA is getting in the off season this year with the move to FBS.

Patrick Dove/Standard-Times 

We learned about a new preferred walk-on that I'm honestly kind of excited about: Rileigh Davis is a slender 5'9 slot receiver from 5A San Angelo Central (Davis reports himself at 5'11, 150 on his Hudl profile, alongside a 4.5 40 yard dash and a 31" vertical FWIW).

In true UTSA fashion, his father is a former head coach and athletic director. Davis won Offensive Skilled Position Player of the year on his district-champion high school team thanks to his 50 catches for over 550 yards and five touchdowns. The scrawny receiver also rushed for 120 yards and found paydirt once more while rushing.

Most impressively, Davis will be moving to San Antonio just four days after his high school graduation in order to join the team for summer workouts. While he is a project that is highly unlikely to pay off immediately, he definitely looks to have the work ethic to become an offensive threat a couple of years down the line. I was quite impressed with his tape and definitely think he would be worth a scholarship to a lot of schools so it's great that UTSA was able to land him with zero risk. Davis has some terrific ball skills and shows good field vision after the catch. The dude definitely does the small things right.

Footballscoop is reporting that former Texas State Running Back/Recruiting Director Charlie Reeve has been offered the Tight End coaching position by Larry Coker. Reeve is a guy that Bobcat fans love, and was instrumental in helping Coach Franchione land a great recruiting class last year with only a mere month to work with before NSD.


Of course as you all know, Texas State led the WAC in recruiting this year, according to Rivals. Coach Reeve also did a stand-up job of incorporating freshman running back Terrance Franks into the offense. Reeve is a great coach and a terrific recruiter, so I'm hoping Coach Coker made him an offer that he can't resist.

Edit: Forgot Reeve was fired last year. He coaches Wide Receivers at Odessa Permian. Further research shows that Dan McCarney had this sniffed out a month ago.

I've been informed by a source close to the situation that 2014 defensive lineman Chibuzor Ugwu is in fact very interested in becoming a Roadrunner and has UTSA at the top of his list after the coaching staff stepped out and offered the young prospect.

I wrote about Ugwu just a few days ago, so you can click here to read up on the promising pass rusher out of Hightower. Obviously it's still very early in Ugwu's recruiting cycle, but it would be a big sign of UTSA's recruiting progress if they could land a commitment from a guy that's still about 22 months away from his signing day. Ugwu recently tweeted this:

Stay tuned throughout the week for more news as we should be finding out whether or not Charlie Reeve accepts Coker's offer at UTSA. Larry has made it known that he would like to have his coaching staff complete before spring ball begins next Monday.

Point: On the TXST v. UTSA Football Game

As the top dogs of college football begin to roll out their schedules, the WAC is finally able to begin penciling in dates and times around marquee match ups in other conferences that command more prominent television contracts. You know it's the worst part of the Football Year when this is ALL WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT. Most importantly, we can begin to speculate on when the inaugural Texas State/UTSA game will go down. There have been countless rumors that ESPN is seeking to broadcast the start of the rivalry. It makes sense to me-- ESPN has a contractual obligation to air WAC games and the WWL would be hard pressed to find a more intriguing match up in this shell of a conference outside of conference champion Louisiana Tech vs. runner up Utah State.

While the decision is likely out of the administration's hands, it's an interesting debate on when to host the game. Two main factors play into the arbitration:

1.) Are UTSA's fans dedicated enough to show up on Thanksgiving?

and

2.) What time slot will draw the most eyeballs?

Landing in the sweet spot between the two factors will be a delicate balancing act. While a Thanksgiving game with reduced competition for rankings from other games will probably provide UTSA with the most national visibility, fan attendance would probably be highest on a Saturday game. Even if the Bobcats roll into town on Thanksgiving, I still think attendance will be quite high thanks to the average San Antonian's penchant for showing up for hyped-up events. While we certainly welcome any fan to the game, it's in UTSA's best interest to put its best product forward. That means a huge and loud student section, which I'm worried may not be the case if the game is played on Thanksgiving-- just take a look back at the student section on the game after Halloween. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of UTSA's student body is NOT from San Antonio. Would kids from Houston and the Rio Grande Valley really skip out on Thanksgiving with their families for the game? After just one year of attachment to the Roadrunners? The odds are nebulous at best, in my opinion.

I crowdsourced the fanbase on Twitter and found that most of you approve of my proposal of playing the game on Friday. While a healthy chunk of fans will miss the game traveling to and fro Grandma's house, I think the date will appease the majority. There were 14 FBS games on the day after Thanksgiving last year, highlighted by marquee match ups between Iowa and Nebraska, and LSU and Arkansas. The LSU/Arkansas game has moved to Saturday, while Arizona and Arizona St. are now playing on Friday. ESPN owns the rights to both Pac-12 and B1G games, so the Texas Twins showdown will most likely be scheduled around those two games. If I were to wager a bet, look for Nebraska and Iowa to get the ABC treatment on basic cable, while UTSA and Texas State air on ESPN for a regional counterpoint to the midwestern affair. The Arizona game will be able to be broadcast after the other two games thanks to time zone differences. Official guess: UTSA v. TXST in the Alamodome on ESPN. 11/23 at 3:00 pm.

Be sure to troll the comment section below to let us know what you think of my prediction. When do YOU want the game to be?

Interview with BobcatReport.com

If you haven't yet heard, our friends over at BobcatReport.com have launched a brand new website, powered by Rivals.com. We sent them a few questions about the state of Bobcat football, and they returned the favor for their readers. After reading through BR's side of the Q&A session below, head over to their new Rivals site to see what we had to say about the Roadrunners' inaugural season.

CC.com:  What is the general mindset like for the Bobcats during this transition period to FBS? Obviously replacing Wright with Franchione is a huge step up in terms of motivation.

BR.com: It’s kind of been a big whirlwind over the last year, but I think both fans and players are equally excited about the move and the hiring of Franchione and his staff played a big part in that. In the last year Texas State got their official invite from the WAC, athletic director Larry Teis went out and made a big-name hire when he brought in Franchione, and there’s construction all around the football stadium which includes major improvements to the stadium and a brand new track and field complex next to Bobcat Stadium. With all the construction as well as WAC banners and billboards around San Marcos it’s kept excitement pretty high locally because of all the daily reminders. Motivation is the right word this fall with Fran’s staff. There’s a mixture of experience and youth in the coaching staff and we’ve have several players comment to us about how fired up and animated assistant coaches like James Washington are every day.

CC.com:  How excited are you guys for JUCO Tight End Chase Harper? Any eligibility concerns?

There is a lot of excitement with Bobcat fans about Harper, but it’s not near the level of talk that there was last fall about incoming QB Tyler Arndt even though Harper is probably a higher rated prospect. That’s just the difference between a quarterback and tight end. Harper has been as advertised through two weeks of practice impressing coaches as both a receiver and blocker. He’s expected to step in and be a playmaker from day one, and if he lives up to his potential over the next two years then he’ll be playing on Sundays.

Harper had trouble qualifying academically with the three schools he committed and/or signed with before coming to Texas State, so there will always be questions about him remaining eligible. It’ll be up to the coaches and especially the academic support staff at Texas State to help make sure he’s as successful off the field as he is on it.

 CC.com: Where are the weakest/strongest positions for Texas State at this point in time?

Our weak spots are defensive end and tackle. We have some talent at the positions but players will need to step up. They are getting better since the first day of camp but still have a long road ahead. Getting Adley Eshraghipour back and healthy will definitely help. I expected to see more from Tylond Robertson than what I’ve seen. He seems to still be in the learning phase and not letting his pass rushing instincts take over.

On a positive note, our corps of running backs should be a strong point with Marcus Curry leading the way. The group did take a hit this week in that we lost Dexter Imade to an ACL injury and will miss the entire 2011 season. Look for sophomore running back Brandon Lewis and redshirt freshman Terrence Franks to get more reps in Imade absence.

CC.com:  How is Tyler Arndt's knee holding up so far this fall? Is he a lock to start under center?

BR.com: Tyler has fully participated in all drills during camp. At the first few practices, I felt like he was holding back a little. But after seeing him again last weekend, I can honestly say he looked a lot more comfortable running and cutting on the knee. I don’t see any reason he won’t be under center when the Bobcats take the field in Lubbock against Texas Tech.

CC.com: Texas State already has seven commitments for this recruiting cycle. Who is the most impressive in your eyes?

BR.com: Dallas McClarty is a kid that really stood out to me. Even though he was looked over by a lot of big schools. He is a high motor kid, and his tape impressed me. He will be a welcomed addition on the defensive line. QB Fred Nixon also has a chance to be special. He could be scary for defenses to try to defend. He chose Texas State over offers from UTEP and Tulsa.

CC.com:  What's the progress on stadium expansion looking like?

BR.com: It's really coming along nicely. They are working on the foundation and building pad, and putting in 6 day work weeks to try to get as much done before the start of the football season as possible. The track stadium is 95% complete looks really good. Everything looks to be on tap to be ready for the start of the 2012 Season.

CC.com:  How do you anticipate Texas State competing in the WAC come 2012 and beyond?

BR.com: I look for Texas State and UTSA to both make some noise in the WAC sooner rather than later. It will be important to have some success early with all the uncertainty surrounding the conference. I don’t see why either school should not be competing for a WAC championship in the next 3-4 years. If the Bobcats can go .500 in the conference the first year in the WAC, I would be ecstatic. Looking at the 2012 schedule, it’s something a lot of the Bobcat faithful have been waiting a long time for. It’s an exciting time around both the UTSA and Texas State campuses.

CC.com:  What can fans expect to see from Bobcat Report after joining the Rivals network? Any hope for a Rivals site for UTSA fans?

We plan on continuing to bring Texas State fans the best recruiting and inside information available. Joining the Rivals team opens up some additional resources that will make BobcatReport even better. For the Roadrunners, I don’t see a reason UTSA would not be considered for a Rivals site in the very near future.

Thanks to Ryan and Fletcher from Bobcatreport.com taking time out of their very busy schedules to answer our questions. We wish the Bobcats the best of luck this season and in the future (except for when they're playing UTSA).

Questions/Comments?

ryan@bobcatreport.com

fletcher.rutland@gmail.com

jared@cokerchronicles.com

aztecskin@cokerchronicles.com

UTSA in Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine

I often have moments where I take a step back and it hits me. UTSA has a Division I football team. I had one of those ethereal moments this weekend when I picked up my annual copy of Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine. Dave & Co. seem fairly high on the Roadrunners. They received some good marks in the ratings section, and their recruiting prospects and commits were highly touted throughout the high school section of the magazine. I'm not going to scan the magazine or copy and paste every word because I sincerely want you all to buy a magazine. At 376 content-rich pages, the magazine is an absolute steal for $10-- bathroom reading material for a month.

Top 5 Impact Players

1. QB Eric Soza, So.
2. RB Chris Johnson, Fr.
3. RB David Glasco II, Fr.
4. LB Steven Kurfehs, So.
5. S Mark Waters, Jr

Pretty good list here, but I don't know if I could justify Glasco at #3, even though I'm a fan of his. I'd personally bump Kurfehs and Waters up a spot then add Kam Jones to the list.

UTSA's Offense

Offensive Line - C

Running Backs - B

Receivers - B

Quarterbacks - B

Perfect. I'd maybe add a + to the RBs and subtract the OL to a C-, purely due to a lack of depth.

UTSA's Defense

Defensive Line - B-

Linebackers - B

Secondary - B

Special Teams - C-

Pretty spot on as well. This publication ran prior to Ashaad Mabry's transfer, thus I feel the DL should be a B or A-. Otherwise great stuff.

For reference, Texas State ratings:

OL - B-

RB - B

WR - B+

QB - B+

DL - C+

LB - A-

Secondary - B-

Special Teams - C

Photo courtesy of Mysa.com

The information in the main write-up is a tad outdated. It states that UTSA only has two players with FBS experience (Waters and Mike Sanchez) but of course that is no longer the case after Lekenwic Haynes and Patrick Hoog joined the squad. The article's pensmith brings up a few great points on UTSA:

• The Alamodome is the fourth-largest collegiate stadium in Texas, lagging behind only Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial, Kyle Field, and Rice Stadium.
• UTSA has 46 players on the roster from within a 100 mile radius of San Antonio. The actual number is certainly higher than at the time this article was composed, but it's still a great observation of the terrific job UTSA is doing in landing local talent and establishing recruiting pipelines.
• Coker listed TE and WRs as the strengths on offense, while touting Cole Hubble, Kam Jones, Brandon Armstrong, and Earon Holmes.

Some quotes from Coker:

• "It's tremendously exciting here because it's all so fresh. The program will follow whatever stamp you put on it, and we can decide the culture here right away. Whatever culture you establish is what you have. We can set the tone immediately for what we want this program to be. And what we want is to build it the right way, for the long haul."
• "We think he's [Soza] is going to be a great contributor. He's a very smart player who knows the offense. It's his job to lose. He executes, he's a leader-- he's just what you want a quaterback to be internally, plus he has skills to do the job."
• "We thought this was going to be a tough sell, but we have a lot of things that sell themselves. There's great high school football here, there's no other Division I team in the city, there's no professional team here, we've got a great facility in the Alamodome, it's a great city and we've got 30,000 students who voted overwhelmingly to fund and support this program."

A look at some of UTSA's 2011 opponents, as Dave Campbell sees them:

Sam Houston State

2010 Overall/Southland record (6-5/4-3)

Offensive Starters Returning - 11

Defensive Starters Returning - 9

Predicted to finish fourth in the Southland Conference. Roadrunners' keys to victory? Stop the run on defense, nail the big play on offense in spite of heavy blitzes.

Northeastern State

2010 Overall/LSC record (6-5/6-4)

- Won only two games in 2009. Won LSC North Division Title last year with its first winning season in TEN years.

- Trey McVay (887 yds, 12 TDs) was the LSC North Division receiver of the year.

- NSU boasts two all-conference offensive linement- gaurd Colton Ables and tackle Chris Cherry.

- Kenny Davis will lead the Riverhawks at QB in his senior year. Passed for 2,068 yards and 20 TDs last season.

- Bright side for UTSA? NSU allowed 31 points and ~400 yards per game. NSU did not face any FBS opponents last year.

- A trip to NSU's athletics site informed me that NSU's first game for 2011 will be broadcasted locally on Cox. They will face another 2011 UTSA adversary-- Bacone College. How nice of the two teams to provide UTSA with travel-free scouting! 

McMurray

2010 Overall/ASC Record - (6-4/4-4)

- McMurray landed two players on the Top 5 ASC Players pre-season list: QB Jake Mullin and Safety Will Morris. Mullin passed for nearly 3,000 yards last year with 35 touchdowns in only eight games. Morris was an all-american last year and earned ASC Defensive POY after recording 58 tackles and five interceptions.

-McMurray returns nine starters on both offense and defense. This is McMurry's last season in Division III before moving up to Division II.

Oddities:

If you haven't done so already, I highly suggest this beautiful article on UTSA football from Texas Monthly's Jason Cohen. I think it's the best piece of writing I've seen on UTSA's infantile program. Here are a few quotes from Cohen from an interview he did with Texas Monthly after his piece ran; I agree with Cohen's views on the future of UTSA hoops.

What challenges did you find in catching an institution like UTSA in transition? How do you get across its underperformance in an area like sports without making it seem like you’re putting the college down?

I would say it’s less underperformance than irrelevance—which probably doesn’t sound any nicer, but it’s just the reality of being such a young and small-sport school in a state where the measuring stick is UT and A&M (even TCU is hot stuff now). I’ve followed or covered schools like Portland State, Montana, Gonzaga, and Xavier, so I see UTSA in that same “mid-major” light. The basketball team will probably never reach the heights Gonzaga and Xavier have, but the university has still been a March Madness player, since they’ve hosted Final Fours and A.D. Lynn Hickey is on the men’s selection committee. It’s possible the basketball team will benefit more from being in the WAC than football will—or at least, it will seem more impressive if they win a couple of tournament games than it will for football to win a Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Other than wins, what are the factors that help create a football tradition, in your opinion?

It’s probably all wins, isn’t it? I mean, even the teams that now seem sad-sack, when they originally established the traditions that they cling to now, it was accompanied by winning. UTSA only started sports in 1981, and they have their own hand sign (as, it seems, does every Texas school) but it’s kind of like a little indie rock band, it’s a secret. And then the basketball team makes it to March Madness a few times, and the whisper gets a little louder. And now with football, everyone in the second biggest city in the state will come to learn it—if it’s winning football. 

Given the attention on profitability in higher ed, if college football doesn’t turn a profit, how does it justify itself?

Are either of them really supposed to be profitable? Are collegiate newspapers or theater productions supposed to be profitable? My understanding is most college football programs aren’t, and even many of the ones that supposedly subsidize all the other sports don’t do that as well as its adherents might claim, because they are still subsidized by student fees (as UTSA’s football team is with a fee increase the student body voted for). But I’m not convinced that means the money they get (and revenue they generate, even if it doesn’t hit the black) would otherwise go to other aspects of a university. Or that sports isn’t an equally legitimate part of what a state university should be. 

Do you have tickets to UTSA’s first game?

I don’t have a ticket but I have a hotel reservation for Friday night, and I will probably choose to be in the stands rather than the press box. I imagine UTSA’s best memories on the field are still another season or two away, when they have a better team and better competition. But for a pure college football game day experience, the first-ever game ought to match the atmosphere of a bowl or big-time rivalry game. And if the game itself gets boring, there will still be time to get in the car and make the Texas–Rice kickoff. 

So there you go. A fairly huge post to make up for a slow week over here at Coker Chronicles. 12 days until kick off.