FanHouse

Kyle Long to Bring Family Name
Back to UVA?

Ian Cohen — 2009-03-06T12:53:00 00:00

Was it tough to see Virginia strike out on Kyle Long the first time around when he was being recruited in 2007? Had to -- this was when Chris Long had possibly the most high-profile season for any Cavalier in history while his famous father looked on.

It would only make sense if Kyle followed in his brother's path, but instead, he chose to play baseball at Florida State. For Virginia fans, it was the equivalent of finding out the girl you were pining for turned out to be a lesbian. Sure, it sucks to a certain extent, but there's a comfort knowing it's not really a reflection on you.

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Wake Forest's Backup QB Makes Wise Economic Decision

Ian Cohen — 2009-03-03T15:07:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Wake Forest, ACC

Most of us dream about going to college and maybe, just maybe, eking things out as a backup QB so you at least have access to whatever choice of coed you want without all the hassle of the pressure, the injuries, etc. Maybe you luck up and become the next Brad Johnson or Matt Cassell. More likely, you parlay that experience into something that will impress at least 95% of the people you meet for the rest of your life.

More like, you just use college as a way to lock down an internship during the summer so you can get that cushy job developing internet security software once you graduate. Looks like Wake Forest's backup QB Brett Hodges managed to live both dreams.

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New Virginia Coach Pops Up in School Directory

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-25T22:56:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Virginia, ACC, Coaching

Hey, remember those bizarro rumors about Romeo Crennel being next in line at UVA if and when Al Groh gets the heave-ho? We laughed, we cried, we learned a little about ourselves. Of course, most of us sort of knew it was about as much of a pipe dream as you could imagine, and for the UVA fan, that means "a dream where you get repeatedly bashed with a pipe."

So why is the latest addition to Virginia's coaching staff all kinds of cloak and dagger? Is it because Bob Trott's (above) last job was UNDER ROMEO CRENNEL WITH THE BROWNS!?!?! According to the faculty guide at Virginia, Trott is now, well, part of the faculty. The only problem is that no announcement has been made about a hire by the sports information director.

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Brown-Out: Top Recruit Spurns Miami

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-24T19:48:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: LSU, University of Miami, ACC, SEC, Recruiting, Rumors

We've been following this Bryce Brown saga for, well, probably less than the amount of time constituting a true "saga," but enough to possibly give credence that highly-recruited tailbacks are to the college game what highly-paid receivers are to the NFL (see also: David Oku).

While linking his name to nearly every hot commodity outside of his Wichita origins, up to and including Canada, the No. 1 offensive prospect according to Rivals had a verbal commitment to Miami, bolstered by the fact that his brother is currently a linebacker for the 'Canes and his pops apparently wants to see him at Miami too.

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Romeo Crennel to UVA- How Far-Fetched Is It?

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-23T21:22:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Virginia, ACC, Coaching, Rumors

I think Virginia coach Al Groh gets enough done in 2009 to, at the very least, leave on his own terms. Say what you will, but the usual pattern dictates that Virginia surpass expectations a year after falling flat. Once that happens, the inevitable goes down and Craig Littlepage heads down I-20 to Richmond and meets whatever demands Mike London has.

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Has Miami Pulled Offer For Bryce Brown?

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-18T20:49:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: University of Miami, ACC, Recruiting, Rumors, General CFB Insanity

Blue turf and blue collar: that's the Randy Shannon philosophy so-to-speak in regards to postseason berths as well as talent management. Particularly after Larry Coker's leather-so-soft touch (remember the Willie Williams article?), Shannon was sought to instill a stabilizing force to a program that was spiralling into internal chaos, and they weren't winning anymore all that much either.

Well, we saw how the Robert Marve saga ended up. And now, Bryce Brown, #1 recruit according to Rivals and semi-legendary waffler, no longer has a standing offer to Miami. Beyond the fact that Miami already has two highly-regarded tailbacks in its 2009, here's the money quote: "No one player is bigger than the University of Miami." This comes from a source within the UM program, but still- it's credible considering Shannon's bent as of late.

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Virginia Loses Defensive Coordinator to Cincinnati in Sign of the Times

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-17T17:07:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Cincinnati, Virginia, ACC, Big East, Coaching

Virginia has already burned through two defensive coordinators in the 2009 offseason. (What's your chump school been up to?) The first time was somewhat surprising, but understandable. The 65-year-old Bob Pruett had been at the helm for one very inconsistent season, but his age and concerns over allegations of academic fraud and player overpayment by local businesses while serving as the head coach at Marshall could've played a huge role in his decision to voluntarily step down.

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Ron Prince Back At Virginia, Doing Something Or Other

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-17T13:08:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Virginia, ACC, Coaching

I don't need a whole lot of reminders that 2005 was a long, long time ago, so imagine seeing Ron Prince already completing his first tour of duty as a head coach and parlaying that experience into a brand new job at Virginia. That may or may not be a worse job, but it's most definitely a more vague one.

While Prince served as Virginia's offensive coordinator during what. in retrospect, are looking like Al Groh's glory days in 2009, (my kingdom for a Marques Hagans QB draw! Or a slow-developing Wali Lundy sweep!) he's looking to add "assistant head coach" to his resume.

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Signing Day: Morgan Moses To UVA

Ian Cohen — 2009-02-04T14:32:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Tennessee, UNC, Virginia, ACC, SEC, Recruiting

Ahmad Brooks. Michael Johnson. Um, Peter Lalich. Do Virginia fans really miss all those days when Al Groh was still that heat in the streets and VIrginia could crack the top 20's of most recruiting rankings? Well, it sure made Signing Day much more fun, as the past couple of years have seen UVA bank solid, if not unexciting classes filled with linemen on both ends and likely a solid tight end prospect.

2009 has been, well, not too much different, however, over the past couple of weeks there had been speculation that mountainous man Morgan Moses, a 6'7", 343 lb. masher from Richmond could be a key pickup for Virginia. On the one hand, you have UVA's reputation as an OL factory, with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Branden Albert and most likely Eugene Monroe becoming top-15 NFL picks over the past few years. On the other, you have concerns that Moses may not qualify academically for Virginia (especially after the decommittal of Alex Owah, who qualified under NCAA standards, but not UVA's) and a head-to-head competition with the ascendant UNC program.

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Tajh Boyd Commits To Clemson, For Now

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-28T20:50:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Clemson, ACC, Recruiting

There's been a general outcry for the ACC to recruit more quarterbacks able to succeed on the NFL level. Otherwise, the argument goes, no other quarterbacks will want to go there, let alone top-notch wide-outs, running backs or other players via the whole trickle-down thing.

And in truth, despite the success of Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub and Philip Rivers, it has been pretty slim pickings. Maybe, until now.

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Miami Gets Whipple Appeal

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-28T20:13:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: University of Miami, ACC, Coaching

If we're to make assumptions about newly minted Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple based on his most recent gig, here's what we're looking forward to at Miami: year after year of crippling dropped passes from middling wide receivers, an utter inability to convert third and short, plus a nearly annual trip to Tampa/Charlotte/Jacksonville/wherever to lose the ACC Championship Game to some squad that used to have no business in big games.

Good news, N.C. State fans!

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Boston College Linebacker Mark Herzlich Returns To School, Picks A New Coach?

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-12T19:34:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Boston College, ACC, Rumors, Prospects

Fact: Mark Herzlich is the best player Boston College currently has on its roster. Provided that nothing shady happens in the next year or so, you can pretty much rest assured he'll be off the board by the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. Really, he could have done the same this April, but much to the Eagles' non-chagrin, Herzlich will anchor the defense in an attempt to garner a third straight bid the ACC Championship Game/disappointing bowl bid once they lose.

And that's all well and good, but is Herzlich moonlighting as AD? He made a pretty adamant statement about who BC needs to tab as the next head coach, despite a coaching search that appears to getting pretty national with it as of late - and it's not so much of a shock that he's a Frank Spaziani guy, what with him being Herzlich's coach and the easiest, if not most appropriate hire.

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Bobby Bowden Back for the 34th Time

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-09T19:26:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Florida State, ACC, Coaching

Bobby Bowden will be the coach of the Florida State Seminoles this year. Just like he has for the past 34. Of course, that fact becomes something along the lines of news when you're 79 years old and your heir apparent also happens to be one of the more sought-after candidates for a gang of openings. Even if he is named Jimbo.

Moreover, with Florida State presumably in the driver's seat in their division, if not the entire conference (we've heard that one before, right?), it would be a good as time as any for Bowden to make a victory lap of sorts in 2009.

Then again, we've heard that one before from Joe Pa, haven't we? At least Tony Barnhart sees this scenario as most likely, and it's somewhat hard to argue with. But the question that needs to be asked here is what an 82-year-old is going to do with a $2 million salary, other than feed his son's hush money.

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Sour Times For Josh Portis

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-08T18:26:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Florida, Maryland, ACC, SEC, Prospects, Division II

Because nobody loves him, it's true. Not like his mom does, at least. And hey, a Third joke! As in, he's about to quarterback his third team in five years after bolting from Florida to Maryland to California...of Pennsylvania. Thanks to fellow Fanhouser Bruce Ciskie, I now recognize them as the team that got worked something terrible in the D-II playoffs by Minnesota-Duluth. Before then, I knew it as the very same school that Virginia's own exiled QB, Kevin McCabe, shuffled off to after an unceremonious benching during the 2006 season.

And while McCabe got in Al Groh's doghouse during a rebuilding year for a couple of INT's (resulting in a longer leash down the line for turnover machine Marc Verica in the same situation?), Portis was basically a weapon that the Terps couldn't seem to find a use for, in spite of his rave-worthy athleticism. Even with Ralph Friedgen's rep as an offensive innovator, the steadier, if not somewhat uninspiring Chris Turner's progression led to a diminished need for the potential for Portis gadget plays. Portis attempted three passes all year and ran 36 times. Somewhere down the road, it's not unthinkable that his huge upside could land him in the "sleeper" territory in 2010's mock draft (similar to Rhett Bomar), but as for now, it's somewhat disappointing that a rare talent in quarterbacking didn't pan out in a conference that really needs it.

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Kevin Ogletree Ankles UVA's Spread Offense

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-08T16:34:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Virginia, ACC, Prospects

Well, the good news for Virginia's long-suffering fanbase is that after years and years of thoroughly unexciting and unproductive offensive schemes under the stewardship of Ron Prince and Mike Groh, deposed Bowling Green coach Mike Brandon is prepared to institute the spread as he takes control in 2009. And yeah, it's likely a good idea considering the ACC is pretty much bereft of that offensive style (perhaps save for the spread option), and it just might be the sort of thing that makes UVA a destination for the kind of speedsters they seemingly miss out on year after year. Awesome!

Now, get prepared for a spread offense ran by an admittedly mobile quarterback with considerable accuracy problems, one year removed from an academic suspension. Or the guy who threw the most interceptions in the ACC despite not even starting all year. Excited yet?!?! Oh, and thanks to leading receiver Kevin Ogletree making an excusable, if not seriously curious leap into the NFL draft, your most accomplished pass catcher hauled in a grand total of 19 balls in 2008, provided inevitable Wes Welker comparison Cary Koch isn't granted a hardship exception.

Ogletree's move is understandable in that he's already graduated, is one season removed from a decimating tendon injury and, I dunno, inspired by the success of Billy McMullen? Ogletree lacks ideal size and gamebreaking speed and is coming off a season nearly identical to that of 2006 (50+ catches, 5-7 record, zero national presence) and could have possibly hooked back up with a QB he has good chemistry with in an offense that's emphasizing the pass more than ever (conceivably). Wish him the best, but let's just hope he made good friends with Eugene Monroe and Clint Sintim.

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FSU's Everette Brown Declares For Draft

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-07T19:46:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Florida State, ACC, Prospects

Straight from the thoroughbred's mouth:

"I have always tried to take a little bit from the great Florida State pass rushers of the past, such as Andre Wadsworth, Peter Boulware and Kameron Wimbley," [Everette] Brown said. "Those are the guys I learned from."

I suppose we can argue about the sort of bad mojo that can result from namedropping Andre Wadsworth in regards to one's NFL future, but beyond that, it's a pretty obvious move for Florida State defensive end Everette Brown to be the next in the line of incredibly well-paid Seminole pass rushers. And who can blame him when you consider the (possibly) Giants-inspired emphasis on pressuring the quarterback? The Noles' defensive MVP garnered 13 1/2 sacks last season and ranks fourth all-time in school history.

Most have pegged Brown as pretty much a lock for the first round, most likely in the top twenty. And he's got his degree to boot, so you don't have to be particularly cynical when he describes his decision as one of "business."

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Maryland Gamebreaker Heyward-Bey Goes Pro

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-07T19:03:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Maryland, ACC, Prospects

If you're the type of guy who spends the livelong day poring over mock drafts, hoping and praying that your team picks something other than an offensive lineman (the relative "socks for Hannukah" result- useful, but sorta boring), you're familiar with this archetype: freakishly talented wide receiver struggles with quarterbacking upheaval, oh, if only he could put it all together and be consistent! More often than not, you see this guy sliding towards the top of the second round despite first-round talent, and in premature draft grades, the team that obtains him is considered to have gotten a steal (especially if they drafted a QB in the first round).

Sometimes you do indeed get a steal. Sometimes you get Malcolm Kelly. And with that, the announcement of Maryland's exciting, if not always dependable Darrius Heyward-Bey throwing his proverbial hat into the ring. Despite the rep that's stuck with him since he shocked the ~~scant ACC viewership~~ world with a 96-yarder against Miami, Heyward-Bey's stats are still pretty tough to argue with: even as a real-deal receiver in a pro-style offense, Heyward-Bey still managed to be the Terrapin's third-leading rusher, and in just three years, he collected the second most receiving yards and third most receptions in Maryland history. Then again, when Jermaine Lewis holds most of your important receiving records, those tasty crabcakes of info are best taken with a bit of salt.

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No Surgery for N.C. State's Superfrosh Quarterback Russell Wilson

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-06T16:59:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: NC State, ACC, Injuries

Awesome news for the North Carolina State baseball team- infielder Russell Wilson will not require surgery after suffering a knee injury during the offseason. Wilson batted .296 in 32 games last season, with an 83 percent success rate on stolen bases. Obviously, a different prognosis may have resulted in a serious blow to the Wolfpack's depth.

Oh, right- he plays a bit of football too. And he's kinda good at it too, enough to be named 1st-team All-ACC despite being a freshman and suffering through concussion problems during the season (as well as a pretty pedestrian supporting cast). Despite a rather inauspicious beginning to the Tom "Tonz O Funz" O'Brien era in Raleigh, things are looking up, considering how the 'pack came on towards the end of the season and even if Wilson's a little gimpy come spring practice, hotshot recruit Mike Glennon is a possible option ... well, provided he isn't as whiny as his brother Sean.

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Miami QB Marve's Transfer Gets Interesting

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-06T10:41:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: University of Miami, ACC, SEC, NCAA FB Gossip, Rumors, NCAA FB Scandal

The obvious joke from day one was that super-recruit Robert Marve might as well have pulled a Joe Theisman (sorry, ma- rhymes with "Heisman" or "Thighs Man" now) and switched over the "r" and "v" in his last name- couldn't hurt amongst the Peter Kings of the world. From the looks of things so far, however, he's already performing at a Favre-like level when it comes to off-season drama.

First came the last-second signing day switcheroo where the Alabama native spurned the Crimson Tide for the Hurricanes. And two years later, with the departure of OC Patrick Nix and the promotion of Jacory Harris to 2009's clear cut starter at QB, Marve has sought a transfer from the U. But Randy Shannon isn't making it easy- according to Marve's father at the outset, Shannon put an embargo on all other SEC and ACC programs as well as any other in-state school (27 in all). Which would be pretty crappy enough, but in a clarification as to why Pa Marve was so ticked off, as it turns out, he has recently been dealing with prostate cancer as well as the separation from his wife.

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Clemson Hires Bama's Kevin Steele As DC

Ian Cohen — 2009-01-05T23:51:00 00:00

by Ian Cohen

Filed under: Alabama, Clemson, ACC, SEC, Coaching

Well, at least someone from the Alabama program is having a good 2009 so far. Not to be confused with "defensive coordinator," "defensive head coach" Kevin Steele is being tabbed as the new DC at Clemson under the no-longer-interim, no-he's-not-the-new-Bill-Stewart Dabo Swinney. He will also coach the linebackers. It's a return home for the 50-year old from Dillon.

It continues Swinney's infatuation with former 'Bama coaches, and expectedly so considering his ties to the program. Sources aren't certain whether it's a significant pay raise for Steele, but if Clemson's been knowing to have deep pockets when things like this hang in the balance. Regardless of the performance in the Sugar Bowl (Steele coaches the inside LBs), it's probably a wise hire for Clemson, as its become clear that expanding further into SEC territory can only help taking into account the dearth of top-level talent in their own state.

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FanHouse

Kyle Long to Bring Family NameBack to UVA?

Wake Forest's Backup QB Makes Wise Economic Decision

New Virginia Coach Pops Up in School Directory

Brown-Out: Top Recruit Spurns Miami

Romeo Crennel to UVA- How Far-Fetched Is It?

Has Miami Pulled Offer For Bryce Brown?

Virginia Loses Defensive Coordinator to Cincinnati in Sign of the Times

Ron Prince Back At Virginia, Doing Something Or Other

Signing Day: Morgan Moses To UVA

Tajh Boyd Commits To Clemson, For Now

Miami Gets Whipple Appeal

Boston College Linebacker Mark Herzlich Returns To School, Picks A New Coach?

Bobby Bowden Back for the 34th Time

Sour Times For Josh Portis

Kevin Ogletree Ankles UVA's Spread Offense

FSU's Everette Brown Declares For Draft

Maryland Gamebreaker Heyward-Bey Goes Pro

No Surgery for N.C. State's Superfrosh Quarterback Russell Wilson

Miami QB Marve's Transfer Gets Interesting

Clemson Hires Bama's Kevin Steele As DC

Kyle Long to Bring Family Name
Back to UVA?