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2024 player profile of running back Gavin Sawchuk.
Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] up next.
Continue reading “Oklahoma Sooners Snapshot Profile: Running back Gavin Sawchuk”
With Marvin Mims off to the NFL, Jalil Farooq has a big opportunity in front of him as Oklahoma’s No. 1 wide receiver.
Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] up next.
A look at cornerback Joshua Eaton heading into his third season with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with cornerback Joshua Eaton up next.
Continue reading “Oklahoma Sooners Snapshot Profile: Cornerback No. 1 Joshua Eaton”
Here is a look at No. 5 Jay Fair ahead of the 2022 season.
Going into the 2022 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Bryan Harsin this season.
Our focus here will be on true-freshman wide receiver Jay Fair. Fair signed with Auburn in the 2022 recruiting class. Due to Auburn’s lack of returning production at wide receiver, Fair will have a chance to make an immediate impact for Auburn.
Hometown: Rockwall, Texas
Ht: 5-10
Wt: 181
3-star // No. 88 in Texas // No. 84 Wide Receiver
Class in 2021: High School Senior
Career Stats (High School)
| Year | G | Rec | Yards | YPC | TDs |
| 2021 | 13 | 46 | 894 | 19.4 | 13 |
An early enrollee, Fair brings a big-play threat to the wide receiver room, something the room was sorely lacking last season. The speedster averaged 19.4 yards per catch as a high school senior, the Tigers averaged 11.7 yards per catch last season.
After initially looking like the receiving room would be in dire straits, the returns of Shedrick Jackson for a fifth season and Ja’Varrius Johnson deciding to return after entering the transfer portal could help save the group.
Auburn has to replace the production of Kobe Hudson, Demetris Robertson, Caylin Newton, and Elijah Canion. Hudson was Auburn’s leading receiver with 44 receptions, 580 yards, and four touchdowns before he was dismissed from the team. Robertson was Auburn’s third-leading receiver with 37 receptions for 489 yards and four touchdowns but was out of eligibility. Canion and Newton both transferred away.
Even with Jackson and Johnson returning, there is a void at the wide receiver position and with his speed, Fair will have a chance to help fill that void as a true freshman. His performance in spring and fall camps will determine if he gets a chance to do so.
Big day for a big-time playmaker!
Former Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin surprised some when he declared for the NFL draft this past January after having really only one season in the sun with the Fighting Irish.
Austin needed a strong showing at the NFL combine this week to have his stock rise and he got exactly that with his showing Thursday. Austin ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, had a vertical leap of 39″, and an 11-foot broad jump. The vertical was the third-highest of the day while his broad jump was second best.
Austin pulled in 48 receptions for 888 yards and seven touchdowns for Notre Dame in 2021. By no means does his workout Thursday make Austin a household name in this draft but it certainly should help him climb up the majority of draft boards.
These WRs are QUICK. @NDFootball WR Kevin Austin Jr. clocks in at 4.37u. 💨
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/X6lU1lNhkW
— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2022
Related:
Bogle isn’t starting right now, but he’s seen action in every game so far in 2021.
Name: Khris Bogle
Number: 8
Position: Outside Linebacker
Class: Junior
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 242 lbs
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
High School: Cardinal Gibbons
2020 statistics:
| TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR |
| 27 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Overview:
Bogle was one of coach Dan Mullen‘s first major recruiting wins, and it came over the sport’s greatest coach in Nick Saban. Bogle committed to Alabama the January of his senior year, but on National Signing Day, he announced that he’d be flipping to Florida.
A four-star recruit and top-100 player, Bogle saw early action as a true freshman, playing in all 13 games as a rotational linebacker/BUCK player. He totaled 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Bogle was expected to play a rotational role again in 2020, but a season-ending injury to Jeremiah Moon led to him starting four games at BUCK, and he had a career-high 27 tackles with four sacks and a fumble recovery.
He was expected to be a key member of the rotation once again, and while the bulk of the playing time has gone to Moon and Brenton Cox Jr., Bogle has still appeared in all seven games and has 14 tackles to go with a sack.
Bogle has never quite had the impact he was expected to coming out of high school, but he has been an important and reliable member of this defense since arriving on campus.
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Reeves was the top signee in Florida’s 2021 class, and he could be an immediate impact player in Gainesville.
Name: Kowacie Reeves Jr.
Number: 14
Position: Guard
Class: High School Recruit
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 182 lbs
Hometown: Macon, Georgia
High School: Westside
Twitter: @wacie_wacie
Overview:
Reeves spent much of his recruitment as the only commitment in Florida’s 2021 class before the Gators eventually signed a pair of unrated prospects in Tuongthach Gatkek and Elijah Kennedy. But Reeves was the real prize here.
A four-star recruit on the 247Sports Composite (but a five-star according to Rivals), Reeves rated as the No. 41 player in the country and the nation’s No. 9 shooting guard coming out of high school.
He has great size for a scoring guard at 6-foot-6-inches, and his elite shooting makes him a wing attacker with a lot of potential. He’s the kind of player that Florida has spent some time looking for, and he could make an immediate impact as a true freshman, though the Gators have a lot of guard depth after adding three in the transfer portal.
While his offensive game doesn’t have a lot of question marks and he’s a good ball-swiper, 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer wrote that he needs to develop more physicality as a rebounder. Reeves has a great frame, and he should be able to develop into it nicely.
Reeves was the only elite signee in the 2021 class, but he has the potential to be a very valuable addition to the roster.
Video:
Some Kowacie Reeves Jr highlights from Iverson Week
— Florida Basketball Hour (@FloridaBBHour) May 10, 2021
[listicle id=56483]
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Punter Jeremy Crawshaw looks to become college football’s next great punter to hail from Australia.
Name: Jeremy Crawshaw
Number: 26
Position: Punter
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 193 lbs
Hometown: Emu Plains, New South Wales, Australia
Previous School: ProKick Australia
Twitter: @jeremy_crawshaw
2020 statistics:
| PUNTS | AVG | LNG | YDS | TB | IN20 | NET |
| 2 | 49 | 50 | 98 | 0 | 1 | 49 |
Overview:
Originally from outside of Sydney, Australia, Crawshaw is the next in a long line of punters from the land down under that have broken through in college football in recent years. Discovered by ProKick Australia, Crawshaw was a two-star recruit rated as the No. 9 punter in the 2020 recruiting class.
Crawshaw early enrolled at Florida as a true freshman last season, but he found himself as the backup to redshirt senior Jacob Finn. The only action Crawshaw saw was in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma, when he had two boots for an average of 49 yards.
After the 2020 season, Finn announced that he was transferring to Virginia, clearing the way for Crawshaw to start in 2021 as a redshirt freshman.
He’s been Florida’s primary punter through the first five games, and he’s attempted 15 punts for an average of 45.3 yards so far in 2021. He has three touchbacks and six punts downed inside the 20 this season.
Crawshaw hasn’t been amazing, and it’s clear UF’s specialists have taken a step back since the days of the Townsend brothers and Evan McPherson. Still, Crawshaw is a talented punter who should be a solid starter for the next few seasons.
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It was a bit surprising when Helm was named the starter opposite Kaiir Elam, but he has held the job down through the first three weeks of the season.
Name: Avery Helm
Number: 24
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt Freshman
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 180 lbs
Hometown: Missouri City, Texas
High School: Fort Bend Marshall
Twitter: @FMB_Helm
2020 statistics:
| TOT | SOLO | SACK | FF | INT | PD |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Overview:
A four-star recruit in the 2020 recruiting class from Fort Bend Marshall High School in Missouri City, Texas, Helm was expected to be a bit of a project player. He was only the No. 24 corner in the nation coming out of high school, and he was the third-highest rated defensive back Florida signed in the class.
He didn’t see much action as a true freshman in 2020, appearing in just one game, Florida’s loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. With a number of starters sitting out, UF gave a lot of opportunities to younger players like Helm in that game, and he earned a tackle.
Helm entered the 2021 season expected to be a rotational player in the secondary, but those plans changed when projected starter Jaydon Hill was lost for the season with a knee injury in camp. Helm won the starting job opposite Kaiir Elam over true freshman Jason Marshall, and though he’s had to deal with some learning curves as a redshirt freshman, he does have five tackles and a pass deflection through three games.
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Wells is making an impact on the field after a difficult start to his Florida career.
Name: Rick Wells
Number: 12
Position: Wide Receiver
Class: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 200 lbs
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
High School: Raines
Twitter: @Rick_Wells3
2020 statistics:
| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
| 12 | 120 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
Overview:
Wells was a three-star recruit from Raines High School in Jacksonville coming out of high school, and he was the first player to join the 2016 recruiting class under then-coach Jim McElwain. Wells held firm on his commitment, and he eventually signed with the Gators.
The early part of Wells’ college career was marred by off-the-field incidents. He was arrested for an airsoft gun incident in 2016 before the beginning of the season, and he eventually redshirted after not appearing in a game that year. Then, he missed the entirety of his redshirt freshman season in 2017 due to his involvement in the credit card fraud scandal.
Wells was internally disciplined in the summer of 2018 for another airsoft gun incident that involved five of his teammates, as well, and he only made one catch for 10 yards as a redshirt sophomore despite appearing in 10 games, mostly as a reserve receiver and on special teams.
It was largely the same story in 2019. Wells was suspended for the season opener for unknown reasons, and despite playing in nine games, he only boosted his catches from one to two for 27 yards.
The 2020 season, however, was when things finally started to go right for Wells. Though he was buried on the receiver depth chart by Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland, he still had the best season of his career, by far. Appearing at receiver in 10 games, he totaled 120 yards on 12 catches.
Wells understandably took advantage of the extra year of eligibility allowed to players due to COVID-19, and he returned in 2021 for his sixth year in his biggest role yet.
2021: Through three games, he already has seven catches for 82 yards, and he caught the first touchdown of his college career in the season opener against Florida Atlantic. Though he’s still a backup, he’s one of Florida’s primary rotational receivers, and he should be in store for a career year during his final campaign in the orange and blue.
Video:
🔸🔶TOUCHDOWN #GATORS🔷🔹@eXjones6 finds Rick Wells on the screen and Florida goes up 14-0 on FAU and the Fighting Willies! pic.twitter.com/pRIkHfX8Kk
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) September 5, 2021
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