Tag: Sean Ryan

Naseim Brantley ranked among the top 20 wide receivers in the Big Ten

Naseim Brantley checks in as one of the Big Ten’s top ranked wide receivers.

Rutgers football seems to have landed an impact player in the Big Ten in Naseim Brantley. Brantley joins Rutgers via the transfer portal with the chance to be a top-tier wide receiver in the conference.

Brantley came to Rutgers this offseason at a position of need. He brings veteran experience and has the ability to be a game-changer for a Scarlet Knights offense that struggled last year.

An FCS All-American at Western Illinois, Brantley had 53 catches for 909 receiving yards with nine touchdowns last season. In 2022 against Minnesota, he had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown in a loss at the Big Ten program.

In writing up his assessment of Brantley, College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked the Rutgers wide receiver as the No. 12 player at his position in the Big Ten:

“He was among the top receivers in FCS and was named Newcomer of the Year for the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Brantley looks to prove himself at the Power Five level with Rutgers, a team that scored just 17.4 points per game which ranked No. 124 in the country.”

Brantley will look to help Rutgers offset the loss in production with the graduation of [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag], [autotag]Shameen Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Ryan[/autotag].

There is talent and potential for Rutgers at wide receiver, but it isn’t necessarily proven. A lot will be expected of Rashad Rochelle, coming off a true freshman season where he played wide receiver, running back and special teams, has the potential to be a breakout player this fall for Rutgers.

To read the full list from College Sports Wire, click here.

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Rutgers football taps the Erasmus Hall pipeline, offers Lyrick Samuel

Lyrick Samuel is offered by Rutgers football on Wednesday.

Lyrick Samuel is the latest New York standout to be offered by Rutgers football. The Brooklyn wide receiver pulled in an offer from the Big Ten program on Tuesday night.

The talented wide receiver is projected to be one of the top three athletes in New York’s 2025 recruiting class.

Samuel counts Rutgers as his fourth Power Five offer, having already been offered by Michigan State, Penn State and Syracuse.

A 6-foot-4, 175-pound wide receiver, Samuel played for a powerhouse Erasmus Hall team that finished last season 10-2.

In a social media post on Tuesday night, Samuel announced the offer, tagging Rutgers defensive line coach [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag] along with head coach Greg Schiano:

 

Rutgers football is no stranger to Erasmus Hall with alumni such as [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Izien[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Ryan[/autotag] among others having passed from Brooklyn to the banks of the Raritan.

Rutgers currently has the No. 22 recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports and is No. 23 per Rivals.

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Who could be QB coach target if Browns lose Drew Petzing?

Could there be a reunion coming in Cleveland?

Reports are out that if Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon gets the head job in Arizona, quarterback coach Drew Petzing could be his top choice for an offensive coordinator. If that happens it will leave the Cleveland Browns looking for a new quarterback coach and they could turn to a coach who has worked with Deshaun Watson before. Veteran coach Sean Ryan was Watson’s coach in Houston in 2017 and 2018 and might be a target for the Browns.

During Watson’s rookie year with Ryan, he only appeared in seven games before tearing his ACL. However, in 2018 Ryan helped guide Watson to an impressive season where he completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,165 yards and 26 touchdowns with only nine interceptions.

Sean Ryan is a well-respected coach in the NFL where his career started over a decade ago with the Giants in 2007. Ryan spent the last two seasons as the quarterbacks coach in Carolina and likely will be available with the coaching change.

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Watch: Sean Ryan gets first touchdown as Rutgers takes an early lead at No. 3 Ohio State

Rutgers football got on the board first with a touchdown catch from Sean Ryan.

Sean Ryan got his Rutgers football touchdown, and he did so in one of the biggest settings in college football.

Ryan hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Evan Simon early in the first quarter to give Rutgers a 7-0 lead at No. 3 Ohio State. The touchdown catch came after Ryan did a nice job of fighting off Denzel Burke, who had good coverage on the play.

It was a tightly thrown ball from Simon, putting it where only Ryan could catch it.

A transfer from West Virginia, Ryan is a big possession wide receiver who adds some much-needed size and strength to the Rutgers wide receiver room.

Check out Ryan’s catch to put Rutgers up on Ohio State…and open up his scoring account with the Scarlet Knights:

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Last season at West Virginia, Ryan had 399 receiving yards on 25 catches with three touchdowns. He is one of several players on the Rutgers roster from Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

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Giants vs. Panthers: 5 things to know about Week 2

The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers square off on Sunday afternoon in Week 2, so here are five things fans should know.

The New York Giants (1-0) host the Carolina Panthers (0-1) at MetLife Stadium this coming Sunday afternoon.

The Giants won their opener on the road, 21-20, against the Tennessee Titans, their first Kickoff Weekend win since 2016 and only their second since 2011.

The Panthers lost their opener at home, 26-24, to the Cleveland Browns. Two questionable calls in the final minute by the officials gave the Browns an opportunity to win the game.

Here are five things to know about Sunday’s matchup.

Rutgers football: Greg Schiano is pleased with how his transfer wide receivers played

Rutgers football got some solid performances from their wide receivers in Friday’s spring game.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Taj Harris and Sean Ryan fit in seamlessly to the Rutgers football offense on Friday night during the annual spring game. The two transfer wide receivers added a new dimension to an offense that at times last year was lacking explosiveness.

The integration of Harris and Ryan into the offense is going to be as important for the Scarlet Knights as the production from the quarterback position and the development of the offensive line. All three units were a question mark throughout last season.

And now after the spring game, it appears that the offensive line is improved from last season and that the wide receivers are certainly a more balanced group with the chance to be explosive. [autotag]Bo Melton[/autotag], likely to be taken on Day 3 of the NFL draft, was very good last year and Shameen Jones showed some flashes, but adding the two transfers will be a big help for Rutgers.

“I think they are really going to help us. You know, they come in, they join Shameen, and then a host of other guys,” head coach Greg Schiano said after the game.

“We lose a really fine player in Bo as he leaves for the NFL. And I think it’s really important that what we did through the portal, supplementing what we already have here. We have some young receivers that are going to be really good but they make take a little while to get there. To have some experienced guys on the squad now that, helps a lot.”

Ryan (a transfer from West Virginia) led the Scarlet team with four catches for 48 yards. The White team was led by Harris (a transfer from Syracuse) who had five catches for 49 yards, including a first quarter touchdown catch.

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Harris and Ryan along with Jones gives Rutgers some good talent at wide receiver. If [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag] can fully recover from his season-ending injury suffered last fall, then Rutgers will be able to go with multiple looks for whoever may be the starting quarterback.

It is a lot of speed on the field as well, something Rutgers has been lacking in recent years.

Lost in the buzz about Harris and Ryan from Friday’s scrimmage was the fact that wide receiver [autotag]Josh Youngblood[/autotag] flashed with two catches for 29 yards.

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An outstanding returner, Youngblood, a transfer from Kansas State, might be the fastest player on the roster.

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Panthers have largest contingent on hand for Kenny Pickett’s pro day

The Panthers, hands down, were the most represented team at Pitt QB Kenny Pickett’s pro day.

Save for owner David Tepper and the guy who pops the popcorn at Bank of America Stadium, the Carolina Panthers seemingly had everyone in Pittsburgh today. And they’re there, no doubt, for Kenny Pickett.

At the start of what’ll be a key 48 hours for the organization, Carolina’s brass just about flooded the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on Monday. There, they’ve locked in on Pickett—the first of two quarterback prospects that sixth overall selection may ultimately be used on.

Being that this offseason is of particular importance for the current regime, and that their decision with said pick could shape the franchise for years to come, they spared no expense on their representation. While 31 of the NFL’s 32 teams were in attendance at University of Pittsburgh pro day, the Panthers were the only one to send a full house.

That house consisted of:

  • General manager Scott Fitterer
  • Assistant general manager Dan Morgan
  • Head coach Matt Rhule
  • Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo
  • Quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan

Also, Rhule and company didn’t mind making themselves at home either:

The Panthers are already well-acquainted with the 2021 First-team All-American passer—as he not only put his talents on display all over Carolina’s home turf back in December, but was a former recruit of Rhule’s at Temple University. So, will they get even more well-acquainted come April?

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Threat Assessment: A deep dive into the Mountaineers before week 4

Get to know the strength, weakness, and threat level of West Virginia before they roll into town to play the Sooners in week 4

Opponent: West Virginia

Record: 2-1

Threat level (1-10): 7

Rundown:  

If the Mountaineers can find a way to hold onto the football, they could be a pretty good team this year. Through just three games, they have coughed up four fumbles and three interceptions and rank 124th in the FBS in turnovers lost.

Takeaways proved to be the difference-maker in week one. West Virginia was perfectly capable of knocking off Maryland, going 4-5 in the red zone and starting with terrific field position after 217 return yards. But a muffed kickoff return and a pair of Jarret Doege interceptions spotted the Terrapins an extra three possessions and the 30-24 win.

Much like Oklahoma against Tulane and Nebraska, West Virginia grabbed a big lead against Virginia Tech before the Hokies clawed their way back into it. The passing game dried up in the second half, and the Mountaineers survived by bludgeoning VT quarterback Braxton Burmeister with six sacks.

Strength: Rush defense

WVU allows a meager 2.6 yards per rushing attempt.

Weakness: Ball security

At -6, the Mountaineers hold the second-worst turnover margin in the FBS.

Monitor:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Garrett Green. Head coach Neal Brown likes to incorporate him in running situations.

Up Next: Leddie Brown

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Analysis: WR Robby Anderson’s extension makes Panthers an enticing destination

The Panthers are locked in with the likes of Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, Christian McCaffrey, Taylor Moton and Terrace Marshall Jr. If Sam Darnold doesn’t work out at QB, there will be others.

In a perfect world, the Carolina Panthers are able to successfully salvage what the New York Jets left behind in Sam Darnold. But this world isn’t perfect and neither is this situation at quarterback.

On Tuesday, the Panthers announced a two-year contract extension with receiver Robby Anderson. The fifth-year wideout earned that money by being absolutely money for the team thus far, coming off a career season of 1,096 yards on 95 catches in 2020.

Although he’s largely thought of as a premier deep-ball threat, Anderson is much more than that. (He’s also, for you ham-and-eggers, much more than the guy who thought a giant cat was a bear . . . )

Many may overlook his prowess as a route runner, for one, given the assumption that he lives primarily off the go. He’s often exhibited sharp footwork and direction on his runs, which made him a particularly effective intermediate last season for Carolina. Anderson picked up 512 yards after the catch this past campaign, good enough for the fourth-highest total in the NFL.

His hands have gradually improved as well. Not only do the visuals prove that he plays with much stronger mitts, but so do the numbers. 2020’s catch rate of 69.9 percent, aided a bit by the dink-and-dunk layups from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, was by far his highest yet. The next closest mark was 55.3 percent back in 2017.

Overall, he’s closer to an entire package of a pass catcher than he is to being a Ted Ginn Jr. He’s a constant home run threat who can beat you downfield and underneath, whether that be on straight runs to bust the top open or a lengthy catch-and-run off a slippery slant route.

And that’s where this all ties into that Darnold lede you just read at the top. All of Anderson, as well as the cast next to him in running back Christian McCaffrey, fellow wideouts DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr. and tackle Taylor Moton, makes Carolina that much more of an appealing option for whoever is under center in 2022.

We’ll be fair to Sam, though. Yes, perhaps his fit in New York wasn’t healthy for either of the parties involved. Management had been disconnected, the top of the coaching tree was rotted early on and the personnel around the 2018 third overall pick was never worthy of the investment the Jets made in him.

But, to also be fair to facts and reality, Darnold hasn’t proved a damn thing yet. The promising prospect we saw at the University of Southern California has yet to make the trip out of Cali, as the poised, strong-armed, athletic slinger we saw in that Trojan uniform has become a distant memory.

Hopefully, for him and the Panthers, head coach Matt Rhule, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan get the most out of him. The thing is, what if Darnold’s most isn’t enough? What if he is what he is and doesn’t work out for the organization moving forward?

Well, that’ll give way to the next experiment, whomever that may be. Can they lure in a big-name veteran quarterback, say an Aaron Rodgers if the relationship in Green Bay keeps souring? Or maybe they can make a 2022 rookie feel comfortable right off the bat with the talented crop of weapons.

Either way, whichever path that Darnold and 2021 may take the Panthers down, they’re now set up. With Anderson, Moore, Marshall, McCaffrey and Moton all locked in for at least the next two years, Carolina could be a hot spot for the next best quarterback out.

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Panthers QBs coach talks about Sam Darnold’s technique

Unlocking his potential will fall mostly on Darnold’s shoulders.

The Carolina Panthers changed quarterbacks again this year, effectively trading Teddy Bridgewater for Sam Darnold. While there’s no doubt Darnold is a better athlete than Bridgewater and a more talented quarterback in general, he still has a great deal of room to improve. Unlocking his potential will fall mostly on Darnold’s shoulders. Carolina’s coaching staff will also play a critical role, though. That will begin with sharpening his technique.

New quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan says the team is working on Darnold’s footwork and his movement in and around the pocket, according to David Newton at ESPN.

“The process would be like any other quarterback I’ve worked with — you start from the feet up. . . When your feet are right, when your lower half is right, there’s a really good chance the balls are going in the right spot. . . To me, less moving parts equals more accuracy. So I think it’s a subtle movement up in the pocket, or to the side in the pocket, but I’m still in a great throwing position. And we’ve done a lot of that this offseason.”

If the Panthers can turn Darnold into a solid starter, it will be a parade-worthy accomplishment Matt Rhule’s staff. Pro Football Focus has him ranked No. 28 at the position right now and he was just named the league’s worst passer outside of the pocket.

All that said, Darnold just turned 24 years old and hasn’t had a legitimate chance to prove himself at this level. He deserves at least a full season with a competent playcaller and a quality receiver corps before any definitive judgments are made about his ability. Darnold will have both in Carolina.

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