Best of luck to former Crimson Tide WR Xavier Williams!
A former Alabama wide receiver has officially announced his transfer destination.
Xavier Williams, a former four-star recruit from Hollywood, FL, was ranked the No. 24 wide receiver in the 2018 class. He committed to the Crimson Tide in January of 2017 and signed as soon as he was able to.
With the receiving corps at Alabama getting more and more talented, Williams decided it would be best for him to try his luck elsewhere.
He entered the transfer portal in November of 2021. Williams announced his decision via his official Twitter account, and he is heading to Utah State to play Mountain West Conference football.
Williams caught three passes for 24 yards in the 2020 campaign, but he hasn’t had much meaningful playing time since arriving at the Capstone.
All of Alabama Nation should wish Xavier luck in the 2022 college football season as he seeks a starting role with a new squad.
Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Henry and all other Alabama alumni in the NFL.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.
Colorado State botched clock management to a new level in its loss to Utah State
All Colorado State had to do was spike … the … damn … ball.
The clock stops after first downs in college football in order to move the chains.
Somehow, Colorado State lost track of this and wound up losing to Utah State, 26-24, on a missed field goal Friday after a Keystone Cops scramble to get its special teams on the field.
All the Rams needed was a field goal. They were in a position to kick the game-winner after Tyler Centeio hit Ty McCullough for a 15-yard gain to the Utah State 24 for a first down with 11 seconds left.
The Rams had moved 61 yards in 44 seconds when their “fast-field goal unit” lost its collective mind.
Head coach Steve Addazio said he told the field-goal unit “No” and wanted Centeio to spike the ball.
The Rams would have had time to run another play before trying the possible game-winning kick.
And then this happened:
Instead of spiking it on first down and stopping the clock, Colorado State rushed their field goal unit onto the field.
With the clock running, they then missed the potential game-winning field goal. Utah State wins the game. pic.twitter.com/vw3sXclgDP
Steve Addazio says they wanted to spike the ball, but the "fast field goal" team was ready in case it was short for a 4th down. Said they kind of just rushed on, weren't sent on. "No one sent them in, but they took off on the field."
“They weren’t sent, but they went and it created that confusion at the end, which is just a shame,” Addazio said. “We really got set up, it wasn’t like we weren’t set up to kick the field goal. We were set up to kick the field goal, we just didn’t strike it. That’s what happened at the end there. No one sent them in, but they took off on the field.”
Here is Steve Addazio's full comments about the final field goal sequence. Says Colorado State's field goal unit went on the field on their own when there should have been a spike.https://t.co/0OGgz3dTuepic.twitter.com/3TRYiNaSBZ
Plenty of preseason intrigue for this Aggie offense
If football is played this year, Utah State has plenty of interesting story-lines on their offense. Late season transfers, both incoming and outgoing, have fundamentally shifted the focus and identity of this offense. On top of that, the Aggies return plenty of experience in their receiver corps. Combined with having a new offensive coordinator, this side of the ball has the opportunity to flourish if the pieces can effectively come together.
Quarterback
To the surprise of just about everybody, the Aggies landed grad transferJason Shelley out of Utah. The signal-caller has two years of eligibility left and can start playing immediately.
He carved a name out for himself as the Utes’ starter in 2018 after starter Tyler Huntley went down for the season due to injury. Shelley played well, all things considered, scoring key victories against the Oregon, Colorado, and BYU as the starter. His efforts helped send the Utes to the PAC-12 championship game against Washington that year. T
hough the offensive wheels came off against the Huskies, Shelley finished the 2018 season throwing 1,162 yards for 5 TD and 6 INT while rushing 63 times for 192 yards and three scores.
2018 – #17 Utah vs BYU
“A comeback for the ages”
Down 27-7, the Utes scored 28 straight points in the final 16 minutes to stun BYU pic.twitter.com/IfsWneLTeC
Those are decent stats that can only stand to improve with more time to be groomed as the proper starter. He’s shown the ability to be elusive with his feet, so any extra dimension this offense can get is positive for Utah State. Considering how many times the Aggie offense stalled last year in third-and-short situation, an extra body the defense has to respect boosts this unit’s chances of success.
Depth is more precarious behind Shelley, however. With the departure of Henry Colombi to Texas Tech, an unmistakably big loss, the Aggies will need to rely on largely unproven backups in case Shelley needs relief. Returning from injury will be SO Andrew Peasley.
He showed tremendous promise with his legs early last season, but it’s unknown how well he can throw the ball. Playing in garbage time against Stony Brook doesn’t say much about how he can contribute this season. His injury against the Sea Wolves almost certainly hampered his progression, and redshirt freshmen Cooper Legas and Josh Calvin haven’t played at all.
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Running Back
Utah State’s backfield is looking much better now than it was even just a couple of months ago. The Aggies received extremely welcome news with the addition of another graduate transfer in Devonta’e Henry-Cole. He looks to end his final year of eligibility on a high note and this offense may give him just what he needs. He originally signed with BYU, but had a change of heart late and received a release from his NLI.
At Utah, Henry-Cole put respectable numbers in a limited role. He rushed for 451 yards on 86 attempts in his last two seasons, including four touchdown runs. In a deep unit for the Utes, he managed to average over 5 yards per carry.
For the Aggies, Henry-Cole gives badly needed production for a unit that lacks depth behind SR Jaylen Warren. With an experienced teammate to help him out, Warren can reasonably split carries now and hopefully avoid any injuries that plagued him last year.
When healthy, Warren was a load to tackle in 2019 for opposing defenses. He rushed 112 times for 569 yards and five touchdowns, good for 5.1 yards per carry. Plus, he is on the preseason Doak Walker watch list for the best running back in the nation.
If Warren can avoid injury this go-around, the duo can easily carry the load on the ground while younger backs like FR John Gentry and FR Elelyon Noa find their footing. There will be plenty of touches for the older backs and it will help younger backs adjust to the system. Both Gentry and Noa are talented and have impressive offer lists, but they still need to crank out production when they can.
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: Utah State Aggies Offense 3 Things To Know
– Considering the talent in place and the potential of what the offense could have done, 2019 was a disappointment.
It’s not every day that you have a quarterback the caliber of Jordan Love to work with.
The O was fine – averaging 431 yards and 29 points per game – but it stalled too often, wasn’t consistent, and it wasn’t able to establish any sort of an identity. Now the team presses on without Love and top running back Gerold Bright, but …
CFN in 60 Video: Washington State Preview
Washington State at Utah State, Sept. 3
[jwplayer D62ynWhp]
– The offensive line has the potential to be terrific. It was good enough in pass protection and was okay at times for the running game, and now all five starters are expected back around Karter Shaw at one guard spot and 6-7, 310-pound junior Alfred Edwards at tackle.
Bright might be done, but Jaylen Warren is a great-looking back who should shine as the main man in the backfield. It’s a thin group of running backs, though, needing freshman Elelyon Noa and a few JUCO transfers to be instant factors.
– Can Henry Colombi replace Love and even do more? The passing game was fine, but Love threw too many interceptions – 17 – and the he took too long to kick in. He was great over the second half of the year, but there was a lull in the middle of the campaign.
Colombi doesn’t have the NFL tools of Love, but he has been around long enough to be able to step in and be fine. 6-2, 200-pound sophomore Andrew Peasley is the top other option.
Leading receiver Siaosi Mariner is done after coming up with 63 catches with ten scores, but Jordan Nathan is a good veteran who made 56 catches as a short-range target, 5-7 Deven Thompkins is a speedster who caught 40 passes with four scores, and star kick returner Savon Scarver needs to get the ball in his hands more on the offensive side.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Utah State Aggies Defense 3 Things To Know
After back-to-back home tilts against Washington State and Southern Utah, Utah State will embark on the road for the first time in 2020 against the physically-minded Huskies. Even without the services of former head coach Chris Petersen, this Husky defense is going to be strong and look to punish an Aggie team that will doubtlessly be searching for its identity. The game is set for Sept. 19 but the TV network has not been announced.
Location: Seattle, Washington
Mascot: Harry the Husky & Dubs
Conference: Pac-12
2019 Record: 8-5
Head Coach: Jimmy Lake (Overall 0-0). There is no question Lake has big shoes to fill with the sudden departure of Chris Petersen last season. Luckily for the Huskies, the transition is all but guaranteed to be smooth with the amount of defensive experience Lake has to his name. He has been at Washington as a defensive assistant for the last six seasons, two of which he was the co-defensive coordinator and the last two as the full-time defensive coordinator.
Despite the loss of nine starters from 2018, Lake’s defensive unit limited opponents to 19.4 points per game in 2019, good for 15th best in the country. Though the Huskies’ record last year was disappointing, the defense kept them in every game and ensured all but one of their losses was within one score. This defense hits hard and makes absolutely nothing easy for its opposition. Lake helped build the culture at U-Dub into what it is under Chris Petersen and it’s genuinely terrific.
Quick Series Snapshot: Washington leads 2-0
These two schools have only played twice. In 1998, Dave Arslanian’s Aggie team got utterly embarrassed and dominated 53-12. The game was so bad it even prompted Arslanian to say in the post-game press conference this gem: “I must be a lousy football coach. I’ve never seen that bad of a performance. I apologize, especially to the Huskies, for being the inept opponent we were today.”
The Aggies at least showed up in the 2015 game. After a competitive first half, the defense faltered and the offense sputtered in a 31-17 loss. Then freshman QB Jake Browning showed off his arm and torched a largely helpless secondary, previewing to the college world how good of a career he was going to have in Seattle.
Washington Huskies, 2019 Season:
Though a few highlight games provided great thrills, the 2019 season will go down as a “what if” type of season for U-Dub fans.
The Huskies took care of business against their FCS foe Eastern Washington with ease in week one. The next week, they surprised everyone (including Cal fans) after losing a defensive slug-fest in Seattle to the Golden Bears. Cal got the go-ahead field goal with under ten seconds to go and Husky QB Jacob Eason couldn’t make late-game magic.
After the bitter loss, the Huskies righted the ship with three solid wins in a row against Hawaii, BYU, and USC. Washington dominated all three games and looked like a shoo-in for the Pac-12 North Division winners.
The Huskies then lost control of their season as quickly as they seemed to initially tame it. They lost three of their next four games, and each loss was a heartbreaker worse than the one before. Losses to the Ducks, Utes, and Cardinal all but ensured Washington would not head back to the Pac-12 championship game. Adding insult to injury, they even lost a road contest against a poor Colorado team in Boulder.
The Huskies closed out their 2019 campaign on a good note, however. They scored dominant wins against their in-state rival Washington State and then granted Chris Petersen the last laugh in a romp against Boise State in the Las Vegas bowl.
2020 Overview:
Offense:
With the departure of Jacob Eason, U-Dub is going to have a QB competition on its hands. Unfortunately for the Huskies, none of their prospects have much experience in games and not a single one has thrown a touchdown pass on game day. With inexperience and a new offensive coordinator comes growing pains. SO Jacob Sirmon is the early favorite to win the role, but FR Ethan Garbers and Dylan Morris can make it interesting in the coming weeks.
Though quarterback is an unmistakable weakness at this point, Washington still has excellent recruits and some proven playmakers on their offense. SO RB Richard Newton is expected to carry most of the load this season and SR Sean McGrew is more than capable of having a breakout performance. Newton had good numbers last season with 514 yards gained on 117 attempts, garnering 10 touchdowns. McGrew was used less but had a higher rushing average per play. Both of these runners saw less time than star rusher Salvon Ahmed last season, but they are now well prepared to carry the offense while their QB finds his feet in the scheme.
The Huskies return a pair of JR receivers in Cade Otton and Terrell Bynum to take over for Aaron Fuller and Hunter Bryant from 2019. Though their receptions last year are dwarfed by the graduated seniors, Otton and Bynum still totaled up more than 340 yards each to go along with their combined four touchdown grabs. They’ll undoubtedly need to help out their QB and get open against the DBs they match up against or else this offense could have the tendency to sputter.
Defense:
Unlike the question marks they have on offense, Washington is in excellent shape on the defensive side of the ball. SR Elijah Molden is back at corner and he’ll be looking to build on a stellar junior year where he tallied up 79 total tackles and made first-team All Pac-12. SR Keith Taylor will help Molden out at the other corner and is no slouch with 59 total tackles in 2019. This secondary allowed just over 222 yards per game last year and I expect them to improve due to the overall increased age and maturity of the unit.
At linebacker, the Huskies have some big bodies to work with. SO Edefuan Ulofoshio should increase his production from last year and JR Joe Tryon will be an absolute load for opposing offenses to plan against. Tryon is bigger than your typical LB and he can slide into the defensive line as a DE as well. He’s multi-talented and is slated to be a high round NFL draft pick for 2021. When SR Ryan Bowman is on the field as well, there will be many frightened QBs who don’t want to run into either of them.
The defensive line has a couple of stars who will certainly cause havoc for the Huskies. SR Levi Onwuzurikenabbed 45 tackles last season and a couple of sacks. SR Josiah Bronson rounds out the upperclassmen on the line and will need to step up his production from last season for this unit to shine to its fullest potential. He earned 23 tackles in 2019 and was recently granted another year of eligibility. The rest of the line is quite young, so the fortunes will largely ebb and flow with these two seniors.
Final Thoughts and Game Prediction
Historically, Utah State has not played well on the road against P5 teams. It pains me to say it, but they just haven’t. Though there’s no telling how much of a factor the crowd at Husky Stadium will be in the midst of a pandemic, the Aggies have a ton to prove.
In a similar twist to the Washington State matchup earlier in the season, this game will likely be a game of strength vs weakness on each side of the ball. Washington has a lot of retooling to do on offense and will be against an Aggie defense that should be substantially improved over last season. Conversely, Utah State’s offense has to show up against a traditionally very strong Washington front seven to have a puncher’s chance in this game.
The Aggies’ shuffling of offensive lineman last season hasn’t yielded a terribly consistent unit. USU started strong in this category last year, but once SO Andy Koch went down to injury early in the season, the sacks started to pile up and the Aggies finished 44th in sacks allowed. This offensive line can get pushed around versus a stalwart and beefy defensive line, so it will be critical for SR Demytrick Ali’ifua to get his occasionally wayward snaps under control. This will give time to Jr Henry Colombi to get the ball out quickly to his seasoned receivers, a potential match-up advantage over the Huskies.
Washington was strong against the run last season ranking 28th in the NCAA and yielding just 126.4 yards per game to their opponents. Since USU’s passing game is a question mark right now, the Aggies will have to rely on getting the ground game churning with SR Jaylen Warren leading the way. USU was middle of the road rushing the ball in 2019 at 152.2 yards per game, so Warren will need to stay healthy and get help from one of the younger backs to elevate this offense.
The Aggies are most likely going to have a rough outing against Washington. Though USU’s defense is probably good enough to keep the Husky offense in check, it’s going to turn into a murder slog quickly if USU can’t keep the chains moving against a schematically sound and disciplined Husky defense. They’re athletically superior and quite talented with the highest rated signing class in the Pac-12 for 2020.
I stopped believing in Utah State’s ability to win a P5 road game a long time ago. They won’t get it done until they actually get it done. This game will be largely a repeat of the 2015 affair, just uglier and more drawn out.
Utah State sets foot into the 2020 season by hosting the Washington State Cougars. While newly minted Cougar head coach Nick Rolovich doesn’t have the cachet or reputation of departed head coach Mike Leach, it would be a mistake for the Aggies to write off Wazzou’s offense. The game is set for September 3rd with TV rights yet to be announced.
Location: Pullman, WA
Mascot: Butch T. Cougar
Conference: PAC-12
2018 Record: 6-7
Head Coach: Nick Rolovich (Overall 28-27). As a former player and head coach of the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, Nick Rolovich saw his share of ups and downs. As a player, he had a poor 2000 season followed by a very good 2001 season as the team’s starting quarterback.
After rising through the coaching ranks, Rolovich earned the privilege of being the Warriors’ head coach starting with the 2016 season. Though his first two years on the job resulted in shaky 7-7 and 3-9 campaigns, the team cemented an explosive and entertaining offense en route to 8-6 and 10-5 records the following two seasons. Before departing for the frozen tundra of Pullman, Rolovich’s career in Honolulu culminated in a wacky and wonderful Hawaii bowl win against BYU.
On paper, Rolovich is the right hire for Wazzou. He’s employing the run-and-shoot offense, which is similar to the air raid that Mike Leach employed so successfully in the Pac-12. With his own offensive background and system in tow, it would appear to even be a great situation. Nonetheless, Rolovich apes Leach’s own liabilities in overall poor defensive tradition and scheme. If Wazzou does more of the same with Rolovich, it may initially put a ceiling on what the coach can accomplish in 2020 with key missing players.
Quick Series Snapshot: WSU leads 2-1
The Aggies and the Cougars haven’t met on the gridiron since 1961, Merlin Olsen‘s final collegiate season. Utah State traveled to Pullman and bruised the Cougars 34-14. The previous two games in the series saw Wazzou dominate the Ags both times.
Washington State Cougars, 2019 Season:
This season will go down for many Coug fans as a bitter pill to swallow. The Cougs got off to a hot 3-0 start, albeit against inferior competition. After winning a close one against the Houston Cougars, Wazzou’s scoring offense had amassed 148 points in just three games. With winnable games against UCLA, Colorado, and Arizona State on the horizon, it looked like another potential North division championship was coming for the Cougs.
Chip Kelly and UCLA had other plans. In what was certainly one of the most bizarre and wild college football games ever played, Cougar QB Anthony Gordonthrew nine touchdowns and 570 yards against two interceptions… and lost at home to a then winless Bruins team. The Cougs went on to lose to Utah and Arizona State and diminish any sort of accomplishment they had the first three weeks of the season.
After blowing another close game to Oregon, the Cougs shocked everyone with a dominant win over the Stanford Cardinal and delighted their fans with a squeaker win over Oregon State. Unfortunately, the regular season ended with another loss to the Washington Huskies, bringing their current Apple Cup losing streak to seven.
As a final parting gift to the fanbase, Mike Leach’s last game with the Cougars resulted in an underwhelming and sloppy 31-21 loss to a strong Air Force team in their bowl game. Leach moved on to Mississippi State, prolific QB Gordon graduated, and Rolovich took the head coaching reins shortly after that.
2020 Overview:
Offense: With the departure of Anthony Gordon at QB, the Cougs will have a QB competition on their hands. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Wazzou didn’t get a single Spring practice session this year. The apparent front-runners for the position are RS SO Cammon Cooper and RS FR Gunner Cruz. Neither QB has appeared in a game.
Wazzou is in much better shape at wide receiver. Though losing some of their top receivers from 2019 in Dezmon Patmon and Brandon Arconado, the Cougs return explosive targets in JR Travell Harris, SR Renard Bell, and SR Davontavean Martin. All of these players have significant game experience. When you add up their numbers with the fourth returning receiver for Wazzou, their numbers amount to a strong 154 catches, 1,796 yards and 16 touchdowns from 2019. They’ll help carry the load for the inexperienced QB and make his life much easier.
Explosive plays: that's what we like, that's what we like. 😎@gordo1_ found @TayMartin_1 for this 58-yard play that led to a @WSUCougarFB TD.
Though not the featured aspect of the offense by any stretch, the Cougs will still have some credible weapons at RB. JR Max Borghi will look to build on a successful 2019 season and reassert himself as the starter. He ran a solid 817 yards on 127 attempts and garnered 11 touchdowns. RS SR Deon McIntonsh will also look to play a bigger role in 2020 and back up Borghi. Most of the RBs the Cougs have at their disposal are inexperienced, but a few of them have great size.
On the defensive line, Wazzou has just one senior in Will Rodgers III. Though he put up strong numbers in 2019 with 27 total tackles and four sacks, he’ll need to step up and lead a unit that consists of mostly underclassmen. The Cougars’ run defense was not stellar last year, allowing 185.5 yards per game. Though it’s reasonable to expect an improvement, this unit still has some of its work cut out for it if the secondary doesn’t get better.
Final Thoughts and Game Prediction
It’s extremely typical for first games of the season to be sloppy and penalty ridden affairs. It takes time for team chemistry to coalesce into meaningful game-time production. When it comes right down to it, the season opener for USU is going to be extremely ugly across the board.
The Aggies are breaking in a new, albeit not inexperienced QB in Henry Colombi. They have a new offensive coordinator to boot, which almost inevitably makes losing several top receiving targets from last season like TE Caleb Repp and WR Siaosi Mariner an even harder burden to bear. Without those targets, receivers like SR Jordan Nathan, SR Savon Scarver, and SR Taylor Compton all need to take a meaningful step forward and exhibit leadership for the passing game to be a threat. Losing your top signal caller in Jordan Love to the NFL draft has its drawbacks.
For the Cougars, they also have a large set of challenges to overcome. Not only will they have a deeply inexperienced QB taking the reins of their newly installed run-and-shoot offense, but their first start will also be on the road. There’s no telling how Wazzou’s signal-caller is going to react in that environment until the chips fall. Without the benefit of any Spring practices at all, developing chemistry is a tough ask, even for the most assured athlete. If Wazzou’s traditionally strong offensive line doesn’t protect their passer, USU’s re-schemed 3-4-4 defense could cause major problems to whomever wins the starting job.
When it comes down to it, this game is most likely going to be a shootout. The Cougs are traditionally pass happy and light on the run, but USU’s secondary has much to prove after a mediocre 2019 season. On the flip side, Wazzou’s defensive culture is historically weak and last season was no exception. Against a new coaching staff and defensive philosophy change, USU should be able to gain significant yards on the ground and help gather confidence for an offensive line that has yet to show it can consistently bowl over its opposition.
Whoever possesses the ball last is going to win this high-scoring, penalty-ridden, and mistake-filled game.
Final Prediction- Utah State 35, Washington State 34
Can the scrappy converted RB make it to the league?
Gerold Bright was nothing if not infectiously upbeat and consistent in his time with the Utah State Aggies.
After redshirting the 2015 season, Bright played wide receiver and had mixed success. He clearly showed explosive potential in his limited touches and toughness in his stride. Late in the 2017 season, he changed over to being a running back full time and provided juice to a then-inconsistent offense.
The 2018 season is when Bright solidified his presence as a playmaker. In tandem with his rushing partner Darwin Thompson, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, Bright churned out 888 yards and 10 touchdowns on 141 carries. His strong production helped keep Thompson (and Bright himself) fresh so he could eclipse the 1,000-yard mark that year. Though he may not have been the feature back like Thompson, Bright’s contributions to USU’s offense cannot be understated as he was a key part of the 2018 team’s success.
In 2019, Bright put together another strong campaign by rushing for 921 yards and nine touchdowns on 182 carries. Though the numbers weren’t quite as good as 2018, Bright nonetheless put the team on his shoulders at different times and helped grind out some close games. His best effort undoubtedly came against Colorado State where he seemed nigh unstoppable. Had Jaylen Warren been able to stay consistently healthy, Bright may have been able to hit 1,000 yards for the year.
With the right mindset and a big smile, Bright may yet convince an NFL team to take a chance on him, whether he gets drafted late or not.
Bright has consistent production and strength in his runs. He can move the pile when needed and he rarely makes mistakes. He also has versatility as a pass catcher, which may widen his appeal to an NFL team looking to add an athlete to their roster. Being unselfish and having a great attitude are excellent attributes to have heading into the NFL Draft.
Weaknesses
Bright showed a bad habit in 2019 of trying to make something out of nothing. Regardless of what the defense gave him, he would often try and run around tacklers ran than through them, where he had considerably more success. This leads to his occasional mistakes and makes him predictable to opposing defenses, especially if the offensive line doesn’t play up to its potential.
Draft Prediction
With his skill set, Bright could very well end up as a seventh-round pick or possibly as a high priority free agent. His good hands make him valuable as a pass catcher if he can consistently produce. Most draft sites have him going undrafted, which isn’t an unreasonable prediction based off of his track record. He’s a bit smaller than prototypical NFL backs. He also doesn’t have the same star power and production of his former teammate Darwin Thompson.
Bright had an outspoken desire to win during his Aggie career. He’ll have to grind and stay patient the same way to get a shot in a rookie camp or tryout.
Contact/Follow @SamMcConkie & @MWCwire With great kicking comes great opportunity Though Aggie fans are doubtlessly fond of him (for good reason), Dominik Eberle is a potential sleeper in this year’s NFL draft. Eberle holds numerous school and …
Eberle also became just the sixth player in NCAA history to kick three 50-plus yard field goals in a game, a feat he easily accomplished against New Mexico State in 2018. Needless to say, he has a powerful leg.
Now that his college career has concluded, Eberle has set his sights on the NFL. Though there is not a consensus that he will get drafted, Eberle is a surefire bet for a solid undrafted free agent contract or at worst a tryout.
In a recent interview, Eberle stated he is just looking for opportunity:
“…I just got to go out there and do my job. I mean there are so many tremendous guys out there that, you know, all it takes is an opportunity and that’s what I’m working for.”
Throughout his career, consistency has been Eberle’s biggest hallmark. A three-year starter for the Aggies, the Nuremberg, Germany native made all 167 PATs out of 167 attempted. In his senior season, he went 21 of 24 on field goal attempts, good for 12th in the country. Consistently producing at a high level should not be an issue for him if an NFL team gives him a shot.
Weaknesses
For all the good points Eberle has, he does have a couple of areas he could stand to improve. In close range, he’s made most of his career kicks. Beyond short and intermediate kicking range, Eberle has struggled a bit more. His made kicks from the 40-49 yard range an uninspiring 19-of-28 field goals
Ohio State landed another graduate transfer in Utah State’s Abel Porter. He’ll have just one year in Columbus, but here are things it means.
In case you missed it with all the flurry of roster departures and transfers as of late, the Ohio State basketball team got some more help Saturday with the announcement of Utah State graduate transfer Caleb Porter’s decision to come to Columbus. He’s got just one more season of eligibility left, but don’t discount what the news means for the program.
It won’t exactly send waves around the college basketball universe, but inside the program, Porter’s arrival fills a big need and a huge hole left with the departures as of late. You can bank on there being some high-fives and modest celebrations within the program.
Here are three things getting Porter’s commitment means for Ohio State next season.
The Ohio State basketball program has gotten another commitment from Utah State grad transfer Abel Porter.
We have more news on the roster turnover of the Ohio State basketball program. After losing three guys to what looks to be the transfer portal and one to the NBA, Chris Holtmann and staff have been scrambling to fill holes on next year’s roster.
Now enter Utah State grad transfer Abel Porter who announced his decision to commit to Ohio State Saturday. At 6-foot, 3-inches and 200 pounds, Porter averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 25.6 minutes of play per contest last season for the Aggies.
And, as a grad transfer, he will be immediately eligible to play in Columbus for the 2020-2021 season. His presence will add some veteran depth to a backcourt that has become rather thin.
The news addresses an immediate need for an additional ball-handler and brings Ohio State to the thirteen scholarship limit. That means the mining for any more roster spots is likely over for now.
