Tag: WRU

Swinney on WRU: ‘This is going to be a special group’

Dabo Swinney voiced a lot of excitement Tuesday surrounding WRU this fall in his first weekly press conference of the 2021 season. The 14-year Clemson head coach echoed offensive coordinator Tony Elliot’s sentiments for this year’s wide receiver …

Dabo Swinney voiced a lot of excitement Tuesday surrounding WRU this fall in his first weekly press conference of the 2021 season.

The 14-year Clemson head coach echoed offensive coordinator Tony Elliot’s sentiments for this year’s wide receiver group, one he says could go down as one of the most talented groups Clemson has ever seen.

“As I’ve said many times, this is as talented a group as we’ve probably had,” Swinney said. “I told (receivers coach Tyler) Grisham that on picture day, I said, ‘You need to take a picture of this group and pull it out in about six years.’ This is going to be a special group when it’s all said and done. You’ll look back six or seven years from now and think, ‘Wow, all these guys were in the same room.’”

With the likes of Justyn Ross, E.J. Williams, Ajou Ajou, Frank Ladson Jr. and Joseph Ngata along with a few new faces in Beaux Collins, Dacari Collins and Troy Stellato, the Tigers have a lot of talent at their disposal this fall. Despite their depth of talent, though, Swinney recognizes that Ross is simply in a league of his own.

“Justyn is kind of in a league of his own just simply because of where he is developmentally. This guy has played a lot of football,” Swinney said. “He came in here elite and mentally where he is, he’s just in a great place technically, fundamentally, knowledge, system. I mean, you name it, he just gets it.”

The experience behind Ross in this year’s wide receiver room continues to be elite. For Swinney, having guys with game experience like Ladson and Ngata is huge, but the real test will be if they can remain healthy for the season in its entirety.

“Frank and Ngata are elite guys, they just got to be available. It’s really that simple,” Swinney said. “They had just had good freshman years and then last year they just weren’t available, and that’s just the way it is. High level guys, I’ve seen it. I mean, Ngata, this kid is as talented as some of the big guys that have come through here, but consistently doing it on game day just hasn’t happened yet.”

“I’m really excited about what I’ve seen. I thought he had a great spring and he’s had a really good last 10 days or so, but we’ve got to see it on game day. It’s the same thing with Frank. We’ve seen splashes and good moments but (not) consistently being there.”

It is clear that consistency will be key for the Tigers’ wideouts this season, and Swinney is hopeful that his guys will take advantage of each and every opportunity thrown at them and rise to the occasion.

“It’s a really good room, and you’ll see a bunch of guys have opportunities,” Swinney said. “But hopefully those veteran guys will be able to be who we know they are week in and week out for us.”

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ESPN names Alabama ‘Running Back U’ & ‘Offensive line U’

ESPN released their rankings for each positional group and the programs that produce the best players for each of them, Alabama tops some.

There is a never-ending, ongoing debate throughout the college football community about which program reduces the best players at each position on the football field. These debates can range from active collegiate players, active NFL players and retired players that are out of the game.

ESPN’s David Hale broke down each position and ranked the top ten programs to have produced talent at that individual position.

The Crimson Tide topped two lists, the running back and offensive line positions, but were present on almost every other list.

Hale has high praise for Alabama head coach Nick Saban and what he’s been able to create in the backfield.

“It’s interesting that, about the same time the NFL moved away from an offensive model built around running backs, Nick Saban arrived at Alabama and turned the tailback position into the cornerstone of the Tide’s success,” writes Hale. “Before Saban arrived in 2007, Shaun Alexander had already won an NFL MVP, but that was about the extent of Alabama’s RBU résumé. Now, though? Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake and Josh Jacobs are all NFL fixtures, and even Trent Richardson and T.J. Yeldon came with impressive pedigrees. Next up? Najee Harris could be in the Heisman mix for 2020.”

Hale also named Alabama ‘Offensive Line U,’ above other programs such as Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Michigan.

“It’s only fitting that the school that gets the RBU tag also wins OLU, and Alabama’s crew up front certainly earned the moniker. Eight Alabama linemen have been selected within the first 50 picks of the draft, and seven earned All-America honors during the past decade, while Chris Samuels, Evan Mathis and Ryan Kelly have all become Pro Bowlers during the Position U era. Current tackle Alex Leatherwood looks like a lock to be the next high draft choice coming off Alabama’s offensive line in 2021.”

While Alabama only led two positional groups, they were mentioned in various others.

The Crimson Tide ranked No. 2 for linebackers, No. 2 for defensive line and  No. 8 for wide receivers.

ESPN ranks which programs produce best WRs, DBs and LBs

ESPN took to Instagram to release a few ‘top-ten’ lists for which collegiate programs have produced the best wide receivers, defensive ba…

ESPN took to Instagram to release a few top-ten lists for which collegiate programs have produced the best wide receivers, defensive backs and linebackers.

Alabama made an appearance on all three, but Crimson Tide fans may not agree with where they are ranked on these lists.

Here are ESPN’s rankings..

Wide receivers:

Starting off with the top-ten schools that could be considered ‘WRU,’ Alabama pops in at No. 9 on the list.

The notable Alabama alum listed include Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones and Jerry Jeudy.

There are some great names included on the list for the other nine programs, but are they good enough to top the four Nick Saban products and more that weren’t mentioned? You can decide that.

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Is Ohio State football becoming wide-receiver U?

Ohio State has been known for being a run-heavy team throughout its history, but is it now becoming Wide Receiver U?

It’s been well documented that Ohio State has been laying claim as “DBU” for churning out NFL defensive backs throughout history. The Bucks may start claiming the title of “Wide Receiver U” before too long.

Ohio State was a little late to the passing game as Buckeye Legend Woody Hayes famously said: “There are only three things can happen on a pass, and two of them are bad.” But Ohio State would start to evolve with names like Chris Carter, Terry Glenn, and David Boston in the 80’s and 90’s.

However, you might be surprised to know that since the 2000 NFL draft, Ohio State has had more receivers drafted than any other college program. It’ll no doubt add to that total with guys like KJ Hill and Austin Mack this coming April.

It seems now, Columbus is the place to be for highly-touted receivers to land. The 2020 recruiting class lays claim to the No. 1, No. 5, No. 12, and No. 15 ranked receivers in the nation (Julian Flemming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott, Jr., and Mookie Cooper). Add this class to what was a strong 2019 receiving class led by the No. 2 nationally-ranked receiver, Garrett Wilson, and there is something special in the making.

Speaking of Garrett Wilson, he and fellow Buckeye Wideout, Chris Olave just made the Pro Football Focus list of top 25 receivers returning to college football in 2020.  Wilson comes in at No. 24 and Olave makes the ranking at No. 10.

Brian Hartline is doing work not only bringing in top-level talent, but developing that talent as well. And we’re excited to see what this explosive group can do going forward.