MOskins56
July-15th-2003, 01:43 PM
http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1580553
Maryland should contend but Clemson won't
By Mel Kiper Jr.
ESPN.com
Monday, July 14
Updated: July 15
7:08 AM ET
Editor's Note: Over the next few weeks, ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr. will take a team-by-team look at the six major college football conferences. Each league will be broken down into two parts, to appear each Monday and Wednesday leading up the the regular season. Following is Part I of the ACC.
Clemson
This team's chances rely on the play of QB Charlie Whitehurst. If he is able to continue his progress from last year, the Tigers will be in decent shape as a team. He's a third-year sophomore who really emerged last year and Coach Bowden has a lot of high hopes for this kid.
Luckily for Whitehurst he has weapons to throw to. Derrick Hamilton is a kid with awesome physical abilities at wide receiver. But he has to pay more attention to detail to maximize his physical potential. On the other side of the ball is Kevin Youngblood, another physically imposing receiver at 6-4, 225lbs who plays like a possession receiver. Calvin Grant is yet another receiver to look out for this season. Yusef Kelly was the leading rusher last year and will need to improve his per yard rushing average to give this team more of an option on the ground. Ben Hall is a highly regarded tight end who will start the season second on the depth chart but probably won't end it that way.
Outside of the right tackle Greg Walker, they have a lot of questions to be answered on the offensive line which doesn't bode well for Whitehurst.
Cornerback Justin Miller is the top player on defense. He's tough, fast and is a great cover guy. He led the ACC in kickoff returns and intercepted eight passes last season and is blessed with a ton of ability. John Leak at outside linebacker was very productive last season and should impact the team. Donnell Washington at 6-5, 330lbs is a defensive stud. The Tigers have the ability to have a very good defensive line but their secondary is very inexperienced.
The Tigers are a second tier team in the ACC and won't contend for the ACC title this year.
Georgia Tech
Losing Tony Hollings to the supplemental draft is a big loss for the Yellow Jackets. Hollings showed he had the ability to be a great player on the college ranks. But the Yellow Jackets must move on and Rashand Grant could be the answer at running back and accentuate what they already have.
At QB it's Damarius Bilbo or A.J. Suggs, but they really like incoming freshman Patrick Carter. They believe he can be a star of the future. To help back those two up they have freshman Reggie Ball. But if Bilbo or Suggs aren't the answer than Carter may get some playing time.
The offensive line should be a strength this season with Hugh Reilly at center anchoring the line and Nat Dorsey at tackle.
Their top receiver will be Jonathon Smith and the question is can Bilbo or Suggs get the ball to him.
Defensively, they took a few hits but they return their top two linebackers in Daryl Smith and Keyaron Fox. Fox and Smith are two of the best linebackers in the country. Also returning is Greg Gathers at defensive end, Gathers was injured last season with a kidney disorder. At his best he's a probable All-ACC contender and they hope he can contribute to an otherwise weak line. They are fairly athletic in the secondary but very inexperienced.
There are a lot of questions to be answered for the Yellow Jackets defensively on the defensive line, in the secondary, at running back and quarterback.
They have a tough schedule early, which may be a problem for a team with so many question marks.
Maryland
This is a team that can win the ACC. But the key game for them is going to be on Sept. 6 against Florida State. There are a few reasons why this is such a promising team. The biggest is because this is the first time since Ralph Friedgen became coach that the Terrapins' incumbent quarterback has returned. Scott McBrien finished very strong last season and has a lot of ability, which is perfect for their option based attack. The Terrapins hit you with a lot of different formations and because of McBrien's quickness and decisiveness, they are able to show their entire package.Orlando Evans is the backup quarterback with Joel Stathem as the quarterback of the future as a redshirt freshman.
Maryland is also tremendously deep at running back with Bruce Perry -- who looks great after having the best 15 practices of his collegiate career -- leading the way. Even though he was injured a lot last year, Friedgen is very excited at the prospect of having him run the ball this year. Playing behind him is Josh Allen who was also productive last year as well as Sam Maldonado, the 235lb Ohio State transfer. Maldonado is having a great spring at running back. He isn't real fast but he hits the hole hard and the coaches like having him in the mix. Also redshirt freshman J.P. Humpber needs to take better care of the football after fumbling quite a bit in spring practice and they also have Mario Merrills.
At wide receiver they have the exciting Steve Suter. You'll see him in the slot and at returner and he's one of the fastest players in the ACC. On the other side of the ball is Jafar Williams who should do very well and has been very productive in his career.
The offensive line is very solid and is led by C.J. Brooks, a 6-5 325lb junior left guard. He's a great player and one of the best offensive lineman in the country. At the other guard spot, you have Lamar Bryant, a very good lineman in his own right. Tight end Jeff Dugan is also a great blocker and Friedgen believes he's one of the best blockers in the country. They also have true freshman Vernon Davis (6-3, 225lbs), who could see a lot of action in the slot receiver spot and backing up the TE.
Defensively, nine starters return but the key is replacing E.J. Henderson at middle linebacker. They think true sophomore D'Qwel Jackson could be a factor. He's a little undersized but is a great tackler with a nose for the ball who had 50+ tackles last year in a reserve role. He could be a real factor this year. They also have a highly touted prospect in Wesley Jefferson, whom they feel can be a great player. On the defensive line they have Randy Starks at defensive tackle (93 tackles and 6 sacks last season) returning to anchor the line. Shawne Merriman will be a rush end in the 3-4 and he'll be a factor in this defense because of his supreme athleticism, including a 44½ inch vertical. In the secondary they return Madieu Williams at safety. Williams is a complete player who's one of the elite safeties in college football. Overall they return four starters in the secondary. They have a ton of depth on the line and in the secondary. Nick Novak is one of the top kickers in the country but they must replace their punter.
This team has a chance to be in the top ten nationally.
Wake Forest
The big thing is replacing James McPherson who did a great job in that scheme last season. Wake runs a very complex offensive scheme that is very difficult to harness. Cory Randolph is taking over at quarterback. He's more athletic than McPherson and should do a good job of replacing him. He's very elusive, quick, great athleticism but he's more of a thrower than a passer.
Running back Chris Barclay is expected to carry the ball 20-25 times a game. He'll be the Deacons' workhorse. They have very good depth at running back though with Fred Staten also. Jason Anderson is one of the best receivers in the ACC and one of the best they've had in a long time. He should have a good year and will be a key entity in that offense.
Tyson Claybo is one of the better offensive lineman and has a chance to be an NFL prospect next year. But the offensive line lacks depth and will be in trouble if they suffer any injuries.
Defensively, the key is at defensive end where they will try to break in some new starters. At nose tackle the starter will probably be Goryal Scales. They lost three starters on the line. At linebacker, they have Kellen Brantley who is an all-ACC player. The secondary is very strong with a veteran group returning.
Maryland should contend but Clemson won't
By Mel Kiper Jr.
ESPN.com
Monday, July 14
Updated: July 15
7:08 AM ET
Editor's Note: Over the next few weeks, ESPN.com's Mel Kiper Jr. will take a team-by-team look at the six major college football conferences. Each league will be broken down into two parts, to appear each Monday and Wednesday leading up the the regular season. Following is Part I of the ACC.
Clemson
This team's chances rely on the play of QB Charlie Whitehurst. If he is able to continue his progress from last year, the Tigers will be in decent shape as a team. He's a third-year sophomore who really emerged last year and Coach Bowden has a lot of high hopes for this kid.
Luckily for Whitehurst he has weapons to throw to. Derrick Hamilton is a kid with awesome physical abilities at wide receiver. But he has to pay more attention to detail to maximize his physical potential. On the other side of the ball is Kevin Youngblood, another physically imposing receiver at 6-4, 225lbs who plays like a possession receiver. Calvin Grant is yet another receiver to look out for this season. Yusef Kelly was the leading rusher last year and will need to improve his per yard rushing average to give this team more of an option on the ground. Ben Hall is a highly regarded tight end who will start the season second on the depth chart but probably won't end it that way.
Outside of the right tackle Greg Walker, they have a lot of questions to be answered on the offensive line which doesn't bode well for Whitehurst.
Cornerback Justin Miller is the top player on defense. He's tough, fast and is a great cover guy. He led the ACC in kickoff returns and intercepted eight passes last season and is blessed with a ton of ability. John Leak at outside linebacker was very productive last season and should impact the team. Donnell Washington at 6-5, 330lbs is a defensive stud. The Tigers have the ability to have a very good defensive line but their secondary is very inexperienced.
The Tigers are a second tier team in the ACC and won't contend for the ACC title this year.
Georgia Tech
Losing Tony Hollings to the supplemental draft is a big loss for the Yellow Jackets. Hollings showed he had the ability to be a great player on the college ranks. But the Yellow Jackets must move on and Rashand Grant could be the answer at running back and accentuate what they already have.
At QB it's Damarius Bilbo or A.J. Suggs, but they really like incoming freshman Patrick Carter. They believe he can be a star of the future. To help back those two up they have freshman Reggie Ball. But if Bilbo or Suggs aren't the answer than Carter may get some playing time.
The offensive line should be a strength this season with Hugh Reilly at center anchoring the line and Nat Dorsey at tackle.
Their top receiver will be Jonathon Smith and the question is can Bilbo or Suggs get the ball to him.
Defensively, they took a few hits but they return their top two linebackers in Daryl Smith and Keyaron Fox. Fox and Smith are two of the best linebackers in the country. Also returning is Greg Gathers at defensive end, Gathers was injured last season with a kidney disorder. At his best he's a probable All-ACC contender and they hope he can contribute to an otherwise weak line. They are fairly athletic in the secondary but very inexperienced.
There are a lot of questions to be answered for the Yellow Jackets defensively on the defensive line, in the secondary, at running back and quarterback.
They have a tough schedule early, which may be a problem for a team with so many question marks.
Maryland
This is a team that can win the ACC. But the key game for them is going to be on Sept. 6 against Florida State. There are a few reasons why this is such a promising team. The biggest is because this is the first time since Ralph Friedgen became coach that the Terrapins' incumbent quarterback has returned. Scott McBrien finished very strong last season and has a lot of ability, which is perfect for their option based attack. The Terrapins hit you with a lot of different formations and because of McBrien's quickness and decisiveness, they are able to show their entire package.Orlando Evans is the backup quarterback with Joel Stathem as the quarterback of the future as a redshirt freshman.
Maryland is also tremendously deep at running back with Bruce Perry -- who looks great after having the best 15 practices of his collegiate career -- leading the way. Even though he was injured a lot last year, Friedgen is very excited at the prospect of having him run the ball this year. Playing behind him is Josh Allen who was also productive last year as well as Sam Maldonado, the 235lb Ohio State transfer. Maldonado is having a great spring at running back. He isn't real fast but he hits the hole hard and the coaches like having him in the mix. Also redshirt freshman J.P. Humpber needs to take better care of the football after fumbling quite a bit in spring practice and they also have Mario Merrills.
At wide receiver they have the exciting Steve Suter. You'll see him in the slot and at returner and he's one of the fastest players in the ACC. On the other side of the ball is Jafar Williams who should do very well and has been very productive in his career.
The offensive line is very solid and is led by C.J. Brooks, a 6-5 325lb junior left guard. He's a great player and one of the best offensive lineman in the country. At the other guard spot, you have Lamar Bryant, a very good lineman in his own right. Tight end Jeff Dugan is also a great blocker and Friedgen believes he's one of the best blockers in the country. They also have true freshman Vernon Davis (6-3, 225lbs), who could see a lot of action in the slot receiver spot and backing up the TE.
Defensively, nine starters return but the key is replacing E.J. Henderson at middle linebacker. They think true sophomore D'Qwel Jackson could be a factor. He's a little undersized but is a great tackler with a nose for the ball who had 50+ tackles last year in a reserve role. He could be a real factor this year. They also have a highly touted prospect in Wesley Jefferson, whom they feel can be a great player. On the defensive line they have Randy Starks at defensive tackle (93 tackles and 6 sacks last season) returning to anchor the line. Shawne Merriman will be a rush end in the 3-4 and he'll be a factor in this defense because of his supreme athleticism, including a 44½ inch vertical. In the secondary they return Madieu Williams at safety. Williams is a complete player who's one of the elite safeties in college football. Overall they return four starters in the secondary. They have a ton of depth on the line and in the secondary. Nick Novak is one of the top kickers in the country but they must replace their punter.
This team has a chance to be in the top ten nationally.
Wake Forest
The big thing is replacing James McPherson who did a great job in that scheme last season. Wake runs a very complex offensive scheme that is very difficult to harness. Cory Randolph is taking over at quarterback. He's more athletic than McPherson and should do a good job of replacing him. He's very elusive, quick, great athleticism but he's more of a thrower than a passer.
Running back Chris Barclay is expected to carry the ball 20-25 times a game. He'll be the Deacons' workhorse. They have very good depth at running back though with Fred Staten also. Jason Anderson is one of the best receivers in the ACC and one of the best they've had in a long time. He should have a good year and will be a key entity in that offense.
Tyson Claybo is one of the better offensive lineman and has a chance to be an NFL prospect next year. But the offensive line lacks depth and will be in trouble if they suffer any injuries.
Defensively, the key is at defensive end where they will try to break in some new starters. At nose tackle the starter will probably be Goryal Scales. They lost three starters on the line. At linebacker, they have Kellen Brantley who is an all-ACC player. The secondary is very strong with a veteran group returning.