#54 Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Duke Manyweather

#54 Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama

HGT: 6-3 WGT: 323

Jesse Williams is one of the more recognizable former members of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Originally from Australia, Williams came to Alabama via Arizona Western Junior College in the spring of 2011. As a Junior in 2011, Williams started all 13 games and helped Alabama win a BCS title. In 2012 Williams started 12 games (missed WKU game due to injury) and earned 2nd team All-SEC honors on the way to helping the Crimson Tide win its 2^nd consecutive National Championship. Williams finished his career with 60 tackles; 7 tackles for a loss; 1.5 sacks and 7 QB hurries, in two seasons as a member of the Crimson Tide.

PROS:

Jesse Williams has ideal size for the nose tackle position. Possesses great upper strength. Has a quick and powerful get-off that he uses to penetrate in to the backfield and knock blockers back on their heels. Is able to keep pads low on initial get-off. Jolts blockers with a solid blow delivery from his heavy hands. Is able to swipe and club defenders by when they get to his shoulder. Has shown a quick swim off the line to beat blockers in the run game. Good, not great, initial short area quickness. Plays with great effort and pursues down field when he is fresh. Shows the ability to defeat the cut block with with heavy hands and doesn’t waste time on the ground when he does get cut. Solid at the point of attack against the run. Shows flashes of stalemating and splitting double teams. Is able to explode out and be disruptive in short yardage situations. Because of his strength, Williams is able to push the pocket in passing situations. Very good bull rush. Does a decent job of getting his hands up in throwing lanes when he can not reach the passer.

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#67 Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Duke Manyweather

#67 Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky

HGT: 6-3 WGT: 333

Larry Warford appeared in 47 games in his career at Kentucky, with 37 starts. Warford was named to the 3^rd team All-American team by AP as a senior. Earned 2^nd team All-SEC in 2010, 2011 and 2012. In 2009 he was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Was a Senior Bowl invite and really stood out during the entire week in Mobile.

PROS:

Warford has good size for an interior offensive lineman. Sneaky athlete, that displays good body control and shows agility. Consistently keeps a good base. Plays with all around power. Has a good get off and surge off the ball, that allows him to knock defenders off the ball. Plays with a nasty demeanor. Shows he can reach wide shaded defenders with good footwork and quick feet. Does a great job delivering a violent blow and overall hand placement. Latches to control defenders. Shows the ability to be an effective puller. Executes blocks in space. Works well with Center on combo blocks and knows when to come off on second- level defenders. Takes good angles to the 2nd level when uncovered. Looks comfortable in pass-protection. Mixes up his pass-sets based on who he is playing against. Most effective when he uses his quick set. Delivers a solid punch. Shows he can anchor against the bull rush. Does a good job taking away the inside with a solid post foot and inside hand. Is able to mirror defenders. Points out blitz/ stunts.

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As good as it gets for college football purists

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Ray Hamill

The Coaches’ Trophy: Who will hoist the hardware and be crowned National Champions after the final gun on Monday?

If the billing is anything to go by, Monday’s BCS Championship could be a classic.

In fact, on paper at least, you’d have to go back a long time to find a college championship game of any kind as eagerly anticipated as this one with even the casual sports fan offering an opinion on the showdown one way or the other.

And that should come as no surprise considering the pedigree of these two programs. In fact, when it comes to the 76-year history of the poll era, nobody can match the success of Alabama and Notre Dame, with the Crimson Tide boasting a record nine titles in that time and the Irish just one back, while the names alone evoke images of history, tradition and everything good college football stands for, past and present.

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Mixed fortunes for SEC in bowl season

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Ray Hamill

The SEC may be considered the strongest conference in college football, but so far the 2012/13 bowl season hasn’t shown it.

Through Thursday’s games, in fact, the SEC is batting a mere .500 (a 3-3 record), with surprising losses for Florida (to Louisville) and LSU (to Clemson), and Mississippi State falling to a Northwestern program that had not previously won a bowl game of any kind dating all the way back to 1949.

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#22 Matt Elam, SS, Florida

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Jsmith1119

HGT: 5-10 WGT: 202

YR: Jr Pos: SS

Notables:

2012(as of 11/26/12): 65 tack, 10 tfl, 1sack, 4 ints, 5PBU, 1 FF
2011: 78 tack, 11 tfl, 7 PBU, 2 FF

Pros:

Solid frame
Plays with good knee bend and leverage
Has good footwork
Fills the lanes quickly against the run when coming from the deep safety position
Physical with WRs at LOS when in coverage
Naturally instinctive playmaker
Great in the open field
Exceptional when playing in the box
Has good explosion
Isn’t easily blocked on the perimeter by WRs
Fearless and aggressive hitter
Instinctive in zone coverage
Competent in man to man coverage

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#7 Tyrann Mathieu, S/Nickel, LSU

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Trey Randall

HGT: 5-9 WGT: 186

YR: JR POS: S/Nickel

Pros:

Possesses rare instincts
Good straight line speed for Safety/Nickel, closing speed
Good lateral foot quickness
Exhibits balance and body control
Competitor
Productive
Good motor
Excellent ball skills
Displays a since of urgency
Consistently attacks ball in both Run and Pass game, ability to dislodge ball from ball carrier
Looks to support in the Box versus Run
Transitions quickly out of pedal while in off coverage
Properly drives upon the tackle (Trust his eyes)
Delivers a good initial blow upon the tackle
Gets vertical quickly in Return game
Good speed off perimeter while blitzing (Stays tight)

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More than just SEC title on the line for Alabama and Georgia

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Ray Hamill

Love it or hate it, there’s no getting away from the fact the SEC is a dominant force in college football.

And that dominance will be on display once again Saturday as No. 2 Alabama (11-1) takes on No. 3 Georgia (11-1) for the SEC title in the most anticipated showdown of the week.

But there’s much more than just conference bragging rights on the line, with the winner heading to Miami on Jan. 7 for a BCS Championship showdown with No. 1 Notre Dame and the loser dropping out of consideration for any of the five BCS bowl games.

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#34 Sheldon Richardson, DT Missouri

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Trey Randall

HT: 6-3 WGT: 294

YR: JR POS: DT

Career Stats:

107 TKLS; 18.5 TFL; 6 sacks; 1FF

2012 Stats:

75 TKLS; 10.5 TFL; 4 sacks; 3 PD; 3 FF; 2 FR

Pros:

Excellent arm length
Displays good upper body power
Very good foot athlete, exhibits hip explosion, flexibility
Very good short area quickness, lateral movement, straight line speed
Good closing speed to QB
Exceptional first step
Competitive attitude
Good pad shelf considering length
High motor (Runs to ball), relentless effort to QB
Finishes plays off
Consistently threatens interior of OL while generating a pass rush, able to attack half man and bend (Countermoves)
Gets vertically quickly while penetrating gaps
Able to beat OL to spot versus Zone Run game (Wins with quickness)
Excels at stunts/games
Displays good overall physicality, delivers a violent initial blow
Good hand placement versus run game, show violence while disengaging blocks (Locks out)
Fires hands while attacking cut blocks
Exhibits hand violence and movement while rushing passer
Properly works down LOS when play is away versus Run game

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Irish through to BCS Championship, but who will they play?

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Ray Hamill

The Fighting Irish are on their way to the BCS Championship game thanks to a 22-13 win over USC this past weekend, but they’ll have to wait another few days to find out who they’ll play there.

With the hard-fought victory over their arch rivals, the Irish retained the top spot in the BCS standings and that guarantees them a trip to Miami for the Jan. 7 showdown.

Now the big question heading into the final weekend of the regular season is whether No. 2 Alabama or No. 3 Georgia will earn the right to battle Notre Dame for the Coaches’ Trophy and give the SEC a seventh consecutive national crown.

As expected, Alabama knocked off Auburn this past weekend, while Georgia stormed past Georgia Tech, setting up a mouthwatering showdown for the SEC championship this coming weekend, with the winner heading to Miami in the new year.

The good news for fans growing weary of the SEC dominance in recent years is that we won’t have to endure a second consecutive all-SEC BCS title game.

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