Spring Football thread

[NAHSTE]

Note any significant news here, transfers, position/numerical changes, etc.

Just a few random things-

-Jaybo Shaw might transfer, but hasn't yet filed his papers to leave Tech:
Shaw has not filed transfer paperwork | Tech

Georgia Tech backup quarterback Jaybo Shaw has not filed any paperwork seeking to transfer as of Wednesday, according to a school spokesperson. Tech coach Paul Johnson, who is out of town until next week, has also not signed a release for Shaw.

Should Shaw transfer, the Yellow Jackets will be without their first- and second-string quarterbacks for spring practice, which starts March 29.

-LSU signed Steve Ensminger as its TE coach.

Ensminger played at LSU and was the QB coach for Auburn from 03-08. I like the new offensive coaching staff a whole bunch.

LSU brings back Steve Ensminger to coach tight ends - ESPN

- Russell Shepard officially moved to WR, and Sr. CB Jae Eugene will be moved to safety per Miles in a press conference.

I like both moves. Shep can focus on becoming the best slot LSU's had since Skyler Green,and Eugene can focus on roaming and tackling instead of one-on-one coverage which he is terrible in.

He's a bit undersized as a safety but (5'11, 180) but he wasn't going to beat out Mo Claiborne at corner so at least this move maximizes his strengths.

-Oh, and per the roster Terrence Toliver will switch from #80 to #8.

[The Buddha]

Fuck Jai Ugene...that little fuckin flip flopping whore...

Rodriguez Names Braithwaite as Safeties/Outside Linebackers Coach

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan football head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Thursday (Feb. 11) the hiring of Adam Braithwaite as the program's safeties/outside linebackers coach. Braithwaite joins the Wolverines' staff as a full-time assistant coach after spending the past two seasons as a staff assistant.

University of Michigan Official Athletic Site - Football

MICHIGAN

Spring practice starts: March 14

Spring game: April 17

What to watch:

* Defense, defense, defense. Head coach Rich Rodriguez always will be known for his spread offense, but he won't be around much longer at Michigan if the defense doesn't significantly improve. A unit that ranked 82nd nationally last season loses its two best players (Brandon Graham and Donovan Warren) and must find contributors at linebacker, safety and cornerback. Help is on the way from the 2010 recruiting class, but Michigan can't afford a bad spring on defense.

* Devin Gardner. The heralded quarterback recruit enrolled early and will enter the mix this spring. Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson are the front-runners at quarterback, but Gardner might be the ultimate answer for the Wolverines. His ability to pick up the system and push Forcier and Robinson this spring will determine whether he sees the field in the fall or takes a redshirt.

* Running back. Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor depart, but Michigan once again should be good at the running back spot. Vincent Smith will miss spring ball as he recovers from knee surgery, but several others, including Michael Shaw and Fitzgerald Toussaint, will be competing throughout the 15 workouts. Shaw, who scored two touchdowns on 42 carries in 2009, could create a bit of separation with a good spring.

What to watch in the Big Ten this spring - Big Ten Blog - ESPN

[NAHSTE]

Fuck Jai Ugene...that little fuckin flip flopping whore...



Rodriguez Names Braithwaite as Safeties/Outside Linebackers Coach



University of Michigan Official Athletic Site - Football

Yeah, fuck him for stay at home so he could raise his kid.

[The Buddha]

Yeah, fuck him for stay at home so he could raise his kid.

word fuck him...Michigan is a great place to raise a child!



btw...its harder than shit to find information for Michigan during the offseason.

[NAHSTE]

That a boy Les way to give him that shot at QB.

lolwut...gave him a full year, Shep wanted to play as soon as possible wherever. He'll still take some direct snaps but not as much.

[Sportsbuck]

Yeah, fuck him for stay at home so he could raise his kid.

I mean Les did kind of lie to him and tell him that Lloyd was old and getting sick (Which is part of the reason that as long as Carr is at Michigan, Les won't be).

IMO though they wasted Shepard by playing him last year... I think he should've redshirted, but thats just me.

[KNUBB]

A full year? How many passes did he throw last season?

That answer would be zero, but if he were to play QB he would never start as We still have Jefferson for two more years and he doesn't make some strides next season Chris Garrett is going to take the helm. This is the best move for him. He will make a bigger impact as an all-purpose kind of guy a la Percy Harvin

[NAHSTE]

I guess we should told him we'd give him a "shot" at QB also.

Did they not tell him that? If not, dumb move on their part. Not that it would've mattered, he was all LSU from early on in his recruitment.

But I'm sure he would have chosen Oklahoma State had they offered him the chance to play QB. I'm sure.

As for whether or not he should have redshirted, it's tough to say. Going into the season, I saw the reasoning for it, thinking he'd be used properly. After finding out Crowton and Miles have no idea how to use a multi-talented player such as Shep, it looks like it was a bad move.

Hopefully with Gonzales in the fold we'll be able to get him the ball more creatively.

[FirstTimer]

Really excited to see how Crist performs for ND.

[Woy]

Both Robert Bolden and Paul Jones are currently on campus and will go through drills in the Spring.

It should be a great quarterback battle.

[longhornfan]

I never thought Shepard would be a good college QB. He reminds me of a poor mans Reggie McNeal.

[NAHSTE]

"I went up on Saturday and I was up there for about an hour. Coach (Oscar) Giles, coach (Mack) Brown, coach (Greg Davis and Mrs. (Sally) Brown all talked to me. They told me that I was special player and they feel like I can play just about any position on the field. But they also brought it to my attention that they'll have so many quarterbacks when I get there (Colt McCoy, Sherrod Harris, John Chiles, G.J. Kinne and Gilbert)," Shepard said. "They said 'we're going to have a lot of quarterbacks and you could come in as a true freshman and play at a wide receiver or something.

"To be honest with you, at first they (Texas) were up there high on my list. If they offered me and said I was going to get a shot at quarterback, I would have committed and said I'm going to be a Horn. But a lot of schools like Florida and Michigan, if they don't get Terrelle Pryor, are probably going to need quarterbacks and I'm going to look at some of them."

And you don't redshirt a talent like Sheppard you play him from day 1 at receiver.

Also I'm not an Okie Lite fan just play with them on a VSN online dynasty.

Oh that's good info. LSU's QB position was far less settled than UT's. We were being sincere when we said he'd have a chance, but he's obviously accepted that he's not a college QB.

[Nash]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1su79vloRNg]YouTube - Reshad Jones, Great Tackle (HQ)[/ame]

[NAHSTE]

That a boy Les way to give him that shot at QB.

It was actually Shep's idea to make the move. Miles told him to give QB another shot, but he wanted to play. Great kid, ultimate team player, and a class act.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/9508/tebows-plight-impacted-shepards-move

“I’d always been a quarterback. That’s what I came to LSU to play and what my family was used to seeing me play,” said Shepard, who once rushed for 341 yards in a high school game, including five touchdowns of 40 yards or longer.

“Playing quarterback in college, you can get away with being an athlete sort of like what Florida did with Tebow. My father loved Tebow, but was amazed by how four months ago he was the best player ever and now he has such a low grade as a quarterback that some teams are saying they wouldn’t even draft him as a quarterback.”

Soon after the Tigers opened spring practice last week, Shepard got a call from his dad.

“He just said, ‘Son, I believe you made the best decision of your life, just looking at the whole Tebow thing,’ ” Shepard recounted. “I know it’s the right decision.”

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/85928412.html

But as he watched LSU's offense against Florida, Shepard saw where his future was.

"About halftime of the Florida game, I realized I could contribute to this team, but (Jordan Jefferson) is our quarterback and he's going to be our leader," Shepard said Monday on the first day of spring practice for his sophomore season. "He has both intangibles: He can run and pass. So I decided I was going to go talk to (LSU coach Les Miles) and tell him I wanted to move to receiver."

Miles revealed that conversation in early January when he spoke to a handful of writers and told them Shepard had permanently moved to receiver.

Shepard was a little more revealing Monday, saying Miles "really fought me on it. He said 'Let's give it some more time, one more spring to see if we can make it work.' I said 'No, Coach, I could be better suited for this team at a skill (receiver) position.' "

So Shepard won that discussion with Miles and made the switch. The 6-foot-1, 188-pound sophomore looked into the future and said he saw where he would fit best at the NFL level.

"I looked at the past players who played quarterback in college or high school and moved on to the NFL and played receiver," Shepard said. "I also looked at the aspect that I could have a longer career in the NFL at wide receiver.

"I still feel I can be a great college quarterback, but I want to develop myself to be the best NFL receiver. That's more of a fit for me."

[KNUBB]

It was actually Shep's idea to make the move. Miles told him to give QB another shot, but he wanted to play. Great kid, ultimate team player, and a class act.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/9508/tebows-plight-impacted-shepards-move

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/85928412.html

I read that a few days ago. Great Kid. Glad he is at LSU