Thursday, May 9, 2013

Former Arkansas QB Brandon Mitchell Considering 5 Schools

Former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Mitchell has added another school to the list of schools he may possibly be transferring to. The Michigan Wolverines.

Mitchell, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 239 pounds, has appeared in 21 college football games with only three starts under his belt. He has thrown for a little over 300 yards with two touchdowns. He has rushed for 75 yards and also two touchdowns. He has also caught 17 passes for a total of 272 yards.

This dual-threat athlete could be used many different ways at Michigan, although Devin Gardner seems to have the starting QB role all to himself. Brandon is also considering UAB, where he has a close relationship with coach Garrick McGee. He is also contemplating transferring to NC State, Louisiana Tech and Northwestern State.

I believe every school he is considering could definitely benefit from having Mitchell's presence on their team. It's only a matter of time before we find out where he'll be going.

- Matt Lytle
@mattlytle

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Can Brady Hoke Lead the Wolverines to the Big Ten Title in 2013?

After three abismal years as Rich Rodriguez as their head coach, the Michigan Wolverines were delighted to announce Brady Hoke as their new head coach back in 2011. In said year, Hoke lead the Wolverines to a 11-2 record and a Sugar Bowl victory against Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies. In Hoke's first year as Michigan head coach, he not only accomplished these things, but also led Michigan to it's first victory over Ohio State since 2003.

Can Brady Hoke lead the Wolverines to a B1G Title?
After a very successful first year, Hoke led Michigan to an 8-5 record in 2012, and a close Outback Bowl loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Unfortunately for Michigan fans, Michigan yet again lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes, and also the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. But Hoke's record in the Big House is still perfect.

In 2013 Michigan will be looking for Brady Hoke to lead the Wolverines to their first Big Ten Title since 2004 when they split the title with the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, Michigan not only lost one of their most electric players in Michigan history, Denard Robinson, but lost quite a few key players as well. Wide receiver Roy Roundtree, defensive end Craig Roh, center Elliott Mealer, defensive tackle Will Campbell, linebacker Kenny Demens, and strong safety Jordan Kovacs are just a few of the key players Michigan will be without in 2013.

There is quiet a few positives to look at however for the Michigan Wolverines. Devin Gardner has seemed to prove that he not only can scramble with the best of them, but also has an arm that any quarterback would be lucky to have. Although Denard Robinson was a huge playmaker, Gardner seems to have the arm to be able to put the ball exactly where the receiver needs it, unlike Denard. And to assist Gardner will be senior Jeremy Gallon, Jerald Robinson and sophomore tight end Devin Funchess, who came down with some great catches last season.

Fitzgerald Toussaint will look to come back this year after breaking his leg in a game against Iowa last season. He will lead the stable of running backs that Michigan is equipt with, such as Thomas Rawls, Dennis Norfleet and Justice Hayes.

Monster linebacker Jake Ryan tore his ACL in sprint practice.
On defense Michigan has seemed to play quite well, being led by Greg Mattison, who many believe is a defensive genius. Demond Morgan, Courtney Avery and Thomas Gordon will be a few of the names that you'll see wreak a little havoc on the other side of the ball for the Wolverines. Michigan will look for Joe Bolden and Cam Gordon to step up in the linebacker roles since Jake Ryan tore his ACL during spring practice.

Michigan's schedule does have a few speed bumps in it. On September 7th Michigan will host Notre Dame, and look to defeat their rival who beat them last season in South Bend. On October 12th Michigan will travel to Happy Valley to face Penn State (lead by 2012 Project CFB Coach of the Year Bill O'Brien). Michigan also plays rival Michigan State in East Lansing, immediately followed by hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big House. Michigan will go on the road to take on Northwestern and Iowa following that, then wrap the regular season up on November 30th to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big House, for what everyone knows as "The Game".

Michigan's chances of an undefeated season are very small. However, having a few key players really step up in these big games, could make all the difference between a 6-6 season, and a 8-4 or 9-3 season! Could Brady Hoke lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten Title in his third year as head coach in Ann Arbor? He very well could. But he needs to have his boys play the best they play against the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan State, Nebraska and of course their bitter rival Ohio State Buckeyes.

- Matt Lytle
@mattlytle

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Can Virginia Tech Win the ACC Championship in 2013?


Coming off a disappointing 2012 campaign, head coach Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies look to have a bounce back season in 2013 and make a run at the ACC Coastal Division crown and an ACC Championship in 2013. The Hokies, who prior to 2012 had a streak of 14 seasons of 8 or more wins, had a 7-6 2012 campaign, which culminated in a 13-10 overtime victory over Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Going into 2013 the Hokies are led by extremely talented, yet extremely eratic quarterback, Logan Thomas. Thomas had a very up and down 2012 season, throwing for close to 3,000 yards and 18 touchdown passes, to go along with 524 rushing yards, and 9 rushing touchdowns, including a 73 yarder against Miami. But he also threw 16 interceptions and completed only 51.3% of his passes. The Hokies rushing attack is slated to be lead by sophomore tailback J.C Coleman who rushed for close to 500 yards and scored 2 touchdowns as a freshmen. Senior Tony Gregory will also be looking to contribute on the ground as well. Unfortunately, Thomas lost his top 2 receiving options in Corey Fuller and Marcus Davis, the top leading option in the passing game returning is sophomore Demitri Knowles who hauled in 19 passes for 240 yards. including a 42 yard touchdown. The Hokies also bring back tight end Ryan Malleck who hauled in 17 passes for a mere 128 yards. Virginia Tech will be mainly relying on young players at the wide receiver position to step up and fill the void on the outside.

On the defensive side of the ball, leading tackler Jack Tyler looks to lead the Hokies defensive unit along with fellow linebacker Kyshoen Jarrett who was 2nd on the team in tackles.The defensive backfield is expected to be led by cornerbacks Detrick Bonner and Kyle Fuller. The defense, historically has been a strong point of Beamer's teams has an up and down season in 2012 but by the end of the season the unit was among the better units in major college football.

From a schedule standpoint, the Hokies could not start the season with a bigger test. They open the season with two time defending national champion Alabama in a nationally televised night game. After facing the Tide, the Hokies take on Western Carolina in the home opener on September 7th and then face East Carolina on September 14th and Marshall on the 14th of September before opening ACC play with a road trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on September 26th. After facing the Yellow Jackets, the Hokies wont leave Lane Stadium for he entire month of October as they host North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Duke before hitting the road to take on Boston College on November 2nd. After facing the Eagles, the Hokies will head down south to take on the Miami Hurricanes before hosting Maryland in the home finale. The Hokies finish the season with cross state rival Virginia on November 30th.

If the Hokies have any hopes of making a run at an ACC championship Thomas needs to have a season similar to his sophomore season where he completed close to 60% of his passes and threw 6 less interceptions than 2012. If Gregory and Coleman can produce on the ground, it should make things a little easier on Thomas in the passing game who in 2011 had 2011 ACC offensive player of the year in the backfield with him in running back David Wilson  who single handedly out produced the entire Hokies backfield in 2012 on his own in 2011. Logan Thomas has all the physical tools to be a dominant player in the ACC this season and potentially be in consideration for the Heisman Trophy in 2013. This might sound a little crazy especially considering his inconstancy as a passer over the last 2 seasons, but when he is on his game, he is as good as any quarterback in the country, if he can string together a few strong performances through the air and on the ground, he can bring the Hokies back into the forefront of the ACC. However, if he will remains to be seen. Especially with their two biggest tests in the ACC in my eyes coming on the road in Georgia Tech and Miami respectively. If Thomas and the young talent around him play up to their potential, I could at the very least see Beamer back into the discussion as the best team in the ACC in 2013.
- Josh Gamez
@itsjoshgamez