December 2012 Archives
Courtesy of the FWAA:
The following players were listed on the most first team All-America teams competing against players at that position only. To be selected a player has to be named first team on at least two of the five selected All-American teams. Second and third teams were used to break ties. Five organizations were used to compile the consensus team -- American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation.
There were 12 players that were unanimous choices by all five organizations and one, Zach Ertz, who was named on four teams while the fifth (the Football Writers Association of America) did not name a tight end. Note: Each of the five teams has a different way of listing the returner or all-purpose player. For the purpose of the Consensus All-America team those categories were treated as one position.
Offense
WR--*Marqise Lee, Southern California, 6-0, 195, So.
WR--*Terrance Williams, Baylor, 6-2, 205, Sr.
TE--*Zach Ertz, Stanford, 6-6, 252, Sr.
OL--*Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina, 6-3, 295, Sr.
OL--*Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M, 6-6, 310, Jr.
OL--*Chance Warmack, Alabama, 6-3, 320, Sr.
OL--David Yankey, Stanford, 6-5, 301, Jr.
C--Barrett Jones, Alabama, 6-5, 302, Sr.
QB--Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, 6-1, 200, Fr.
RB--Montee Ball, Wisconsin, 5-11, 215, Sr.
RB--Kenjon Barner, Oregon, 5-11, 192, Sr.
RB--Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona, 5-10, 197, So.
PK--Cairo Santos, Tulane, 5-8, 160, Jr.
Returner/All-Purpose--Dri Archer, Kent St., 5-8, 175, Sr.
Defense
DL--*Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, 6-6, 256, So.
DL--*Bjoern Werner, Florida St., 6-4, 255, Jr.
DL--Damontre Moore, Texas A&M, 6-4, 250, Jr.
DL--Will Sutton, Arizona St., 6-1, 267, Jr.
LB--*Jarvis Jones, Georgia, 6-3, 241, Jr.
LB--*Manti Te'o, Notre Dame, 6-2, 255, Sr.
LB--C.J. Mosley, Alabama, 6-2, 232, Jr.
DB--*Dee Milliner, Alabama, 6-1, 199, Jr.
DB--*Phillip Thomas, Fresno St., 6-1, 215, Sr.
DB--Jordan Poyer, Oregon St., 6-0, 190, Sr.
DB--Eric Reid, LSU, 6-2, 212, Jr.
P--*Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech, 6-2, 215, Sr.
* Indicates unanimous first team selection; Bold indicates consensus repeater from 2011 (Barrett Jones was named as an offensive lineman last season)
Note: Three running backs are named because of a tie for the second spot. Both Ball and Carey made three first teams each.
Florida State junior Bjoern Werner has added another piece of post-season hardware. Werner was named Friday to the FWAA All-American Team making him a consensus All-American for 2012.
Here is the official release, courtesy of the FWAA:
DALLAS (FWAA) - The powerful Southeastern Conference, which has claimed the last six national football championships and has a chance for a seventh next month, has placed 11 of the 26 players on the 69th Football Writers Association of America All-America Team.
Among the star-studded lineup of players on the team was Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner Manti Te'o of Notre Dame, Outland Trophy winner Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M.
The FWAA All-America Team, the second-longest continuously-published team in major college football, was announced on SiriusXM Radio's College Sports Nation this morning. Since 1944, the FWAA has named an All-America team, and this season an extra returner was added to increase the number of players on the team to 26.
Besides the SEC, the other conferences to place multiple players on the team were the Big 12 (three), Pac-12 (three), Atlantic Coast (two) and Mid-American (two). Nine of the 11 NCAA Bowl Subdivision conferences, however, were represented on the team. It is the first time the MAC has had more than a single player on the team.
Texas A&M and Alabama, two of the SEC's powerhouse teams, placed four and three players on the FWAA team, respectively. Alabama had center Barrett Jones, offensive tackle Chance Warmack and defensive back Dee Milliner. Texas A&M placed offensive tackles Joeckel and Jake Matthews, Manziel, and defensive end Damontre Moore on the squad. SEC teams LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Georgia also had one player each on the team.
Manziel, who is the first freshman quarterback in the 69-year history of the FWAA team, is the only freshman (redshirt) on the 2012 team. And there were only two sophomores, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina and wide receiver Marqise Lee of USC. Jones of Alabama and linebacker Jarvis Jones of Georgia were the only two repeaters from 2011.
The FWAA All-America Committee selected three wide receivers on the team because of the depth of talent at the position and dropped the tight end. Another oddity was the team included two Outland Trophy winners. Jones was the 2011 Outland winner as a junior when he played tackle.
| 2012 FWAA ALL-AMERICA TEAM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Courtesy of Cincinnati athletics:
CINCINNATI - Former University of Cincinnati assistant coach Eddie Gran will return to Clifton as the Bearcats offensive coordinator, head coach Tommy Tuberville announced Thursday.
He served as UC's wide receivers coach from 1992-93.
Gran is wrapping up his 26th season of collegiate coaching and his third season at Florida State, where he serves as associate head coach, tutoring the running backs and coordinating special teams.
In 2012, Gran's coaching and position group responsibilities helped lead the Seminoles to their first ACC Championship since 2005, first 11-win season since 2000 and ninth Orange Bowl appearance. Gran will coach the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl against Northern Illinois before joining the Bearcats.
"I'm pleased and excited Eddie has agreed to join us here in Cincinnati," Tuberville said. "We have a lot of history together and have won a lot of football games at Auburn and Mississippi. He's has proven himself to be a great coach and outstanding recruiter. He knows this area well from his previous coaching stop here so it was a natural fit."
Gran's 26 seasons in the college ranks includes stops from coast-to-coast. It began at his alma mater Cal Lutheran, where he played four seasons as a wide receiver. He spent 15 seasons as a running backs coach and special teams coordinator in the SEC, including 10 years at Auburn, followed by a stop at Tennessee before coming to Florida State in 2010.
He has also established himself as one of the nation's top recruiters. He has spent the better part of two decades recruiting Miami and greater South Florida as his primary territory. He helped the Seminoles attract the nation's No. 1 recruiting class in 2011 and was named one of ESPN.com's Top 25 Recruiters of the Year in 2011.
This past season was one of the best ever for Gran's special teams' pupils. FSU kicker Dustin Hopkins set the NCAA career record for scoring by a kicker (459 points) and was a finalist the Lou Groza Award for the second-straight year in addition to numerous All-America honors and First Team All-ACC accolades.
The Noles' punt return and kickoff return units were arguably the most dynamic in the country, as each ranked second in the ACC and No. 7 and No. 17 in nation, respectively. Rashad Greene scored two touchdowns on punt returns and ranked second in the country with a 15.35 punt return average, while Tyler Hunter also had a punt return score. On kickoff returns, Lamarcus Joyner and Karlos Wiliams combined to average 24.6 yards per return.
Under Gran's direction, FSU's stable of running backs also had one of the most prolific seasons in the country and in school history, averaging 203 rushing yards per game and tallying 2,639 yards and an FSU-record 37 touchdowns on the ground in 2012.
The Seminoles rushed for over 200 yards seven times, including a 385-yard performance versus Wake Forest, and had three different running backs rush for over 500 yards in Chris Thompson (687 yards, five touchdowns), Devonta Freeman (630 yards, eight touchdowns) and James Wilder, Jr. (583 yards, 13 touchdowns). Thompson, who played in eight games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, was named Second Team All-ACC and captured the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award given to the conference's "most courageous" player.
Gran has a strong record for developing backfield talent. During his 14 seasons as the assistant to Coach Tuberville at Ole Miss and Auburn, he sent eight running backs to the NFL, including former Tigers Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Rudi Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Heath Evans and Kenny Irons. They were preceded by former Rebels Deuce McCallister and John Avery.
Tennessee's Mario Hardesty (1,345 yards) added his name to the lengthy list of 1,000-yard rushers Gran has worked with over the course of his career in `09. Hardesty, who did not fumble on 282 carries from scrimmage in 2009, was a second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2010. He was selected one slot after Auburn's Ben Tate (Houston Texans), whom Gran coached in 2008.
Gran's tenure as a special teams coach included oversight of Auburn kicker John Vaughn, who was the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2006. With his hands-on approach in all facets of special teams play, Gran is widely regarded as one of the most meticulous in tutoring the game's critical "third phase."
The Escondido, Calif. native earned his bachelor's degree from Cal Lutheran in 1987.
Gran and his wife, Rosemary, have four daughters, Bently, Dillan, Sydney and Lucy Grace.
They are deeply involved in the community for a cause that has changed their lives and continues to impact others. The Sydney Gran Foundation is a charity designed to support children's hospitals and other families whose children are facing serious illness. Sydney, the third of the Gran's four daughters, was born with the rare disease called Holoprosnecephaly. She passed away just shy of her sixth birthday in 2005. Additional information is available at www.sydneygranfoundation.org.
National Football Post's Russ Lande released his initial list of top 200 2013 NFL Draft prospects Tuesday morning and Florida State junior defensive end Bjoern Werner is listed as his No. 1 player based on film evaluation and discussions with NFL personnel.
Redshirt junior defensive back Xavier Rhodes is next on the list at No. 49.
Injured defensive end Brandon Jenkins is ranked No. 37 while his replacement Tank Carradine is ranked No. 85. E.J. Manuel is No. 88 and defensive tackles Everett Dawkins and Amp McCloud are Nos. 176 and 178, respectively.
According to a new list published by U.S. News, FSU is the most efficient university in the nation.
Per U.S. News, the list is "based on operating efficiency, defined as a school's 2011 fiscal year financial resources per student divided by its overall score (the basis U.S. News uses to determine its overall numerical rank) in the 2013 Best Colleges rankings. This calculation reveals how much each school is spending to achieve one point in the overall score and its position in the rankings."
Florida State tops the list with $17,731 spent per student.
"It's an amazing compliment to how the university runs itself and what our faculty does to deliver for our students," FSU president Dr. Eric J. Barron told the Tallahassee Democrat. "Can you imagine what we would do with an extra dollar? We would put it to good use."
Chart courtesy of USNews.com:
| School name (state) | U.S. News National Universities rank | Financial resources per student (FY 2011) |
|---|---|---|
| Florida State University | 97 | $17,731 |
| Brigham Young University--Provo (UT) | 68 | $20,441 |
| Miami University--Oxford (OH) | 89 | $19,091 |
| University of Alabama | 77 | $20,288 |
| College of William and Mary (VA) | 33 | $27,572 |
| Colorado School of Mines | 77 | $21,417 |
| University of Missouri | 97 | $21,226 |
| Binghamton University--SUNY (NY) | 89 | $22,181 |
| Indiana University--Bloomington | 83 | $22,806 |
| Ohio University | 131 | $18,983 |
| Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey--Newark | 115 | $20,801 |
| University of Georgia | 63 | $27,028 |
| Clemson University (SC) | 68 | $26,293 |
| University of South Carolina | 115 | $21,389 |
| Virginia Tech | 72 | $26,261 |
| Clark University (MA) | 83 | $25,073 |
| Duquesne University (PA) | 120 | $21,216 |
| University of Oregon | 115 | $21,749 |
| Texas Christian University | 92 | $24,486 |
| Missouri University of Science & Technology | 125 | $21,044 |
Courtesy of ESPN:
Offense First Team
QB -- Tajh Boyd,
Clemson
RB -- Giovani
Bernard, North Carolina
RB -- Andre Ellington, Clemson
WR -- DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
WR -- Conner Vernon, Duke
TE -- Brandon Ford, Clemson
T -- James Hurst,
North Carolina
T -- Oday Aboushi, Virginia
G -- Jonathan
Cooper, North Carolina
G -- Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech
C -- Dalton Freeman, Clemson
Defense first team
DE--Cornellius Carradine, Florida State
DE--Bjoern Werner, Florida State
DT--Joe Vellano, Maryland
DT--Sylvester Williams, North Carolina
LB--Nick Clancy, Boston College
LB--Steve Greer, Virginia
LB--Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
CB--Ross Cockrell, Duke
CB--Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
S--Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
S--Earl Wolff, NC State
Specialists
PK--Dustin Hopkins, Florida
State
P--Will Monday, Duke
SP--Giovani Bernard,
North Carolina
Courtesy of Kentucky Athletics:
LEXINGTON, Ky. - D.J. Eliot, who played a key role in the dramatic defensive turnaround at Florida State under Mark Stoops, has joined Stoops' Kentucky staff as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, the new UK head coach announced Thursday.
"D.J. is one of the brightest young minds in college football," said Stoops, who has coached with Eliot at Wyoming, Houston, Miami (Fla.) and FSU. "He has a relentless work ethic and is extremely detailed. I'm very pleased he has joined the Big Blue Nation."
Eliot coached defensive ends the last three seasons at Florida State. He recently completed his 15th season of collegiate coaching, helping lead FSU to one of the best defensive campaigns in school history en route to an 11-2 record, the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference and a berth in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
The year before Eliot and Stoops arrived in Tallahassee, the Seminoles ranked 108th in total defense and rushing defense, 58th in quarterback sacks and 61st in tackles for loss nationally. This season, FSU ranks second nationally in total defense (253.8 yards per game), fifth in rushing defense (93 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (15.1 points per game). In each of Eliot's first two years on the job, FSU ranked among the nation's top 10 teams in sacks and the top 25 in tackles for loss.
Eliot's players also have had outstanding individual achievements.
- Bjoern Werner has 13 sacks this season, leading the ACC and ranking second nationally in total sacks. Werner has been named first-team All-America and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
- Brandon Jenkins earned All-ACC honors in 2010 and '11 before sustaining a season-ending injury in the 2012 season opener.
- After Jenkins' injury, Cornellius "Tank" Carradine went from FSU backup to joining Werner as first-team All-ACC. He has 11 sacks this season, second in the ACC behind his teammate, and 14th nationally.
- Under Eliot's guidance, Markus White had a breakout season in 2010 and is currently in his third season in the National Football League.
 |
Eliot and Stoops first became acquainted at Wyoming, where Stoops coached the defensive backs while Eliot played linebacker for the Cowboys. The two coached together at Wyoming as Eliot was a graduate assistant for his alma mater in 1999.
The two continued to work together in 2000 when Stoops joined the staff at the University of Houston as the co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach and Eliot worked as a graduate assistant for the Cougars. Eliot remained at Houston through 2001 before rejoining Stoops in 2002 at Miami (Fla.) in his final season as a graduate assistant. The two helped lead the Canes to a 12-1 record and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.
Eliot earned his first full-time coaching position in 2003 at Texas State. The Bobcats went from a 4-8 record to 5-6 to 11-3 in the 2005 season, which featured a Southland Conference championship and a berth in the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs (now Football Championship Subdivision). Eliot coached the defensive backs his first season at Texas State and the linebackers his final two seasons.
Eliot helped lead a defensive turnaround at Texas State. In his first season on the job, TSU gave up 34.8 points per game, 394.6 yards per game and 191.3 rushing yards per game. Two years later in Eliot's final season with the Bobcats, TSU gave up only 20.3 points per game, 313.9 yards per game and 136.2 rushing yards per game.
Eliot moved from Texas State to Tulsa, helping lead the Golden Hurricane to an 8-5 record and an appearance in the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl. In his one season as linebackers coach, Eliot developed Nick Bunting into the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and all three of his LBs, Bunting, Nelson Coleman and Chris Chamberlain, earned All-CUSA honors. Chamberlain went on to an NFL career and is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Before his successful stint at Florida State, Eliot coached three seasons (2007-2009) at Rice as the recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach. His best year at Rice was in 2008 when he helped guide the Owls to a 10-3 record and a victory in the Texas Bowl. The season was historic for Rice, serving as the Owls' first 10-win season since 1949 and first bowl victory since 1950.
Two of the players Eliot recruited and developed were defensive ends Scott Solomon and Cheta Ozougwu, who led all Conference USA linemen in 2009 with 124 combined tackles along with 21 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Both Solomon and Ozougwu became All-CUSA selections and are in the NFL, Solomon with the Tennessee Titans and Ozougwu with the Chicago Bears.
"I'm very excited with the opportunity to coach at Kentucky and continue to work with Coach Stoops," Eliot said. "I believe in the potential of UK and look forward to being on this staff."
A native of Edmond, Okla., Eliot graduated from Wyoming in 1999 with a degree in natural science with a minor in zoology. He earned a master's degree in education at Houston. He and his wife, Miekel, have one son, Dawson, and two daughters, Drue and Page.
Eliot Coaching History
| Year | School | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Wyoming | Graduate Assistant |
| 2000 | Houston | Graduate Assistant |
| 2001 | Houston | Graduate Assistant |
| 2002 | Miami (Fla.) | Graduate Assistant |
| 2003 | Texas State | Defensive Backs |
| 2004 | Texas State | Linebackers |
| 2005 | Texas State | Linebackers |
| 2006 | Tulsa | Linebackers |
| 2007 | Rice | Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Line |
| 2008 | Rice | Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Line |
| 2009 | Rice | Recruiting Coordinator/Defensive Line |
| 2010 | Florida State | Defensive Ends |
| 2011 | Florida State | Defensive Ends |
| 2012 | Florida State | Defensive Ends |
Courtesy of the ACC Digital Network:
<
<
I understand and agree to all rules and regulations: You are providing your information to the Florida State University and not to Facebook. The information you provided will only be used for contest entry unless you also opt in to receive the Seminole Dispatch Newsletter. As such, you are required to comply with all U.S. and international copyright laws, any and all laws regarding intellectual property.
Courtesy of CBSSports.com:
Second Team
Offense -- QB: Collin Klein, Kansas State; RB: Kenjon Barner, Oregon; Montee Ball, Wisconsin; WR: DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson; Tavon Austin, West Virginia; Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech; TE: Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame; OT:Taylor Lewan, Michigan; Rick Wagner, Wisconsin; OG: Cyril Richardson, Baylor; David Yankey, Stanford; C: Braxston Cave, Notre Dame.
Defense -- DE: Damontre Moore, Texas A&M; John Simon, Ohio State; DT: Star Lotuleilei, Utah; Kawann Short, Purdue; LB: Trent Murphy, Stanford; Kyle Van Noy, BYU; Anthony Barr, UCLA; CB:Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State; Bradley Roby, Ohio State; S: Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma; Eric Reid, LSU.
Special Teams -- K: Caleb Sturgis, Florida; P: Riley Stephenson, BYU; KR: Dri Archer, Kent State; PR: Marcus Murphy, Missouri; All-Purpose: Giovani Bernard, North Carolina.
Third Team
Offense -- QB: Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois; RB: Stepfan Taylor, Stanford; Stefphon Jefferson, Nevada; WR: Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt; Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas; Markus Wheaton, Oregon State; TE: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington; OT: Lane Johnson, Oklahoma; Dallas Thomas, Tennessee; OG: Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech; Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA; C: Hroniss Grasu, Oregon.
Defense -- DE: Travis Johnson, San Jose State; Sam Montgomery, LSU; DT: Louis Nix, Notre Dame; Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State; LB: Kevin Minter, LSU; Khaseem Greene, Rutgers; Arthur Brown, Kansas State; CB: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon; Will Davis, Utah State; S: Ty Zimmerman, Kansas State; Ed Reynolds, Stanford.
Special Teams -- P: Kyle Christy, Florida; K: Cairo Santos, Tulane; KR: Mike Edwards, Hawaii; PR: Ace Sanders, South Carolina; All-Purpose: Duke Johnson, Miami.
Here are the first half game notes from Florida State Sports Information.
