09/02/10- Marcell Dareus, Jr, Alabama, 6-3, 306 The NCAA has declared Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus ineligible for two games for accepting improper benefits. The ruling Thursday also ordered Dareus to repay $1,787 dollars to a charity of his choice before regaining eligibility. The Crimson Tide opens Saturday night against San Jose State and then hosts No. 19 Penn State. Dareus was ruled ineligible for receiving preferential treatment and agent benefits, including airfare, lodging, meals and transportation during two trips to Miami, Fla. Alabama compliance director Mike Ward said Dareus didn’t intentionally violate rules or knowingly accept benefits from an agent. He says the university is considering an appeal. - AP Sports
09/02/10- Cameron Heyward, Sr, Ohio State, 6-5, 285 PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Cameron Heyward, the son of late NFL running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, had 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last season. He's a candidate for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year - Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn will be right there, too - and six other defensive starters from the Rose Bowl winners return.
09/02/10- Robert Quinn, Jr, North Carolina, 6-5, 268 North Carolina coach Butch Davis suspended defensive tackle Marvin Austin indefinitely on Wednesday for violating unspecified team rules. He may be the first of many Tar Heel players to be suspended, sources tell ESPN's Joe Schad. The school is exploring the possibility of "rolling suspensions" with the NCAA, which would allow them to spread losses over multiple games. Defensive end Robert Quinn is being investigated for his alleged interaction with an agent, a source said. Quinn has also worked with the tutor who allegedly wrote papers for some North Carolina players, a source said. A source said North Carolina may have to play without seven defensive starters, including numerous high draft choice projections. Among the players in danger of not traveling with North Carolina Friday are: Austin, Quinn, linebackers Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant and cornerbacks Kendric Burney and Charles Brown. A source said North Carolina may also be depleted at running back on Saturday. The top two running backs for the Tar Heels following spring practice were Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston. Wide receiver Greg Little has also been questioned about his trips, agents and papers. The Tar Heels are working with the NCAA and hope to be able to decide before Friday morning which players will not make the trip and which should be held out for precautionary reasons, a source said. - Joe Schad, ESPN
09/02/10- Cameron Heyward, Sr, Ohio State, 6-5, 285 While Cameron Heyward espouses the Ohio State team ethic every chance he gets, he has made no secret of his intention to bull-rush his way to being the best defensive lineman in college football this year. In fact, when asked whether he wants to be the Ndamukong Suh of 2010, he answered quickly: "I want to be better than Suh," the senior captain said. Whether he even comes close to the season Suh had for Nebraska last year, when he wound up fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, remains to be seen. But Heyward said a meeting with coach Jim Tressel earlier this year convinced him not to be bashful about striving for such lofty goals. "Suh is a great player, but (Tressel) made it clear to me - he was telling me about his dad (the late Lee Tressel, former championship-winning coach at Baldwin-Wallace), and how his dad had a street named after him," Heyward said. "And (Jim Tressel) said he wanted a highway named after him. "So I think when you want to be the best, you've got to be better than the best. You can't just be Suh. You don't want to be known as a player who was just as good as Suh. It's not being cocky or anything; I just want to be the best out there." Heyward made that his mission when he returned for his senior year and bypassed the NFL draft, where he likely would have been a first-round pick. "The way he approached his offseason workout this summer is, he really took the bull by the horns and tried to get bigger, faster, stronger," linebacker Ross Homan said. "And in fall camp, this dude was a beast. He's a monster. He single-handedly can take (on) an offensive line." - Tim May, The Columbus Dispatch
09/02/10- Jake Coffman, rSr, Northern Illinois, 6-5, 255 This old man ... couldn't stay away. And that's not good news for Mid-American Conference quarterbacks. Twenty-six-year-old Jake Coffman, a former U.S. Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq before coming to Northern Illinois University in 2006 and walking on to the football team, is back for one more go-round. "I thought I had fulfilled everything I wanted to in football so I thought I would be moving on to a career," Coffman said of his decision to forego his senior season in January following the Huskies' appearance in the International Bowl. After redshirting and then missing much of 2007 with a foot injury, he became a solid contributor and then a standout. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive end/defensive tackle led last year's team with 13.5 tackles for loss, including 8.5 sacks. It helped picked up the slack left by the graduation of two-time league MVP and first round draft choice Larry English (San Diego). Coffman, then 25, mistakenly thought his tank was nearing empty. Then he heard his teammates going through spring workouts. He lived in an apartment across the street from Huskie Stadium and watched practice one day through the stadium's chain-link fence. "I got the itch back. I missed it," said the Forreston High School product from tiny German Valley. "I wanted to get back out with the guys." - Rick Armstrong, Aurora Beacon News
09/02/10- Cliff Matthews, Sr, South Carolina, 6-4, 262 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Gamecocks finished third in the Southeastern Conference in total defense under coordinator Ellis Johnson in 2009 and should be even better this season. Although all-star linebacker Eric Norwood, end Clifton Geathers and safety Darian Stewart are not competing in the NFL, the team should have plenty of star power. Senior end Cliff Matthews is the unit's leader, although sophomore Stephon Gilmore had a superior season, starting every game at cornerback as a freshman. Senior tackles Ladi Ajiboye and Travian Robertson anchor the interior.
09/02/10- Ra'Shede Hageman, rFr, Minnesota, 6-6, 272 PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Ra'Shede Hageman - Since he's been moved from tight end to the other side of the ball, there's no doubt Hageman is raw and still learning at his new position. But at 6-foot-6 and 294 pounds, the redshirt freshman, who has been battling an ankle injury, has the physical skills to be a force.
09/02/10- Allen Bailey, Sr, Miami, 6-4, 288 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Hurricanes have experience throughout the lineup and all-star candidates in Allen Bailey up front, Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy at linebacker, and Brandon Harris and Vaughn Telemaque in the secondary. The unit also has depth overall. What the Hurricanes need is someone to step up to make the big plays in crucial situations.
09/02/10- Cordarro Law, rJr, Southern Miss, 6-2, 248 PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Cordarro Law - South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia has been known to hold the ball too long, so this could give Law a shot at some sacks, which could short-circuit the Gamecocks' offense. Law led the team in tackles for loss last season and had 7.5 sacks.
09/02/10- James Rouse, rFr, Marshall, 6-5, 228 Marshall is slated to start a freshman, James Rouse, at defensive end against the veteran Ohio State offensive line. He is listed ahead of DeMetrius Thompson.
09/02/10- Jonathan Rainey, rJr, New Mexico, 6-2, 242 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The front seven is solid, but that may not be good enough against Oregon's skill players. The line has to get penetration and put pressure on the quarterback. If it can't, the secondary will get exposed often. UNM will hope to confuse first-year Ducks QB Darron Thomas, and it catches a break because RB LeMichael James is suspended for the opener for an off-field incident last spring. Oregon may need a couple of series to get in rhythm. The Lobos' line has to keep Thomas uncomfortable for as long as possible for UNM to stay in the game. PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Johnathan Rainey is UNM's best pass rusher. He has the moves and quickness to get around most offensive linemen. Rainey, however, has had a history of getting dinged up and missing plays. He must be able to withstand the pounding because the Lobos would suffer a considerable drop-off in athletic ability in using backup Jake Carr.
09/02/10- Dion Jordan, rSo, Oregon, 6-7, 234 AREAS OF CONCERN: The one Pac-10 game in which Oregon failed to score at least 37 points is the one where Jeremiah Masoli did not play because of injury. He might have been worth a couple of victories last season all by himself. The difference is that the Ducks have had all offseason to prepare for his absence; it's not like losing a player to injury the week before a big game. Beyond quarterback, there is some questions about the defensive line, where DT Zac Clark and DE Dion Jordan (a converted tight end) are among the new faces. The Ducks are smallish on defense but likely have the fastest unit in the Pac-10.
09/02/10- Dion Jordan, rSo, Oregon, 6-7, 234 Dion Jordan moved from tight end to defensive end in the spring, and showed the kind of pass-rushing skills that could make him a valuable player in 2010 as he shores up an area that is a bit thin. Jordan and Kenny Rowe on the opposite end could be a formidable duo.
09/01/10- Ryan Kerrigan, Sr, Purdue, 6-4, 263 PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Ryan Kerrigan - With Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist recovering from knee surgery, Kerrigan should be able to apply pressure. If Kerrigan can disrupt Crist and Notre Dame's fast-paced offense, the Boilermakers will be in the mix.
09/01/10- Ethan Johnson, Jr, Notre Dame, 6-4, 280 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Notre Dame has to make a lot of improvement on this side of the ball after allowing 30.1 points and 397.8 yards per game last season. The Irish were particularly defenseless against teams with strong running games. That's not the strength of Purdue, which lost RB Ralph Bolden in the spring (torn ACL) and have three new starting linemen. ND coach Brian Kelly is most concerned about Purdue's standout group of receivers, led by Keith Smith, who led the Big Ten last season with 91 catches. Notre Dame banks on being more aggressive in a new 3-4 scheme that should feature ever-improving overall athleticism.
09/01/10- Ryan Kerrigan, Sr, Purdue, 6-4, 263 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Stopping the run has been the goal throughout the camp. In three of the last four years, the Boilermakers have finished last among Big Ten teams against the run. The addition of co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Gary Emanuel, a former Purdue assistant, is one attempt to fix those problems. Led by Kerrigan, the Boilermakers have experience and depth among the front seven. Gerald Gooden is a legitimate force at the other end and defensive tackle Kawaan Short started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman last season. For the first time in several years, Purdue is two-deep at each linebacker spot. Jason Werner, back for his sixth year, joins Joe Holland and Dwayne Beckford as starters. The front seven will have to play at a high level because the secondary features four new starters. Kerrigan was named on five preseason watch lists and is nominated for a sixth national award.
09/01/10- Scott Solomon, Sr, Rice, 6-3, 272 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: No team in all of the FBS allowed more points per game last year than Rice (43.1). The Owls have more experience this year, but might be plagued by the same problems. The loss of Solomon stings, and weakens what was the best part of the defense. Questions remain about the most of the defensive backfield, which could be a significant problem in an aerial league like Conference USA.
09/01/10- C.J. James, So, Colorado State, 6-2, 245 BREAKOUT STAR: DE C.J. James - When the school announced Cory Macon wouldn't return because of academic reasons, James officially became the starter and one of the more intriguing players on the Rams. As a true freshman last year, he played in 11 games and had two sacks against Wyoming in the final game of the season. He has plenty of potential and could emerge as a force off the edge.
09/01/10- Nick Kasa, So, Colorado, 6-6, 270 DE Nick Kasa spent much of his freshman season battling illness and injury, but is declared fit for the fall and could give Colorado a boost along the defensive front after adding weight and strength. Kasa initially signed with Florida before opting to play for the home-state Buffs.
09/01/10- Cory Macon, rSr, Colorado State, 6-6, 242 DE Cory Macon, a projected starter in spring, will not return to the team because he is academically ineligible.
09/01/10- Scott Solomon, Sr, Rice, 6-3, 272 Scott Solomon was supposed to stabilize the Owls' defense this season, providing senior leadership to a relatively young group. Instead, Solomon will be sidelined after breaking a bone in his right foot just days before the season opener. He could redshirt and return in 2011. "It was very emotional for him," Rice coach David Bailiff told the Houston Chronicle.
09/01/10- Aldon Smith, rSo, Missouri, 6-5, 255 Missouri landed two players on the preseason All-Big 12 team. Senior center Tim Barnes became the fourth consecutive Missouri center to be named to the preseason team before his senior season. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Aldon Smith, who set the school's single-season sack record as a freshman, was also named to the preseason All-Big 12 team.
09/01/10- Michael Buchanan, So, Illinois, 6-6, 225 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: New defensive coordinator Vic Koenning brought with him the multi-faceted stylings that worked so well for him at Clemson and Kansas State. The Illini plan to blitz and pressure and stunt and surprise in order to compensate for an undersized line and an inexperienced secondary. They'll ostensibly line up in the 4-3, though 225-pound sophomore Michael Buchanan is the "Bandit" who can turn it into a 3-4 by dropping back into coverage. Junior safety Trulon Henry, a junior-college transfer who's the older brother of ex-Illini Arrelious Benn, makes his debut against Missouri. He's considered to be strong against the run.
09/01/10- Clay Nurse, rSr, Illinois, 6-3, 262 Illinois has just six seniors in its projected starting lineup: strong-side guard Randall Hunt, wide receivers Fayson and Eddie McGee, safety Travon Bellamy, outside linebacker Nate Bussey and defensive end Clay Nurse. Punter Anthony Santella, a fourth-year starter, makes seven seniors.
09/01/10- Jack Crawford, Jr, Penn State, 6-5, 256 PLAYERS TO WATCH: DE Jack Crawford - The talented junior is expected to take another step forward after recording 5 1/2 sacks and 14 1/2 tackles for loss in 2009. Crawford is about 15 pounds heavier than his playing weight from last season and will be a huge problem for Youngstown State's offensive tackles.
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