Rising Stars

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Who are the players on your team that are not all that well-known now but could be well known and feared later on?

[kdinva]

#82) Dexter Bridge, WR, 6'2, 195, Soph. Chose VMI over NC State last Winter. first team all-state in Pa. in 2010. Had a great Spring.

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/college/wb/308118?SPSID=43765&SPID=3895&DB_OEM_ID=9800

#75) Andy Marcotte, OT, 6'7, 315, R-Soph. Should anchor the right side of VMI's O-line.
#9) James Fruehan; DB/PR, 5'9, 180. Soph. Also had a super Spring.
#21) Jabari Turner; HB, 6', 215, Soph. Was #3 in 2011, behind two seniors.
#41) Logan Staib; ILB, 6'1", 230, R-Soph. was in the 2-deep all of 2011, will start in Sept.

[Professor Chaos]

RB John Crockett. He was in the 2010 recruiting class and has spent the last 2 years getting his academics in order and he's on track to be eligible this fall. He was getting recruited by big-time Big Ten schools like Michigan and Michigan St but they were scared off by the academic risk. He's got the talent and NDSU is a running back factory so I'm really excited to see him in action this fall. Sam Ojuri is the unquestioned starter at RB but NDSU likes to split carries so I think Crockett will see plenty of time in the backfield.

[eiu1999]

LB Antonio Taylor 6-2 215 R-JR Started 11 games (92 tackles / 51 solo, 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception)
CB DJ Bland 6-1 179 R-SO Started 6 games (46 tackles / 32 solo, 2 tackles for loss, 2 blocked kicks)

[Skjellyfetti]

The one that immediately comes to mind for App State is Sean Price.

6'5 redshirt freshman receiver.
http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics32/800/XZ/XZOYXOZQKBBEHPO.20120331171612.JPG
He is going to be an absolute stud.

We have a lot of talented young guys like Ronald Blair, Doug Middleton, Jamal Ware, and Henry Barnes who people that follow the SoCon are already familiar with... so, I'm not sure they would count for this thread. Also, I'm not sure which true freshmen will be redshirted.

[PaladinFan]

Travis Eman at Furman.

Big kid and a highly regarded dual threat quarterback. Reminds me a lot of former Paladin quarterback Renaldo Gray in his physical size. Will be in the conversation for the starting quarterback gig this season as a r-FR, but will be competing with a fifth year senior for the spot. Even if he's not the guy this season, he will be leading the Paladin offense for plenty of the next three years.

I like him because Furman has tended to perform better with the big-bodied mobile quarterbacks like Gray, Forcier, and Ingle Martin. They have not been as successful with the drop back and scrambler types. With our offense finally going back to the "roll out and find the tightend" type playbook which is so effective, I can see Eman fitting right in.

[Silenoz]

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/missoulian.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/b6/4b6e693f-cbd7-5d0e-bdfd-242fd9888376/4e6650e8b9d4d.image.jpg

[Uncle Rico's Clan]

^^^
The Tennessee fans we were sitting next to were all amazed at how fast he was when he scored that touchdown. I'm excited to see this kid progress.

[Sammy94]

http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/3/49/189199/36660-330-0.jpg


QB- Jared Johnson - Incoming Freshman

The national runners-up, Oregon, wanted him to run its up-tempo offense, but he wanted to stay close to home and help build a program. Jared Johnson, a lightning-quick 6-foot, 195-pound dual-threat QB, chose SHSU instead of playing for the Ducks.

The Grand Prairie (Texas) native also held scholarship offers from Baylor, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Texas State and Rice, but he chose SHSU.

[blueballs]

For GSU it there would be two.

a) Dominique Swope tore it up last year when he was finally given the starting FB job... 690 rushing yards in the last 5 games against the gauntlet of @Wofford, @ Alabama, ODU, Maine, @NDSU.

b) Whoever wins the QB job between Jerick McKinnon and Ezayi Youyoute. Both are homerun hitters with the ball in their hands and will put up big rushing numbers.

[HailSzczur]

Jamal Abdur-Rahman, Soph RB

Should be coming in as the starter this year. Saw limited time last year, but his averages were great, 7.7 yds per rush, 10.4 yds per catch, and 24 yds per return. His breakout game was the Delaware game where he ran for 119yd on 7 carries with 2 TDs and also caught for 21.
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Y.09e_DGT00/s/600/480/Villanova-RB-Jamal-Abdur-Rahman-22.jpg

I would also say Soph LB Dillion Lucas, but he was already such a stud as CAA Defensive ROY. 92 tackles last year as a freshman, he was huge
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/6972618.jpeg

[chattownmocs]

DJ Key Jr. S
Keon Williams Jr. RB
Davis Tull So. DE
Marlon Anthony Jr. WR

[Screamin_Eagle174]

EWU:

RB#22: Quincy Forte. True sophomore. Only got 54 carries last year, but averaged 5 yards a pop.
CB#31: TJ Lee III. First year starting in 2011 as a sophomore. Made All Big Sky 1st Team.
DT#93: Andru Pulu. Transfer from UW. He will be a force to be reckoned with against the run and pass. Will see lots of double teams.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

For Lehigh

Zach Barket Sr. RB, 5'10 210 706 yards rushing 4 TD's rushing, 329 yards receiving 5 TD's. Missed final game and playoffs due to a broken ankle

Bryan Andrews Sr. CB 6'0 180, Will make a couple postseason AA teams imo.

A.J. Hood Jr. OL 6'6 295, Saw time as a fr and soph, now has the opportunity to start full time. He could draw attention from the NFL IF he can live up to his potential.

[PaladinFan]

For Lehigh

Zach Barket Sr. RB, 5'10 210 706 yards rushing 4 TD's rushing, 329 yards receiving 5 TD's. Missed final game and playoffs due to a broken ankle

Bryan Andrews Sr. CB 6'0 180, Will make a couple postseason AA teams imo.

A.J. Hood Jr. OL 6'6 295, Saw time as a fr and soph, now has the opportunity to start full time. He could draw attention from the NFL IF can live up to his potential.

Not to be a pain, but are you technically a "rising star" with over 1,000 yards of total offense and almost 10 touchdowns last season?

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Not to be a pain, but are you technically a "rising star" with over 1,000 yards of total offense and almost 10 touchdowns last season?

Lum and Spadola got most of the attention though. I think Barket could put up some monster numbers this year since he'll be more of a focal point in the offense.

[PaladinNation]

For Furman

#1 Jordan Snellings 6-1 181 RSFR WR (Marist HS ATL)
Looked very good in the spring. Should see a lot of action this season.

#35 Gary Wilkins 6-1 216 SO LB (Alcovy HS)
Very mobile linebacker, should make some noise this season.

[DJKyR0]

Gotta peg Ryan Smith of NDSU. Our #1 receiving target is gone to graduation and the two guys who were supposed to have been tearing it up the past two years have been riddled with injuries (Zach Vraa and Trevor Gebhart). We've got a good young crop of WRs coming in and at least one will play as a true freshman, but Smith is going to be NDSU's Percy Harvin, working out of the slot and racking up yards inside with the ultra-accurate Brock Jensen throwing his way. He didn't notch a single touchdown through the air last year (his sole score of the season came on the punt return at SDSU) but I expect that to change in a big way this season.

[seantaylor]

I won't say Swope or McKinnon because they are already stars. My top 3 are WR BJ Johnson, DT Johnathan Battle, and LB Antwionne Williams

[blueballs]

I won't say Swope or McKinnon because they are already stars. My top 3 are WR BJ Johnson, DT Johnathan Battle, and LB Antwionne Williams

Good call... Battle suffered a torn ACL and MCL going into his SR year of HS, fell off the FBS recruiting radar which is what landed him at GSU, and has not seen game action in two years (redshirted last year). He looked awfully good in the spring at GSU, though.

6'1", close to 300 lbs, 450+ bench, 600+ squat, 30"+ vertical... and played and started in hoops in HS so he has good feet. He just needs game experience and better use of his hands and he could be a big time player.

[R3TRO]

#22 Nico Steriti - Soph - RB
Got some action last year with his breakout game being against Maine where he rushed for 150 on 21 carries.

#89 Harold Spears - Soph - TE
UNH has produced some excellent TE's and I think Harold is no different. Missed most of last year with a broken leg. Expect big things from him this year.

I would add RJ Harris but I think he made a pretty good name for himself last year as a R-Fr.

[Milktruck74]

CHATTANOOGA- Ron Moore Jr. 3 catches for 147 yards and 2 TDs last season. We have to figure out how to get this guy the ball, he obviously knows what to do with it when he gets it!!!

[SFA 93]

WR: Marquis Mosley 6-4; 200 Tyler, Texas (Lee) (So.)
2011 - REC:42; YDS:356; TD:2

http://www.shelbycountytoday.com/imgsTemp/14/wk3SFA3.jpg

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/dailysentinel.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/60/c60da7f8-eaaa-11e0-a477-001cc4c002e0/4e848660e44fb.image.jpg

As a true freshman Marques played in all 11 games in which he started 9.

He had a season high 9 catches and 99 yards against Texas State.

Mosley had originally committed to play at Illinois but SFA was fortunate enough to get him in the end.

Also I would have to say in-coming freshman

LB: Jordan Burton 6-3; 200 Longview, Texas (Longview) who played FS for the Lobo's varsity football team as a freshman.

http://media.reporternews.com/media/img/photos/2011/09/24/1420110924183227001_t607.JPG

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/news-journal.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/d5/fd5a16b2-c2a4-5edb-8c8d-aa49203f0b6b/4cfb079e80607.image.jpg

Burton kinda fell through the cracks of what the FBS ranks were looking for in terms of size at linebacker and he was just too big for a DB.

SFA will benefit greatly from this as Longview Lobos head football coach John King said SFA got a real steal with Burton.

Jordan Burton made the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine Top 20 linebackers list and was a 3 star recruit rated as high as the #99 prospect at linebacker according to Scout.com, making official visits to programs such as Arkansas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor, and Oklahoma who were showing interest.

[SU DOG]

I actually have 4 for Samford that I think deserve mention here if xfers can also be considered:

James Bradberry RS-Fr. 6-1 189lbs. CB - 2** Rivals, was first team All-State in Alabama. Transferred in from Arkansas State.

Hans Rice RS-Soph 6-2 217lbs. LB - 3*** Rivals and 3*** Scouts, had 2 SEC offers out of HS. Transferred in from NC State last year, but was injured.



Jeremy Towns RS-Sr. 6-4 315lbs. DL - Was giving a great Nick Fairly imitation in practice last August before an injury caused him to be lost for the season. This 5th year man is big, strong and surprisingly quick. If injury free, he will team with big Nick Williams, 6-4 310lbs. to give Samford "Twin Towers" on the defensive front.

Jeremiaha Gates Soph 5-9 215lbs. RB - Had outstanding games after Fabian Truss was hurt last year. Ran all over The Citadel in the 4th quarter, and looked like a phenom as he torched the defense of Auburn for 119 yards of rushing.

[GlassOnion]

App ended up starting 4 Freshman in 2011, and managed to RS several other players that could have contributed immediately. Robinson and Blair at DE are going to be very, very good. At 6'5 246 and 6'4 271 as true sophmores, theyre only going to get bigger and stronger. The FCS is going to know the pair of them before they graduate. They have the potential to be App's best pair of DEs since Marques Murrell and Jason Hunter.

On the RS list, were 6'6 285 DE/DT Devante Harris, 6'5 210 WR Sean Price, and 6'3 275 Thomas Bronson. Bronson came in as a 6'3 235 LB/DE, and after 1 RS season, he's our current choice for starting NT. Bronson is strong and quick, and I think he's going to be a pleasant surprise this year. Sean Price, as noted on the first page of the thread, looks amazingly "studly," he reminds me of Brian Quick as a soph.

There are probably 8 of 18 in this years signing class that will have the ability to break into the 2 deep at some point in the year, I see maybe 3-4 getting significant playing time, and the rest mostly redshirted.

[Sioux24/7]

#2 Jer Garman RB UND
http://image.cdnllnwnl.xosnetwork.com/pics32/640/NJ/NJLSWLUSLSFFJIU.20111128234527.jpg

[laxVik]

http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/3/49/189199/36660-330-0.jpg


QB- Jared Johnson - Incoming Freshman

The national runners-up, Oregon, wanted him to run its up-tempo offense, but he wanted to stay close to home and help build a program. Jared Johnson, a lightning-quick 6-foot, 195-pound dual-threat QB, chose SHSU instead of playing for the Ducks.

The Grand Prairie (Texas) native also held scholarship offers from Baylor, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Texas State and Rice, but he chose SHSU.Ha. The reality is he choice to play now over the bench.

[seantaylor]

Good call... Battle suffered a torn ACL and MCL going into his SR year of HS, fell off the FBS recruiting radar which is what landed him at GSU, and has not seen game action in two years (redshirted last year). He looked awfully good in the spring at GSU, though.

6'1", close to 300 lbs, 450+ bench, 600+ squat, 30"+ vertical... and played and started in hoops in HS so he has good feet. He just needs game experience and better use of his hands and he could be a big time player.

I'm hearing he is 5 bills on the bench now. Second strongest guy on the team behind 66. Melton needs to be sent some He Got Game trim

[Tribe4SF]

Tribe had two true freshmen play last year, and I think both are going to be stars.

Wide Receiver Tre McBride...6'1" 190...

http://www.myuploadedimages.com/images/55477364240851939167.jpg

Defensive tackle Jasper Coleman...6'4" 290...

http://www.myuploadedimages.com/images/49924508423966350263.jpg

Two rising sophomores who made big contributions last year and seem ready to break out are...

Running Back Keith McBride...6' 210...

http://www.myuploadedimages.com/images/03577416907064444798.jpg

Safety Ivan Tagoe...6'1" 220...

http://www.myuploadedimages.com/images/23780332335068793376.jpg

[katstrapper]

Ha. The reality is he choice to play now over the bench.

He wont be playing QB. Brian Bell is entrenched as the starter. He will be redshirted I am sure unless they move him. I could see him getting on the field as receiver and probably where he will end up. Kats have recruited pretty well at QB.

[401ks]

Dorian Bell - Duquesne University

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/duqu/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/6852175.jpeg

http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bell_dorian00.html

as a sophomore, the Ohio State transfer joined the team in late August (2011)

Was not on the two-deep depth chart at the beginning of the season, but saw action in seven games and ended the season second on the depth chart at the weakside linebacker... named NEC Defensive Player of the Week (11-12-2011)... finished with 37 tackles (21 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.

as a redshirt freshman at Ohio State (2010)

Saw action in eight games as the backup at weakside linebacker ... finished with nine tackles (three solo) in earning a letter ... also participated on special teams ... missed mid-October games at Wisconsin, vs. Purdue and at Minnesota with a concussion ... made his return on Nov. 13 at home versus Penn State ... also did not play in week four versus Eastern Michigan ... forced a fumble in OSU's season-opening win over Marshall ... had a season-high three assisted tackles - including an assisted tackle for loss - against Ohio U.

as a freshman at Ohio State (2009)

Reshirted for Ohio State's Big Ten and Rose Bowl champions.

personal

Was a consensus five-star recruit (Scout and Rivals) out of Gateway High School in suburban Pittsburgh ... had 116 tackles including 19 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks as a senior ... also rushed for 885 yards on 83 attempts (10.7 ypc.) and 17 touchdowns ... played for back-to-back conference championship teams ... was a Parade and EA Sports All-America ... participated in the U.S. Army All-American game as well as the Hawaii-US Mainland all-star game ... was named the No. 33 overall recruit and No. 3 outside linebacker prospect in the nation by Rivals.com ... also named Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette player of the year ... earned a spot on the Trib's Terrific 25 and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Fabulous 22 teams ... played high school ball with junior offensive lineman Eric Warning ... had 236 tackles and 18 sacks as a junior and senior ... major: sociology/criminal justice ... date of birth: 3/14/91.

-------

Mr. Bell has the potential to be one of the most outstanding players in the FCS over the next two seasons.

[seantaylor]

GSU is going to be a much better team this season. I honestly can't fathom why some of our fans think we won't. We have a bunch of Georgia Tech nuthuggers. Jaybo was decent, nothing more. 3 years in, and every Olineman will have been recruited for the 3-O. Speed is going to finally kill our opponents

[PaladinFan]

GSU is going to be a much better team this season. I honestly can't fathom why some of our fans think we won't. We have a bunch of Georgia Tech nuthuggers. Jaybo was decent, nothing more. 3 years in, and every Olineman will have been recruited for the 3-O. Speed is going to finally kill our opponents

You are the only Georgia Southern fan on this forum that thinks GSU will improve after the loss of Jaybo Shaw. Georgia Southern averaged over 35 points per game in 2011 and made back to back semi finals appearances. They could competently trust their passing game (instead of the "heave it up" attack of previous offenses), which caused monumental problems for defenses.

I hope whatever plaque they put up for Jaybo Shaw has his record as a starter and the words "Decent, nothing more." As a fan of an opposing team, I'd rather see my guys play a fast quarterback 10 times out of 10 than a guy that was a step slower, but savvy with the football and could make his throws.

[GlassOnion]

GSU is going to be a much better team this season. I honestly can't fathom why some of our fans think we won't. We have a bunch of Georgia Tech nuthuggers. Jaybo was decent, nothing more. 3 years in, and every Olineman will have been recruited for the 3-O. Speed is going to finally kill our opponents

Till they run into the App defense again. Without a deep threat WR and a QB that can get it to him, defenses will just gamble on stopping the 3-Op, and the ones with speed on D, will have a good chance winning that gamble. Then there is your secondary. Your secondary could be the achilles heel to tha defense Im guessing.

[MplsBison]

Gotta peg Ryan Smith of NDSU. Our #1 receiving target is gone to graduation and the two guys who were supposed to have been tearing it up the past two years have been riddled with injuries (Zach Vraa and Trevor Gebhart). We've got a good young crop of WRs coming in and at least one will play as a true freshman, but Smith is going to be NDSU's Percy Harvin, working out of the slot and racking up yards inside with the ultra-accurate Brock Jensen throwing his way. He didn't notch a single touchdown through the air last year (his sole score of the season came on the punt return at SDSU) but I expect that to change in a big way this season.

Smith has been hurt too. I think he sat out part of the NC game because of injury. Which was too bad because basically he was the only target that Brock was consistently able to get the ball to on a non-screen pass.

EDIT: actually I take that back. Brock didn't get the ball to anyone consistently. He was 9-19 for 81 yards with 1 int and no touchdowns when you take away the 39 yard screen pass to DJ for the touchdown.

[blueballs]

You are the only Georgia Southern fan on this forum that thinks GSU will improve after the loss of Jaybo Shaw. Georgia Southern averaged over 35 points per game in 2011 and made back to back semi finals appearances. They could competently trust their passing game (instead of the "heave it up" attack of previous offenses), which caused monumental problems for defenses.

I hope whatever plaque they put up for Jaybo Shaw has his record as a starter and the words "Decent, nothing more." As a fan of an opposing team, I'd rather see my guys play a fast quarterback 10 times out of 10 than a guy that was a step slower, but savvy with the football and could make his throws.

The two guys waiting in the wings are better athletes than Shaw and it ain't even close. What remains to be seen is whether they'll be as good as football players and leaders.

[blueballs]

Till they run into the App defense again. Without a deep threat WR and a QB that can get it to him, defenses will just gamble on stopping the 3-Op, and the ones with speed on D, will have a good chance winning that gamble. Then there is your secondary. Your secondary could be the achilles heel to tha defense Im guessing.

They'll have a deep threat at WR... the questions is whether whoever the QB winds up being can make the speed a true deep threat.

ITA about the GSU secondary... that is a BIG ?????? coming into the new season.

Also, legitimate questions surround the o-line after losing Maxwell and Moore and the special teams took a huge hit losing all specialists, the long snapper, and Laron Scott.

I've got GSU at 7-4/8-3.... hopefully they'll be better than that but in my mind there are too many ????'s to warrant anything else.

[EKU-n-GSU]

They'll have a deep threat at WR... the questions is whether whoever the QB winds up being can make the speed a true deep threat.

ITA about the GSU secondary... that is a BIG ?????? coming into the new season.

Also, legitimate questions surround the o-line after losing Maxwell and Moore and the special teams took a huge hit losing all specialists, the long snapper, and Laron Scott.

I've got GSU at 7-4/8-3.... hopefully they'll be better than that but in my mind there are too many ????'s to warrant anything else.

No concerns up front coming from the father of one of the o-linemen. Loved the job Brett Moore did last year and no one can second-guess his heart, but he played most of the year on a really bum knee. Lonas, DeBartolo, and Byrd have plenty of PT under their belts and a couple of rising sophs saw good action last year, too. There is plenty of size and some quickness at the 2nd and 3rd lines; youth may be our only weak suit on the o-line. My biggest concern for the team is special teams - especially place-kicking. The two guys kicking in spring left lots to be desired. As for QB - I'd bet the farm today that McKinnon is #1 coming out of summer camp.

[PaladinFan]

The two guys waiting in the wings are better athletes than Shaw and it ain't even close. What remains to be seen is whether they'll be as good as football players and leaders.

Which is precisely the point.

Good football players beat good athletes every day of the week.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

GSU's offense should be better overall this year...as valuable as Jaybo was to us the last two years, at this point replacing him with a guy like McKinnon is a trade-off at worst. From what I saw from the young OL players we have, we'll be all right there.

The main question mark for us is the secondary. We have a first-rate defensive line but they can't do a whole lot if 2 or 3 linebackers always have to drop back into coverage.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

GSU's offense should be better overall this year...as valuable as Jaybo was to us the last two years, at this point replacing him with a guy like McKinnon is a trade-off at worst. From what I saw from the young OL players we have, we'll be all right there.

The main question mark for us is the secondary. We have a first-rate defensive line but they can't do a whole lot if 2 or 3 linebackers always have to drop back into coverage.

[blueballs]

Which is precisely the point.

Good football players beat good athletes every day of the week.

You've got that right PaladinFan... folks forget how many BIG games Jaybo Shaw won as a starter for GSU, focusing instead on his perceived weaknesses as an athlete.

Both of the new guys (McKinnon & Youyoute) have the potential to be real homerun hitters in the option, but neither have shown that they can get it done in the toughest situations the way Shaw did. They'll get their chance though the second week of the season when GSU goes to Charleston... I fully expect that to be a war.

[HenZoneNation]

Jamal Abdur-Rahman, Soph RB

Should be coming in as the starter this year. Saw limited time last year, but his averages were great, 7.7 yds per rush, 10.4 yds per catch, and 24 yds per return. His breakout game was the Delaware game where he ran for 119yd on 7 carries with 2 TDs and also caught for 21.
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Y.09e_DGT00/s/600/480/Villanova-RB-Jamal-Abdur-Rahman-22.jpg

I would also say Soph LB Dillion Lucas, but he was already such a stud as CAA Defensive ROY. 92 tackles last year as a freshman, he was huge
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/6972618.jpeg

Number 22 is gonna be a nightmare for CAA teams over the next three years.

[GlassOnion]

I think Socon defenses are going to have the upper hand on the offenses this year regardless. I know Chatty and App for sure are going to be tough, GSU, if you find some way to put a secondary together, Furman, IDK, but for a conference that for the past 5 years has been known more for its offenses than its defense, its a pretty significant swing thats been in the works for the past 2 seasons.

[asumike83]

I think Socon defenses are going to have the upper hand on the offenses this year regardless. I know Chatty and App for sure are going to be tough, GSU, if you find some way to put a secondary together, Furman, IDK, but for a conference that for the past 5 years has been known more for its offenses than its defense, its a pretty significant swing thats been in the works for the past 2 seasons.

Agreed. Combination of strong defenses across the board and really no offenses that I expect to put up huge scoring numbers. There will likely be only two teams starting the same QB in the 2012 opener that started 2011; a lot of inexperience on that side of the ball. Of course, we may see some young guys step up and surprise us but I'm not expecting to see many shootouts in the SoCon.

I do think there will be some guys on offense getting their first full season as a starter that could break out though. Jackson for Appalachian and Robinson for UTC will be fun to watch. It will also be interesting to see if McKinnon at GSU can master the option well enough to show off that athleticism.

[seantaylor]

You are the only Georgia Southern fan on this forum that thinks GSU will improve after the loss of Jaybo Shaw. Georgia Southern averaged over 35 points per game in 2011 and made back to back semi finals appearances. They could competently trust their passing game (instead of the "heave it up" attack of previous offenses), which caused monumental problems for defenses.

I hope whatever plaque they put up for Jaybo Shaw has his record as a starter and the words "Decent, nothing more." As a fan of an opposing team, I'd rather see my guys play a fast quarterback 10 times out of 10 than a guy that was a step slower, but savvy with the football and could make his throws.

Far from the only fan. Jaybo was not running the triple option, because defenses didn't have to commit to him. Swope is going to have a monster year this season because McKinnon is going to torch opponents early