FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[usee]

Andy Studebaker (Wheaton) gets a shout out today from SI.com in a feature on small school standouts to look out for on draft day.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/draft/2008/04/14/sleepers/index.html?eref=T1

Interesting that Pierre Garcon from Mt Union isn't mentioned here. I would think that besides Studebaker, Garcon is D3's best shot at the NFL this year. 

[Mugsy]

Andy Studebaker (Wheaton) gets a shout out today from SI.com in a feature on small school standouts to look out for on draft day.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/draft/2008/04/14/sleepers/index.html?eref=T1

Interesting that Pierre Garcon from Mt Union isn't mentioned here. I would think that besides Studebaker, Garcon is D3's best shot at the NFL this year. 

This probably is a function of how little knowledge most publications have about D3 players.  Most who follow D3 football closely could name 3-5 players with a chance of signing an NFL contract.

[washdupcard]

New D Coordinator seems to be very intense motivator who will emphasize speed and aggressive attack of the ball.  Program just got a commitment from Danny Hess---Naperville North safety.  Super fast and a playmaker.  Six inches taller and he would have gone D-I.

Did I miss something here, but WHICH program?

I think he is referring to Augie.

[AndOne]

New D Coordinator seems to be very intense motivator who will emphasize speed and aggressive attack of the ball.  Program just got a commitment from Danny Hess---Naperville North safety.  Super fast and a playmaker.  Six inches taller and he would have gone D-I.

Did I miss something here, but WHICH program?

I think he is referring to Augie.

For you Augie fans---->>> Heres the low down on Danny Hess-----

Danny is listed as being 5'8" However thats a stretch. He may approach  5'8' with his cleats on, but more realistically hes about 5' 6 1/2" or 5'7" I'd say he weighs about 180. Danny also played basketball at Naperville North.

If there is one thing Danny is NOT, its "super fast." I have no idea where u got that idea Alma Scot! A true "super fast" receiver running a fly pattern or stop and go could very well leave him far behind. Hence he could never play a corner.

Danny's best attributes are 1) A head for the game. He has great anticipation. All through youth football Danny played quarterback. A couple of the teams he played on went to the national finals in Orlando, Fl, I believe. As such, he understands offensive schemes and how to attack a defense. He can "read" the offense much like a QB reads the defense to get his progressions. 2) While not "fast" he is "quick" to the ball. You players know what I mean. Part of this comes from his defensive "reads." 3) Danny is a hitter. He has a nose for the ball, and with his low center of gravity he can deliver a blow. He always gives 100% and goes full out.

I would not be at all surprised to one day see Danny positioned at a weak side  LB spot.

Another thing with regard to Danny's being "super fast." In the state championship game in 11/07, Danny sustained a fairly serious injury. I think it was his knee. It caused him to miss about 40% of the basketball season. When he 1st returned, he was noticeably (a step) slower. By the end of the basketball season he had regained about 1/2 of the step he lost to the injury. Hopefully by now he has gotten the other 1/2 step back, but even if he has, he is still nowhere near "super fast"
As far as going DI if he was 6 inches taller---on what planet?

Bottom line---Danny is a great kid who uses his football smarts to usually get  himself in position to make the play. The question is will he be able to step up from competing against HS players to the next level where things tend to move at a faster pace. His head and his heart will handle the challenge. Will his legs? 

[Alma Scot]

A good assessment of Danny---can we agree on "fast"?  He will make an immediate, positive contibution at Augie.  I saw him run two weeks ago and his knee is just fine.

[AndOne]

I like quick better than fast, but I won't argue. Good kid from a good family.
Good luck to him at Augie.

[cardinaldad]

I know it's a bit late and this is a football board ( I know a lot of you Wheaties post on the b-ball board too), but I want to say congrats to Wheaton on a great basketball season. Way to do the CCIW proud.

C-dad,

THanks for the sentiment. It was a great run for the THunder, a memorable season. You must admit, however, it was easier for you to post that knowing the Cardinal was 2-0 vs the Thunder this season. 

Usee - the thought never entered my mind when I posted this. It was a genuine, heart felt, post. But, now that you mention it........

[Carthage Fan]

Link to article on McHenrycountysports.com Augie running a spread offense next year?

http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2008/04/15/columnists/doc48044011a64a1895210454.txt

[thunderdog]

Studebaker had his Pro Day today (I don't know where this took place), and a video of the workout has already been posted on YouTube.  I think Andy's agent's wife (if you can follow that) is the one who puts the videos together and posts them on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEu5IziKZLs

Check it out!  He looks like a lean, mean, fighting maching!  He looks mobile, agile, and hostile!

Seriously, he looks very athletic doing his vertical jump (34.5 inches??? if my memory serves me right), broad jump (10'7"), 40-yard dash (2 separate trials at 4.60), and shuttle runs.

At the end of the workout, they have Andy doing alot of OLB drills: dropping to the flat, filling a hole, etc...  I think whoever is pushing this whole OLB idea (I'm guessing it's coming from the scouts) is doing Andy a huge disservice.  The guy is a DE, plain and simple.  He doesn't come across as looking all to comfortable in a 2 pt stance and dropping into pass coverage.  OLB and DE are 2 completely different skill sets (especially at the NFL level) and I'm just wondering if Andy even played OLB in high school.

Scouts... let this beast of a man be and train him as a DE.  When he wins Rookie of the Year and leads the league in sacks with 18.5 for the Chicago Bears... who's gonna care if he can drop into the flat?

[Carthage Fan]

Here is NFL.com analysis of Studebaker

Analysis
Positives: Nice size and better-than-expected athleticism. ... Very good motor, instincts, work ethic and chase ability. ... Excellent closing speed to the quarterback or ballcarrier. ... Dominated the tackles at his level of football, getting his hands into their jerseys to push them back into the pocket. ... Uses long arms to keep linemen at bay, shed to make a play and wrap up in the backfield or open space. ... Good weight-room strength, and it shows on the field. ... Can spin and swim to get free of blocks. ... First impression as a rookie will be on special teams.

Negatives: Not terribly undersized, but may be limited to a pass rush specialist if playing end. ... Lacks experience playing linebacker and will need to learn how to play in space. ... Needs to prove he can stand up to a higher level of competition. ... His injury status will determine whether he's drafted or brought in as a free agent, as he may not be full-speed come training camp.

And from SI.com

BIOGRAPHY: Three year starter awarded all-Conference and all-America honors throughout his college career. Posted 12/6.5/5 as a senior when a foot injury limited him to five games. Junior totals included 55/24.5/17.5 when he led the NCAA in sacks.

POSITIVES: Athletic and explosive pass rusher who makes a lot of plays up the field. Gets off the snap with a quick first step, plays with terrific pad level and immediately changes direction or alters his angle of attack. Effectively fights with his hands, moves well laterally and rarely off his feet. Hustles to get involved in the action and plays with a nasty attitude. Shows a closing burst of speed, makes plays down the line and quickly locates the ball. Fast off the edge and in any direction of the field.

NEGATIVES: More of a first move defender who must beat blockers off the snap. Struggles against big offensive linemen and slow shedding blocks at the point. Rarely asked to make plays in reverse.

ANALYSIS: Studebaker has been ultra-productive on a small-school level and was a pass rushing nightmare. His development was halted last season by the injury yet he offers a good amount of upside and should be given looks late in the draft as a rush linebacker for a 34 alignment.

PROJECTION: Early Seventh Round

Good luck to Andy...we will all be pullng for him. 

[CardinalAlum]

Link to article on McHenrycountysports.com Augie running a spread offense next year?

http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2008/04/15/columnists/doc48044011a64a1895210454.txt

Very interesting.  I would imagine there would be an adjustment period to start recruiting the types of kids you need to run the spread.  Also, do they have a QB suited for the spread in their system presently?

[New Tradition]

Link to article on McHenrycountysports.com Augie running a spread offense next year?

http://www.mchenrycountysports.com/articles/2008/04/15/columnists/doc48044011a64a1895210454.txt

Funny story.  So I was out last night and read this article when I got back in the wee hours of the morning.  When I woke up, I thought that I had dreamt the article, but I must not have because its really here...which is kind of comforting, because I don't know how I would feel if I were really having dreams about d3football.com.  Although, I don't know if that would be quite as weird as news that Augie will be running a spread offense next year...

[Pat Coleman]

Not only was the article not a dream, it's accurate. I confirmed with Augustana the change in systems this morning.

[usee]

Studebaker had his Pro Day today (I don't know where this took place), and a video of the workout has already been posted on YouTube.  I think Andy's agent's wife (if you can follow that) is the one who puts the videos together and posts them on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEu5IziKZLs

Check it out!  He looks like a lean, mean, fighting maching!  He looks mobile, agile, and hostile!

Seriously, he looks very athletic doing his vertical jump (34.5 inches??? if my memory serves me right), broad jump (10'7"), 40-yard dash (2 separate trials at 4.60), and shuttle runs.

At the end of the workout, they have Andy doing alot of OLB drills: dropping to the flat, filling a hole, etc...  I think whoever is pushing this whole OLB idea (I'm guessing it's coming from the scouts) is doing Andy a huge disservice.  The guy is a DE, plain and simple.  He doesn't come across as looking all to comfortable in a 2 pt stance and dropping into pass coverage.  OLB and DE are 2 completely different skill sets (especially at the NFL level) and I'm just wondering if Andy even played OLB in high school.

Scouts... let this beast of a man be and train him as a DE.  When he wins Rookie of the Year and leads the league in sacks with 18.5 for the Chicago Bears... who's gonna care if he can drop into the flat?

His only hope in the NFL at 255 lbs right now is an OLB in a 3-4 scheme. If he puts on 40 lbs he can be an end but not at 255.

I had heard he ran a 4.5 flat 40 last year for a BLESTO scout hand timed. If he ran 4.6 yesterday (looks like northwestern's fieldhouse) after foot surgery in his first workout, that's amazing.

[usee]

To give you an indication of how Studebaker's numbers stack up vs. the field, if you were to compare his testing numbers (which were taken 3 weeks after he was cleared to be full speed after surgery) to the top performers for defensive linemen at the combine you would get:

40 yd dash 4.6 seconds-3rd
vertical jump 36.5 inches-1st
3 cone drill 6.81 seconds-1st
20 yd shuttle-4.14 seconds-1st

he is 6'4" and 255 lbs.

as a comparison:

Vernon Ghoulston (1st round projection from Ohio State)

6'4" 258 lbs

40 time-4.67 seconds- 4th
vertical jump 35.5 inches-1st
3 cone drill 7.12 seconds-8th
20 yd shuttle 4.40 seconds-8th

Chris Long (possible #1 pick overall)

6'4" 275 lbs

40 time-4.75-8th
vertical jump-34 inches-3rd
3cone drill-7.02 seconds-4th
20 yd shuttle-4.21-1st

pretty impressive workout by Studebaker. Its wouldn't surprise me at all to see him get drafted in the middle to late rounds next weekend.