Media days start Tuesday so stay glued to the site for videos, commentary, and all around awesome coverage (or the best we can do).
Air Force
The all time Air Force team was selected by former Air Force personnel:
OFFENSE
QB - Dee Dowis ('90)
OL - Brock Strom ('59)
OL - Orderia Mitchell ('73)
OL - Frank Mindrup ('99)
OL - Dave Schreck ('84)
OL - Joe Rodwell ('64)
TE - Tom Jozwiak ('59)
FB - John Kershner ('84)
TB - Brian Bream ('72)
WR - Ernie Jennings ('71)
Slot - Chad Hall ('08)DEFENSE
DL - Chad Hennings ('88)
DL - Eugene Ogilvie ('73)
DL - Dave Phillips ('59)
DL - Chris Funk ('85)
LB - Chris Gizzi ('98)
LB - Terry Maki ('87)
LB - Vergil Simpson ('93)
CB - Carlton McDonald ('93)
CB - Tom Rotello ('87)
S - Scott Thomas ('86)
S - Johnny Jackson ('82)SPECIALISTS
P - Mark Simon ('87)
K - Joe Wood ('92)
Returner/Utility - Terry Isaacson ('64)
The Falcon linebacking corp is having injury issues this off season:
Senior inside linebacker Ken Lamendola (knee), senior outside linebacker Patrick Hennessey (shoulder) and sophomore outside linebacker Alex Means (foot) missed spring practices with injuries. Lamendola seems to be questionable, at best, for the start of camp.
BYU
Former BYU running back Harvey Unga signed a four year deal with the Chicago Bears.
Malosi Te'o is transferring from BYU to play RB at Hawaii.
BYU guard Jimmer Fredette is holding his own the US select team.
Colorado State
The Rams picked up yet another recruit from Orlando, FL, and this is the third straight year the Rams picked up a recruit from Orlando.
Darius Johnson, a 6-5, 257 pound offensive lineman from Dr. Phillips High School committed to the Rams Friday.
New Mexico
Linebacker Carmen Messina is up for the "Bronco" Nagurski Award which is awarded to the best defender in college football:
"It's an honor to be named one of the greatest athletes in the country," Messina said. "I am just blessed. It's my second year being on the defense, so I know a lot more and being out there to make calls on my own."
The student writer must be mistaken by adding this line: "Messina is the preseason favorite for the Bronco Nagurski Award" not likely.
The new recruits are on campus and are upbeat about the season. This is a quote from highly rated DT Calvin Smith from Florida:
"I think it is great so far," he said. "You know, I am going to come in here and try to do my best. I am going to work hard on the field and off the field. I am going to try to become a leader."
San Diego State
The Aztecs lost $1.5 million last year in the athletic department which led to layoffs:
Athletic Director Jim Sterk said the decisions were "tough," but he also cited progress. The $1.5 million deficit is due to a carry-over from last year, when SDSU athletics was $2 million in the hole despite $15 million in subsidies from student fees, state funds and other university support. With last year's cost-cutting, SDSU had an operational surplus of $442,000 for 2009-10, which reduced its carry over deficit to $1.5 million, Sterk said.
"We're hopeful in the future we turn things around or things happen that allow us to get those positions back as quickly as we can," Sterk said.
SDSU's ongoing hope is that its most expensive sport - football - will generate increased ticket sales to offset rising costs and generate growth. But SDSU had to resort to further cost-cutting largely because of state budget cuts and dwindling football ticket revenue, which has gone from $2.3 million in 2005 to $1.39 million last season.
However there is some good news from those layoffs with an anonymous donor willing to pay to reinstate the two laid off coaches:
An undisclosed donor has come to the rescue and offered to fund the reinstatement of two assistant coaches who were laid off this week from the San Diego State men's and women's tennis teams.
After learning about layoffs in SDSU athletics, reported Thursday in the Union-Tribune, the donor committed to a $90,000 gift for the next two years. Athletic Director Jim Sterk said it will fund salaries and benefits for the two tennis assistant coaches recently laid off: Lindsey Gamp in women's tennis and Ryan Redondo in men's tennis. Their reinstatement will immediately double the full-time coaching staffs of both teams back to two apiece.
UNLV
Former UNLV Center signed a fat deal with the Miami Heat, 5 years worth $18 million which should include a few rings if things go according to plan.
Utah
Jim Boylen is in a huge year for Utah hoops and is nearly in the same position as former coach Ray Giacoletti:
Suddenly, he's right where Ray Giacoletti once was, on a sightly different timetable. Boylen's three-year records of 56-42 overall and 26-22 in Mountain West Conference play are frighteningly similar to the numbers that got Giacoletti fired, with fewer witnesses in the Huntsman Center. In the end, two bad seasons in a row nullified a great one for Giacoletti, who departed with four years left on his contract. If the same standard applies to Boylen, he's used up his one allowable bad season, following his great one.
The voice of the Utes is back in the hands of Bill Reilly, who will not say New Mesico and is getting this job back that should have never left his voice.
Salt Lake Tribune's Jay Drew releases his all conference picks for the media poll:
Team Order of Finish:
1. TCU -- more than 16 returning starters are back for a team that dominated the league last year
2. Utah -- schedule, schedule, schedule. The Utes get BYU and TCU at home this year, have the offensive weapons to make some noise
3. BYU -- Cougars have a green QB, have to play at Air Force, TCU and Utah, and their confidence could be nicked by a tough non-conference schedule
4. Air Force -- Gets Utah and BYU at home, and many say this will be Falcons' best team in last 10 years
5. Wyoming
6. San Diego State
7. Colorado State
8. New Mexico
9. UNLVOffensive Player of the Year: Andy Dalton, QB, TCU (easiest pick of the bunch)
Defensive Player of the Year: Reggie Rembert, DB, Air Force (TCU and Utah have better defenses, but Rembert will make the most plays for his team).
Special Teams Player of the Year: Jeremy Kerley, KR, TCU (another easy pick, although teams will kick away from him all year).FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB -- Andy Dalton, TCU
RB -- Eddie Wide, Utah
RB -- Matt Asiata, Utah (even though he will have to share the ball with Wide; there's not a lot of other candidates around the league)
WR -- Vincent Brown, SDSU (easy pick; a gamebreaker)
WR -- Jereme Brooks, Utah (slight edge over BYU's McKay Jacobson, who'll face more double-teaming)
TE -- Eric Peltz, Colorado State (Very few other options; BYU dominates this position, but all its TEs are unproven at this point)
OL -- Matt Reynolds, BYU
OL -- Marcus Cannon, TCU
OL -- Caleb Schlauderaff, Utah
OL -- Jake Kirkpatrick, TCU
OL -- Braden Hansen, BYUFIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DB -- Reggie Rembert, AFA
DB -- Andrew Rich, BYU
DB -- Brandon Burton, Utah
DB -- Chris Prosinski, Wyoming
DL -- Johnathan Rainey, New Mexico
DL -- Wayne Daniels, TCU
DL -- Cory Grant, TCU
LB -- Brian Hendricks, Wyomine
LB -- Tank Carder, TCU
LB -- Carmen Messina, New Mexico
LB -- Jordan Pendleton, BYU
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter -- Briah Stahovich, SDSU
Kicker -- Joe Phillips, Utah
Returner -- Jeremy Kerley, TCU