Conference Review: Big 12
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With college football in full swing, we’ll be bringing you a review of the “Big Five” conferences each and every week. These recaps will feature sections for “Premier Conference Performer,” “Rising Players,” “Falling Players,” and a special Freshman spotlight. These weekly reviews will keep you up-to-date on all the happenings in devy leagues and allow you to keep tabs on future dynasty league assets. By the time the NFL Draft rolls around, you won’t see too many strangers.
Premier Conference Performer
Kevin White, WR West Virginia
Nine receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown
Alshon Jeffery and Mike Evans have shown that we should pay attention to big wide receivers that dominate Alabama because they project well into the NFL. Playing well against Alabama is meaningful because they have the best talent and it’s a pressure packed situation. Kevin White has good size at 6’3 and 210 pounds and he used it to his advantage with a great performance on Saturday. He was quick off the line of scrimmage to beat the press coverage, had good speed to run by defenders and high pointed the football. His highlight was an amazing contested reception in the end zone. He transferred from junior college to West Virginia prior to last season and finished with 35 receptions for 507 yards and five touchdowns. He should be firmly on your radar for the rest of the season.
Rising
Tyreek Hill, Athlete Oklahoma State
Eight carries for 44 yards, six receptions 62 yards, six kickoff returns for 140 yards and two punt returns for 32 yards
All off-season I heard that Tyreek Hill was fast, but I didn’t think he was that fast. He was making plays all over the field and accounted for 278 total yards versus the best team in the nation. Linebackers couldn’t cover him on routes and head coach Mike Gundy did a great job putting him in situations to succeed. I envision some NFL offensive coordinator having fun using him to terrorize defenses. The biggest concern for Hill is size and projected position in the NFL. Is he Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, Dexter McCluster, Danny Woodhead or DeAnthony Thomas?
Jonathan Gray, RB Texas
16 carries for 82 yards
Suffering an Achilles injury has been a career ender for some players and Texas running back Jonathan Gray suffered the injury mid-way through last season. He’s a hard worker and came back quickly from the injury. He finished with 82 yards on Saturday with a long of 42 which is a great sign for his future because an Achilles injury robs players of their explosiveness. Since Gray looked to regain his athletic ability, I look for him to be a workhorse at Texas this season. People quickly forget that he was the top running back recruit in his class ahead of TJ Yeldon, Todd Gurley, and Mike Davis.
Keith Ford, RB Oklahoma
Nine carries for 51 yards, two touchdowns, four receptions for 65 yards
[inlinead]Keith Ford was a four star recruit who didn’t do much his first year at Oklahoma and was mostly used as a short yardage battering ram. However, with Joe Mixon suspended for the season, the opportunity is wide open and Ford seized it on Saturday. He ran tough but showed more quickness and change of direction ability than his freshman season. All the short yardage runs last season didn’t showcase vision and Ford displayed a good improvement there, especially on a nice touchdown run to the outside. Adding four receptions for 65 yards is huge considering how many devy owners play in PPR leagues. Ford is firmly planted on my radar for the rest of the season.
Rushel Shell, RB West Virginia
10 carries for 38 yards, two receptions for 19 yards
I had written off running back Rushel Shell because of some rumblings I heard from his fallout at the University of Pittsburgh. He didn’t play last season due to transfer rules and I didn’t expect to hear much from him in the future. Wow, was I wrong! He looked like a tank running through Alabama. Shell has a very thick build that he utilized to bounce off defenders and have defenders bounce off of him on Saturday. His stat line doesn’t look great, but he showed good burst and playmaker ability. Alabama will be the best run defense he will face this season and I’m interested to see him in action versus lesser opponents.
Falling
Shock Linwood, RB Baylor
16 carries for 89 yards, one touchdown
At first glance, it appears that Shock Linwood posted a solid stat line, but when I dig deeper, it’s somewhat disappointing. Baylor’s offense is very spread out and all of their running backs benefit with massive yards per carry. Linwood was over a full yard off his pace last season. SMU was good against the run last season, but they’re still SMU.
Desmond Roland, RB Oklahoma State
12 carries for 28 yards, one touchdown
Oklahoma State’s Desmond Roland didn’t find many running lanes and struggled versus a stingy Florida State defense. He also suffered a rib injury and is questionable next week against Missouri State. His yards per carry should climb closer to his 4.6 average from last season as he should face easier run defenses the rest of the way.
Joe Mixon, RB Oklahoma
DNP
The very promising five star recruit Joe Mixon got into trouble with a domestic abuse incident this summer. Oklahoma in turn suspended him for the entire season. He wasn’t kicked off the team, which leaves a sliver of hope for the future at Oklahoma.
Dorial Green-Beckham, WR Oklahoma
DNP
Star wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham transferred to Oklahoma after Missouri dismissed him from their program in April. He applied to the NCAA for a waiver to bypass the one year transfer rule from one FBS school to another. His request was denied and he is ineligible to play this season. I fully expect him to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft and never play for the Sooners.
Freshman Spotlight
Davion Hall and KD Cannon, WRs Baylor
The opportunities at wide receiver were endless in week one for Baylor. Tevin Reese went to the NFL, Robbie Rhodes was dismissed from the Baylor program and Antwan Goodley missed the game due to an injured quad. This left only Jay Lee as the top returning receiver with 22 receptions last season. The freshman duo of Davion Hall and KD Cannon combined for nine receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown. They would’ve done more damage if it wasn’t for some arrant passes, defensive penalties and a 45-0 blowout win over SMU. Both Hall and Cannon were highly touted four star recruits. Hall is bigger at 6’2 and while Cannon is smaller, he reminds me of Paul Richardson with his speed.
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Nick can be found on Twitter at @_NickWhalen
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