PonyFans.com

Including the redshirts, of course...are any frosh likely to contribute this year? Guys like Vincent Chase, DeMyron Martin, Jesse Henderson were pretty highly touted recruits. Any true frosh talented enough to step right in?

Gut feeling: a few freshmen will have to play because of attrition, injuries, etc. My guesses:

From last year's redshirts, in addition to Martin and Henderson, I expect Kyle Griffin and Sean Lobo will be given every chance to step up and play, and David Haynes might, too.

From this year's class, I'll bet Chase Smith and/or Brad Lankford will have a chance to help out at DT. Patrick Handy supposedly is as talented as any of them, but he's got to get bigger, unless they push him outside to DE -- but that would entail a learning curve, since he played OT in high school. With the loss of Boren, Mitch Enright might be used as a backup guard (he's smallish, but supposedly he's an excellent technician), and either David Allison or Ross Nigh (certainly not both) might be asked to be ready at tackle, although I'd prefer to see them both redshirt.

The JUCOs -- Therien, Goode and Makinde -- have to play. They don't have a lot of waiting time.

And if the reports I've read are accurate, Columbus Givens might be too good an athlete to keep off the field. I don't know where he'll play, but an infusion of speed and athleticism always helps.

With all that said, I hope the returning guys show up and play so well that all of the freshmen can redshirt. But that's not likely. Hopefully we can limit the number of true freshmen on the field to one or two.

Givens signed both a JC and SMU LOI. Has anybody confirmed that he has passed the NCAA Clearinghouse.

I heard he did, but I have no actual confirmation from a coach, of course.

My redshirt/freshman to break out this year: Jessie Henderson, on offense and special teams.

The Q wrote:I heard he did, but I have no actual confirmation from a coach, of course.

My redshirt/freshman to break out this year: Jessie Henderson, on offense and special teams.

Sure hope Givens is cleared. On his tape .... wow. If he's there, he's my choice for impact freshman.

I've also read great things about Emmanuel Sanders, and I'm sort of partial to Emerson Settle, who I've seen play. That guy is pretty slippery in the open field.

Stallion wrote:Givens signed both a JC and SMU LOI. Has anybody confirmed that he has passed the NCAA Clearinghouse.

I've heard no confirmation, but you have to believe they wouldn't post his SMU Bio if he hadn't passed (below).


http://smumustangs.collegesports.com/sp ... bus00.html

there have been many Blue Chippers who made it in the preseason prospectus who never qualified. Remember the great RBs Bill Jones from Corsicana and Anthony Allen from Kimball.

Darkhorse candidates: James Mapps (returning kicks) and Emmanuel Sanders

Stallion wrote:Givens signed both a JC and SMU LOI. Has anybody confirmed that he has passed the NCAA Clearinghouse.

I am confused a little. How did we manage to offer a guy that may or may not have passed the NCAA Clearinghouse. How'd that get by the Faculty Admissions Committee?

Don't ask...don't tell?

My daughter is an incoming freshmen athlete (DI lacrosse at another school). She was just cleared because the NCAA has to wait until the final grades are reported by the high school. The GPA is then put into the scale with the SAT to see if the athlete is approved for play. If the HS is slow to get the transcripts in, it takes a bit longer, thus the delay. I'm sure at this point it has cleared but delays can happen.

What position will Givens play anyways??? Wr? cb? safety? qb??

I'm sure its more Model tinkering by SMU 4 years into the tenure of their 4th failed coaching tenure. Meanwhile according to reports on the TCU board 4 out of the 6 players who weren't qualified on signing date for TCU have since qualified(you have until August 1 to qualify). This includes most of the TCU's best recruits and top Texas recruits.

SMUnick wrote:What position will Givens play anyways??? Wr? cb? safety? qb??

WR, or so I hear.

Stallion wrote:I'm sure its more Model tinkering by SMU 4 years into the tenure of their 4th failed coaching tenure. Meanwhile according to reports on the TCU board 4 out of the 6 players who weren't qualified on signing date for TCU have since qualified(you have until August 1 to qualify). This includes most of the TCU's best recruits and top Texas recruits.

Under any policy that is public, I don't see how a kid that was not qualified at the present time could be offered or admitted by SMU. The Faculty's Athletics Policies Committee would have a fit.