Thursday Morning Brews (7/2/15)

Hitting the Links Enjoys Smashmouth Football

Joshua Perry, The Leader | Checking In On Noah Spence

The "under the radar" tag is being overplayed, as Perry has actually been talked about more than former five-star sophomore Raekwon McMillan. Leading the Buckeyes in tackles, while being a very familiar face, has helped a lot. But I think McMillan will become a terror sometime in 2015, better than Perry or even Lee. Still, there's no doubt that Perry is the leader of the defense for 2015.

Tim Kawakami Breaks Down Cowherd-Harbaugh

This was a reasoned take on Harbaugh's interview, from a guy who knows him well.

Maryland Gives Randy Edsall An Extension

This is a smart move for Maryland, for reasons that go beyond the X's and O's of football. At $2.5 million a year, Edsall provides value at a time when Maryland needs it economically. Maryland just celebrated the anniversary of their first year in the Big Ten, which means they have five more years before they receive full monetary compensation as Big Ten members.

Plus, while Wallace Loh was able to negotiate a better deal with the Big Ten than Nebraska or Rutgers received, there have been a number of monetary obstacles Maryland has had to face, ranging from a $50 million exit fee from its former conference to a $155 million renovation of Cole Field House. And after completing $52 million in changes in the last decade to Byrd Stadium, the athletic department is in desperate need of setting some money aside.

So, it's no coincidence that of Edsall's $7.5 million extension, only $500,000 of it is guaranteed. Maryland gets a pretty good coach on the cheap, and they keep their options open for later.

2019 Cowboys Classic: Auburn-Oregon

Interestingly, the contract for the 2016 Alabama-USC game had language that promised Alabama until August 31st of this year to 'exclusively negotiate' for either the 2019 or 2020 game. Both sides seem to want to make that happen, so the 2020 game will probably feature Alabama against an opponent that can be agreed upon by ESPN, Alabama, and an opposing AD who is okay with taking a smaller cut than Alabama (that was also part of the language).

MSU Quarterback Preview | ...Lead For Donnie Corley

Michigan State is led by one of its most successful quarterbacks in history, but it's also blessed with an intriguing quarterback battle after Cook leaves.

Meanwhile, Donnie Corley is the state's #2  or #3 prospect, and has a top three of OSU, Michigan State, and Tennessee. His 247 Crystal Ball heavily favors Michigan State, where, he says, he would play both receiver and cornerback.

RB Greg Bryant Suspended Four Games | ND's Most Indispensible Players

Tarean Folston is Notre Dame's likely starter, but the problem is a lack of depth behind Bryant and Folston. The other returning running backs had zero yards last season. Brian Kelly likes getting his receivers involved in the run game, but expect a freshman like Dexter Williams to get some early playing time.

Nike Updates Tennessee Apparel

This has been very well-received and has some nice, subtle touches, like the Smoky Mountains depicted on the gray helmets or a checkered patch on some basketball jerseys that are a nod to Neyland Stadium's end zone.

The Smashmouth Spread Invades Texas

This was a great read. On a related note, Tom Herman just got a commitment from a four-star safety out of Katy, Texas. While most of Houston's commits have been two-stars, there is a lot of talent there for an AAC school.

Big 12 Coaches As Disney Characters

A lot of these were weirdly good resemblances. Also, 'TGCAB' is Art Briles.

TCU Previews Minnesota | The Steady Growth of Minnesota's OL

TCU also got a five-star 2017 quarterback commitment this week, a coup considering TCU is still getting mostly three-star recruits despite its wildly successful 2014 season. Of course, that was always how Gary Patterson recruited. From 2010-2015, 15.4% of TCU's commits were red-chips according to Rivals (that is, they were a two-star or unranked), 76.5% were three-star players, and the remaining 8.1% were four-stars.

A Nebraska Revival?

It never made sense when people said Nebraska could no longer recruit; Oklahoma has done fine, and the greatest hotbed in the country (Texas) is very close. What's interesting about Mike Riley's tenure, though, is that he's bringing at least some of his West Coast roots with him. Nebraska has gotten commitments from California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada since Riley took over.

In fact, Nebraska might currently have the most diverse recruiting map in the country. They have also grabbed prospects from New Jersey and Illinois towards the northeast, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi in SEC country, and Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa in the heartland. Twenty-three commits, fourteen states, and all over the map.

Top Rutgers Moments Of The Past Year

Again, yesterday we passed the one-year anniversary of Rutgers' and Maryland's entrance to the Big Ten. Six Rutgers writers sat down to talk about it, and their 26-24 win over Michigan comes up as "the pinnacle of the football season."

Is 2015 The Key Year For Notre Dame?

The program is stable, but Irish fans are still waiting for their breakout moment.

Any Good Tight Ends In The Pac-12? | Ranking WR Corps

The tight ends on the first list average 6'4", 238. Also, Utah is at the very bottom of the second list, which bodes well for our defense being able to crowd the box and stone their offense.

Alums Are A Possible Factor For Big 12 Expansion

What should the Big 12 do? It's been an on-going conversation for months and years, but this adds something original to that discussion. It also shows some of the forward-thinking nature of Jim Delaney, who has taken a lot of risks over the years but suffered very few strikeouts.

SB Nation's Texas Tech Preview | Vicious Tackle On Jace Amaro

From what I saw of Texas Tech last year, they always seemed to come up just short. An overthrown ball that would've been a touchdown, a false start that kills a drive, a missed tackle that would've forced three-and-out. For someone who watched it all, I'd have to imagine it was incredibly frustrating.

SB Nation's Kansas Preview | Michael Cummings Throw, Then Run

Some (fun?) facts: Kansas' returning wide receivers were targeted six times last year for 28 yards. Also, the right side of their line will be filled with tackle Larry Mazyck (6'8", 343) and guard Junior Visinia (6'4", 375). Finally, the veterans in their defensive front seven are eerily light; the defensive line's juniors and seniors average under 260, and the linebackers' juniors and seniors average 216.

The highlight shows you a glimpse of what quarterback Michael Cummings offered - a pretty physical body with some athleticism and play-making. Cummings' knee was badly injured in the spring game, though, so Kansas will now be looking at a junior who completed 50% and threw 5 touchdowns to 7 interceptions, or another junior who has three career passes and was the team's primary holder on field goals and point-after attempts.

The Improving State of Big Ten Recruiting

The good news is that, for all the growth that this article highlights, there is a lot more room for improvement. Michigan is making a strong push in New Jersey, Maryland will eventually get on firm financial footing, and Rutgers will soon have infrastructure upgrades, as well. Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan State have seen slow, steady growth in their brand. And we're starting to figure it out - pay good assistants, recruit down south.

Is this @HawkeyeFootball's idea of spygate? pic.twitter.com/s660lpRMxv

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) June 26, 2015