Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 27 May 2020, 19:49

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2018 SEC Conference Preview Series - Vanderbilt
By Darren Carter-Jones

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VANDERBILT RB LEROY STEPHENS

Vanderbilt 2017: 4-8(2-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Ash 6-18 @ Vanderbilt, 6-18 Career
Key Players (PFF Grade)
HB Leroy Stephens (87)
FS Eric Webb (82)
LB Jeremy Joseph (77)
2018 Prediction: 7th in SEC East, 14th in SEC

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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 27 May 2020, 21:21

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2018 Arkansas Football Roster Overview
By DeAndrew Davis

Arkansas is getting ready to start their spring football program and there are a number of questions regarding starters, depth chart and such. Here we’ll take a look at the roster based on what we know from last season and recruiting. I’ll speculate on depth but spring football will decide a number of positions battles as new head coach porter Davis had said that nobody has a guaranteed spot.

Offense

Quarterbacks
Ryan Anderson, Cornelius Rivas III, D’Eriq Robinette, Jaylon Spencer
Robinette received clearance to play right away and he should get a chance to win the starting job. Rivas III and Spencer are in the running as well with Anderson looking like a roster filler right now. Robinette and Rivas III can both run. Spencer can move around but isn’t likely to take off. Anderson is a statue by comparison. Robinette looks to have the strongest arm of the bunch with Rivas III and Spencer just behind. All are average in accuracy.
Expected Depth: Robinette, Rivas III, Spencer, Anderson

Runningbacks
Jonathan Ford, Marques Long, Justin Palmer, Jaquez Powell, Edwin Scott, Austyn Shaw, Kelvin Williams Jr
Scott is an incoming transfer who will have to sit. He looks to be more of a receiver than a bruiser but we’ll have to see what we get with him. Long ran for 449 yards in 2017 and is expected to be the top back. He has a good burst and nice top speed. He gets through tacklers well. Powell brings some pop to the position and will be a nice change of pace from Long and do some work in the middle. Williams Jr and Ford add some versatile depth. Palmer looks to be a special teamer and Shaw is destined to redshirt.
Expected Depth: Long, Powell, Williams Jr

Fullbacks
Jayrone Calhoun, Chuckie Youngblood
It will be interesting to see how these two are incorporated into Marcus Arroyo’s offense that primarily used spread looks in the past. Very similar player here, Calhoun is a little better blocker and Youngblood is a bit better receiver.
Expected Depth: Rotation

Wide Receivers
James Anderson Jr, Bryan Brant, Kentrell Davis, Javon Garcia, Matt Martell
Garcia’s two career receptions is all the wide receiver group has to show for production. He’s expected to be the number one with Brant and Anderson Jr expected to get a lot of playing time. If Arroyo’s scheme looks like it has in the past they will all see the field. Definitely a position with more questions than answers, we’ll see what we’ve got during spring ball.
Expected Depth: Garcia, ????

Tight Ends
Chuck Harris, Rannell Ryan, Manuel Weber
Harris caught 29 passes for 436 yards in 2017, best on the current roster by far. True freshmen Ryan and Weber are big targets that will hopefully catch on quickly as the position is rather thin. Expect these guys to move around too since the WR position is thin as well.
Expected Depth: Harris, Ryan/Weber

Offensive Tackles
Anthony Freedman, Leon Paulsen, Mark Smith
Paulsen and Smith look to be the starters at the two tackle spots with freshman Freedman hopefully to fill in in case of injury. Paulsen is really good, Smith is average to slightly above.
Expected Depth: [/b] LT Paulsen, RT Smith

Interior OL
Amir Brown, Matthew Henderson, Marvin Hodge, Jacob Holden, Antoine Montgomery, Jeff Overstreet, Jamal Smith
Hodge is a returning starter and the anchor of the line. Holden started most of the games in 2017. Porter Davis heavily recruited Montgomery and Smith and it looks like they’ll be battling for the other guard spot with C/G Henderson.
Expected Depth: LG Holden, C Hodge, RG Henderson/Montgomery/Smith
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 27 May 2020, 22:03

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2018 Arkansas Football Roster Overview
By DeAndrew Davis

Arkansas is getting ready to start their spring football program and there are a number of questions regarding starters, depth chart and such. Here we’ll take a look at the roster based on what we know from last season and recruiting. I’ll speculate on depth but spring football will decide a number of positions battles as new head coach porter Davis had said that nobody has a guaranteed spot. Davis has been knows to use a number of different defensive looks so I’ve done my best to place players at the right positions based on last season’s roster as well as recruiting and any other information I’ve been able to find.

Defense

Defensive Ends
Trey Bates, Cornelius Davies, Anthony Graham, Brandon Jones, Samuel Owens, Micah Spurlock, Bart Wilson, Jamie Woodward
Wilson and Davies are expected to the top contributors here. Jones should be in the rotation. Wilson is a run stuffer and could play inside some in certain packages. Graham and Spurlock look to be situational pass rushers. Davies is effective against the run and pass. Jones can move a bit too. Bates, Owens and Woodward are unknowns.
Expected Depth: Davies and Wilson starting in most packages with several players rotating due to Davis’ multiple looks on defense.

Defensive Tackles
William Callahan IV, Justin Concepcion, Randall Hayes, Lorenzo McMahan, Alberto Rose, Caesar Whitaker
Whitaker and Hayes are probably two of the best players on the team, certainly in the defensive front seven. They’ll be on the field as much as is feasible against SEC speed. Both are primarily inside guys but Whitaker has lined up outside at times in the past. Nobody else in the group has played any significant number of snaps but Concepcion was a highly touted recruit.
Expected Depth: Whitaker and Hayes starting and playing the most with Concepcion getting a shot at snaps and the rest playing sparingly.

Linebackers
Derrelle Bowser, Jeffery Ewing, Warren Lucas, Derek Jones, Antwuan Little, Ryan McCutcheon, Terrence Merritt, Roger Smith, Julian Tyler
Davis loves to mix and match linebackers and there is some talent in the group in Smith, Lucas, Jones, and Little so he will have some options. Jones recorded 44 tackles in 2016 but dropped to 27 while battling some injuries in 2017. He was the defensive play caller when he was on the field. Little was rotational in 2017 but looks to be likely to step into a “starting” role. Lucas contributed the past two seasons and Smith filled in at times. Behind those four there is no significant experience.
Expected Depth: Jones, Lucas, Little and Smith should be the top contributors but Davis could very well find roles for other guys as well.

Cornerbacks
Cam Anderson, Henry Billips, Bryon Davis, Lance Parker, Justin Sims
Cornerback is either the thinnest or second thinnest position for the Razorbacks coming into 2018. Davis has played a bit and is expected to take over the #1 CB role while Anderson and Parker battle for the #2 spot. Sims and Billips both likely need some time to develop and could redshirt despite the lack of bodies at the position. Expect to see some players listed at safety to get time at CB too,
Expected Depth: Davis, Anderson/Parker

Safeties
Joey Cabral, Kendall Everson, Dirk Harrington, Darren Jackson, Percy Jamison, Jimmy Johnson, Pernell Young
Pernell Young looks ready to lead the secondary after playing rotational roles for the past few seasons. He has elite speed and closes in on plays in a hurry. He will likely be in coverage most of the time and will probably play a lot of cornerback as well but don’t be surprised to see Davis move his best player around. Cabral and Everson will duke it out for the other safety spot but will likely both see the field a lot due to the lack of depth at corner. Jamison, Harrington, Jackson and Johnson will have a shot to earn playing time as well.
Expected Depth: Young, Cabral/Everson

Special Teams
Joey Christodoulou, Uche Okocha, Charlie Payne
Louisiana transfer Joey Christodoulou was granted immediately eligibility and could be the teams kicker and punter this season. Okocha is a Nigerian born walk on with a big leg and a lack of accuracy. Freshman Charlie Payne was recruited primarily as a punter and could earn that job over Christodoulou potentially.
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KimJongBaze
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by KimJongBaze » 28 May 2020, 10:25

damn these write ups are detailed, nice work
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djp73
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 28 May 2020, 11:47

Chef Baze wrote:
28 May 2020, 10:25
damn these write ups are detailed, nice work
thanks, they take a long time to write but i think the details are important, especially after all the "real" players are gone.
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 01 Jun 2020, 13:27

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2018 Arkansas Football Spring Practice Report
Day One

By DeAndrew Davis

A brief report today as expected since it is the first day of spring practice.

The team warmed up as a group, there was a team briefing with coach introductions then they broke into individual groups for drills. It was a foggy, rainy morning and there was some definite rust. The team ran position drills for bulk of practice time before wrapping slightly before the NCAA imposed time limit.

Some items of note from today:

The team practiced in full equipment, though contact was limited.

Safety and expected team captain Pernell Young was wearing number 3.

Brian Browne, a redshirt senior who was thought to have left the program, was with the team and worked with the receivers as well as the defensive backs. He caught 36 passes for 535 yards and three scores in 2017. He has not appeared on defense for the team so far in his career.

Manuel Weber, who was recruited as a tight end, worked exclusively with the outside receivers today.

Jonathan Ford, listed as a runningback but primarily playing on special teams up to this point, was with the tight ends.

All four QBs got an even number of reps.

Robinette is wearing #10 as he did at Louisiana. Joey Christodoulou is wearing #4.
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 01 Jun 2020, 13:27

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2018 Arkansas Football Spring Practice Report
Day Two and Three

By DeAndrew Davis

A couple more days of practice in the books and things are becoming a bit more clear for the 2018 season.

We'll look at the offense today.

Rivas III and Robinette have been taking more of the first team reps at QB with Spencer getting the next most and Anderson primarily working with the scout team. Robinette has looked to have a slightly stronger arm and a bit better grasp of the offensive concepts so far. Robinette is very fast, maybe top five on the team.

Runningback has been a heavy rotation of Long, Powell, Williams Jr and a bit of Palmer. Long has looked pretty fast and gets up to speed quickly. Powell is only slightly slower. Williams has fumbled twice and looks unnatural catching the ball.

Garcia and Anderson look to be the leaders of the WRs with Anderson Jr, Browne, Weber and Martell rotating behind them. Garcia and Weber have the best hands. Martell has dropped a few that he shouldn't have but he does run a nice route. Brant is a burner.

Chuck Harris gets most of the limited TE reps and the staff is obviously looking for other ways to get him on the field including at fullback and out wide at receiver at times. He was lined up at DE for a few pass rush reps during an 11 on 11 but I haven't seen him there yet. Fords seems to have caught on pretty quickly and freshman Ryan has the best hands. He was listed at 6'7" during recruiting and he's all of that.

The offensive line looks to be getting close to set with Paulsen seemingly locked in at LT with Hodge taking almost all the snaps at center. True freshman Montgomery looks like he's winning the battle at right guard. Smith takes most of the reps at RT and Freedman gets a few here and there. Left guard has been mostly Holden but Freedman has taken reps there as well as Henderson.

Christodoulou has been handling most of the kicking duties and Payne has been punting. Okocha looks to need more work before he's ready.

Browne looks like the primary return man so far with Young, Powell, Davis and Brant taking a few as well.
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 01 Jun 2020, 13:27

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2018 Arkansas Football Spring Practice Report
Day Four and Five

By DeAndrew Davis

The last couple of days of spring practice are a wrap and today my report will focus primarily on the defensive side of the ball.

Porter Davis' defense shows a number of looks and uses a ton of players. I counted 20 different players rotating during a live 11 on 11 situation yesterday. Mistakes are less frequent but still happen, I imagine there's a lot to wrap your head around as a defensive player.

Wilson, Davies and Jones have gotten most of the reps at defensive end with Wilson rarely coming off. Wilson has moved inside in some formations as well. All three get off the ball quickly and have been trouble for the offensive line with their ability to get off blocks both as pass rushers and run defenders.

Inside at tackle there's even more to like with Whitaker and Hayes plugging things up. Both have proven to be tough to move off the line and freshman Concepcion has picked things up reasonably well. Whitaker has a quick first step and a strong bull rush while Hayes relies more on handfighting and spins to get past pass blockers. Both are fighting through run blocks as well. Defensive line certainly appears to be the most talented unit overall.

The linebacker rotation has been a handful to keep track of. Jones has been on the field a ton as has Little. Lucas and Smith have shuffled in and out. Bowser gets a good number of reps as does Merritt. Brian Browne, a former WR, has played there as well in certain packages. On the rare occasions they line up in a base 4-3 it's Jones, Little and usually Smith with Lucas coming in on more obvious running downs. This position is not as talented as the defensive line but there are a number of guys who can contribute in different ways and Davis and the rest of the defensive should have them ready to play.

In the secondary it's been quite a rotation as well. Davis and Young don't come off the field period. Davis is clearly CB1 and it's a big gap between him and Anderson and Parker who have rotated inside and outside. I don't think Parker has the speed to cover SEC receivers outside so that probably makes Anderson CB2. Browne and Everson seem to be the next two.

Browne's position is apparently WR/TE/S/LB/CB/RET. It will be interesting to see what kind of season he can put together. Everson has always been listed at safety. Cabral has been the other safety a lot of the time but Browne and Everson get a lot of reps too. CB is probably the weakest position on the team and also has the least depth with freshmen Sims and Billips clearly not ready to play yet. Young is looking like the best player on the team and that's good because he could have his hands full bailing out the corners.
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 01 Jun 2020, 13:28

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2018 Arkansas Football Spring Practice Report
Spring Football Showcase

By DeAndrew Davis

In what could hardly be called a traditional spring game Arkansas head coach presented his "Spring Football Showcase" yesterday to a large crowd.

Davis and his staff seemingly selected players at random for each possession on both sides of the ball and the event featured loud music and a breakneck pace.

As for the actual football it was a small sampling with the defense staying in base formations and the offense quite obviously watered down.

The first play was electric with D'Eriq Robinette connecting with Chuck Harris down the seam for a long touchdown (official stats were not recorded).

Cornerback Bryon Davis read a screen perfectly and picked it off in stride to end the next possession.

Cornelius Rivas III threw a nice touchdown pass to Jonathan Ford.

Rivas III badly overthrew a wide open Bryan Brant then underthrew him on the next play and was picked off by Davis.

The offense ran several jet sweeps and a number of receivers got the ball on handoffs, including Manuel Weber who broke off a long gain on one of his.

Brian Browne looked crisp at WR and may get more reps there than initially planned.

Joey Christodoulou, Charlie Payne and Uche Okocha all took turns kicking and punting between possessions. Christodoulou put four or five field goals of various lengths right down the middle while Payne hit three out of four. Okocha made one out of two.

The coaching staff seemed to be taking turns calling plays of different possessions and head coach Porter Davis appeared to be very hands off and in observation mode frequently with analyst Maya Collins by his side fervently typing and swiping a pair of tablets.

After the event wrapped I spoke with Davis briefly.

"We have a ton of depth in some places and very little in others." Davis explained when I asked about the choice to do things this way as opposed to a traditional spring game. "We've got guys that play a bunch of different spots and we just didn't feel the spring game format would be the most conducive to learning for the players and for us as a staff. We all worked together to come up with this."

All of my attempts to get depth chart information were quickly shut down by Davis who did his best James Harden impersonation to end the Q and A session.
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Legendary - The Career of Porter Davis

Post by djp73 » 01 Jun 2020, 20:34

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2018 Arkansas Football Roster Released
By DeAndrew Davis
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