SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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KICKING GAME
Kickers
Seniors: #15 Brady Denaburg 6-0 191 (195), #41 Jack Stonehouse 6-1 197 (199),
Juniors: #96 Jackson Kennedy 5-11 179 (175)
Sophomores: #98 Jadyn Oh 6-1 173 (165)
Freshmen: none
Brady Denaburg and Jack Stonehouse were our kicking game last year and will be this year. Either could probably kick the ball out of the Dome if it didn’t have a roof. Brady, a 2-star, (but the #12 kicker in his class: the rating services under-rate kickers), was only 10/16 field goals last year, which isn’t great but Dino kept trying to get him to set the school record for distance. He missed two 57 yarders and was 0 for 3 from 50+. He only attempted one field goal from inside 30 yards and made it. Going 6 for 8 from 30-39 is slightly concerning. He was 3 for 4 from 40-49, which is OK. The big thing is that we only got him 16 field goal attempts in 13 games. A better offense will get him more chances. He missed 1 of 37 extra point attempts. He was solid but could be better. Maybe this year, he will be.
Stonehouse broke Sean Reali’s 28 year old record for average yards per punt with 44.6. His net, (after returns) was 39.2. Jack was 21st in NCAA punting but we were only 68th in net punting, (which they keep as a team stat), so our kick coverage was not so good. Maybe he out-kicked the coverage too much. Our only punt that wasn’t kicked by Stonehouse was kicked by Denaburg and it went 54 yards. I will say that Stonehouse seemed to lack the Sterling Hofrichter skill of placing a kick in front of the goal line or away from the returner. He just boomed it. But that’s better than Max Von Marburg (39.8) and Ian Hawkins (33.2) did the year before. Jack was unrated by the services but “a five-star punter and the No. 7 punter in the 2021 class ranked by Kohl’s Kicking.”
Jackson Kennedy looked presidential, (let’s not call him ‘Jackie’) in kicking 21 of 30 field goals, (longest: 46), and all 41 extra points in two years at Cornell. He’ll back up Denaburg this season and probably take over for him next year. Otherwise ignored by the rating services, he was “Ranked 16th among transfer kickers by On3”
From last year’s preview: “Jadyn Oh got nothing from 247 but “4.5 stars from Kohl’s Kicking” per Nunes who said “Oh is actually the only listed pure kicker on the roster. Brady Denaburg and Ian Hawkins are listed as placekickers. While Denaburg is the presumed starter, Oh could be the first option Babers calls on if Denaburg struggles, despite the fact Oh is a walk-on.” (I’m not sure what a ‘pure kicker’ is – a kickoff guy?)” We never got to find out. Cuse.com: “Did not appear in any games.” (“Oh, are you still on the team?”) Nunes: “This should be another year of growth in CNY for Oh.”
Snappers/ Holders
Seniors: #8 Justin Barron 6-4 225 (231), #46 Tom Callahan 6-3 235 (236)
Juniors: #90 Jacob Zuhr 6-0 220
Sophomores: #61 Ethan Stangle 6-1 211 (214)
Freshman: none
Justin Barron’s holding career was interrupted by his broken hand. He got the job because he “had the best hands on the team” per Dino Babers. (Remember, he started out as a wide receiver). But who is his back up if he gets hurt again? I’m old-fashioned. I think it should be a QB – how about Michael Johnson? He can make something out of nothing. But you have to think in terms of who do you want there if things go right, not just when they go wrong. And we’ve got some excellent snappers.
Tom Callahan came here from Fordham, where they really know how to score points, (what would the Seven Blocks of Granite Think?). His last year there, he snapped for 77 extra points – and 76 of them were good. Last year, he was Stonehouse’s snapper and he set the school punting record. He wasn’t ranked by any of the services.
Jacob Zuhr transferred here from Wake Forest, who has arguably been our closest rival since we joined the ACC. He’d been there four years but with a redshirt and COVID year he could be here for two more, which is important with Barron and Callahan being seniors. The importance of long snappers is pretty clear by the fact that we have three of them on the roster. Nunes: “Rated as the No. 1 long snapper in the class of 2020, according to Chris Rubio Long Snapping.” 247 gave him 2 stars.
Ethan Stangle has yet to play in two years. Nunes: “Kohl’s Kicking Camp rated him 13th in the country at his position while Rubio Long Snapping had him at 4 1⁄2 stars and 46th.” Which means they don’t know.
Kick returners (I’ve included all the new guys with experience returning kicks or a track background)
Seniors:
Juniors: #2 Trebor Pena 6-0 184 (190)
Sophomores: #82 Darrell Gill Jr. 6-3 173 (169), #31 Marcus Washington Jr. 6-1 189 (185)
Freshmen: #7 Marcellus Barnes Jr. 6-1 180 (165), #11 Ta’Ron Haile 6-0 180 (170), #22 Jaden Hart 5-11 203 (205), #36 Malachi James 5-11 195 (198), #80 Ja’Meer Thomas 5-10 169 (170)
Trebor Pena, injured most of last year, nevertheless is “One of the top return men in the ACC, averaging 27.0 yards per kick return and 8.1 yards per punt return ... Has 36 collegiate kick returns for 872 yards and 38 punt returns for 313 yards.” Frustratingly, he’s only scored once and here it is:
Darrell Gill Jr. : “a three star with 4.4 speed”. Last year he returned 12 kickoffs for 262 yards (21.8) but did not score. He’s got speed and moves. Nunes: “His physical attributes, primarily his speed, make him an intriguing weapon for Fran Brown and Jeff Nixon to utilize. Early indications are that he’ll feature a lot more prominently in 2024.”
Ta’Ron Haile: “he had personal bests of 11.35 seconds in the 100 meter and 22.57 seconds in the 200 meter dash - his best long jump is 21-5.25” Hopefully, he won’t have to do that, although I’d love to see it.
Jaden Hart: “also ran track in high school, competing in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 4x100-meter relays”.
Ja’Meer Thomas: SI.com: He reports to run a 40 in the 4.4s, and that speed is part of why he is so productive on the field. Nunes: “Keep an eye out during camp to see if he gets reps as a returner.”
Marcus Washington Jr.: “Another skill player with some impressive track performances in high school (10.7 in the 100m and 21 feet in the long jump).” (Nunes) UPDATE: “Defensive back Marcus Washington Jr. will undergo surgery to repair a torn bicep and will miss three to four months.”
Marcellus Barnes Jr.: “He is also a two-time state qualifier in the 100-meter dash (10.54, 10.88)”.
Malachi James: “clocked a 10.54 in the 100 and 21.73 in the 200” Then there’s this recent article:
Syracuse freshman Malachi James runs faster than Tyreek Hill
Why do we need all those guys up front in a kick return? Put the “3M company” all back as returners with a couple blockers in front of them and LET’S GO!
Last year we had 8 four-star players on the roster. This year I count 14 currently by 247 and 10 more that were rated 4 stars previously or by other services. That satisfies me that this is a more talented roster than last year. I think we’ll see more depth as young players and players who haven’t had a chance to play much mature. We’ll have bigger lines and faster people with the ball in their hands. I think our coaching staff know what they are doing. I think we’ll have a better team.
Oh, I counted 11 “Juniors” plus Oronde Gadsden II and Berry Buxton III. These kids have a good respect for their elders, to make sure those designations went on to their names.
And I countered 37 players from New Jersey. I wonder if they could put together a team that could beat the guys who are from some other state.
“You from Jersey? I’m from Jersey….What exit?”
Kickers
Seniors: #15 Brady Denaburg 6-0 191 (195), #41 Jack Stonehouse 6-1 197 (199),
Juniors: #96 Jackson Kennedy 5-11 179 (175)
Sophomores: #98 Jadyn Oh 6-1 173 (165)
Freshmen: none
Brady Denaburg and Jack Stonehouse were our kicking game last year and will be this year. Either could probably kick the ball out of the Dome if it didn’t have a roof. Brady, a 2-star, (but the #12 kicker in his class: the rating services under-rate kickers), was only 10/16 field goals last year, which isn’t great but Dino kept trying to get him to set the school record for distance. He missed two 57 yarders and was 0 for 3 from 50+. He only attempted one field goal from inside 30 yards and made it. Going 6 for 8 from 30-39 is slightly concerning. He was 3 for 4 from 40-49, which is OK. The big thing is that we only got him 16 field goal attempts in 13 games. A better offense will get him more chances. He missed 1 of 37 extra point attempts. He was solid but could be better. Maybe this year, he will be.
Stonehouse broke Sean Reali’s 28 year old record for average yards per punt with 44.6. His net, (after returns) was 39.2. Jack was 21st in NCAA punting but we were only 68th in net punting, (which they keep as a team stat), so our kick coverage was not so good. Maybe he out-kicked the coverage too much. Our only punt that wasn’t kicked by Stonehouse was kicked by Denaburg and it went 54 yards. I will say that Stonehouse seemed to lack the Sterling Hofrichter skill of placing a kick in front of the goal line or away from the returner. He just boomed it. But that’s better than Max Von Marburg (39.8) and Ian Hawkins (33.2) did the year before. Jack was unrated by the services but “a five-star punter and the No. 7 punter in the 2021 class ranked by Kohl’s Kicking.”
Jackson Kennedy looked presidential, (let’s not call him ‘Jackie’) in kicking 21 of 30 field goals, (longest: 46), and all 41 extra points in two years at Cornell. He’ll back up Denaburg this season and probably take over for him next year. Otherwise ignored by the rating services, he was “Ranked 16th among transfer kickers by On3”
From last year’s preview: “Jadyn Oh got nothing from 247 but “4.5 stars from Kohl’s Kicking” per Nunes who said “Oh is actually the only listed pure kicker on the roster. Brady Denaburg and Ian Hawkins are listed as placekickers. While Denaburg is the presumed starter, Oh could be the first option Babers calls on if Denaburg struggles, despite the fact Oh is a walk-on.” (I’m not sure what a ‘pure kicker’ is – a kickoff guy?)” We never got to find out. Cuse.com: “Did not appear in any games.” (“Oh, are you still on the team?”) Nunes: “This should be another year of growth in CNY for Oh.”
Snappers/ Holders
Seniors: #8 Justin Barron 6-4 225 (231), #46 Tom Callahan 6-3 235 (236)
Juniors: #90 Jacob Zuhr 6-0 220
Sophomores: #61 Ethan Stangle 6-1 211 (214)
Freshman: none
Justin Barron’s holding career was interrupted by his broken hand. He got the job because he “had the best hands on the team” per Dino Babers. (Remember, he started out as a wide receiver). But who is his back up if he gets hurt again? I’m old-fashioned. I think it should be a QB – how about Michael Johnson? He can make something out of nothing. But you have to think in terms of who do you want there if things go right, not just when they go wrong. And we’ve got some excellent snappers.
Tom Callahan came here from Fordham, where they really know how to score points, (what would the Seven Blocks of Granite Think?). His last year there, he snapped for 77 extra points – and 76 of them were good. Last year, he was Stonehouse’s snapper and he set the school punting record. He wasn’t ranked by any of the services.
Jacob Zuhr transferred here from Wake Forest, who has arguably been our closest rival since we joined the ACC. He’d been there four years but with a redshirt and COVID year he could be here for two more, which is important with Barron and Callahan being seniors. The importance of long snappers is pretty clear by the fact that we have three of them on the roster. Nunes: “Rated as the No. 1 long snapper in the class of 2020, according to Chris Rubio Long Snapping.” 247 gave him 2 stars.
Ethan Stangle has yet to play in two years. Nunes: “Kohl’s Kicking Camp rated him 13th in the country at his position while Rubio Long Snapping had him at 4 1⁄2 stars and 46th.” Which means they don’t know.
Kick returners (I’ve included all the new guys with experience returning kicks or a track background)
Seniors:
Juniors: #2 Trebor Pena 6-0 184 (190)
Sophomores: #82 Darrell Gill Jr. 6-3 173 (169), #31 Marcus Washington Jr. 6-1 189 (185)
Freshmen: #7 Marcellus Barnes Jr. 6-1 180 (165), #11 Ta’Ron Haile 6-0 180 (170), #22 Jaden Hart 5-11 203 (205), #36 Malachi James 5-11 195 (198), #80 Ja’Meer Thomas 5-10 169 (170)
Trebor Pena, injured most of last year, nevertheless is “One of the top return men in the ACC, averaging 27.0 yards per kick return and 8.1 yards per punt return ... Has 36 collegiate kick returns for 872 yards and 38 punt returns for 313 yards.” Frustratingly, he’s only scored once and here it is:
Darrell Gill Jr. : “a three star with 4.4 speed”. Last year he returned 12 kickoffs for 262 yards (21.8) but did not score. He’s got speed and moves. Nunes: “His physical attributes, primarily his speed, make him an intriguing weapon for Fran Brown and Jeff Nixon to utilize. Early indications are that he’ll feature a lot more prominently in 2024.”
Ta’Ron Haile: “he had personal bests of 11.35 seconds in the 100 meter and 22.57 seconds in the 200 meter dash - his best long jump is 21-5.25” Hopefully, he won’t have to do that, although I’d love to see it.
Jaden Hart: “also ran track in high school, competing in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 4x100-meter relays”.
Ja’Meer Thomas: SI.com: He reports to run a 40 in the 4.4s, and that speed is part of why he is so productive on the field. Nunes: “Keep an eye out during camp to see if he gets reps as a returner.”
Marcus Washington Jr.: “Another skill player with some impressive track performances in high school (10.7 in the 100m and 21 feet in the long jump).” (Nunes) UPDATE: “Defensive back Marcus Washington Jr. will undergo surgery to repair a torn bicep and will miss three to four months.”
Marcellus Barnes Jr.: “He is also a two-time state qualifier in the 100-meter dash (10.54, 10.88)”.
Malachi James: “clocked a 10.54 in the 100 and 21.73 in the 200” Then there’s this recent article:
Syracuse freshman Malachi James runs faster than Tyreek Hill
Why do we need all those guys up front in a kick return? Put the “3M company” all back as returners with a couple blockers in front of them and LET’S GO!
Last year we had 8 four-star players on the roster. This year I count 14 currently by 247 and 10 more that were rated 4 stars previously or by other services. That satisfies me that this is a more talented roster than last year. I think we’ll see more depth as young players and players who haven’t had a chance to play much mature. We’ll have bigger lines and faster people with the ball in their hands. I think our coaching staff know what they are doing. I think we’ll have a better team.
Oh, I counted 11 “Juniors” plus Oronde Gadsden II and Berry Buxton III. These kids have a good respect for their elders, to make sure those designations went on to their names.
And I countered 37 players from New Jersey. I wonder if they could put together a team that could beat the guys who are from some other state.
“You from Jersey? I’m from Jersey….What exit?”
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