Zian Jones Commits

[BlazeOrange]

Weren't we all hearing he was going to Oregon or Oregon State a week or so back? Anyways, a very nice get and surprised me when I read it.

Someone posted that it was actually Portland State

 

[Whitey23]

Someone posted that it was actually Portland State

Tomato - Tomatoe

 

[PhatOrange]

Rivals has him running a 4.9 40. Not bad for 320 lbs

I highly doubt that time is accurate.

 

[Noexcuse]

I highly doubt that time is accurate.

I agree. If it is though play him at tight end.

 

[bnoro]

I highly doubt that time is accurate.

His coach said he was keeping up with the linebackers during wind sprints... I'd believe that time if that's the case.

 

[Aweart23]

Anyone know if he can still make it here for the spring?
The article just says he committed to play football in the fall, which doesn't rule out practicing in the spring.

Same question for the other JUCO too, since those tranfers seem to have their own set of rules.

And on the negative side, will either one run into some kind of clearinghouse issues and have to spend time in NCAA purgatory?

Jones and Garrick will not be here until fall.

 

[OrangeBlood]

Good pick up, can never have too many DTs. With Crume hopefully making a big jump and Bromley and Goggins back. I wish that Johnson, Garrick and Jones were coming in now and not fall but oh well.

 

[PhatOrange]

His coach said he was keeping up with the linebackers during wind sprints... I'd believe that time if that's the case.

his coach also said he had warren sapp type ability. call me skeptical.

 

[PhatOrange]

Instead of these no offer juco's why not take a flyer on a kid like DE Evan Schwan ?

 

[007]

I suspect that they are going to look to get bigger at least one of the DE spots. I think guys like Goggins, Bromley or Brantley could play out there. Goggins and Bromley both dropped into coverage in the zone blitz schemes last year.

The bigger the DL, the more success they are likely to have playing undersized LBs (or big SS disguised as LBs). I would like to see what Davis could do at SS...

 

[TheSpaz]

Instead of these no offer juco's why not take a flyer on a kid like DE Evan Schwan ?

They had offers.

 

[orangepassion]

his coach also said he had warren sapp type ability. call me skeptical.

So were most, other than Portland State

 

[IHeartSUFball]

fresno st and sdsu were after zian jones...think colleges were finally getting his tape and asking around about him...kinda a darkhorse towards the end of the recruiting cycle...i for one am happy that we are adding a ton of size to our d line this year... we shouldnt get abused running against us anymore

 

[SoBristol]

fresno st and sdsu were after zian jones...think colleges were finally getting his tape and asking around about him...kinda a darkhorse towards the end of the recruiting cycle...i for one am happy that we are adding a ton of size to our d line this year... we shouldnt get abused running against us anymore

Agree -- this is an area of need. Apart from fixing specials, the high priorities for 2012 have to start with the DL and getting more pressures. These JUCOs (Garrick as well as Jones) aren't saviors, but Shafer uses a lot of guys in the DL so they should be in the mix the way Torrey Ball was this year.

 

[rosconey]

could have a very nice dline rotation next year -maybe that will help the backers a bit

 

[RF2044]

Agree -- this is an area of need. Apart from fixing specials, the high priorities for 2012 have to start with the DL and getting more pressures. These JUCOs (Garrick as well as Jones) aren't saviors, but Shafer uses a lot of guys in the DL so they should be in the mix the way Torrey Ball was this year.

Agreed. I don't think we need world beating DTs / NTs, just solid guys with high motors who do a decent job of stopping the run. Two years ago, we used a rotation of Tribbey, Perkins, and Lewis. All three were solid / serviceable, but not NFL prospects or anything. I used to be a big fan of how relentless Perkins always seemed to play. Would it be nice to have Art Jones [or Jarron Jones, for that matter] manning the middle? Absolutely. But we can field a solid interior unit even without a blue chipper.

Heading into last season, we weren't even sure whether we'd be able to field a competent DT rotation, given the lack of depth / experience. Although we took a step backwards against the run, Goggins and Bromley did some okay things. Our depth is much better this year, and the pipeline is infused with more talent. We also return the top four players in the rotation, while adding several more, so the team won't have to rely upon the newcomers to contribute immediately.

Perhaps most importantly, the depth we have returning will enable the coaching staff to start redshirting incoming DTs. Started last year with Sloan, and should continue this year with Brantley / Coleman. That is going to pay off down the road.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I highly doubt that time is accurate.

Why not? He's 6'5 320 but he's not a fat boy. He's built like an oversized hoops player with a bit of extra weight in the middle. Goggins at 280 lbs supposedly runs in the 4.7-4.8 range

 

[PhatOrange]

Why not? He's 6'5 320 but he's not a fat boy. He's built like an oversized hoops player with a bit of extra weight in the middle. Goggins at 280 lbs supposedly runs in the 4.7-4.8 range

If he were really 6-5 320 and ran a 4.9 he'd have better offers than portland state.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

If he were really 6-5 320 and ran a 4.9 he'd have better offers than portland state.

I saw Jones last Saturday, how the hell is that kid 6-5?

 

[NovaOrange]

If he were really 6-5 320 and ran a 4.9 he'd have better offers than portland state.

More people run 4.9 or lower then people think. There are kids in the Northern VA area that are around that size that run 5.0 and 5.1 so to think he can run a 4.9 isn't that much of a suprise to me. It's not like a 4.9 forty makes you a speedster by any means. I played at Concord College which is now Concord University a D2 school in West Virginia the defensive tackles up there were not slow by any means either.

 

[ImperialOrange]

If he were really 6-5 320 and ran a 4.9 he'd have better offers than portland state.

Don't kill the messanger. I didn't post those stats on Rivals I'm just relaying the info that was given.

Couple things.

First, if he was a HS senior with his current skill set he probably would have more offers. As it stands, most schools aren't looking to take 2 year flyers on JUCO projects. We're in a position where we need to.

Second, you do realize 4.9 isn't blazing fast don't you? It's adequate speed not Freeney speed. 4.9 is what I ran my junior year in HS and I'm far from fast and that was my first year playing football. That's also what Ryan Bartholomew ran at the combine for some context and he was both shorter (6-1) and wider (brick house). If someone is 6-5, has good initial burst, and long strides when he runs it's a pretty easy formula.

 

[bnoro]

I don't know why we are debating 40 times, the kid is a DT. A short shuttle would be more relevant, this kid will never run 40 yards in a straight line to catch some one. All that matters is that he is quick off the line and physically strong enough to be stout in the middle.

 

[PhatOrange]

I don't know why we are debating 40 times, the kid is a DT. A short shuttle would be more relevant, this kid will never run 40 yards in a straight line to catch some one. All that matters is that he is quick off the line and physically strong enough to be stout in the middle.

the only debate is that rivals publishes the time and people believe it. i call bullshit.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I don't know why we are debating 40 times, the kid is a DT. A short shuttle would be more relevant, this kid will never run 40 yards in a straight line to catch some one. All that matters is that he is quick off the line and physically strong enough to be stout in the middle.

There's always that too.

 

[supp]

I don't know why we are debating 40 times, the kid is a DT. A short shuttle would be more relevant, this kid will never run 40 yards in a straight line to catch some one. All that matters is that he is quick off the line and physically strong enough to be stout in the middle.

You're right of course but 40 times can give us an idea of what kind of an athlete (and what kind of shape) these big kids are. I hope it's close to being accurate, but we've been down this road before. People don't need their DTs to run 40 yards down the field but a 6-5, 300-plus guy that can run a sub-5 40 usually is an indicator of exceptional athletic ability. I'm not saying it's impossible for him to be that kind of athlete but if he is, I find it very, very hard to believe that our competition for this kid only consisted of SDSU and Fresno State. The Big XII and SEC schools particularly scout the California JuCo leagues hard. It's difficult to slip through the cracks. Grades may be a factor but you'd figure that they'd be a bigger factor at SU than at a place like Kansas State or Mississippi State.

Hey, the offseason is all about rose-colored glasses so I piss on this parade with a heavy heart. Maybe we've got ourselves a diamond in the rough? I certainly wouldn't complain if we did.