Jordan Elliott (image via 4search)
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TRANSFERS
Ahmir Mitchell, WR (Fort Scott Community College): Mitchell finished the season with 7 catches for 73 yards (10.4 YPC) and 1 touchdown.
Wilton Speight, QB (UCLA): Speight was 29/47 for 466 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a 49-42 loss to Stanford; he also ran 10 times for -37 yards and 1 touchdown. He finished the year 126/208 (60.6%) for 1,527 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, plus 39 carries for 27 yards and 2 touchdowns. UCLA was 3-9 and not eligible for a bowl game.
Kareem Walker, RB (Fort Scott Community College): Walker finished the season with 64 carries for 207 yards (3.2 YPC) and 1 touchdown. He is committed to transfer to Mississippi State.
Keith Washington, CB (West Virginia): Washington made 5 tackles in a 59-56 loss to Oklahoma.
Maurice Ways, Jr., WR (Cal): Ways made 3 catches for 43 yards and 1 touchdown – his first career score – in a 33-21 win over Colorado.
Tyrone Wheatley, Jr., TE (Stony Brook): Wheatley finished his redshirt junior year at Stony Brook with a total of 6 catches for 36 yards.
Hit the jump for news on former commitments and coaches.
FORMER COMMITMENTS
A.J. Dillon, RB (Boston College): Dillon had 12 carries for 56 yards and 1 catch for -1 yards in a 42-21 loss to Syracuse.
Jordan Elliott, DT (Missouri): Elliott had his best career game with 5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble in a 38-0 win over Arkansas.
Dele’ Harding, LB (Illinois): Harding made 6 tackles in a 24-16 loss to Northwestern. The 4-8 Illini are ineligible for a bowl game, so Harding finishes his junior year with 37 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.
Damien Harris, RB (Alabama): Harris had 9 carries for 41 yards and 1 catch for 11 yards in a 52-21 win over Auburn.
Jeremiah Holloman, WR (Georgia): Holloman made 2 catches for 29 yards and 1 touchdown in a 45-21 win over Georgia Tech.
Darrin Kirkland, Jr., LB (Tennessee): Kirkland made 6 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in a 38-13 loss to Vanderbilt. The Volunteers are 5-7 and ineligible for a bowl game, so Kirkland finishes his redshirt junior year with 51 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception (for a 33-yard TD), and 1 pass breakup.
Chase Lasater, LB (Florida Atlantic): Lasater, who did not play in the season finale, finished the year with 2 tackles.
David Reese II, LB (Florida): Reese made 6 tackles in a 41-14 win over Florida State.
Otis Reese, LB (Georgia): Reese made 1 tackle in a 45-21 win over Georgia Tech.
Antwaine Richardson, S (Maryland): Richardson made 6 tackles and 2 pass breakups in a 38-3 loss to Penn State. The Terrapins are 5-7 and ineligible for a bowl game, so Richardson finishes his junior year with 41 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception (for 0 yards), and 2 pass breakups.
Darian Roseboro, DE (North Carolina State): Roseoboro made 3 tackles in a 34-28 win over North Carolina.
Garrett Taylor, S (Penn State): Taylor made 5 tackles in a 38-3 win over Maryland.
Leonard Taylor, TE (Cincinnati): Taylor made 1 catch for 20 yards in a 56-6 win over East Carolina.
Victor Viramontes, LB (Riverside City College): Viramontes and his teammates suffered their first loss of the season, a 31-21 loss to Ventura in the Southern California Football Association Championship. Viramontes made 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, and 1 quarterback hurry in the game. He made 66 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 interception on defense; he also played some offense and ended the year with 13 carries for 35 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Rashad Weaver, DE (Pitt): Weaver made 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 pass breakups, and 1 quarterback hurry in a 24-3 loss to Miami.
Michael Weber, RB (Ohio State): Weber had 13 carries for 96 yards and 1 touchdown, along with 1 catch for 1 yard, in a 62-39 win over Michigan.
FORMER COACHES
Jay Hopson, Head Coach (Southern Mississippi): Hopson and his Golden Eagles gained bowl eligibility by moving to 6-5 in an 11-game schedule, beating UTEP by a score of 39-7.
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Not that anyone cares much about ex-coaches but Scott Shafer (D-Coordinator) and Middle Tennessee State play for 1st Conference Championship after defeating UAB 27-3 last week.
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I do care, and that’s good to know. I usually do a post-season wrap-up with all the assistants, but during the season, I generally just pay attention to former head coaches and/or guys who are current head coaches (Hoke, Rodriguez, Durkin, Hopson, etc.).
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Interesting to compare stats between ’15 Rudock, ’16 Speight, ’18 Patterson. Might give you a sense for the variance of a Harbaugh offense with an NFL-caliber QB vs not quite.
Comp %: 64, 62, 65
YPA: 7.8, 7.7, 8.2
TD/INT: 20/9, 18/7, 21/5
A half yard per attempt and 4 INTs is nothing to sneeze at but these differences may not be as dramatic as some might expect given the differences in reputation. Other than the ’17 QB debacle (outlier) these results point to Harbaugh getting more or less the same thing as long as he has a competent QB.
Now I’d like to see him get the same guy 2 years in a row and try to move the needle with familiarity leading to consistency and comfort supporting more opportunities for big plays.
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