Weight: 284
Height: 6-4
Position: Defensive End
School / College: Virginia
Biography:Christopher Howard Long (born March 28, 1985 in Santa Monica, California) is an American football defensive end for the Virginia Cavaliers. Chris is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long.
College Virginia
Conference ACC
Sport Football
Position Defensive end
Class Senior
Career 2004 – present
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight 284 pounds (128.8 kg)
Nationality United States
Born March 28, 1985 (1985-03-28) (age 22)
Santa Monica, California
High school St. Anne's-Belfield School,
Charlottesville, Virginia
Awards
2006 Second-Team All-ACC
2006 All-Virginia
2007 First-Team All-American
2007 First-Team All-ACC
2007 Ted Hendricks Award
2007 Dudley Award
Early life
Chris Long attended St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was a star on both the offensive and defensive line. As a senior, Long was in on 91 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, and 15 sacks helping his team to an undefeated record and the state championship. Long also had 72 pancake blocks on offense as a senior. As a junior, Long had 85 tackles with 12 sacks and 20 tackles for a loss. Long ended his high school career 43 sacks and 66 tackles for a loss, after becoming a three-time All-Central Virginia. After having his number retired, Long was given a 4-star ranking for college recruiting.
Long also played basketball, lacrosse, and baseball during high school. He won the 2003 YMCA Slam Dunk Contest for high school students also.
College career
Long enrolled at the University of Virginia in 2004. Long provided depth on the line, but only played in 6 games after missing five due to an illness. He ended the season with only five tackles, two for a loss, and a sack. Long's first career tackle came against North Carolina, while his first tackle for a loss came against Miami. His first career sack came against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
In 2005, as a sophomore, Long started all the games of the season. Long practiced by being matched up against All-American offensive lineman D'Brickashaw Ferguson in training camp and practice. Long averaged 3.8 tackles per game, leading all Virginia defensive lineman. He totaled 46 tackles, with 10 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. His 26 quarterback pressues led his team. He also shared the team lead in pass break-ups with Marcus Hamilton with seven. In his first start, Long had seven tackles against Western Michigan. He then had six tackles, two for a loss, and a sack against North Carolina, followed by a three tackle, 10 quarterback pressure day against Georgia Tech and Reggie Ball. In the Music City Bowl against Minnesota, Long had a career-high 9 tackles, one for a loss.
In 2006, Long's junior year, he had his best campaign yet. Long earned second-team all-ACC honors and was voted team captain. While starting all games, Long recorded 57 tackles, 12 for a loss, and 4 sacks. He also had one pass break-up and 21 quarterback pressures. His 4.8 tackles per game was fourth among ACC defensive lineman. Long had a season-high three tackles for a loss against East Carolina, then 10 tackles against Western Michigan. At the team's award banquet, Long earned three awards: Ned McDonald Award for the top defensive player, the Colonel F.C. McCue Award for the most outstanding interior lineman and the Joe Palumbo Award for self-sacrifice, dedication, and enthusiasm. He was also a finalist for the Dudley Award, for the most outstanding player in the state of Virginia and was an All-State selection.
Long entered the 2007 season as a candidate for the Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Trophy, Lombardi Trophy, and Hendricks Award.
Following his 14-sack performance his senior season, He was selected as a consensus First-team All-American. Long was also voted Team captain for the second year in a row. His 14 sacks were third in the country in sacks with an average of 1.13/g. Long was fourth nationally in tackling by a lineman, averaging 6.3 tackles per game and tied for 10th in the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 1.58/g. Additionally, Long tied for sixth in the country among defensive linemen in pass break ups (PBU) with seven and by adding in his interception, he was tied for fifth in the country among defensive linemen in passes defended (PBU+INTs) with eight.
On November 24, 2007, Long's #91 jersey was retired at UVA.
On December 5, 2007, Long won the 2007 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award. Long garnered "more than 60 percent of the votes, the most ever for a winner in the history of the award." Ted Hendricks and Long's father, Howie, played together for the Oakland Raiders.
Finished his career in the Gator Bowl (31-28 loss to Texas Tech) as the Konica-Minolta Player of the Game for Virginia. He recorded 4 tackles, 5 hurries and deflected 3 passes.
Career Stats
2004 5 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack.
2005 46 tackles, 10 for a loss, 2 sacks, 7 passes broken up
2006 57 tackles, 12 for a loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass broken up
2007 79 tackles, 19 for a loss, 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 10 passes broken up and 1 interception.
Total 187 tackles, 43 for a loss, 22 sacks, 3 fumbles causes, 17 passes broken up and 1 interception.
2008 NFL Draft
Chris Long is considered the top NFL Draft prospect at his position of defensive end. Sports Illustrated ranked him #8 in their photo feature on the Top 25 Draft Prospects for 2008. Other NFL analysts and scouts have him a consensus Top 10 pick with many expecting him to go within the Top 5.
Weight: 215
Height: 6-2
Position: Running Back
School / College: Arkansas
Biography:Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987 in North Little Rock, Arkansas) is former two time All-American tailback for the University of Arkansas who is awaiting the 2008 NFL Draft.
In 2006, McFadden became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award, and joined Ricky Williams (Texas) as only the second two-time winner after taking home the award again in 2007 McFadden also won the 2007 Walter Camp Award as the nation's best player and was also the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row, in 2006 and 2007. McFadden is widely known as having the ability to not only outrun opposing players, but to also power through them.
College University of Arkansas
Conference SEC
Sport Football
Position Tailback
Jersey # 5
Class Junior
Major Kinesiology
Nickname Run DMC, Mr. 501, D-Mac
Career 2005 – 2007
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 215 pounds (97.5 kg)
Nationality United States
Born August 27, 1987 (1987-08-27) (age 20)
North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
High school Oak Grove HS,
North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Career highlights
Awards
2006 Doak Walker Award
2007 Doak Walker Award
2007 Walter Camp Award
Honors
2005 Freshman SEC Offensive Player of the Year
2006 Heisman Memorial Trophy Award Runner-Up
2006 SEC Offensive Player of the Year
2006 Walter Camp Award Finalist
2007 Heisman Memorial Trophy Award Runner-Up
2007 Maxwell Award Finalist
2007 SEC Offensive Player of the Year
Championships
2006 SEC Western Division Champions
Bowl games
2007 Capital One Bowl - Arkansas 14, Wisconsin 17
2008 Cotton Bowl - Arkansas 7, Missouri 38
High school
McFadden attended Oak Grove High School in North Little Rock. McFadden played a variety of positions at Oak Grove, but usually lined up as a running back on offense, and a safety on defense. During his senior season at Oak Grove, he was a Parade Magazine All-American in 2004, as well as being named the Arkansas High School player of the year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Following his senior season at Oak Grove, McFadden was awarded the prestigious Landers Award, given every year to the top player in the state of Arkansas. During his time at Oak Grove, McFadden would occasionally line up at the quarterback position, a skill which he is using now at Arkansas in the "Wildcat" (renamed WildHog for the 2007 season) formation. McFadden was a highly recruited prospect, and garnered interest from many schools around the nation. But wanting to be a Razorback, McFadden eventually chose to attend Arkansas, home of the Razorbacks.
Collegiate career
Throughout his 3 collegiate years (2005 - 2007), McFadden has eclipsed many records in University of Arkansas Razorback football, the most notable being the most rushing yards in a single game, the most rushing yards in a single season, and the most career rushing yards. He is also only the second running back in school history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in three consecutive years. He has since become the all-time leading rusher in school history with 4,485 yards in 37 career game, and also owns the school record for most career games with at least 100 yards rushing, with 22. He was named 1st Team All-SEC all three years he was at Arkansas and was also a two-time consensus 1st team All-American after his sophomore and junior seasons, also being named a freshman All-American in his freshman year. Darren was also named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by the Coaches and AP in 2006, and again by the Coaches in 2007, as well as being named The Sporting News magazine National Player of the Year in 2007.
2005 season
In 2005, his true freshman season, McFadden rushed for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns on 176 attempts, earning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors, as well as Freshman All-American nods. McFadden was an integral part of an Arkansas offense, that, although going 4-7, lost to top ranked teams such as Georgia and LSU only in the closing seconds of those games. Although being a backup for the first 2 games of the season, and even gathering interest from defensive coordinator Reggie Herring to become a safety, a position he also played in high school, McFadden stuck with his position at running back.
Throughout the season, McFadden transformed into the breakout star he would soon become, rushing for long touchdowns in several games. McFadden ended the season with the most yards a freshman running back had ever gained in an Arkansas uniform, and became only the seventh Southeastern Conference player to rush over 1,000 yards as a freshman, joining the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker. McFadden continued through spring practice early the next year as the number one running back on the Razorback depth chart, a spot he never relinquished while on campus.
2006 season
In 2006, despite a slow start due to a dislocated toe from an off the field incident at a night club in Little Rock, McFadden rushed for a school-record 1,647 yards (which was also good enough for fifth best all-time in the SEC for single season yards), scored 14 touchdowns, and threw for 3 more touchdowns on just 9 passing attempts, becoming a first-team All-American. McFadden also attained a new career high for yards in a single game in his 219 yard performance in a 26-20 win at the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.Thanks to his efforts, Arkansas streaked to 10 wins, the SEC Western Division Championship, but lost to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2007 and finished with a record of (10-4).
On December 6, 2006, McFadden was named 1 of 3 finalists for the Heisman Trophy, along with Troy Smith (Ohio State University) and Brady Quinn (University of Notre Dame.) In the final 2006 Heisman vote, McFadden placed second behind Smith and several points in front of Quinn. On December 7, 2006, McFadden became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top running back. He was also a consensus All-America choice, making the vast majority of teams selected.
McFadden surpassed Madre Hill as the record holder for most rushing yards in a season at the University of Arkansas in 2006. He is also the centerpiece of the "Wildcat," an offensive formation wherein he usually lines up at quarterback. Since McFadden often played quarterback in high school, he has been a threat to throw the ball, to run the ball, or hand off to another player, (usually fellow running back Felix Jones or fullback Peyton Hillis), thus making the formation a triple threat. The "Wildcat" formation, as practiced at Arkansas, is also known nationally by some as the "501," McFadden's hometown telephone area code which is tattooed on the inside of both of his biceps, and was officially renamed as the "WildHog" for the 2007 season.
2007 season
Arkansas vs Tennessee.Before the 2007 season, McFadden was believed to be one of the top NFL draft picks after the 2007 season if he declared for the 2008 NFL Draft. In Sports Illustrated's website, a photo gallery chronicling the best possible candidates in the 2008 draft was tipped as the number 1 pick. McFadden was also predicted to be a front-runner for many awards, including the Doak Walker, the Maxwell, the Walter Camp Player of the Year, and the Heisman.
McFadden began the 2007 season with five consecutive games in which he gained at least 120 yards. Highlighting these were a 195 yard effort against Alabama, a 151 yard game against Troy, and a 173 yard effort against Kentucky. After this stretch of games, McFadden looked to be a lock for the Heisman trophy, at the top of generally every watch list. But in the next three weeks, McFadden tallied only 43, 110, and 61 yards against Auburn, Ole Miss, and Florida International, respectively. After these three games, McFadden had gone from being at the top of the lists, to near the bottom, or in some cases, off.
On November 3, 2007, McFadden tied the Southeastern Conference single-game rushing record (Frank Mordica, Vanderbilt, 1978 vs. Air Force) with 321 yards rushing against the South Carolina. An 80 yard run highlighted McFadden's day, as well as preserved the Arkansas win.
The next two weeks, McFadden rushed for 117 yards in a loss to Tennessee and 88 yards in a win against Mississippi State.
On November 23, 2007, McFadden led Arkansas to a 50-48 triple overtime victory over the #1 ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, winning the Battle for the Golden Boot for Arkansas. McFadden rushed 32 times for 206 yards and 3 TD's, and completed 3 of 6 pass attempts for 34 yards, also throwing a touchdown to Peyton Hillis. The Wildhog formation was key for McFadden and the Hogs, as the majority of McFadden's yards came when he received the snap.
By any measure, McFadden's 2007 season was a success: McFadden was selected as the Sporting News magazine National Player of the Year, was a consensus 1st Team All-American for the second straight season, won the Doak Walker Award (given to the nation's best running back) for the second year in a row, was selected as the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by SEC coaches, and he was also awarded the Walter Camp Award (given to the nation's best overall player).
McFadden is second all-time in career rushing yards in the SEC behind only Herschel Walker of Georgia (5,259), and is also currently holds seventh place for the SEC career record touchdowns with 40. McFadden has 1,829 yards rushing on 325 carries and 16 TD's, plus he has thrown for 4 TD's, and has 1 TD reception. He leads the SEC and is third in the nation in rushing yards.
On December 6, 2007, McFadden was announced as the winner of the Walter Camp Award and as the winner of the Doak Walker Award. He became only the second person (along with Ricky Williams) in history to win the Doak Walker Award twice. McFadden finished as the runner-up for the 2007 Heisman Trophy for the second year in a row. He was runner-up to Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators, making him the first person since 1949 to finish second in Heisman voting in consecutive years. Additionally, he was, for the second consecutive season, a consensus All-America selection.
McFadden is the most decorated player in school history, and holds many of the university rushing records, and is in a number of the SEC's all-time top 10 rushing spots. After Arkansas lost 38-7 to Missouri (and fellow 2007 Heisman finalist QB Chase Daniel) in the January 1, 2008 Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, McFadden decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2008 NFL Draft on January 14, 2007. Many early projections have him being taken in the first five picks, with some placing him as high as to be the first pick.
In late December 2007, sports agent (and former Arkansas track and field athlete) Mike Conley, Sr. was accused by KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas of purchasing a Cadillac Escalade for McFadden, which would have jeopardized McFadden's status as an amateur athlete for the 2008 Cotton Bowl and a possible senior season. KARK later retracted the report and apologized to Conley.
On January 10th, McFadden was involved in a confrontation in a Little Rock bar, where he was handcuffed. McFadden was released soon after.
McFadden decided to skip his senior season to enter the 2008 NFL Draft where numerous experts have projected him to be picked among the top five players.
Career stats
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kickoff Returns |
Year G Att Yrds Avg TD Lg Rec Yrds Avg TD Lg Att Cmp Yrds Avg TD Lg No. Yrds Avg TD Lng
2005 11 176 1113 6.3 11 70 14 52 3.7 0 13 2 1 13 6.5 0 12 12 348 29 0 81
2006 14 284 1647 5.8 14 80 11 149 13.5 1 70 9 7 69 7.7 3 28 10 262 26.2 1 92
2007 13 325 1829 5.6 16 80 21 164 7.8 1 57 11 6 123 11.2 4 42 16 316 19.8 0 33
Totals 38 785 4589 5.8 41 80 46 365 7.9 2 70 22 14 205 9.3 7 42 38 926 24.4 1 92
Weight: 303
Height: 6-2
Position: Defensive Tackle
School / College: LSU
Biography:Glenn Dorsey (born August 1, 1985 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American football defensive tackle. He is widely considered to be one of the best prospects in the upcoming 2008 NFL Draft and many think he may be chosen #1 overall by the Miami Dolphins.
College LSU
Conference SEC
Sport Football
Position Defensive Tackle
Class Senior
Career 2004 – present
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 303 pounds (137.4 kg)
Nationality United States
Born August 1, 1985 (1985-08-01) (age 22)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
High school East Ascension HS,
Gonzales, Louisiana
Career highlights
Awards
2006 First-Team All-SEC
2006 First-Team All-American
2007 First-Team All-SEC
2007 First-Team All-American
2007 Bronko Nagurski Trophy
2007 Lombardi Award
2007 Outland Trophy
2007 Lott Trophy
Championships
2007 SEC Champion
2007 NCAA Division I-FBS Champion
College career
In 2004, he started in 3 out of 12 games. On his first collegiate snap he recovered a fumble against Oregon State. He finished the year with 18 tackles.
In 2005, he started in 1 out of 13 games. He was among LSU's 4-player rotation at defensive tackle which included Claude Wroten and Kyle Williams. He finished the season with 28 tackles and 3 sacks.
In 2006, Dorsey was named to the 2006 All-American team.
In 2007, Dorsey was named to the 2007 All-American team. He also finished #9 in the 2007 voting for the Heisman Trophy[1], receiving more votes than any other defensive player in the nation. In addition, Dorsey was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Outland Trophy, the Lott Trophy and the Lombardi Award, becoming the only player to have won all four awards.[2] Dorsey was a member of LSU's 2008 BCS Championship team.
NFL Future
Dorsey is considered one of the best prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft and is expected to be a top 3 pick.[3]. Many mock drafts have him going as high as the first overall pick
Weight: 230
Height: 5-11
Position: Running Back
School / College: Oregon
Biography:Jonathan Creon Stewart (born March 21, 1987 in Fort Lewis, Washington) is a junior running back for the University of Oregon Ducks .
College Oregon
Conference Pac 10
Sport Football
Position TB
Class Junior
Career 2005 – present
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 230 pounds (104.3 kg)
Nationality United States
Born March 21, 1987 (1987-03-21) (age 20)
Fort Lewis, WA
High school Timberline High School,
Lacey, WA
Awards
2005 Pac-10 All Freshman
2006 Pac-10 Second Team All-Conference
2007 Pac-10 First Team All-Conference
2007 AFCA Coaches' All-America Team
Early and personal life
Jonathan Stewart is the son of Jonathan Stewart and Lora Faison. His parents divorced when he was 13 and his father subsequently moved to Georgia. Stewart joined a flag football team in fifth grade where he began to emulate his idol Barry Sanders
Stewart began to fill out in the eighth grade and by the time he entered Timberline High School in Lacey, Washington, he was a starter on the varsity team. By the time he finished high school, Stewart had amassed 7,755 yards rushing and 95 touchdowns. As a senior, he ran for 2,301 yards and reached the end zone 32 times. He was named The Washington Class 3A offensive co-player of the year by WashingtonPrep.com and state Gatorade Player-of-the-Year recipient. The Seattle Times called him the state's fifth greatest running back of all-time.
Despite interest from schools such as the University of Southern California, University of Notre Dame and Ohio State University, Stewart decided on the nearby beautiful Pacific Northwest Eugene and the University of Oregon.
Stewart's phenomenal athletic ability has him high on NFL scouts' radar screens. Stewart has been hand-timed at 4.34 seconds in the 40 yard dash, has bench pressed 410 pounds, and has a 38.5 inch vertical leap (second in school history).
University of Oregon
2005 season
Stewart's true freshman season was highlighted by a pair of kickoff return touchdowns which made him the program's first player to ever return more than one kickoff for a score. Stewart ended up leading the nation in kickoff return average (33.7 yards-per-return).
Stewart finished his freshman campaign with nine total touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving, and two kickoff returns) despite touching the football only 72 times. His 54 points made him the team's third leading scorer. An ankle injury suffered in a game against Montana would force him to miss action in two games and render him less than 100% in others.
2006 season
Stewart finished his sophomore season as the team's leading rusher. He finished 19 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing despite missing some time due to lingering ankle injuries. He recorded five 100 yard games in the season and the Ducks were 5-0 in those games. Stewart also caught 20 passes for 144 yards including a touchdown and he again finished near the top nationally in kickoff returning (6th in the country). In Oregon's controversial win against the University of Oklahoma, Stewart impressed, rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown. In the final regular season game against rival Oregon State University, Stewart rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the season with 10 rushing touchdowns and one receiving score.
2007 season
Stewart and the Ducks opened the 2007 campaign 4-0, with wins over Houston, Michigan (in Ann Arbor), Fresno State and Stanford. Against Michigan, Stewart ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries. He followed up that performance with 165 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. Stewart's second touchdown, an 88-yard scamper, was the longest run ever in the 41-year history of Autzen Stadium. The following week against Stanford, Stewart picked up a career best 310 all-purpose yards, including 160 yards rushing and a ten yard touchdown run. In Oregon's showdown against Cal, Stewart ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, in a 31-24 loss to the Golden Bears. Stewart chipped in 66 rushing yards in Oregon's 53-7 drubbing of Washington State, then had a record setting day against rival Washington. Stewart had a career high 32 carries for 251 yards and two touchdowns, the latter being the second highest single game total in Oregon's history. Stewart continued his impressive play with a 103 yard, 25 carry, two touchdown performance against USC in Oregon's 24-17 home win. Against then #4 ranked Arizona State, Stewart ran for 99 yards on 21 carries (including a 33-yard touchdown scamper), caught two passes for 26 yards and another score, and returned five kicks for 122 yards. Stewart concluded his record setting season with a career high 39 carries against rival Oregon State, accumulating 163 yards along the way. In Oregon's 56-21 bowl win over South Florida, Stewart ran for a career high 253 yards, setting a Sun Bowl record for rushing yards and earning him the C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player award.
At the end of the 2007 regular season, Stewart was selected to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team by league coaches. He also garnered All-America notice.
2008 NFL Draft
A number of mock draft sites are projecting Stewart to be among the top running backs selected in this year's NFL Draft. On January 11, 2008, Stewart announced his decision to forego his senior season at Oregon and to enter the Draft.
Career statistics
U of O | Rushing | Receiving |
Season Games Att Yds Avg Lg TD Rec Yds Avg Lg TD
2005 10 53 188 3.5 33 6 7 45 6.4 12 1
2006 13 183 981 5.4 63 10 20 144 7.2 24 1
2007 12 280 1,722 6.2 88 11 22 145 6.6 21 2
Total 36 516 2,891 5.6 88 27 49 334 6.8 24 4
Weight: 264
Height: 6-4
Position: Defensive End
School / College: Ohio State
Biography:Vernon Gholston (born June 5, 1986 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American football player who plays defensive end for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. Recruited by the Buckeyes as a linebacker, his speed and size resulted in his being assigned as the Buckeyes' "Leo" or drop end, and a noted pass rusher.
College Ohio State
Conference Big Ten
Sport Football
Position DE
Jersey # 50
Class Junior
Career 2004 – present
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight 264 pounds (119.7 kg)
Nationality United States
Born June 5, 1986 (1986-06-05) (age 21)
Detroit, MI
High school Cass Technical HS,
Detroit, MI
High School Years
Gholston attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan and was a student and an obvious letterman in football where he played for head coach Thomas Wilcher. As a student, Gholston had a 2.8 GPA. In football, as a senior, Gholston was an All-State honoree as an offensive guard while racking up 75 tackles and six sacks on defense.
College career
On November 3, 2007, Gholston tied two Ohio State team records for quarterback sacks in a game when he dropped Wisconsin QB Tyler Donovan four times for a total loss of 32 yards. Two weeks later he recorded three sacks against the Michigan Wolverines to lead Ohio State to its fourth consecutive win over the Wolverines. Gholston tied the Buckeye record of 13 sacks in a single season set in 1995 by Mike Vrabel.
National awards
2007 watch-list candidate for Chuck Bednarik Award
2007 watch-list candidate for Ted Hendricks Award
2007 College Football All-America Team (Pro Football Weekly)
Conference honors
2006 All-Big Ten Conference Second Team (coaches and media)
Weight: 235
Height: 6-3
Position: Linebacker
School / College: USC
Biography:Keith Rivers (born May 5, 1986) is an American football linebacker from Lake Mary, Florida. Rivers plays college football for the University of Southern California Trojans.
College USC
Conference Pac 10
Sport Football
Position Linebacker
Jersey # 55
Class Junior
Nickname The Shark
Career 2004 – present
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 235 pounds (106.6 kg)
Nationality United States
Born May 5, 1986 (1986-05-05) (age 21)
San Bernardino, CA
High school Lake Mary High School, Lake Mary, FL.
Awards
2007 SI.com First Team All-American
2007 Walter Camp Football Foundation Second Team All-American
2006 ESPN and Rivals.com All-Pac-10 First Team
College career
USC linebacker coach Ken Norton, Jr. nicknamed Rivers "the Shark" for his aggressive play on the field, juxtaposed to his polite demeanor off of it.
Rivers was a 2007 preseason Sporting News, Street & Smith's, Lindy's, Phil Steele's, Blue Ribbon and NationalChamps.net All-American.
Rivers was on the watch list for the 2006 Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Bronco Nagurski Trophy, and Lott Trophy. He was 2006 Rivals.com and coaches first team all-Pac-10. The Trojans leading tackler as a junior in 2006, Rivers decided to stay for his senior season.
At the end of the 2007 regular season, Rivers was selected to the All-Pacific-10 Conference first team for the second year in a row by league coaches. He was also selected to the SI.com All-American First Team.
High School career
Rivers was a highly decorated letterman in football at Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Florida alongside current University of Florida sophomore Nate Stein. His awards include include USA Today All-USA first team, Parade All-American, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, EA Sports All-American, Insiders.com All-American, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team, Lemming Top 10, Super Prep All-Dixie, Prep Star All-Southeast, FOX Sports Net All-South, Gatorade Florida Player of the Year and Florida Class 6A Mr. Football runner up as a senior linebacker.
Statistics
College
Year GP TKL TFL SCK INT
2004 13 25 3.0 2.5 1
2005 11 52 3.0 1.0 1
2006 13 85 7.5 2.0 0
2007 11 73 4.5 0 0
Totals 48 235 18 5.5 2
Weight: 315
Height: 6-7
Position: Offensive Tackle
School / College: Michigan
Biography:Jake Edward Long (born May 9, 1985) is an American football offensive tackle for the Michigan Wolverines. On August 21, 2006 he was named offensive captain of the team. Long graduated from Lapeer East High School in Lapeer, Michigan in 2003.
College Michigan
Conference Big Ten
Sport Football
Position LT
Jersey # 77
Class Senior
Career 2004 – present
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight 315 pounds (142.9 kg)
Nationality United States
Born May 9, 1985 (1985-05-09) (age 22)
High school Lapeer East High School,
Lapeer, Michigan
Bowl games
2005 Rose Bowl
2005 Alamo Bowl
2007 Rose Bowl
2008 Capital One Bowl
College career
At Michigan he is a three-year letterman. He has appeared in 28 games and made 25 starts at offensive tackle. made 14 starts at right tackle and 11 at left tackle. In 2003 he was redshirted.
National awards
2004 Freshman All-American
2006 Outland Trophy watchlist
2006 Consensus First-Team All-American
2007 Outland Trophy finalist
2007 Consensus First-Team All-American
Conference honors
2004 All-Big Ten Conference Second Team (coaches) and Honorable Mention (media)
2006 & 2007 All-Big Ten Conference First Team (coaches and media)
2006 & 2007 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year
Senior Year
Jake Long has had a strong senior campaign and is considered a top 5 selection in the 2008 NFL draft. He has only surrendered one sack on the year to Ohio State's Vernon Gholston and was selected big ten lineman of the year.
High school career
He attended Lapeer East High School in Lapeer, Michigan where he was the second player in his high school's history to earn all-state first team honors in football. In baseball he played first base and is the all time leader in home runs and rbi's.
3 year starter at offensive tackle.
2 year starter at defensive end.
At offensive tackle he never allowed a sack in his career and was the captain.
Statistics
213 career tackles at defensive end.
11 career sacks.
9 career forced fumbles.
He rushed for four touchdowns at fullback during career.
Ranks
State
Ranked 17th best player in "Best of the Midwest" team by Detroit Free Press.
Ranked as the 2nd best player in Michigan in the Detroit News.
Selected to the Detroit News Dream Team.
Selected to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team.
Selected to the Lansing State Journal Dream Team.
Selected all-state honorable mention as a junior.
Nation
Ranked as 22nd best offensive lineman in the nation by Collegefootballnews.
Ranked as nation's 12th best offensive tackle in country by Tom Lemming.
Ranked as 21st best offensive tackle in nation by Rivals100.
Ranked as 5th best offensive tackle in the nation by MaxEmfingerRecruiting.
Ranked as the 24th best offensive lineman in the nation by MaxEmfingerRecruiting.
Ranked as the 12th best offensive lineman in the nation by TheInsiders.com
Ranked as the 81st best player in the nation by TheInsiders.com
Weight: 210
Height: 6-2
Position: Safety
School / College: Miami
Biography:College Miami (FL)
Sport Football
Position S
Jersey # 1
Class Junior
Nickname KP
Career 2005 – present
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 210 pounds (95.3 kg)
Nationality United States
Born November 24, 1986 (1986-11-24) (age 21)
Miami, Florida
High school Miami Carol City High School
Kenneth Phillips (born November 24, 1986 in Miami, Florida) is a former college football safety at the University of Miami. He played for the the Miami Hurricanes until after the 2007 season when he declared himself eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. He was the first college football underclassman to declare himself eligible.
Carol City High School
Phillips attended Miami Carol City High School in Miami, Florida where he played safety. As a senior in 2004, played free safety and finished with 84 tackles, six interceptions, three fumble recoveries, four defensive touchdowns and three punt returns for touchdowns. Phillips intercepted 16 passes during his high school career. He also played in the prestigious Army All-American Bowl.
In 2004, Phillips was the nation's top safety prospect and USA Today Defensive Player of the Year. Phillips was a Parade All-American and was selected to the PrepStar Top 100 Dream Team. He was rated the nation's No. 1 safety prospect by leading college recruiting magazines Rivals and Scout. And the No. 12 and No. 10 overall prospect by Rivals and Scout respectively. He was considered the No. 1 prospect in Dade County by the Miami Herald and the No. 1 prospect in the state by the Orlando Sentinel.
Miami Hurricanes
Phillips ultimately chose to attend the University of Miami over Tennessee, Florida State and NC State.
In his freshman year, Phillips was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team after starting 11 games at free safety. He ranked third on the team with 88 tackles (58 solo), recovered one fumble, broke up four passes and recorded one interception. Phillips' lone interception came against the Clemson Tigers in triple overtime and sealed the win for the Hurricanes.
As a sophomore, Phillips was named to the All-ACC 1st Team and 3rd team All-American by Rivals.com. He started 10 games out of 10 at strong safety; missing three games due to a broken thumb. He ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 71 total, broke up 6 passes, and recorded 4 interceptions. Phillips earned "ACC Defensive Back of the Week" honors for his play against Duke in which he tied a University of Miami record with three interceptions in one game.
Phillips was also named to the 2006 All-ACC Academic Football Team.
As a junior, Phillips was named to the All-ACC 1st Team for a second straight year, and 3rd team All-American for a second straight year. He started 12 games out of 12 at safety. Phillips ranked second on the team with a career high, 95 tackles(69 solo), made 6.5 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles, broke up 5 passes and intercepted 2 passes.
Weight: 305
Height: 6-2
Position: Defensive Tackle
School / College: USC
Biography:Sedrick Ellis (called Sed Ellis) (born May 9, 1985) is an American football defensive lineman, specializing as a nose tackle.
College Southern California
Conference Pac-10
Sport Football
Position DT
Jersey # 49
Class Senior
Career 2003 – present
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 305 pounds (138.3 kg)
Nationality United States
Born May 9, 1985 (1985-05-09) (age 22)
Chino, California
High school Chino High School
Awards
2007 AP, SI.com, AFCA, Walter Camp Football Foundation, FWAA and Sporting News All-America First-Team
2007 Pac-10 Defensive player of the year
2006 collegefootballnews.com All-American First-Team
2006 ESPN, rivals, scout and Pac-10 coaches All-Pac-10 First Team
2006 Morris Trophy
College career
2006 season
As an underclassman, Ellis learned under first team All-American Mike Patterson Ellis finished his redshirt junior season at the University of Southern California during the 2006-2007 season. He was first team coaches and rivals.com All-Pac-10 conference, First-team College Football News All-America team and won the Morris Trophy. Ellis had been considering making the jump to the National Football League in the 2007 NFL Draft but decided to come back for his senior season and would go pro in 2008; part of his decision to stay was tied to fellow classmate and highly touted defensive lineman Lawrence Jackson.
2007 season
Ellis was a CBS Sportsline, Sporting News, Lindy's and Street and Smiths preseason All-American for 2007. He is also on the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Trophy, Lott Trophy and Outland Trophy watch lists for 2007. Bench pressing more than 500 pounds, he is the strongest player on the Trojans roster and was named one of the "Pac-10's Top 10 Players" by Sports Illustrated going into the 2007 season. At the end of the 2007 season, Ellis was voted the Pacific 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year by league coaches, and selected to the All-Conference first team.
Ellis was selected to the majority of All-America First-teams, including those by the Associated Press, SI.com, Rivals.com, AFCA, Walter Camp Football Foundation, FWAA and Sporting News. Ellis was invited to the 2008 Senior Bowl and is expected to be one of the first picks in the 2008 NFL Draft.
High school career
Ellis prepped at Chino, CA High School. Although, he attended Chino High, Sedrick and his family resides in Pomona, CA in the Westmont area.
Personal
Although Ellis was the strongest person on the 2007 Trojans and only the third player under Pete Carroll's Trojan tenure to lift over 500 lb, he had only started lifting weights since he was 15 (6 years as of 2007) because his father would not allow him to lift at a younger age. In addition to benching a team-best 510 lb, at the 2007 spring pro day Ellis hoisted 225 lb 42 times. Because of his strength, the Trojans had to purchase a set of 200-pound dumbbells for their weight room just to accommodate him (the previous high were 160s); Ellis would do sets of eight reps on the incline bench with the 200s. Ellis has a pet Rottweiler named Junior.
Weight: 220
Height: 6-5
Position: Quarterback
School / College: Boston College
Biography:Matthew Thomas “Matt” Ryan (AKA Matty Ice) (born May 17, 1985 in Exton, Pennsylvania) is the senior quarterback for the Boston College Eagles football team. Since the 2005 season, he has been the team's starter, leading them to two bowl victories and a 14-4 record in 18 starts as of the start of the 2007 season. He has thrown for 200 or more yards 15 times and is fifth all-time in school history in passing yards and in pass completions. He also earned MVP honors at the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl. In 2007, Ryan led his team to an ACC Atlantic Division championship and was named ACC Player of the Year.
College Boston College
Conference ACC
Sport Football
Position QB
Jersey # 12
Class 5th-year Senior
Nickname Matty Ice
Career 2004 – present
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight 220 pounds (99.8 kg)
Nationality United States
Born May 17, 1985 (1985-05-17) (age 22)
Exton, PA
High school William Penn Charter School,
Philadelphia, PA
Awards
2007 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
2007 Manning Award
2007 ACC Player of the Year
2005 MPC Computers Bowl MVP
Bowl games
2005 MPC Computers Bowl
2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl
2007 Champs Sports Bowl
High school career
Matt Ryan attended William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a three year starter for coach Brian McCloskey. He gained All-City first-team honors in 2002 and second-team honors in 2001. He was a three-time All-League selection. He threw for more than 1,300 yards in his senior season, along with 15 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. He was captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams.
College career
2004 season
Ryan was redshirted in the 2003 season. Before the 2004 season, he was named backup due to an injury to Quinton Porter. He saw his first action on October 2, 2004 against the UMass Minutemen. He completed two of three passes for 16 yards. He completed his first touchdown on November 20, 2004 against Temple on a 32-yard completion to Larry Lester. Replacing the injured Paul Peterson, he completed eight of 15 passes for 121 yards. He made his first collegiate start on November 27, 2004 in the final game of that season, completing 24 of 51 passes for 200 yards against Syracuse. He also played against North Carolina in the Continental Tire Bowl. He completed one of his two passes for 13 yards.
2005 season
At the beginning of the 2005 season, Ryan was named the second string quarterback behind Quinton Porter. Porter had some success at the beginning of the year, including winning Atlantic Coast Conference player of the week for his performance in Boston College's 28-17 win over Virginia. After a 30-10 loss to third-ranked Virginia Tech, coach Tom O'Brien announced that he would start Ryan, in the next game against North Carolina. In ten games (five starts), he completed 121 of 195 passes for 1,514 yards. He had eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He also had five rushing touchdowns and 94 yards. He started his first bowl game in the MPC Computers Bowl versus Boise State. He completed 19 of 36 passes for 256 yards and a career-best three touchdowns.
2006 season
Ryan started 11 of 12 games. He completed 243 of 398 passes for 2,700 yards, 14 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also ran for three touchdowns. He was All-ACC first-team and led the ACC in total offense (242.2 yards per game) and in passing yards (245.5 yards per game). He was named ACC Offensive Back of the week 3 times. He set career highs in completions (32 vs. Central Michigan) and passing yards (356 vs. Brigham Young). He led the team to a 8-3 record including double overtime wins versus Clemson and Brigham Young. He led the Eagles to a close 25-24 victory on December 30, 2006 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl against Navy in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the season opener against Central Michigan, Ryan sprained his ankle. Against Virginia Tech, Ryan broke his foot on the same leg. Despite these injuries, Ryan only missed one game (against Buffalo).
2007 season
Before the season started Ryan was named to the preseason All-ACC team. Against Wake Forest, he completed 32 of 52 passes for 408 yards and 5 touchdowns. He continued his hot streak versus Georgia Tech, going 30-44 with 1 TD and passing for a career-high 435 yards against the staunch Tech defense en route to a convincing 24-10 road victory. After this game, Ryan was suggested as a potential Heisman Trophy contender. Battling Virginia Tech through bad weather in Blacksburg, Virginia, Matt "Matty Ice" Ryan led an amazing comeback for the Boston College Eagles passing for two touchdowns with less than 3 minutes to play on October 25, 2007. However, Matt Ryan's chances to win the Heisman fell sharply after he threw three interceptions in a 17-27 loss to Florida State, an unranked team that had six wins and three losses. However with a strong performance against Clemson his chances were raised substantially. On November 24, against ACC rival Miami, Ryan surpassed Doug Flutie for the most passing touchdowns in a single season by an Eagle QB with 28 TD's.
Matt Ryan was awarded the 2007 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given annually in the United States to the Nation's most outstanding college football senior quarterback. He was selected to play in the 2007 Senior Bowl. He also won the 2007 Manning Award.
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