SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was another historic day for San Jose State Athletics as the Spartans celebrated the first step in preparing the east side of CEFCU Stadium for the construction of the future home for the Spartan football as well as men’s and women’s soccer with the removal of the first row of bleachers in section 125 in a groundbreaking ceremony.
The new Football Operations Center, set to complete construction in 2023, will house new locker rooms for football; men’s and women’s soccer; a 150-seat auditorium; coaches’ offices; position-specific classrooms; stadium game-day suites; general reception area; shared-used dining hall; and a state-of-the-art athletic training room that will be accessible to all student-athletes.
Over $24 million in gifts, pledges, irrevocable estate gifts and departmental revenue streams have been secured in support of this project. Several naming opportunities within the facility are available for alumni, fans and friends to invest and help Spartan football and Spartan Athletics build championship-caliber programs.
Construction of the new operations center will consist of three phases: the removal of benches and bleachers on the east side of the stadium, the actual construction of the building and then replacing the east side with new concession stands and amenities.
Construction timeline
Prior to 2019 season: Removal of benches and bleachers on east side.
Following 2019 season: The east side of the stadium infrastructure will be relocated and the rest of the east side of the stadium will be torn down.
During the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons: The Football Operations Center will be under construction.
Prior to the 2023 season: The east side will be rebuilt with the return of bleachers, concession stands and amenities.
The groundbreaking ceremony featured guest speakers addressing the crowd of Spartan athletes, donors, fans and staff. Among the speakers were San Jose State University President Mary A. Papazian, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marie Tuite, head football coach Brent Brennan, football operations center major donor Larry Solari, current football student-athlete Cade Hall, and a special appearance by legendary Spartan alumnus and former NFL Super Bowl-winning head coach Dick Vermeil.
To make a donation to our new facility, please click here
During the late Dick Tomey’s football coaching career, a point of emphasis were two words repeated emphatically three times. “THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM” was paramount to one of the game’s most accomplished and revered head coaches.
San Jose State University and the University of Hawaii, two of Coach Tomey’s three head coaching opportunities, are embracing his slogan taken from former Miami University and University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler and turning it into “THE TEAMS, THE TEAMS, THE TEAMS” starting in the 2019 season.
In honor of Coach Tomey, who put Hawaii football on the NCAA Division I map and later revitalized and energized San Jose State’s program, the schools will be playing for the Dick Tomey Legacy Trophy for the first time on November 9 in Aloha Stadium.
Coach Tomey was the head coach at Hawaii for 10 seasons (1977-86) and San Jose State for five (2005-09). In between, he coached the University of Arizona for 14 seasons. His head coaching record was 183-145-7. After the 2018 season, he still ranked in top-50 for FBS head coaches for most games coached (19th, 335 games coached) and games won (39th).
The concept of honoring Coach Tomey was a collaboration first conceived in a conversation between head coaches Brent Brennan of San Jose State and Nick Rolovich of Hawaii and approved by the athletics directors Marie Tuite of the Spartans and David Matlin of the Rainbow Warriors.
“Coach Tomey has been a huge part of both our schools’ histories, personally and professionally. Playing for this trophy will be a special way to honor and remember the man who has meant so much to each program,” said Brennan. “Every year, we will be reminded of his impact and the important lessons he taught each of us.”
“If there was anyone deserving of having a legacy trophy named after him, Dick Tomey is the one because of what he meant to the game of football,” Rolovich said. “I’ve had the privilege to coach with him and being mentored by him for many years and he is responsible for me being able to sit in this chair. It is only appropriate that both Hawaii and San Jose State programs honor him in this way.”
“Dick Tomey meant so much to San Jose State football and San Jose State University. His impact was far more reaching than just his five seasons as our head coach. Personally, I turned to him every single time I was making an important decision to gain his insight and guidance,” said Tuite.
“Given his close ties with the University of Hawaii and San Jose State University, it truly is appropriate to recognize his impact and aloha spirit on the two programs that meant so much to him. For Coach Tomey was about ‘THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM.’ When we play Hawaii this November 9 in Aloha Stadium, this trophy will represent the love and admiration we all have for Coach and the entire Tomey family.”
“Coach Tomey was an inspirational leader and kind warrior,” said Matlin. “I was blessed to call him a mentor and a friend. This legacy trophy memorializes the impact he had on so many people in both Honolulu and San Jose.”
In addition, the Dick Tomey Legacy Fund has been established through Positive Coaching Alliance (501c3), providing scholarships and programming for underserved youth in Arizona, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, check out the website, www.positivecoach.org/tomeyfund.
The Pac-12 Conference television partners recently announced select kickoff times for four 2019 Stanford Cardinal football games. The Cardinal learned kickoff times and television designations for games against Northwestern, at USC, at UCF and against UCLA.
The Cardinal’s season opener at Stanford Stadium against Northwestern will kickoff at 1 pm PT on FOX. The Cardinal and Wildcats will meet for the eighth time, and the first time since 2015. Stanford has a 3-2-2 record against Northwestern. The two programs first met in 1933, playing to a 0-0 tie.
The Cardinal will travel to USC in Week 2 for a primetime showdown with the Trojans. That game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will kickoff at 7:30 pm PT on ESPN. Stanford and USC will play for the 99th time after the Cardinal posted a 17-3 win last season.
Stanford will travel to Orlando for a week three matchup with UCF. Kickoff against the Knights is set for 12:30 pm PT and will be televised on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. In the only meeting to date, the Cardinal defeated UCF 31-7 in 2015.
The final game time announced on Thursday was a Thursday night (October 17) showdown at Stanford Stadium between Stanford and UCLA. That game will kickoff at 6 pm PT on ESPN. The Cardinal and Bruins have met 90 times previously and Stanford has won 11 straight in the series.
The Northwestern game will serve as Cardinal Kids Day, the Bill Walsh Legacy Game and will be presented by Stanford Children’s Health. Kids in the eighth grade or younger get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. More details will be announced at a later date, but you can always get the latest news by subscribing to the Cardinal’s emails at GoStanford.com/updates.
All-American defensive back Paulson Adebo was one of 42 student-athletes named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy preseason watch list last Friday.
As a sophomore, Adebo was named second-team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Adebo’s the youngest Cardinal defensive player to earn FWAA All-America recognition and joins Christian McCaffrey as the only Cardinal sophomores to make the list.
In his first year of action, Adebo led the country with a school-record 20 pass breakups and 24 passes defended. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection, Adebo also led the team and was third in the Pac-12 with four interceptions in 2018.
Harrison Phillips was a finalist for the award in 2017 and Chase Thomas was a finalist in 2013. Owen Marecic was awarded an honorary Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2010.
The 42 (Ronnie Lott’s number) nominees represent the finest in college football — defensive players who have had the biggest IMPACT on their teams both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Candidates will be evaluated during the season with a Player of the Week chosen each week (and his school receiving $1,000 for its general scholarship fund). The four finalists will attend the 15th annual Lott IMPACT Trophy banquet on December 9 in Newport Beach.
Adebo and the Cardinal begin the 2019 season against the Northwestern Wildcats at Stanford Stadium on August 31.
If you’re a longtime San Jose State Spartans football fan, you’d be well-aware of the former football head coach Dick Tomey. Tomey died of lung cancer on Saturday at the age of 80. Tomey was born in Bloomington, Indiana on June 20, 1983.
Tomey wasn’t only a coach, but also a mentor, friend and former football player. Tomey played college football at DePauw University from 1957 to 1960.
Here’s the official press release:
When Dick Tomey was named San Jose State University’s football head coach on December 29, 2004, he described himself as a “competitor.”
“I believe San Jose State University can be successful in college football. I always felt San Jose State had tremendous possibilities. The opportunity to be the head coach is really appealing and compelling,” he said upon taking the job.
In recent months, Mr. Tomey competed against lung cancer until the evening of May 10 at age 80.
“Coach Tomey was a legend. He had the unique ability to reach into your soul and get the best out of you. He was different. He loved the game of football. But it was more about the players, the coaches, the families, the TEAM. You knew he sincerely cared about the men that played and coached for him,” said San Jose State football head coach Brent Brennan, one of Mr. Tomey’s many coaching protegees.
“It’s rare when someone you work for mentors and teaches you everyday, even when you’re done working for them, but Coach Tomey is that for me. His impact is incredibly far reaching. I will miss him everyday. I love you Coach Tomey.”
His professional life as a football coach dated back to 1962 when he was a graduate assistant coach at Miami University of Ohio for eventual Big Ten Conference head coaches Johnny Pont, later of Indiana and Northwestern, and Glenn “Bo” Schembechler, who would go to fame at Michigan. There would be stops as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois, Davidson, Kansas and UCLA. While at UCLA, he worked for San Jose State grad and later Rose Bowl and Super Bowl winning head coach Dick Vermeil. Later in his career, he also would serve as an assistant at Texas, the San Francisco 49ers and at Hawaii, where he was the head coach from 1977 to 1986.
Mr. Tomey also had college football head coaching opportunities at the University of Arizona (1987 to 2000) and San Jose State University (2005-09). His head coaching record was 183-145-7. After the 2018 season, he still ranked in top-50 for Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches for most games coached (19th, 335 games coached) and games won (39th with 183).
Mr. Tomey took eight teams to bowl games, seven at Arizona and the 2006 Spartans to a New Mexico Bowl victory. He was a two-time conference “Coach of the Year” – 1981, the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year with Hawaii and 1992, the Pac-10 Coach of the Year with Arizona.
He was most proud of being a FBS head coach to win nine games in a season at each one of his three schools and for a lineage of head coaches and assistant coaches. Current head coaches Brent Brennan of San Jose State and Dino Babers at Syracuse, and former head coaches Rich Ellerson, June Jones, Pat Hill, Tom Williams and Ron McBride are among that group.
Mr. Tomey would be known as a turnaround specialist taking Hawaii, Arizona, and San Jose State to unprecedented success on and off the field. In each case, his organizational and people skills and knowledge of college football were invaluable.
“He was a ‘beacon’ for me and countless others. I turned to him often for his counsel, guidance and support. Spartans everywhere are grieving his passing as we reflect on how blessed we were to know him. Our warmest thoughts and prayers to Nanci and his entire family,” said San Jose State University athletics director Marie Tuite.
At Hawaii (1977-1986), he was the first coach to lead the Rainbows to a top-20 national ranking. Home attendance more than doubled from his first season to his final one in 1986. When he moved on to the University of Arizona as the Wildcats’ head coach in 1987, his Hawaii teams manufactured a 63-46-3 win-loss record that included eight winning seasons.
The University of Arizona (1987-2000) was next. There were seven bowl game appearances with four bowl victories and the 1993 and 1998 teams that won at least 10 games. Prior to his arrival, the Wildcats won one bowl game in 85 seasons. Arizona was the only program to beat national powerhouses Mimai (Fla.) and Nebraska in the decade of the 1990’s.
“Not only was it (Arizona) the most enjoyable five years of my life, Coach Tomey helped me grow into the man I am today,” said former University of Arizona defensive lineman and New England Patriots All-Pro linebacker Tedy Bruschi.
After 14 seasons at Arizona and one-season stints with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League in 2002 and the University of Texas for the 2004 season, Mr. Tomey accepted the San Jose State football head coaching position.
“He’s the type of guy who can help you through hard times and really wants to make you win,” said former San Jose State quarterback Adam Tafralis.
The 2006 Spartans finished with a 9-4 win-loss record, were invited to play in a post-season bowl game for the first time in 16 seasons and won the inaugural New Mexico Bowl over host University of New Mexico.
More importantly, Mr. Tomey provided the necessary leadership and vision to significantly overhaul the academic deficiencies that plagued the San Jose State football program at the time he became head coach. San Jose State became the model institution among NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for academic reform.
“I’ve been fortunate to have three head coaching jobs in the highest level of college football. The one here at San Jose State may be the most rewarding. We’ve come so far and accomplished so much in five years. Terrific young men took a leap of faith when we started in 2005 and put the program back on a sturdy foundation for future San Jose State teams,” Mr. Tomey said in his 2009 retirement announcement as the Spartans’ head coach.
In appreciation for his continued athletics program involvement and impact, the Dick Tomey Class Act Award is presented each spring at the SAMMY awards sponsored by the San Jose State Student-Athletes Success Services (SASS) unit.
Richard Hastings Tomey was born on June 20, 1938 in Bloomington, Ind. Mr. Tomey graduated from DePauw University in 1960 where he played football and baseball.
In addition to his coaching accomplishments, he is a past president of the American Football Coaches Association (2009), was inducted in the DePauw University Hall of Fame in 1994 and a 1999 recipient of a “Provost Award” as the University of Arizona ‘s “Outstanding Teacher” – the first coach in the school’s history to be so honored by the university’s faculty.
A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the Dick Tomey Legacy Fund has been established through the Positive Coaching Alliance (501c3). 100% of these funds will go directly to providing scholarships and programming for underserved youth in the markets where Dick spent the majority of his years in the community as the Head Football Coach.
Visit www.positivecoach.org/TomeyFund to designate the Hawaii, Arizona or Bay Area chapter as the beneficiary to the Dick Tomey Legacy Fund.
It may be the offseason for the Stanford Cardinal, but the prestigious university’s football and men’s basketball aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
Here’s a roundout of what has been going on in Stanford, Calif. this week:
Football May 1, 2019
Here’s what they’re saying about the five Cardinal players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft over the weekend:
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles Executive VP of Football Operations
“It’s his ability at the line of scrimmage to set defenders up. He’s very crafty and uses his basketball skills to box people out. He creates separation from that and he showed his athleticism as well at his Pro Day. This guy’s a good football player and we are happy to get him.”
Joe Douglas, Philadelphia Eagles VP of Player Personnel
“JJ is a great fit for what we do. His ability to go up and get the ball, his strength, his ability to separate and finish, his contested catches in the scoring zone. He’s just a highly productive guy. Really tough, really strong.”
JJ Arcega-Whiteside on “Why Stanford”
“It’s the best combination of academics and sports. We win the Directors’ Cup every year. I went on a visit and met Condoleezza Rice. I shook her hand and ended up working for her this past summer. There’s no other place like that in the country, where you can do that and still win 9, 10, 11 games every year.”
JJ Arcega-Whiteside on David Shaw
“He’s been here before. He knows the ins and outs. Coach Shaw, there’s a reason we win, because he knows what he’s doing. We watch a lot of Philly, watch a lot of guys because if you can learn from the best it’s going to make you better. Having the same terminology and schemes. Having Coach Shaw because he’s been here before, there’s a lot of reasons we win a lot of games every year.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts General Manager
“Any (line)backer we take we think can play all three (positions). Bobby can play all three. He’s 240 pounds. He’s a big dude with long arms. You’ll be hard-pressed to find two other inside backers in the league that have arms as long as (Darius) Leonard and Okereke. So he’ll get in and he’ll compete. And the best three (linebackers) will play.”
Chris McGaha, Indianapolis Colts scout
“He’s got the length, 35-inch arms. He’s fast. He ran fast (in the 40). I don’t remember the number exactly, but (he) plays with effort, kind of like Darius (Leonard). Instincts, tackling, sideline-to-sideline guy. He’s good in coverage, too. We kinda saw him in the same light (as Leonard). Can’t wait to put those guys together.”
Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins Head Coach
“Very talented. Unfortunately he had the injury. When you go by the board, he was ranked up there pretty high for us and he was available and we took him. Give him time to get better. Number one, get him in the building — get his rehab going on the right path which it already is, and the type of guy that he is — a team captain — I think he’ll be ready in no time. We just got the opportunity to draft a player with unbelievable production at a big time school.”
Michael Renner, PFF News and Analysis
“A handful of backs in this class rightfully deserve to have their ‘speed’ praised, but none of them have speed the way Love has speed. We’re talking legitimate angle-altering juice that doesn’t even need broken tackles to take it to the house.”
Connor Muldowney, Saturday Blitz
“Washington got one of the best steals of the draft and only needed to wait until the fourth round. This kid is a future NFL star.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Nick Caserio, New England Patriots Director of Player Personnel
“He’s a pretty athletic kid, a great kid, great traits, smart, mature.”
John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers General Manager
“He makes big plays in big moments. A lot of contested catches. Someone is all over him, and he’s got an ability. I think he’s got a big catch radius, and the nice thing about Stanford football is that they’re playing traditional football.”
Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers Head Coach
“He’s a good blocker, you look at what makes him successful in college. He’s not depending on his speed. He gets open with his hands and with his feet. He’s a tough player. He’s not scared at all out there going over the middle. He’s big enough with his size, he’s smart enough to be very good in how he blocks and how we will use him blocking. That’s why he was very good for them and that’s why we think he has a good chance to make our team.”
Men’s basketball April 29, 2019
Cardinal senior Josh Sharma has been selected to play in the USA Basketball 3×3 National Championship.
The tournament features 15 teams competing May 3-4 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. The event will also serve as the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s 3×3 National Team trials, as all eligible athletes will be in consideration for selection to the 2019 USA Men’s 3×3 World Cup and 2019 USA Men’s 2019 US Pan American Games 3×3 Basketball teams.
The USA 3×3 Nationals will tip-off with preliminary games from 3-10:30 pm on Friday. The preliminary round will continue from 9 am-12:30 pm on Saturday, and, after teams are seeded based on preliminary records, the knockout round will begin at 5:40 pm. The championship game, which will be streamed live online at usab.com/live, is set to tip at 10:20 pm.
Sharma is part of the 3Ball California entry, which also includes Olin Carter III of San Diego, Henry Caruso of Santa Clara and Frankie Ferrari of San Francisco.
Sharma also played in the NABC College All-Star Game and the 3×3 competition at the Final Four earlier this month.
Sharma, who was a candidate for the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player Award, established a school record for field goal percentage in a season. His mark of .673 was not only a program record, it was the eighth-best field goal percentage in a season in Pac-12 history. He completed his standout career eighth on Stanford’s field goal percentage list, shooting .563 for his career.
Sharma was an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection as a senior, after finishing the year as the conference’s field goal percentage leader and ranking in the top-10 in the league in offensive rebounds (3rd, 2.6 orpg), blocks (7th, 1.4 bpg) and rebounds (9th, 7.1 rpg). He averaged 11.3 ppg and 8.2 rpg during Pac-12 play, posting double-doubles in five of his final seven games. He averaged 14.7 ppg and 11.1 rpg over those final seven contests.
Olympic fans will see the launch of a new basketball discipline with the inclusion of 3×3 in 2020. The exciting and fast-paced game officially was unveiled in international competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and has since become a fan favorite at FIBA 3×3 World Cup events. Played on a half court with a 10-minute clock, and a 12-second shot clock, the first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner.
Held annually since 2012, this year marks the eighth edition of the USA Basketball 3×3 National Championships, and the first time the nationals will be held outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the international level, USA Basketball has been represented by at least one national team in every FIBA 3×3 World Cup, FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup and Youth Olympic Games held since 2010.
Three San Jose State Spartans home football games and one Mountain West conference road game are part of the conference’s 44-game national television package with CBS Sports Network and ESPN Networks.
San Jose State will be playing twice on Friday night starting with their Friday, September 27 conference opener at Air Force on CBSSN starting at 6:00 pm MT/5:00 pm PT. SJSU will be on CBSSN again the following Friday, October 4 for a 7:00 pm PT conference home game vs. New Mexico in CEFCU Stadium.
SJSU’s November 2 home game hosting Boise State now has a 7:30 pm PT game time and carried on CBSSN.
The Spartans’ final game in the conference’s national television package is Saturday, November 30 home game against Fresno State for the Valley Trophy. The game will be assigned to the ESPN Networks, but the game time will be announced at a later date.
With today’s announcement, AT&T SportsNet, Stadium, Spectrum Sports (Hawaii), CBSSN and ESPN will have an opportunity to select additional SJSU games for their respective broadcast packages.
Season tickets, group tickets and mini-plans are available for the entire San Jose State Spartans home football schedule at www.sjsuspartans.com/tickets or by calling (408) 924-7589.
A total of 12 from Stanford earned opportunities in the NFL over the weekend. Five Cardinal were drafted during the three-day event in Nashville, Tenn., while five more signed as undrafted free agents following the 2019 NFL Draft and two received Rookie Mini-Camp invites.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside • WR Philadelphia Eagles • Round 2 • Pick 57
JJ Arcega-Whiteside was selected in the second round with the 57th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Friday night by the Philadelphia Eagles. A wide receiver from Inman, S.C., Arcega-Whiteside is the first Cardinal selected by the Eagles since Ed Reynolds in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Bobby Okereke • ILB Indianapolis Colts • Round 3 • Pick 89
Bobby Okereke was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the 89th overall pick on Friday night by the Indianapolis Colts. An inside linebacker from Santa Ana, Calif., Okereke is the first Cardinal selected by the Colts since Henry Anderson in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Bryce Love • RB Washington Redskins • Round 4 • Pick 112
Bryce Love was selected in the fourth round with the 112th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the Washington Redskins. A running back from Wake Forest, North Carolina, Love is the first Cardinal selected by Washington since Trent Murphy in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Jake Bailey • P New England Patriots • Round 5 • Pick 163
Jake Bailey was selected in the fifth round with the 163rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the New England Patriots. A punter from Solana Beach, Calif., Bailey is the first Cardinal selected by the Patriots since the 2015 NFL Draft when Jordan Richards went in the second round.
Kaden Smith • TE San Francisco 49ers • Round 6 • Pick 176
Kaden Smith was selected in the sixth round with the 176th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers. A tight end from Flower Mound, Texas, Smith is the sixth Cardinal tight end drafted since 2012.
Miscellaneous
In addition to the five Cardinal draftees, seven others earned opportunities after the draft. CB Alijah Holder signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos while OT A.T. Hall signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. OLB Joey Alfieri signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, as did OG Nate Herbig. WR Trenton Irwin was picked up by the Miami Dolphins on a free agent deal as well.
Two Cardinal earned Rookie Mini-Camp invites to bring the total to 12. OG Brandon Fanaika and C Jesse Burkett will attend 49ers camp while Burkett will also have an opportunity to attend camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Kaden Smith was selected in the sixth round with the 176th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers. A tight end from Flower Mound, Texas, Smith is the sixth Cardinal tight end drafted since 2012.
“Kaden is a very versatile tight end,” Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. “His size and strength give him the ability to be an every down blocker in the NFL and his athleticism will give him the opportunity to be a very good pass catcher as well. Kaden has a knack for making contested catches down the field and tight ends that work the seams in the NFL play for a long time.”
A 2018 Mackey Award finalist, Smith was named All-Pac 12 second team a season ago. He finished his career with 70 receptions for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns in 25 career games. He also earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention two times.
“Kaden is the most complete tight end coming out in this year’s class,” Cardinal tight ends coach Morgan Turner said. “His ability to make tough catches is rivaled by very few. He also wants to be part of the run game, which very few guys want to do these days. You can put him at the point of attack and trust him in the run game. Kaden really embraced that and did a great job with it.”
Smith shined in 2018, playing in 11 games with 10 starts. He totaled 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns. He was named Mackey Award Player of the Week following an eight-catch, 107-yard, one-touchdown performance against Washington. As a sophomore in 2017, he played in 14 games and totaled 23 catches for 414 yards and five touchdowns.
Jake Bailey was selected in the fifth round with the 163rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Saturday by the New England Patriots. A punter from Solana Beach, Calif., Bailey is the first Cardinal selected by the Patriots since 2015.
Jake Bailey has been a weapon for us for years,” Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw said. “He has the strong leg to be a very good kickoff specialist that pins the opponent’s offense back to start their drives. Jake also has the ability not only to boot long punts that change field position, but also to pin the opponent back inside their 20-yard-line, sometimes inside the 10. That is a skill that is very coveted by NFL teams and the Patriots are getting a good one.”
Bailey was named All-Pac-12 three times during his career with the Cardinal and finished as Stanford’s all-time leader in career punting average (43.81). His 185 punts are sixth-most in school history as are his 8,105 career punt yards. He totaled just 17 touchbacks with 51 fair catches, 76 inside the 20, and 54 punts of 50+ yards in 52 career games. Bailey also totaled 291 kickoffs for 18,428 yards (63.3 avg) and 173 touchbacks.
“Jake has an ability to directional punt,” Cardinal special teams coordinator Pete Alamar said. “He can put the ball into tight spaces which helps your coverage unit. He’s a high ball hitter–he’s not a guy that drives the ball. He has a great relationship between the distance and the hang time to allow his coverage unit to get down the field. The Patriots are also going to like him because of his kickoff ability. He takes the returner out of the game in that aspect.”
Bailey totaled 86 punts for 2,996 yards (44.06 avg) in 2018, playing in all 13 games. His 68 punts were the seventh-most in school history while his 2,996 yards were the fourth-most. He had 20 punts of 50+ yards and 24 punts inside the 20. He also kicked off for the Cardinal, with 60 touchbacks as a senior. He punctuated his career with a school-record 84-yard punt against Cal.
As a junior in 2017, Bailey earned All-Pac-12 honors after punting 57 times for an average of 45.5 yards. He had touchbacks on 58 of 83 kickoffs. As a sophomore in 2016, he punted 50 times for 2,176 yards with 13 punts over 50 yards and 22 inside the 20. He had 44 touchbacks on 71 kickoffs. He was the Cardinal kickoff specialist as a freshman in 2015 and also punted 10 times situationally.
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