NCAA Football – Page 25 – Sports Radio Service

Running back Darrin Smith, who’s rated one of the top-100 high school football players for the 2018 season in the Dallas metroplex area by the Dallas Morning News, signed a National Letter-of-Intent to enroll at San Jose State University for the upcoming fall semester.

The 5-foot-10, 196-lb running back from Lone Star High in Frisco, Texas, was rated No. 38 overall and No. 2 among running backs in the Morning News’ February 6, 2019 rankings of the Top-100 area high school players. Smith also was listed by the Waco Tribune Herald’s Top-100 high school players for 2018.

Smith played four seasons of varsity football for Lone Star High. The Rangers posted a 46-9 win-loss record, a 27-2 mark in league action, and played for the 2015 5A-D2 state championship. He rushed for 2,520 yards on 437 carries and scored 34 touchdowns. He also caught 51 passes for 604 yards and returned 13 kickoffs for 273 yards and a touchdown during his high school career.

Smith was the 2017 District 13-5A Special Teams Most Valuable Player and the district’s 2016 Co-Offensive Newcomer of the Year. He concluded his high school football career playing for USA Football’s Under-19 national team in the 2019 International Bowl.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Success off the men’s basketball court; National Letter of Intent signing period kicks off; plus more

Published on February 8, 2019February 8, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB and @SJSUSpartanFB

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. SJSU men’s basketball lost to the SDSU Aztecs 67-56 last Saturday.

2. SJSU men’s basketball will kick off a two-game road trip this Saturday at Boise State at 11:00 am PT.

3. SJSU football added some versatility to its roster to start the 2019 traditional NLI signing period.

4. SJSU men’s golf made a major announcement at Pebble Beach on Tuesday.

Ana does the San Jose State podcasts each week for SportsRadioService.com

San Jose State football talks NLI signing period Wednesday

Published on February 6, 2019February 6, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State football released its 2019 schedule on Monday, but Wednesday was all eyes on head coach Brent Brennan and one member (Alex Galland) of this year’s recruiting class inside the Simpkins Stadium Center. All two took questions from the local media on the first day of the traditional start to the National Letter of Intent signing period.

If you’re a San Jose State football fan, then this update was written with you in mind. Here’s my question and answer session with Brennan and company.

1. Better health is an obvious priority for the current roster. Talk about a few other solutions to continue turning potential into production.
I think Josh Love demonstrated when he’s healthy, he can be a really effective quarterback. So, in terms of our offensive production, it’s important that Love has the playmakers surrounding him, but that’s more so easier said than done because we play against a lot of teams with more improved defensive and offensive lines.

2. The Spartans trailed in Rushing S&P+ and Opportunity Rate, but Tyler Nevens is a different figure as he has been leading the backfield and showing a good amount of ability to be a grinder. Do you feel like the Spartan running game has nowhere to go but up?
Absolutely, and obviously, Quinn (Oseland), (Scott) Breslin and Jelani (Newman) will be guys that we hope will give us a boost. When it comes to the offensive line, we have guys who know that it all starts with them. So I’m hopeful and that was one of the reasons why we identified Quinn and we’re excited that he has seen the felt the love from California and saw the opportunities in the Silicon Valley, the Bay Area, and most of all, San Jose State as an academic institution; but he’s also here to play football and to help us grow and play better up front.

The running back thing got shot in the arm last year. There were a couple of guys we signed who just enrolled with us at the mid-year, so you’re going to see Kairee Robinson from De La Salle, a fantastic player, and also Lorenzo Birch from Carmichael Jesuit; and we really feel like those guys will give us a boost.

There are guys who weren’t on our roster last year who are going to help our running game. And, of course, we’re going to see the maturing from Tyler Nevens and DeJon Packer. We’re going to have a good mix of youth and maturity, so let’s see if we can run the football better because that’s what we need to do.

3. The Spartan offense has showed some glimpses of promise. Just how important do you think the offense will play a role in the Spartans’ success in 2019?
Yes, I think the offense will play a pretty big role in the Spartans’ success. It’s also a reflection of me, the offensive coaches, and the rest of Spartan Athletics as a whole.

4. What are some things the recruits could bring to the table that fans may not know about?
The track prowess of Dominic Mazotti, the fact that Jackson (Canaan) is a big-time swimmer–a totally legit swimmer, despite being a tight end, Isaiah Thomas is more of a crossover guy for us and we’re planning to make him one this coming season, and Malikhi Miller–who’s the stepson of (running backs) coach (Alonzo) Carter–but that’s a turning point as he has relationships with the other coaches and had to have a reason to join the (football) program. So that has been a positive. He’s a big 6’4″ kid, he’s got this big body and he’s going to grow into a monster wide receiver; but he’s still a little young, so he needs to grow into that big body.

Jamar Simpson…there’s a great video of him on YouTube of him and Adoree Jackson at the USC camp for their opening and they were having the fastest man competition and Adoree–who didn’t bet–but he said that this guy had it. So they were in all these camps all over Southern California and Jamar won every single one of them.

Jamar caught our eye at a USC camp and also some other catches. He had a lot of speed, so much that I wondered if his dad clocked his 40-time.

5. The mix of the younger and older players can help improve the team, just as long as they stay healthy and are willing to put in the work. Is the youth movement still important in this program?
Absolutely. I think there’s a real delicate balance there, and the real balance is how we fill our roster; but the last two years, we’ve seen a lot of young players playing on a significant level, and the best thing is about freshman is that they become sophomores, sophomores become juniors, and you hope that those reps they get in the game will help them improve and stack up to round out their learning experiences because they’ll be playing at a young age, but over time, they’ll be better prepared to handle things when they’re confronted with issues.

This is the time where I’m putting in time to develop the energy that helps us all form a bond that will be unbreakable when the college football games are underway on Saturday.

San Jose State football announces 2019 schedule

Published on February 4, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

Six home games spread from the last Thursday in August through the Saturday after Thanksgiving, no more than two consecutive weeks on the road, a first-time non-conference opponent in Arkansas and two bye weeks are ahead for San Jose State football in the 2019 season.

San Jose State opens in CEFCU Stadium on August 29, against Northern Colorado of the Big Sky Conference in a non-conference home game.

San Jose State’s other five home games are with Tulsa of the American Athletic Conference on September 7 and Mountain West opponents New Mexico on October 5, San Diego State on October 19, Boise State on November 2 and defending conference champion Fresno State on November 30.

“We have a schedule that will be exciting and challenging for our players and coaches and attractive for our fans. Right now, we’re in our winter conditioning program; spring practice will start in a month; and the season will be upon us quickly. I can’t wait,” said San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan, now in his third season leading the Spartans.

San Jose State’s first road game of the season will be at Arkansas on September 21. San Jose State is playing against its first SEC opponent since Auburn in the 2015 season. The Spartans’ other regular-season non-conference road game is at Army West Point on October 26. The game will be San Jose State’s first trip to play a football game in New York and second of the four game home-and-home series with the Black Knights.

The Mountain West schedule has the Spartans on the road at Air Force on September 28, at Nevada on October 12, at Hawaii on November 9 and at UNLV on November 23.

There are bye weeks on the weekends of September 14 and November 16.

After playing the 11th toughest schedule in 2018, according to the NCAA Statistics Service, San Jose State faces six teams that played in a bowl game a year ago.

The “early bird” season ticket renewal period begins online February 6, and runs through March 6.

San Jose State football receives $1 million gift from anonymous donors

Published on January 30, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State University was pleased to announce that they received a $1 million gift commitment from donors who prefer to remain anonymous. This gift will provide new lockers and Spartan-themed graphics for the football team locker room in the Simpkins Stadium Center adjacent to CEFCU Stadium, Home of the Spartans.

The upgrades are expected to be completed in May 2019. In addition to the refurbished locker room, the gift will support Head Coach Brent Brennan’s efforts to position the football program for success in the immediate future.

“These gracious donors looked Coach Brennan right in the eye and said, ‘We believe in you, coach, and we want to help you now,’ said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marie Tuite. “This is a unique gift by two extraordinary folks who are simply vested in moving San Jose State football forward. I’m especially appreciative because our senior class will be able to conclude their careers in a first-class locker room. On behalf of our remarkable student-athletes and our entire department, a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to these two significant donors.”

“Locker rooms are a great place for the team to bond,” said the donors, who are long-time Spartan football season ticket holders. “We hope the new locker room will show the team that we support them 100 percent.”

“We were blown away by the generosity of this gift,” said Brennan. “While we are building our new football complex, this gives a huge boost to the Simpkins Stadium Center, which has housed many Spartan greats. This will directly impact our next recruiting class and give a sense of pride to the space where the players spend so much of their time.”

Brennan added that the expansion and upgrade to the training room will help Spartan football players with the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, aided by SJSU’s certified athletic training staff.

“We are excited to see the momentum continue to build around our football program,” said Vice President for University Advancement and Tower Foundation CEO Paul Lanning. “This gift will have an immediate positive impact on the experience of our student-athletes and will greatly enhance recruiting efforts of our coaches. We’re so thankful to our donors for their investment in the future of Spartan football.”

To track fundraising progress and learn how you can support Spartan football, please visit sjsufootball.com or contact Josh Thiel, deputy athletics director for athletics advancement, at (408) 924-1697 or via email at joshua.thiel@sjsu.edu.

About San Jose State
The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San Jose State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San Jose State continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.

The university is proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.

About San Jose State Athletics
San Jose State sponsors 22 (nine men’s and 13 women’s) NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 470 student-athletes annually. In football, the Spartans are a member of Division I’s FBS, the NCAA’s highest level of competition.

The Spartans’ primary conference affiliation is with the Mountain West. Selected teams belong to the MPSF, the WAC, and the GCC.

San Jose State has 10 NCAA team championships and 52 NCAA individual titles. 62 Spartans competed in one or more Olympic Games. San Jose State athletes have won seven gold, six silver, and seven bronze medals at the Olympics.

Annually, about one-third of the student-athlete population earns either an institutional, conference or national recognition based on outstanding academic performance.

San Jose State podcast with Ana Kieu: Men’s basketball continues to tumble; Prayers up for former football head coach Dick Tomey

Published on January 25, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB and @CoachBrennan

On the San Jose State podcast with Ana:

1. SJSU went cold last Saturday and got blown out by UNLV 94-56 in Las Vegas.

2. Former SJSU head coach Dick Tomey underwent treatment for lung cancer last week. Tomey coached the Spartans from 2005-2009.

3. SJSU wrapped up a brief, two-game road trip in Laramie, Wyo. against the Wyoming Cowboys Wednesday.

4. SJSU tight end Josh Oliver was the most targeted TE in the country a season ago.

Catch Ana on the San Jose State podcast each week at SportsRadioService.com. Don’t forget folks, you can follow Ana directly on Twitter @AnaKieu.

San Jose State TE Josh Oliver shares Senior Bowl experience

Published on January 23, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver will be playing in the 2019 Senior Bowl on Saturday, January 26. The game will be televised by the NFL Network from Mobile, Ala., 1:30 pm CT/11:30 am PT. The game will also be available to DirecTV subscribers on Channel 212 and to DISH Network subscribers on Channel 154.

For Oliver, the next step in his dream to play in the NFL is at the Senior Bowl, the week of January 20-26. The 2018 first-team All-Mountain West selection arrived in Mobile, the site of the Senior Bowl, on January 20 and has been constantly on the move between learning a playbook, practices, classroom sessions with league personnel, interviews with teams and the media, and signing autographs for those fortunate fans getting to see him up close in person.

Here’s the Q&A that Oliver recently had.

Q: What did you do to prepare for this week at the Senior Bowl?

Oliver: Over time, working hard, working on my craft in the off-season, working for the goal of getting to the NFL, ultimately. I think that’s what helped me get a spot here to compete with this level of competition.

Q: Describe your daily schedule so far?

Oliver: I flew in about 6:00 pm on Sunday, had dinner and had multiple texts from (team) scouts asking for interviews. I did interviews until about 11:00 pm

Woke up Monday at 6:30 am and did weigh-ins. There were position meetings to get a playbook installation, practice, psychological testing from 8:00 to 11:00 pm.

Had kind of the same schedule the next day (Tuesday). We had formal NFL interviews that night.

Today (Wednesday) was pretty similar.

Q: There are more media reports surfacing about your NFL draft status. How are you dealing with what these reports are saying?

Oliver: No one really knows who is going to pick whom in what round. Only the scouts, the GMs and the owners essentially know that and they aren’t going to let that information out to the public. People are just talking and stuff. You just have to take it with a grain of salt.

Q: Describe what it is like to coached by a NFL team and specifically the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching staff – one that paved the way for tight end George Kittle to earn All-Pro status in just two seasons?

Oliver: It is an awesome experience. It’s an offense that definitely feeds the tight end. Seeing their plays, their route concepts, their blocking schemes, it’s just really cool to have this opportunity. Watching film on George Kittle and everything he’s done there is a great opportunity to see how to be successful in the NFL as a tight end. Their scheme gives you a chance to do that.

Q: Is there anything about the week so far that either has been a surprise to you or something you will remember for a long time?

Oliver: The level of passion the people in Mobile have for the game. You walk around and everybody knows you are here for the Senior Bowl. They’re talking to you about it. They’re asking for autographs. It’s been a surreal experience.

Q: What do hope to accomplish the rest of the week and on game day?

Oliver: I hope to come out and compete with the best of them–the Power 5 programs. To show that I am from a Mountain West school and that I can compete with the best of them. In the game, I want to come out and compete.

San Jose State TE Josh Oliver to play in 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday

Published on January 21, 2019 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State University tight end Josh Oliver is one of six college tight ends who will play in the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl Saturday.

Game time set for 1:30 pm CT/11:30 am PT from Ladd-Peebles Stadium. NFL Network will provide live broadcast coverage. DirecTV subscribers can tune in on Channel 212. DISH Network subscribers should be able to find Channel 154.

Oliver will wear the No. 89, his SJSU jersey number, and play for the South team coached by Mike Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff. In the last two seasons, the 49ers developed one of the league’s top tight ends in 2019 Pro Bowl selection George Kittle.

South team practice sessions are open to the public from January 22nd to January 24th.

In 2018, Oliver was one of the most productive tight ends in the FBS. The first-team All-Mountain West selection had single-season personal bests of 56 receptions for 709 yards and four touchdowns. His 56 receptions were third best among FBS tight ends; the 709 receiving yards were fifth highest. All that was accomplished without benefit of playing in a conference championship and/or a bowl game.

Perhaps Oliver’s best statistic of the 2018 season was his penchant for keeping SJSU’s offense on the field. Of his 56 receptions, 38 resulted in a first down, nearly a 68% rate.

For his career, Oliver caught 98 passes for 1,067 yards. All but seven of his receptions came during his junior and senior seasons, respectively.

The Paso Robles, Calif., resident is the second SJSU tight end to participate in Senior Bowl activities. Ryan Otten was the first in 2013.