Previewing the Tulsa Offense

Previewing the Tulsa Offense

7/30/2017 11:19:00 AM | Football

By: Don Tomkalski

The Tulsa offense returns 22 lettermen and seven starters to the 2017 roster.

The focus on the offensive side of the ball will be on the quarterback position as all-time passing leader Dane Evans has graduated, leaving the way for youngsters Chad President and Luke Skipper to battle it out for the starting spot.

The bright spots for a first-year quarterback is that an offensive line returns four of five starters from a unit that paved the way for eight 300+ yard rushing games, a returning 1,000-yard rusher in the likes of D'Angelo Brewer, and a tall, skilled receiver with over 1,000 career yards in the likes of Justin Hobbs.

In addition to replacing a three-year starter at quarterback, Tulsa will also be replacing a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receiver, but has a number of young and talented players that can jump in to the role of playmakers.

QUARTERBACK
Anytime a starter graduates, the process begins to find a replacement, but at the Tulsa quarterback position, the Hurricane will be looking to replace not only a three-year starter, but the school's career record-holder in most every passing category.

Dane Evans became the all-time passing leader with 11,680 yards, total offense with 11,752 yards, TD passes with 84, completions with 904, attempts with 1,567, 300+ passing games with 16 and 400+ passing games with four.

The process to fill the vacancy left by Evans' graduation began in the spring, and Tulsa enters preseason camp with sophomore Chad President (6-2, 226) and red-shirt freshman Luke Skipper (6-2, 208) competing for the starting spot.

"I was pleased with our quarterbacks progress during the spring, but we still have a long way to go. Both have their strengths, both have their weaknesses. We have to build on the good things and continue to try to make a weakness into a strength," said Montgomery. "I feel good about both of them, now it's just trying to determine who's going to get the nod and take over the reins."

President missed all but the season opener with an injury in 2016, but is the only quarterback for the Hurricane with any collegiate playing time behind center. He played in six games in 2015 as a true freshman, running for 43 yards and attempting just three passes.

Skipper, who sat out the 2016 season as a true freshman, threw for over 2,700 yards and rushed for nearly another 1,200 yards as a prep senior at Forney (Texas) High School in 2015.

In the spring game, Skipper completed 16 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while President threw for 64 yards on 12 completions.

Sophomore Will Hefley III (6-5, 207), who came to Tulsa with glowing stats as a two-year starter at Pulaski (Ark.) Academy, comes into the 2017 season third on the preseason depth chart. In his prep career, Hefley completed 67-percent of his passes for 9,795 yards and 128 touchdowns.

True freshman Seth Boomer (6-3, 185) threw for 2,092 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior at nearby Collinsville (Okla.) High School.

RUNNING BACK
The Tulsa running game produced two 1,000-yard rushers in the 2016 season, only the second time in school history for that accomplishment. James Flanders, the American Athletic Conference's leading rusher with 1,629 yards, has graduated, but returning for his senior season is the league's second-leading rusher from 2016 in the likes of D'Angelo Brewer (5-9, 190).

Brewer, a preseason candidate for the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, gained 1,435 yards, a 5.4 average and seven touchdowns last season, and enters the 2017 campaign with 2,400 rushing yards in his career.

Junior Ramadi Warren (5-9, 206) missed the 2016 season, but as a red-shirt freshman in 2015 he rushed for 475 yards and six TDs. A former walk-on, senior Rowdy Simon (5-8, 204) has seen most of his playing time on special teams, but has shown he can be a valuable asset when he does get time at running back. Simon rushed for 102 yards and a 5.7 average on 18 carries last season.

"We have some really good different styles of backs. We expect another big year out of D'Angelo, but the way college football is now, you have to play multiple backs, and we saw in the spring that we have some guys that are very capable," Montgomery said.

Freshman Shamari Brooks (5-9, 185) brings outstanding credentials from Tulsa's Union High School, where he led his team to the Class 6A state title a year ago. Brooks rushed for 2,018 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior.

The up-back position has sophomores Corey Taylor II (5-10, 214) and Javon Thomas (6-2, 239) vying for playing time. Taylor had only five carries in 2016, while his first collegiate attempt went for a two-yard touchdown at Houston. Thomas played in just one game a year ago.

Freshman-redshirt walk-on Matt Harvey (5-10, 243) and true freshman Reed Martin (6-1, 215) are listed on the depth chart at the up-back position as well. Martin gained 2,343 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior at nearby Lincoln Christian High School.


RECEIVERS
Tulsa entered the 2016 season minus the nation's leading receiver from 2015 in the likes of Keyarris Garrett. In 2016, Keevan Lucas and Josh Atkinson filled the loss of Garrett with each turning in a 1,000-yard season.

What's in store for the Tulsa receiving corps in 2017? Well, the cupboard is not bare. It's time for the next group of receivers to step up their production.

Junior Justin Hobbs (6-4, 218) is the leader and has had his share of big moments over the last two seasons. He enters the season with 1,236 yards and six touchdowns in his career, after catching 50 passes for 685 yards and four TDs last year. In 2015, Hobbs had team-high 17.2 yards per reception, when he totaled 32 catches for 551 yards.

Sophomore Keenen Johnson (6-1, 196), a true freshman in 2016, saw his first playing time in the sixth game of the season against 12^th-ranked Houston. He went on to catch 30 passes for 305 yards

"We have big shoes to fill in our receiving corps. We have two guys coming back. One is more experienced than the other. Justin was a key component last year, and he's got to be the guy to step up and take control of our receivers. Keenen gained valuable experience last year, but is still young and has a ton of room to grow," said Montgomery.

"We have good competition at the other two positions with probably five different guys, and so those guys have to continue to shine and be consistent. We have great potential at receiver, and the potential has to turn into production," added Montgomery.

Two local products, both from Tulsa's McLain High School, enter their senior seasons with expectations of expanded roles and production in 2017. Nigel Carter (6-3, 205) and Bishop Louie (5-10, 172) return with previous game experience for the Hurricane. Carter caught six passes for 66 yards, while Louie had three receptions for 21 yards last year.

Three more lettermen return to the receiving corps for the Hurricane. Senior Brodrick Umblance (6-0, 189) and sophomores Jarion Anderson (5-9, 179) and Avery Gragg (6-2, 204), a walk-on, bring limited experience to the receiver position. Umblance and Gragg each caught one pass a year ago, while Anderson saw most of his action as a punt returner.

Two red-shirt freshmen – Jordan Brown (6-2, 226) and Josh Stewart (6-3, 211) – will be expected to be solid contributors in 2017. Brown is listed behind Hobbs on the outside, while Stewart and Umblance will compete for the starting position at the other outside receiver position.

Brown had 895 yards and 10 touchdowns in his prep career at Stillwater (Okla.) High School, while Stewart caught 20 passes for 353 yards and six touchdowns as a prep senior at Cedar Hill (Texas) High School in 2015.

A quartet of true freshmen, all from the state of Texas, will have an opportunity to compete for playing time this year at the receiving corps. Sam Crawford Jr. (6-1, 193) caught 72 passes for 1,369 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior at Rockwall High School. Malik Jackson (6-2, 205) had 960 receiving yards and 12 TDs as a prep senior at Taylor High School. J.C. Santana (6-1, 175) hauled in 43 passes for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns his senior campaign at Katy High School, while Keylon Stokes (6-0, 180) totaled 80 receptions for 1,263 yards and 15 TDs as a senior at Manvel High School.

Walk-ons David Snelling (5-10, 185) and Andrew McKinnis (6-0, 194) also add depth to the position.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Tulsa's offensive line in 2016 paved the way for a school record eight 300-yard rushing games and an offense that ranked fourth nationally for total offense, seventh for scoring and eighth for passing.

Four of Tulsa's starters from that front line return to the lineup in 2017, including three that were all-conference performers, while the fifth projected starter saw valuable playing time and starting experience at various positions on the offensive front.

"It's a whole lot easier for a young QB to play when the guys in front of him know what they're doing and have a lot of confidence and faith in how they play and that's what we have with this veteran group," Montgomery said.

The returning starters from 2016 include tackles Evan Plagg (6-3, 295) and Willie Wright (6-3, 296), left guard Tyler Bowling (6-6, 325) and center Chandler Miller (6-3, 293). Miller was a first-team American Athletic Conference selection last year, while Plagg and Bowling were second-team honorees.

Plagg, a candidate for the 2017 Outland Trophy, started 25 consecutive games until missing the Cincinnati contest a year ago, while his partner on the left side of the line, Bowling, started all 13 games. Wright has started 23 of the 24 games he has played for the Hurricane. Miller, who has been named to the watch lists for the Rimington Award and the Outland Trophy in 2017, has started all 26 games since taking over the starting center position as a redshirt-freshman in 2015.

Senior Zac Uhles (6-3, 287) ended spring drills as the starting right guard. Uhles has been a versatile performer for the Hurricane in his first three years with career starts at both tackle positions and the center slot.

At left tackle, red-shirt freshman Waahid Muhammad (6-5, 320) and junior Isaac Johnson (6-6, 275) back-up Plagg. Johnson has seen most of his playing time on special teams, but has playing time on offense as well. Inside at left guard, sophomore Tristan Wyatt (6-4, 299) brings limited playing time, while two newcomers also add depth in the likes of red-shirt freshman Rowdy Frederick (6-4, 33) and true freshman Dante Bivens (6-3, 310).

Red-shirt freshman Clay Greathouse (6-5, 295) and true freshman Gerard Wheeler (6-4, 285) are listed behind Miller at the center position.

On the right side, redshirt freshman Tiller Bucktrot (6-5, 336) brings massive size to the guard spot to compete with Uhles for playing time, while red-shirt freshman walk-on Trip Newfield (6-1, 305) adds depth.
Backing up Wright at tackle on the right side is sophomore Chris Ivy Jr. (6-3, 285), who saw playing time last year, and true freshman Chris Paul (6-4, 290).

TIGHT END
The tight end position has been critical in the running game for the offense as another stout blocker for the Hurricane runners, but the position is also evolving in the Tulsa passing game.

Chris Minter (6-2, 247), a junior, played in 12 games last year and started six contests. He had three of his six pass catches go for touchdowns, while totaling 60 receiving yards. Minter's TDs came against Navy, Cincinnati and Central Michigan. Senior Rob Riederer (6-0, 233), a key special teams performer in his first three seasons, was also a key component at tight end for the Hurricane last year and is expected to be again in 2017. His first career reception went for a nine-yard touchdown against North Carolina A&T a year ago.

Red-shirt freshman David Fitzwater (6-4, 230) is expected to see consistent playing time for the Hurricane. Oklahoma State transfer Cole Neph (6-3, 240), from nearby Owasso, Okla., who adapted well in his first spring with the Hurricane, will also compete for playing time.

"Chris is such an asset to our offensive unit. He brings so much, and he's developing even more in other areas from a passing game standpoint. He's a key cog in what we do, and I have been very pleased with Rob, Cole and David," said Montgomery.

MONDAY: Previewing the Tulsa Defense
TUESDAY: Previewing the Tulsa Specialists