The University of Tulsa 2020 Football Media Day Notes

PLAYERS REPORTING . . . A total of 109 student-athletes will begin practice on Friday, August 7, 2020 … Tulsa returns 43 lettermen and a total of 26 players on offense and defense that have had starting experience in their collegiate careers with the Hurricane.

THE OFFENSE . . . On offense, Tulsa returns 100-percent of its rushing, passing and total offense yards, 85-percent of its receiving yards and 89-percent of its touchdowns … 9 starters return for the Golden Hurricane offense … this is the first time since the 2016 season that Tulsa has had the same starting QB returning … QB Zach Smith threw for 3,279 yards and 19 TDs with just 9 INTs last year as a first-year starter … the RB duo of Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II have combined for 4,190 yards and 45 touchdowns in their careers … Tulsa had a 1,000 rusher (Brooks) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Keylon Stokes) last year.

THE DEFENSE . . . Tulsa returns just 4 starters, but 7 additional players who have started at least one game during their careers … one starter returns on the defensive front (Jaxon Player,) one at linebacker (Zaven Collins), and two in the secondary, including safety (Cristian Williams) and cornerback (Allie Green IV) … Collins is Tulsa's leading returning tackler with 97 stops … he is also the returning leader for TFLs and sacks … corner Akayleb Evans, who has started 14 games, returns this year after sitting out most of last year with an injury … nose guard Tyarise Stevenson has the most starts of any returning defender with 21 starting assignments.

BROOKS RANKS 5^th ON ALL-TIME RUSHING CHART . . . Senior running back Shamari Brooks enters the 2020 season ranked 5^th on the school's career rushing list and 9^th for career rushing TDs … he has played in 32 career games and has 2,700 total rushing yards and 23 TDs … he enters this season needing 1,217 yards to tie D'Angelo Brewer (2014-17, 3917 yards) for the school's all-time rushing lead.

CHRIS PAUL MORE THAN A FOOTBALL PLAYER . . . A two-year starter, Chris Paul started at right guard as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and at left guard in 2019 … he will be moving to right tackle this year … aside from his play on the field, Paul is active in the community and on campus … Paul was recently named as the American Athletic Conference's representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for 2020-21 … he will serve as chair of the conference's SAAC executive board for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years … Paul was named to Tulsa's Ultimate Team in 2019-20, an award that recognizes the school's top student-athletes based on academic success, athletic achievement, campus involvement, character and community outreach … a top-10 freshman in 2018-19, Paul has volunteered at the Children's Hospital at Saint Francis, Read Across America, Lift Up America and at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

TULSA PLAYERS NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LISTS . . . Six Tulsa student-athletes were named to a total of five different watch lists in 2020 …
• DOAK WALKER AWARD … the senior running back duo of Shamari Brooks and Corey Taylor II were each named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List for the nation's top running back … Brooks makes the list for the third straight year, while Taylor is on the preseason list for the second consecutive season … the duo has combined for 4,190 yards and 45 TDs … Brooks rushed for 1,046 yards and 6 TDs last year, while Taylor II gained 461 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2019.

• MAXWELL AWARD … Shamari Brooks was selected to the preseason watch list for the 84th Maxwell Award presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football … the 5'9" Brooks enters the 2020 season ranked 5^th on the school's career rushing list and 9^th for career rushing TDs … he has played in 32 career games and has 2,700 total rushing yards and 23 TDs.

• BEDNARIK AWARD … Zaven Collins was named to the watch list for the 26^th annual Chuck Bednarik Award, presented to the nation's outstanding defensive player … Collins was a second-team American Athletic Conference selection last year after recording 97 tackles, eight TFLs for -27 yards, two sacks and two pass breakups … he has played in 24 career games with 22 starts and has totaled 182 tackles and 17.5 TFLs, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries … a 2018 Freshman All-American as named by USA Today and FWAA, Collins has six double-figure tackle games and two blocked kicks in his career.

• WUERFFEL TROPHY … Cornerback Akayleb Evans and offensive lineman Chris Paul, both juniors, have been named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List … the Wuerffel Trophy is known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service" … Evans began the Akayleb Evans Foundation in his hometown of McKinney, Texas, in 2017 … the Foundation started the #TouchdownwithToys event every Christmas and this past May provided gift cards to staff members at the McKinney Urgent Care in showing appreciation for their fight against COVID … Paul was recently named as the American Athletic Conference's representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for 2020-21 … Paul will serve as chair of the conference's SAAC executive board for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years.

• BILETNIKOFF AWARD … Keylon Stokes was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, which recognizes college football's most outstanding FBS receiver regardless of position … Stokes had a team-leading 1,040 yards and six touchdowns on 62 receptions for a 16.9 average per catch and an 86.7 average per game in 2019 … he had four 100+ receiving games last season

• PATRICK MANNELLY Award … Adam Higuera was named one of 20 preseason candidates to the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List, which is presented to the best FBS senior long snapper … the award is in its second season … Higuera has handled long snapping duties in all 36 career games played.

TULSA'S RUNNING BACK GROUP SECOND ONLY TO CLEMSON . . . Tulsa's returning running back corps has the second-highest rushing yards and rushing TD totals returning in 2020, which is second only to Clemson … Tulsa's running back room returns 4,541 yards and 51 TDs … Clemson returns highs of 5,887 yards and 74 rushing TDs … for the Hurricane, Shamari Brooks leads the way with 2,700 yards and 23 TDs followed by Corey Taylor II with 1,490 yards and 22 TDs … TK Wilkerson has gained 315 yards and 6 TDs on the ground, while Christian Lovick has 36 rushing yards.

(Schools with nation's top returning RB groups for yards and TDs, excluding QBs)
RUSHING YARDS                                         RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Rk   School                 Yds                       Rk              School                        TDs
1.    Clemson 5,887 1.               Clemson 74
2.    Tulsa                    4,541 2.               Tulsa 51
3.    UAB                     4,368 3.               Toledo 49
4.    UCF                     4,279 4.               Fresno State 45
5.    Toledo 4,199 5.               UAB 42

H.A. CHAPMAN STADIUM CELEBRATES ITS 90^th ANNIVERSARY IN 2020 . . .
Oil man and longtime friend of The University of Tulsa, William Skelly, gave $125,000 to the Stadium Fund Drive in the spring of 1930 … the remaining $175,000 was raised by Tulsa businessmen who organized the Stadium Corporation of Tulsa … ground-breaking ceremonies for Skelly Field were held on May 11 … the season kicked off occurred on October 4, 1930, as Tulsa hosted Arkansas on that date and posted a 26-6 victory … on the opening kickoff, Arkansas fumbled and Johnny Potts recovered for Tulsa …Billy Boehm scored on the very next play for the first touchdown in the north end of the stadium … Chet Benefield scored the first TD in the south end zone … the Golden Hurricane won its first six games at the new stadium that year … Skelly Field became known as Skelly Stadium in 1964 when the stadium was enlarged to 40,235 seats … it was announced in 2007, that Skelly Stadium would have a new name – H.A. Chapman Stadium and in 2008 the stadium went through a complete renovation … the renovated stadium opened on September 20, 2008 with a 56-14 victory over New Mexico.

TU FOOTBALL CAN BE HEARD ON BIG COUNTRY 99.5 FM . . . Tulsa Football is carried on Big Country 99.5 FM KXBL Radio, the flagship radio station for the Golden Hurricane, for the fifth straight season … all games and the Philip Montgomery Radio Show can be heard on Big Country … the airtime for TU football game broadcasts is one hour prior to kickoff.

THE PHILIP MONTGOMERY RADIO CALL-IN SHOW . . . The Philip Montgomery Radio Call-in Show will air live on Mondays throughout the football season from 7-8 p.m. on the home of Golden Hurricane football, Big Country 99.5 FM KXBL Radio … the show will also be streamed on Facebook LIVE … due to physical distancing, this year the show will not be broadcast from the home of the Philip Montgomery Show, Rib Crib at 16^th and Harvard Ave., but instead will be broadcast from a studio with no fan attendance … the first show airs on Monday, August 31^st.

THE PHILIP MONTGOMERY TV SHOW AIRS ON COX-CHANNEL 3 . . . The Philip Montgomery Television Show will air on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the season at 6:00 p.m. on Yurview Cox Channel 3 … the first show airs Tuesday, Sept. 8 … Coach Montgomery and host Bruce Howard will give fans an inside perspective of the Golden Hurricane football program … the show will also be posted at TulsaHurricane.com.

Check out TU sports on the official social media formats for The University of Tulsa…
www.tulsahurricane.com
facebook.com/tulsahurricane • facebook.com/tulsafootball
twitter.com/@tulsahurricane • twitter.com/@tulsafootball
Instagram… tulsahurricanepics

The University of Tulsa 2020 Football Media Day Notes

Players Mentioned

D'Angelo Brewer

Shamari Brooks

Zaven Collins

Akayleb Evans

Allie Green IV

Adam Higuera

Chris Paul

Jaxon Player

Zach Smith

Tyarise Stevenson

Keylon Stokes

Corey Taylor II

Cristian Williams

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