PRACTICE 5: Tulsa Has Morning Workout Followed by Media Day

TULSA, Okla. –– Practice No. 5 is the books as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane had a two-hour practice session in shorts and shoulder pads on Harwell Field Monday morning. In the afternoon the Hurricane conducted its annual media day.

TULSA MEDIA DAY NOTES
PLAYERS REPORTING . . . A total of 117 football student-athletes began preseason camp last Wednesday, August 4, 2021 … Tulsa returns 53 lettermen and a total of 33 players on offense and defense that have had starting experience in their collegiate careers with the Hurricane.

THE OFFENSE . . . On offense, nine returning starters and 16 players who have started at least one career game are back for the Hurricane … Davis Brin and Seth Boomer bring experience to the Tulsa quarterback position, while the school's 5^th leading rusher of all time, Shamari Brooks, returns this season after missing the 2020 campaign with an injury … freshman All-America left tackle Tyler Smith anchors an offensive line that returns all five players who earned all-conference honors in 2020 … Tulsa's receiving corps returns 99.6 percent of its receiving yards as seven letterwinners are back … Keylon Stokes has led Tulsa in receiving yardage in each of the last three seasons and comes into the 2021 season ranked 12^th in school history with 2,402 career yards.

THE DEFENSE . . . Despite losing College Football's Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker Zaven Collins, to the NFL, the Tulsa defense still returns a lot of quality and depth … the Hurricane returns eight starters to a lineup that was one of the top two defenses in the American Athletic Conference last year … Tulsa ranked second in the league for pass defense, rush defense, total defense and scoring defense, while also ranking among the nation's best in each of those categories … the Hurricane allowed just 21.6 points per game, 144.6 rushing yards, 189 passing yards and 333.6 total yards in 2020 … Tulsa's front line in its 3-3-5 defense is stout with all three starters returning, while first-team all-conference tackle Jason Player leads the way … Player can be dominant as witnessed by his 12-tackle, 4.5 TFL performance at Navy a year ago … returning starting linebackers Treyvon Reeves and second-team all-conference performer Justin Wright anchor the linebacker corps for the Hurricane … the duo combined for 105 tackles and 14.5 tackles for lost yardage last season … the secondary returns 10 letterwinners, while eight of those return to the safety positions … the cornerback slot was hit the hardest by departures, but three transfers have joined the roster to add depth and experience to that position.

BROOKS 5^th ON ALL-TIME RUSHING CHART . . . Running back Shamari Brooks missed the 2020 season with an ACL injury … the senior from Tulsa's Union High School enters the 2021 season ranked 5^th on the school's career rushing list and 12^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.

STOKES 3^rd ON TULSA'S CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE CHART . . . Senior receiver and kick return specialist Keylon Stokes enters 2021 ranked third on the school's career all-purpose yardage chart with 3,956 yards … in 42 career games, Stokes has caught 155 passes for 2,402 yards, has 60 kickoff returns for 1,244 yards, 211 rushing yards and 99 punt return yards … Damaris Johnson (2008-10) ranks first on the all-purpose chart with 7,796 yards and Trey Watts (2010-13) is second with 5,877 career yards.

11 ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS RETURN . . . Tulsa returns a total of 11 players who earned American Athletic Conference honors last year … two first-team, five second team and four honorable mention … defensive lineman Jaxon Player and offensive tackle Tyler Smith were first team selections … Tulsa returns five second-team selections including wide receiver Keylon Stokes, offensive tackle Chris Paul, safety Cristian Williams, linebacker Justin Wright and place-kicker Zack Long … four honorable mention selections return including 3 offensive linemen –– Dante Bivens, Dylan Couch and Gerard Wheeler – giving league honors to all five Hurricane players on the offensive front … on defense, safety Kendarin Ray earned earned honorable mention merits.
]
FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN TYLER SMITH BACK FOR SOPHOMORE SEASON . . . Sophomore left tackle Tyler Smith started all nine games in 2020 as a redshirt freshman and ended up earning Freshman All-America honors by the FWAA and The Athletic … Smith was also an American Athletic Conference first-team selection… in the AAC Championship game at No. 6 Cincinnati, Smith perhaps had his best game when he graded 94 percent on 72 offensive snaps.

IN 9 OF THE LAST 10 YEARS . . . The 2021 season will be the fifth straight year that Adam Higuera will be handling Tulsa's long snapping duties … it will be the ninth season out of the last 10 years that a Higuera has been Tulsa's long snapper … Adam's older brother, Rey, was Tulsa's long snapper from 2012-15, playing in 51 career games since starting his first game as a freshman at Iowa State … the only year there wasn't a Higuera snapping on placements and punts was in 2016 when those chores were handled by Robert Hill … the younger Higuera started his first career game as a true freshman in 2017 at Oklahoma State as he scored a TD in that game on a fumbled punt … the younger Higuera has played in 45 career games … a Higuera has handled long snapping duties at Tulsa in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and now 2021.

TULSA'S DEFENSE AMONG TOP UNITS IN AAC & NCAA RANKINGS IN 2020 . . . The Tulsa defense was ranked either first or second in most defensive statistical categories in the American Athletic Conference last year, while also ranking among the nation's best. Here's a look …
Category                                      Avg/Pct. AAC            NCAA
Total Defense 333.6 2^nd 19^th
Scoring Defense 21.6                2^nd              27^th
Rushing Defense                           144.6               2^nd 43^rd
Passing Defense 189.0 2^nd              18^th
Fumble Recoveries 10                   T2^nd            8^th
Pass Eff. Defense                         119.7 2^nd              19^th
3^rd Down Conv. Defense 32.6                1^st               15^th
Red Zone Defense                         75.0                3^rd 20^th

CHRIS PAUL MORE THAN A FOOTBALL PLAYER . . . A three-year starter, Chris Paul has started 28 contests in 32 career games played … he has started games throughout his career at right tackle, left guard and right guard … Paul was a second-team American Athletic Conference selection in 2020 at right tackle … Paul was named to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee in July … last February, he was added to the NCAA Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity (CPCDE) … Paul also serves as the chairperson of The American's SAAC executive board through the 2021-22 academic year and is the AAC's representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee … Paul has personified the meaning of student-athlete, excelling academically and athletically while serving the community … 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 . . . Eight Tulsa student-athletes were named to a total of 11 different watch lists in 2021 …
• DOAK WALKER AWARD … Running backs Shamari Brooks and Deneric Prince were each named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List for the nation's top running back … Brooks makes the list for the fourth straight year, while Prince is on the preseason list for the first time … Brooks missed last season, but in 2019 he rushed for 1,046 yards and 6 TDs … after transferring from Texas A&M, Prince was Tulsa's second-leading rusher in 2020 with 475 yards, four TDs and a 5.4 average per carry.

• EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD … Texans Keylon Stokes and Deneric Prince were named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award … the award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four-year college … Stokes and Prince each played at Manvel High School in Texas … Stokes came straight to Tulsa from high school, while Prince transferred to Tulsa prior to the 2020 season from Texas A&M … Stokes has led the Golden Hurricane in each of the last three seasons for receiving yards, while Prince was Tulsa's second-leading rusher a year ago.

• OUTLAND TROPHY … Freshman All-America offensive tackle Tyler Smith enters his sophomore season as one of 80 players named to the Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List … the award, in its 75^th year, is presented to college football's best interior lineman on offense or defense … Smith started all nine games in 2020 at left tackle for the Hurricane and earned Freshman All-America honors by the FWAA and The Athletic … he was also an American Athletic Conference first team selection.

• AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM … Senior Chris Paul has been named a nominee for the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^® … Allstate and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced 109 nominees for the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team^®, the 30^th year of this storied recognition … Paul is a member of the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee and the NCAA Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity (CPCDE) … he also serves as the chairperson of The American's SAAC executive board through the 2021-22 academic year and is the AAC's representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

• BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY … Jaxon Player was named to the watch list for the 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List … a total of 90 of college football's top defensive players were named to preseason list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is presented to the nation's top defender. … Tulsa's Zaven Collins, now with the Arizona Cardinals, was the 2020 winner of the Nagurski Trophy … Player was a first-team American Athletic Conference selection last season … in nine games, Player registered 37 tackles, 9.5 TFLs for -26 yards, three sacks for -6 yards, five QB hurries and two blocked kicks.

• BEDNARIK AWARD … Jaxon Player was named to the watch list for the 27^th annual Chuck Bednarik Award, presented to the nation's outstanding defensive player … Player has played in 28 career games and has 17 starts, while totaling 83 career tackles, 17 TFLs for -39 yards, three sacks for -6 yards, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery from his interior defensive front position … he has also blocked four kicks in his career, including three field goals and one PAT.

• RAY GUY AWARD … Sophomore punter Lachlan Wilson has been named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award … the award goes to the nation's top punter … Wilson handled the punting chores in all nine games last season as a freshman … he averaged 42.9 yards on 42 punts, placed 14 inside the 20-yard line, 15 were fair caught and nine traveled 50+ yards.

• WUERFFEL TROPHY … Senior offensive lineman Chris Paul is on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List … the Wuerffel Trophy is known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service" … Paul is the American Athletic Conference's representative to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee … he also serves as chair of the conference's SAAC executive board for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years.

• PAUL HORNUNG AWARD … Tulsa receiver/return specialist Keylon Stokes was named to the 2021 Paul Hornung Award Watch List, as announced today … the Paul Hornung Award is given annually by the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) to the most versatile player in major college football … Stokes enters his final season ranked third on the school's career all-purpose yardage chart with 3,956 yards … in 42 career games, Stokes has caught 155 passes for 2,402 yards, has 60 kickoff returns for 1,244 yards, 211 rushing yards and 99 punt return yards.

• 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 644 yards and three touchdowns in 2020 … he has 2,402 career receiving yards and ranks third on the school's all-time list with 3,956 all-purpose yards.

• PATRICK MANNELLY Award … Adam Higuera was named one of 31 preseason candidates to the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List, which is presented to the best FBS senior long snapper … the award is in its third season … Higuera has handled long snapping duties in all 45 career games played.

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 sixth 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 … plans and site announcement of the show will be announced at a later date … the first show is scheduled to air on Monday, August 30.

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 3/1003 … the first show airs Tuesday, Sept. 7 … 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.

PRACTICE 5: Tulsa Has Morning Workout Followed by Media Day

Players Mentioned

Dante Bivens

Seth Boomer

Davis Brin

Shamari Brooks

Zaven Collins

Dylan Couch

Adam Higuera

Zack Long

Chris Paul

Jaxon Player

Deneric Prince

Kendarin Ray

Treyvon Reeves

Tyler Smith

Keylon Stokes

Gerard Wheeler

Cristian Williams

Lachlan Wilson

Justin Wright

Related Videos