2009 Players to Know: Big East

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We’ve told you about the teams.  We’ve told you about the conferences, and the coaches, and the championship games, but any head man worth his weight in Gordon Bombay coaching loafers will tell you that it’s easy to look good when you’ve got the right players.  So here they are, the 15 athletes you have to know this season conference-by-conference.

We’ve got the five best each league has to offer.  The stars, the frontmen, the cover boys.  These are the guys that you’ve already heard of, and they’re likely to wallow in the limelight for at least one final season before rocketing to the NFL.

Then there are the shoe-fillers.  The players who might be stepping up into the role of a guy who fit in the first category last season.  When one star departs, it’s up to these athletes to stop the gap and keep the wins coming.  They may be the most pivotal of the young men listed here.  It’s the stars that will get the glory, but these are the players who will create the subtle differences between 9-3 and 12-0.

And finally, just because we’re such seers, we’ve gone ahead and listed five players likely to live on the tongues of every pundit around by the end of the year.  The players who either flashed just enough potential as freshman, or are heading into a perfect collegiate situation with a deadly blend of talent and opportunity.

Today, we take a look at the Big East’s 15 Players to Know.  So go ahead, and you know, know them.

The Best:

1.)  George Selvie, DE, USF — I can hear it now.  All of the non-USF Big East fans just groaned.  “But Selvie was awful last season.  And USF always underachieves.”  Tough.  Selvie was the absolute paramount focus of every opponent USF faced last season, and he didn’t always shine through.  The stat I want to look at is that out of his five sacks as a junior, three came in big games.  The Kansas win was possibly the Bulls most daunting contest of last season, and Selvie showed up in a huge way.  Four solo tackles, one sack, and get this — three passes batted down.  You can whine all you want about his total dropping from 15 to five, but the fact remains that the Bulls probably don’t win that one without his monster performance.  His other shining moment came in an unexpected tussle with Louisville.  The Bulls lost one they shouldn’t have, but it wasnt George’s fault.  He came through with seven tackles, two sacks, and one batted pass.

2.)  Ryan D’Imperio, LB, Rutgers — There’s a common them with these lists, and it seems to be finding underrated players.  D’Imperio fits the bill.  Rutgers’ offense took all of the credit and limelight last season, but it was the defense that bailed them out on more than once.  The 6-03 240 senior racked up 93 tackles, five sacks, and a pick last season, and with the onus truly falling on his side of the ball in 2009, expect even better results.  He went over 10 tackles three times in ’08, and only managed less than five twice, but his best game came against the aforementioned Bulls when he made six stops and three sacks.  Expect more of the same.

3.)  Greg Romeus, DE, Pitt — Romeus is loaded with potential.  He’s 6-06 270, runs the 40 in around the 4.7 range (reportedly), and put on a show in the Sun Bowl loss to Oregon State.  His two sacks in that game helped hold the Beavers to only three points, and less than 300 yards of total offense.  Then there’s his sack total.  As a freshman, Romeus contributed four, but his total rose again as a sophomore to seven.  With the build, speed, and determination he’s got, expect double-digit numbers in 2009.  Those intangibles, coupled with the return of Jabaal Sheard on the other side, should make him a lock for all-conference honors.  So watch him closely this season.  Even though he’s only a junior, it’ll likely be his last.

4.) Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinatti — Tough call here.  There are few big names in the Big East this season, so that’s not a jab at Gilyard but more of a statement about how many guys fit in this range.  Gilyard gets the nod though, and his stats back it up.  81 catches, 1276 yards, and 11 TDs pretty much speak for themselves.  But it’s his consistency that really caught my eye.  Seven times Gilyard went over 100 yards receiving, and he scored at least once in nine games.  That’s difficult to defend.  Of course, his partner in crime, former Bearcat Dominick Goodman, is gone so there will be more heat on the senior.  And with a non-existent running game teams will be dropping seven into coverage.  But Gilyard is Tony Pike’s favorite target, and that shouldn’t change this fall.

5.)  Tony Pike, QB, Cincinnati — Speaking of Pike, how’s this for a resume?  2400+ yards passing and 19 TDs despite missing or not starting four games.  Over the ten games Pike did play, that’s over 240 passing yards per contest, and nearly two TDs.  Not bad.  But try realizing that he played with a broken arm for eight of those, and you’ll realize that Pike deserves his spot here.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot.  He did all of that despite being the main focus of every defense he faced due to a ground game that produced a leading rusher with only 664 yards.

The Shoe-Fillers (AKA The Guys Who Must Step-Up):

1.)  Matt Grothe, QB, USF — We’ve been here before Matt.  After countless giant-killing wins (okay, maybe not countless), you’ve got the gritty, competitive, moxie-filled reputation.  Now it’s time to infuse some consistency.  Grothe’s got the team to do it this season, and by it I mean finally reach the BCS, but they’ll sputter from the start if he can’t find a way to cut down on the turnovers.  In all three of his seasons, Grothe has thrown exactly 14 interceptions.  In fact, he threw multiple picks in five different games last year.  That can’t happen again.  In what could be his last hurrah (NFL teams tend to shy away from 6-00 passers with a penchant for picks), Grothe has to find a way to keep the ball in the Bulls’ possession.

2.)  Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia — I’ve been watching Devine since his junior year of high school.  Seriously, a friend showed me some YouTube highlights, and I sat for hours wondering how in the world anyone was ever going to be able to tackle this guy.  Well, question answered.  Devine hasn’t been bad by any means, but he hasn’t been the world beater I expected.  Now, he’s going to have to do more than ever thougth possible.  Steve Slaton’s departure was a big blow, but it was nothing compared to losing Pat White this offseason.  His 1289 yards and four TDs as a sophomore were a great start, but without White quarterbacking this offense, Devine is going to have to put the Mountaineers on his back every Saturday.  His back is pretty small.  But if his work ethic can make up the difference, he could keep WVU on top in the Big East.

3.)  Jabu Lovelace and Domenic Natale, QB, Rutgers — Mike Teel was awesome over the Scarlet Knights’ last six games last season.  22 touchdowns and only six picks will leave some mighty daunting shoes to fill.  And then there’s the loss of top receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood — guys who combined for 12 TD catches of their own.  So here you go, Jabu and Domenic.  The offense is yours, and your weapons are depleted.  But both are seniors, and both are being given first shot at piloting the ship.  If Rutgers wants to take advantage of a potentially great defense, they’ll need one of these upperclassmen to step up and make a few plays.

4.)  Greg Paulus, QB, Syracuse — Finally, after all those years of riding the pine and watching Duke slip behind hated rival North Carolina, Greg Paulus is getting his chance to contribute… at Syracuse.  As a football player.  Recently the news was handed down from the Orange that Paulus had been named the starter.  Here’s the deal.  No one is expecting Syracuse to have even a decent season.  No one is expecting any stars to emerge from the offensive side of the ball.  No one is expecting a former top QB recruit who hasn’t played football in four years to come in and wow the world.  So the pressure is off.  Had Paulus committed to Cuse coming out of high school, the spotlight would be on, instead the fifth-year athlete has the chance to fly under the radar, take advantage of healthy receiver Mike Williams, and possibly lead Syracuse back to the postseason.  It might save Doug Marrone’s job.

5.)  Bill Stull, QB, Pitt — This might be an offensively challenged conference this season.  WVU lost Pat White, Rutgers lost Mike Teel and all those receivers, UConn lost Donald Brown, etc, etc.  Still, the biggest loss may have been the early departure of LeSean McCoy.  When a team that was shut out in their bowl loses their only real offensive weapon, it’s hard to imagine scoring any points.  That’s where Stull comes in.  He’s got a great young receiver in Jonathan Baldwin, a cupboard of nice recruits accumulated by Dave Wannstedt, and all the pressure to produce for the Panthers’ offense.  Stull has been largely ineffective throughout his career, but he’ll have to step up if Pitt wants to challenge for the Big East crown yet again.

The Next Superstars:

1.)  Victor Anderson, RB, Louisville — “Next” might be a bit of a misnomer.  Anderson was awesome as a freshman, shocking Louisville, a team that had expected the majority of their offense to come from quarterback Hunter Cantwell.  Well I can’t (see what I did there) say that things went according to plan.  Cantwell struggled, while Anderson lit up the stat sheet.  At only 5-09 185, he’s easy to miss on the field, but checking his season box score reveals 1047 yards, eight touchdowns, and a 5.7 ypc average as a first year player.  He’ll be given more opportunities (only 183 carries last season) this fall, and his totals could make him the next Big East back to watch.

2.)  Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia — Everyone seems to be frothing over Brown.  No one expects him to miss a beat replacing Pat White.  And while I don’t think he’ll be the same stud who became the first QB to win four bowl games, he should be a heck of an athlete in this system.  Brown and White are different.  Get that?  Brown’s a 6-04 221 senior who’s been pretty decent in relief of White, and while I’m not sure he possesses the same secret that the former QB did, he should be a nice fit in this system with his underrated legs, and possibly an upgrade as far as a passer.

3.)  Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pitt — There’s a bright side to the loss of McCoy.  Finally, some of Pitt’s receivers might get the chance to shine.  Sure, Stull will have to get him the damn ball, but we’ve already been over that.  Baldwin was a huge get for the Panthers on the recruiting trail.  He only hauled in 18 balls as a freshman, but he turned those catches into 404 yards and three scores, good enough for a 22.4 ypc average.  With Pitt likely to lean on the air attack more so than years past, Baldwin will be a household name in the Big East by season’s end.  And at 6-05 225, it’s possible that even Stull can find him.

4.)  Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse — Everyone knows about Chandler’s big brother, Arthur.  He’s the one being touted as a possible first round pick in the 2010 draft, and he’ll receive the attention from fans and opposing defenses.  That might be just what the younger Jones needs to have a banner sophomore year.  He’ll benefit from the focus interior linemen will place on his brother, while hopefully creating pressure in his 6-05 246 frame from the outside.  That’s something the Orange haven’t had since Dwight Freeney left New York.

5.)  Nate Allen, S, USF — Big year for safeties.  In fact, this year’s crop might be the most talented group at that position that I’ve ever seen.  And while Allen has been swept under the rug by the Eric Berrys and Taylor Mayses of the world, he’ll be easily recognizable on Big East scouting reports.  But the biggest reason he’s listed in this section of the article is the fact that his stats dipped last year.  After racking up 81 tackles and four picks as a sophomore, Allen dropped back to Earth with 53 stops and only one INT.  With what I expect from Selvie at defensive end, Allen should be back among the elite.  Every time Selvie pressures an opposing passer into throwing earlier than he’d like, Allen will be over the top reaping the benefits.