University of Houston Athletics
Houston Spring Practice Primer
3/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
A New Era in Houston Football
A new era in Houston Football begins this spring as Tom Herman takes to the practice field as the 13th head coach in Houston history.
The 2014 Frank Broyles Award winner as the nation's top assistant coach, Herman arrives in Houston after three seasons as offensive coordinator at Ohio State University where he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2014 College Football Playoff Championship.
The Cal Lutheran grad has plenty of experience in the state of Texas, however, getting his coaching start at Texas Lutheran in 1998, spending 11 seasons in the Lone Star State before three years as offensive coordinator at Iowa State and his hiring at Ohio State.
Herman's first offseason at Houston with new Director for Football Sports Performance Yancy McKnight was focused on toughness and competition, with every player striving to end the day 1-0.
With Herman's hire came an entirely new coaching staff at UH. On offensive side of the ball, Major Applewhite (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks), Kenith Pope (Running Backs), Drew Mehringer (Wide Receivers), Corby Meekins (Tight Ends/Fullbacks) and Derek Warehime (Offensive Line) joined the UH family while the defensive side saw Todd Orlando (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers), Oscar Giles (Defensive Line), Craig Naivar (Safeties) and Jason Washington (Cornerbacks) join don the red and white.
In 2015 Houston is slated to return 37 letterwinners with a combined 301 career starts. In all, 28 players with starting experience return from the 2014 roster that lost 20 players with a combined 368 games started.
 |
Houston will welcome American Athletic Conference foes SMU (1-11 record in 2013), Cincinnati (9-4), Memphis (10-3) and Navy (8-5) into TDECU Stadium along with non-conference foes Tennessee Tech (5-7), Texas State (7-5) and Vanderbilt (3-9).
The Cougars will also travel to face American rivals Tulsa (2-10), Tulane (3-9), UCF (9-4) and UConn (2-10) along with a non-conference road test at Louisville (9-4) in the second week of the season.
The Offense
The Houston offense has seen more attrition than its counterparts across the line of scrimmage, but returns a number of key players and promising fresh faces in Major Applewhite's first year as offensive coordinator at Houston.
Two scholarship quarterbacks from 2014 return this season led by Greg Ward Jr. who started Houston's final eight games of the season.
The rushing attack will feature familiar faces as the top three rushers from 2014 return for the Cougars.
The spring will provide competition in the receiver slots as just 37.8 percent of Houston's 2014 receiving yards return, plus the addition of the tight end position will give UH fans a new group to focus on.
Up front on the offensive line, Houston returns four players with a combined 39 career starts as it will looks to replace three 2014 starters who combined for 98 career starts.
Quarterbacks
A backup quarterback and part time receiver in 2013, Greg Ward Jr. moved to receiver full time in the spring of 2014 and remained there for the first five games of the season, pulling in 15 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown, before moving back under center in the second half vs. UCF and remaining there for the remainder of the season.
Ward would go on to finish the year with 2,010 passing yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 67 percent of his passes (177-of-263) on the year. The Tyler, Texas, native also proved to be a threat on the ground, rushing for 573 yards and six touchdowns on 118 attempts for an average of 4.9 yards per carry.
The junior is the one of two returning scholarship quarterbacks for Houston but the only QB on the roster with experience wearing a UH jersey. Redshirt-freshman Bear Fenimore joins Ward as a returning signal caller.
Adam Schulz joins the Houston program after three seasons at Utah including three starts in 2013. Junior walk-on Hunter McCoy also returns from 2014.
Running Backs
Running backs coach Kenith Pope inherits the position group that lost the least from 2014 as seniors Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson return in their thunder-and-lightning combination.
The American's leading scorer and second-best back in the league by rushing yards, Farrow ended 2014 with four straight games of over 100 yards. The Hurst, Texas, native became the 24th player in UH history with over 1,000 yards in a season with 1,037 yards along with 12 TDs. Farrow is also the 14th player in Houston history with over 2,000 career rushing yards, sitting at 2,017 yards. Another 1,000-yard year from Farrow will place him in the top four in UH history.
The team's leading rusher in 2013, Jackson finished 2014 with 610 yards on 112 carries for a career-best 5.4 yards-per-carry average. The Angleton, Texas, native had two 100-yard rushing games on the year and added an additional 199 yards receiving as he finished the year with seven total touchdowns.
Depth is somewhat limited behind the two as senior walk-on Justin Hicks, who has 95 career rushing yards, and redshirt-freshman Kaliq Kokuma provide returning depth.
The position gets help in the fall as freshmen Tyreik Gray and Kevrin Justice join the fray after highly-acclaimed high school careers.
The fullback position returns fully stocked from last season as senior Luke Stice and junior Tyler McCloskey man the position for a second straight year.
Receivers & Tight ends
With the group losing five players with career starts, the receiving core should offer plenty of opportunities as just three receivers with receptions in 2014 return.
Junior Demarcus Ayers leads all returning Cougars with 33 receptions for 335 yards and two touchdowns in 2014 and will look to lead the group in 2015. Sophomore Steven Dunbar came on strong late last season with 20 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown. The Louisiana native was clutch on the year with 75 percent of his receptions resulting in first downs. Sophomore Derek McLemore, with one catch, is only returning wide receiver with a catch in 2014.
Sophomores John Leday and Donald Gage are looking to remain healthy and crack the depth chart this fall after they both missed 2014 with injuries.
Four redshirt-freshmen (Romello Brooker, Elton Dyer, Isaiah Johnson and Latrell Martin) will look to make a name for themselves this spring as will mid-year enrollees - junior Oregon transfer Chance Allen and true freshman Devin Smith. The group will be joined by freshman Terry Mark this fall.
Much like the legend of Sasquatch, the tight end has been a bit of a mystery and a fuzzy image sometimes seen by some in Houston. In the new offense, that will not be the case and two tight ends already on campus will receive the full load of reps this spring. Junior college tight end Rusty Clark will pair with sophomore walk-on Byron Simpson at the position this spring before freshmen Ryan Deshotel and Kobe Idumwonyl join the group this fall.
Offensive Line
The Houston offensive line group looked to return three starters in 2014 but lost a third when LT Travis Cross' career ended due to concussions. Forty percent of the line does return in LG Ben Dew and RT Alex Cooper who both started all 13 games at their respective positions in 2014.
The line is bolstered by the return of senior Zach Johnson who started 11 games in 2013 and was in line to start at LT in 2014 before suffering a torn ACL in the 2014 spring session.
Three senior guards who have provided depth in past seasons return for Houston in Emeka Okafor, Damian Parris and Carter Wall and will look to compete for the RG position as will Oklahoma transfer Kyle Marrs who sat out the NCAA mandated transfer year last season.
Junior Mac Long has seen action in 10 games as a backup center and will compete to replace Bryce Redman who started the last 34 games at the position.
Sophomores Marcus Oliver and Josh Thomas saw action in 13 and 12 games, respectively, as true freshmen in 2014 and will add to the line depth.
Three redshirt-freshmen looking to crack the depth chart this spring are Emerald Faletuipapai, Colton Freeman and Darius Joiner.
The Defense
A change at the top with defensive coordinator Todd Orlando making his way to Houston also means a change in defensive alignment with a three-man front giving UH fans a new look in 2015.
The defense is bolstered by the return of 13 players with starting experience including six with at least 11 starts. The entire secondary returns for Orlando and his staff while key losses along the defensive line and linebacker core will need to be replaced, starting this spring.
Defensive Line
With half of the defensive tackle rotation departing due to graduation, senior Tomme Mark and junior B.J. Singleton will lead the way at nose tackle with Singleton picking up 11 starts last season and Mark owning 15 career starts.
Sophomore Nick Thurman, who saw action in five games last season, senior Melvin Holland and junior Zorell Ezell, a transfer from Baylor, will look to provide depth at the position.
At defensive end, four ends with starting experience in 2014 are no longer a part of the Houston roster, and a fifth in Tyus Bowser moved to outside linebacker, leaving juniors Chauntez Jackson and Cameron Malveaux atop a pack of fresh faces at the position. Malveaux has seen action in 25 career games with his first career start last season while Jackson has seen action in 22 career games.
Redshirt freshmen Jerard Carter, Mason Denley, Michael Moana and Zach Vaughan will also have an opportunity to place their name atop the defensive end depth chart by the end of spring.
Freshmen Kameron Eloph and Tyrell Thompson join the defensive line group this fall.
Linebackers
Todd Orlando will have two linebackers with starting experience returning in junior Steven Taylor and sophomore Matthew Adams while gaining another from a switch from the defensive line in fellow junior Tyus Bowser.
Taylor is Houston's returning leading tackler after finishing second on the squad in 2014 with 76 stops while leading the Cougars with nine tackles for loss and four sacks. With 19 career starts, the Cedar Hill, Texas, native will look to expand his repertoire in the new defensive system.
Following a career-ending injury to Derrick Mathews last season, Adams jumped into the fray with great success, starting three games in the final half of the season and finishing the year with 40 tackles including 4.5 for loss and two sacks.
The inside linebackers will be joined by senior Elandon Roberts who has seen action in 20 games in his two seasons while at Houston and junior Davonte Thomas, who played in eight games last season.
Bowser who had two starts and 26 appearances in his first two seasons on campus at defensive end will slide back to outside linebacker and expand on his 7.5 career sacks.
Junior D'Juan Hines made the transition to defense last spring and will also receive a look at outside linebacker after playing in 10 games last season, as will sophomore Nomluis Fruge who saw action in nine games in 2014.
Redshirt-freshman Ja'Von Shelley is also a member of the outside linebacker group but is currently recovering from an injury suffered last fall.
The group will add true freshmen Emeke Egbule, Leroy Godfrey, D.J. Jenkins, Jordan Milburn and Camden Ross this fall.
Defensive Backs
A group that returns all of its week-to-week 2014 starters, the defensive backs group is the most experienced of any position group on the entire team with seven players returning with an accumulated 99 career starts.
The safety positions will be manned by the two senior mainstays in Trevon Stewart and Adrian McDonald who have 35 and 29 career starts, respectively.
McDonald led The American with eight turnovers (five interceptions, three fumble recoveries) in 2014 en route to earning first team American honors.
A fellow turnover machine, Stewart led the nation with 10 turnovers (six fumble recoveries and four interceptions) in 2013 and was fifth on the team last season with 56 tackles while pulling in three interceptions. Stewart ranks third nationally among active players with 291 career tackles.
The two are backed by junior Steven Aikens, who has played in 25 career games including two starts in 2014, and sophomore Khalil Williams who had his redshirt removed halfway through last season and saw action in seven games, finishing with nine tackles.
Senior Earl Foster, a veteran of 35 career games also plays a role in the safety position as will redshirt-freshman Garrett Davis.
At cornerback, four players who earned starts at the position in 2014 return, led by senior William Jackson who earned second team American Athletic Conference honors for his action in 12 starts, often playing on an island in man-to-man coverage. The rangy corner was second in the league with 10 pass breakups while picking off two interceptions.
Senior Lee Hightower, in his first action since transferring from Boise State, started the season's first six games at the position before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. In his half-season of action, Hightower did break up three passes and pick off one pass, which he returned for a touchdown at Memphis.
Junior Brandon Wilson recorded eight starts at the position while taking over after Hightower's injury. The Shreveport, La., native finished the year with 33 tackles while breaking up one pass and forcing a fumble.
Sophomore Howard Wilson, no relation to Brandon, made an immediate impact as a true freshman last season, leading all cornerbacks with 48 tackles and three interceptions as he saw action in all 13 games with three starts.
Others will providing competition at cornerback are senior Marcus Dillard, a veteran of five games, along with redshirt-freshmen Joeal Williams and Jeremy Winchester.
The defensive backs group will add two in the fall when freshmen Michael Eke and Darius Gilbert join the mix.
The Special Teams
Houston appears to be set at special teams with all of its starters from 2014 returning this spring.
Kicker
Last year in his first season on scholarship, senior Kyle Bullard rewarded the decision as he was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation's top kicker. Bullard finished the regular-season, hitting 16-of-22 field goals for 73 percent, while knocking down 39-of-43 PATs.
Punter
After splitting punting duties for the season's first three games, senior Logan Piper took over full time and finished the year with 43 punts with 13 landing inside his opponent's 20-yard line and 19 resulting in fair catches with just four touchbacks on the year.
Returners
Junior Demarcus Ayers quickly put The American Athletic Conference on alert in 2013 as he was named the league's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year as a true freshman.
Last season, Ayers led Houston with 34 kick returns for 592 yards (an average of 17.4 yards per return) while racking up five punt returns for 22 yards (4.4 yards per return).
Senior Ryan Jackson was second on the team with three returns for 38 yards (an average of 12.7 yards per return) while sophomore Steven Dunbar was the only other Houston player with multiple kick returns, returning two for 14 yards.
Deep Snapper
A two-year starter, senior Nolan Frese returns for his final season on Cullen Blvd. He was backed last season sophomore Byron Simpson.
