In the FCS Huddle: The curious case of App State
NCAA Football Betting Lines
02/07/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's not as if DeAndre Presley's college career was only seven games long. But that's the experience he must build off as he tries to build an NFL career.
There are 22 players from FCS programs who have been invited to the NFL Combine later this month in Indianapolis. The list of invites that came out Tuesday could not have had an odder background than Presley and Brian Quick at Appalachian State.
Quick seemingly is the cream of the FCS crop this year, perhaps a second- or third-round selection with his 6-foot-4, 220-pound size, speed and skill all ideal for an NFL wide receiver.
Presley's invite is indicative of his athleticism as well. It's just that he's now playing a position nobody at Appalachian State envisioned him at four months prior to the Combine - cornerback.
In 2010, Presley was the toast of Boone, N.C., when he stepped out of former quarterback Armanti Edwards' imposing shadow and led Appalachian State to a sixth straight Southern Conference title. He also finished third in the voting for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the outstanding player in the FCS by The Sportsbook Betting Lines and sponsored by Fathead.com.
He became just the fourth player in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
But Presley had a subpar start to the 2011 season and then injured his throwing shoulder in the fifth game on Oct. 1. Following a bye, he missed a game against The Citadel while his replacement, Jamal Jackson, started taking control of the offense.
Presley returned to action on Oct. 22 against Samford, but in the days leading up to the game, Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore asked the 5-11, 170-pound native of Tampa, Fla., if he would be willing to fill a need for the team in the secondary as a cornerback.
Presley obliged without question. He also soon found himself as a wide receiver and punt returner and went on to finish his senior season with 812 passing yards and four touchdown passes, 163 rushing yards and four scores, five receptions for 66 yards, 204 yards on nine kickoff returns, one punt return for three yards, 17 tackles (12 solo), one-and-a-half tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two pass break-ups.
In addition to playing cornerback in Appalachian State's final six games, Presley played the position in the Battle of Florida all-star game Jan. 21 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was in on three tackles and returned four punts for 75 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown.
His trip to the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium will come with the final group of participants from Feb. 25-28. No matter how much he impresses teams in interviews, testing and workouts, he most likely will have to go the unsigned free agent route to make it to an NFL training camp.
His body of work doesn't match up with the many cornerbacks in the draft class. All Presley wants at this point, however, is a chance to prove himself.
That, of course, is what Quick did so well over his four-year career. He finished it as the program's all-time leader in receptions (202), receiving yards (3,418) and touchdown catches (31). He saved his best for last as a senior, catching 71 passes for 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns, while the Mountaineers were making the Presley-to-Jackson change.
Quick will participate in the Combine from Feb. 23-26. Maybe he will put in a good word for DeAndre Presley.
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Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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