CHANTICLEERS OFFENSE
WR—82 Jameson Tucker 6-2 190 Fr.
WR—83 Kyle Duplessis 5-10 195 So.
WR—15 Sam Pinckney 6-4 220 Sr.
TE—85 Kendall Karr 6-3 245 Jr.
LT—62 Nick Del Grande 6-4 300 Fr.
LG—66 Will McDonald 6-2 295 Jr.
C—57 Zac Elam 6-1 290 Jr.
RG—65 Dillon Luther 6-3 310 Sr.
RT—64 Zovon Lindsay 6-4 300 Sr.
QB—16 Ethan Vasko 6-3 220 Fr.
RB—1 Braydon Bennett 6-2 215 Jr.
RB—2 Reese White 5-10 205 Sr.
When Jamey Chadwell departed a year ago to become Liberty’s head coach, he also took the fun-and-shoot offense that featured motions, double sweeps, backfield circles and plays filed under the “trickeration” heading. Tim Beck, Chadwell’s successor, implemented a more Air Raid-like offense, although he did carry over some of the concepts tailored to quarterback Grayson McCall, a three-time player of the year. While McCall was again a dynamic dual threat, injuries limited him to seven games this year. McCall then entered the portal and will transfer to North Carolina State. He will not play in the bowl game. But second-year freshman Ethan Vasko has provided a spark, starting in three of the five games McCall missed. Vasko, who transferred after redshirting at Kansas last year, was 21-for-29 for 254 yards against James Madison, and then rushed for 183 non-sack yards against Old Dominion. In his three starts, Vasko gained 257 yards on non-sack scrambles and keepers, an average of 7.8 yards. Vasko has what scouts refer to as a “quick-twitch” arm and the out-of-pocket ability to complete throws while on the run. The Chanticleers also lost receiver/returner Jared Brown, who entered the portal after the regular season and is now headed to South Carolina. “He was a big impact,” wideout Sam Pinckney said. Kyre Duplessis and Bryson Graves will pick up Brown’s jet sweeps and swing routes, while Pinckney remains as the top target. Pinckney, who set the FBS record with 57 consecutive games with a reception, does yoga for flexibility and band resistance to strengthen his hamstrings. He also juggles four balls for hand-eye coordination. He has no drops in the past 65 targets. As an adviser to younger players, Pinckney, who has earned two degrees, said, “People call me ‘Old Man Sam’ because I’ve been in college six years.”
CHANTICLEERS DEFENSE
DE—47 Clinton Anokwuru 6-4 250 Jr.
DL—99 Kennedy Roberts 6-3 290 Sr.
DL—94 Michael Mason 6-3 280 Sr.
OLB—42 Braylon Ryan 6-2 260 Jr.
LB—55 Tray Brown 6-1 235 So.
LB—1 Shane Bruce 6-0 235 JR.
NB—0 Juan Powell 5-11 190 Sr.
CB—7 Keonte Lusk 5-11 195 Sr.
CB—16 Matthew McDoom 5-11 170 So.
FS—22 Clayton Isbell 6-2 220 Sr.
SS—4 Tobias Fletcher 5-10 170 Jr.
Under coordinator Craig Naivar, who joined this season with 30 years of college coaching experience, the Chants held Texas State to 81 yards passing, forced five Marshall turnovers, and made two pick-6s, including strong safety Tobias Fletcher’s 100-yard return. The Chants embrace the self-styled “Black Swarm” of ensemble tackling. The D-tackles, even the nose in a three-man front, align in the inside gaps instead of across a blocker and have perfected spin and swim moves. D-lineman Michael Mason, a super senior, has amassed 65 tackles, including 9.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Linebacker JT Killen, who has the other pick-6, entered the transfer portal but still might be available to play. The Chants often bring both inside linebackers in to fill the lanes and create a five-man front. Free safety Clayton Isbell, who previously played at Illinois State and then Utah, can be used as a slot defender, safety net in a two-deep zone, and pass rusher. He intercepted three UCLA passes in the opener. With 4.52 40-yard speed, Isbell can surprise offenses with 15-yard blitzes. “We have different plays for myself where I can get in the backfield,” Isbell said. “I like to disguise it a little bit instead of being on the line of scrimmage, where they’ll know I’m coming.” As the middle child of military parents, Isbell is disciplined in his training. He keeps fit with pushups (70 without a break), crunches (100 in a row) and running 2 miles a day.
CHANTICLEERS SPECIALISTS
PK—25 Kade Hensley 5-10 190 So.
KO—31 Liam Gray 6-0 205 So.
P—28 Evan Crenshaw 6-4 190 So.
LS—82 Payton Bunch 6-3 200 Sr.
H—95 Mack West 5-8 180 So.
KR—16 Matthew McDoom 5-11 170 So.
PR—84 Bryson Graves 6-0 180 Fr.
At Colorado’s Holy Family High, Liam Gray was long-range kicker and a prolific receiver who averaged 25.1 yards per catch and 1.3 TDs per game. As a CCU freshman kicker last year, Gray missed the first three games because of an injury, and ended up attempting just one field goal. This season, he has found regular employment as the kickoff specialist. He set the school record with 42 touchbacks. Bryson Graves replaces punt returner Jared Brown, who is transferring to South Carolina.
SPARTANS OFFENSE
WR—12 Malikhi Miller 6-4 209 Jr.
WR—4 Charles Ross 6-1 171 Jr.
WR—3 Nick Nash 6-3 198 Jr.
TE—88 Sam Olson 6-3 242 Jr.
LT—70 Malik Williams 6-5 307 So.
LG—71 Tyler Ostrom 6-2 305 Gr.
C—74 Anthony Pardue 6-4 317 Gr.
RG—61 Marist Talavou 6-3 327 So.
RT—54 Jaime Navarro 6-3 310 Gr.
QB—2 Chevan Cordeiro 6-1 196 Sr.
RB—32 Kairee Robinson 5-7 195 Sr.
“Fernando’s Burrito” — double helpings of asada, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream and smoked Chipotle sauce wrapped in a tortilla — has been removed from the California Wet Burrito menu after left tackle Fernando Carmona entered the transfer portal this month. Carmona was a mover and shaker, with the Spartans averaging 7.4 yards and scoring 16 touchdowns on runs to his side. He allowed two sacks and two quarterback hits in 364 pass plays. “Fernando is a great guy, he’s my friend,” QB Chevan Cordeiro said of Carmona’s decision to transfer. “It’s a business. It’s for him.” Malik Williams, who transferred from Wyoming two years ago, is the new blind-side tackle. Dominick Mazotti, a flex tight end who caught 36 passes, also is in the portal. While tight end Sam Olson has comparable receiving skills, the Spartans will miss the double- motion overloads created when Olson and Mazotti were in the same lineup. In his sixth college season, Cordeiro has become jaded by aggressive defensive tactics. Excluding drops and strategic ditching, Cordeiro’s adjusted accuracy is 59.6% when blitzed. He is averaging 5.98 non-sack yards on keepers and scrambles. He has been intercepted four times this season, including once in the past 127 passes. Cordeiro and Nick Nash, a former quarterback, have developed a go-to connection. Cordeiro has throw to Nash 79 times, twice as many times as any other receiver, with the 6-foot-3 wideout averaging 15.0 yards on his 47 catches. Relying on a low-level, double-clutch style modeled after three-time Pro Bowler Maurice Jones-Drew, Kairee Robinson has powered his way for 1,225 rushing yards (7.1 per carry) and 18 touchdowns.
SPARTANS DEFENSE
DE—3 Tre Smith 6-5 255 So.
NG—96 Jay Kakiva 6-4 307 Gr.
DE—4 Noah Lavulo 6-2 260 Sr.
LB—9 Matthew Tago 6-2 223 Sr. Transfer from OSU pre-2020
LB—6 Byrun Parham 5-11 212 Jr.
LB—10 Jordan Pollard 6-0 200 So.
LB—41 Taniela Latu 6-1 237 Jr.
CB—7 Kenyon Reed 5-10 176 Jr. Transfer from K-State pre-2000
S—1 Chase Williams 6-1 200 Sr. Transfer from USC pre-2022
S—22 Tre Jenkins 5-11 216 Gr.
CB—25 Michael Dansby 5-11 181 So.
D-line coach Joe Seumalo, a former Hawaii player and grad assistant, has taught the art of creating plot twists. D-end Noah Lavulo often drives into a double block, and then detaches to seal the edge. Lavulo also has mastered the defense’s version of the jump cut when he takes steps forward, then angles to the middle en route to the backfield. In some formations, Lavulo and Tre Smith are stand-up ends and linebacker Byrun Parham will loop around from the perimeter. Defensive coordinator Derrick Odum, whose background is coaching the secondary, has built a scheme in which outside linebackers resemble nickelbacks, and corners act like safeties. Cornerback Kenyon Reed, who began his college career at Kansas, can set up 10 yards off the line, giving him a clear path as a blitzer. He also can track a receiver and then pass off coverage to a safety. Safety Tre Jenkins said Odum has emphasized tackling in practices since the Spartans received the bowl invitation. Odum’s philosophy is the proximity. “You always think you’re close enough (to a ballcarrier) until you find yourself reaching,” Jenkins said. “When you’re at the point where your arms are extended, that’s a bad spot for us. You always take that extra step (toward the player). You think you’re close enough but take that extra step to be sure.” The Spartans also adhere to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.” Jenkins said: “Always go for the (opponent’s) hips. Everything moves but the hips.
SPARTANS SPECIALISTS
K/KO—11 Kyler Halvorsen 5-10 183 Jr.
P—99 Alex Weir 6-0 195 Sr.
LS—51 Andrew Gonneville 6-1 217 Sr.
KR–23 Jabari Bates 5-6 170 Fr.
PR—2 DJ Harvey 5-11 190 So.
Responding to a double-dog dare during a Hawaii practice two years ago, Kyler Halvorsen booted seven kickoffs out of the Ching Complex. And while the Kaiser High alum had the leg strength, he did not have the job as Hawaii’s point- scoring kicker. After praying and consulting with his family, Halvorsen transferred to SJSU this year. “It definitely was hard at first, a culture shock,” he said of the new environment. And quadriceps issues in his right leg made it difficult to kick off. But he willed his way to being the No. 1 place-kicker and, now healthy, he reclaimed the kick-off job.
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