JCGridiron.com - San Francisco tops the preseason Dirty 30

July 12, 2011

Brad Hoiseth
JCGridiron.com Publisher

After getting humbled in the 2010 national title game, the City College of San Francisco Rams top the 2011 JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 preseason rankings. In the six years of the rankings, San Francisco has never finished out of the top-30 at the end of the season, with five finishes in the top eight in the country.

I know that many will say, what about Mt. SAC? After all, the Mounties have won the past two national titles, and appear to be locked and loaded once again in 2011. That is a very valid point, but we aren't like the other organizations that just anoint the previous champion as the preseason No. 1. The Mounties come in at No. 3, and largely because they have not decided on a guy under center as we enter the second week in July.

THE TOP-10

(No. 1 City College of San Francisco)
San Francisco lost some great talent during the offseason, but returns very talented players in key positions, including quarterback where Turner Baty greyshirted in 2010. The Rams are likely to run a bit more conventional offense in 2011 (which should help) after quarterback Steele Jantz took his one-man show to Iowa State. San Francisco has a very solid offensive line, and the addition of San Jose State bounce back Pierce Burton will certainly help the cause. When they do throw, big-time targets Daniel McKinney and Caleb Holley along with all-purpose back Bobby Burton will put some points on the board for a program never short on offensive fireworks. The San Francisco defense lost a lot in the secondary, but the Rams reloaded with Blair Wishom, Reggie Davis, Jamal Hale and Andrew White, and should have one of the top linebackers in the state in Ruben Ibarra. Up front, Iosea Iosea is one of the best looking defensive end prospects in the nation, and Steven Hill will hold down the middle of the pile.

(No. 2 Blinn College)
The Blinn Buccaneers are no strangers to the national picture, and this season Blinn appears primed to make another run after what some called a disappointing 7-3 finish in 2010. The Bucs have finished in the top-15 in the nation in four of the past five years, winning the Dirty 30 national title in 2006. This season, Blinn looks a lot like the 2006 squad, with defensive talent coming out of the woodwork. The Buccaneers have as many as six DI recruits on the defensive line alone, with defensive tackle Logan David already committed to Texas A&M. The back end on defense could be as good as the front, with Nahshon Davis, Anthony Watson, Maurice Poullard and Jeremy Baltazar all passing the eyeball test. Inside linebacker Eddie Porter already has offers from Mississippi State, Arkansas and Washington State, and could be one of the more talented inside linebackers in the nation. On offense, Marion Grice was a human highlight reel at running back a season ago, averaging 7.3 yards-per-carry with 17 touchdowns. And when they do decide to throw the ball, Xavier Maxwell and Otis Seals are major targets that can stretch the field.

(No. 3 Mt. San Antonio College)
The bottom line is, Mt. San Antonio has the talent to win a third straight national title after becoming the first two-time winner of the Dirty 30 title in 2010. The Mounties have a massive offensive line that averages about 310 pounds across the front, with Visesio Salt leading the charge. Antonio Woods-Johnson joins him up front and with solid threats on the outside at wide receiver with Alonzo Agwuenu and Darrin Duncan, it may not matter who ends up winning the quarterback battle during the summer. The defense has been a staple in the success of the Mt. San Antonio program for years, and the Mounties have some serious talent returning with a few incoming players with DI experience. The back end is solid with Geoffrey Vaughns, E.J. Woods, Steve Gallon and Shelton Miles, and inside linebacker Richard Thorpe should be one of the best in the nation. Up front Mt. SAC has as much talent as any program in the country on an annual basis, and defensive end Koliniasi Leota and defensive tackle Lino Tuifalasai should keep that trend going in 2011. The Mounties are also set in the special teams, with kicker Travis Coons likely to be one of the top kickers in the nation.

(No. 4 Northwest Mississippi College)
Call it a hunch, but we believe Northwest Mississippi is primed to make a run at a Mississippi state title after being snubbed from the bowl picture a season ago when they finished 9-1 and No. 10 in the Dirty 30 rankings. Quarterbacks are a key to the success of many national champions in the past and the Rangers broke the bank during the offseason when they landed former University of Kentucky quarterback Ryan Mossakowski, looking for a fresh start. With a solid offensive line in front of him led by tackle Donald Hawkins and 6-foot-3 wide receiver Lance Ray, Mossakowski will lead an offense that never scored less than 24 points in any game in 2010. The defense has one of the better looking defensive end prospects in the nation in Brandon Timmons, and Bakari Trotter made the transition from offense to defense during the offseason, and is one of the better looking safety prospects in the nation.

(No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast College)
If Northwest is going to win the Mississippi title, they are going to have to go through Gulf Coast to do it. The Bulldogs have generated some of the top DI talent in the nation in recent years, and have never finished out of the top-30 in any of the six seasons of the Dirty 30, splitting the national title with Butler County (KS) in 2007. Gulf Coast is always solid in the trenches on defense, and Cordell Paige looks like a near can't-miss prospect at defensive end. Otis Jacobs is likely to be one of the top corners in the country in 2011, and committed to Texas A&M in May. The offense has one of the more electrifying wide receivers in the nation in Javon Bell, who already has three SEC offers in his back pocket. The offensive line is led by guard Dylan Holley, with running back James Gillum returning after rushing for 1,297 yards and 16 scores a season ago.

(No. 6 Butler County College)
Rankings wouldn't be rankings if Butler wasn't in the picture to start the season. The Grizzlies shared the title in 2007 with Gulf Coast, and have finished in the top six on four occasions, never falling out of the top-30 in six seasons. Much like No. 1 San Francisco and No. 4 Northwest, Butler is set at quarterback after landing Chandler Whitmer from the University of Illinois during the offseason, and with Kendall Wrenn at wide receiver, should be set for a big season in El Dorado. Despite the loss of offensive coordinator Aaron Flores to Itawamba College (MS), Butler isn't likely to change much on offense with a big offensive line, led by Nate Haremza and Ryan Miller. Jasper Sanders and Ben Axon both return at running back after combining for nearly 1,400 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns a season ago. The defense has produced some gems at Butler in recent years, and up front they should once again be solid with a number of great tackle prospects, led by Chaquil Reed and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Outside linebacker Michael Carlisle returns after posting 48 tackles a season ago, and Zach Miller returns at corner after a solid freshman campaign.

(No. 7 Butte College)
Butte College has produced some of the great players in junior college football history in recent years, with both Aaron Rodgers and Larry Allen getting their start in the Roadrunner program. Butte has finished in the top-25 in each of the past three seasons, winning the Dirty 30 title in 2008. The Roadrunners are the likely program to challenge San Francisco in the NorCal Conference, with San Mateo and Santa Rosa also looking like potential challengers. Butte is loaded up front on offense, with Cal bounce back Charles Siddoway, Patrick Hughes, Trevor Goodale and Nick Von Rotz giving the Roadrunners one of the more athletic offensive lines in the nation. Dylan Swartz is the likely leader at quarterback for a program that ran the ball a ton in 2010, and is expected to do big things with Robert Jiles returning at wide receiver and two great tight end prospects. The running game is set with Tromaine Dennis returning in 2011, after posting 643 yards and seven scores a season ago. The defense is solid across the board, with Gabe Bruno returning on one end up front and Lamonthe Johnson transferring in from College of the Redwoods on the other side. Linebacker Kyle Todd has been a tackling machine during the spring months and the secondary is loaded all around, with Jamaal Bess and Domonique Johnson returning, and incoming freshman Jeremiah Cummings looking to make a splash.

(No. 8 Hutchinson College)
The program at Hutchinson has improved dramatically in recent years since Rion Rhoades took over the program, but is still looking for that one benchmark win. That could come this season as the Blue Dragon program looks like a serious threat on paper headed into the 2011 campaign. Hutch has a great starting quarterback in Elliott Alford, who had a sensational freshman season in 2010 when he completed 59% of his passes for 1,520 yards and 10 touchdowns, rushing for another five scores on the ground. Alford has one of the top weapons in the nation in Cordarrelle Patterson, who already has 11 offers in the books, including five from the SEC after catching 52 balls as a freshman. The offensive line has some new bodies up front, but center Taylor Peak returns after making the honorable mention all conference list as a freshman. Running back Derek Campbell returns and is expected to have a big season after rushing for 615 yards and nine touchdowns in an offense that sent two of the runners on to DI programs during the offseason. The defense has the potential to be very good, as key elements return at all positions, including linebacker where the Blue Dragons are loaded. Darrius Stroud on the outside has early offers from Indiana, Kansas State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech while inside linebacker Markus Golden has already made a pledge to Missouri. Kamalie Matthews is a big body in the middle of the line while Tyler Rayl is primed for a big season at defensive end. The defensive backfield returns two major contributors in safeties Spencer Vanderbogart and Bradley Gallon, and added a third during the offseason when corner Darrius Morrow made his way from El Camino College (CA) to play for the Blue Dragons in 2011.

(No. 9 Arizona Western College)
A season ago the Arizona Western program had a bulls-eye on their back when they entered the season rated No. 1 in the nation, creating a lot of buzz with preseason offers and hoopla. This season the Matadors have opted to take a different tact, staying quiet and hoping the professionals don't take notice. The bottom line is, despite the lack of headlines being created, the AZ Western program is still the team to beat in the Western States Football League, with a ton of returning talent, and more coming in every day. The offensive line is led by center David Kekuewa and tackle Devin Smith, who has early offers from Kansas, Purdue, Toledo and Eastern Michigan. Damien Williams returns at running back and is one of the more electric backs in the nation after rushing for 7.6 yards-per-carry and 10 touchdowns as a freshman. Cody Peterson appears to be the guy to beat at quarterback, and with wide receivers Josh Ford and Terrell Williams, combined with a pair of solid tight end prospects, the Matadors should be just fine on offense. The defense is going to be very good, with Tomasi Molesi, Calvin Tonga, Michael Terry, Matt Miller and Michael Newton combining to make up one of the best defensive lines in the nation. Arizona Western is absolutely loaded at linebacker, with Purdue commit Steffon Martin along with leading tackler Zac Quines (90 tackles), Kentucky bounce back Ryan Mosby and T.J. Alofipo giving the Matadors four very good options. Safety Chris Young is one of the more impressive looking athletes in the nation, and with Joe Jackson lined up next to him and Josh Brown at corner, the Arizona Western defense is stacked.

(No. 10 Saddleback College)
The Saddleback program has finished in the top-15 in the nation for five consecutive years, with a high of No. 3 in 2006. The Gauchos once again appear to be one of the main challengers for Mt. SAC in Southern California in 2011, and have been the team that has given the Mounties their toughest games over the past two seasons. Saddleback appears to be very good on defense, which is bad news for opponents given the Gauchos always score a lot of points on offense. The defense is very deep in the trenches, with as many as six solid defensive end prospects, led by Kevin Lindeman, Josh Steinert, Brandarius Johnson and Dustin Alewine. Defensive tackle Christian Mejia returns in 2011 after missing the 2010 campaign, and has looked very good during the spring despite losing a ton of weight. The secondary lost a lot of talent during the offseason, but reloaded with Luke Williams, Jacob Johnston and Courtlin Thompson at safety. Trumaine Smith returns and could be one of the more physical corners in the nation, while Cameron Kelly is expected to do great things on the other side. One question headed into the spring was at linebacker, where the Gauchos returned very little experience from a season ago. Chris Connolly returns and is expected to fill the gaps in the middle of the field while Saddleback did well in landing former Boise State outside linebacker Junior Alvarado to fill a void. The offense is always a source of entertainment for Gaucho fans, as the modified "Fly" offense produces big numbers, no matter the names on the jerseys. The quarterback battle has still not been settled, but rarely is in Mission Viejo in mid-July. Nonetheless, the leading weapons from a season ago in running back Donnell Dickerson and wide receiver Rodney Woodland are expected to return, with a ton of guys waiting in line behind them that have experience in the system. The offensive line could be very good, with four players returning with experience from a year ago, and the transition of Kyle Long (son of Howie Long) to offensive tackle after playing defensive end in 2010, who Gaucho coaches are saying could be the best tackle they have had in quite some time. Saddleback is also set in the special teams, as punter Brendan Rowland is one of the best in the nation after averaging 42.4-per-punt as a freshman. Oregon bounce back kicker Michael Bowlin has a big leg, and recently had a big outing at the Chris Sailer Kicking Camp, making good from 63 yards.

The rest of the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 rankings can be seen by clicking on the link in the above grey box. Just a reminder, this is an early look at the top programs in the nation, and a lot is going to change over the next 3-4 weeks, if it hasn't already. Players will be moving around, getting ruled academically ineligible, suffering injuries during fall ball and falling out of love with programs.

One thing is for certain, the smell of football is back in the air, and that is a good thing!

FEATURED PRODUCT