Monday, May 30, 2011

Kesni Tausinga 2011 BYU commit


Kesni Tausinga
Defensive Lineman
6-1, 285
South Jordan, Utah
Bingham HS


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Kesni Tausinga


Named 5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... ranked No. 11 in the state and No. 49 nationally at defensive tackle by Rivals.com ... No. 39 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... helped Bingham win the 5A state title in 2009 and 2010 and Region 3 championships all three years ... three-year starter ... also played rugby for the nationally renowned Highland Rugby squad ... 2-time state champion wrestler ... also recruited by Utah, Utah State and Washington State ... coached by Dave Peck

Moses Kaumatule BYU Class 2011 commit



Moses Kaumatule
Defensive Lineman
6-2, 240
South Jordan, Utah
Bingham HS


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5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... ranked No. 6 recruit in the state and No. 33 among defensive ends in the nation by Rivals.com ... No. 37 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... helped Bingham win the 5A state title in 2009 and 2010 and Region 3 championships all three years ... in 2010, totaled 70 tackles and 10 sacks ... recorded 62 tackles and six sacks in 2009 ... displays good speed in pursuit and is a great wrap-up tackler ... coached by Dave Peck

Ului Lapuaho BYU Class 2011


Ului Lapuaho
Offensive Lineman
6-7, 285
West Valley City, Utah
Hunter HS


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5A All-State First Team in 2010 by Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune ... ranked No. 20 among state prospects by Rivals.com ... athletic on the line with good flexibility, balance and agility ... led team to region title and state semifinals in 2009 ... has good explosion off the snap with ability to knock defenders off the line ... son of former BYU defensive lineman Rob Lapuaho ... coached by Dustin Pearce

Gahr High School linebacker and BYU commit Lene Lesatele


Lene Lesatele
Linebacker
6-2, 240
Artesia, Calif.
Gahr HS


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Lene Lesatele


No. 100 Far West prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... 2010 All-Area ... Had 70 tackles and three sacks in 2009 ... Principal's Honor Roll ... also recruited by Washington, Hawaii, Nevada, Air Force, UCLA, Washington State and Oregon State ... coached by Greg Marshall

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Kuresa Commits to the Cougars

Alex Kuresa
Alex Kuresa


BYU brought in about 40 of its local recruits for the 2011 class Saturday, and they spoke with head coach Bronco Mendenhall. One of the attendees drove down to BYU with the intent to inform Mendenhall that he was committing to sign a letter of intent with BYU about a year from now.

Corbin Kaufusi, DL BYU Committ


Corbin Kaufusi
Defensive Lineman
6-7, 230
Provo, Utah
Timpview HS

No. 71 Midlands prospect by SuperPrep Magazine ... helped team win state championships in 2008 and 2009 and was a member of team that advanced to the state quarterfinals in 2010 ... helped Timpview win region titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010 ... also won state basketball championship ... father is former BYU player and current coach Steve Kaufusi ... National Honors Society and four-year academic honoree ... also recruited by Stanford ... coached by Louis Wong

Top 25 Most Important Athletes in Sports Today Polamalu at 25


25. Troy Polamalu

NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 31:  (FILE PHOTO)  Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers waits on the sideline before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome on October 31, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The Saints won 20-10 over the
Karl Walter/Getty Images
The back of Troy Polamalu's head it more recognizable than the faces of most athletes.  That hair is the face of Head and Shoulders.  Nike and Coca Cola are also some of Polamalu's biggest endorsements.
He's left his mark not only on the gridiron, but in the world of music.  " Puhlahmahlu" is a remake of the song "Mah Nà Mah Nà" inspired after an announcer mispronounced his name.  Polamalu's hair was also mentioned in Eminem's album recovery and Lil Wayne's " Green and Yellow."
He has annual earnings of about 8.3 million dollars, which get ready to be jealous because it's the lowest salary on the list.  Some of that money comes from his jersey being in the 10 most purchased in the league.

Troy Finishes what he started

Troy Polamalu shakes his perfectly coiffed hair -- his famous mane is pulled back into a pony tail this evening, but it's still as bouncy as ever -- and laughs at the kudos he was getting Sunday evening.

Technically, the 30-year-old strong safety was being honored at the 26th anniversary of Sports Spectacular, an event that benefits the Medical Genetics Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was being toasted at the Los Angeles event alongside Blake Griffin, Lindsey Vonn and Landon Donovan, but in this moment, on the event's red carpet, he was getting props Sunday night for finally finishing college and getting his degree from USC.

"For one," he starts in, when asked why it was so important for him to finish, "it was a promise I fulfilled to my aunt and uncle who raised me. Second of all, I've always believed that education was important, but I never could speak about it with any authority, you know? I can't tell a kid, 'go to college and school's the most important thing,' when I have no authority to speak with it. It's just like if I were to speak with anybody before I had children about being a father; it's very similar to that. But now I feel very blessed and it's a very big fulfillment for myself. You could spend a lot of your life trying to achieve certain goals, but school is a huge part of that. And if you fall short it's a very big disappointment."

Polamalu says that walking across the stage last week to receive his bachelor's degree in history -- it happened eight years after he left the university to join the NFL in the 2003 draft -- was humbling.

"It's great to just be considered one of everybody, you know? Because in the world we live in today, people try to put somebody ahead of anybody else. Somebody's more important, less important," he says. "But I was just one of five or six hundred students that walked across the stage and that was a huge blessing for myself, but very humbling as well."

He laughs again and hedges when asked how graduating ranked to playing in the Super Bowl.

Then he concedes, saying "it might've felt better if I would've completed it on time! I didn't complete it on time. The other part of it is I just finished school. I should've finished school a long time ago, so there shouldn't be so much press about, 'hey, he finished school! He went back to finish school!' When it's something I should've done in the first place. That's like saying, 'man, he didn't cheat on his wife!' You know what I mean? It's like, well, you're not supposed to."

Moving forward, Polamalu is thinking about how he's going to put that degree to good use. And he does have a plan.

"I want to teach, ultimately. That was something I wanted as much as playing football."

Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton are already a disruptive force against the pass.

According to Pro Football Focus, there were 37 DT’s/NT’s who took more than 50% of their teams’ defensive snaps (given that a 4-3 has 2 interior starters and a 3-4 has 1, this roughly equates to all of the starters at the position). Alualu and Knighton each had 4 sacks, which ties them for 8th amongst the starters. They also had 4 QB hits a piece, tied for 13th. Alualu had 18 pressures, good for 14th, and Knighton had 16 pressures, good for 16th. Long story short – of the league’s starting DT/NT’s, both of our guys are in the top half in all of the pass rush measurables. After seeing what Alualu is capable of by effort alone, I’m very optimistic that refining his technique and being more accustomed to the pro game, he will be dominant next year. Check out this sack against Denver and this sack against Cleveland – PURE HEART. A formidable push from the middle is a key component to the overall pass rush. For one, the DT’s have a shorter distance to the quarterback; if they beat their man, they’re already right there to get the sack, swat, or at least make the quarterback soil themselves and make a hurried pass. Also, by occupying multiple blockers, the DE’s are freed up with one-on-one matchups and a blitzing linebacker may be left free. Adding D’Anthony Smith to the mix should add more pressure and keep Tyson and Terrance (TnT) fresher. With Kampman back in the lineup and our young DE’s improving, as well, the overall pass rush should improve.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Peyton Siva to return for his Senior Year

The Cardinals will return one of the deepest rosters in the Big East. They are losing their leading scorer in Knowles and their most productive post player in Jennings. But Louisville's game plan is built on pressure defense and depth so those losses should be offset by fresh legs. They return stud PG Peyton Siva who will run the show as well as sharp shooters Kuric and Marra. They also get Jared Swopshire back from injury. Buckles is also recovering from an injury, but should be back for the start of next year.
Louisville will add 2 McDonald's all American's to an already potent line up. Chane Behanan is an undersized PF but is strong, aggressive, and a good finisher. Blackshear is a great scorer and 3pt shooter. He currently lacks the handle to drive consistently though. They also bring in Zach Price who will provide a post presence to replace the departed Jennings. Price is similar to Jennings in that his defense is well ahead of his offense. Nunez is a talented wing prospect, but his potential so far exceeds his production, but could be very dangerous down the line if he is capable of putting it all together.

Louisville should be the favorite for the conference crown in my opinion although most outlets will give the nod to Syracuse. I like Louisville's roster a lot more and think they emerge atop the Big East. Louisville defends and can put points on the board. They've got tons of talent. There's not much not to like about the Cardinals in 2011-2012.

Rey Maualuga - It's his third year, and it's time to make a leap

Rey Maualuga - It's his third year, and it's time to make a leap. A big leap. Maualuga figures to move into the middle linebacker spot and he'll be asked to use his brute strength to bolster the run defense and his gifts for finding the ball to help all of his teammates. Giving up 4.4 yards per carry to opposing rushers, as the Bengals did last year, isn't going to help the Bengals win in the AFC North. Having a stud middle linebacker play three downs and make plays from sideline to sideline will.

Troy Polamalu: Steelers Star Safety Finally Earns Diploma from USC

Troy Polamalu: Steelers Star Safety Finally Earns Diploma from USC
 By Nathaniel Uy  (Featured Columnist) on May 13, 2011
5,683 reads 0 comments

Troy Polamalu Partakes in USC Commencement

Pittsburgh Steelers Pro-Bowl safety Troy Polamalu may have just missed out on adding a third Super Bowl trophy to his resume this past season but that hasn't stopped him from finding a way to improve during his off-time.

While Ochocinco was trying to ride a bull and Dhani Jones was auditioning to be the next voice of the AFLAC duck, Polamalu hit the books and finished what he started when he first enrolled at the University of Southern California, he earned his Bachelor's degree.

Although some athletes never look back after leaving college early for the riches of the NFL, Polamalu proves that he's one of the handful of guys that value his education.

He may have left USC for the 2003 NFL draft, but he still came back and got his degree.  The twitpic photo is courtesy of ESPN's Arash Markazi.

Good for you Troy.  You're a true leader and a great role model for the younger players in the league.

Congratulations!