Ye olde notebook:
Perhaps it's appropriate that over the Labor Day weekend, NFL teams have been settling into their final 53-man rosters.
It's time to get to work, gentlemen. Time to entertain us.
Of course, trying to pinpoint exact rosters is like shooting a moving target. Players are released. They are claimed. They are placed on practice squads. They are given injury settlements. Etcetera, etcetera.
On Monday, however, I examined those NFL rosters to see how former WVU Mountaineers and MU Thundering Herd players are faring. And the day's snapshot is impressive, especially in regard to WVU.
First, understand legendary The Turk is always going to visit. Players are going to be cut. And, unfortunately, South Charleston native and MU standout Aaron Dobson was cut by New England.
Among the ex-WVU players, Mario Alford was cut by Cincinnati, Najee Goode was cut by Philly (after four seasons) and San Diego waived Dreamius Smith and Shaq Petteway. (Terrell Chestnut was listed on injured reserve by the Chargers.)
Among the other ex-MU players, Deandre Reaves was cut by San Diego. Cornerback Darryl Roberts was cut by New England, but then claimed by the New York Jets.
But let's get to the better news.
There are many from the two schools that not only made rosters, but are listed as starters on the most current depth charts. Among them from WVU are Tavon Austin with the Los Angeles Rams; Mark Glowinski at guard with the Seattle Seahawks; Bruce Irvin at strong-side linebacker with the Oakland Raiders; Adam "Pac-Man" Jones at corner with the Cincinnati Bengals; Karl Joseph at strong safety with Oakland; Pat McAfee at punter for the Indianapolis Colts; Quinton Spain at left guard (protecting Marcus Mariota and blocking for DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry) with the Tennessee Titans; Kevin White at receiver for the Chicago Bears; and Daryl Worley at right corner for the Carolina Panthers. Marshall has tight end Lee Smith listed No. 1 for Oakland.
But wait. There's more.
Sure-fire contributors to NFL teams should include ex-Mountaineers Don Barclay, a backup at right guard in Green Bay to T.J. Lang; Will Clarke, a backup right defensive end in Cincinnati; Charles Sims, the No. 2 back for Tampa Bay behind Doug "Don't-Call-Me-the-Muscle-Hamster" Martin; and Keith Tandy, the No. 2 safety for the Buccaneers.
Oh yeah. And there's that Geno Smith guy with the New York Jets. On Monday, he was still listed as the No. 2 QB, behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and in front of injured Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenburg. (Make of that mess what you will.)
Marshall, meanwhile, has former standouts like Vinny Curry, Neville Hewitt and Albert McClellan set to contribute. Curry is listed No. 2 to Brandon Graham at defensive end for Philadelphia; Hewitt is the backup to Jelani Jenkins at linebacker for Miami; and McClellan is behind Elvis Dumervil at strong-side linebacker for Baltimore.
Those still in NFL pictures from WVU are K.J. Dillon, a third-string safety with Houston; Terence Garvin, a third-team middle linebacker now with Washington (after spending three seasons in Pittsburgh); Will Johnson, a fullback on injured reserve with the New York Giants (after spending four seasons in Pittsburgh); Nick Kwiatkoski, a linebacker with Chicago; Marquis Lucas, an offensive lineman on injured reserve with Buffalo; Wendell Smallwood, a running back with Philadelphia; and J.T. Thomas, a third-team weak-side linebacker with the New York Giants. Shaq Riddick was signed to Arizona's practice squad.
Ex-Herd player Devon Johnson is on injured reserve with Carolina.
Of all that, two things jumped out. First, Oakland projects to have three starters from the Mountain State in Irvin, Joseph and Smith. Second, San Diego was particularly cruel to the state's players.
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Remember Baylor hoops player Rico Gathers? He's now on the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys.
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And finally...
Apparently there's a rumor going around the Youngstown, Ohio, area that if WVU coach Dana Holgorsen doesn't make it past this season, YSU president Jim Tressel would be his successor.
Of course, Tressel led Ohio State to a national championship before being forced out amidst an NCAA investigation of improper benefits violations. He was hit with a show-cause penalty that would place sanctions from OSU to any school hiring him within a five-year period. Well, that expires on Dec. 17 of this year. And WVU president E. Gordon Gee was Tressel's boss at OSU.
Juicy rumor perhaps, especially since football coaches are paid millions (Tressel made $22 million at OSU alone) and Tressel's base salary at YSU is $300,000.
Yet I had a chance to speak with Gee - and he stopped the rumor cold.
"Absolutely not," said the WVU president. "That probably comes from the fact that I introduced him [as a speaker at the Association of Ohio Commodores] recently.
"We are friends, even though I fired him. I guess that we're still friends is a sign of a good relationship. But absolutely not."
Gee also said he and fellow Big 12 presidents are leaving much of the league expansion work at this time in the hands of commissioner Bob Bowlsby and staff.
"He's smart and able," Gee said. "We'll let him and his staff work and then we'll take a look at everything and go from there."
The presidents will gather again Oct. 17. The list of expansion candidates has reportedly been whittled to 11.