ESPN College Football

Last spring it was Jeff Smoker making the dramatic return. This spring, Michigan State has a heart-warming comeback story on its hands.

Tyrell Dortch, a former blue-chip tailback recruit whose career was derailed when he broke his right leg two years ago, has, after having a metal plate removed from his right leg this offseason, resurfaced as a hard-hitting bandit. In one Spartan scrimmage the 5-foot-10, 206-pounder made a team-high nine tackles, including one that caused a fumble.

Last season Dortch battled the pain and swelling, managing 279 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He endured so much pain he even considered not returning for the 2004 season, but after the plate was removed, he has looked like a whole different player.

"He's progressed much faster than I thought he would," Spartan D-coordinator Chris Smeland says. "The great thing about him is he plays hard all the time and he's a real smart football player -- and that's important because the bandit has to make a lot of adjustments."

The bandit position -- a linebacker/safety hybrid -- is pivotal in Smeland's scheme. Unfortunately, the Spartans didn't really have anyone who could play the position last season so MSU resorted to a more conventional three-linebacker system.

Random Notes
USC lost two starters from its dominant D-line, but the Trojans front might be better this fall. Back is DT Mike Patterson, the Trojan's most valuable defender in '03, but the real boom comes from the emergence of one-time blue-chipper Manuel Wright who has shed 60 pounds in a year. Wright getting down to 283 has enabled DT Shaun Cody to move out to DE, where he is finally healthy and moving quicker than ever. And that doesn't even account for Jeff Schweiger, the nation's top DE recruit, who has such a motor that line coach Ed Orgeron feels will be impossible to keep him off the field. Orgeron also is excited about what he saw from a pair of redshirt freshmen: Sedrick Ellis, a 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle and Lawrence Jackson, a 6-5, 255-pound defensive end.

Kay-Jay Harris always had good speed for a big man. But now that Quincy Wilson has moved on to the NFL, the former minor league baseball player has shed 15 pounds (down to 228) and looks even faster than the 4.4 speed he used to claim. Harris pounded at the Mountaineer D in WVU's spring game for 96 yards and a pair of TDs on 15 carries, but the most impressive part was his 92-yard sprint that was negated by a penalty, but still showcased that added burst.

Penn State may have found a much-needed big-play man for its D-line this spring. Tamba Hali, a blue-chip recruit from New Jersey, who was a bit undersized for the double teams he faced as a DT, shifted to DE and flourished, notching four tackles for losses and two sacks in State's spring game.

The 6-3, 268-pound Hali, who joins converted strongside OLB Derek Wake as the Lions new ends, appears to be a valid response to a woeful run defense that surrendered 10 100-yard rushing performances in 2003. PSU also generated just 19 sacks on the season -- numbers not much better than what star DE Michael Haynes did almost by himself in 2002. Hali's maturation, along with a more athletic and talented crew of young linebackers should put more heat on opposing QBs this fall.

Lance Mitchell will look to control Vernand Morency.

Word out of Norman is that star MLB Lance Mitchell didn't really return 100 percent from the knee injury that sidelined him last fall. Actually, Mitchell is moving much better than he ever has according to Sooner D-coordinator Brent Venables. Mitchell also has a better grasp of the OU defense too. All of this, especially given that Mitchell was a legit All-American candidate in '03 before the injury, means the Sooners could have their third Butkus Award winner in four years.

While Miami missed its top two wideouts (Ryan Moore and Roscoe Parrish to injuries) this spring, the 'Canes discovered another speedy playmaker in sophomore Darnell Jenkins. A 5-10, 182-pounder, Jenkins developed his hand and footwork to beat jams and get off the line of scrimmage -- something he struggled with in the past. The results were very evident on a couple of occasions this spring. Jenkins had a 72-yard TD reception where he outran the entire Miami D in one scrimmage and had a 59-yard grab in the 'Canes spring game.

Speaking of Miami, a friend in the newspaper biz asked if we thought the 'Canes run of 19 first rounders in the past four drafts, highlighted by UM's record six first-rounders last weekend, would signal the end of an astonishing run. The answer is probably not. Miami could have a "down" year in the Draft next April and still get four first-rounders. CB Antrel Rolle is a lock (No. 6 overall on Mel's top 15 seniors list); DT Orien Harris and LT Eric Winston are both juniors who figure to be All-Americans and potential top 15 picks, while 6-6, 252-pound TE Kevin Everett is a punishing blocker who will run in the 4.5 range and vertical around 40 inches -- numbers that, given Miami's tight end pedigree, will probably merit a first-round grade too.

Georgia Tech hoped massive Morris Brown transfer Kenton Johnson could replace All-ACC performer Nat Dorsey at LT. But the 6-6, 320-pound senior struggled so much, he was flip-flopped with RT Kyle Wallace midway through spring ball. Problem is, Johnson struggled on the rightside too and eventually gave way to Salih Besirevic, a native of Bosnia, who won the starting spot and was called "the biggest surprise of the spring" by coach Chan Gailey.

Desperate to boost the Big Ten's worst defense -- a unit that gave up a school-record 398 points -- new Illinois D-coordinator Mike Mallory not only simplified the Illini's scheme to allow his players to "play faster," but the team also experimented by shifting some of its speedy skill players to defense. Smart move. One of the stars of the spring game was WR-turned-DB Kelvin Hayden who made five tackles, while converted running backs Morris Virgil (six tackles) and James Cooper (four tackles) are battling for the starting jobs at safety.

Last year, the top three receivers in the Pac-10 average size was 6-3 ½, 222 pounds. In hopes of coping with such a force, Cal thinks it might have an antidote in rapidly developing sophomore corner Thomas DeCoud, a 6-3, 190-pounder who runs in the 4.4 range. "He's special," says Cal coach Jeff Tedford. "He's got that size and speed to play the big receivers." Good thing since only Arizona gave up more TD passed in the league.

Keep an eye out for Kyle Ingraham. The 21st Century's Harold Carmichael, Ingraham, a 6-9 sophomore wideout for Purdue, caught seven passes for 169 yards and three scores in the Boilers spring game, showing he may be more than just a red-zone weapon for star QB Kyle Orton.

From the technology bin, college football video analysis has gone mainstream and is finding its way into many high schools across the country. A product called the Landro Play Analyzer, a system made just for football coaches, enables them to jump from one play to the next because it can store and break down up to 20,000 plays by down and situation. Prep coaches who bought Landro last season all swear by it, and teams from Pennsylvania, Utah, Texas, Maryland and New Hampshire all won state titles their coaches say, in part, because of it. The system, which goes for under $5,000, was created by Jerry Salandro, the same guy who developed the technology for the one-hour photo places two decades ago.

We sat through the draft and have to admit to be surprised that these five players didn't get called: Jason Peters, the nimble 330-pound TE-OT from Arkansas; OL Lenny Vandermade from USC; BC tailback Derrick Knight; Tennessee DB Jabari Greer and Brandon Kennedy, the dynamic 5-9, 310-pound NT from North Texas.

An NFL scout gave us his watch list for the 2005 draft, and by his call the best six tailback prospects are all in the South: 1) Cadillac Williams, Auburn; 2) Cedric Benson, Texas; 3) T.A. McLendon, NC State; 4) Cedric Houston, Tenn.; 5) Ronnie Brown, Auburn; 6) DeAngelo Williams, Memphis. Meanwhile, the top three QB prospects: 1) Aaron Rodgers, Cal; 2) Matt Leinart, USC; 3) Andrew Walter, ASU are all Pac-10 guys.

Bruce Feldman is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. His first book Cane Mutiny: How the Miami Hurricanes Overturned the Football Establishment comes out in the fall of 2004. He can be reached at bruce.feldman@espn3.com.