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Red Raider Gridiron | Jackson Discusses Simmons Transfer; Corker and Phillips to Work in Rotation; Paul under Microscope

Branden Jackson talks about his high school friend Delvon Simmons transferring. Shawn Corker and Donte Phillips are both guys working into rotation. Freshman Dee Paul goes under the microscope.

By Seth C
Brett Deering

1. Day 2 Practice Report | There is video from Practice #2 where DT Jackson Richards and CB Ola Falemi discuss the practice. I think this is a day old, but still, there is about 6 minutes of post-practice interviews. Richards said that the non-contact practice was the toughest one he's been a part of and Falemi seems like a pretty happy guy and smiles a lot. That last bit probably means nothing to you. Famlemi is also asked about a handful of players and he doesn't have anything critical to say about any of them and the general idea is that the team is doing well.

2. Jackson Thinks About Leaving | If you watched the Double-T 104.3 videos you would have known that DE Branden Jackson thought about leaving after his best friend, DT Delvon Simmons left, but he decided against it. The LAJ talked with Jackson about this as well:

"But at the end of the day, I’m my own man and I wasn’t going to leave a program that hasn’t done anything wrong to me, treated me with class, treated me great and a place where I’ve begun to make a name and I’m comfortable."

Jackson also talked about how the team made him feel better, and although he and Simmons were close, he had a team full of brothers. Good stuff. Jackson also talks about where he's going to play as he's been at defensive end and linebacker:

"I don’t even have a listing," Jackson said. "Everyone says, ‘You play linebacker. You play defensive line.’ I always tell them. I play a-t-h. I’m just an athlete. I’ll be everywhere."

That's what I love to hear.

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3. Notebook Things | The LAJ has a notebook that focuses on WR Shawn Corker wanting to make a move and DT Donte Phillips maybe getting time at nose guard. Here's Corker talking about working hard:

"Discouraging? I would say not really," Corker said. "You’ve just got to keep that confidence. You know what you can do. With my athleticism, I feel like I can play anywhere on the field, just the injuries kept me off. Now that I’m healthy, I’ve got to keep it that way and work to keep it that way every day."

Corker can be a fantastic deep threat and I will be interested if he can make a move this fall.

As far as Phillips is concerned, he let us know that Anthony Smith's nickname is "Snacks" and I pretty much love that. He also talked about working in at nose guard:

"I feel a lot more prepared," he said. "Every year, you kind of learn a little bit more. The more time you get, you learn more and more. The experience really helps."

4. Paul Under the Microscope | True freshman CB Dee Paul is getting a lot of buzz and the LAJ talked with head coach Kliff Kingsbury about Paul:

"That’s a good question," Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "We’re assuming, just watching the kid run, he’s going to have a great skill set, and then it’s just about learning the defense, how comfortable he can get and how fast that can happen.

"But he’s a tremendous competitor. Just talking to him, he wants to be good. That’s half the battle."

Paul is in the mix at cornerback and one of the few cornerbacks with some decent height, but he is making the transition from small school football.

5. TCU Starting Linebacker Leaves Team | Frogs O' War has a bit on LB Joel Hasley leaving the team. Hasley was supposed to be a starter and mentions that this is also a thin position. Last week the starting left tackle left the team.

6. Fist Year Coaching Predictions | SI has record predictions on the first year head coaches:

Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech: The country saw what Kingsbury was capable of at Texas A&M, where his offense led the SEC in every major statistical category and helped Johnny Manziel become the first freshman in history to win the Heisman Trophy. After returning to his alma mater, Kingsbury will look to work similar wonders with sophomore quarterback Michael Brewer, who appears be the next starter for a Red Raiders program that ranked second nationally in passing offense last season. Kingsbury will have to overcome depth issues on the offensive line, but expect Tech to reach a bowl in the coach’s debut season. Predicted 2013 record: 7-5

7. Big 12 Preview | CBS Sports has short capsules on all of the Big 12 teams and they also have their predictions for the Big 12 season.

8. Terrific Throwback Uniforms | Wide Right Natty Lite has a bit on the throwback uniforms for Iowa St., going back to when their stadium namesake, Jack Trice, was a player. If you haven't read about Jack Trice then catch up on a good bit of history.

9. JOHNNY FOOTBALL! SB Nation has a story stream on Johnny Manziel and I still don't have a lot to add other than these reports that are being made by ESPN seem a bit flimsy. I'm still pretty much in the thought that if he broke the rules then he deserved to be punished. That opinion has nothing to do with whether or not the rules should change.

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