Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Overview
A model of consistency for the Beavers, Roy Schuening started 50 consecutive games at Oregon State, breaking the school record of 48 straight starts by linebacker Richard Seigler (2000-03).
While Schuening manned the right guard position most often, he showed his versatility and team-first attitude by shifting over to right tackle for the final four contests when injuries depleted the offensive line’s depth.
Schuening also excelled in the classroom, as he was one of 20 players on the team that earned Academic All-Pac-10 Conference honors over the last two years. His drive-blocking skills made the national media take notice, as he was awarded with first-team All-American honors as a senior.
At Pendleton High School, Schuening was a three-year starter on both the offensive and defensive line. He earned All-Intermountain League honors as a junior and senior and was the league Lineman of the Year in 2002. He was also the most valuable lineman at the Oregon State and Oregon summer camps in 2002.
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Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Overview
When Keenan Burton was out of the lineup with assorted injuries — knee, foot and ankle — during his career, the Wildcats were a different team.
Back from injury, Burton had a banner junior season. Burton became just the third player in school history to gain over 1,000 yards receiving in a season (1,036) in 2006 and is also the third Wildcat to ever amass over 2,000 receiving yards in a career. His 12 touchdown receptions in 2006 rank second on the school’s single-season record list. He also set another Kentucky record by catching at least two touchdown passes in four consecutive games (Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Monroe).
At DuPont Manual High School, Burton excelled as a quarterback and safety. He earned first-team All-State from the Associated Press and the Louisville Courier-Journal and was named to the Lexington Herald-Leader “Class of the Commonwealth” listing of the top-22 seniors in the state during his senior year. He was the sixth-ranked prospect in Kentucky by Super Prep, ranking fifth in the state and among the nation’s top fifty defensive backs, according to Rivals.com and Prep Star. He also added All-County and All-District honors as a junior and senior.
The MVP of the Kentucky/Tennessee HS All-Star Game in the summer of 2003, Burton helped his school reach the Class AAAA state playoffs four consecutive seasons. He started the last three of his four seasons with the team, lining up mostly at quarterback on offense, although he did see some action as a receiver, running back, and kick returner.
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Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Overview
One of the top deep coverage cornerbacks in college football, King has also demonstrated outstanding skills performing on offense as a split end and on special teams as a gunner and returner. He has also shown the same accomplishments in the classroom, having graduated in December 2007 with a 3.0 grade point average, earning Dean’s List and Academic All-Big Ten Conference accolades.
After playing on offense and defense as a true freshman, he went on to start every game at right cornerback the last two seasons. During that time, he deflected 21 passes and intercepted three others. After a stellar performance at the 2008 NFL Combine, King proved that athletically, he is more than ready to take on the daunting task of playing professional football at the young age of 20.
Playing for Penn State seemed to be a natural thing to do for King, whose step-father, Terry Smith, played as a wide receiver for head coach Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions for 1988-91. Smith would coach King during his playing days at Gateway High School. The youngster announced on the night of Nov. 15, 2004 that he would enroll at Penn State, arriving on campus in January 2005.
Shortly thereafter, King began contacting other premier players across the nation who were considering Penn State, asking them to join him to help PSU win Big Ten Conference and national championships. Within days of King’s announcement, other top prep players began giving Paterno their commitments, including Derrick Williams, the nation’s top-rated player. Before he finished “campaigning,” King and fellow Gateway High tight end Jon Ditto were joined by 13 other prep prospects from Western Pennsylvania to wear a Nittany Lions uniform.
King was rated the nation’s top cornerback and the top player in Pennsylvania at Gateway High School. He played in the U.S. Army All-America Bowl, was the 2004 Gatorade Pennsylvania Player-of-the-Year and a first-team All-State selection by numerous media outlets. He shared the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player-of-the-Year honor and was a member of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and the Harrisburg Patriot-News Platinum 33 squads. He was co-winner of the Mercury Award, presented annually to the top player in Western Pennsylvania, and was a Parade All-American.
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Sunday, April 27th, 2008
Overview
A mainstay on the Rockets’ offensive line, John Greco filled a huge void at left offensive tackle when he replaced Nick Kaczur (New England) as a sophomore.
The coaches felt that Greco was more than capable of handling that tough assignment after seeing him excel at right tackle during his first year with the team. He was so impressive in 2004 that he became the first offensive lineman to win the Norman Cohen Award, given to the team’s top freshman.
At Boardman High School, Greco was named first-team All-Conference and second-team All-Region as a senior, adding second-team All-Conference honors as a junior. He helped the team share the conference championship in his junior year and the squad finished second in the conference in Greco’s freshman season. He also lettered one season in basketball, the same team that produced former Toledo All-Mid American Conference center, Chris Tuminello.
Greco enrolled at Toledo in 2003, performing on the scout team as an offensive tackle. That preparation period helped him take over right tackle duties in 2004. He generated 59 knockdowns with seven touchdown-resulting blocks, helping the offense rank 11th in the nation with an average of 459.2 yards per game.
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