San Jose State Against Jose Conference

NCAA Football Betting Lines

After going 1-12 and 0-8 in the WAC in his first season with the Spartans in 2010, San Jose State improved drastically in 2011, going 5-7 and 3-4 in conference play.

Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a second straight offseason, football recruiting at the University of Rhode Island may be the toughest job in CAA Football, yet the easiest in the Northeast Conference. A year ago, URI head coach Joe Trainer and his staff faced having to assemble their first recruiting class since the university announced two summers ago it would leave the CAA to join the smaller NEC for the 2013 season.

Trainer said he didn't sense reservation from last year's incoming players about the impending switch, and after the newcomers showed promise this past season, URI is clearly inching closer toward being a NEC contender from a CAA also-ran.

"To be candid, we've never beaten Villanova and William & Mary and James Madison and Delaware and those schools for kids anyway," Trainer said. "To me, it really hasn't changed much. You're trying to go and find diamonds in the rough and maybe go into some areas that other people don't necessarily go in there to pick kids.

"I think time with tell. A lot of times my analogy is always recruiting's like marriage - you don't know what you get until you're living it. A lot of those kids are going to be really good players."

Among the freshmen, linebacker Andrew Bose was particularly effective on special teams while winning URI's rookie of the year honors. Running back Assani Mudimbi had his redshirt taken off late in the season and showed promise, while offensive tackle Andrew Kestenbaum and defensive tackle Damen Vargas played well in reserve roles.

"I know personally I take a lot of pride in evaluating players," Trainer said. "You know I think I'm probably a better evaluator than I am a coach. Whatever kids you get, you hope you're doing a better job developing them than some of the big teams you compete against."

With fewer scholarships, but a chance to have more impact players in the NEC than the CAA, the Rams can be selective in recruiting. As Keith Croft, the veteran head coach of Rhode Island's top-ranked 2011 high school team, Division I state champion Bishop Hendricksen in Warwick, points out, the Rams don't necessarily have to find talent that possibly slipped through the FBS cracks. They can focus on players ready to be performers on the FCS level.

"I think it's a positive. I think the people in Rhode Island, especially the high school coaches, are excited about URI moving to this new league."

comments

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•    Ashlee gotta play linebacker, RB, or Center So she can get in #DatPosition

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•    One last episode of season 2 of Arrested Development. I never want this show to end!

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•    A special shout out to all the cleat chasers out there. We baseball players love them cleat chasers ;)

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•    ...So do you acknowledge the state's glorious omnipotence, or should we just throw you in Hell forever?" And that's yr cue to sing, dance.

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•    He say, " RAms, man dem scrams, get them scrams outtah hurr

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•    Fresno State women's basketball team beats the tar out of San Jose State, 76-49. Bulldogs now 16-4, 4-0 WAC.

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•    DEproblems101 The whole state fucked each other delawareproblems3dY9

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•    My mama says she gone call me BB instead of LB from now on (BB= BubbleButt)(LB=LineBacker).... I swear she kills me!

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