Scout team a ‘battle’ for Cougars
The defensive lineman was once the top signee for one of the nation’s top college football programs. Another was an All-American kick returner.
Just a year ago, the quarterback was mentioned in the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Houston coach Dana Holgorsen calls the Cougars’ defensive scout team perhaps “the best in the history of college football,” and that assessment may not be a stretch with a collection of players who signed out of high school to play in some of the top conferences and name brand programs in the nation.
They come from Alabama and Oklahoma State, TCU, Colorado and Minnesota. They’ve played in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12.
And for this season, the extent of their contributions is confined to practice fields away from the spotlight of Saturday afternoons.
The scout team never gets mentioned during the season, but every team has one and every team needs one. Their job: simulate the offense, defense and special teams that the Cougars will face each week during the season.
“Just because you are on scout team doesn’t mean we forget about you,” Holgorsen said. “It doesn’t mean it’s a punishment situation. It’s an opportunity for you to play football and opportunity for you to get our attention and figure out a way to help us.
“Two words that were associated with this program as dirty words: redshirting and scout team. We need to redshirt kids and we need scout team kids. That’s how you make your mark.”
Eyabi Anoma, a 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman, was the topranked player in Alabama’s 2018 class and a five-star recruit. Holgorsen: “He’s the most disruptive defensive lineman I’ve ever seen.”
Marcus Jones, an All-American returner at Troy, can play cornerback, safety and nickel. “We’re going to be talking about him for the next couple years,” Holgorsen said.
Thabo Mwaniki started as a true freshman at Oklahoma State. Kelvin Clemmons, a 6-1 cornerback, signed with Minnesota out of high school and played at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, where he was rated the No. 9 JUCO corner.
Safety Hasaan Hypolite played as a true freshman at Colorado.
Bryson Jackson, a former fourstar recruit, redshirted at TCU last season.
With five of the transfers on the defensive side, including four in the secondary, the Cougars have reinforcements for next season at positions that have lacked depth this season.
“We see them every day,” linebacker Donavan Mutin said. “We hear about what they are doing and can watch video of what they are doing. A lot of talent and experience. We can’t wait to have it.”
Said safety Deontay Anderson: “It makes the meeting room better.”
Two unexpected additions to the scout-team roll call: quarterback D’Eriq King and wide receiver Keith Corbin who announced it late September plans to redshirt this season.
“It’s a battle. I can say this is the first scout team that’s really a battle in practice,” King, who accounted for 50 total touchdowns last season, said before his announcement. “They go super hard, super competitive. They can’t play this year, so every practice is a game to them.”
A scout team usually consists of walk-ons, freshmen who need more time to develop, upperclassmen who may not get much playing time and, in UH’s case, transfers who are not eligible and must sit out the season.
Holgorsen said being on scout team allows players to “remain engaged” with the program while providing valuable reps as the Cougars prepare for a 12-game season — everything from Memphis’ high-octane offense to Navy’s triple-option. Scout team players do everything of those on the active roster: attend meetings, study the playbook, practice and go through the conditioning program.
“They are really engaged, want to learn and want to know what to
do,” Holgorsen said of scout-team players eligible to play. “They know toward the end of the year they may get their numbers called. They don’t want to be embarrassed. They want to know what to do. It keeps them really engaged.”
Along with transfers, the scout team offers a chance for younger players like true freshmen offensive linemen Patrick Paul, Chayse Todd and Cam’Ron Johnson to get valuable reps. All three could see action during the final three games because of the NCAA’s four-game redshirt rule.
“Those three guys on our scout team just terrorize our defensive linemen,” Holgorsen said. “Don’t be surprised if those guys end up getting a little bit of playing time toward the end of the year because of the four-game rule.”
Holgorsen said a strong scout team also breeds competition, with several players expected to challenge for starting jobs in the spring.
“This will be a completely different deal in the spring when guys are competing for jobs,” Holgorsen said. “There are a lot of guys that are starting for us now, they better improve. That’s been the message with these guys right now: you’re playing ball right now, you better use this as an opportunity to get better because we have some guys on the sidelines and scout team and through recruiting as well that are going to be trying to take your job.”