Bosa eyes even bigger season in 2018
DALLAS — The Cotton Bowl will not be Nick Bosa’s last game as an Ohio State Buckeye.
That’s a result of NFL draft eligibility rules, not Bosa’s ability. The defensive end is a true sophomore, and a player isn’t eligible for the draft until he is three years removed from high school.
If Bosa were eligible, Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com said, he’d be a top-five overall pick.
“There’s a good chance he’d be the first defensive player drafted,” Brugler said. “Depending on how the quarterbacks went, he would have had a chance at being a topthree pick.”
Nick’s brother, Joey, went as the third overall pick to the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers two years ago and already has become one of the NFL’s premier defensive linemen. Nick is following a similar path.
Despite having limited snaps because of OSU’s depth on the defensive line, Bosa was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Lineman of the Year after leading the Buckeyes with 14½ tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Bosa was also voted first-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association, which earns him a place in Buckeye Grove.
“I get a tree next to Joey’s,” he said. “We’ve already got the spot. It’s pretty awesome.”
Though Bosa said he believes he is ready for the NFL now, he sees the benefit of playing another year in college.
Asked what he can improve, Bosa answered, “Everything. I’m not even close to where I can be. Every day, I’m looking for something to get better.
“I watched Joey’s freshman, sophomore and junior film, and the biggest jump he made was from sophomore to junior year. The stats weren’t the same, obviously, because he was getting triple-teamed and everyone knew who he was. But the jump he made as a player is why he’s doing what he’s doing now.”
With seniors Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes heading to the NFL and junior Sam Hubbard likely to join them, Bosa figures to get the extra attention from opposing offenses that his brother got in 2015.
But Bosa is optimistic that freshman Chase Young and sophomore Jonathon Cooper will shine with an expanded role. If third-year sophomore Dre’Mont Jones doesn’t declare for the NFL draft, Bosa said he and Robert Landers will be formidable at tackle.
“With Coop and Chase on the other side and Dre’Mont hopefully will come back and with (Landers) inside, it’ll be tough to double-team anyone,” Bosa said.
But Bosa does relish the idea of getting more reps next year and of being the veteran of the unit.
“I think I’ll have to be a little more vocal next year,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of young guys and guys who haven’t played in a game yet. I think I lead by example already but just pushing guys — I’ve already gotten with Chase a lot — being more vocal is important.”
But next year can wait for now as Bosa and the Buckeyes prepare for Southern California in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. Bosa raved about Trojans running back Ronald Jones II and redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold, who’ll be in the conversation for the first overall NFL pick if he enters the draft.
“We’re going to have to help our DBs and linebackers because they have a very good running back, definitely one of the best we’ve played, right up there with Saquon (Barkley of Penn State),” Bosa said. “Obviously, the quarterback is going to be a top pick.”
So will Bosa, but luckily for Ohio State fans, not until 2019.
PHOENIX — Bill Snyder has coached Kansas State for 26 seasons, returning once from retirement to coach at the stadium that bears his name.
Tuesday night’s Cactus Bowl against UCLA could be his grand finale.
Snyder has a contract that automatically rolls over every season, but the 78-year-old coach hasn’t decided if he wants to work a 27th season or retire.
“I’ve had some dialogue and I need to have some more dialogue with my family, and more dialogue with our administration,” Snyder said. “Just needing to be more thorough with it. Because you know for me it’s a big decision.”
Snyder helped turn Kansas State’s struggling team into a nationally prominent program when he took over in 1989. He retired in 2005, the program went into decline and Snyder returned to coaching in 2008.
Snyder has led Kansas State to eight straight bowl appearances and 19 overall, including three trips to the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
The Wildcats (7-5) got their 2017 season off to a slow start, losing three of their first four Big 12 games. Kansas State closed strongly, its only loss in the final five games to No. 23 west Virginia by five.
UCLA (6-6) had a shaky start as well, costing coach Jim Mora his job one game before the season ended. The Bruins closed the regular season with a 30-27 victory over California under interim coach Jedd Fisch to become bowl eligible after missing the postseason a year ago.
Understudy QB leads West Virginia
West Virginia (7-5) will rely on backup quarterback Chris Chugunov to get the ball to the Mountaineers’ talented receivers against Utah (6-6) in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Tuesday.
Starter Will Grier was lost with a broken middle finger on his passing hand during the first quarter against Texas on Nov. 18. Chugunov took over and went 24 of 46 for 326 yards against Texas and the next week against Oklahoma.
“It’s not like he doesn’t know the offense,” coach Dana Holgorsen said.
Three Mountaineers receivers, including second-team All-America David Sills V, rank in the top 30 in receiving yardage. Sills has 60 catches for 980 yards and 18 touchdowns.