Joe Dailey named OC, Aaron Stamn remains on staff
Coach Gill announced a couple of changes to his coaching staff’s responsibilities. Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Dailey will now also be the offensive coordinator and assume play calling duties. Former offensive coordinator, Aaron Stamn, will remain on staff as tight ends and fullbacks coach, and will also take over as Special Teams Coordinator. Jamaal Fobbs, who has spent the past 2 seasons as the special teams coordinator, will remain as running backs coach.
The Search
We introduced a new feature this week. The Search will take an inside look at the 2016 quarterback competition. Returner Stephon Masha will battle a couple of true freshman in Rudiger Yearick and Stephen Calvert during the offseason. This new feature will chronicle the competition through the spring and summer workouts until a starter is named for the opener September 3rd.
Football recruiting update
- The Flames picked up its 11th verbal commitment in the Class of 2016 from DeCarlo Hamilton this week. Hamilton is a defensive tackle who also had offers from Southeast Missouri State and Florida A&M.
- David Harvey, a wide receiver from Texas, also committed to the Flames this week. Harvey chose Liberty over offers from Abilene Christian, Air Force, and Army. He is a 2-star rated prospect who had 63 receptions for 1,257 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior.
- Jalen Camp picked up an offer from Georgia Tech this past weekend, and on Wednesday night he officially decommitted from Liberty and committed to the Yellow Jackets.
- Ethan Crawford and Aquinas beat Stratford Academy, 35-28, to advance to the Georgia High School Class A Private state championship game. Aquinas faces Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy for the state championship this Saturday in the Georgia Dome.
- We will bring you continual updates on Liberty’s recruiting class through signing day February 3. As always, you can stay updated on the Flames’ pending offers and commits on our Verbal Commits and Football Prospects tabs.
FlamesNation POY 2015
Voting for 2015 FlamesNation Player of the Year is underway. Our list of 10 nominees will be narrowed to the top 3 finalists in the next few days. Be sure to get your vote in by Monday, when the voting for this round closes. The top 3 vote-getters are currently Alex Close, Chima Uzowihe, and Ashley Rininger.
Men’s hoops struggling early in the McKay era
The Flames have now lost 6 straight games after falling to Charleston Southern and Furman this week. Each of these games were highlighted by extended scoring droughts for the Flames which enabled its opponent to go on long scoring runs. The lost to Furman, 79-56, was the worst non-conference loss since November 9, 2012 when the Flames lost to Richmond by 42. Both the Buccaneers and the Paladins made it a priority to double Evan Maxwell whenever he touched the ball in the point. This was successful as Liberty’s leading scorer had 6 turnovers against Charleston Southern and went the first 17 minutes against Furman without attempting a field goal. Another concerning trend is Ryan Kemrite’s struggles during the Flames losing skid. In Liberty’s first 4 games of the season, Kemrite was averaging a team-leading 13.5 points per game while shooting 56.67% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. During the Flames’ 6 game losing streak, Kemrite’s scoring has dropped to 5.8 points per game while shooting 25.5% from the field and 20% from 3-point range.
Basketball commits update
- Xzavier Barmore had 29 points to lead Seneca to a 15 point win over Greater Atlanta Christian in their opener. They play again this weekend.
- Brock Gardner had an unbelievable night on Thursday, leading his team with 44 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 assists. Tri-City Christian is now 4-0 on the season as Gardner is averaging 28.25 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.25 assists per game. Entering Thursday’s game, he was shooting 71% from the field and 70% from 3 point range.
- Josiah Talbert has torn a ligament in his toe and is expected to miss a couple of weeks.
- A 2017 commit, Elijah Cuffee, begins his season tonight.
Georgia State going bowling
Entering the 2015 season, Georgia State was looked at as one of the worst programs in FBS football. Rightly so, as the Panthers were 2-33 over the past 3 seasons. So, when Liberty beat them back in September, it didn’t come as much of a shock. With Georgia State’s 34-7 win over Georgia Southern last Saturday, their 4th straight victory, the Panthers finished the regular season 6-6 and will play in a bowl game for the first time in school history. Georgia State accepted a bid to play in the Cure Bowl on December 19th in Orlando against San Jose State.
FCS playoffs update
Charleston Southern picked up their first ever playoff win in their first ever playoff game as they defeated the Citadel, 14-6. With the win, the Buccaneers become just the 2nd Big South program to ever reach the FCS quarterfinals (Coastal Carolina being the other). The 8-seed Bucs now go on the road to face #1 Jacksonville State. The game airs on ESPN2 tonight at 8pm. Danny Rocco and the Richmond Spiders dominated William & Mary, 48-13, and will now face #2 Illinois State tonight at 7:30 on ESPN3. 5-seed James Madison lost to Colgate.
Flames in the NFL update
Rashad Jennings had 5 carries for 14 yards and 1 reception for 19 yards in the Giants 23-20 overtime loss to the Jets. Walt Aikens did not have any recorded stats in the Dolphins’ 15-13 win over the Ravens. It looks like Rashad may get the chance to be on Dancing with the stars.
Women’s basketball update
The Lady Flames put an end to their 5 game losing streak by defeating Charleston Southern, 51-40, last Saturday in the Vines Center. Ashley Rininger led the way with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Mikal Johnson added 10 points and 9 boards. Liberty hosts #21 Seton Hall Saturday at 5pm.
Field Hockey joins Big East
The Big East Conference announced it will add Liberty as an affiliate member in field hockey, starting in 2016 and will be eligible to compete for the conference championship immediately. The Lady Flames spend 3 seasons in the NorPac Conference from 2012-14, winning the conference championship in 2013 and 2014. Competing as an independent during the 2015 season, Liberty posted a 12-6 record and finished the year ranked #14 in the final NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll.
FlameFans thread of the week
This week’s FlameFans thread of the week is And now we’ve come full circle…
