Recruiting Recap - Incarnate Word

What they lost - 

3 starters on offense, 1 on defense and 1 on special teams

QB Payden Lynch, UIW's all-time leading passer with 2,135 yards

FB Donald Gies - 2nd team All-LSC

WR Jacob Love - 38 receptions for 556 yds and 4 TDs in 2011

DL Diego McClain - 38 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks

K Thomas Rebold - converted 23-27 PATs, 6-10 FGs

Who's coming back - 

Just about everyone

RB Trent Rios, honorable mention All-LSC, 686 yards and 10 TDs rushing, 22 receptions for 105 yards, 1 TD, all-time UIW rusher with 1,931 yds and 20 TDs

WRs Dominic Hamilton, Colton Palmer, Stan Sullivan - combined 46 receptions, 547 yards, 4 TDs

TE Andrew Mocio, HM All-LSC,  32 receptions for 402 yards and 2 TDs

All five starters on the OL - Jake Roby, Andy Seaman, Charles Segura, Ty Warnasch, and Jayson Hierholzer

DL Robby Horton, HM All-LSC, 36 tackles, 11 TFL, 5.5 sacks

DL Jeremy Carson, Michael Tate, Anthony Vela, Jarrod White - combined 45 tackles, 8 TFL, 5 sacks

Starting LBs Juan Asencio and Dakota Mawyer - 151 tackles, 9 TFL, 1 sack, 5 Ints, 3 passes broken up

LB Joshua Campbell, Nick Ginn, Andrew Gurrola, Matt Bass, Nick Morrow - 56 tackles, 5.5 TFL

CB Devin Haywood, 2nd All-LSC, 55 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 7 Ints, 2 passes broken up

S Chaz Pavliska, 2nd All-LSC, 67 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 Ints, 6 passes broken up

DB Todd Lyons, James Perez, Devan Avery, Aaron Willis, Chavis Barron - 155 tackles, 12 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 Ints, 19 passes broken up

Who they brought in - 

The initial high school signing class was pretty good.  3A player of the year, RB Joseph Sadler rushed for almost 4,000 yards and had 61 TDs, while leading Devine deep into the playoffs.  Trevor Mason, Matt McCarthy, Julian Perez, and Nathan Thompson look like solid additions for the offensive line.  McCarthy was a first team All-San Antonio area honoree.  Four dual threat QBs were added, including Trent Brittain who threw for 3,459 yards and rushed for over 1,000, earning AP All-State honors and Cohner Mokry, a 2nd team All-San Antonio area team member, who also rushed for over 1,000 yards.  Defensively, the Cardinals fortified the secondary, with Aaron Potter, an AP honorable mention All-State selection, Tim Ochola, Gary Reed IV, and Brandon Tanksley.  LBs Jamaal Ojo and Padyn Giebler (HM All-State) and DL Josh Esukpa should help down the road.  Not to be overlooked, 1st team All-State kicker Jake Wilcox was signed as well.

As if that wasn't enough, UIW also added their first really high profile FBS transfers.  Running back Marcus Wright, comes from Georgia Tech, where injuries limited his playing time, but rushed for over 7,000 yards in high school. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Dravannti Johnson was added, transferring in from the University of Texas.  At UT, Johnson saw action in 20 games, including 5 starts as a sophomore in 2010.

Overall Grade B+

The Cardinals added a lot of depth on the defensive side of the ball, as well as the offensive line, where all five returning starters are seniors.  The quarterback position has not been a strength of the team, and it does not appear that immediate help is coming in.  That could make the addition of Wright even more important, if the team has to lean more on its running game.