CATCHING UP
Del Olaleye: This week in college football
Del Olaleye
Jun 13, 2018, 6:55 am
Ed Oliver is 80-1 to win the Heisman. Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images
A look at some of the happenings this week in college football:
The Status of Virginia Tech starting QB Josh Jackson
This has not been a good offseason for the Hokies. Justin Fuente’s squad lost three underclassmen to the NFL Draft including Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds. The brother combo are the first ever to be drafted in the first round in the same draft. Tim Settle, the third of the underclassmen to leave early was drafted in the fifth round by the Washington Redskins. That is a lot of talent that could have been part of a stingy Hokies defense in 2018. The attrition didn’t end there. Two cornerbacks who were expected to be on the roster will not be part of the Hokies program as well. That is five contributors off the depth chart from one side of the ball.
The latest news concerns the status of Hokies QB Josh Jackson. A report suggested that he would be suspended indefinitely. That report was disputed by Jackson’s father along with multiple outlets. The redshirt sophomore to be is coming off a season where he started all 13 games and the Hokies finished 9-4. A season opening game against Florida State exacerbates the situation. The Hokies depth chart behind Jackson is light on experience and facing a energized Seminoles roster led by new coach Willie Taggart isn’t the best way to be baptized into major college football for one of Jackson’s understudies.
Bronco Mendenhall will say what he wants
The University of Virginia head coach said something damning of this team this week. He told the Daily Progress, “I believe we have 27 ACC-caliber football players on our roster today.” Twenty seven players capable of playing in your conference would be outstanding for the baseball team. It is atrocious for your football team. Mendenhall is entering his third year at Virginia after a successful 11-year run at BYU. A bowl appearance in 2017 followed a two-win 2016 in Charlottesville. Mendenhall appears to have UVA going in the direction. Through recruiting and development he expects to have 85 ACC-caliber players by 2020. Shoutout to the two-thirds of the current Cavaliers roster that isn’t fit enough to play in the ACC. I see Bronco working. How do you sell recruits there is playing time available? Tell them that over 50 guys taking up spots don’t belong on the roster.
The Heisman is just a quarterback and running back Award
New odds are out for the Heisman from the Westgate Sportsbook and only quarterbacks and running backs are listed as having realistic shots. The last non-RB or QB to win the Heisman was the great Charles Woodson twenty-one years ago. He had to do it all to win the award. Play cornerback, wide receiver and return kicks to hold off Peyton Manning. The last offensive player to win the award that didn’t play quarterback or running back was Michigan's wide receiver Desmond Howard in 1991. The Wolverine wide receiver returned kicks just like Woodson did. Running backs head the list this year. Stanford’s Bryce Love is 5 to 1 win the the award and Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor is next in line at 7 to 1. Houston’s star defensive tackle Ed Oliver is the first player who doesn’t play running back or quarterback to be listed. His odds are 80 to 1. You can make a lot of money if you’re an elite corner or defensive tackle. They are premiums positions in the NFL. You just can’t win the Heisman.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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