All-American pair leads Viks into opening week of fall practice
Adams, Malo again named among top players in FCS
Chalk up another preseason All-America list that heavily features the Portland State defense.
Senior defensive back Anthony Adams and senior defensive lineman VJ Malo were named to the STATS Perform FCS All-American team on Monday, one of six Big Sky teams to have multiple honorees on its squad.
Itβs the third All-American nod for Adams this summer, also earning first team honors from Athlon Sports and Bluebloods. Malo was named to the third team in the STATS Perform list and second team by Bluebloods.
As fall practices open on Wednesday, Portland State is assured to have standouts on its defense and looks to be able to line up a team that can play with any side on its schedule.
βWeβre talented,β head coach Bruce Barnum said in his weekly radio interview.
βI thought we shouldβve won more last year. (We) have to stay healthy.
βWe have a chance every Saturday. If theyβre in the (ice) tub, weβre not going to win.β
With returning starters at nearly every position and both coordinators holding over, the Viks should have less introduction to the playbook this camp as it ramps up to play San Jose State on September 1.
The biggest question entering fall practices is at quarterback, though the Viks seem to be leaning toward a favorite.
Dante Chachere, a backup to Davis Alexander the last two seasons, has been featured in team promos and looks to have the edge on the starting gig.
βIf we play tomorrow, I love QB1,β Barnum said of Chachere. βHeβs different. As a coach you have to make sure the offense conforms to who he is. Heβs a dude.
βHeβs fun to watch. Heβs growing up. I think he can be a guy.β
Barnum also said he and new athletic director John Johnson have been in discussions on increasing funding for the football program and β at least loosely β about constructing a new stadium.
As with every season, there will also be a handful of new numbers for established players.
Wide receiver Mataio Talalemotu will take over No. 6, long worn by record-setting quarterback Davis Alexander.
Receivers Darien Chase and Nate Bennett will also be switching to single digits with the biggest switch coming from standout linebacker Parker McKenna, who is changing out a traditional number for No. 0.
The coaching room, which had ballooned up to a full set of 13 coaches last season, has been slimmed down slightly this fall.
The Viks lost four coaches, including two to prep head coaching positions, and replaced them by elevating two graduate assistants and bringing back an old face.
AC Patterson, a coach from 2015-18, made a high-profile return after a stint with the Minnesota Vikings. Patterson slots in as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator, breathing a new life into the process this spring.
Former graduate assistants Kieran McDonagh and Marcus Gray have been promoted. McDonagh, who was a Jerry Rice Award finalist for the Viks in 2012, will serve as quarterbacks coach this fall and Gray will serve as assistant offensive line coach.
Looking at the NFL, graduated Vikings punter Seth Vernon is in camp with the Falcons this month, though it looks like he may not have an inside track on the vacant special teams gig in Atlanta.
HOOPS HYPE BEGINNING EARLY
With summer practices all wrapped and a football starting to drag attention, some basketball pundits are starting to introduce early predictions.
One outlet has Portland State near the bottom of a suddenly deep Big Sky, though the reasoning is sound. With so many new faces on the Park Blocks, itβs easy to see the plan Jase Coburn and the Viks are trying to execute, but less clear on who and how they will be doing the executing.
The Portland State women got a commit to bolster the depth on its front line this winter.
Paige Winter is a 6-foot tall forward who played under new coach Megan Kritscher at William Jessup in 2020-21, averaging 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in helping lead the team to a conference title. She spent last season at Centralia College, where she averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
AROUND THE BLOCKS
Big news for a menβs tennis recruit.
The track team picked up a new recruit, hoping again to hit it big with a transfer distance runner.
Volleyball adds a recruit, cryptically.
Former Portland State guard Charles Jones has found a landing spot for his final year of eligibility, staying in town to play at Multnomah. Jones started six games for the Viks in 2020-21, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in those games.
Former Portland State guard Ezekiel Alley has signed a pro deal in Spain.
As a palate cleanser to close us out, Portland State Hall of Famer Derek Nesland is doing inspiring work building basketball courts around the world through his charity, Courts for Kids.
Since resuming projects in 2022, theyβve built a handful of courts in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
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