Fresno State Football

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 207

HAND: 9 3/8"

ARM: 29 3/4"

WINGSPAN: TBD

---

40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: 7.01

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 35"

BROAD: 114"

---

POSITIVES

— Tough as nails and extremely willing to make difficult throws. Sunday mentality.

— Good anticipation and decisiveness. Rarely late getting the ball out.

— Flashes of good velocity over the middle when he is set and comfortable.

— Stays calm under pressure; willing to make throws while taking a hit.

— Good understanding of how to throw WRs open when necessary.

---

NEGATIVES

— Slightly undersized and already has a history of getting beat up.

— Arm strength is dependent on his lower half being clean. Arm strength suffers greatly when throwing without his base.

— Below-average ability to throw with touch. Mostly throws fastballs; throws can sail on him as a result.

— Below-average pocket movement and ability to escape the pocket to make plays.

---

NOTES

— DOB: March 16, 1999

— 3-star recruit who committed to Washington in 2017, transferred to Fresno State in 2019

— 29 career starts (all at Fresno State)

— 2021 second-team All-Mountain West, 2022 first-team All-Mountain West

— Fresno State all-time leader in career completion percentage (68.1%)

— Suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 of 2022 vs USC.

---

OVERALL

Jake Haener is an undersized three-year starter with the toughness and decisiveness to be a quality backup. His game revolves around being unafraid to make a play.

In the pocket, Haener is exceptionally tough. He has zero issue taking a shot to the chinstrap if it means getting a high-value throw off. He remains calm under pressure and keeps his eyes up consistently when presented with cluttered pockets, though he could stand to move around a bit more than he does.

Haener also plays like a seasoned vet when it comes to finding ways to make throws work. He shows good anticipation and a fearless trigger. That runs him into trouble on occasion, but it more often allows him to maximize his average arm strength and fit difficult throws.

Haener has a great understanding of how to throw receivers open by placing the ball away from the defender's leverage, be that high, low, inside or outside of the "standard" target point. That unlocks a degree of throw difficulty that many other Day 3 quarterbacks don't have.

With that being said, Haener's physical skill set is limiting, and his accuracy is nothing to get excited over. Haener is undersized at 6'0" and 207 pounds, and he plays with such reckless abandon that he will always be prone to taking major hits. The accumulation of those hits over time will be an issue.

On top of that, Haener is often late to try to move outside the pocket and doesn't have the athleticism to escape most of the time. His arm is also middling. Haener throws with everything he has on every throw. That does just enough to give him NFL velocity, but it hurts his ability to control the ball and throw with touch, and he loses that velocity when his base isn't set properly.

It's hard not to appreciate Haener's playing style. He is fearless both in terms of taking hits and making NFL-level throws. He also brings just enough veteran savvy to be interested in his floor as a prospect.

However, Haener's size, up-and-down accuracy and middling physical tools make him more of a high-end backup than potential future starter.

---

GRADE: 6.2 (High-Level Developmental Prospect/Round 5)

OVERALL RANK: 165

POSITION RANK: QB7

PRO COMPARISON: Brett Rypien

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

Green Bay Packers star Davante Adams admitted it would be a "dream" to reunite with former Fresno State teammate Derek Carr in the NFL.

Adams, who's under contract with the Packers for one more season, was careful not to risk alienating his current teammates too much, though, in an interview with Bri Mellon for ABC30 Fresno:

Had the chance to follow up with @tae15adams today about @derekcarrqb's recruiting comments. "It would be a dream to play with him, I'm a Packer now until the point where we make that decision we'll see what happens."
Watch the full interview: https://t.co/ZKmmk4q2Gl via @abc30 https://t.co/FRFtL2x8N7 pic.twitter.com/4m4z0rOVsL

— Bri Mellon (@BriMellonTV) June 30, 2021

Carr previously told Mellon he planned to recruit Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders "when that time comes."

From @FresnoStateFB ➡️@Raiders? @derekcarrqb all in and ready to recruit @tae15adams when the time comes. I think we all want to see Adams, Carr, and @jakehaener10 battle on the course 😂 @ABC30 pic.twitter.com/BogxTgZKp8

— Bri Mellon (@BriMellonTV) June 28, 2021

Adams and Carr spent three years together at Fresno State. 

Although Adams redshirted in 2011, he told Mellon how he and Carr built a strong rapport on the practice field. He proceeded to be the Bulldogs' leading receiver over the next two seasons, finishing his college career with 223 receptions for 3,031 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Along with his contract situation, the ongoing drama between Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers has thrown Adams' future with the organization into some doubt.

Speaking with Bleacher Report's Graham Matthews last week, the four-time Pro Bowler reaffirmed his commitment to the Packers now but remained a little vague about the long term:

That's the plan, man. I'm not planning on going anywhere. That's only one piece of it, though. Obviously the quarterback situation helps it, but the stars got to align across the board as far as contractually. We'll figure all that stuff out and let it happen. I'll be at training camp like I said regardless, we're going to play the season, and we'll see how all of that pans out.

The same basic logic about the stars aligning just right could also apply to Carr's "full-court press" on Adams.

Signing Adams would make a ton of sense for the Raiders. 

Henry Ruggs III didn't go above and beyond as a rookie first-rounder (26 catches, 452 yards, two TDs) and Hunter Renfrow (56 catches, 656 yards, two TDs) is more of a possession receiver, so it's not immediately clear whether Las Vegas has a true No. 1 wideout. The team wouldn't have to worry about Adams' fit in the offense too much, either, given his previous experience with Carr.

But there are multiple steps required to make that partnership a reality.

Especially if they have to make the switch from Rodgers to Jordan Love within the next year or two, the Packers probably won't want to lose their best pass-catcher. Then there's the fact the four-time Pro Bowler will assuredly have plenty of interested suitors if he hits the open market.

The Fresno State Bulldogs have decided to hire Jeff Tedford to be their new head football coach. The head of the athletic department, Jim Bartko, confirmed the news on Thursday. 

Robert Kuwada of the Fresno Bee first reported the news on Wednesday.

Alexan Balekian of KMJ Sports provided the contract details:

BREAKING: Jeff Tedford accepts 3 to 4 yr deal to become Bulldogs HC. Source says 1.6 mil a season. He starts on Sunday @KMJNOW

— Alexan Balekian (@RealALEXAN) November 10, 2016

Tedford played for the Bulldogs as a quarterback and later served as an offensive coordinator for the team.

He will replace Tim DeRuyter, who was fired in mid-October.

While he has spent this past season as an offensive consultant with the currently undefeated Washington Huskies, Tedford is best known for his time as head coach of California from 2002 to 2012.

In 11 seasons with the Bears, he posted an 82-57 record, including a 5-3 record in bowl games. He had two 10-win seasons with the program and was twice named Pac-12 Coach of the Year. In that time, he coached elite skill players like Marshawn Lynch, DeSean Jackson, J.J. Arrington and Justin Forsett, among others.

He also recruited and coached Aaron Rodgers during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Fresno State is in desperate need of help after getting off to a 1-9 start in 2016. Since Derek Carr left after the 2013 season, the Bulldogs are just 10-26 in the past three years and can use help anywhere they can find it.

The Fresno State Bulldogs announced they fired head football coach Tim DeRuyter, according to Bryant-Jon Anteola of the Fresno Bee.

Offensive coordinator Eric Kiseau will take over as interim coach, per Anteola. 

Fresno State is coming off a 38-20 loss to the Utah State Aggies on Saturday, which dropped the Bulldogs to 1-7.

The team will miss out on a bowl game for the second straight season after making bowl appearances in each of DeRuyter's first three years.

Uproxx's Matt Hinton tweeted what was a big reason for the Bulldogs' early success under DeRuyter:

DeRuyter's first two years at Fresno: 20-6.
Last two years: 4-15.
A good quarterback is important.

— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) October 23, 2016

In 2012 and 2013, Fresno State had Derek Carr under center. Carr threw for 5,083 yards, 50 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his senior year alone. In the two-and-a-half years since, Bulldogs quarterbacks have combined to throw for 7,105 yards, 55 touchdowns and 45 interceptions.

Rittenberg speculated Jeff Tedford is atop Fresno State's wish list for its next head coach. SEC Country's Christopher Smith thinks Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will be in the running as well.

SEC Network's Tom Hart tweeted Kiffin could hold out for a better opportunity:

4 those of you thinking Kiffin to Fresno, he told me he's looking for an AD and a University that are 'committed to FB' for his next HC job

— Tom Hart (@tom_hart) October 23, 2016

I don't know enough about Fresno's program to say it fits those requirements, but I would think he's aiming higher.

— Tom Hart (@tom_hart) October 23, 2016

Tedford is the more realistic option of the two. The Bulldogs won't be able to attract any of the hottest coaching candidates, so they'll have to gamble on either an experienced head coach who's out of work or a young assistant who has yet to lead a team of his own.

Tedford hasn't had a head coaching job since getting fired by the California Golden Bears in 2012.

The 54-year-old's tenure in Berkeley didn't end well, with the Golden Bears finishing 3-9 in his final season. He'd be a solid hire for Fresno State given where the program is at.

Tedford will already have a strong base for in-state recruiting after spending 11 years with the Golden Bears, and he would help turn around Fresno State's offense, which ranks 107th in yards per game (354.9 YPG).

Coaching Fresno State would bring Tedford's career full circle. He graduated from the school in 1982 and worked as an assistant on Jim Sweeney's staff from 1992 to 1997.

The Boise State Broncos hope to continue their success against the Fresno State Bulldogs when they meet Friday night in a Mountain West Conference matchup.

The Broncos are a remarkable 12-1 against the spread in the last 13 meetings with the Bulldogs despite going just 3-13 ATS in their past 16 home games against conference opponents.

Point Spread: The Broncos opened as 16-point favorites at Bronco Stadium.

Odds Shark Computer Pick: Broncos 42.4, Bulldogs 31.1

Why the Fresno State Bulldogs Can Cover the Spread

Fresno State is 6-2 ATS in its last eight road games against Mountain West foes, and one of the losses came at UNLV last Saturday. The Bulldogs lost to the Rebels 30-27 in overtime but nearly rallied back for a victory with a strong second half that saw them outscore the home team 27-10 after the intermission.

Fresno State quarterback Brian Burrell had one of his best games of the season in defeat, throwing for 310 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Bulldogs had won their previous three games both SU and ATS after starting the season 0-3 straight up and ATS.

Why the Boise State Broncos Can Cover the Spread

Boise State has dominated Fresno State at home, but the team has had trouble covering the spread against other Mountain West teams. The Broncos have gone 3-1 ATS in their last four home games overall but have not played there since beating Louisiana-Lafayette 34-9 a month ago as 17.5-point favorites.

Three of their past four games have been on the road, including a 51-46 victory at Nevada last week as three-point favorites.

Boise State quarterback Grant Hedrick threw for 346 yards against the Wolf Pack with two touchdowns and one interception. Meanwhile, running back Jay Ajayi totaled 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Smart Pick

With two high-scoring teams, bettors might assume the over is the play. However, the betting trends favor the under with what could be a big number on the total.

The under has cashed in the last three games for the Bulldogs, who have played better defense following a rough start to the season.

Fresno State had given up an average of more than 55 points during an early three-game losing streak but has allowed fewer than 21 per game over the past four. The under is 4-1 in the last five road games against Mountain West opponents for the Bulldogs and 8-3 in Boise State's last 11 home games vs. conference foes.

The Broncos have also seen the under cash in each of the last two home meetings.

Betting Trends

• Fresno State is 1-7 SU in its last eight games when playing Boise State.
• Boise State is 5-0 ATS in its last five games when playing at home against Fresno State.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.

Fresno State Bulldogs wide receiver Davante Adams has been the top target of college football's No. 1 passing attack this season, and he is reportedly set to take his talents to the NFL level.

According to DraftInsider.net's Tony Pauline on Thursday, Adams will enter the 2014 NFL draft after hiring an agent:

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press confirmed the news:

Now the fun part begins: projecting how a prolific wideout who leads the nation in receptions (131) and touchdown catches (24) will translate to the pros. First in this analysis is figuring out where Adams might be drafted in May.

Some receivers who put up such gaudy numbers are products of their offensive systems. In the spread-crazed era of college football that is engulfing the game today, it is possible for coaching, spacing and matchups to yield eye-popping numbers.

While some of those factors have aided Adams' efforts—along with a cannon-armed quarterback in Derek Carr—the junior has exceptional skills that suggest he will continue to flourish on the NFL gridiron.

NFL.com scouting expert Daniel Jeremiah compared him to San Diego Chargers' emerging rookie Keenan Allen:

The former University of California standout fell to the third round of last year's draft but has come on for a respectable maiden campaign in San Diego.

Allen and Adams are about the same size at around 6'2" and 210 pounds. Both have great ball skills and show mature route-running ability—an uncommonly polished attribute for collegiate players who are making the transition to the pros.

One recent comparison that comes to mind regarding Adams and Carr is the receiver-QB tandem from Oklahoma State that was selected in the first round of the 2012 draft: Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden.

However, Adams has none of the off-field issues that Blackmon—who is suspended indefinitely at the moment—has.

That puts him in ideal position to be drafted early. The bad news is the wide receiver class promises to be deep.

CBSSports.com's rankings list as many as eight receivers who might be chosen in Round 1, but Adams is a firm second-round grade and the 10th-rated prospect at his position. The outlet's Jeremy Fowler also reports that Adams is seeking to improve the third-round grade that he received from the NFL draft advisory board:

If he lives up to the Allen comparison offered by Jeremiah, though, Adams will make several franchises regret passing on him if he is drafted later than expected.

Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr had a huge opportunity to boost his stock for the 2014 NFL draft going against the USC Trojans in the Las Vegas Bowl.

But the best way to describe his performance would have to be "disappointing." 

Entering the game as CBS Sports' No. 10 prospect overall and No. 2 quarterback behind Teddy Bridgewater, Carr is widely considered a lock to be a top-10 pick in April's draft. However, his game against USC might give some teams pause about handing him the keys just yet. 

Not only was Carr's Fresno State squad handily defeated by the USC Trojans, 45-20, but the QB had a poor individual performance, to boot. He put together a middling stat line of 29-of-54 for 217 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. 

There were moments when Carr flashed the upside that projects him to be a top-10 selection in the draft. On his first drive against the Trojans, he threw a nice fade to Davante Adams for 16 yards and connected with Isaiah Burse on an eight-yard touchdown toss. 

However, it started to get shaky from there.

As the game wore on, the pressure from the USC defensive line exposed some holes in Carr's game. It was a point that wasn't lost by expert observers and one which will likely come up again as the draft gets closer and even more of his game is picked apart:

Perhaps the most egregious example of Carr's occasional composure issues was a crushing interception that he threw in the end zone while struggling to get his team back in the game during the third quarter. 

Still, despite the shaky performance, B/R's Matt Miller reminds fans that one game doesn't necessarily define Carr. Whatever team he goes to in the draft will likely be an upgrade in terms of pass protection:

Receiver and teammate Davante Adams didn't struggle nearly as much.

Despite the loss, he managed to find a way to flash his upside to NFL scouts, registering nine receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.

As an NFL prospect, Adams isn't as highly regarded as Carr, but CBS Sports currently projects the wideout to land somewhere in the first or second round. 

After his performance in this game, there's at least one draftnik who believes that Adams might just be the best pro prospect that Fresno State has:

Adams became a Mountain West Conference record holder with his seventh catch of the game and was the only player who really found any success against a stingy Trojans defense. He was particularly effective using his ability to go up to high point the ball with his 6'2" frame. 

Adams will have a difficult time breaking into the first round with guys like Sammy Watkins, Marqise Lee, Jordan Matthews and Mike Evans highlighting a talented class of receivers.

But he certainly helped himself out with his performance in this game. 

Rejoice football fans! We're not going to have to watch multiple slaughters of mid-major teams in BCS bowl games this year with Fresno State's loss.

Fresno State had no business being in consideration for a BCS Bowl game this year. They haven't played anyone to justify their worth as the No. 16 team in the nation. Their 10-0 record was propped up by creampuffs that they struggled with. 

This 62-52 loss to San Jose State just proves that they have too many holes to be in the BCS this season. Their defense had too much trouble playing anyone of substance, and their lack of a running game wouldn't give their defense any time to rest.

Throughout all of this, the biggest bright spot is Derek Carr. Without the potential Davey O'Brien winner, the Fresno State Bulldogs wouldn't be anywhere close to the 10-1 team that they are. They are lucky to have him and his ability to lead them to come-from-behind wins.

Fresno State Cost MWC a Ton Of Money By Losing to SJSU

College Football fans may celebrate the better competition in the BCS games, but the Mountain West Conference should be wholly agitated at the Bulldogs for preventing a massive wad of cash from coming its way with the loss to the Spartans.

According to CollegeFootballPoll.com, a BCS bowl would have paid the conference $18 million. Now? 

Their six bowl tie-ins don't even total more than $4 million, with the highest being $1.1 million. So while Fresno State getting into a BCS bowl would still be a long shot, the fact that it is all but hopeless hurts quite a bit.

Fresno didn't deserve to be in a BCS bowl, but the conference should be mad it lost out on nearly $17 million it would have earned had Fresno gotten into a BCS Bowl.

Team	Current Record	Result
Rutgers	5-5	W, 52-51 OT
Boise State	7-4	W, 41-40
Hawaii	0-11	W, 42-37
San Diego State	7-4	W, 35-28 OT
San Jose State	6-6	L, 62-52

They haven't beaten anyone of substance

Looking at the Bulldogs' record, 10-1 (7-1 MWC) looks pretty good. However, they haven't played anyone of substance. Outside of their eight conference games, the three nonconference matchups that they had were against Rutgers, Cal Poly and Idaho.

That's not even close to a murderer's row of teams. The biggest reason why their 10-1 looks weak, though, is the four games that their defense almost blew for them. First, the Bullldogs had a game that they almost blew against Hawaii where they were up by 39 pointss and allowed five straight touchdowns.

Then, against Rutgers, San Diego State and Boise State, they had leads of at least a touchdown. And against all of them, they allowed multiple touchdowns to either allow the team to tie or allow the team to pull ahead.

Derek Carr had to bail them out in order to win the game in the end with some precision passing. Against San Jose State, the magic ran out. The Heisman contender just didn't have enough time to bring them back. 

Derek Carr is the saving grace

Speaking of Carr, he's the best player on the team by far. Not only has he been able to lead quite a few fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives, but he should at least be considered for the Davey O'Brien award for best quarterback in the country. 

Despite the loss against San Jose State, Carr went 38-of-50 (76.0 percent) for 519 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. He showed that he has a rocket arm and NFL abilities despite his team losing the game.

On the season, Carr has thrown for 4,462 yards, 45 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Sure, he doesn't offer anything in the running game, but he's been able to provide the kind of offense that teams dream about from their quarterback.

Compare his stats to guys like Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston or even A.J. McCarron, and he is an obvious leader in all the major passing categories. If he can continue on this same projection, he could be the dark horse winner of the award.

All stats used are either from ESPN or CFBStats.com. All recruiting rankings come from 247Sports.com.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, College Football, NFL and NFL draft. He also runs DraftFalcons.com.

Follow @ScottCarasik