the most and should be the anchor Xavier Woods was. Three-star signees Amik Robertson and Jaiden Cole will compete for playing time. Plus there’s Aaron Roberson, Michael Sam, Ephraim Kitchen, Zach Hannibal, Ronald Lewis, Trey Spencer: Tech will work to find a backside answer with some combination of all that talent. • Finally, Jonathan Barnes, author of the bowl game’s winning kick, is back, but his holder and snapper are gone. Davan Dyer, a 6-4, 225-pounder, is the only Australian on the roster and the only player with a scholarship to punt.
Major +’s:
• Seven home games, the most ever, and the opening of the new suites and press box, which, with the other stadium improvements – especially LED lighting and the stillnew DAC, will make a huge difference in the gameday experience, meaning Tech should be able to improve on the past three seasons, the best-attended in school history:
could the season opener against Northwestern State and the following game, against the SEC’s Mississippi State, sell out? • And maybe, with Holtz heading into his fifth season, the program has its best overall roster. • Holtz and the University agreed to a five-year, $3.5 million contract extension, and only one assistant, RB coach Mickey Joseph, left during the offseason. When you’re going to bowl games every year, stability is a sweet thing.
Major -’s:
• Carlos Henderson, Trent Taylor, and Xavier Woods were drafted for a reason. And departed QB Ryan Higgins was the league’s most outstanding player. But even in this, it means other players get their chances. Seven of the 2015 Bulldogs played in the NFL last season, but the 2016 Bulldogs still won the West, nine games, and a bowl. • Tech’s first two C-USA games are on the road, against WKU and UAB (but four of the final six are in Ruston).
NFL Draft Picks All three were in Holtz’s first signing class. Henderson redshirted as a true freshman but would not have had Holtz known – had anybody known – he would enter the draft in 2017. Taylor and Woods lettered all four years. Some career notes: CARLOS HENDERSON / Denver, 3rd round / McDonogh 35 in New Orleans
In 2016, he became the first player in C-USA history to be awarded both Offensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year. He ranked first in the NCAA with 19 receiving touchdowns and fifth nationally in receiving yards (1,535). With 326 receiving yards and five touchdowns against UMASS, he became the only player in the history of college football to top 325 yards receiving and score five touchdowns in a single game. For his Tech career, Henderson returned 36 kicks for 2,094 yards and three kicks returned for touchdowns, including two during the 2016 season. His 2,094 kick return yards ranks second in Tech history. Henderson racked up 5,229 all-purpose yards, fourth-best in program history, and scored 34 TDs.
TRENT TAYLOR / San Francisco, 5th round / Evangel in Shreveport
As a senior, Taylor caught 136 passes for 1,803 yards and 12 TDs to lead Tech in receiving for the third-straight season. He holds the school’s career record for catches (327) and is second behind LA Tech Hall of Famer Troy Edwards in receiving yards (4,179). He ranked first in the NCAA in receiving yards (1,803), second in catches per game (9.7), and caught at least one pass in 41 consecutive games, beginning with the first game of his sophomore season. He and Henderson set an NCAA record in 2016 for the most receiving yards in a single season by two players on the same team (3,338).
XAVIER WOODS / Dallas, 6th round / West Monroe High
Woods is the only player in C-USA history to be both first team all-conference and first team all-academic in three consecutive seasons. His 14 career interceptions is third-most in school history. He has the program record for interception return yards (325); he returned two for TDs as a junior. In his final season as a Bulldog, Woods had 89 tackles (60 solo, 29 assisted) and a teamhigh five interceptions, which ranked first in Conference USA and 13th in the nation in 2016. Woods totaled 181 tackles in his career, including 20.5 tackles for a loss of 104 yards. He had four career sacks; three of those came last fall.
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