College Football Recruiting (2009 Class)

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Most UCLA fans held out hope that he would come to UCLA and for awhile, it seemed liked UCLA was going to be wher ehe ended up because he wanted to stay local and USC wasn't that interested, but lo and behold...*sigh*

It's not over yet though. Weis isn't exactly safe at ND right now.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

I didn't hear a whole lot about us being the leaders for Evans either until he announced for us. But I don't follow Rivals or Scout message boards until I'm bored in January anyways, so you probably know better.Arkansas is still in the SEC, right? Just sign all 30 and wait for the academic non-qualifiers. Sign enough and maybe it can get you the #1 class like Alabama last year.

We actually have competent recruiting this year. Surprising, I know.

[MJ4H]

Broderick Green transfering to Arkansas, reported locally on "Drive Time Sports" with a pretty reliable source that said he is 100% sure of it.

Hooray, now let's hope he is eligible next year. Getting better and better here.

[MrBug708]

I can't imagine he'd be eligible for next year

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I can't imagine he'd be eligible for next year

There is certainly some precedence for his case.

[timmynausea]

4 star QB Eugene Smith out of Miramar, FL committed to WVU tonight to hopefully completely salvage our class after losing Tajh Boyd. Smith had offers from pretty much everyone - Florida, Alabama, FSU, LSU, etc. He also is bringing in his teammate, WR Stedman Bailey, and is expected to solidify slightly wavering commitments of 5 star WR Logan Heastie and 4 star WR Deon Long, both of whom came in during Smith's official visit this weekend to meet him.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

There is certainly some precedence for his case.

Is there?

[MJ4H]

Yes.

His grandmother isn't doing well. He's transferring closer toward home to be around her more considering her health.

Matt Stoltz got to be eligible immediately when his dads health problems got bad. Zach Snider became eligible immediately when he went back to Tulsa because of his dads health. Brandon Warren transfered form Florida State to UT and was granted a waiver. His mother had kidney cancer. I'm pretty sure there are more examples.

That said, one of our recruiting gurus says he just spoke with Broderick and he hasn't made up his mind yet. They may just be the official line and the other guy is still right, but just remember he hasn't officially decided to be a Razorback yet.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Yes.

His grandmother isn't doing well. He's transferring closer toward home to be around her more considering her health.

Matt Stoltz got to be eligible immediately when his dads health problems got bad. Zach Snider became eligible immediately when he went back to Tulsa because of his dads health. Brandon Warren transfered form Florida State to UT and was granted a waiver. His mother had kidney cancer. I'm pretty sure there are more examples.

That said, one of our recruiting gurus says he just spoke with Broderick and he hasn't made up his mind yet. They may just be the official line and the other guy is still right, but just remember he hasn't officially decided to be a Razorback yet.

Not to rain on the parade, but there's usually a big difference between immediate the health of a mom/dad/sister/brother and a grandparent in something like this. Unless that grandparent was the one that raised him, of course.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Yes.

His grandmother isn't doing well. He's transferring closer toward home to be around her more considering her health.

Matt Stoltz got to be eligible immediately when his dads health problems got bad. Zach Snider became eligible immediately when he went back to Tulsa because of his dads health. Brandon Warren transfered form Florida State to UT and was granted a waiver. His mother had kidney cancer. I'm pretty sure there are more examples.

That said, one of our recruiting gurus says he just spoke with Broderick and he hasn't made up his mind yet. They may just be the official line and the other guy is still right, but just remember he hasn't officially decided to be a Razorback yet.

I know of instances of parents, but never heard of grandparents being the reason...especially when Green himself has stated that his grandmother helped his mom raise him...

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Not to rain on the parade, but there's usually a big difference between immediate the health of a mom/dad/sister/brother and a grandparent in something like this. Unless that grandparent was the one that raised him, of course.

Yes that is the main point of contention here and the real question mark in the deal. Certainly is possible he will be eligible next season. No one is saying it is for sure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

After losing their top rated OL committment (to Ga Tech) last week , Tennessee loses their top rated RB commitment today, I think he's rated 5th best overall RB by ESPN

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2008/...ut-commitment/
Tailback Jarvis Giles became the latest to rescind his pledge to be a part of UT’s 2009 signing class, according to Internet reports.

“I’m going to be calling them (Tennessee’s coaches) today and set everything right and let them know I’m officially de-committing,” Giles told GamecockCentral.com. “I’ve been with them for a long time and I want to handle it the right way, but it’s not the right situation for me.”

The decision isn’t really a surprise. Giles was one of the most vocal UT prospects following head coach Phillip Fulmer’s ouster last week.

Giles told the News Sentinel last week that he planned to follow UT recruiter Stan Drayton to wherever he coached next season.

I'm not particularly sweating it, just throwing it into the pile here.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

It's not over yet though. Weis isn't exactly safe at ND right now.

Unless they get shut out by Navy, Syracuse and USC, I wouldn't put any credence into that. ND is infinitely better than last year despite most of the players on the 2-deep being freshmen/sophomores and the recruiting class is light years better than the one exiting. If they had closed out either UNC or Pitt they would have been Top 25 going into Saturday's game, and as it is they'll probably finish 7-5 and go to a mid-tier bowl, lose nobody on offense and 2-3 starters on defense (Bruton is a beast and I'll miss him, but Crum is very overrated.)

[Rich1033]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

Unless they get shut out by Navy, Syracuse and USC, I wouldn't put any credence into that.

Ehhh, I dont know. There are a lot of important people very unhappy with him and I dont blame them. He wont go anywhere right now since they cant keep firing coaches after 3 years, but they are going to end up eating a decent part of that long contract IMO.

Honestly, as a rival fan I hope you keep him for a very long time. I have said this since he was hired, I just dont think he will be able to get the most out of college kids. He can recruit with the best of them though.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Rich1033

Ehhh, I dont know. There are a lot of important people very unhappy with him and I dont blame them. He wont go anywhere right now since they cant keep firing coaches after 3 years, but they are going to end up eating a decent part of that long contract IMO.

Honestly, as a rival fan I hope you keep him for a very long time. I have said this since he was hired, I just dont think he will be able to get the most out of college kids. He can recruit with the best of them though.

The jury's still out on his coaching (outside of QB and WR) and his ability to pick coaches/coordinators, the play-calling has been atrocious at times this year and they've shown a disturbing lack of killer instinct, but it would be silly to make judgments when the talent is Freshmen/Sophomores. You can also look at the 4 losses, all to Top 25 teams, 3 on the road and one in 4ot's, and see they were all close (MSU was a 6 point deficit in the 4th, BC Clausen threw 2 red zone INTs, one for a pick 6, and we led both UNC and Pitt late).

Score/Opponent/Yards Gained ND first/Turnover Margin
L 23-7 MSU 258-346 -2
L 29-24 UNC 472-322 -5
L 36-33 Pitt 386-346 +3
L 17-0 BC 292-246 -5

You can probably pick out on one hand how many teams have won in college football this year when -5 in turnovers, and while some of that may be schematic and some may be a young QB trying to do too much, part of that is just bad luck.

The last part, as you correctly point out, what happens next? Leave Weis there, the talent starts approaching elite levels again, and you can see next year/2010 if he has it or not. You fire him, and even if you can bring in a Butch Davis or Brian Kelly, there'll be transfers out, another recruiting class decimated and the program will be rebuilding again. God forbid the coaching search end up like the last two (and the AD is an untested first year guy too.)

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

The jury's still out on his coaching (outside of QB and WR) and his ability to pick coaches/coordinators, the play-calling has been atrocious at times this year and they've shown a disturbing lack of killer instinct, but it would be silly to make judgments when the talent is Freshmen/Sophomores. You can also look at the 4 losses, all to Top 25 teams, 3 on the road and one in 4ot's, and see they were all close (MSU was a 6 point deficit in the 4th, BC Clausen threw 2 red zone INTs, one for a pick 6, and we led both UNC and Pitt late).

Score/Opponent/Yards Gained ND first/Turnover Margin
L 23-7 MSU 258-346 -2
L 29-24 UNC 472-322 -5
L 36-33 Pitt 386-346 +3
L 17-0 BC 292-246 -5

You can probably pick out on one hand how many teams have won in college football this year when -5 in turnovers, and while some of that may be schematic and some may be a young QB trying to do too much, part of that is just bad luck.

The last part, as you correctly point out, what happens next? Leave Weis there, the talent starts approaching elite levels again, and you can see next year/2010 if he has it or not. You fire him, and even if you can bring in a Butch Davis or Brian Kelly, there'll be transfers out, another recruiting class decimated and the program will be rebuilding again. God forbid the coaching search end up like the last two (and the AD is an untested first year guy too.)

1-17 against teams who finished with a winning record, and that 1 is 5-5 Standford who will likely not finish above .500...that says it all at this point in time, no matter how young the team is. The supposed elite talent, even in their early years, should do better then that.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Yes that is the main point of contention here and the real question mark in the deal. Certainly is possible he will be eligible next season. No one is saying it is for sure.

No, but you guys thought Mallet would be immediately available too...its just that weve heared this song and dance before.

[timmynausea]

ESPN's primary recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said today that QB Eugene Smith to WVU may be the most important commitment of 2009 for any program in the country.

ESPN - College Football Recruiting On the Trail 2009

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

1-17 against teams who finished with a winning record, and that 1 is 5-5 Stanford who will likely not finish above .500...that says it all at this point in time, no matter how young the team is. The supposed elite talent, even in their early years, should do better then that.

I'm trying to figure out where this 1-17 stuff is coming from... we're 0-4 this year (1-4 if you count Stanford), the 4 games listed in my previous post, and we were 0-9 last year (ucla did make a bowl game, but finished 6-7), when quite frankly we were a terrible, terrible football team. I count 5 wins over winning teams in 2006 and 3 in 2005.

As for teams with great fr/so and not many upperclassmen, Miami is probably the closest example this year and they haven't beaten more than one team with a winning record either. UNC was 3-8 and didn't beat a winning team last year. How many did Gary Pinkel and Missouri have in 2004-06 once we take out the Murray States and MAC schools? (I'll leave ASU out for now because well, we have the same 1A wins they do plus 3 more.) Throwing a team like Alabama up there because they had a great recruiting class and poor record last 2 years would be erroneous because they're winning behind dominant SR/JR led Offensive and defensive lineman.

But whatever, this is a recruiting thread, and the bottom line is that there is no fire under Charlie Weis' seat and he's not going anywhere. It's all smoke from the CS-T trying to generate controversy to sell newspapers, and quite frankly I'm surprised ESPN hasn't started piling on yet. Any recruits that defect from ND will do so for their own reasons, not because of a coaching change.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

ESPN's primary recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said today that QB Eugene Smith to WVU may be the most important commitment of 2009 for any program in the country.

ESPN - College Football Recruiting On the Trail 2009

I'd say that should be Tate Forcier or Shavodrick Beaver. I mean .. come on.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I'd say that should be Tate Forcier or Shavodrick Beaver. I mean .. come on.

As far as importance for getting Rich's system in place, I'd agree. But as far as overall importance to the program, Geno was a huge. There were several wavering recruits after TB decommitted. He was seen as a make or break recruit for the entire WVU recruiting class. Plus, if Michigan loses one of those two, there's always the other. WVU had promised not to recruit any other QBs when TB committed so they were way behind on recruiting other QBs and really only have 1 qb on the roster for next year and he'll be a senior.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Broderick Green transfering to Arkansas, reported locally on "Drive Time Sports" with a pretty reliable source that said he is 100% sure of it.

Hooray, now let's hope he is eligible next year. Getting better and better here.

According to the LA Daily News yesterday, Green is considering transferring to Missouri and Alabama, as well as considering Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State...that reliable source may have to come into question, or maybe its just a song and dance. Just seems odd if he was transferring home for family reasons for him to be looking around.

USC's receiving work a two-man job - LA Daily News

[MJ4H]

Yeah, he's been interviewed a couple of times and has definitely been trying to "throw people off the trail" but still those same sources are continuing to say he's going to be a Razorback, he just can't really say it yet. It doesn't eliminate the worry at all, but I still feel pretty good about it.

A lot still think we are getting Wingo, which would make me worry less, but I know that is much more up in the air (some around here think it isn't up in the air at all, but I will leave it at that).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

According to the LA Daily News yesterday, Green is considering transferring to Missouri and Alabama, as well as considering Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State...that reliable source may have to come into question, or maybe its just a song and dance. Just seems odd if he was transferring home for family reasons for him to be looking around.

USC's receiving work a two-man job - LA Daily News

Mizzou's primary RB target is the #1 RB in the nation, Bryce Brown. Brown is down to Miami, Oregon, and Mizzou. If he commits to Mizzou, I don't think Green considers coming to the same place with Derrick Washington and Bryce Brown already in the fold. Wingo is also another RB that Mizzou is currently recruiting to add depth at RB

Bryce Brown profile......

Bryce Brown - Football Recruiting

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Mizzou's primary RB target is the #1 RB in the nation, Bryce Brown. Brown is down to Miami, Oregon, and Mizzou. If he commits to Mizzou, I don't think Green considers coming to the same place with Derrick Washington and Bryce Brown already in the fold. Wingo is also another RB that Mizzou is currently recruiting to add depth at RB

Bryce Brown profile......

Bryce Brown - Football Recruiting

I thought he committed to Miami in Feb?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I thought he committed to Miami in Feb?

Soft verbal at this point. He hasn't officially dropped the verbal to avoid cutting connections with Miami, but he's reopened his recruitment. He made an official visit to Mizzou a couple of weeks ago and is planning to visit Oregon for an unofficial visit in December.

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

A lot still think we are getting Wingo, which would make me worry less, but I know that is much more up in the air (some around here think it isn't up in the air at all, but I will leave it at that).

Have you guys been recruiting his cousin at all, because i was relatively convinced the two of them were/are going to be a package deal for whoever signs wingo. If it were wingo alone, i actually think Alabama is the favorite. But i still believe Wingo and his cousin are a package deal, which makes things very interesting. I know he and his cousin were in columbia this past weekend, and they both want to visit minnesota after Wingo's good friend 5-star Sheldon Richardson enjoyed his trip up there.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

Have you guys been recruiting his cousin at all, because i was relatively convinced the two of them were/are going to be a package deal for whoever signs wingo. If it were wingo alone, i actually think Alabama is the favorite. But i still believe Wingo and his cousin are a package deal, which makes things very interesting. I know he and his cousin were in columbia this past weekend, and they both want to visit minnesota after Wingo's good friend 5-star Sheldon Richardson enjoyed his trip up there.

I'm hoping that Wingo will make a trip up here after he wasn't able to work out getting one scheduled at the last minute last weekend. I wasn't expecting him to, being his interest in Minnesota has been kind of odd. Seemed fairly interested early, then not much for a while until he said he was eliminating Minnesota because it was too far from home, then last thursday news he was going to visit with Sheldon Richardson who wasn't even on the radar of Gopher fans before that.

Good to learn that Richardson went back home and told Wingo good things about his visit. Some Missouri fans were saying that he didn't have a lot of interest in Minnesota and was just going on a trip with his friend Bryant Allen. It may have been true, but I don't think it matters too much his reason when Brewster has shown to have a good chance with almost anyone who comes on an official.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Good to learn that Richardson went back home and told Wingo good things about his visit. Some Missouri fans were saying that he didn't have a lot of interest in Minnesota and was just going on a trip with his friend Bryant Allen. It may have been true, but I don't think it matters too much his reason when Brewster has shown to have a good chance with almost anyone who comes on an official.

Mizzou's hopes for Bryant Allen reportedly hinge on basketball. If Pinkel gives Allen a scholie and will allow him to play basketball, Mizzou's hopes go up big time. Allen is asking for a commitment on that before he signs anything.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Bryce Brown just added another school to his list. He'll be making an official visit to Clemson. He's already visited Mizzou and Oregon in recent weeks.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Mizzou's hopes for Bryant Allen reportedly hinge on basketball. If Pinkel gives Allen a scholie and will allow him to play basketball, Mizzou's hopes go up big time. Allen is asking for a commitment on that before he signs anything.

On his unofficial to Minnesota Allen met with Tubby Smith and was told he'd be given the chance to play basketball. With him being recruited as a WR though I think he's a Plan B guy right now for Minnesota with the coaches hoping to fill the last reciever spot with Bryce McNeal. Unless he were to be a package deal guy with Wingo or Richardson I don't think that he'll have a spot if McNeal commits to the Gophers on Jan. 3rd.

[MJ4H]

"Former Southern Cal running back Broderick Green has decided to enroll at the University of Arkansas. Read more in Saturday's Arkansas Democrat Gazette"

The Recruiting Guy

Broderick attended the LSU game today and apparently told our recruiting guy, Richard Davenport (whose blog that is) that he has decided to enroll at Arkansas. Hooray!

[DeToxRox]

Michigan picked up commit #20 earlier this week in 4* S Vlad Emilien. He is a kid from Florida who plans to enroll early.

As of now 8-10 kids are expecting to enroll in January.

[mckerney]

Indiana commits Jeremy Gainer (4* LB) and Kenneth Watkins (3* DB) say that even though they're currently committed to Indiana, Minnesota is their leader. The two are cousins and likely are a package deal and will decide if they will switch their commitment after their visit to Indiana next weekend and an in home visit from Minnesota coaches they monday after.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Indiana commits Jeremy Gainer (4* LB) and Kenneth Watkins (3* DB) say that even though they're currently committed to Indiana, Minnesota is their leader. The two are cousins and likely are a package deal and will decide if they will switch their commitment after their visit to Indiana next weekend and an in home visit from Minnesota coaches they monday after.

How many are commited to Minnesota?

Michigan will apparently have a full 25 schollies to fill, and are at 20 presently. Best guess is two are for Will Campbell and Jelani Jenkins should either want to come in, with the other 3 for Taylor Lewan, Quinton Washington, Ja'Ron Stokes (Tennessee commit who is visiting December 6th) and Donovan Tate amongst others.

I think 2 kids might decommit (LB Barnes and WR Peace. I wouldn't chalk up either as huge losses, though Peace could be a monster) so I guess they could get a few of those, but Lewan seems to be a huge a target.

I know he said Minny's OL coach resigning isn't a big deal, but I am not sure if he was also his recruiter.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

"Former Southern Cal running back Broderick Green has decided to enroll at the University of Arkansas. Read more in Saturday's Arkansas Democrat Gazette"

The Recruiting Guy

Broderick attended the LSU game today and apparently told our recruiting guy, Richard Davenport (whose blog that is) that he has decided to enroll at Arkansas. Hooray!

Enjoy his lack of work ethic

[MJ4H]

Eh, I'm pretty sure Petrino knows how to deal with that.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

How many are commited to Minnesota?

Michigan will apparently have a full 25 schollies to fill, and are at 20 presently. Best guess is two are for Will Campbell and Jelani Jenkins should either want to come in, with the other 3 for Taylor Lewan, Quinton Washington, Ja'Ron Stokes (Tennessee commit who is visiting December 6th) and Donovan Tate amongst others.

I think 2 kids might decommit (LB Barnes and WR Peace. I wouldn't chalk up either as huge losses, though Peace could be a monster) so I guess they could get a few of those, but Lewan seems to be a huge a target.

I know he said Minny's OL coach resigning isn't a big deal, but I am not sure if he was also his recruiter.

I have to be honest that I don't really know how many Minnesota will take, other than to say they're looking for as many as they possibly can. I really don't know enough about what exactly is allowed and who the coaching staff thinks is coming back next year. If you look at the number of open scholarships right now and the number of seniors on the team they'd only have room for 18, but all signs point to them taking more. There are a number of juniors who rarely saw the field this season and could leave.

Right now there are a total of 15 who will either sign on LOI day or enroll in January, and another 3 members of last years class that are joining the team after grey shirting. The three grey shirts are some of the better players from last years class, Army All American QB Marqueis Gray and Dallas Metroplex DPOY Spencer Reeves who needed to retake their ACT, and 4* MLB Sam Maresh who likely would have started this season if it weren't for requiring heart surgery in July.

I know on offense they're looking to take 1 WR (Bryce McNeal is the top target here), 1 OL (Lewan is the top target, the backup plan could be current WI commit Casey Dehn if Lewan ends up at Michigan), and 1 RB (which I'm a little surprised by being as it stands now there will be 7 RBs on the team all sophomores or freshman next year).

Guys on defense they seem to have a shot at right now other than Gainer and Watkins are DE and Colorado commit Nosa Eguae, CB Michael Carter who is announcing at the Army All American game, DT Sheldon Richardson, 3* DB Demontre Hurst from Texas, and JUCO 4*s Anthony Leon and Taikwon Paige. I'm not sure how many they'd take at the other positions, but word is they'll take 3-4 more DBs after getting a commitment from JUCO Daryl Robinson last week.

I'd be surprised if offensive line coach Phil Meyer leaving has much of an impact on Lewan. He wasn't much of a recruiter, and though the offensive line commits and recruits seemed to like him, he wasn't a guy who drew a lot of players to be interested to the program like some of the other assistants. Meyer seemed like he was brought as an offensive line coach in large part because of his connections in Wisconsin after being a head coach at UW-Oshkosh prior to being hired by Minnesota. Lewan was one of the few guys outside of Minnesota or Wisconsin Meyer was the main recruiting contact on. Lewan knew that Meyer was on his way out when he was on his visit, and his replacement Tim Davis has a good resume working at USC under Carroll and in the NFL with the Dolphins, and he and Mike Dunbar will be visiting Lewan in home on Monday.

Good luck on Stokes. He was talking about taking a Minnesota visit before he committed to UT. Looks like a big time playmaker who would be a good guy to replace McNeal in the class, plus it sounds like you'd also get his younger brother who's a junior if you want him.

[st.cronin]

I'm here to pimp for Wisconsin.

*** QB Jon Budmayr, Woodstock, IL - Reportedly chose Madison over Notre Dame. Potentially the next John Stocco!!!!
**** RB Montee Ball, Wentzville, MO - Appears to be a tremendous get. PJ Hill is likely gone after this year, and Clay has had some issues with fumbles, so the opportunity is there for Ball to start as a true frosh. Missouri wanted him pretty badly, I understand.
*** Ath Chris Borland, Kettering, OH - LB/S/WR who may be a sleeper. Was the top LB at the Columbus Nike Camp, even though he had apparently never played the position before.
** OL Casey Dehn, Owatonna, MN - Possibly a reach, although Wisconsin does a good job of developing utr linemen. Was also recruited by Minny.
*** DE Tyler Dippel, Hartford, WI - Grew up in California, and was recruited by the Pac 10. May play LB or FB or even TE in college. Dippel is the #1 instate prospect.
*** WR Jeff Duckworth, Cincinnati, OH - Small but good hands.
*** Ath A.J. Fenton, Erie, PA - Something of a project, but reportedly very athletic.
*** OL Travis Frederick, Walworth, WI - Typical Badger Oline recruit, big and smart.
**** DE David Gilbert, Middleton, WI - Was recruited by several SEC schools, but Middleton is right next to Madison so probably was never going anywhere else.
*** LB Conor O'Neill, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Chose Madtown over Auburn and Clemson. Small right now but if he bulks up maybe projects as a good MLB.
** DB Josh Peprah, Plano, TX - Brother of Charlie Peprah, Green Bay DB.
*** TE Brian Wozniak, Loveland, OH - no idea, sorry.
*** OL Zac Matthias, Hemlock, MI - Solid prospect, turned down Sparty for Madison.
**** DT Jordan Kohout, Waupun, WI - Had some injury issues in high school, otherwise an elite prospect. Picked UW over Iowa.
*** OL Ryan Groy, Middleton, WI - Another local product who was recruited by other Big 10 teams like Northwestern and Purdue.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

**** DE David Gilbert, Middleton, WI - Was recruited by several SEC schools, but Middleton is right next to Madison so probably was never going anywhere else.

Gilbert is from Oakland Park, Florida,

Originally Posted by st.cronin

**** RB Montee Ball, Wentzville, MO - Appears to be a tremendous get. PJ Hill is likely gone after this year, and Clay has had some issues with fumbles, so the opportunity is there for Ball to start as a true frosh. Missouri wanted him pretty badly, I understand.

Is Hill really considering leaving early?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Gilbert is from Oakland Park, Florida,



Is Hill really considering leaving early?

No idea, but I sure hope so and I think he should. He's not going to get any more interesting to the NFL with another year of college. Edit: Unless the Badgers are planning on moving him to FB, which seems like his more natural position. In that case I hope he stays, and he probably should.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Eh, I'm pretty sure Petrino knows how to deal with that.

Leave town for the first school that offers him a job? *ducks*

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

**** RB Montee Ball, Wentzville, MO - Appears to be a tremendous get. PJ Hill is likely gone after this year, and Clay has had some issues with fumbles, so the opportunity is there for Ball to start as a true frosh. Missouri wanted him pretty badly, I understand.

Actually, hes one of the few top Missouri recruits we really weren't dying for(not that i agree with that decision, but so be it). Coach pinkel, much to my dismay, like all his backs around 5'9-5'10, about 200 pounds, and quick and shifty. Ball is a traditional road grader power back, which doesn't really fit our zone read rushing attack. I wish we incorporated a power back for goal line work, but we dont. Even potential recruit Ronnie Wingo, who is 6'3 and around 215, is still not what you would call a power back

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Some really good news for Mizzou fans. Both Sheldon Richardson and Ronnie Wingo Jr. are expected to sign with the Tigers. The main deciding factor for both players was the parent/coach relationships during the recruiting period.

Also great to see that Andy Hill and Coach Yost will be staying at Mizzou. Both of those guys are great recruiters who have deep ties in KC and STL.

[timmynausea]

The twists and turns of the Tajh Boyd recruiting saga continue. Several sources reporting that Kiffin and the new UT regime want to go in another direction and Boyd and his dad have been told to look elsewhere.

My guess is that he'll wind up at BC. PSU or VT could get involved, though. Maybe even Michigan, though they already have 2 QBs locked up that are probably better fits for their offense.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

The twists and turns of the Tajh Boyd recruiting saga continue. Several sources reporting that Kiffin and the new UT regime want to go in another direction and Boyd and his dad have been told to look elsewhere.

My guess is that he'll wind up at BC. PSU or VT could get involved, though. Maybe even Michigan, though they already have 2 QBs locked up that are probably better fits for their offense.

I expect PSU to go hard after Boyd, as it sounds like Newsome is going to VT, and they already lost out on Forcier. They need a QB in a bad way.

[DeToxRox]

Dola ..

Michigan might pursue him, but with 5 open schollies right now, I am not sure they'd take 3 QB's. One is set aside for Will Campbell, one is set aside for Jelani Jenkins (a lot less likely) and the other three will probably go to a OL, DB and WR. Assuming we don't get Jenkins, I'd assume it'd be another OL we go for.

[DeToxRox]

In regards to Jelani Jenkins .. rumor is Florida is the leader, and he set a visit with them for next week. The rumor is the other visits will be Illinois, Michigan and Penn State for sure, and then USC or ND.

I'd say it's UF, PSU, UM as a top three, but UM needs to really blow his mind on his visit to have a shot.

[watravaler]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

In regards to Jelani Jenkins .. rumor is Florida is the leader, and he set a visit with them for next week. The rumor is the other visits will be Illinois, Michigan and Penn State for sure, and then USC or ND.

I'd say it's UF, PSU, UM as a top three, but UM needs to really blow his mind on his visit to have a shot.

Never count out the Zook! Well, at least when it comes to recruiting...

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by watravaler

Never count out the Zook! Well, at least when it comes to recruiting...

This is true, I won't lie.