Dat Boy Run So Good...

[Ben E Lou]

...you know the rest.

According to the "experts," it looks like this kid that I'm getting to see week-in and week-out might just be something special. Rivals is beginning to publish its "Top" lists for the Class of 2004 recruits. Right now, RB Thomas Brown is listed as the #3 RB in the nation, and the #31 player overall, and some services have listetd Thomas as high as the #2 back. (Of course, Adrian Peterson is everyone's #1 back, and many folks' #1 player in the land.) Rivals has actually seriously UNDER-reported Thomas' bench press. They've got him listed at 275, but Thomas was at 320 this spring. I ran into teammate Brandon Lang (a nice prospect in his own right, listed #13 in GA and already has an offer from FSU) last night and he said that Thomas is now benching 340. At any rate, here's the 4-1-1 on him, according to Rivals...



Height: 5'10" (I think he's more like 5'11". I'm 6'0", and he's close to my height.)

Weight: 185 pounds (Maybe that's what he was weighing after a full season of playing nearly every play going both ways. From seeing him around campus this spring, I would guess that he's at about 195. The kids arms and back are just ripped.)

40 Time: 4.4 (As we all know, this can be the most contested figure for any recruit or prospect. Some services list him at 4.35. The kids last night said he ran a 4.36 on grass at Auburn passing camp a couple of weeks ago. Suffice it to say that the kid has cover corner speed. Indeed, Penn State has offered him a scholarship as a CB.)

Intangibles: Not listed on Rivals (I included this because these days it can be quite important. Thomas' father is a pastor and his mother is an assistant principle. Suffice to say that the kid is used to structure and discipline in his life. He's one those model-citizen type kids. Never been in any trouble. Leader among his peers and teammates. Breaks up fights in the halls. Etc.)

Scholarship Offers: Rivals reported that he had 18 offers as of June 3rd. Last night, Brandon said that Thomas is up to 23 offers now. Here's a blurb from the June 3rd article:

"I have 18 offers," said Brown. "Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Mississippi State, and North Carolina have all offered among others. Penn State offered me as a corner, but I think all of the other schools are offering me as a running back. I like playing running back, but it doesn’t matter to me what they offer me as."

Rivals says that Maryland is leading the way, but Thomas is saying that he hasn't even narrowed it down to the Top 5 for his visits yet.

Some are saying that Thomas will be better than Tucker's last feature back, Jabari Davis (now at Tennessee). That's hard to say. They are VERY different types of backs. Jabari left Tucker weighing around 230 pounds, with 4.55 speed--much more of a punishing tailback. Thomas is more of a Barry Sanders/Warrick Dunn kind of back. Here's the word from Head Coach Bill Ballard: "Every starting tailback who’s come through here the last 12-15 years has gone on to be a D-I kid. It’s been a pretty impressive run, and Thomas could be as good as any of them. He’s just got blazing speed and the ability to cut and make people miss. He’s a very exciting player."

A few videos:

Dat

boy

run

so

good

...

Also, wouldn't you like to see this kind of info in TCY, including improperly reported 40 times and bench presses??? I mean geez, Rivals is off by at LEAST 45 pounds on his bench press. I'd love to see this sort of stuff modeled in more detail in TCY. You could have the option (like most major schools do) of hosting lineman camps, passing camps, etc., which would be the only way to get truly accurate info.... Maybe add an "accuracy" rating to each high school to go along with the academic prep and athletic prep ratings.

[scooper]

Once again.

Golden helmet

Ty

yada yada yada

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by scooper
Once again.

Golden helmet

Ty

yada yada yada

Yeah yeah yeah. Brandon and Thomas are good friends, and they may end up being a package deal, and Brandon prefers the Dawgs.

[cuervo72]

Originally posted by SkyDog
...you know the rest.


Scholarship Offers: Rivals reported that he had 18 offers as of June 3rd. Last night, Brandon said that Thomas is up to 23 offers now. Here's a blurb from the June 3rd article:

Rivals says that Maryland is leading the way, but Thomas is saying that he hasn't even narrowed it down to the Top 5 for his visits yet.

Yay for Maryland!...though he probably won't end up there. And I don't know why Joe-Pa can't just let players play where they want to play...at least he doesn't want to turn him into a linebacker though.

[scooper]

Oh well. Better than ending up somewhere in Florida.

Maryland?

Actually, this year the Irish will probably be knocking on the door of every top running back in the nation with decent grades. They've struck out on the big ones the last couple years.

[albionmoonlight]

[cough] Tar Heels [/cough]

[INDalltheway]

The kid was never touched. He split two defenders like there was never anyone there. Wow! He is fast.

[Wolfpack]

Hey, albion...one more year of Bunting should turn him off completely from the Heels... It's good to be the king (for once...I grew up during the 80s and never witnessed State beat Carolina at anything in football until 1986...utterly depressing).

[Anrhydeddu]

(I included this because these days it can be quite important. Thomas' father is a pastor and his mother is an assistant principle. Suffice to say that the kid is used to structure and discipline in his life. He's one those model-citizen type kids. Never been in any trouble. Leader among his peers and teammates. Breaks up fights in the halls. Etc.)

Is 5'10"/5'11" good height for a featured RB?

[albionmoonlight]

Emmitt Smith is 5'9"

Eddie George is 6'3"

Deuce McCallister is 6'1"

Warrick Dunn is 5'9"

I think that 5'10"-11" is fine if he has the skills. I don't know what the scouts consider to be ideal.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Anrhydeddu


Is 5'10"/5'11" good height for a featured RB?

I'd say it is probably right around average, even in the NFL. Just a quick glance, but the Falcons have 5 RB's on their roster. They range in height from 5'8" to 6'0".

[Senator]

He is a fast kid. But with THAT line blocking I could get 4 yards a pop. Did you see the holes that offense created? Good school.

[cuervo72]

Barry Sanders. Height: 5-8 Weight: 203

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Senator
He is a fast kid. But with THAT line blocking I could get 4 yards a pop. Did you see the holes that offense created? Good school.

Tucker is definitely becoming a school that consistently churns out talent, particularly for a relatively small high school (about 1,300 students). We currently have a 26-game regular season winning streak, and are 36-5 over the past three seasons, playing in a TOUGH region. The Tucker Recreation League is top-notch, with kids receiving solid coaching from childhood on. This is a list of where some former Tigers are now. The 2002 team had at least couple more guys going on to the next level, but those are the ones I know off the top of my head. They haven't listed the 2002 team's school choices yet on their web site. (This is particularly impressive since we only had 10 seniors on the 2002 squad. Half or more of them will play in college.)

Professional Players
Kevin Turks - 1994 Chicago Bears (Pro Scout)
Patrick Pass - 1996 New England Patriots

College Players
Jason Culp - 1998 Morehead State
Trey Mathews - 1998 University of Tennessee/Chattanooga
Bernard Snowden - 1998 University of Tennessee/Chattanooga
Nick Whiteside - 1998 Kentucky Wesleyan
Bryan Lamar - 1999 University of Tennessee/Chattanooga
Greg Billingslea - 2000 University of Memphis
Jabari Davis - 2000 University of Tennessee
Stephen Ogletree - 2000 James Madison University
Gene Pate - 2000 Clemson University
Darius Swain - 2000 University of Georgia
Jamar Bell - 2001 Norfolk State University
Corinthius Dunbar - 2001 The Citadel
Tim Goodwell - 2001 University of Memphis
Terrell Jordan - 2001 Northwestern University
Patrick Reed - 2001 South Carolina State University
Bryce Wright - 2001 Savannah State University
Andrew Childers - 2002 Samford University
Vince Hill - 2002 The Citadel
Donald Shepherd - 2002 Maryville (TN) College

[Ben E Lou]

Dola--A reflection of how tough a schedule Tucker plays, take a look at the 2000 team. We had Seniors: QB Gene Pate going to Clemson, RB Jabari Davis going to Tennessee, OL/DL Darius Swain going to Georgia (and selling his SEC Championship ring ), RB/CB Stephen Ogletree going to JMU, LB/OL Greg Billingslea going to Memphis, and an obviously darn solid Junior class as well. That squad only went 10-3, losing a heartbreaker at Statesboro 8-7 in the state quarterfinals due to the penetration rule.

[Easy Mac]

There's a penetration rule in Georgia? Talk about conservative.

I think I was in Georgia for some reason around the end ofthe last football season. I remember watching the championship game on TV.

[Iceberg]

Originally posted by SkyDog


Rivals says that Maryland is leading the way

Music to my ears. I can only imagine what kind of numbers a good back could put up in the Fridge's offense. I the last two years he has turned two nobodies into 1000 yard rushers, i cant wait until he actually gets a gifted back into his backfield.

[illinifan999]

In the second video towards the end at around the 25 second mark did anyone see the block that the QB put on one of the opposing teams players. That was awesome!

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by illinifan999
In the second video towards the end at around the 25 second mark did anyone see the block that the QB put on one of the opposing teams players. That was awesome!

That would be QB D.T. McDowell, who Rivals lists as the #20 player in Georgia for the class of '04. (Tucker is the only school with 3 in the Top 20 for the state this year. ) D.T. has scholly offers from LSU, Auburn and Mississippi State among others. However, he may get picked in the June 2004 MLB draft as as pitcher.

[TroyF]

Originally posted by SkyDog
Tucker is definitely becoming a school that consistently churns out talent, particularly for a relatively small high school (about 1,300 students). We currently have a 26-game regular season winning streak, and are 36-5 over the past three seasons, playing in a TOUGH region. The Tucker Recreation League is top-notch, with kids receiving solid coaching from childhood on. This is a list of where some former Tigers are now. The 2002 team had at least couple more guys going on to the next level, but those are the ones I know off the top of my head. They haven't listed the 2002 team's school choices yet on their web site. (This is particularly impressive since we only had 10 seniors on the 2002 squad. Half or more of them will play in college.)

Not a single player at Texas. Give me a call back when Mack starts recruiting the high school.

TroyF

[scooper]

Originally posted by TroyF
Not a single player at Texas. Give me a call back when Mack starts recruiting the high school.

TroyF

They want to live up to their potential and win something

[GoldenEagle]

Tell him to head to Memphis.

[digamma]

Thomas Brown is the best all around football player to have come through Tucker. Or so I'm told.

[tucker342]

He should go to Iowa


The top player in our area got arrested a couple weeks ago for assaulting 5 police officers, I hope things continue to go well for Thomas, I hope he doesn't ruin this amazing opportunity, but what you said about him, it seems like there is no chance

[korme]

SkyDog, is Tucker a public school? What I'm trying to get at is, does Tucker get to recruit these kids, or do they just grow up in this education system.. pretty lucky to get that many D-I runners if that is the case. Milford's senior back last year is headed to V-Tech and he's the first big-time player I've seen come through Milford.

[scooper]

That's because it's Milford.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
SkyDog, is Tucker a public school? What I'm trying to get at is, does Tucker get to recruit these kids, or do they just grow up in this education system.. pretty lucky to get that many D-I runners if that is the case. Milford's senior back last year is headed to V-Tech and he's the first big-time player I've seen come through Milford.

It is a public school. These guys grow up in Tucker. As I mentioned earlier, the Tucker Football League (recreational league...I think they can start at age 8) has outstanding coaching, and ends up being a breeding ground. The coaching staff at the high school is top-notch of course as well. Plus, once a high school program reaches that level, it is oftentimes self-sustaining: there are a whole lot of little boys in Tucker coming to games every Friday night, and many of them want nothing more than to be out there when they get to high school. The program is now definitely bigger than any one class or even coaching staff. We are on our third different head coach since I have been hanging out at THS (Fall 1997).

[korme]

Kind of how our baseball team is. The head coaches and players of this past season have been together since they were in little league. Great coaching is probably the best reason all of those kids ended up so good.

[scooper]

Originally posted by Shorty3281
Kind of how our baseball team is. The head coaches and players of this past season have been together since they were in little league. Great coaching is probably the best reason all of those kids ended up so good.

Bingo.

Shorty, take a look at Colerain. They have a very good youth football program and a lot of kids to draw from, plus continuity in a successful program. It's no accident that they are the best football team in your league. That and they don't lose as many kids to LaSalle as say Lakota and Sycamore do to Moeller. I guess Moeller just has better recruiters

[JeeberD]

UTEP!!!!

If he comes here he and Jordan Palmer (carson's little bro) will lead UTEP back to glory! He will be assured instant playing time, and UTEP has some great new football facilities.

GO MINERS!!!!

[cthomer5000]

Originally posted by SkyDog
That squad only went 10-3, losing a heartbreaker at Statesboro 8-7 in the state quarterfinals due to the penetration rule.

I don't even want to know who was penetrated.

[Noop]

Well since your pimpin him maybe I should pimp myself maybe not did anyone see me on BET last night?



noop

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by cthomer5000
I don't even want to know who was penetrated.

OK. I guess I have to explain the penetration rule. In Georgia, if a playoff game goes 2 overtimes and the game is still tied, the team that has gotten further into the other team's territory during the 2 overtime periods receives one "penetration point" and is declared the winner.

[GoldenEagle]

Originally posted by SkyDog
OK. I guess I have to explain the penetration rule. In Georgia, if a playoff game goes 2 overtimes and the game is still tied, the team that has gotten further into the other team's territory during the 2 overtime periods receives one "penetration point" and is declared the winner.

Wow. That very well could be the dumbest high school rule in the country. I would hate to lose a game this way.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by GoldenEagle
Wow. That very well could be the dumbest high school rule in the country. I would hate to lose a game this way.

It truly stinks.

[digamma]

Originally posted by SkyDog
The coaching staff at the high school is top-notch of course as well.

I couldn't agree with you more!!!

[tucker342]

Originally posted by SkyDog
OK. I guess I have to explain the penetration rule. In Georgia, if a playoff game goes 2 overtimes and the game is still tied, the team that has gotten further into the other team's territory during the 2 overtime periods receives one "penetration point" and is declared the winner.

What a terrible rule! That would be a really crappy way to lose...

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Noop
Well since your pimpin him maybe I should pimp myself maybe not did anyone see me on BET last night?



noop

What were you doing on BET, noop?

[Noop]

Mad sports had something on Santana Moss and I was in the backround just clowin.



noop

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by tucker342
What a terrible rule! That would be a really crappy way to lose...

Yah...it REALLY, REALLY stinks.

[Senator]

Let me whine. My senior year we were 9-1, and 4-1 in district play. The other two teams were 8-2 but also 4-1 in district. We beat Team A who beat Team B and Team B beat us. So, what did they do? One rainy Saturday morning they flipped coins, and we lost. I had been playing football since I was 4 years old to get to this point, and that is the best they could come up with? We had the best stats, the most points, every single statistical advantage, and we had to watch those other two teams make it to the State Semi and State Quarterfinal games. It still is one thing in my past that really gets under my skin.

[Ben E Lou]

Dang...flipping a coin??? The penetration rule doesn't sound so bad by comparison. At least Statesboro drove deeper than we did in O.T.

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Senator
Let me whine. My senior year we were 9-1, and 4-1 in district play. The other two teams were 8-2 but also 4-1 in district. We beat Team A who beat Team B and Team B beat us. So, what did they do? One rainy Saturday morning they flipped coins, and we lost. I had been playing football since I was 4 years old to get to this point, and that is the best they could come up with? We had the best stats, the most points, every single statistical advantage, and we had to watch those other two teams make it to the State Semi and State Quarterfinal games. It still is one thing in my past that really gets under my skin.

Whoa, I didn't know that you played on the 1988 Midland High football team!

(And there's my one obscure Friday Night Lights reference for the year...)

[tucker342]

You were on one of those teams involved??? What a terrible way to decide who goes...

That was a great book though.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Senator - that situation sucks to be sure & it's not a completed isolated situation.

Until a few years ago in Georgia, playoff berths in those cases were determined by either coin toss or a vote of region coaches. The former was as ridiculous as the scenario you endured, the latter proved to be little more than a popularity contest between coaches, both screwed teams up & down the pike.

In the past few years, we've gone to a "mini-game" system to settle ties between three or four team (don't think there's been a five-way tie scenario).

[GrantDawg]

Originally posted by GoldenEagle
Tell him to head to Memphis.

So he can play in front of that huge crowd of 15,000 (and most of them wearing the opposing team colors.)

[MrBug708]

So, when is Tucker coming to California to play De La Salle? Or Long Beach Poly?

[Senator]

I think how they decided to fix the problem now in Texas is that just about every school gets in the playoffs. I think 3 teams per district make it. Also they have two different championships per classification - big school and small school. Two different 5A champs, two different 4A champs, ect..

It is not uncommon for a team to be seen in the playoiffs with a
3-7 record these days.

I could have lived with the fact we were beat flat out on the field. I would not have had the gnawing regret of what could have been.

I have had a good life since the old high school days. I have achieved more than I thought I would. But the effect it had was as if I lost my family. It was a horrible time. And most of my teammates never recovered. We had 40 plus guys on the team, and 3/4 went into a 20 year spiral. If I visit my parents and run into one of them in town, the FIRST thing they want to do is talk about how we were jipped at 17 or 18. It is sad really.

[GoldenEagle]

Originally posted by GrantDawg
So he can play in front of that huge crowd of 15,000 (and most of them wearing the opposing team colors.)

I resent that. We draw about 25,000 and its only when those dang SEC teams are in town is when the opposing colors are worn.

[cuervo72]

In 1988 we got into the PIAA 4A state playoffs when Central Bucks West - who were I think ranked #1 in the state and were working on another one of their 50 game unbeaten streaks - was 10-0, but tied CB East on Thanksgiving. We were 11-0 and hadn't played CB West (obviously), so we went to the playoffs (and promptly had our butts kicked). It was strange considering we had already handed in all of our equipment a couple of weeks prior, expecting CB West to go 11-0.