Top 25 Prospects to Watch for 2009

The 2008 class is in the books, at least for the most part, and coaching staffs everywhere have already turned their attention to their 2009 classes. Some schools already have strong starts on the recruiting trails.

USC already has ten committed prospects for the ’09 class – eight of which are top-100 type players. Quarterback Matt Barkley (Santa Ana, Calif.) is considered by many as the top signal-caller in this class, and he is already committed to the Trojans. He is also the early favorite for the No. 1 spot on the 2009 Athlon Consensus 100.

Florida State has six commits thus far but the quality is astounding. Five of the six have the potential to be top-100 players. Taking care of the local markets and keeping kids at home is essential for FSU in a year where the Tallahassee area is well-stocked. Wide receiver Willie Downs, corner JaJuan Harley, end Brandon Jenkins and linebacker C.J. Mizell all hail from Tallahassee, Fla.

Ohio State already has eight verbal pledges, three of which are almost locks for the AC100. John Simon (Youngstown, Ohio) led his team to the Ohio high school state title game last season only to lose by a single point to Coldwater. Rest assured he will be fired up for his senior season. Chris Fields (Painesville, Ohio) is eerily similar to return specialist Ted Ginn Jr. Fields will be a much better wide receiver and should impact the return game as well.

Texas, however, is off to arguably the best start of anyone for 2009. They already have 15 commitments. Garrett Gilbert (Austin, Texas) is an incredibly productive high school passer. He threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 52 touchdowns in his junior campaign. Chris Whaley (Madisonville, Texas) looks exactly like Super Bowl champ Brandon Jacobs when he runs through tacklers with his 6-3, 225-pound frame. Mack Brown has once again pushed the recruiting calendar to the limits.

North Carolina and Butch Davis are also off to a great start with a solid group of local talents. Michigan State, Stanford and LSU are also off to great starts for ’09.

A few mid-major programs are making waves as well. BYU and TCU are two of the top non-BCS programs in the nation and it is showing in this recruiting season.

2008 saw maybe the most talented collection ever of wide receiver prospects in one class. This season quarterback and defensive tackle are the two positions that really stand out so far. Both are premium positions and normally very scarce. Not in 2009, both are loaded with talent.

Also, look to the Midwest for extra talent this year. The state of Wisconsin is poised to have its most talented class of seniors in two decades. Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois are also stacked with talent for the 2009 class.

The state of Louisiana also boasts an above average class, with possibly five or six AC100 members.

It is very early but here are some names that will become household very early in the recruiting process:

Matt Barkley - QB - Santa Ana, Calif. (6-3, 225) USC
Shevodrick Beaver - QB - Wichita Falls, Texas (6-3, 190)
Dorian Bell - LB - Monroeville, Pa. (6-1, 220)
Bryce Brown - RB - Wichita, Kan. (6-0, 215) Miami
Marlon Brown - WR - Memphis, Tenn (6-5, 208)
Vontaze Burfict - LB - Corona, Calif. (6-2, 230) USC
William Campbell - DL - Detroit, Mich. (6-4, 320) Mich
Chris Davenport - DT - Mansfield, La. (6-3, 315)
D.J. Fluker - DT - Foley, Ala. (6-7, 325) Alabama
Garrett Gilbert - QB - Austin, Texas (6-3, 190) Texas
Kevin Graf - OL - Agoura, Calif. (6-6, 305) USC
Devon Kennard - DE - Phoenix, Ariz. (6-4, 240)
Dre Kirkpatrick - DB - Gadsden, Ala. (6-2, 185)
Jacobbi McDaniel - DT - Greenville, Fla. (6-0, 285) FSU
Jamarkus McFarland - DT - Lufkin, Texas (6-3, 290)
Lamar Miller - RB - Miami, Fla. (5-11, 208)
Rueben Randle - WR - Bastrop, La. (6-3, 200)
Tyrik Rollison - QB - Sulpher Springs, Texas (6-2, 195)
Tom Savage - QB - Philadelphia, Pa. (6-3, 230)
Russell Shepard - QB - Houston, Texas (6-2, 195) LSU
John Simon - DT - Youngstown, Ohio (6-3, 280) Ohio St
Frankie Telfort - LB - Miami, Fla. (5-11, 195)
Manti Te'o - LB - Honolulu, Hawaii (6-2, 230)
Chris Whaley - RB - Madisonville, Texas (6-3, 225) Texas
Cierre Wood - RB - Oxnard, Calif. (6-0, 195)

A Sun Devil Soap Opera

Corona's (Cali.) Centennial high school is loaded with top level talent every year. This year is no exception. Matt Scott, the quarterback is headed to Arizona to play for Sonny Dykes and Mike Stoops. The very talented all-purpose running back Ryan Bass had also been slated to play for the Wildcats.

In the immortal words of Lee Corso: "Whoa, noooot so fast my friends!"

Bass has recently committed to Arizona St. The interstate rival of the Wildcats, the Sun Devils have done a great job of poaching talent all season. Especially from Arizona. Bass marks the third player to decommit from Arizona and head to Tempe.

Superstar wide receiver prospect Gerell Robinson (ranked No. 80 in the Athlon Consensus 100) was originally committed to Arizona before re-opening his recruitment and then choosing ASU on national TV at the US Army AA Bowl. Also, talented safety prospect Jarrell Barbour had been slated to be a Wildcat but swapped to ASU when Dennis Erickson and staff told him he could get into school easier in Tempe.

Arizona State also stole a very talented wide receiver prospect from Los Angeles: Kemonte Bateman. Bateman had been a UCLA Bruin pledge. He is a top-100 type player.

Centennial also sends inside linebacker Shelly Lyons and athlete Brandon Magee to Arizona State next season. In my mind, that qualifies as "pipeline" status.

MORE TROUBLE FOR THE UCLA BRUINS:

Outstanding linebacker prospect Uona Kaveinga has decommitted from UCLA and is instead headed to BYU. The Cougars added Harmony, FL wide receiver prospect O'Neill Chambers also. BYU and Fresno St are battling it out for the top Mid-Major class in 2008. BYU has a slight edge now with these latest pledges.

More importantly, this UCLA class now hangs in the balance. Rickie Neuheisel will have to work miracles to keep this class in the top-10. Aundre Dean, Rahim Moore, EJ Woods, Derrick Coleman could all end up bailing ship on the Bruins. There are many worried fans in Westwood at the moment.

Stay Tuned!

Photo by Athlon Sports