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)

Team Recruiting Countdown: No. 12 Florida State Seminoles

No. 12 Florida State Seminoles (ACC No. 3)

2008 Haul: 30 signees, 3 Athlon Consensus 100

Scouting Report:

2008 marked a bit of a shift in recruiting philosophy for Bobby Bowden and his staff. In previous season, Bowden relied heavily on closing strong with a few Signing Day upsets to land a top-10 class. This season, they went out early in the recruiting calendar and put together a strong class right from the start.

Offensive line help was an obvious priority. It seems that the offensive line has received the most flack for the downturn in FSU football in recent years, and rightly so. The running game has been anemic and the O-line has been porous to say the least. Bowden and staff landed six prospects in this class to help fix this problem. Offensive line guru Rick Trickett recruits a smaller, more agile lineman for his system. Seminole fans will have to wait and see if these lower ranked prospects really fit his system better than the top talents in the nation. Zebrie Sanders (Clayton, Ohio) is the only highly ranked blocker in this class.

The other issue on this team has been the offensive skill position players. Where are the Anquan Boldin’s and Javon Walker’s of the world? This class should remedy that issue. Jarmon Fortson (Columbus, Ga.) is a star in the making and has performed on every big stage he has played on. JUCO wideout Corey Surrency (Torrence, Calif.) is also ready to come in and contribute immediately. FSU went a long way for the play-making A.J. Alexander (Altoona, Penn.) and fans will not be disappointed.

At running back, the ’Noles landed arguably the top JUCO running back in the nation. Tavarres Pressley (Torrence, Calif.) looks as close to Darren McFadden on film as any recruit has in the past few seasons. He has explosiveness that few players demonstrate on a football field. He can score from anywhere on the field. Look for Pressley to immediately upgrade the mediocre tailback situation.

One thing that has never been an issue for Florida State is the defense. Once again, the Seminoles reload. JUCO talent Markus White (El Dorado, Kan.) and Everett Dawkins (Duncan, S.C.) should be the next two in a long line of talented FSU D-lineman. A pair of Nigel’s will get their shot at continuing the long-standing tradition of linebackers in Tallahassee. Nigel Bradham (Crawfordville, Fla.) and Nigel Carr (Jacksonville, Fla.) are both special athletes and will be the next two stars on the FSU defense.

Two very talented quarterbacks stepped onto campus a short time ago and have not met expectations. Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee never lived up to recruiting hype, but the quarterback coming in this season is the real deal. E.J. Manuel (Virginia Beach, Va.) is as talented a player at the quarterback position since Adrian McPherson. The major difference? Manuel is an incredibly mature young man. He is a smart kid and is already a strong leader on and off the field – something McPherson clearly lacked.

Florida State has once again proved its national appeal. Yes, they landed 15 talented kids from the recruiting behemoth that is the state of Florida. But the ’Noles went into 10 other states for players. They landed four from Georgia, two each from California and Pennsylvania and one each from Kansas, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Ohio and New Jersey.

Top Prospect: E.J. Manuel – QB – Virginia Beach, Va. (6-4, 220) AC100 No. 21

Of all the quarterbacks in the 2008 class, Manuel might be the most ready to play high-level football the earliest. Mentally he is a pure leader — on and off the field. He goes through his progressions very naturally. He also has supreme talents. He has a strong arm and can make every throw on the field. But unlike most quarterbacks coming into college, the shorter touch pass is not a struggle for Manuel. (Watch film of Matt Stafford at Georgia his freshman year) Touch is something very few high school kids really have.

Manuel might also be the most mobile pro-style quarterback to come out of high school in some time. He has learned very early how to ‘run-to-throw’ instead of running to run. Steve Young perfected it.

He will need some time under center as he has been in the shotgun most of his young career. Jimbo Fisher will also be able to fix his throwing mechanics. He needs only to add consistency.

Best of the Rest:

Nigel Bradham – LB – Crawfordville, Fla. (6-2, 227) AC100 No. 14
Nigel Carr – LB – Jacksonville, Fla. (6-3, 224) AC100 No. 59
Zebrie Sanders – OL – Clayton, Ohio (6-5, 280)
A.J. Alexander – ATH – Altoona, Penn. (6-0, 180)
Jarmon Fortson – ATH – Columbus, Ga. (6-3, 220)
Everett Dawkins – DE – Duncan, S.C. (6-2, 250)
Terrance Parks – CB – Fairburn, Ga. (6-1, 200)
Moses McCray – DT – Tampa, Fla. (6-1, 270)
Tavarres Presley – RB – Torrence, Calif. (6-0, 210)*
Corey Surrency – WR – Torrence, Calif. (6-4, 210)*

Sleeper: Avis Commack – WR – Jacksonville, Fla. (6-4, 190)

This long, lanky prospect is solid all-around player. He is not great at any one thing but does everything well. He has good hands, runs decent routes, shows deceptive speed – both with and without the ball – and has the size to be an impact player in the vertical passing game. Commack could give the higher ranked wideouts in the class a run for their money.

* - El Camino C.C.

Early Theme in Signing Day: SWITCHES

Florida has already lost two prospects in LB/S Ramon Buchanan and C Ricky Barnum.

Now Auburn has lost one of its top playmakers: wide receiver Jarmon Fortson from Columbus, GA has signed with FSU. Fortson is a great looking pass catcher. He is built like a tank and had a stellar performance in the Georgia Dome in the state semis this season. Auburn will miss Mr. Fortson.

It does not end there, however. Georgia lost one its top players in tight end Dwayne Allen. Allen signed with the Clemson Tigers.

That is four top SEC targets that have left the league.

Purdue also lost one of its top targets too. Troutwood, OH wide receiver Ray Roundtree signed today with the Michigan Wolverines. Rich Rod and Co. are making a very strong push on Signing Day.

Sanders' Third Choice: FSU

Clayton, OH offensive lineman Zebrie Sanders has had a tumultuous recruitment process. The 6-5, 275-pound Northmont product thought he was done with this whole circus on more than one occasion.

December 4th, Sanders was expected to commit to the Florida Gators but instead backed out of it. Was that because the Gators had pulled their scholarship offer? Sanders says that Urban Meyer, did in fact, pull the scholarship.

Then he was supposed to commit to Georgia at the Under Armor All-American Bowl. That didn't happen. Rumors again swirled about Sanders losing a scholarship offer. The young offensive tackle says that the UGA offer is still on the table. It is interesting that the college that his mother attended mysteriously got axed off his list, though.

Finally, this weekend when visiting Tallahassee, Sanders committed to the Seminoles.

Its a good thing too. The offensive line is one of the main causes of FSU's recent struggles. Without Sanders, this OL class would be very weak.

What is concerning about the names that the Seminoles have committed is who they beat out. Big Andrew Datko has offers from only FIU and UCF. He may be a really good player but those schools are not ones that FSU should be competing with.

Even though Sanders is a really nice prospect, the rumors about Florida and Georgia basically handing him down the recruiting ladder to FSU is troubling. It may be nothing, lets say, the media making too much of it. Then again, the O-line has been a major issue on this football team for some years now.

Florida State should be the team to beat, not a recruit's third choice.

Pre-Signing Day Team Recruiting Rankings:

In the middle of November, the first edition of The UV's Unofficial Team Recruiting Rankings debuted. Notre Dame was the best class in the nation after the first unofficial rankings. Things have changed a bit since then.

Athlon's ranks were USC-1, UGA-2, OSU-3, ALA-4, MIA-5. Our rankings only act as one-fourth of the overall team rankings. Much in the same way that the Athlon Consensus 100 works, these team rankings are compiled using four expert sources. ESPN, Rivals, Scout and Athlon.



Rivals and Scout use a computer system that calculates a point total based on individual rankings and quantities. ESPN's list is a subjective group put together based on one man's opinion. Athlon's rankings are obviously subjective as well. This gives The Unofficial Team Recruiting Rankings equal parts computer and human.

Georgia's consistency at No. 2 across the board gave the Bulldogs enough to overcome Notre Dame's two No. 1's. USC and OSU have the best bang for their buck with the highest level of quality. But schools like Miami and Alabama have put together much bigger classes at the moment so they got the nod in most rankings.

Texas has the top running back class with five nice prospects. They would have one of the best classes at the position in history if land Ventura (Cali.) running back Darrell Scott, whom they seem to be leading for after Longhorn tailback Jamaal Charles declared for the draft. Scott is the No. 1 running back prospect in the nation. If the Gators were to add Jacksonville star Jamie Harper and DeSoto (Tx.) product Cyrus Gray, they might be able to challenge. If the experts want to count USC transfer Emmanuel Moody, Florida might be leading.

USC is pulling off the same feat along the offensive line with six outstanding prospects. Ohio State could challenge if they were to land a kid like Josh Jenkins and Notre Dame might have something to say if they could snag Kenneth Page from the southeast.

The depth of this wide receiver class is special and there is still a lot of work to be done. With names like Muskogee's (Okla.) Jameel Owens and Foley's (Al.) Julio Jones still hanging in the balance, any number of teams could claim the title.

Florida would certainly clinch this position if they can somehow pull the upset and land Jones. Carl Moore, Omarius Hines and Frankie Hammonds round out a very well-balanced class for the Gators.

USC's class is special. D.J. Shoemate is Percy Harvin plus two inches and 30 pounds. Brice Butler might be the most polished wideout in the entire class. Oklahoma would challenge if they land Owens - which seems likely. Notre Dame recently pulled Deion Walker off the east coast and Michael Floyd is a very special player. Miami could join the action if the 6-6 Tommy Streeter gives The U a clean sweep of the Northwestern-7. (Ben Jones would have to commit as well...work with me here)

Spain Park defensive end William Green would give Alabama the best defensive line class. Miami boasts the best interior group led by Marcus Fortson, Texas A&M leads on the edge with six commits. Georgia has the second best overall class. Clemson and Oklahoma bring in the best two defensive line prospects in DaQuan Bowers and R.J. Washington respectively.

Miami has the linebacker class locked up. This class is so deep that the Canes might have five starters in the group: three linebackers, one safety and one defensive end. Michigan and Virginia Tech both have great depth in the linebacker corp. If the Buffaloes can hang onto Lynn Katoa, Colorado will have a dynamite group at linebacker.

LSU is atop the list of defensive back classes, led by Ely's (Fl.) Patrick Johnson. If Rick Nueheisel can hang onto Rahim Moore, E.J. Woods and company, UCLA might get my nod, however. It just seems so unlikely that will happen. The Gators claim the top safety group with New Jersey product Will Hill and Auburn High's Dee Finley.

The final team rankings will be released post-signing day.

Early Enrollee Tracker:

As time progresses, the list of spring enrollments will get larger and larger. In this first edition of the Early Enrollee Tracker, three southern powers, the Oregon Ducks, Sly Croom and Mack Brown will be reaping the benefits of kids getting into school early. Learning the campus, getting used to the schedule and starting a college level weight program all will dramatically aid in developing prospects.


Clemson Tigers:

DaQuan Bowers - DE - Bamberg, SC
Kyle Parker - QB - Jacksonville, FL
Tarik Rollins - LB - Hollywood, FL
Spencer Benton - K - Myrtle Beach, SC
Stanley Hunter - Duncan, SC (2007 signee)

Clemson has to be happy to see Bowers and Parker show up early. Parker, a quarterback, can never work too much on his game and Bowers is arguably the best defensive prospect in the entire nation. This Clemson team should already be really good next season, adding Bowers could make this defense very dangerous.


Florida State Seminoles:

Nigel Bradham - LB - Crawfordville, FL
Terrance Parks - CB - Creekside, GA
Vincent Williams - LB - Davenport, FL

FSU DC Mickey Andrews should be happy to see these three prospects step on campus early this spring. Like Bowers at defensive end, Bradham is arguably the best as his position nationally. Parks is also a very solid prospect.


Florida Gators:

Janoris Jenkins - CB - Pahokee, FL
Brendan Beal - LB - Bethlehem, PA
Matt Patchan - OT - Tampa, FL
Jeremy Brown - CB - Orlando, FL
Earl Okine - DE - Gainesville, FL
Caleb Sturgis - K - St. Augustine, FL

Florida's group is sick. Jenkins, Beal and Patchan are all top-100 type players. Beal and Patchan are both in the top-50 of the Athlon Consensus 100. They also enroll the top offensive JUCO player in the nation, 6-4, 220-pound wide receiver Carl Moore.

JUCOS:
Carl Moore - WR - Roseville, CA
Troy Epps - DT - Union, SC


Oregon Ducks:

The Ducks bring in one of my favorite players in the nation: Darron Thomas. Thomas is a lighting quick Dennis Dixon clone with 20 more pounds of weight. Among the other early signees/enrollees are three JUCO kids as well. Bruising running back LaGarrette Blount could be an immediate fix to a running game that could lose Jonathan Stewart. Don't let Blount's power and size fool you, he can really move well in space too. Blount decommitted from FSU and signed with Oregon on JUCO Signing Day.

Darron Thomas - QB/ATH - Aldine, TX
John Boyatt - S - Napa, CA
Carson York - OL - Coeur d’Alene, ID

JUCO signees:
LaGarrett Blount - RB - Perry, FL
Lonnell Rice - DT - Palm Desert, CA
Justin Thompson - DT - Los Angeles, CA

Texas Longhorns:

Dan Buckner - WR - Allen, TX
Mark Buchanan - OL - Austin, TX
Tre Newton - RB - Southlake, TX
David Snow - OL - Gilmer, TX
Dravannti Johnson - Nederland, TX
Brock Fitzhenry - WR - Giddings, TX
Blake Gideon - S - Leander, TX
Justin Tucker - K - Austin, TX

Just another huge group of early enrollees. Buckner had a nice game in San Antonio in the U.S. Army AA Bowl. Snow, Buchanan, Newton and Johnson are all promising prospects.


Mississippi State Bulldogs:

Phillip Freeman - OT - Wesson, MS (JUCO)
O'Neal Wilder - WR - Carthage, MS (2007)
Mike Hunt - S - Meadville, MS (2007)
Nelson Hurst - TE - Plainfield, IN

Hurst is technically the only actual early enrollee but I am sure that Sly is happy to have them on campus this spring.

Stayed tuned to The Unofficial Visitor for more of the Early Enrollee Tracker.

New Year's Decommitments: Hunter/Johnson

Two major names celebrated their New Year's with two not-so-surprising resolutions. Both of these kids have had rumors swirling around their recruitment for some time now. They both just made it official this week.

Buford, GA defensive tackle prospect Omar Hunter has decommitted from Notre Dame and Ely High (Fla.) standout Patrick Johnson broke off his ties with Miami. Neither is a shock. Johnson has been rumored to have been decommitted for a long time and stories about Hunter had surfaced a few weeks ago.

Both of these players are considered top-100 type players. Both will be featured soon on the Athlon Consensus 100.

The Hunter loss hurts Notre Dame just a bit more however. Notre Dame's top priority this season in recruiting was defensive and offensive line play. Charlie Weis has done a great job of addressing those issues with names like Trevor Robinson, Ethan Johnson and many others. Hunter was a linchpin of the D-Line class though. With the new 3-4 scheme, it is imperitive that a big, versitile tackle can play head-up on the center. It is just a tough task to find guys like that and Hunter is one of them.

Miami is still loaded on the defensive side of the ball in this class. The-U has the best linebacking class in the nation and recently added top-flight safety and former FSU commit C.J. Holton. Plus, I think Patrick Johnson was a bit overrated. When a kid brings this much turmoil upon himself so early in his career, I back off.

Hunter's finalists: Auburn, Florida, USC (my guess is Auburn)
Johnson's finalists: Florida, Florida St, LSU (my guess is Florida)

USA Today All-American 1st Team

The first team looks pretty predictable. Offense:

QB - Terrelle Pryor
RB - Darrell Scott
RB - Bryce Brown (2009 class)
WR - Julio Jones
WR - Michael Floyd
TE - Kyle Rudolph
OL - Matt Patchan
OL - Mike Adams
OL - Michael Brewster
OL - Trevor Robinson
OL - Josh Jenkins
K - Blair Walsh

Not to many surprises here. I would have liked to see Kavario Middleton (Wash.) as the first team TE. I think he is just a touch better than Rudolph. But that is splitting hairs, Rudolph is deserving also. One call that I love is Mike Floyd over A.J. Green. Green is not the second best WR in this class. A top-25 player? Yes. Not top five. I actually like D.J. Shoemate and Jameel Owens more. The Trevor Robinson pick in interesting. Matt Kalil, Tyler Love and Tyron Smith are names that are better prospects. Kalil obviously not deserving due to his season.

Bryce Brown will be sick. He is the only 2009 prospect on the first team.

Notre Dame landed three of these first teamers (Floyd, Robinson, Rudolph). OSU would get three with Terrelle Pryor and two first team hog-mollies in Brewster and Adams.

The Defense:

DL - Nick Perry
DL - Marcus Fortson
DL - DeAngelo Tyson
LB - Shayne Hale
LB - Nigel Bradham
LB - Arthur Brown
LB - Brendan Beal
DB - Patrick Johnson
DB - Nolan Brewster
DB - TJ Bryant
DB - Will Hill

Again, not many surprises. I have only been covering recruiting since about 2000 but I cannot remember two brothers on the either side of the ball on the USA Today AA First Team. Bryce is Arthur's little brother. The Perry and Brewster picks are interesting. I would have liked to see E.J. Woods or maybe Rahim Moore in there instead. Maybe DaQuan Bowers on the line.

Miami has three of these defensive AA's (Fortson, Johnson, Brown). Who knows, it could be more.

All in all, two pretty predictable teams. Can you imagine the the speed of this linebacker group with Shayne Hale bringing pressure? What about Scott, Pryor and Brown out of the back field? Its spelled S.P.R.E.A.D.

FSU-Mia: The Battle Continues

JUCO signing day began last Wednesday, December 19th. Florida St has arguably the best JUCO class in the nation. With names like Tavares Pressley and Corey Surrency, FSU will be bringing in a solid core of skill position players next season. Pressley is the real deal and might compete for playing time immediately in the backfield. He is very similar to Darren McFadden, 6'1" - 215 with blinding speed.

On Dec. 19th, however, FSU lost one of its prized JUCO recruits. LaGarrett Blount signed instead with Oregon. The East Miss CC prospect would have been a nice compliment to the speedy Pressley. Blount is roughly 6'2" - 230 lbs. He would have been the thunder to Pressley's lightning. Now he is headed to Oregon. A nice pick-up for the Ducks as Blount is much in the mold of Jonathan Stewart, although not quite as fast.

Late last week FSU took another hit. And I don't mean of the peace pipe. That was the 34 suspended players. Actually it was academics not drugs that got them suspended, but they had to have been smoking something...I digress...

Crawfordville defensive back C.J. Holton decommitted from the local Seminoles and instead pledged to play for Miami.

Holton is much in the mold of a Miami safety. Names like Brandon Merriweather, Kenny Phillips and the late Sean Taylor have made The-U an attractive place for safeties to come. Holton has a very similar game to that of Merriweather and Phillips. Holton possesses the speed and agility to cover like Merriweather and Phillips but can also come up and fill lanes against the run.

Holton is comfortable in all situations making him a very versatile player for coordinators. Randy Shannon will be able to drop him into the box when needed, play him in a 2-deep zone or blitz everyone and stick him in a man-to-man situation on the outside. The 6-2, 200 lb safety will be a solid player for Miami.

To a defensive class that might already be the best in the nation, Miami added another stud. Arthur Brown and Co. make the LB class tops in the nation. Now with Holton and Patrick Johnson (at least for now), the DB class is up there as well.

If Miami can add Tommy Streeter, Ben Jones, Brandon Harris and Matt Patchan they will be pushing for the top class in the nation. They would need to keep Johnson as well but that looks like a long shot. (FLA Gators)

How he ranks:

Rivals: #6 safety, #124 overall
Scout: #11 safety, #153 overall
ESPN: #6 safety, #104 overall

Joe Montana QB Finalists

The first annual Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year Award has its seven finalists. Hall of Famer Joe Montana and QB coaching expert Steve Clarkson, along with the DeBartolo Sports University, will be giving this award to "the nation's best quarterback."

The Finalist:

Dayne Crist - Sherman Oaks, CA (Notre Dame)
EJ Manuel - Bayside, VA (Florida St)
Matt Scott - Corona, CA (Arizona)
Braden Hansen - Charlotte, NC (North Carolina)
Landry Jones - Artesia, NM (Oklahoma)
John Wienke - Tuscola, IL (Iowa)
Matt Barkley - Santa Ana, CA (USC lean-2009)

Matt Barkley is arguably the best prospect in the entire nation next season. USC should have him wrapped-up soon.

E.J. Manuel is the best prospect of the group. He is the most mentally ready quarterback of the group. He is already a leader. Crist and Barkley are the next best prospects not only on this list but in the entire nation.

Landry Jones is a great looking player but when will he get to play?

The interesting thing is that all of these kids are dramatically better passers than Terrelle Pryor. Is that why Pryor does not show up on this list?

If it is about who throws the ball better then sure leave Pryor off, but if the claim is "the nation's best quarterback," how is Pryor not on this list? He is not only the best prospect but also the best athlete and he led his team to a state title breaking records along the way. What does he need to do to get on this list?

With all due respect to Hall of Famers and gurus, Pryor belongs on this list.

The award will be announced on January 1, 2008 during the first half of the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla.

JUCO Report: Florida, FSU and Wisconsin

The Gators, Seminoles and Badgers all picked up JUCO commits this week.

The biggest of these names is a huge wide receiver (6-4, 220) from Sierra C.C. in Roseville, CA. Carl Moore, ranked the #2 JUCO prospect in the nation by JCGridiron.com, committed to the Florida Gators.

Arguably the most coveted offensive JUCO player in the nation, Moore has put up big numbers in two season at Sierra. 134 receptions, 2,028 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons. All that production while being double and triple teamed constantly.

This week's commitments from wide receivers Carl Moore, Omarius Hines and Frankie Hammond Jr. have really bumped Florida's class into the top-10.

Florida St. dipped into the JUCO cookie jar again this week. East Mississippi C.C. (Scooba, MS) running back LaGarrett Blount has committed to the Seminoles. Blount is listed at 6-2, 235 lbs. There is no way he is that big. 6-1, 225 maybe. But that size is still big for a running back Blount's speed and big play ability. Tennessee running back Arian Foster is a good comparison. Both have deceptive speed and big play potential.

Even though this is once again a nice pick-up for FSU, using a JUCO strategy too heavily can really create problems with depth down the road. Blount is the #12 by JCGridiron.com.

Wisconsin picked-up some o-line help with the commitment of Joliet College's (ILL.) Dan Moore. The All-Midwest Conference performer is listed at 6-2, 295 lbs.

US Army AA Player of the Year Finalist

The US Army All-American Bowl is easily the best national "all-star" event for high school prospects each season. In conjunction with that game, finalist for National Player of the Year have been announced. This list is not necessarily the best six players.

Nigel Bradham LB 6-2, 225 (Wakulla High School, Crawford, Fla.)
Arthur Brown LB 6-1, 215 (East High School, Wichita, Kan.)
Dayne Crist QB 6-4, 225 (Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Patrick Johnson DB 6-1, 190 (Blanche Ely High School, Pompano Beach, Fla.)
Terrelle Pryor QB 6-5, 230 (Jeanette High School, Jeanette, Pa.)
Darrell Scott RB 6-0, 205 (St. Bonaventure High School, Ventura, Calif.

Technically Patrick Johnson is committed to Miami...technically. He has a wandering eye. Dayne Crist is committed to Notre Dame. I wonder if Charlie Weis pulls a Joe Theismann and adds an H? Nigel Bradham is headed to Florida State. Darrell Scott is supposedly silently committed to Colorado.

Arthur Brown narrowed his list to UNC, Fla, Mia, USC and LSU this week.

The man to beat is Terrell Pryor though. Whose 421 total yard, 7 td performance against Aliquippa a few weeks back was raising question amongst local coaches if he was better than Tony Dorsett. Dorsett is consider to be the best high school football player in the state of PA, ever.

I still say Pryor ends up in Columbus.

The US Army All-American Bowl is on NBC, Jan. 5th, 1 pm EST.

Florida St lands JUCO Tavares Pressley

Florida St's regular season is over. Jimbo Fisher immediately hoped a flight to the golden coast to enjoy the sun, beaches and junior colleges of California. His primary target was a 6-1, 215 running back by the name of Tavares Pressley. Pressley accepted his scholarship offer on the spot and committed. He chose the Seminoles over Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas St, Ole Miss and Colorado.

El Camino College (Torrence, CA) has been good to Florida St. Corey Surrency, a top-10 JUCO wide receiver, committed earlier this season. Surrency and Pressley are roommates at El Camino. Pressley is originally from Arcadia, FL.

JCGridiron.com ranks the top-50 JUCO players each season. Surrency is #8 and Pressley is #12.

Pressley is a big back with game breaking speed. He runs between the tackles with aggression and has no problem playing a physical style of football. What makes him special is his ability to get to the corner though. Once Pressley sees daylight it is over. He can take it to the house on any play. Defenses don't give him the edge, he takes it.

He is built and runs much like Darren McFadden. Pressley probably does not have the explosion/speed that Run-DMC has but who does? Because he is so shifty in the open field for a RB his size, he has a tendency to dance to much but that is just something to watch and fix with coaching.

Living on JUCO's is a dangerous tight rope to walk however. Dennis Erickson and Bill Snyder are two guys that have made JUCO's work but few others have done it with their level of success. A school cannot live on JUCO talent though. It is nice that FSU has landed two game-breakers at skill positions but if a program ends up too dependent on JUCO infusions it will come back to haunt them.

All-in-all, great pick-ups for Florida St but be weary.

Florida State Update: Everett Dawkins

Florida St. normally waits until Signing Day to finish off a top-10 type class. This season has been a bit different for Bobby Bowden and the new coaching staff. There was a lot of talk surrounding OC/QB guru Jimbo Fisher and O-line maniac Rick Trickett but it may be another new coach that this recruiting success can be attributed. Former NC State head coach Chuck Amato is on this star-studded staff now and one thing he has always been able to do is recruit. Amato and Co. have put together a stellar class for 2008 and its not even signing day yet! Unofficial BCS Team Recruiting Rankings

Who could forget this classic film about Amato

A recent trip by FSU DE coach Jody Allen to watch 6-3, 250 lb defensive end Everett Dawkins paid off with a commitment from the Byrnes HS (Duncan, SC) player. He goes with the Noles over Illinois, Wisconsin, Va. Tech, Tennessee South Carolina and others.

Byrnes is a football juggernaut in the state of South Carolina with facilities that rivals small D-1 football programs. This means that physical development should be ahead of schedule as compared to most high school programs. Dawkins is a finalist for Mr. Football in the Palmetto state.

It shows on the field. Dawkins is an athlete. He is very explosive, has quick feet and runs very well. He can get to ball in a hurry. On film he looks bigger than 250 and he carries the weight very well as he is comfortable in open space. He also has one of the quickest swim moves I have ever seen on film. Because of his athleticism he is comfortable in a two-point stance.

His comfort level with standing up comes from the utilization a very unique defensive front scheme. At times he is cock-eyed in as a DT and sometime the entire defensive line is standing. The New England Patriots has at times used this to confuse QB's pre-snap.

I am worried about his reliance on one move, the swim. He uses it even as a DT and he rarely shows the power and strength to stand a O-lineman up at the point of attack and hold his ground. He will need to learn to go through blocks not constantly try to go around them. D-1 athletes are too quick these days. They will beat him to the hole if he tries to go around blocks. Make no mistake, however, he is an physically gifted athlete.

Team Recruiting Rankings

As we near the end of the actual football season, we begin to head into the heart of another type of season. The recruiting season. The bowl season, for those teams not practicing for such historic bowl titles as the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, means hitting the recruiting trail. I have searched high and low to bring you the first ever Unofficial Visitor team recruiting rankings. With a little help of course...

Rivals and Scout are both completely computerized awarding points for quality and quantity. Hence Ohio St and USC are lower. ESPN is completely objective (Its just some guy ranking classes).

I will be the BCS of recruiting rankings. It will be two parts computer and two parts human poll. I will input my rankings and come up with "The Unofficial Team Rankings:"