2008 Sleepers

The term role player has long been regarded as one with negative connotations. On a basketball court, it’s a scrappy, less-talented ball player who can do a little bit of everything. On a baseball diamond, it’s the utility infielder who will play any position you ask him to.

In recruiting classes, the “role players” can end up being stars.

Yes, the top-notch, five-star type players are needed if one expects to win a national championship in college football these days. But staying competitive in today’s NCAA landscape means developing talent better than the next guy. That is where the two-and three-star players come in. They are the underlying foundation of depth on conference championship teams.

Just ask Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, West Virginia or Wisconsin.



The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide both had linebackers recently who were not only high draft picks but are now NFL stars: A.J. Hawk and DeMeco Ryans. Both were three-star prospects coming out of high school.

Oklahoma’s record-setting freshman quarterback, Sam Bradford, was not a big-time recruit.

Pat White and Steve Slaton were both asked to play other positions – by LSU and Maryland respectively –  coming out of high school until Rich Rodriguez and WVU gave them a shot in the backfield. Next season, White is likely to become the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher from the quarterback position.

Wisconsin’s bruising tailback P.J. Hill was a two-star fullback and nine defensive starters for the Badgers were ranked three-stars or lower coming out of the prep ranks.

So who are those sleepers this season? Here are some mid-level prospects who might have a chance at being stars for their school of choice:

Darius Ashley        Cincinnati, OH    RB    5’9” 190    Louisville

This kid also was the leader and main factor on a state championship football team. This was the highest division of play in Ohio, though, so no small feat. He is tough. He is fast and he wins. Steve Kragthorpe and company got a nice player in Ashley.

Willie Bohannon        Mobile, AL        DE    6’3” 240    Tennessee

Bohannon has the size/speed combination that is so valuable to defensive coordinators. He has great pass rush ability as well as lateral quickness in the run game. He played very physical football in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. Now all John Chavis has to figure out is where to play him.

Cody Bruns            Prosser, WA        WR    5’11” 185    Washington

This little over-achiever is going to be a great receiving option for Husky quarterback Jake Locker. He is just a bit too short and just a bit too slow, right? Well, Bruns simply gets the job done. He set national high school career receiving records with 304 career receptions for 5,080 yards and 72 touchdowns. He is too smart a player not to be successful.

Alfred Jenkins        Jacksonville, FL    WR    6’ 178        Illinois

There is no secret that freshmen will be given the shot to play at Illinois. Jenkins is no exception. He has great speed and will make things happen with the ball in his hands. Juice Williams will need another receiving option next season across from Arrelious Benn, and Jenkins could be the guy.

Wes Kemp            St. Louis, MO    WR    6’4” 226    Missouri

Originally headed to Wisconsin, Kemp recently switched to the Tigers. He might be moved to tight end, and in Gary Pinkel’s system, he is a perfect fit. His size and athleticism make him an ideal piece to the Pinkel offensive puzzle. He will be a faster, slightly smaller version of Martin Rucker.

D’anton Lynn        Celina, TX        S    6’1” 180    Penn State

Penn State dipped into Texas to pull an underrated defensive back prospect. Lynn will be very good against the run. His aggressive, attacking style of play allows him to play down in the box. His speed and athleticism give him the ability to play sideline-to-sideline.

Kyle Parker            Jacksonville, FL    QB    6’ 192”    Clemson

This Todd Reesing look-alike played very well at the Under Armour All-American Game. He has such a natural feel for the game, that it might be hard to keep him off the field. He goes through his progressions very quickly and accurately. Watch out Willy Korn!

Curt Phillips            Kingsport, TN    QB    6’3” 218    Wisconsin

This kid is the complete package of physical ability at the quarterback position. He has nice height and a well-built, muscular frame. His arm strength is more than adequate. It is his athleticism that makes him so intriguing. He has the ability to be a run option from out of the backfield. Phillips gained 9,206 total yards and was responsible for 115 touchdowns over three seasons.

James Vandenberg        Keokuk, IA        QB    6’2” 185    Iowa

Vandenberg leaves Keokuk High with almost sole possession of the Iowa state passing record book. He also led his team to the 3A state championship. On film, he shows nice footwork and nice fundamentals. He is productive, he is a winner and he has nice technique. That is all I need to know.

Rod Wilks            Smyrna, TN        WR    6’2” 205    Tennessee

Wilks has been compared to Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. He is not quite that physically gifted but he certainly plays a similar brand of football. In fact, Wilks might even be a touch faster than Mr. Fitzgerald. He likes the contact and will make the tough catch. Wilks will be a playmaker in Knoxville.

_______________________________________________________________________

Here are some guys who are not so much sleepers as they are underrated. These five names are all outside of the top-125 in the Athlon Consensus 100, but all should be in the top-100.

Nick Cody            Brush Prairie, WA    OL    6’5” 290    Oregon

This young offensive tackle may be the most underrated prospect in the nation. Cody has a great story and a great head on his shoulders. He is a well-grounded, hard-working mauler along the offensive line. He looks to bury defenders on every play and with his size could be an all-Pac-10 type player. I had a chance to interview him during his live commitment.

Listen Here

Jarmon Fortson        Columbus, GA    WR    6’3” 218    Florida State

Fortson put on a show in the Georgia Dome during the 3A state semi-finals. He led his team to 20 unanswered points in the final six minutes of play to pull off the miraculous comeback 26-24. He made spectacular catch after spectacular catch. The big, physical receiver will be a threat in all levels of the passing game.

Max Tuioti-Mariner        Corona, CA        OL    6’4” 300    Colorado

This kid is a beast. He, like Cody, looks to bury defenders on every play. It is this killer instinct that transforms physically limited solid players into all-conference type bruisers. Stick him next to true freshman starter Ryan Miller and the left side of the Colorado offensive line is set for years to come.

Darron Thomas        Aldine, TX        ATH    6’4” 205    Oregon

The Ducks are getting a dynamic playmaker in Mr. Thomas. He has lightning-quick footwork and his acceleration is second to none. I would like to see him get a shot at quarterback as the Chip Kelly system would fit his skills perfectly. He does lack the arm strength coaches like, but he has good touch and accuracy.

MarQueis Gray        Indianapolis, IN    QB    6’4” 220    Minnesota

Arguably the second-best dual-threat quarterback behind Terrelle Pryor, Gray is a dynamic playmaker. This kid has the speed to get downfield in a hurry. He will be a great fit in the spread offense that Tim Brewster is trying to install. He has great acceleration, size and arm strength. Gray is a much more polished passer than a guy like Darron Thomas.

Championship Weekend

Its championship weekend. At least in some states. Ohio crowned their title winners last weekend with an upset by Coldwater over Youngstown Cardinal Mooney despite PSU commit Brandon Beachum's 191 yards. The biggest star of the Ohio state title weekend was running back Darius Ashley, a running back headed to Louisville. Ashley set an Ohio record for rushing in a title game rushing for 271 yards and two scores in the 27-0 Class-1 victory. Ashley is DRAMATICALLY underrated.

The nation's top player, Terrelle Pryor, had another game for the ages in his title game this weekend. Jeannette HS beat Dunmore in the Class-AA PIAA title game this weekend 49-21. Jeannette was not really tested at all in their run to the title. Pryor threw for 83 yards, one touchdown, rushed for 209 yards and three scores and to top it all off he caught a 28 yard touchdown pass. Run, pass and catch. This kid just about does it all. (He had a 100-yard INT return for touchdown last week)

With the move David Cutcliffe makes, Tennessee has been eliminated by Pryor. That leaves FLA, PSU, OSU, WVU and Oregon. PSU and FLA seem to trailing the other three. With rumors swirling about Rich Rodriguez heading to Michigan, WVU might be on tenuous ground. The Oregon Ducks are slowly moving up the list.

The nation's top running back lived up to his hype as well. St. Bonnie's Darrell Scott rushed for 150 yards on 17 carries (8.8 ypc) and two scores with only one leg. Scott played the entire CIF State Division III Bowl Championship win over Central Catholic (35-21) with a badly injured ankle.

South Carolina posted a 31-24 victory over North Carolina Saturday in the 71st annual Shrine Bowl. I will be speaking with Tony Morrell of GamecockCentral.com on Monday so look for more Shrine Bowl coverage. Many players raised their stock significantly, linebacker Sterling Lucas for one.

Big Weekend in Ohio

Florida, Texas and California - in that order - are the top three talent producing states in the nation. This is not really a surprise. Ranking states from there gets tricky. Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Louisiana, Virginia and even New Jersey have legit claims to be in the top-5. Per-capita, Mississippi might be the most talent producing state in the country!

I lean towards the state of Ohio. It is already has the Cradle of Coaches so why not give it the unofficial crown for 4th best recruiting state. That being said, if you are in the Canton/Massillon area this weekend I recommend getting to one of these two stadiums for one of six state championship games. These six games feature plenty of high level D-1 talent, especially in the 2009 class.

Maria Stein Marion Local v. Youngstown Ursuline
Fri. 11 am, Massillon Paul Brown Stadium, Division V

Ursuline is led along the offensive line by big Harold Coates. They also have two stellar '09 prospects. Darrell Mason is a tremendous athlete, maybe the best in the state of Ohio in 2009. Cornerback Dale Peterman is also getting plenty of looks right now. Keep your eyes on these two kids.

Sunbury Big Walnut v. Newark Licking Valley
Fri. 3 pm, Canton Fawcett Stadium, Division III

Make sure to watch SR. running back Josh Bailey who won the game last week for Licking Valley with a 65-yd run with less than :30 left on the clock breaking a 21-all tie. Two more 2009 kids will do battle in this contest too. Licking Valley's Storm Klein is a versitle athlete at 6-2, 220. He is already committed to Jim Tressell and the Buckeyes. Look for Big Walnut linebacker Will Studlein to answer the bell for his squad.

Cincinnati Anderson v. Louisville
Fri. 7 pm, Massillon Paul Brown Stadium, Divison II

Although not loaded with high level prospects, this game should have plenty of fireworks. Louisville starts four wide receivers as they like to spread it out and have only had one close game during the entire playoffs. Anderson RB Elijah Storey has broken the 200 yard barrier in four of his last five games including a 201-yd, 3 touchdown performance over Ashland in the state semis.

Bascom Hopewell-Loudon v. Newark Catholic
Sat. 11 am, Canton Fawcett Stadium, Division VI

Newark Catholic is playing in its 13th state title game. They have won seven championships. Bascom head coach Brian Colatruglio, in his 4th season, has only lost four games as head coach (49-4).

Coldwater v. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney
Sat. 3 pm, Massillon Paul Brown Stadium, Division IV

Current Buckeye Ross Homan will be watching his little brother, Adam Homan, play for Coldwater. Cardinal Mooney is LOADED. Linebackers Taylor Hill (OU), Mike Zordich (PSU) and standout '09 defensive tackle John Simon lead the way on defense as YCM tries to defend their state title. Simon already has offers from Notre Dame, Illinois, Nebraska, Pitt and Ohio St. Penn St commit Brandon Beachum will be on display as he has rushed for 1569 yards and 17 TD's on the season.

Cincinnati St. Xavier v. Mentor
Sat. 7 pm, Canton Fawcett Stadium, Division I

The grand finale. The top level of competition in arguabely the fourth most talented state in the nation features a dynamic running back in St. X's Darius Ashley. The underrated Louisville commit has carried his team all season long. Also, keep an eye on St. X linebacker Fred Craig (Stan). Mentor will be hungry after losing the first ever state title (Division I) to go to overtime last season to Hilliard Davidson.