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

US Army AA Game Notebook:

Heading into this game I really felt that the offensive skill position players were better on the West team and that the defensive front seven was better on the East team. That was pretty much how the game played out with one exception. No one can stop Terrelle Pryor.

There is no substitute for supreme talent. It was a clean sweep from the top prospect in the nation. He took home not only the win today but also the games' Most Valuable Player and the US Army National Player of the Year award too. It is very easy to see that he is clearly the best player in the nation.

Some random thoughts....

The athleticism was very apparent at the quarterback position for the East team with Pryor, Star Jackson and MarQuies Gray. The West had no answer for the speed at the QB position.

Miami defensive tackle prospect Marcus Fortson was dominate as the East shut down the West ground game. The linebackers were all over the field led by another Miami defender Arthur Brown. There is no way Brown plays in the middle. He was noticeably smaller than guys like Steven Filer and Etiene Sabino. Brown will be a fabulous weakside backer.

The wide receivers for the West were phenomenal. D.J. Shoemate, Dan Buckner, Jameel Owens and particularly Michael Floyd played well. I would have liked to see Shoemate used more out of the back field. I am very high on all four of these kids.

Gerell Robinson is very raw and very good. He is a smart, well-spoken kid that has freakish size and athleticism. He may want to redshirt at Arizona St to learn the subtleties of the wide receiver position. He is gifted enough to play right away though.

Speaking of the Pac-10. The west coast had a great day landing three of the kids announcing on Saturday. Robinson is headed to ASU; Solomon Koehler leaves Hawaii for the desert and Arizona; Covaughn Deboskie chose Cal.

Alabama and Georgia are in a heavyweight bout for the SEC recruiting race. After stealing A.J. Harmon from Clemson, the Bulldogs are making a strong push for not only the SEC crown but maybe the top class in the nation.

With Gray's commitment to Minnesota, Tim Brewster has found a piece to build a future around. The Gophers' class is very strong as the Big Ten doormat has dipped into Texas, Chicago and now Indianapolis to snag a lot of solid prospects.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
AJ Harmon - Georgia
Patrick Johnson - LSU
Shayne Hale - Pitt
MarQuies Gray - Minnesota
Ryan Williams - Va. Tech
Solomon Koehler - Arizona
Gerell Robinson - Arizona St
Covaughn Deboskie - Cal
Brandon Smith - Michigan

Photo by Rivals.com

US Army All-American Announcements:

Every year the US Army AA game affords plenty of action for recruiting fans. It pits top flight talent versus top flight talent allowing evaluators to really get a look at prospects with the lights on. It gives football fans a taste of the future. And then there are the announcements.

This year there are plenty of big names making their picks on Saturday...

Predictions:

Shayne Hale - Ohio State
Young Hollywood Johnson - Florida (LSU is major player)
Solomon Koehler - Arizona
Ryan Williams - Va. Tech
MarQueis Gray - Minnesota
Brandon Smith - Michigan

Covaughn Deboskie was supposed to announce as well but it has leaked out that he chose the Cal Golden Bears. He is a nice pick-up for Jeff Tedford and Co.

The US Army All-American Game airs Saturday, Jan 5th at 2pm EST on NBC

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.