Speaking of Chicago, public league power Morgan Park recently named former Ann Arbor Pioneer and Central Michigan player Jeremy Gold as their head coach.  He is the older brother of former Michigan star Ian Gold.  Until the recent surge by Simeon, Morgan Park was the top talent-producer in the city.  This is an important program for Michigan to have an “in” with so it will be interesting to see how well Michigan recruits the school the nect couple of years.  The first “test” will come with stud Class of 2013 DE/TE Demetrius Cooper (6-5, 235) who recorded a remarkable 16 sacks for a 10-3 Class 6A team this past season.  Interestingly, he was in Ann Arbor for the February Michigan Showcase Camp and looked very, very good.

Speaking of pipelines, Michigan could re-establish one with Ohio power Cincinnati Colerain after landing blue-chip LB Joe Bolden.  After all, the Colerain head coach is his uncle, Tom Bolden.  In addition, the athletic director at the school is his father.  Two key underclassmen to keep an eye on are Class of 2013 RB Chris Davis (5-10. 175, 4.50) and Class of 2014 WR Trevon Hudson (6-3, 200).  Davis averaged almost seven yards per carry while backing-up two D-I signees while was a rare freshman contributor on varsity (4 games with 5 catches for 108 yards (21.6 ypc) and 3 TD’s) and stared on the varsity basketball team.

A few weeks ago I posted a listing of underclass prospects with Michigan connections.  A prospect that I failed to mention is Class of 2013 WR Brandon Bean (6-2, 180).  Bean is the son of former Michigan WR Vincent Bean, who started opposite Anthony Carter in the early 80s.  Brandon will also have a chance to play alongside a talented receiver this coming season with Ron Thompson (who, by the way, has a talented younger brother in Class of 2014 prospect Aaron Thompson) having recently transferred from East Detroit Eastpointe to Southfield.  I currently have Bean ranked as possibly the top WR prospect in the state for the Class of 2013 (Harrison soph Gairus Coleman, a nephew of former Harrison and MSU start Mill Coleman and Monatague WR Brandon Moore are also very good).

By the way, now that Michigan has landed Devin Funchess, a future stud at Harrison is Class of 2014 RB Lorenzo Collins (5-11, 180).  He will very impressive in limited varsity time as a freshman and could emerge as the top RB in the state by his senior year.  Also keep an eye on Class of 2013 prospects Eddie Huckleby (5-10, 175, Harlan’s son as per my earlier update) and lineman Noah Downs (6-3, 280) and Class of 2014 LB Gary Hosey (a future big-timer).

- First, I will give you the name of a Class of 2013 in-state sleeper who absolutely nobody is talking about.  He is an offensive lineman who could well follow in the tradition of Jake Long and recent Oregon signee Jake Fisher.  His name is Steven Elmer (6-6, 297, 5.15 forty, Midland High) and he could well have as much potential as any lineman in the state of Michigan.  His measurements and forty time are all combine-verified, by the way, and in addition he ran a superb 4.63 shuttle at a recent combine.   He was a sophomore starter in the tough Saginaw Valley League and look for his name to explode onto the recruiting scene over the next few months.

- The cream is starting to emerge in the Class of 2013.  In addition to  Steven Elmer, here are a few other blue-chip prospects to keep an eye on (no particular order):

1)  Shane Morris (QB, 6-3, 185, 4.90, Warren De La Salle):  Recently offered by Michigan.  One of the top five sophomore QBs in the nation.

2)  Berkley Edwards (RB, 5-9, 172, Chelsea):  Younger brother of former Michigan star Braylon Edwards.  Really starting to emerge as a sophomore.  Like older bro, more of a late-bloomer but spring has arrived.  At last week’s Chicago Nike Combine he was named the top underclassman at the event and had the No. 2 SPARQ Rating for all underclassmen at 96.06. He ran a 4.18 shuttle time and jumped 36-inches in the vertical.  As a sophomore RB playing behind a senior he had 89 carries for 428 yards (5.3ypc) and 6 TDs.  Expect those numbers to at least triple his junior season.

3)  Brandon Moore (WR/DB/P, 6-4, 190, Montague):  One of my favorite in-state sleepers as he comes from a program that does not have a track record of producing D-I talent.  First Team Muskegon Chronicle-Divisions 5-8 All-Area as a sophomore on a 9-3 Division 6 team as he had 52 receptions for 1,018 yards (19.58 avg) and 11 TDs, 8 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, and 34 punts for a 36.24 avg.

4)  Adam Coon (DL/OL, 6-5, 230, 4.80, Fowlerville):  First Team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American and an honorable mention D 3-4 all-state selection as a sophomore.  4.0 GPA and D-2 state wrestling champ at 215 pounds already as a mere frosh

5)  Luke MacLean (DL/LB, 6-3,233, 4.85, Grand Blanc):  Sophomore starter at LB for the program that sent Justice Hayes to Michigan.  Still growing and could best project with his hand down at the next level.  As a sophomore, MacLean had 70 tackles, five sacks and one blocked field goal.  Aggressive, strong, fine blitzer, recently ran a fine 4.34 shuttle.  A Brady Hoke type of player.

6)  Wyatt Shallman (DL/RB, 6-3, 241, 4.92, Novi Detroit Catholic Central):  Could even have more upside than Class of 2012 teammate Matthew Godin.  Rare sophomore starter for a state D-I power and  he had 53 carries for 354 yards (6.68ypc) and 6 TDs, 3 receptions for 35 yards, 12 tackles, 20 assists, 1 sack, and 2 KRs for a 8.50 avg.  Recently was one of the few sophomores to attend a Penn State junior day and the Nittany Lions have already made a strong early impression.  Ran a great 4.18 shuttle at a recent Nike combine.

7)  John Reschke (LB, 6-2, 215, 4.65, Birmingham Brother Rice):   The best pure ‘backer in the state.  As a sophomore he had 33 tackles, 46 assists, 7.5 sacks, 1 FR and 2 FFs.  Runs well, tough and aggressive.

8)  Trent Bragg (LB/WR/DB, 6-1, 200, Detroit Frederick Douglass):  Plays for a weak PSL team (1-8 in 2010) but he is a team leader and very athletic.  As a sophomore LB/WB/SS  he had 109 tackles, 25 assists, 1 sack, 1 INT returned for 60 yards, 5 PBUs, 53 carries for 455 yards (8.59ypc) and 1 TD and 15 receptions for 270 yards (18.00 avg) and 3 TDs.

9) John Doyle (LB/FB, 6-1, 215, 4.80, Grosse Pointe South):  The best prospect to emerge from South since current Ohio State TE Reid Fragel.  Honorable Mention All-Metro East selection as a sophomore starter.  Great nose for the ball, smart, tough, flows to the ball, 3.6 GPA.

10)  Dai-Zoun Oliver (DB/RB, 5-9, 164, 4.40, Melvindale):  Much like Steven Elmer, another prospect who should blow-up in the near future.  One of the top sophomore 200 meter runners in the nation (21.87 automatic).  Started as a sophomore at CB.  Highly regarded by the way, by former Michigan star Stanley Edwards.

11)  Jaleel Canty (DB/WR, 5-9, 184, 4.46, Lansing Everett):  From Magic Johnson’s alma mater comes one of the top overall prospects in central Michigan.    First Team All-Conference performer as a sophomore in a good league.  His measurements were confirmed at a recent combine.

12) Eddie Huckleby (DB/LB/ATH, 5-10, 175, Farmington Hills Harrison):   The son of former Michigan star RB Harlan Huckleby.  As a sophomore starter at DE on a 14-0 state champion team he had 41 tackles, 34 assists, 1 sack, 1 PBU and 1 FF.  Best projects as a DB in college.  Plays for a program absolutely loaded with D-I prospects (Class of 2012 Funchess, Ojemudia and Burbridge, Class of 2014 RB Lorenzo Collins and Class of 2013 WR Gaius Coleman- Mill’s nephew).

13)  Demetrius Stinson (DB/RB, 5-9, 175, Detroit Frederick Douglass):  Another talented prospect from Douglass.   As a sophomore TB/CB on a 1-8 team he had 94 carries for 1,100 yards (11.70ypc) and 8 TDs, 4 receptions for 25 yards, 20 tackles, 24 assists and 28 PBUs.  Per his coach he has “great upside. This kid can flat-out play, he a lock down corner and speedy tailback with the big play ability.”

14) K.C. Zenner (DB, 6-0, 181, Rockford):  Rare sophomore starter for one of the top programs in the state.  From the same program as recent Michigan verbal Ben Braden.  As a sophomore on a 11-2 team and he had 29 tackles, 34 assists, 0.5 TFL, 6 INTs returned for 80 yards, 8 PBUs, 1 FR and 1 FF, and had 26 PRs for a 10.3 avg.  The new Michigan staff has close ties to this program and he is definitely one to keep on the radar.

14)  Grant Niemic (RB/LB, 5-11, 205, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s):  Honorable Mention All-Oakland County selection as a sophomore RB for one of the top programs in the state.    As a sophomore on a 11-3 team and he had 146 carries for 926 yards (6.3ypc) and 13 TDs, 5 receptions for 67 yards, 9 tackles, 2 assists and 1 FF

15)  Amani Bass (QB/ATH), 6-1, 180, Jackson Lumen Christi):  Rare sophomore starter (at QB) for one of the topo programs in the state.  Projects as a WR, RB or DB at the next level.  Younger brother of former Michigan player Antonio Bass and it will be interesting to see how he performs at camps and during his junior season where he will likely be unleashed by the coaching staff.

There are several other elite sophomores that I have not mentioned, in particular several prospects from Cass Tech who have already received a fair amount of publicity (David Dawson, Jourdan Lewis, Aaron Eneox, Dennis Finley, Karel Finley, Kenton Gibbs) and a few linemen such as Jalen Dandridge, Vinnie Palazetti, Chris Gore, Riley Norman, Dillon Laase,  Jake Sheets, Greg Webber, Daniel DeRoso and Nate Jeppeson.

Several additional underclassmen of note from Michigan and around the nation:

1)  Jake Khoury (DL/OL, 6-3, 260, Traverse City West, Class of 2014):  Freshman starter at DT for a Class A team.  Very powerful and quick off the ball.  Cousin of Michigan center Rocko Khoury.  Huge upside.

2) John Jaeckin Jr (OL/TE, 6-0, 210, Lakewood St. Edward, OH, Class of 2014) – On the varsity roster as a freshman  for one of the top talent-producers in Ohio (Michigan has already offered three juniors-Orlosky, Grant and Kuhar while Kalis has committed to Ohio State).  Son of former Michigan TE John Jaeckin.

3)  Derek Brown (OL/DL, 6-3, 270, 5.59 as an 8th-grader, Yale, MI-Class of 2014):  Small-school player, big-time talent.  Made a national name for himself on the combine circuit even before entering high school.

4) Chance Stewart (QB, 6-6, Sturgis, MI-Class of 2014):  Top frosh QB in Michigan.  Great size, nice arm, real team leader.  South Bend Tribune First Team All-Michigan Area and an honorable mention all-state selection as a freshman after he completed 121-of-216 passes for 1,720 yards with 13 touchdowns. The yardage is a school-record.   One to watch!

5)  Emanuel Stewart (RB, 6-1, 205, 4.42, Baton Rouge Woodlawn, LA-Class of 2013):  A youngster that Fred Jackson needs to get involved with asap.  One of the top sophomore backs in Louisiana.  Coach Jones at Woodlawn is in his 32nd year coaching high school football in the state of Louisiana.  He spent time coaching at Winnfield High and Jones has given Stewart some high praise comparing him to former Michigan star RB Anthony Thomas, who Jones coached at Winnfield.

6)  Anthony Thompson (RB/DB, 6-1, 175, Deerfield Beach, FLA, Class of 2013):  Think Denard can help in possibly luring this future star from his alma-mater to Michigan?  As a sophomore he led the team in rushing with 99 carries for 647 yards (6.5ypc) and 5 TDs, and had 6 receptions for 117 yards (19.5 avg) and 2 TDs.

7)  Isaac McDonald (WR/ATH, 6-6, 205, 4.50, Hialeah Champagnat Catholic, FL-Class of 2013):  One of the top sophomores  in Florida.  One of the few sophomores to make the talent-laden South Florida Express 7-on-7 team.  Very raw small school star who has loads and loads of talent.    As a sophomore safety on a 5-5 freelance team he had 75 tackles, 14 TFL, 5 sacks and 2 INTs.  Played WR for South Florida Expess but could fil out and become a TE, DE or perhaps OLB.  Former Michigan DB Evan Cooper is the assistant head coach at his school.

8)  Jake Roh (WR/TE/DB, 6’2, 186, 4.68, Scottsdale Chaparral-Class of 2013):  One of the top sophomores in Arizona and plays for one of the top programs in the state .  One of 14 sophomores on a 13-0 5A team and he had 14 receptions for 215 yards (15.36 avg) and 2 TDs, 6 tackles, and 3 KRs for a 22.0 avg.  Varsity basketball player as a freshman.  Will likely fill out and project as a TE.  Younger brother of Michigan DE Craig Roh and from the same program that sent both Roh and Taylor Lewan to Michigan.

9) Mike Heuerman (TE, 6-3, 205, Naples Barron Collier, FL-Class of 2013):  One of the top sophomore TE prospects in the nation.  Further developed at the same stage than his older brother, Class of 2011 Ohio State signee Jeff Heuerman.  Pops Paul Heuerman played basketball at Michigan.  It will be interesting to see whether Michigan can make a push here give the new focus on tight ends and the ongoing situation in Columbus.

10)  Christian Skrepenak (OL/DL, 6-8, 350, Wilkes-Barre GAR Memorial, PA-Class of 2013):  Honorable Mention All-Conference selection as a sophomore on the DL but he projects as an OT in college, just like his father, former Michigan star Greg Skrepenak.

11)  Kendrick Mouton (WR, 5-10, 185, Naples Golden Gate, FL-Class of 2013):  Saw quality time at WR as a sophomore for a 6-5 5A team and has looked very good in 7on7 passing camps this winter/spring.  Older brother Kenneth is a talented Class of 2012 dual-threat QB.  His father, Kenneth Sr., played safety for Bo Schembechler at Michigan in the 1980s.

12)  Elijah Bell (LB/DB/ATH, 6-2, 190, 4.70, Akron Buchtel-Class of 2013):  Star football and basketball player who could be the next big-time athlete at Buchtel after Class of 2012 stars Jarrod Wilson (Michigan offer) and Corey Smith.  The Buchtel head coach is former Michigan RB Ricky Powers.

12) Cameron Burrows (DB, 6-0, 183, 4.79, Trotwood-Madison, OH-Class of 2013):  From the same program that sent Roundtree, Shaw and Moore to Michigan.  Some feel that teammate George Bradley is the top Class of 2012 DB in Ohio.  Class of 2013 in-state DB Ross Douglas has gotten most of the ink.  However, at least one astute follower of Ohio talent, Duane Long, believes that Burrows is currently the top DB in the state and possibly “the best defensive back to come out of this state since Eugene Clifford.”

13)  Desmond Branch (DL/TE, 6-2, 206, 5.30, Rio Rancho Cleveland, NM-Class of 2014):  The younger brother of former Michigan star Alan Branch.  Has a great frame and great pass rushing technique for a young pup.  Impressive as a frosh on the 2011 combine circuit.

One final note on a Class of 2012 prospect with a Michigan connection.  Certain so-called experts have stated that Akron Bishop Hoban DE LaTroy Lewis is the son of former Michigan OT Mike Lewis.  That is incorrect.  His father is Ray Edmonds, who played at Michigan and Akron.  I thought it was important to set the record straight.

Enough of  underclassmen with Michigan connections.  I’m going to close this posting with an analysis of the early offers Michigan has made for the Class of 2012 and compare it to offers made one year ago under Rich Rodriguez.

As you can see in the below chart, as of today Michigan has verbally offered at least 136 Class of 2012 prospects.  This compares to 105 as of April 1, 2010.  This is an increase of almost 30%.

Of interest is that the offers are also going out to higher quality prospects than they were last year.  In 2011 42 offers have gone out to top ten prospects at their respective positions compared to 33 in 2010.  35 offers have gone out to Top 20 prospects compared 21 last year.

65 offers have gone out to linemen in 2011 compared to a total of 37 in 2010.    Michigan making a major push in recruiting linemen.  Moreover, as the line positions are much deeper in five and four star talent than most other spots (e.g. a top 50 lineman could well be a top 10-15 caliber prospect at QB or TE), the quality of the offers Michigan has made thus far this year is even greater than an initial glance at the numbers would suggest.

I’ll post a bit more about the Class of 2012 in the next few days, providing details on a few of the leans and likely commitments.  I am optimistic that Michigan will sign a national top ten class at the very least come February 2012.

Michigan Football Recruiting Offers

DB/WR Stefan Diggs really shined as a junior and at the U.S. Army All-American Combine proved that he was one of the nation’s elite prospects.  A real big-timer.

Wesley Brown rushed for 1,290 yards and 17 TDs as a sophomore but played just four games due to an injury (broken fibula in week one) as a junior and rushed for over 600 yards and 9 TDs.  He is another big-timer who is a bit under the radar due to the injury.

Madaras, Watson and Shokunbi are all very highly rated linemen with BCS offers.  What a class!

Follow me on twitter, where I provide underclass recruiting updates and retweet numerous updates made by others.

Sam Grant and Greg Kuhar are two other definite big-timers.  Both have early offers from Michigan.   Darryl Render and Tyler Orlosky are two other linemen I really like and expect to receive D-I offers.

Report sorting by: State, City/School, Class, Rating(descending)

A relative sleeper, at least to some, in the recruiting world, I have been tracking him for over a year, even before he transferred to Seaholm after his freshman year from Detroit Cass Tech.

One analyst who I respect, Scott M. Burnstein of the Oakland Press, had this to say about him last August:   “I was out at Seaholm practice this morning and let me tell you, junior wide receiver Shawn Conway is the real deal holyfield. This kid runs like a gazelle, has hops like Kobe Bryant, and hands the size of King Kong.  On one play, I saw him catch the ball in traffic and then drag three teammates an additional 20 yards before being brought down. Defensive Coordinators, far and wide across the state of Michigan,  – watch out!……..On the basketball court, Shawn Conway is the undisputed genuine article – an athletic wing, who can play inside and out and as a sophomore last season helped the Seaholm Maples to the first conference championship in quite some time. On the football field, however, he is an unknown commodity and the definition of a sleeper.  This is primarily because the 6-4 split end/defensive back has only played in 2 varsity football games in his first two years of high school, due to a transfer at the end of his freshman year from Cass Tech in Detroit to Seaholm in Birmingham to be closer to his family and first cousin/teammate Richaud Pack (a top-tier hoops recruit).  That all said, when the curtain finally does come down on Conway’s HS football career in the fall of 2010, he could wind up being one of the best players in the county, not to mention the state, certain to earn offers to play at the next level. Maples head coach, Chris Fahr, believes right now, even minus the experience and exposure factor, Conway is one of the ten best players at his position in Michigan. Simply put, this kid’s a warrior.  he can go deep or across the middle. he’s not afraid of contact like some other finesse wideouts his size/caliber and he’s said to have big hands,  a big heart, and a true passion for the game. and we already know about his great jumping ability from his gravity-defying dunks during last year’s basketball campaign, so the fade route on the goal line is certainly to become a staple in the Maples’ red zone packages this year and next.  Playing on defense, Conway has the potential to be a lockdown corner, already slated to take on the opposing team’s best receiver.  Conway is such a sleeper, he didn’t even make my pre-season top 40 for ’09. I did the rankings based on past-performance,, and since Conway, doesn’t have much of a on-field resume at this point, i was forced to leave him off.  If Conway shakes out as advertised – which i am quite certain he will – there’s  little doubt in my mind, that he will be at the top of the pre-season ranking for 2010. I also predict, Conway, along with senior QB Jack Quigley and a stellar sophomore class, will  restore the Maples program – the 2nd winningist program in the county over the past 20 yrs, but coming off a tough ’09 where they were only able to muster one win – to its past gridiron glories sooner rather than later. With the addition of fully-eligible Conway, look for Seaholm to challenge for a return to the playoffs this year and be a top county power in 2010.
“

Conway is a fine talent who also happened to have the misfortune of not having a QB who could consistently get him the ball this season.

Here is a link to some video highlights from Shawn’s junior season:

Youtube Highlights

College coaches, and ONLY college coaches, can subscribe to The Recruiting Brain, my exhaustive website dedicated exclusively to underclassmen recruiting.  Only individuals with college e-mail address who can verify their status on a coaching staff need apply.

The school, had a total of 19 de-commitments, with one of the players, Eddie Plantaric, eventually signing with Stanford.  Maryland DB Louis Young de-committed and re-committed twice to Stanford before eventually signing with Georgia Tech.    Although a few of the prospects who de-committed came out and explicitly said that they had not been accepted by Stanford admissions, most didn’t need to say the obvious.  A few, however, may have de-committed due to other reasons.    Star TE Blake Barker actually de-committed to attend a school with an even BETTER academic reputation – Harvard.

This begs an answer to the question as to why Harbaugh and staff are accepting so many verbals from prospects who are not yet admitted.  Perhaps it is in hope that will eventually qualify.  Perhaps it is to build recruiting momentum by putting together a class that looks great on paper and would attract additional prospects.  Maybe if Harbaugh goes through a couple of  difficult seasons he could in part justify the poor performance to the Stanford administration by arguing that his limited success is due to the limited recruiting universe that he can avail himself of.  He could pull out a list of all the kids that he received commitments from and tell his boss that if these kids had been accepted into Stanford the team would have performed much better.  After all, some of the decommitments are headed to such fine schools as Virginia, Northwestern Navy, Notre Dame, Boston College, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.  We are not talking about Cincinnati or Memphis here folks.  Perhaps Harbaugh’s reasoning entails a combination of all the above.

Here is a listing of the Stanford de-commitments:

Kain Colter QB/WR/DB 6’1 185 4.60 Greenwood Village Cherry Creek Colorado Northwestern Stanford

Brandon Bourbon RB 6’1 204 4.48 Potosi Missouri Kansas Stanford

Tai-ler Jones WR/DB 6’0 167 4.52 Gainesville Georgia Notre Dame Stanford

Blake Barker TE/DL 6’6 230 4.90 Cambridge Buckingham Browne & Nichols Massachusetts Harvard Stanford Academics!

Tate Nichols TE 6’7 235 Union Ryle Kentucky Notre Dame Stanford

Zach Swanson TE 6’6 230 4.75 Katy Texas Virginia Stanford

Harris Williams OL 6’3 278 5.21 Andover Proctor Academy New Hampshire Boston College Stanford

Joe McNamara OL 6’3 280 Weston Cypress Bay Florida Wisconsin Stanford

Will Hampton DL 6’3 270 Houston Cypress Creek Texas Northwestern Stanford

Eddie Plantaric DL/TE 6’5 244 4.70 Fair Oaks Del Campo California Stanford Stanford Recommitted

Jordan Zumwalt LB/WR 6’5 220 4.60 Huntington Beach Edison California UCLA Stanford

Evan Palelei LB 6’1 235 5.03 Las Vegas Bishop Gorman Nevada Navy Stanford

Chris Badger DB 6’0 183 4.66 Provo Timpview Utah Notre Dame Stanford

Daunte Carr DB/WR/QB 6’2 190 4.62 Gainesville Georgia Arkansas Stanford

Courtney Avery DB/QB 5’9 158 4.53 Lexington Ohio Michigan Stanford

Louis Young DB/WR 6’0 177 4.56 Olney Good Counsel Maryland Georgia Tech Stanford (3 times) Finalley switched

Torrian Wilson OL/DL 6’3 325 5.20 Miami Northwestern Florida Central Florida Stanford, Louisville Two changes

Tony Jefferson DB/LB 5’11 185 4.78 Chula Vista Eastlake California Oklahoma Stanford, UCLA Two changes
]]> http://jimstefani.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/stanford-had-an-amazing-18-de-commitments/feed/ 2 roadster997 http://jimstefani.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/usc-receives-verbal-from-seventh-grade-phenom/ http://jimstefani.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/usc-receives-verbal-from-seventh-grade-phenom/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:43:04 +0000 roadster997 http://jimstefani.wordpress.com/?p=604 ]]> This is not a  joke, although I wish that it was one.  Yesterday, USC head coach Lane Kiffin received a verbal commitment from 13-year old phenom QB David Sills.  Sills, a prospect who has been on my radar and in my database for over a year, is considered to be one of the top young QB prospects to emerge in years.  Highly respected QB guru Steve Clarkson called him better than Jimmy Clausen and Matt Barkley at the same age.

Check out this article on ESPN for more info on Sills.

This is the earliest I have ever seen a football prospect give a verbal commitment.  There are only two other junior high prospects who I can recall committing early.   Chris Leak committed to Wake Forest after his older brother (C.J. Leak) signed to play football for the Deamon Deacons.  His older brother eventually transferred and Chris went on to lead Florida to a national title.    Eric Berry’s younger brother, Evan Berry, committed to Tennessee last year.  Whether that early verbal sticks with Lane Kiffin moving on to USC will be interesting to follow.  Could Kiffin land yet another young pup?

Frankly, I  find the the notion of offering a middle schooler a full college ride appalling.  What about academics?  What about deciding on a high school first?  What about just being a kid and enjoying growing up without being in the national spotlight?  I really don’t care how talented of a prospect we are talking about.  At a certain age a kid should just be a kid.

Unfortunately, the timeline for recruiting prospects earlier in football is accelerating at a remarkable pace.  I see it every year with more and more juniors committing to schools.  Just take a look at my Class of 2011:  Verbals listing to get an updated view of where some of the top juniors will likely be headed.    I provide information to colleges on underclass prospects and I have an underclassman database available to them with over 22,000 juniors, 10, 000 sophomores, 2,000 freshmen and even junior high prospects, including the aforementioned Mr. Sills.

Nevertheless, the notion of actually offering a junior high prospect and accepting his verbal commitment strikes me as repugnant.  The fact of the matter is that the NCAA does not have regulations in place limiting contact between college coaching staffs and FOOTBALL prospects who have yet to finish junior high.  Such restrictions are in place for basketball prospects but up until very recently this has not really been an issue with respect to football recruiting as prospects are not nearly as easily identifiable at an early stage as they are in basketball.

For many years now college programs have tracked middle school basketball phenoms, something relatively easy to do given their easily identifiable “baller” skills and with the top players competing in national-level AAU tournaments and various summer camps.   Football players, however, have less easily identifiable and position-specific skill sets and are still very much physically immature in junior high.

There are, however, exceptions to the rule and young Mr. Sills appears to be one.  These exceptional prospects will have young, slick and aggressive recruiters like Lane Kiffin knocking at their doors.  Their videos are often posted on youtube and are seen by college coaches.  They need to be PROTECTED.  No seventh-grader should be deciding where he will be attending college.  No seventh-grader should be exposed to slick college recruiting pitches.  A seventh-grader’s parents should be shielding a young student-athlete from the entire process, not playing a role as a willing accessory in the process.

I have a seventh-grade daughter.  The big decisions in her life relate to balancing homework, going out with friends and being torn between still watching Hannah Montana or more high school-like TV programming.     I would never let a college coach get near her for recruiting purposes. Never!  I wouldn’t care if she was the second coming, as a tennis player, of Chris Everet or the Williams sisters.  It is not a question of athletic ability.  It is a question of having a relatively normal childhood and growing up in a  protected and nurturing environment.  Few things in recruiting, over the years, have disturbed me as much as this early commitment.

Coach Kiffin is very young and very aggressive.  He has a reputation for pushing the envelope and a brief history of several secondary NCAA violations.   What he has just done is NOT an NCAA violation, however the NCAA needs to immediately change its rules relating to contacts between college football coaches and junior high prospects.  If not, this will just be the beginning.  And trust me, most college coaches would welcome the NCAA tightening up the rules.  No sane college coach, who already has to spend much too much time recruiting high school athletes, wants to have to start scouting junior high and sandlot ball prospects.  Just the notion of them out there recruiting these prospects alongside high school coaches from catholic, private and magnet schools is repelling and takes away the time that college coaches should be using for developing their current team members both on and off the field.

I have updated my listing for early 2011 verbals at:

http://jimstefani.wordpress.com/class-of-2011-verbals-2/

Just a few observations on the early commitments:

Stanford is off to a strong start.  They do a great job of identifying prospects early and already have four early verbals.  Quarterback Evan Crower and WR Ty Montgomery are among the best at their respective positions in the nation.   For Stanford, the one caveat with respect to such early verbals is that there is a recent history of  de-commitments at Stanford.  I suspect a part of this is due to the coaching staff accepting verbals from prospects who may not necessarily qualify academically at Stanford.  In the class of 2010 such prospects as Tai-ler Jones, Blake Barker, Harris Williams, Tony Jefferson, Will Hampton, Eddie Plantaric, Chris Badger, Courtney Avery and Louis Young were at one time committed to Stanford and are now headed elsewhere.  That is an unheard of nine de-commitments and we are only in early December.  My recommendation to prospects considering Stanford is to hold off on committing  until after you have been assured acceptance to the university.  If not, those prospects may be cutting off scholarship opportunities at other schools where they could easily qualify.

Florida State, which is entering a new coaching era, kicked that era off with a big bang, landing blue-chip juniors Trey Pettis and Treasure Coast teammates Lamarcus Brutus and Keeling Smith.  They followed that up over the weekend by landing stud Class of 2010 LB Jeff Luc, a teammate of Brutus and Smith.

Florida is also off to a fine start in reloading for the post-Tim Tebow era.  DeAnte Sanders is one of the top young backs in the nation and is an ideal fit for Urban Meyer’s offense.  A.C. Leonard is a big WR who could grow into the next Aaron Hernandez.

Not all of the top Florida talent remains in-state.  Nebraska landed a gem in OL prospect Tyler Moore, arguably one of the top two or three OT prospects in the nation.  Of course it didn’t hurt the Cornhuskers’ case that his father, Brian Moore, played tight end for Nebraska and his cousin is former Nebraska defensive end Jay Moore.  In-state get Ryne Reeves is another talented OL prospect.

LSU has one of the top staffs in the nation in identifying early talent and they have already locked up two of the very best Louisiana in-staters in La’Ell Collins (OL) and Jeremy Hill (RB).  Both are national-caliber prospects.  It is a tremendous year for talent in Louisiana and look for LSU to really benefit.

The SEC is off to a great start and Tennessee is doing as good a job as anybody.  They have raided talent-rich Louisiana for blue-chip DT Anthony Johnson, neighboring Georgia for star LB A.J. Johnson and  North Carolina for OL prospect Eric MacLain.

Alabama is in the midst of a great season and is also off to a great start in Class of 2011 recruiting.  LB/RB Brent Calloway and WR Marvin Shinn could well be the top two prospects in the state and they are already committed to Alabama.  Nick Saban really has this program on a roll.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State is off to a great start landing two big-time DE prospects in Steve Miller and Kenny Hayes.  It is a strong year not just for DEs, but overall in Ohio, so look for the Buckeyes to continue to win their share of battles against the likes of Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State  and Notre Dame.

Along with Florida State, Clemson is off to a great early start in the ACC.   The Tigers have four early verbals, the best of whom being Daytona Beach Mainland teammates  Cortez Davis (DB) and Marlin Lane (RB).  They are both big-time players with big-time offers.

While we anxiously await the Texas Longhorns’ annual post-signing day barrage of early verbals, archrival Oklahoma has taken a more aggressive approach in offering and landing juniors.  The Sooners have three very talented early verbals in QB Kendal Thompson (son of former Oklahoma QB Charles Thompson), and Texas WRs Johnny Haynes and Kameel Jackson.