'05 SC WR/FS CJ Byrd (Georgia signee)

osugrad21 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-09-2004, 02:46 PM

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Amazing athlete with a huge upside 6-3/185/4.55 . Schools are split on whether CJ will be on the offensive or defensive side. Hasn't heard from tOSU yet but could be something in the summer...

April 8, 2004
Big Byrd Pulls In Another Major Offer
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</TD></TR><TR><TD>Jim Baxter

SCVarsity.com Publisher
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All three colleges that played for last year's national championship have offered North Augusta WR and FS C.J. Byrd; Southern Cal offered a full ride on Thursday, less than a month after offers were extended by Oklahoma and LSU.

"Man, oh, man, I don't know what to say," Byrd said, "It's hard for me to believe that these schools that my friends and I watch play for the national title last year want me to be part of their program in the future. I'm confident in my abilities, but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't surprised by it all. I mean,Southern Cal is on the other side of the country."

The player who is called "Big Byrd" talked on Thursday to Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll, who said the Trojans liked Byrd at WR, but would also take him as a FS. It was the 21st offer for "Big Byrd", who is considered a strong candidate to be the nation's No. 1 prospect for next year by several media outlets.

"Coach Carroll told us he watched the tape personally the day before, he wanted to immediately offer a scholarship and that was C.J. was a priority in Southern Cal's recruiting efforts this upcoming season," North Augusta assistant Drew Hummel said.

"(Carroll) likes CJ at WR, but some of his defensive coaches want him at FS. Carroll said it was up to CJ, but that due to the depth on the team, he could compete for a lot of playing time as a freshman at FS.

"We're all pumped up about Southern Cal. You're talking about the co-national champions. You're hearing evaluation from a guy (Carroll) who was once a head coach in NFL. I mean ... wow."

"Big Byrd" was supposed to call Southern Cal on Wednesday, but he was on an unofficial visit to the University of Florida that day. Byrd and his father met with Florida coach Ron Zook and rising sophomore quarterback Chris Leak.

"They have some giants down there playing football," Byrd said. "And Florida's football facilities were as good as any I've seen. It was a fun trip and I really liked (defensive coordinator Charlie) Strong."

Perhaps no other player in the country has more offers at this point than "Big Byrd", who has offers from Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois and Penn State. "Heck, I am still surprised over the first offer," Byrd said. "I've just always tried to play football as hard as I can, I have been blessed to play with some great, great teammates and North Augusta promotes its athletes like no other school around ... by sending out tapes and calling recruiters."

sears3820 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-09-2004, 02:53 PM

Good stuff 21.

A few more things about Byrd....

Byrd brought in 37 passes for 536 yards and scored two touchdowns as a junior in his first year at wide receiver. He also added 92 total tackles on defense to go along with 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. As a special teams star, Byrd returned two kickoffs 100 yards for touchdowns. He is nicknamed "Big Byrd".

Coach's Comments: "Byrd just has tremendous athletic ability," said North Augusta Head Coach Joe Long. "He plays on both sides of the ball, never comes off the field and never complains. He’s a big team guy. He can run and catch. C.J. can go get the deep ball and is certainly not afraid to run an inside pattern. He can also take a hit. Defensively he gets to the ball quickly and he delivers that big blow."

Scouting Report: Byrd is certainly good enough to play on either side of the ball at the next level as a wide receiver or safety. He shows very deceptive speed, solid hands, he can beat you deep and he’s not afraid to go over the middle. Byrd is also a very good blocker down field. Defenisvely, he plays the safety position like a centerfielder but he has a linebacker mentality. Byrd has superior closing speed and he hits like a truck. He can also defend the pass.

http://story.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=73&p=2&c=242867

"I would have to say that LSU is my No. 1 team," said Byrd. “They just won the national championship and there is a lot of hype about them right now."

MililaniBuckeye · #3 (**permalink**) 04-09-2004, 02:59 PM

"I would have to say that LSU is my No. 1 team," said Byrd. “They just won the national championship and there is a lot of hype about them right now."

So he's going to pick his team on the basis of which is the hottest at the time of his recruitment? I wonder if he'll still have LSU as his No. 1 team after they go 8-3 this year...

osugrad21 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-05-2004, 11:45 AM

Every time I open the paper down here the kid is getting another offer(28 so far)... Florida State, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland, Wake Forest, Duke, Penn State, Michigan, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Illinois, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Army, Hawaii, Iowa, NC State, and Oklahoma.
Is he even on OSU's radar. Is he even on OSU's radar or are we trying to fill other needs or is he a summer prospect?

I've got access to a load of clips on this kid but I can't link them (premium from Rivals). If anyone can help with this, I'll send em out.

BuckNutty · #5 (**permalink**) 05-05-2004, 12:00 PM

I must admit I had not heard anything about Byrd until I saw your post. I checked out his video on Rivals and it's clear why he has all the offers he does. He's big, quick and versatile so he possesses all the attributes Coach Tressel looks for. As we all know Buckeye offers have been few and far between this year and the coaches may want to see some of these oos kids at camp before offering. Cushing is another oos player that comes to mind. Ringer, Harrison, Hartline and Lenix would probably already have offers if we had 25 scholies to give.

I wish I could answer your question about OSU's interest in Byrd. Rendrick Taylor is the only SC receiver I've seen mention Ohio State. I've not seen an update anywhere on Rivals or the Insiders that indicates we're in on Byrd. It's early though so things might change, including the number of scholies we have to offer.