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Preps
Elite recruits enrolling early
February 1, 2006
BY MARK SNYDER
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
<!-- SIDEBAR PHOTOS AND FACT BOXES --> <!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --> <!--MAIN PHOTO--> <!--THEME LINKS--> <!--RELATED ARTICLE LINKS--> <!--RELATED EXTERNAL LINKS--> <!--PHOTO GALLERY LINKS--> <!--MAIN FACTS BOX--> Sign, sealed, delivered
- What: National signing day for college football.
When: Today.
Signing period: Almost all major college football prospects sign letters of intent today, but the signing period runs through April 1.
Top classes: The top five recruiting classes ranked by rivals.com, based on commitments -- 1. Florida; 2. Southern Cal; 3. Texas; 4. Penn State; 5. Louisiana State.
Also ranked: Notre Dame, No. 7; Ohio State, No. 9; Michigan, No. 13; Michigan State, No. 30.
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<!-- BODY TEXT --> <!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> Fall used to mean college football.
Now it just means football, because college seems to be starting earlier and earlier.
Today is national signing day for most high school recruits, but a few already are sitting in college classes.
In the hottest recruiting trend in recruiting, players are graduating from high school early and enrolling in college for the winter semester.
For years, some schools have allowed prep school players to start early, but more and more, big-time teams are endorsing it for their elite prospects.
One is Notre Dame recruit James Aldridge, who moved to South Bend more than two weeks ago.
"I always wanted to do it since I started high school," said Aldridge, a running back from Merrillville, Ind. "I asked coach Ianello about when they started recruiting me. Notre Dame never did it before."
Rob Ianello is Notre Dame's receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
Aldridge said the move was no problem. Even though he will miss a few senior-year activities in high school, he thinks the trade-off is worth the effort.
"I've missed the prom twice already," he said. "That's time I could be getting better learning the playbook. I just wanted to get accustomed to school and balance it out with fall ball. It will help me learn time management."
Recruits enroll early for various reasons, but most agree the move makes the transition quite a bit easier when football season begins.
Until a few years ago, the NCAA allowed freshmen to practice for three days in August before the upperclassmen reported. When that ended, so did the freshmen's extra adjustment time. Running back Maurice Clarett was a high-profile player who enrolled early when he went to Ohio State in 2002. He said it helped him prepare for his freshman year, and he helped the Buckeyes win the national championship. Unfortunately for
OSU, Clarett's career slid downhill after that.
Last year, U-M running back Kevin Grady of East Grand Rapids enrolled early and even made the Rose Bowl trip with the Wolverines. This year, two Michigan recruits -- running back Carlos Brown of Franklin, Ga., and offensive lineman Justin Boren of Pickerington, Ohio -- enrolled in January.
"Basically I talked with some coaches, and they all said it's a great idea," said Boren, whose father, Mike, played at Michigan. "You get a jump on classes, and spring ball is the biggest thing before the season."
Boren's principal initiated the idea. He realized Boren wouldn't need many extra classes to finish a semester early. Some players only need a few extra English courses and summer school to meet graduation requirements.
For the Borens, the decision has worked out better than they imagined. The offensive line might be the toughest position to play as a freshman, but Boren said he might compete for a backup position next fall because of his head start.
"It'll determine whether you have a shot or not by lifting with the team in the winter," he said.
Ohio State's top recruit, running back Chris Wells, is moving to Columbus this week to begin training. He will live with a cousin before enrolling for the school's spring quarter in early April.
Michigan State enrolled four players in mid-January -- offensive lineman Jason Diehl of Milford Academy in New York, linebacker Eric Gordon of Traverse City West, linebacker Josh Rouse of Wayne, Pa., and wide receiver T.J. Williams of Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy.
"I truly believe that this will become more of a trend in the future," MSU coach John L. Smith said at the time. "More and more high school seniors will attempt to graduate early so they can get on a college campus in the spring.
"Freshmen that enroll in college early certainly will have a greater opportunity to get on the field in the fall because they'll already have an entire spring under their belts."
NEW COMMITMENT: Adam Patterson, a 6-foot-2, 256-pound defensive tackle from Columbia, S.C., gave Michigan a verbal commitment Tuesday, TheWolverine.com reported. He is Rivals.com's seventh-ranked defensive tackle and brings Michigan's class to 19 commitments. The Wolverines have more prospects with announcements scheduled for today.
Contact MARK SNYDER at 313-223-3210 or msnyder@freepress.com
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