Sporting News
A tale of two ill-fated prospects
May 22, 2006
A gift wasted. There's nothing quite as sad in college football recruiting as a player with rare ability who never sees the football field for whatever reason. The recruiting class of 2005 could have two such players.
Maryland signee Melvin Alaeze and former Florida State signee Callahan Bright are among the most talented players I've ever seen at their respective positions. And unfortunately I might be one of just a handful of people to see them play at their best instead of the millions of fans who should enjoy their college and eventual NFL careers.
Things are on hold for both Alaeze, a defensive end from Randallstown, Md., and Bright, a defensive tackle from Bryn Mawr, Pa. because of academics. Both players need a qualifying score on the SAT and their last attempts for this school year is approaching.
If neither player gets their score this month or next (they have each taken the SAT quite often) then they'll likely be forced to go the juco route when they might never be heard of again. In fact, both players could end up in the NFL draft before they ever see a college field.
Alaeze is a 6-2, 290-pound rush end who sometimes looks like the next coming of late great Reggie White. Alaeze registered a 4.6-second 40-yard dash at the Elite College Combine back in '04 while weighing in at 280, and his size and strength combo make him the ultimate rarity in a high school end.
Alaeze is so athletic that he sometimes played running back in high school and can be seen on his high school highlight film actually throwing a defender with one arm while running with the ball. Needless to say, Alaeze had scholarship offers from everyone.
Bright is a 6-2, 315-pound tackle who is best described as a football version of Mike Tyson -- in his prime. Bright's anger and intensity on the field intimidate opponents and he is basically unblockable. That anger came out off the field as well, leading Bright to miss most of his senior season.
Despite the off-field issues, Bright had offers from schools like Florida State, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska and a ton of others.
In our 2005 recruiting rankings, Alaeze ranked as the No. 4 player in the country and Bright checked in at No. 14. Each signed with their respective teams on signing day of '05 with the hope of qualifying still alive. However, when neither attained the needed score, they enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.
At Hargrave, Alaeze and Bright formed half of what was the most talented defensive line (along with Florida State signee Justin Mincey and Ole Miss signee Jerrell Powe) I've ever seen at the high school level. They went to class, took another couple of shots at the SAT and had a great football season. But once football ended, things fell apart.
Both Bright and Alaeze left school on their own prior to Christmas break and never returned. They had enough of the military lifestyle, the Stupid Square (where players walk a large square over and over again as punishment for any infraction) and being away from home.
Each figured they could go back home, take the test on their own and qualify that way. So far it hasn't worked out.
Florida State stopped recruiting Bright and the big defensive tackle didn't sign with anyone last February. Maryland stuck with Alaeze and he re-signed with the Terps once again, but they're still waiting for their patience to pay off.
Although Bright is a tremendous talent, FSU will be fine with its tradition and recruiting pool in Florida. For Maryland, the loss of Alaeze hurts much more.
Last year the Terps started true freshman Jeremy Navarre at defensive end, a 6-4, 235-pounder who was a gamer but overmatched often because of his lack of size. There's little doubt that Alaeze would have been in that slot had he qualified, and he'd be penciled in this year if he gets his score as well.
Alaeze was the highest-ranked Terrapins commitment in at least 20 years and is much needed for a team coming off back-to-back 5-6 seasons.
For selfish reasons, I hope Alaeze and Bright both get their scores and end up on a college field this season. Their talent is too great to be wasted and their potential is limitless. But as the days mount and the season approaches, my fear is that the next time we'll see both players is on a juco field some place and then attempting to turn pro shortly thereafter.
If you've never seen either player in person then you don't know what you're missing. And that makes you luckier than me.
