3yardsandacloud
Administrator Emeritus
<font color="#b90000">Sunday, January 16, 2005</font> Recruiting News - 01/16/05
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Irish lack support, but win - Akron Beacon Journal
... Senior Lawrence Wilson scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds, while Johnson had 14 points for the Irish, No. 1 in the Associated Press Division II state poll. ...
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RECRUITING CENTRAL: BILL BUCHALTER (Eric Sledge) - Sun-Sentinel.com
B-CC lands Seffner's Williams
Published January 16, 2005
Bethune-Cookman's first announced commitment for the Class of 2005 is a proven winner.
Jameel Williams (5 feet 11/170 pounds), a super-quick athlete who quarterbacked Seffner Armwood to consecutive Class 4A state championships, pledged to B-CC on Wednesday.
Williams was one of three 1,000-yard rushers in Armwood's talented backfield -- 250-pound FB Kalvin Bailey has committed to Iowa, and 175-pound running back Demetrius McCray has pledged to USF -- and his style fits B-CC's offense.
Bailey is ranked 26th on the Sentinel's list of the state's top 100 recruits. National Signing Day is Feb. 2.
Off to South Carolina
South Carolina continues to gather commitments from state players -- from state defensive players.
Timber Creek's Lem Jeanpierre (6-5/255) committed early in the week (he's ranked 25th on the Sentinel's list), and DE Kerry Bonds (6-3/230) of Tallahassee Lincoln pledged late in the week. Bonds is No. 92 on the Sentinel's list.
South Carolina also is in the hunt for Apopka WR/DB Eric Sledge (6-2/185), No. 39 on the list. Sledge was scheduled to visit the school this weekend. He already has been to West Virginia and Louisville, and is set to go to Ohio State on Friday and Florida on Jan. 28.
Sledge and Apopka FB/LB Quentin Taylor (6-1/210) have been offered by UF. Taylor is ranked 47th by the Sentinel.
Elsewhere
* CB Levance Richmond (5-11/190), a former Lake Wales High standout who wound up at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College when he failed to meet NCAA academic requirements, has signed with Southern Miss. He led the nation's junior colleges with 13 interceptions this season. His teammate at Lake Wales and Pearl, LB Gene Coleman (6-1/230), is expected to re-sign with USF.
* Miami's class took a hit when QB Derek Shaw (6-4/205) of Oceanside (Calif.) High decommitted from the Hurricanes. He now appears headed to Arizona State. That leaves Miami without a quarterback in this class, which could mean a renewed effort to woo QB Carlton Hill (6-2/202) of Monticello Jefferson County.
* Backing off a Virginia commitment is LB Darryl Gresham Jr. from Roanoke (Va.) Fleming. Gresham (6-3/227) visited Florida last weekend, and he said it will come down to UVa, which is closest to home, and UF, where his dad played basketball in the mid-1980s.
* Ryan Perrilloux (6-2/207) of Reserve (La.) East St. John reconfirmed his commitment to Texas.
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RECRUITING: Gators have upbill battle for (James) McKinney - Scout PREMIUM
RECRUITING: Gators have upbill battle for McKinney
By Bob Redman
Date: Jan 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO --- Although the final score wasn’t what he hoped for, James McKinney is still proud and happy that he was able to be a part of the US Army All American Bowl Game at the Alamo Dome Saturday afternoon. The 6-3, 270-pound defensive end from Louisville (KY) Central is being recruited by the University of Florida, and now that the All-American game is over, the Gators will be making their move to see if they can lure McKinney to Gainesville.
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Recruiting : Shavers, Shelley soak up all-star experiences - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Recruiting : Shavers, Shelley soak up all-star experiences
Otis Kirk
Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO — A large group of Texas fans were gathered above the tunnel where members of the West squad exited the Alamodome field Saturday during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
The Texas fans booed when Las Vegas linebacker Ryan Reynolds announced for Oklahoma during the game, and they jeered future Razorback Marcus Shavers as he left the field following the game.
Shavers responded with an upside down Hook ’em Horns sign. "These Texas fans don’t like me, and I don’t care," Shavers said. "It meant a lot to me to play in this game. This was a good way for me to end my career before I go to the next level."
1 Shavers, 6-3/2, 260, 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and Fort Smith Southside wide receiver Slick Shelley, 6-4, 197, 4.5, were members of the West team, which defeated the East 35-3 in front of 30,305 fans. Shelley enjoyed a good game, catching four passes for 37 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Perrilloux with 15 seconds remaining before intermission. Shavers, who had 1 unassisted tackle, 2 assists and 7 quarterback hurries, will take an official visit to Arkansas beginning Friday. He committed to Arkansas in the spring after also considering Texas A&M, Kansas State, Georgia and others. "I can’t wait," Shavers said. "I haven’t taken an official visit, but I have been hearing stories about how much fun they are. I’m excited about going to Arkansas."
Shelley said following the game he is still looking at Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee and South Carolina, and he was excited to get in the end zone Saturday. "I was supposed to run a curl," Shelley said. "But after I ran my curl, [running back] R. J. Jackson was right there and Perrilloux started to scramble, so I looked for the open spot and he saw me through the middle."
Rivals. com rates Shelley a four-star recruit, and he is considered the state’s top wide receiver by virtually all the recruiting services. "I have got a lot decisions to make and think about," Shelley said. "My recruiting is going great, but it’s going to be tough [to make a decision]."
Shelley, like Shavers, enjoyed spending the week in San Antonio and competing against some of the best athletes in the nation. "It was great," Shelley said. "Everything was first-class. They treat you great, and if there’s anything you need you just ask for it."
ODDS & ENDS Marcus Shavers won the super athlete award at the U.S. Army National Combine last January. In the media guide for Saturday’s game, Shavers was compared to Jerome McDougle of the Philadelphia Eagles.... Slick Shelley caught 74 passes for 860 yards and 8 touchdowns his senior season. In the media guide provided for Saturday’s game, Shelley was compared to Keyshawn Johnson of the Dallas Cowboys.... Texas had the highest number of All-Americans in this year’s game. Shavers was one of 14 Texans in the game.... Shelley was named to the U.S. Army All-Name team, along with Ndamukong Suh, Rey Maualuga, Anthony Moeaki, Rico McCoy, Nyan Boateng, Marlon Lucky and Zoltan Mesko.... This was the fifth U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Of the 299 U.S. Army All-American Bowl alumni, 243 have gone on to sign with BCS schools. In this year’s game, all the athletes who had made oral commitments prior to the game committed to BCS schools.
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Gwaltney, 77 fellow senior stars discover tougher competition and adulation as they converge in Texas - NY Newsday
Gwaltney, 77 fellow senior stars discover tougher competition and adulation as they converge in Texas
BY CHUCK CULPEPPER
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
January 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO - Deep in the intestines of Texas, all the bygone week, a 17-year-old Long Island sensation waded into a new world.
An eccentric world, a dreamy world, an impatient world, a real world. Or, as Jason Gwaltney's uncle, Alvin Toney, put it, "It's the world of the unexpected."
It's the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a one-week taste of a coming long voyage for a North Babylon High senior who stampeded the large children of Long Island for 7,800 rushing yards and 135 touchdowns and also played linebacker, punter and placekick holder.
It reeled in Gwaltney and 77 other seniors of similar American town-pleasing dominance from Opa-Locka (Fla.) to Eureka (Calif.).
It teemed in a downtown Sheraton that by the weekend teemed with Nebraska fans hoping to meet and greet the players they'll eventually revere - and, in some cases, cuss - on Saturdays.
A bit eccentric, yes.
It had a four-hour "media day" during which an emcee paid homage to a Wednesday "Cheer Bowl" and noted its "special guest appearance" by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
It had the mayor of San Antonio addressing 17- and 18-year-old players while some, well, slept - on the palm of a hand or, in Gwaltney's case, a head cocked to the right.
"By the time I get to my room at 10:30 at night," said linebacker Ricardo McCoy of Washington, D.C., "I'm just ready to make one phone call and go to sleep."
Sponsors proliferated, and one held a drumstick-eating contest among the players. (Chicken drumsticks.) Six-man coaching staffs from teams East and West turned up at daily news briefings and said things like, "I think sometimes we're just here for the ride."
Rival scouting Internet sites jealously guarded interview access. Some parents - not including Gwaltney's 36-year-old father, Richard Berry - hovered near coaches just after practice, ready to swoop in and influence. People assessed and assessed: Who shone in practice?
"The great players have that edge about them," Chicago-based talent analyst Tom Lemming said of Gwaltney, whom he met once before. "It's an ego where they have to be the best. He's got that. I can tell the difference in his body type since only last year. He did a real good job building himself up."
At least eight player awards, named for Walter Payton and Pete Dawkins, among others, went out, including team of the year (Southlake Carroll, Texas), two-way player of the year (Brian Cushing, Park Ridge, N.J.), and a frankfurter company's player of the year (Ryan Perrilloux, Reserve, La.).
By kickoff at noon yesterday, four Army soldiers hanging on ropes lowered themselves to the field before kickoff. A NASCAR car and an Army truck reposed behind one end zone. At halftime, Darryl Worley sang his country song that asks if people have "forgotten" 9/11. A crowd of 30,305 showed up. Previously undecided players announced their college decisions on NBC, pulling insignia caps out of boxes and donning them in a newfound TV ritual.
Made-for-TV moments
NBC promos in the corner of the screen trumpeted which players would announce in upcoming moments. One player prefaced his announcement by telling a sideline reporter it would shock the country. Nyan Boateng of Brooklyn, who had missed all of his senior season with a broken ankle, announced. (Florida.) Gwaltney will wait to announce, with Feb. 2 the national signing day, a virtual holiday for many fans.
In a setting implausible a generation ago, he stood at practice alongside standouts such as - at one point - a Tennessee-bound quarterback from Waynesville, N.C., an Ohio State-bound offensive lineman from suburban Cleveland, a Virginia Tech-bound running back from Hampton, Va., an Illinois-bound running back from Skokie, Ill., an Oklahoma-bound receiver from Conway, S.C., an undecided offensive lineman from Riverdale, Ga., and a quarterback from upstate New York who chose to play basketball at Duke out of fondness for coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"I made a friend out of Jason this week," said that quarterback, Greg Paulus. "He's funny."
"He's a cool kid, first of all," McCoy said.
"That's my boy," said receiver Patrick Turner of Nashville, Tenn.
"There's about 950,000 football players in America," Gwaltney said."To be one of 78 ..." It's dreamy.
After all, not many parents raise children on Long Island, then wind up flying until their knees hurt (the father's) to spend a week watching them practice for five hours a day in a large Texas high school stadium ... on a scrubby four-lane boulevard south of San Antonio . . . beyond dilapidated motels . . . and outdoor vendors selling whatnot . . . and an Omega Church across the boulevard from a ramshackle strip club marked BYOB ... and Wal-Mart ... and a sign marked "McAllen 234."
The real, real Texas.
"When I sit up there, I'm just amazed that it's all happening, that it's all taking place," Berry said. "You see him out there now with all the best talent across the country and you're just amazed."
Pause.
"It's thrilling."
"We don't take it for granted," Toney said. "We're still in awe."
So for hours, they'd sit in the empty stands, three men from Long Island, Berry and two uncles, the aforementioned Toney plus Matt Angevine. All three Long Island-raised men took vacation from jobs - Berry from New York, Toney from Georgia, Angevine from Pennsylvania. They sat in empty stands, one of four apparent families that spent the whole week here, scattered distantly about.
Avowed football people, the Long Island trio would analyze blocks, runs, schemes. "Nice block, Jason!" Angevine might holler. "Like that block, Jason!" Five hours and, "It's too short," Toney said. Feels "like an hour."
As practice ended, Toney, surely one of the world's most hilarious people, did a play-by-play of that bane of American sports, two players' fathers homing in on the field toward two coaches to lend advice.
"Here they come . . . 10 yards away . . . 5 yards away . . ."
They also reminisced.
"It's funny," Berry said. "I've been thinking about this lately. I remember I would see the kids playing football out on the street, and back when Jason was out there playing football, you could just see how he would move among the kids, that his ability was more than the other kids that were around him."
"But he came a long way," Toney said. "The kid came a long way. He respects people now. When he was growing up, he was not knowing the way life was going. And he respects every man now. Now you don't have to tell Jason twice to do something."
And it's impatient, the new world.
In only five years of existence, the All-American Bowl has become a centralized hornet's nest for the spread-out annual national apoplexy over which hotshot will attend which university.
Recruiting by peers
Players not only announce here, they lobby each other. Parents of players lobby parents of other players. It's legend that University of Florida quarterback Chris Leak swayed a gaggle of other prospects to join him at Gainesville during the 2003 week, and it's written that Southern California recruits Jeff Byers and Keith Rivers lobbied fellow high school seniors heavily in 2004.
Come 2005, on Monday of the week, Gwaltney turned up with a USC button upon his U.S. Army No. 14 jersey. On Tuesday, he wore a cardinal-and-gold "Fight On" bracelet. He said to read nothing into it and identified the culprit as Mark Sanchez, a Mission Viejo, Calif., quarterback headed to USC, hoping to extend that near-dynasty.
"It's all a big joke," Sanchez said. "You can hit 'em up in the elevator, jumping around. It's just such a great time to be together. I'm giving him the hard sell, talking about great things. There's no accusations going on at SC, so it's the perfect place to be."
There's a chance Sanchez's words might've connoted the accusations in fact going on at Ohio State, which joins West Virginia among Gwaltney's final options.
"We've talked on the phone like you can't imagine," the Californian said. "I call him all the time."
The phone.
"They call the house," Berry said. "They call the phone. But that's not the stressful part of it. Just the buildup and the wait for signing day, I guess. At times, seeing in Jason's face, seeing that he's getting stressed out by what was going on."
As Gwaltney tries to decide, he visualizes. The other day, he said, he pictured former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett scoring the winning touchdown in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami.
"I pictured how I would look wearing the jersey," Gwaltney said of his premeditated daydream. So he pictured Clarett, "but it was me. I got up. The crowd went wild."
Read nothing into that, either, he said.
In this eerie new world, he's in that phase spent fielding the college question at least 10 times per day. "McDonald's and Applebee's" are among places strangers have approached, he said.
"And I was in Georgia," Toney said, "and I saw a guy in the airport. I didn't even know who he was. I thought, What's he doing? I'm like, I'm in the state of Georgia! I didn't know he knew me," and he asked where Jason would go to college. I thought he was following me," Toney continued. "I kept my eyes on him."
It's real, this new world, extremely so.
So Gwaltney brought a durable curiosity with him to San Antonio, one that outlasted even 135 touchdowns and 1,000 high school hosannas. How would he feel among by far the best competition he - or any other All-American, for that matter - had encountered?
"How quick is the game?" he said. "How good do you have to get? You expect so much" of the new level "that it kind of benefits you. You escalate. You want to go over and above that marker."
For four months and change, he has labored at Dolphin Gym in Amityville with 31-year-old trainer Dennis Grice Jr. Dial up Grice, and he'll tell you about the hill training and the daunting Swiss ball, not to mention the white fast-twitch muscles, the transverse abdominals and the external obliques - in summary, the quest to improve Jason's "core" to yield "that explosion."
On a 1-10 scale of eagerness to perform life's harrowing task of improving the body, "He's a 50," Grice said.
"I'm watching him," Grice said, "and looking at him, and I'm thinking there's not too many who are going to be better and he was still, like, I need to get better, I need to get better. He was just really humble."
"It's not having everything," Gwaltney said. "I didn't come from the best background."
"If you say blue," Toney said, "he'll prove to you that it's black. I used to tell him Barry Baker" - another North Babylon sensation - "was a better football player than you. Call me when you get 77 touchdowns."
As Toney said that, Gwaltney walked by and said, "I called you a couple of times, eh?"
So he marshaled that approach toward San Antonio. He dialed up Kenny Lucas of Washington, D.C., the East coach, who said: "He just wanted to make sure that I knew he was a running back. Because I think in some listings, he was listed as a linebacker."
Before arrival, he had to finish the absent week's homework: two psychology tests, some essays, some economics. The psychology: "On sleep-walking," he said. The English: "'Lord of the Flies.'"
Then he flew to Texas on Sunday. His host - each player has one - met him at the airport. Gwaltney said, "Sometimes you can't believe you're here." He entered the city and went to practice Monday.
Curiosity quelled. "The game was definitely a lot faster," he said. "But it wasn't too quick. I had worked so much harder. Then I got here and I'd worked hard and ..."
About 20 minutes into drills alongside the All-Americans, he thought . . . "Dag, I can do this."
No big plans for March 9 just yet, he said. On that day, he'll turn 18.
See more photos of Jason Gwaltney in yesterday's high school football All-American Bowl at the Alamodome at www.newsday.com/sports.
BY CHUCK CULPEPPER
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SAN ANTONIO - Playing in five of the East's 13 futile offensive series yesterday, North Babylon High running back Jason Gwaltney gained 35 yards on eight carries in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl before a closing 17-yard loss-andfumble left him at nine for 18.
By East team standards, he flourished.
The East offense barely budged against the fast West defense - 10 first downs, 14 net rushing yards, 93 total yards - in the fifth annual game inviting 78 national all-stars. The West won, 35-3, at the Alamodome.
"If it was up to us, we'd have run straight at 'em and played it like a real football game," Gwaltney said. "But it's not like we're playing for a championship. We're just out there to have fun."
Run-wise, he referred specifically to a third-quarter sequence in which Gwaltney, operating next to upstate New York quarterback Greg Paulus in the East's one-back, shotgun formation, quickly reeled off gains of 10 and 4 yards and almost dragged two tacklers to a first down on fourth-and-1.
Among the East's three main running backs, he had the two longest runs from scrimmage (10 and 8 yards). He hoped his stock rose, given his quickness plus other talents demonstrated during spirited special-teams chores.
"I didn't get the touches I'll get in college," he said, "but I felt I proved something. I can run, tackle, block. I ran a couple of big kids over, showed I could pass-block."
He had a 6-yard reception, and on kickoff-return defense, he made a tackle plus a flattening of a West player that made the crowd take notice.
Having felt comfortable amid game speed ratcheted upward from high school pace, he called his week away from home "definitely" a success and said his next big day will come Wednesday.
That's when he'll announce his college destination - West Virginia, Southern California or Ohio State.
"On ESPN," he said.
In a memorable sidelight, the game's eventual Most Valuable Player, receiver DeSean Jackson of Long Beach, Calif., lent the 30,305 spectators a conversation piece - with a gaffe.
After catching a first-quarter pass from Jim Barnes and streaking down the left sideline to make it a 52-yarder, Jackson, unthreatened, attempted to somersault into the end zone and left the football inadvertently downed at the 1-yard line. He got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, but the West scored on the next play. Jackson caught seven passes for 141 yards and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Ryan Perrilloux of Reserve, La.
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Jason's (Gwaltney) yards aren't gimmes - NY Newsday
Jason's yards aren't gimmes
By Chuck Culpepper
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
January 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO - Playing in five of the East's 13 futile offensive series yesterday, North Babylon High running back Jason Gwaltney gained 35 yards on eight carries in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl before a closing 17-yard loss-andfumble left him at nine for 18.
By East team standards, he flourished.
The East offense barely budged against the fast West defense - 10 first downs, 14 net rushing yards, 93 total yards - in the fifth annual game inviting 78 national allstars. The West won, 35-3, at the Alamodome.
"If it was up to us, we'd have run straight at 'em and played it like a real football game," Gwaltney said. "But it's not like we're playing for a championship. We're just out there to have fun."
Run-wise, he referred specifically to a third-quarter sequence in which Gwaltney, operating next to upstate New York quarterback Greg Paulus in the East's one-back, shotgun formation, quickly reeled off gains of 10 and 4 yards and almost dragged two tacklers to a first down on fourth-and-1.
Among the East's three main running backs, he had the two longest runs from scrimmage (10 and 8 yards). He hoped his stock rose, given his quickness plus other talents demonstrated during spirited specialteams chores.
"I didn't get the touches I'll get in college," he said, "but I felt I proved something. I can run, tackle, block. I ran a couple of big kids over, showed I could pass-block.
" He had a 6-yard reception, and on kickoff-return defense, he made a tackle plus a flattening of a West player that made the crowd take notice.
Having felt comfortable amid game speed ratcheted upward from high school pace, he called his week away from home "definitely" a success and said his next big day will come Wednesday.
That's when he'll announce his college destination - West Virginia, Southern California or Ohio State.
"On ESPN," he said. In a memorable sidelight, the game's eventual Most Valuable Player, receiver DeSean Jackson of Long Beach, Calif., lent the 30,305 spectators a conversation piece - with a gaffe.
After catching a first-quarter pass from Jim Barnes and streaking down the left sideline to make it a 52-yarder, Jackson, unthreatened, attempted to somersault into the end zone and left the football inadvertently downed at the 1-yard line. He got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but the West scored on the next play. Jackson caught seven passes for 141 yards and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Ryan Perrilloux of Reserve, La.
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Lost Weekend (Doug Worthington) - Scout
Lost Weekend
By Kirk McNair**
Date: Jan 16, 2005
It was not so much what went on in Tuscaloosa this weekend as what was going on at other campuses hosting football prospects being sought by the Crimson Tide. There were a couple of disappointments and there could be others.
After visiting Bama the previous weekend, running back James Davis of Atlanta said the Crimson Tide was his leader. He reportedly told Virginia Tech that he had committed to Bama. But this weekend he went to Clemson and reported afterwards that Alabama having six running backs (it would be interesting to see what names he was shown as Tide running backs by the Clemson coaches), he was committing to Clemson. Because players of his caliber rarely pick a school based on tough competition at another, Davis’ commitment is considered “soft.”
More disturbing, perhaps, was defensive end Antonio Coleman of Mobile announcing that he committed to Auburn on his visit to Auburn this weekend. Although he had not committed to Alabama, he left Tuscaloosa last weekend with the Crimson Tide a clear leader.
Not so fellow Mobilian tight end Gabe McKenzie. He has never seemed interested in Alabama and it was no surprise that he announced after his Auburn visit that Auburn and Miami remain his leaders. Tight end Tommy Trott of Montgomery also visited Auburn and most expect that after a long look at Bama he will finally commit to the school where his father played.
Tight end Colin Peek of Jacksonville, Florida, visited Georgia Tech and is expected to visit Duke before making a final decision.
Running back Mikell Simpson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, visited Florida this weekend. The Gators had not been in the picture for Simpson, but now may rank among the top three (with Alabama, his previous leader, and Virginia). Also visiting Florida was defensive end Doug Worthington of Athol Springs, New York, who is committed to Ohio State, but looking around (including at Bama last weekend) since the Buckeyes are possibly headed for NCAA trouble. (We would say SURELY headed for NCAA trouble except for the NCAA’s long history of ignoring violations by Big Ten schools.)
Running back Roy Upchurch of Tallahassee, considered to be leaning to Bama, cancelled his visit to Florida, but will visit Arkansas next weekend. Running back Mike Ford of Sarasota, Florida, is said to like Alabama, but he may make a couple more visits. His scheduled visit to South Carolina this weekend was at least postponed because of academic questions.
Bama is waiting to see how Nick Kyles, a wide receiver from Milledgeville, Georgia, enjoyed his visit to Mississippi State this weekend. His twin brother, Jarvis (not a Tide prospect), committed to the Bulldogs.
Three defensive linemen being sought by Bama were on official visits this weekend–Bobby Greenwood of Prattville, visiting FSU; Brandon Deaderick of Elizabethton, Kentucky, who reportedly was not as thrilled as some to see Auburn’s 2004 football team paraded on hay wagons; and Antonio Forbes of Norcross, Georgia, who made what is thought to be his final visit this weekend, to Louisville.
Alabama did host a handful of prospects, including six who have already committed to join Bama on Signing Day, February 2. They included offensive lineman Michael Johnson of Pensacola, offensive lineman Marlon Davis of Columbus, Georgia, defensive back Clarence Ward of Pensacola (who is reported as likely to visit Florida State next weekend), defensive back Michael Ricks of Courtland, and defensive linemen Brandon Fanney and Lorenzo Washington of Hargrave Academy.
Also visiting were two kicking prospects, placekicker Andrew Friedman of Mobile and punter Swayze Waters of Jackson, Missississippi (who likely are being asked to walk on). A final visitor was reported to be Quentin Taylor, a linebacker from Apopka, Florida.
Quarterback Jimmy Johns of Brookhaven, Mississippi, who committed to the Tide last week, had been expected to visit Mississippi State this weekend and Ole Miss next weekend, but he announced he had cancelled all future visits.
Quarterback Jonathan Garner of Daytona Beach, a former Florida commitment who had been reported last week as possibly considering Alabama, announced after his weekend visit to Georgia Tech that he is down to Louisville and the Yellow Jackets. He did not visit Bama.
NOTE: Reports by Andrew Bone were compiled to produce this report.
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All-American Bowl notebook: Horns still top choice for top receiver, QB (Maurice Wells) - San Antonio Express-News
All-American Bowl notebook: Horns still top choice for top receiver, QB
Web Posted: 01/16/2005 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Saturday offered a bit of hope for Texas in the recruiting of Fred Rouse and Ryan Perrilloux, considered the nation's top receiver and dual-threat quarterback, respectively.
After the game, a reporter asked Rouse if he still considered UT his top school. After Rouse answered yes, Perrilloux leaned in and said, "Texas is still our No. 1 school."
Rouse, who has visits to come with UT, Miami and Florida State, said he doesn't expect to announce a commitment before signing day. Perrilloux has made a verbal commitment to UT, but analysts have speculated the Louisiana native will spurn UT for LSU on signing day.
Lions' share: A pair of Detroit Lions, past and present, made an appearance Saturday.
Former running back Barry Sanders was spotted in the TV booth. Current back Kevin Jones watched from the sidelines.
Jeff McDonald
Sic 'em: On a day when 17 players announced their college choices, Baylor pulled off the biggest surprise with the commitment of Los Angeles wide receiver David Gettis.
"I was looking for the best opportunity for me," said Gettis, who chose the Bears over California and Arizona State. "If I had to come to Texas, then I had to come to Texas."
Gettis, one of the nation's top 400-meter sprinters, also will run track at Baylor.
Welcome to the Big 12: Las Vegas linebacker Ryan Reynolds was showered with boos when he announced his decision to play for Oklahoma, a repeat of last year when Adrian Peterson was jeered for ch
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Irish lack support, but win - Akron Beacon Journal
... Senior Lawrence Wilson scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds, while Johnson had 14 points for the Irish, No. 1 in the Associated Press Division II state poll. ...
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RECRUITING CENTRAL: BILL BUCHALTER (Eric Sledge) - Sun-Sentinel.com
B-CC lands Seffner's Williams
Published January 16, 2005
Bethune-Cookman's first announced commitment for the Class of 2005 is a proven winner.
Jameel Williams (5 feet 11/170 pounds), a super-quick athlete who quarterbacked Seffner Armwood to consecutive Class 4A state championships, pledged to B-CC on Wednesday.
Williams was one of three 1,000-yard rushers in Armwood's talented backfield -- 250-pound FB Kalvin Bailey has committed to Iowa, and 175-pound running back Demetrius McCray has pledged to USF -- and his style fits B-CC's offense.
Bailey is ranked 26th on the Sentinel's list of the state's top 100 recruits. National Signing Day is Feb. 2.
Off to South Carolina
South Carolina continues to gather commitments from state players -- from state defensive players.
Timber Creek's Lem Jeanpierre (6-5/255) committed early in the week (he's ranked 25th on the Sentinel's list), and DE Kerry Bonds (6-3/230) of Tallahassee Lincoln pledged late in the week. Bonds is No. 92 on the Sentinel's list.
South Carolina also is in the hunt for Apopka WR/DB Eric Sledge (6-2/185), No. 39 on the list. Sledge was scheduled to visit the school this weekend. He already has been to West Virginia and Louisville, and is set to go to Ohio State on Friday and Florida on Jan. 28.
Sledge and Apopka FB/LB Quentin Taylor (6-1/210) have been offered by UF. Taylor is ranked 47th by the Sentinel.
Elsewhere
* CB Levance Richmond (5-11/190), a former Lake Wales High standout who wound up at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College when he failed to meet NCAA academic requirements, has signed with Southern Miss. He led the nation's junior colleges with 13 interceptions this season. His teammate at Lake Wales and Pearl, LB Gene Coleman (6-1/230), is expected to re-sign with USF.
* Miami's class took a hit when QB Derek Shaw (6-4/205) of Oceanside (Calif.) High decommitted from the Hurricanes. He now appears headed to Arizona State. That leaves Miami without a quarterback in this class, which could mean a renewed effort to woo QB Carlton Hill (6-2/202) of Monticello Jefferson County.
* Backing off a Virginia commitment is LB Darryl Gresham Jr. from Roanoke (Va.) Fleming. Gresham (6-3/227) visited Florida last weekend, and he said it will come down to UVa, which is closest to home, and UF, where his dad played basketball in the mid-1980s.
* Ryan Perrilloux (6-2/207) of Reserve (La.) East St. John reconfirmed his commitment to Texas.
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RECRUITING: Gators have upbill battle for (James) McKinney - Scout PREMIUM
RECRUITING: Gators have upbill battle for McKinney
By Bob Redman
Date: Jan 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO --- Although the final score wasn’t what he hoped for, James McKinney is still proud and happy that he was able to be a part of the US Army All American Bowl Game at the Alamo Dome Saturday afternoon. The 6-3, 270-pound defensive end from Louisville (KY) Central is being recruited by the University of Florida, and now that the All-American game is over, the Gators will be making their move to see if they can lure McKinney to Gainesville.
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Recruiting : Shavers, Shelley soak up all-star experiences - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Recruiting : Shavers, Shelley soak up all-star experiences
Otis Kirk
Posted on Sunday, January 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO — A large group of Texas fans were gathered above the tunnel where members of the West squad exited the Alamodome field Saturday during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
The Texas fans booed when Las Vegas linebacker Ryan Reynolds announced for Oklahoma during the game, and they jeered future Razorback Marcus Shavers as he left the field following the game.
Shavers responded with an upside down Hook ’em Horns sign. "These Texas fans don’t like me, and I don’t care," Shavers said. "It meant a lot to me to play in this game. This was a good way for me to end my career before I go to the next level."
1 Shavers, 6-3/2, 260, 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and Fort Smith Southside wide receiver Slick Shelley, 6-4, 197, 4.5, were members of the West team, which defeated the East 35-3 in front of 30,305 fans. Shelley enjoyed a good game, catching four passes for 37 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Perrilloux with 15 seconds remaining before intermission. Shavers, who had 1 unassisted tackle, 2 assists and 7 quarterback hurries, will take an official visit to Arkansas beginning Friday. He committed to Arkansas in the spring after also considering Texas A&M, Kansas State, Georgia and others. "I can’t wait," Shavers said. "I haven’t taken an official visit, but I have been hearing stories about how much fun they are. I’m excited about going to Arkansas."
Shelley said following the game he is still looking at Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee and South Carolina, and he was excited to get in the end zone Saturday. "I was supposed to run a curl," Shelley said. "But after I ran my curl, [running back] R. J. Jackson was right there and Perrilloux started to scramble, so I looked for the open spot and he saw me through the middle."
Rivals. com rates Shelley a four-star recruit, and he is considered the state’s top wide receiver by virtually all the recruiting services. "I have got a lot decisions to make and think about," Shelley said. "My recruiting is going great, but it’s going to be tough [to make a decision]."
Shelley, like Shavers, enjoyed spending the week in San Antonio and competing against some of the best athletes in the nation. "It was great," Shelley said. "Everything was first-class. They treat you great, and if there’s anything you need you just ask for it."
ODDS & ENDS Marcus Shavers won the super athlete award at the U.S. Army National Combine last January. In the media guide for Saturday’s game, Shavers was compared to Jerome McDougle of the Philadelphia Eagles.... Slick Shelley caught 74 passes for 860 yards and 8 touchdowns his senior season. In the media guide provided for Saturday’s game, Shelley was compared to Keyshawn Johnson of the Dallas Cowboys.... Texas had the highest number of All-Americans in this year’s game. Shavers was one of 14 Texans in the game.... Shelley was named to the U.S. Army All-Name team, along with Ndamukong Suh, Rey Maualuga, Anthony Moeaki, Rico McCoy, Nyan Boateng, Marlon Lucky and Zoltan Mesko.... This was the fifth U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Of the 299 U.S. Army All-American Bowl alumni, 243 have gone on to sign with BCS schools. In this year’s game, all the athletes who had made oral commitments prior to the game committed to BCS schools.
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Gwaltney, 77 fellow senior stars discover tougher competition and adulation as they converge in Texas - NY Newsday
Gwaltney, 77 fellow senior stars discover tougher competition and adulation as they converge in Texas
BY CHUCK CULPEPPER
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
January 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO - Deep in the intestines of Texas, all the bygone week, a 17-year-old Long Island sensation waded into a new world.
An eccentric world, a dreamy world, an impatient world, a real world. Or, as Jason Gwaltney's uncle, Alvin Toney, put it, "It's the world of the unexpected."
It's the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a one-week taste of a coming long voyage for a North Babylon High senior who stampeded the large children of Long Island for 7,800 rushing yards and 135 touchdowns and also played linebacker, punter and placekick holder.
It reeled in Gwaltney and 77 other seniors of similar American town-pleasing dominance from Opa-Locka (Fla.) to Eureka (Calif.).
It teemed in a downtown Sheraton that by the weekend teemed with Nebraska fans hoping to meet and greet the players they'll eventually revere - and, in some cases, cuss - on Saturdays.
A bit eccentric, yes.
It had a four-hour "media day" during which an emcee paid homage to a Wednesday "Cheer Bowl" and noted its "special guest appearance" by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
It had the mayor of San Antonio addressing 17- and 18-year-old players while some, well, slept - on the palm of a hand or, in Gwaltney's case, a head cocked to the right.
"By the time I get to my room at 10:30 at night," said linebacker Ricardo McCoy of Washington, D.C., "I'm just ready to make one phone call and go to sleep."
Sponsors proliferated, and one held a drumstick-eating contest among the players. (Chicken drumsticks.) Six-man coaching staffs from teams East and West turned up at daily news briefings and said things like, "I think sometimes we're just here for the ride."
Rival scouting Internet sites jealously guarded interview access. Some parents - not including Gwaltney's 36-year-old father, Richard Berry - hovered near coaches just after practice, ready to swoop in and influence. People assessed and assessed: Who shone in practice?
"The great players have that edge about them," Chicago-based talent analyst Tom Lemming said of Gwaltney, whom he met once before. "It's an ego where they have to be the best. He's got that. I can tell the difference in his body type since only last year. He did a real good job building himself up."
At least eight player awards, named for Walter Payton and Pete Dawkins, among others, went out, including team of the year (Southlake Carroll, Texas), two-way player of the year (Brian Cushing, Park Ridge, N.J.), and a frankfurter company's player of the year (Ryan Perrilloux, Reserve, La.).
By kickoff at noon yesterday, four Army soldiers hanging on ropes lowered themselves to the field before kickoff. A NASCAR car and an Army truck reposed behind one end zone. At halftime, Darryl Worley sang his country song that asks if people have "forgotten" 9/11. A crowd of 30,305 showed up. Previously undecided players announced their college decisions on NBC, pulling insignia caps out of boxes and donning them in a newfound TV ritual.
Made-for-TV moments
NBC promos in the corner of the screen trumpeted which players would announce in upcoming moments. One player prefaced his announcement by telling a sideline reporter it would shock the country. Nyan Boateng of Brooklyn, who had missed all of his senior season with a broken ankle, announced. (Florida.) Gwaltney will wait to announce, with Feb. 2 the national signing day, a virtual holiday for many fans.
In a setting implausible a generation ago, he stood at practice alongside standouts such as - at one point - a Tennessee-bound quarterback from Waynesville, N.C., an Ohio State-bound offensive lineman from suburban Cleveland, a Virginia Tech-bound running back from Hampton, Va., an Illinois-bound running back from Skokie, Ill., an Oklahoma-bound receiver from Conway, S.C., an undecided offensive lineman from Riverdale, Ga., and a quarterback from upstate New York who chose to play basketball at Duke out of fondness for coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"I made a friend out of Jason this week," said that quarterback, Greg Paulus. "He's funny."
"He's a cool kid, first of all," McCoy said.
"That's my boy," said receiver Patrick Turner of Nashville, Tenn.
"There's about 950,000 football players in America," Gwaltney said."To be one of 78 ..." It's dreamy.
After all, not many parents raise children on Long Island, then wind up flying until their knees hurt (the father's) to spend a week watching them practice for five hours a day in a large Texas high school stadium ... on a scrubby four-lane boulevard south of San Antonio . . . beyond dilapidated motels . . . and outdoor vendors selling whatnot . . . and an Omega Church across the boulevard from a ramshackle strip club marked BYOB ... and Wal-Mart ... and a sign marked "McAllen 234."
The real, real Texas.
"When I sit up there, I'm just amazed that it's all happening, that it's all taking place," Berry said. "You see him out there now with all the best talent across the country and you're just amazed."
Pause.
"It's thrilling."
"We don't take it for granted," Toney said. "We're still in awe."
So for hours, they'd sit in the empty stands, three men from Long Island, Berry and two uncles, the aforementioned Toney plus Matt Angevine. All three Long Island-raised men took vacation from jobs - Berry from New York, Toney from Georgia, Angevine from Pennsylvania. They sat in empty stands, one of four apparent families that spent the whole week here, scattered distantly about.
Avowed football people, the Long Island trio would analyze blocks, runs, schemes. "Nice block, Jason!" Angevine might holler. "Like that block, Jason!" Five hours and, "It's too short," Toney said. Feels "like an hour."
As practice ended, Toney, surely one of the world's most hilarious people, did a play-by-play of that bane of American sports, two players' fathers homing in on the field toward two coaches to lend advice.
"Here they come . . . 10 yards away . . . 5 yards away . . ."
They also reminisced.
"It's funny," Berry said. "I've been thinking about this lately. I remember I would see the kids playing football out on the street, and back when Jason was out there playing football, you could just see how he would move among the kids, that his ability was more than the other kids that were around him."
"But he came a long way," Toney said. "The kid came a long way. He respects people now. When he was growing up, he was not knowing the way life was going. And he respects every man now. Now you don't have to tell Jason twice to do something."
And it's impatient, the new world.
In only five years of existence, the All-American Bowl has become a centralized hornet's nest for the spread-out annual national apoplexy over which hotshot will attend which university.
Recruiting by peers
Players not only announce here, they lobby each other. Parents of players lobby parents of other players. It's legend that University of Florida quarterback Chris Leak swayed a gaggle of other prospects to join him at Gainesville during the 2003 week, and it's written that Southern California recruits Jeff Byers and Keith Rivers lobbied fellow high school seniors heavily in 2004.
Come 2005, on Monday of the week, Gwaltney turned up with a USC button upon his U.S. Army No. 14 jersey. On Tuesday, he wore a cardinal-and-gold "Fight On" bracelet. He said to read nothing into it and identified the culprit as Mark Sanchez, a Mission Viejo, Calif., quarterback headed to USC, hoping to extend that near-dynasty.
"It's all a big joke," Sanchez said. "You can hit 'em up in the elevator, jumping around. It's just such a great time to be together. I'm giving him the hard sell, talking about great things. There's no accusations going on at SC, so it's the perfect place to be."
There's a chance Sanchez's words might've connoted the accusations in fact going on at Ohio State, which joins West Virginia among Gwaltney's final options.
"We've talked on the phone like you can't imagine," the Californian said. "I call him all the time."
The phone.
"They call the house," Berry said. "They call the phone. But that's not the stressful part of it. Just the buildup and the wait for signing day, I guess. At times, seeing in Jason's face, seeing that he's getting stressed out by what was going on."
As Gwaltney tries to decide, he visualizes. The other day, he said, he pictured former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett scoring the winning touchdown in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Miami.
"I pictured how I would look wearing the jersey," Gwaltney said of his premeditated daydream. So he pictured Clarett, "but it was me. I got up. The crowd went wild."
Read nothing into that, either, he said.
In this eerie new world, he's in that phase spent fielding the college question at least 10 times per day. "McDonald's and Applebee's" are among places strangers have approached, he said.
"And I was in Georgia," Toney said, "and I saw a guy in the airport. I didn't even know who he was. I thought, What's he doing? I'm like, I'm in the state of Georgia! I didn't know he knew me," and he asked where Jason would go to college. I thought he was following me," Toney continued. "I kept my eyes on him."
It's real, this new world, extremely so.
So Gwaltney brought a durable curiosity with him to San Antonio, one that outlasted even 135 touchdowns and 1,000 high school hosannas. How would he feel among by far the best competition he - or any other All-American, for that matter - had encountered?
"How quick is the game?" he said. "How good do you have to get? You expect so much" of the new level "that it kind of benefits you. You escalate. You want to go over and above that marker."
For four months and change, he has labored at Dolphin Gym in Amityville with 31-year-old trainer Dennis Grice Jr. Dial up Grice, and he'll tell you about the hill training and the daunting Swiss ball, not to mention the white fast-twitch muscles, the transverse abdominals and the external obliques - in summary, the quest to improve Jason's "core" to yield "that explosion."
On a 1-10 scale of eagerness to perform life's harrowing task of improving the body, "He's a 50," Grice said.
"I'm watching him," Grice said, "and looking at him, and I'm thinking there's not too many who are going to be better and he was still, like, I need to get better, I need to get better. He was just really humble."
"It's not having everything," Gwaltney said. "I didn't come from the best background."
"If you say blue," Toney said, "he'll prove to you that it's black. I used to tell him Barry Baker" - another North Babylon sensation - "was a better football player than you. Call me when you get 77 touchdowns."
As Toney said that, Gwaltney walked by and said, "I called you a couple of times, eh?"
So he marshaled that approach toward San Antonio. He dialed up Kenny Lucas of Washington, D.C., the East coach, who said: "He just wanted to make sure that I knew he was a running back. Because I think in some listings, he was listed as a linebacker."
Before arrival, he had to finish the absent week's homework: two psychology tests, some essays, some economics. The psychology: "On sleep-walking," he said. The English: "'Lord of the Flies.'"
Then he flew to Texas on Sunday. His host - each player has one - met him at the airport. Gwaltney said, "Sometimes you can't believe you're here." He entered the city and went to practice Monday.
Curiosity quelled. "The game was definitely a lot faster," he said. "But it wasn't too quick. I had worked so much harder. Then I got here and I'd worked hard and ..."
About 20 minutes into drills alongside the All-Americans, he thought . . . "Dag, I can do this."
No big plans for March 9 just yet, he said. On that day, he'll turn 18.
See more photos of Jason Gwaltney in yesterday's high school football All-American Bowl at the Alamodome at www.newsday.com/sports.
BY CHUCK CULPEPPER
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SAN ANTONIO - Playing in five of the East's 13 futile offensive series yesterday, North Babylon High running back Jason Gwaltney gained 35 yards on eight carries in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl before a closing 17-yard loss-andfumble left him at nine for 18.
By East team standards, he flourished.
The East offense barely budged against the fast West defense - 10 first downs, 14 net rushing yards, 93 total yards - in the fifth annual game inviting 78 national all-stars. The West won, 35-3, at the Alamodome.
"If it was up to us, we'd have run straight at 'em and played it like a real football game," Gwaltney said. "But it's not like we're playing for a championship. We're just out there to have fun."
Run-wise, he referred specifically to a third-quarter sequence in which Gwaltney, operating next to upstate New York quarterback Greg Paulus in the East's one-back, shotgun formation, quickly reeled off gains of 10 and 4 yards and almost dragged two tacklers to a first down on fourth-and-1.
Among the East's three main running backs, he had the two longest runs from scrimmage (10 and 8 yards). He hoped his stock rose, given his quickness plus other talents demonstrated during spirited special-teams chores.
"I didn't get the touches I'll get in college," he said, "but I felt I proved something. I can run, tackle, block. I ran a couple of big kids over, showed I could pass-block."
He had a 6-yard reception, and on kickoff-return defense, he made a tackle plus a flattening of a West player that made the crowd take notice.
Having felt comfortable amid game speed ratcheted upward from high school pace, he called his week away from home "definitely" a success and said his next big day will come Wednesday.
That's when he'll announce his college destination - West Virginia, Southern California or Ohio State.
"On ESPN," he said.
In a memorable sidelight, the game's eventual Most Valuable Player, receiver DeSean Jackson of Long Beach, Calif., lent the 30,305 spectators a conversation piece - with a gaffe.
After catching a first-quarter pass from Jim Barnes and streaking down the left sideline to make it a 52-yarder, Jackson, unthreatened, attempted to somersault into the end zone and left the football inadvertently downed at the 1-yard line. He got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, but the West scored on the next play. Jackson caught seven passes for 141 yards and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Ryan Perrilloux of Reserve, La.
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Jason's (Gwaltney) yards aren't gimmes - NY Newsday
Jason's yards aren't gimmes
By Chuck Culpepper
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
January 16, 2005
SAN ANTONIO - Playing in five of the East's 13 futile offensive series yesterday, North Babylon High running back Jason Gwaltney gained 35 yards on eight carries in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl before a closing 17-yard loss-andfumble left him at nine for 18.
By East team standards, he flourished.
The East offense barely budged against the fast West defense - 10 first downs, 14 net rushing yards, 93 total yards - in the fifth annual game inviting 78 national allstars. The West won, 35-3, at the Alamodome.
"If it was up to us, we'd have run straight at 'em and played it like a real football game," Gwaltney said. "But it's not like we're playing for a championship. We're just out there to have fun."
Run-wise, he referred specifically to a third-quarter sequence in which Gwaltney, operating next to upstate New York quarterback Greg Paulus in the East's one-back, shotgun formation, quickly reeled off gains of 10 and 4 yards and almost dragged two tacklers to a first down on fourth-and-1.
Among the East's three main running backs, he had the two longest runs from scrimmage (10 and 8 yards). He hoped his stock rose, given his quickness plus other talents demonstrated during spirited specialteams chores.
"I didn't get the touches I'll get in college," he said, "but I felt I proved something. I can run, tackle, block. I ran a couple of big kids over, showed I could pass-block.
" He had a 6-yard reception, and on kickoff-return defense, he made a tackle plus a flattening of a West player that made the crowd take notice.
Having felt comfortable amid game speed ratcheted upward from high school pace, he called his week away from home "definitely" a success and said his next big day will come Wednesday.
That's when he'll announce his college destination - West Virginia, Southern California or Ohio State.
"On ESPN," he said. In a memorable sidelight, the game's eventual Most Valuable Player, receiver DeSean Jackson of Long Beach, Calif., lent the 30,305 spectators a conversation piece - with a gaffe.
After catching a first-quarter pass from Jim Barnes and streaking down the left sideline to make it a 52-yarder, Jackson, unthreatened, attempted to somersault into the end zone and left the football inadvertently downed at the 1-yard line. He got a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but the West scored on the next play. Jackson caught seven passes for 141 yards and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Ryan Perrilloux of Reserve, La.
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Lost Weekend (Doug Worthington) - Scout
Lost Weekend
By Kirk McNair**
Date: Jan 16, 2005
It was not so much what went on in Tuscaloosa this weekend as what was going on at other campuses hosting football prospects being sought by the Crimson Tide. There were a couple of disappointments and there could be others.
After visiting Bama the previous weekend, running back James Davis of Atlanta said the Crimson Tide was his leader. He reportedly told Virginia Tech that he had committed to Bama. But this weekend he went to Clemson and reported afterwards that Alabama having six running backs (it would be interesting to see what names he was shown as Tide running backs by the Clemson coaches), he was committing to Clemson. Because players of his caliber rarely pick a school based on tough competition at another, Davis’ commitment is considered “soft.”
More disturbing, perhaps, was defensive end Antonio Coleman of Mobile announcing that he committed to Auburn on his visit to Auburn this weekend. Although he had not committed to Alabama, he left Tuscaloosa last weekend with the Crimson Tide a clear leader.
Not so fellow Mobilian tight end Gabe McKenzie. He has never seemed interested in Alabama and it was no surprise that he announced after his Auburn visit that Auburn and Miami remain his leaders. Tight end Tommy Trott of Montgomery also visited Auburn and most expect that after a long look at Bama he will finally commit to the school where his father played.
Tight end Colin Peek of Jacksonville, Florida, visited Georgia Tech and is expected to visit Duke before making a final decision.
Running back Mikell Simpson of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, visited Florida this weekend. The Gators had not been in the picture for Simpson, but now may rank among the top three (with Alabama, his previous leader, and Virginia). Also visiting Florida was defensive end Doug Worthington of Athol Springs, New York, who is committed to Ohio State, but looking around (including at Bama last weekend) since the Buckeyes are possibly headed for NCAA trouble. (We would say SURELY headed for NCAA trouble except for the NCAA’s long history of ignoring violations by Big Ten schools.)
Running back Roy Upchurch of Tallahassee, considered to be leaning to Bama, cancelled his visit to Florida, but will visit Arkansas next weekend. Running back Mike Ford of Sarasota, Florida, is said to like Alabama, but he may make a couple more visits. His scheduled visit to South Carolina this weekend was at least postponed because of academic questions.
Bama is waiting to see how Nick Kyles, a wide receiver from Milledgeville, Georgia, enjoyed his visit to Mississippi State this weekend. His twin brother, Jarvis (not a Tide prospect), committed to the Bulldogs.
Three defensive linemen being sought by Bama were on official visits this weekend–Bobby Greenwood of Prattville, visiting FSU; Brandon Deaderick of Elizabethton, Kentucky, who reportedly was not as thrilled as some to see Auburn’s 2004 football team paraded on hay wagons; and Antonio Forbes of Norcross, Georgia, who made what is thought to be his final visit this weekend, to Louisville.
Alabama did host a handful of prospects, including six who have already committed to join Bama on Signing Day, February 2. They included offensive lineman Michael Johnson of Pensacola, offensive lineman Marlon Davis of Columbus, Georgia, defensive back Clarence Ward of Pensacola (who is reported as likely to visit Florida State next weekend), defensive back Michael Ricks of Courtland, and defensive linemen Brandon Fanney and Lorenzo Washington of Hargrave Academy.
Also visiting were two kicking prospects, placekicker Andrew Friedman of Mobile and punter Swayze Waters of Jackson, Missississippi (who likely are being asked to walk on). A final visitor was reported to be Quentin Taylor, a linebacker from Apopka, Florida.
Quarterback Jimmy Johns of Brookhaven, Mississippi, who committed to the Tide last week, had been expected to visit Mississippi State this weekend and Ole Miss next weekend, but he announced he had cancelled all future visits.
Quarterback Jonathan Garner of Daytona Beach, a former Florida commitment who had been reported last week as possibly considering Alabama, announced after his weekend visit to Georgia Tech that he is down to Louisville and the Yellow Jackets. He did not visit Bama.
NOTE: Reports by Andrew Bone were compiled to produce this report.
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All-American Bowl notebook: Horns still top choice for top receiver, QB (Maurice Wells) - San Antonio Express-News
All-American Bowl notebook: Horns still top choice for top receiver, QB
Web Posted: 01/16/2005 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Saturday offered a bit of hope for Texas in the recruiting of Fred Rouse and Ryan Perrilloux, considered the nation's top receiver and dual-threat quarterback, respectively.
After the game, a reporter asked Rouse if he still considered UT his top school. After Rouse answered yes, Perrilloux leaned in and said, "Texas is still our No. 1 school."
Rouse, who has visits to come with UT, Miami and Florida State, said he doesn't expect to announce a commitment before signing day. Perrilloux has made a verbal commitment to UT, but analysts have speculated the Louisiana native will spurn UT for LSU on signing day.
Lions' share: A pair of Detroit Lions, past and present, made an appearance Saturday.
Former running back Barry Sanders was spotted in the TV booth. Current back Kevin Jones watched from the sidelines.
Jeff McDonald
Sic 'em: On a day when 17 players announced their college choices, Baylor pulled off the biggest surprise with the commitment of Los Angeles wide receiver David Gettis.
"I was looking for the best opportunity for me," said Gettis, who chose the Bears over California and Arizona State. "If I had to come to Texas, then I had to come to Texas."
Gettis, one of the nation's top 400-meter sprinters, also will run track at Baylor.
Welcome to the Big 12: Las Vegas linebacker Ryan Reynolds was showered with boos when he announced his decision to play for Oklahoma, a repeat of last year when Adrian Peterson was jeered for ch
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