Two Top Recruits Consider the Mustangs
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2004 5:56 pmThis may be 'old news'. Dunno.
CARTHAGE, Texas -- According to Max Emfinger -- leading high school football recruiting guru -- 15 of the top 100 high school senior football players ranked nationally, reside in Texas. Of the other 49 states, 10 reside in Florida, 10 in California, nine in Georgia, six in Louisiana and five each in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Thus, 70 of the 2005 top high school football recruits come from nine states.
It's goes without saying that these young men of the gridiron are being recruited by Division I colleges throughout Texas and across the nation.
Just how aggressively they are being recruited by Texas colleges will remain a mystery until Feb. 2005.
Three of the 15 have already made verbal commitments, one in-state and two out-of-state.
In the aftermath of last season's No.1 nationally ranked high school football player, Adrian Peterson of Palestine High School in Palestine, Texas, choosing the University of Oklahoma, recruiting by Texas colleges for top talent inside the Texas border needs to be elevated several notches.
Can anything be done to keep these recruits in-state? According to Emfinger that is not a feasible possibility. When questioned why, he said, "It's something you can't explain in a few words or a few hundred words. There are just too many variables in the recruiting process."
In questioning many Texas high school football head coaches, their basic complaint is that Division I colleges only look at size and speed and generally only recruit off "The List."
Only two D1 colleges in the state of Texas are actively recruiting all 15 athletes, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. On the flip side, LSU, University of Nebraska and OU are working the fieldhouses.
These 15 young Texas athletes are but the tip of the iceberg as far as the talent pool is concerned in Texas high school football. If the Texas colleges only recruited Texas talent and succeeded, every Texas college would virtually have a powerhouse team year in and year out. So who's being given the once or twice over and by whom?
Here is a first-hand look at 15 of the nation's top 100 recruits with Texas zip codes:
Adrian Dennis, a 6'2", 225 pound, 4.5/40 senior fullback from Pasadena Dobie high school, Pasadena. Texas is being looked at by the UT, TAMU, Texas Christian University (TCU), University of Houston (UH) plus LSU and the University of Miami (MIA).
"Adrian never has a negative play. He always makes positive yardage." - Mike Stephens, former head football coach at Dobie. NOTE: Stephen moved up into administration this year, Tommy Kaiser is now head football coach.
Howard Morrow, a 6'1", 190 pound, 4.4/40 senior wide receiver from Keller Fossil Ridge high school, Keller, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, TCU plus OU, University of Colorado (CU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Maryland (UMD).
"Howard is a very competitive young man. His biggest attribute is his strength, he's so strong. His competitive spirit is his best asset." - Hal Wasson, head coach at Keller Fossil Ridge
Todd Walker a 6'1", 180 pound, 4.3/40 senior "athlete " from Pflugerville high school, Pflugerville, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, Baylor University (BU), UT, UH plus OU, University of Arkansas (UARK), University of Kansas (KU), Georgia Tech (GIT) and the University of Alabama (UA).
"Todd's a top athlete, good work ethics, good in the classroom, a good kid period." - George Hermann, head football coach, Pflugerville.
Malcolm Kelly, a 6'4", 195 pound, 4.5/40 senior flanker back from Longview high school, Longview, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, Texas Tech University (TTU) plus LSU, OU, University of Nebraska (UN), University of Florida (UFL), University of Tennessee (UTK), University of Michigan (UMICH), University of Southern California (USC), Florida State University (FSU)and the University of Miami (MIA).
"In my 40 years of coaching, he's the best high school athlete I have ever coached." - Pat Collins, former head football Longview
Manuel Johnson, a 6'2", 185 pound , 4.45/40, senior flanker back from Gilmer high school. Gilmer, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, TCU, TTU, UH, UT plus the University of Colorado (CU), OU, OSU, Arizona State University (ASU), University of Iowa (UI) and Purdue University (PU). Offers from UT, UH, PU and OU.
"Manuel is as good of a person as a player. He is a very humble, hard working young man." - Jeff Traylor, head football coach at Gilmer.
Dajleon Farr, a 6'6", 240 pound, 4.6/40 senior tight end from Galena Park North Shore high school, Galena Park. Texas is being looked at by TAMU plus LSU, OU, UN, UTK, UM, FSU, OSU, University of Wisconsin (UW), UI and the MIA.
Martellus Bennett, a 6'7", 240 pound, 4.7/40 senior tight end from Alief Taylor high school, Houston, Texas is being looked at by TAMU plus LSU, OU, UN, UTK, UW, Stanford University (SU), ASU and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
"Martellus is a great kid. He's got a great attitude, good size, excellent jumping ability and great hands." - Tom Gerber, head coach at Alief Taylor.
Reggie Youngblood, a 6'6", 285 pound, 5.0/40 senior offensive lineman from Houston Washington high school, Houston, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, UH plus LSU, OU, UN, UM, OSU, UW, University of Iowa (UI) and University of Arizona (UA).
"Reggie is a great football player, but his talents and skills are superseded by the person he is." - Ricky Oliphant, linebacker coach at Houston Washington.
Jermichael Finley, a 6'5", 220 pound, 4.5/40 senior defensive end from Diboll high school, Diboll, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, UH, TCU plus LSU, OU, UN, UM, OSU, UW, UI, FSU, Kansas State University (KSU), USC, MIA and ASU.
"Jermichael is quite a young man. He's the type athlete you always talk about as a coach to your kids - what your expect them to do - come early, stay late, be coachable. Nobody spends more time in improving his skills than Jermichael . He does everything we preach about. He is always smiling and a pleasure to coach." - Finis Vanover, head football coach at Diboll
Marcus Shavers, a 6'3", 245 pound, 4.7/40, senior defensive end from Allen high school, Allen, Texas has made a verbal commitment to UARK.
"Marcus never takes a play off. His motor never stops. He goes full speed from whistle to whistle." - Tom Westerberg, head coach at Allen
DeMarcus Granger, a 6-2, 325, 4.8 senior defensive tackle from Dallas Kimball high school, Dallas, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, Southern Methodist University (SMU), UT, BU plus OU, LSU, UN and UTK.
"He's a blue collar worker. He brings his hard hat and lunch pail to every practice and every game." - Darrell Jordan, head coach at Dallas Kimball
Vincent Oghobass, a 6'6", 300 pound, 5.2/40 senior defensive tackle from Alief Hastings high school, Houston, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, UH plus LSU, OU, UM, UMICH, OSU, FSU, MIA and ASU, Duke University (DU) and the University of Georgia (UGA).
"Vincent is a smart kid. He's big, strong and aggressive. He's probably the best defensive lineman I've coached." - Wade Luker, head coach at Alief Hastings
Vincent Williams, a 6'3", 275 pound, 4.8/40 senior defensive tackle from Dallas Carter, Dallas, Texas has made a verbal commitment to TAMU.
"Vincent is a hard worker. He worls hard all season long and on top if that he's a super kid." - Billy Blurton, defensive coordinator Dallas Carter
Keenan Clayton, a 6-2, 202 pound, 4.5/40 senior strong safety from Sulphur Springs high school , Sulphur Springs, Texas is being looked at by the UT, SMU, BU plus OU, UN, ASU, DU and PU.
"He's beefed up a lot this year - from 190 pounds to 205. He's big, fast and competitive." - Dean Lasseter, defensive coach at Sulphur Springs
Clarence Ward, a 6'0", 190 pound, 4.4/40 senior strong safety from La Marque high school , La Marque, Texas has made a verbal commitment to LSU.
"Clarence is the best defensive player I've coached. He's a playmaker." - John Pasford, defensive coordinator at La Marque
CARTHAGE, Texas -- According to Max Emfinger -- leading high school football recruiting guru -- 15 of the top 100 high school senior football players ranked nationally, reside in Texas. Of the other 49 states, 10 reside in Florida, 10 in California, nine in Georgia, six in Louisiana and five each in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Thus, 70 of the 2005 top high school football recruits come from nine states.
It's goes without saying that these young men of the gridiron are being recruited by Division I colleges throughout Texas and across the nation.
Just how aggressively they are being recruited by Texas colleges will remain a mystery until Feb. 2005.
Three of the 15 have already made verbal commitments, one in-state and two out-of-state.
In the aftermath of last season's No.1 nationally ranked high school football player, Adrian Peterson of Palestine High School in Palestine, Texas, choosing the University of Oklahoma, recruiting by Texas colleges for top talent inside the Texas border needs to be elevated several notches.
Can anything be done to keep these recruits in-state? According to Emfinger that is not a feasible possibility. When questioned why, he said, "It's something you can't explain in a few words or a few hundred words. There are just too many variables in the recruiting process."
In questioning many Texas high school football head coaches, their basic complaint is that Division I colleges only look at size and speed and generally only recruit off "The List."
Only two D1 colleges in the state of Texas are actively recruiting all 15 athletes, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas. On the flip side, LSU, University of Nebraska and OU are working the fieldhouses.
These 15 young Texas athletes are but the tip of the iceberg as far as the talent pool is concerned in Texas high school football. If the Texas colleges only recruited Texas talent and succeeded, every Texas college would virtually have a powerhouse team year in and year out. So who's being given the once or twice over and by whom?
Here is a first-hand look at 15 of the nation's top 100 recruits with Texas zip codes:
Adrian Dennis, a 6'2", 225 pound, 4.5/40 senior fullback from Pasadena Dobie high school, Pasadena. Texas is being looked at by the UT, TAMU, Texas Christian University (TCU), University of Houston (UH) plus LSU and the University of Miami (MIA).
"Adrian never has a negative play. He always makes positive yardage." - Mike Stephens, former head football coach at Dobie. NOTE: Stephen moved up into administration this year, Tommy Kaiser is now head football coach.
Howard Morrow, a 6'1", 190 pound, 4.4/40 senior wide receiver from Keller Fossil Ridge high school, Keller, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, TCU plus OU, University of Colorado (CU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Maryland (UMD).
"Howard is a very competitive young man. His biggest attribute is his strength, he's so strong. His competitive spirit is his best asset." - Hal Wasson, head coach at Keller Fossil Ridge
Todd Walker a 6'1", 180 pound, 4.3/40 senior "athlete " from Pflugerville high school, Pflugerville, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, Baylor University (BU), UT, UH plus OU, University of Arkansas (UARK), University of Kansas (KU), Georgia Tech (GIT) and the University of Alabama (UA).
"Todd's a top athlete, good work ethics, good in the classroom, a good kid period." - George Hermann, head football coach, Pflugerville.
Malcolm Kelly, a 6'4", 195 pound, 4.5/40 senior flanker back from Longview high school, Longview, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, Texas Tech University (TTU) plus LSU, OU, University of Nebraska (UN), University of Florida (UFL), University of Tennessee (UTK), University of Michigan (UMICH), University of Southern California (USC), Florida State University (FSU)and the University of Miami (MIA).
"In my 40 years of coaching, he's the best high school athlete I have ever coached." - Pat Collins, former head football Longview
Manuel Johnson, a 6'2", 185 pound , 4.45/40, senior flanker back from Gilmer high school. Gilmer, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, TCU, TTU, UH, UT plus the University of Colorado (CU), OU, OSU, Arizona State University (ASU), University of Iowa (UI) and Purdue University (PU). Offers from UT, UH, PU and OU.
"Manuel is as good of a person as a player. He is a very humble, hard working young man." - Jeff Traylor, head football coach at Gilmer.
Dajleon Farr, a 6'6", 240 pound, 4.6/40 senior tight end from Galena Park North Shore high school, Galena Park. Texas is being looked at by TAMU plus LSU, OU, UN, UTK, UM, FSU, OSU, University of Wisconsin (UW), UI and the MIA.
Martellus Bennett, a 6'7", 240 pound, 4.7/40 senior tight end from Alief Taylor high school, Houston, Texas is being looked at by TAMU plus LSU, OU, UN, UTK, UW, Stanford University (SU), ASU and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
"Martellus is a great kid. He's got a great attitude, good size, excellent jumping ability and great hands." - Tom Gerber, head coach at Alief Taylor.
Reggie Youngblood, a 6'6", 285 pound, 5.0/40 senior offensive lineman from Houston Washington high school, Houston, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, UH plus LSU, OU, UN, UM, OSU, UW, University of Iowa (UI) and University of Arizona (UA).
"Reggie is a great football player, but his talents and skills are superseded by the person he is." - Ricky Oliphant, linebacker coach at Houston Washington.
Jermichael Finley, a 6'5", 220 pound, 4.5/40 senior defensive end from Diboll high school, Diboll, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, UH, TCU plus LSU, OU, UN, UM, OSU, UW, UI, FSU, Kansas State University (KSU), USC, MIA and ASU.
"Jermichael is quite a young man. He's the type athlete you always talk about as a coach to your kids - what your expect them to do - come early, stay late, be coachable. Nobody spends more time in improving his skills than Jermichael . He does everything we preach about. He is always smiling and a pleasure to coach." - Finis Vanover, head football coach at Diboll
Marcus Shavers, a 6'3", 245 pound, 4.7/40, senior defensive end from Allen high school, Allen, Texas has made a verbal commitment to UARK.
"Marcus never takes a play off. His motor never stops. He goes full speed from whistle to whistle." - Tom Westerberg, head coach at Allen
DeMarcus Granger, a 6-2, 325, 4.8 senior defensive tackle from Dallas Kimball high school, Dallas, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, Southern Methodist University (SMU), UT, BU plus OU, LSU, UN and UTK.
"He's a blue collar worker. He brings his hard hat and lunch pail to every practice and every game." - Darrell Jordan, head coach at Dallas Kimball
Vincent Oghobass, a 6'6", 300 pound, 5.2/40 senior defensive tackle from Alief Hastings high school, Houston, Texas is being looked at by TAMU, UT, UH plus LSU, OU, UM, UMICH, OSU, FSU, MIA and ASU, Duke University (DU) and the University of Georgia (UGA).
"Vincent is a smart kid. He's big, strong and aggressive. He's probably the best defensive lineman I've coached." - Wade Luker, head coach at Alief Hastings
Vincent Williams, a 6'3", 275 pound, 4.8/40 senior defensive tackle from Dallas Carter, Dallas, Texas has made a verbal commitment to TAMU.
"Vincent is a hard worker. He worls hard all season long and on top if that he's a super kid." - Billy Blurton, defensive coordinator Dallas Carter
Keenan Clayton, a 6-2, 202 pound, 4.5/40 senior strong safety from Sulphur Springs high school , Sulphur Springs, Texas is being looked at by the UT, SMU, BU plus OU, UN, ASU, DU and PU.
"He's beefed up a lot this year - from 190 pounds to 205. He's big, fast and competitive." - Dean Lasseter, defensive coach at Sulphur Springs
Clarence Ward, a 6'0", 190 pound, 4.4/40 senior strong safety from La Marque high school , La Marque, Texas has made a verbal commitment to LSU.
"Clarence is the best defensive player I've coached. He's a playmaker." - John Pasford, defensive coordinator at La Marque