DMN Recruiting Lists

[50's PONY]

We look very strong on the area list that is now available online and will be in the DMN tomorrow morning. True to his word Coach Bennett is concentrating on local and near local talent.

[DallasDiehard]

By my count there were 29 of the area top 100 players who had SMU on their lists. Last year at this time, we had what -- 5? MAYBE 10? A huge upgrade, to be sure. Coach Bennett and his staff have done a fantastic job building relationships with local coaches and players. Recruiting is only going to get better and better around here.

[Johnny Rock]

I agree that we are getting better players, but we still have a long way to go. I was a little disappointed that more of the State Top 100 players did not have SMU on their list of schools.

[Stallion]

yeah we definitely had about double the number of kids on the Area list but remember the bottom half of that list is filled(not all but many) with players who are marginal Division 1A prospects. SMU ain't going to win championships, go to bowl games or have winning records if our recruiting class leans too heavily on that type of prospect. But if we can fill our class with the type of players we committed last year or have started with this year we are headed in the right direction at least.

[PonyGirl]

Give it time. Players like Avery Cleveland didn't have SMU on their lists at this time last year, either. The coaches will get some state top 100 guys, especially after they see the level of the guys we've gotten early, and the talent of a guy like Chris Hall, who's coming in another year.

[gostangs]

This question is for Stallion - or anybody else with good recruiting knowledge. It seems like the bell cow programs - A&M $ UT, are filling up faster then they used to - they each seem to have all but 7-8 spots filled - How does this effect SMU - positively or negatively?

[Pony Fan]

It has to help that they are filling up (as is OU and OSU) but we have to show some progress and promise this year to get some of the other State Top 100's to sit up and take notice. My understanding is we had a bunch of them at the camps this summer.

[WildHorse]

My impression has been that Vincent Chase, Jonathan Lindley and Jessie Henderson all are on several state top 100 lists. If that's accurate, we're lightyears ahead of where we've been in years past. No, we're not at the levels of the UTs and OUs of the world, but the promise of our current young guys and the caliber of players who already have committed must serve notice to other players out there, that this is a program that's gearing up for a serious rise. If not this year, then next year, but the talent level soon will be at a level we haven't enjoyed in ages.

[Johnny Rock]

I also was not that impressed with recruits that listed TCU. I would expect that they would have much more recruits interested in them and more verbals to date with the success that they have had in recent years.

[OldPony]

While we are getting better athletes than in the past, we are not getting enough really top guys to do anything but a fairly slow turn-around. It will take 3-4 years with this type of recruiting class to get to where we challenge for a WAC title. Occasionally, we might hit a big difference maker who might speed this up slightly but it takes some solid years recruiting better than average college linemen to really do the trick. I like what Bennett is doing and it is a great improvement but we are talking about improving from being one of the bottom 10 or so programs in the country. If we can somehow pull off a big upset or two, then the program will accelerate quickly. I really haven't seen anything from this coaching staff that tells me that they prepare their material for a game better than Cavan did. I hope that they have motivated a lot of players to hit the weights and improve themselves (and it appears that they have) so that some of the more average guys can hold their own with better, less dedicated players. The boat is turning but don't expect huge changes this year or next.

[Ikus]

For those who are interested, here are the players on the Area Top 100 list who are considering SMU:

#14 (and #32 in the state) DT James McClinton (6-1, 289) - Garland (Lakeview Centennial)
~ Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, SMU

#26 (and #57 in the state) S Randy Duncan (6-4, 190) - Mesquite
~ Arizona, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, SMU

#31 (and #78 in the state) TE Vincent Chase (6-5, 243) - Irving
~ COMMITTED to SMU

#38 (and #93 in the state) RB Jessie Henderson (5-8, 165) - Paris
~ COMMITTED to SMU

#47 DE Micah Howeth (6-4, 242) - Dallas (W.T. White)
~ Iowa State, Kansas State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, SMU

#51 LB Earl Thompson (6-2, 210) - Dallas (Hillcrest)
~ Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M

#52 RB Andrew McKinney (6-3, 220) - Decatur
~ COMMITTED to SMU

#53 RB Ryan Bewley (6-0, 190) - Flower Mound
~ TCU, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, SMU, Tulsa

#55 Saul Flores (6-1, 280) - Dallas (Skyline)
~ Iowa, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU

#59 CB Jonathan Lindley (6-1, 170) - Sulphur Springs
~ COMMITTED to SMU

#62 QB Tim Reuber (6-4, 210) - Plano (Plano West)
~ Kansas, Kansas State, Arizona State, Louisiana Tech, Oklahoma State, SMU

#64 DB Chase Pulliam (5-11, 190) - Wylie
~ Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, UTEP, Tulsa

#67 RB Brandon Arrington (5-9, 190) - Dallas (Greenhill)
~ Iowa State, Nebraska, Baylor, SMU and TCU

#70 LB Alvin Newhouse (6-2, 220) - Dallas (South Oak Cliff)
~ Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, TCU

#72 CB Derrick Skief (5-11, 165) - Irving
~ Arizona State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, SMU, Texas, TCU

# 75 DB Charles Hasley (5-10, 174) - Lewisville (Hebron)
~ Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, TCU

#76 LB Colt Mahan (6-0, 193) - Keller
~ Oklahoma, TCU, Baylor, Colorado, SMU

#79 WR Austin Doran (6-0, 173) - Keller
~ SMU, Tenn.-Martin, TCU, Texas Tech

#81 WR Jonathan Hughes (6-1, 170) - Garland
~ Air Force, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, TCU

#85 LB Patrick Martell (5-11, 204) - Richardson (J.J. Pearce)
~ Arizona State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Rice, SMU, TCU

#87 K Kyle Daley (6-0, 165) - Arlington (Lamar)
~ Harvard, Oklahoma, Rice, SMU, Stanford, Yale

#89 DT Jordan Jones (6-0, 253) - Sulphur Springs
~ Colorado, Colorado State, Iowa, SMU, TCU

#90 DB Adison Haas (6-1, 163) - Azle
~ Houston, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech

#93 QB Joseph Garcia (5-11, 187) - Carrollton (American Heritage)
~ SMU, Baylor, TCU

#94 DB Deshawn Knighten (6-2, 180) - Dallas (Roosevelt)
~ Houston, SMU, TCU

#95 DT Tim Burleson (6-2, 295) - Arlington (Martin)
~ Colorado, Colorado State, SMU, TCU, UTEP

#98 LB Brian McCarther (5-10, 215) - Dallas (Greenhill)
~ Nebraska, Baylor, SMU, TCU, SW Texas

#100 LB Joey Taylor (5-10, 180) - Lewisville (Hebron)
~ Baylor, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU

[SMUguy]

From that list, give me (in addition to those who already have committed):

James McClinton
Randy Duncan
Micah Howeth
Saul Flores
Alvin Newhouse
Derrick Skief
Jordan Jones
Deshawn Knighten
Tim Burleson

Are any of them truly unreachable?

[Stallion]

4 to 5 of those kids may not even get an offer and are marginal Division 1A prospects.