Signing day is almost here!

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Word on the USC board about Broderick Green is that his parents were pushing him hard towards PSU and that he actually gave them a soft committ last night, but then decided to honor his original committment to USC. However, it went down, seems like he really agonized over the decision.

Sounds like the Vidal Hazelton saga of last season...

[Eaglesfan27]

You also have to figure at least one of our backs and possibly Tyler may be transitioned to defense. C.J. Gable has the ability to play well at CB/S from all accounts and I could see one of the other backs getting moved to defense. However, it certainly seems likely at least one of the current backs will transfer.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

I've heard grumblings before Tyler could leave USC (though it could've just been message board BS) but it seems like a scenario that has legs to it. What do you think, EF?

Before Green announced, I thought Tyler was less likely to backout than Green. Now that Green and McKnight have announced, it's possible Tyler will decide he doesn't want to have beat out them as well as all of the current backs. However, there has always been chat about him putting on a bit of weight and playing defense and he has reportedly been open to that possibility. He has a lot of ties to the area, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he follows through with his verbal committment to USC.

[MrBug708]

Tyler is going to be a LB at USC. It's to Kool-Aid they drink over there. It's like none of them have ever seen a depth chart?

[st.cronin]

Wisconsin's list:

Josh Oglesby OT 6-7 320 Milwaukee, WI OT #2 83 Verbal Wisconsin 
John Clay RB 6-2 220 Racine, WI RB #12 79 Verbal Wisconsin 
Quincy Landingham S 6-0 195 Bloomfield Hills, MI S #30 78 Verbal Wisconsin 
Kevin Rouse ILB 6-0 220 Joliet, IL ILB #15 77 Verbal Wisconsin 
Kyle Jefferson WR 6-4 195 Cleveland, OH WR #50 77 Verbal Wisconsin 
Zacchaeus Brown RB 5-11 185 Royal Palm Beach, FL RB #46 77 Verbal Wisconsin 
Daven Jones WR 6-0 185 Cleveland, OH PG 76 Verbal Wisconsin 
Mario Goins CB 6-0 173 Copperas Cove, TX CB #49 74 Verbal Wisconsin 
James Stallons QB 6-5 185 Macomb, MI QB #78 74 Verbal Wisconsin 
Blake Sorensen ILB 6-0 210 Eden Prairie, MN ILB #38 74 Verbal Wisconsin 
Louis Nzegwu DE 6-2 225 Platteville, WI DE #89 73 Verbal Wisconsin 
Aaron Henry WR 5-11 170 Collier, FL WR #168 68 Verbal Wisconsin 
Patrick Butrym TE 6-5 240 Waukesha, WI   40 Verbal Wisconsin 
David Gilreath WR 5-11 155 Minneapolis, MN   40 Verbal Wisconsin 
Jasper Grimes DT 6-2 280 Palm Beach Gardens, FL   40 Verbal Wisconsin 
Otis Merrill CB 5-11 170 Cleveland, OH   40 Verbal Wisconsin 
Nick Toon WR 6-3 195 Middleton, WI   40 Verbal Wisconsin 

considering:

Darran Kinsey ILB 6-1 235 Homestead, FL ILB #7 79 Undeclared View Schools 
Brandon Reynolds FB 5-11 230 Battle Creek, MI FB #2 77 Undeclared View Schools 
Mike Flood OG 6-4 295 Westlake, OH OG #40 74 Undeclared View Schools 
Ryan Grossman OT 6-3 290 Glen Ellyn, IL OT #94 73 Undeclared View Schools 
Caleb Walter QB 6-3 195 West Branch, IA QB #118 71 Undeclared View Schools 
Jacob Juedes QB 6-2 185 Sheboygan Falls, WI QB #134 71 Undeclared View Schools 
Darius Scott DT 6-4 355 North Chicago, IL DT #78 70 Undeclared View Schools 
Dan Grimsley QB 6-0 180 Canton, OH QB #147 69 Undeclared View Schools 
Matt Simmons OT 6-6 310 Racine, WI OT #140 69 Undeclared View Schools 
Matt Winegardner TE 6-4 210 Cincinnati, OH TE #84 68 Undeclared View Schools 
Taylor Grote WR 6-1 180 The Woodlands, TX WR #187 67 Undeclared View Schools 
Matt Klein OLB 6-1 205 Buffalo Grove, IL OLB #95 67 Undeclared View Schools 
Luke Hockaday QB 6-2 175 Maroa, IL QB #233 60 Undeclared View Schools 
Dan Collins S 6-2 191 Newtown, PA   45 Undeclared View Schools 
Justin Belotti RB 6-1 200 Kenosha, WI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
James Brown QB 6-0 190 Alvin, TX   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Marty Cardwell CB 5-11 175 Flint, MI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Brady Demell DE 6-3 225 Mentor, OH   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Ira Duckworth RB 6-1 175 Houston, TX   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Stephen Ford RB 5-10 175 Cambridge, OH   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Jermale Hines RB 6-2 190 Nashville, GA   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Matt Holsberger FB 6-2 215 Cresson, PA   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Moses Jeremy QB 6-1 180 Baytown, TX   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Ben Jurevicius CB 6-0 175 Cleveland, OH   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Daniel Keeling RB 5-9 185 Crawfordsville, IN   40 Undeclared View Schools 
David Kelsch DT 6-3 255 Kenosha, WI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Demitrius Parker OLB 6-0 195 Detoit, MI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Jeff Pechan QB 6-2 175 St. Charles, IL   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Darnell Ratcliff RB 5-10 185 Chicago, IL   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Victor Reynolds S 6-0 190 Oak Creek, WI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Dan Sirovy S 6-0 170 Farmington Hills, MI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Richard Spellman RB 5-9 195 Winnetka, IL   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Kyle Steinbrecher CB 6-3 175 Davenport, IA   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Garrett Van Dyke ILB 6-2 210 Houston, TX   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Rocky Weaver TE 6-6 225 Battle Creek, MI   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Terrance Williams WR 5-9 177 Lacey, WA   40 Undeclared View Schools 
Alex Wodka OG 6-4 265 Buffalo Grove, IL   40 Undeclared View Schools 

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Tyler is going to be a LB at USC. It's to Kool-Aid they drink over there. It's like none of them have ever seen a depth chart?

Bitter, Bug?

[Ksyrup]

Markish Jones, the dude who reneged on Clemson this morning for FSU, still is not officially confirmed, which leads me to believe some third-guessing is going on.

[PSUColonel]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Word on the USC board about Broderick Green is that his parents were pushing him hard towards PSU and that he actually gave them a soft committ last night, but then decided to honor his original committment to USC. However, it went down, seems like he really agonized over the decision.

can you say deja vu? (vidal hazelton)

[PSUColonel]

Why do these absolute stud players always choose the USC, FSU Notre Dame, Michigan and Miami type schools over Penn State???

[Eaglesfan27]

Chris Galippo (#1 LB in the nation by most services) has made USC official (not there was any doubt with him)

Trey Henderson, Ron Johnson, Aaron Corp and Mike Reardon have also made it official.

[Eaglesfan27]

Interesting, just read that WR Greg Little just switched away from his committment to ND in favor of North Carolina.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

Why do these absolute stud players always choose the USC, FSU Notre Dame, Michigan and Miami type schools over Penn State???

It's all in what you like I guess. Some players go for the glitz and glamour of the Big City like LA or the clout of ND, or the beaches of Miami. It's a pretty big culture shock to go from a big city to the Middle of Pennsylvania. State College is a nice town but it isn't city life. I also think some of it has to do with the coaches. Let's be honest, who knows how long Joe Paterno has left. I heard he told one recruit that he has 2 years left.

Plus unlike other schools he won't promise playing time early. He did for Derrick Williams and Justin King but it was pretty clear that they were better than any other WR they had at the time. They also don't seem to play the ass kissing game that other schools do. I'm not naive to think they don't do some sort of negative recruiting but I believe they do more of a job trying to sell their school than tear apart others.

I grew up a Penn State fan from birth and I can honestly say any school in the country could've offered me a scholarship but if Penn State came knocking I would've accepted in a heartbeat. To me there is nothing like fall Saturdays in State College.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Interesting, just read that WR Greg Little just switched away from his committment to ND in favor of North Carolina.

Yah Butch Davis is doing good today. ND has lost a few WRs today. Who is uber-qb Jimmy Claussen going to throw to?

[PSUColonel]

Originally Posted by bsak16

It's all in what you like I guess. Some players go for the glitz and glamour of the Big City like LA or the clout of ND, or the beaches of Miami. It's a pretty big culture shock to go from a big city to the Middle of Pennsylvania. State College is a nice town but it isn't city life. I also think some of it has to do with the coaches. Let's be honest, who knows how long Joe Paterno has left. I heard he told one recruit that he has 2 years left.

Plus unlike other schools he won't promise playing time early. He did for Derrick Williams and Justin King but it was pretty clear that they were better than any other WR they had at the time. They also don't seem to play the ass kissing game that other schools do. I'm not naive to think they don't do some sort of negative recruiting but I believe they do more of a job trying to sell their school than tear apart others.

I grew up a Penn State fan from birth and I can honestly say any school in the country could've offered me a scholarship but if Penn State came knocking I would've accepted in a heartbeat. To me there is nothing like fall Saturdays in State College.

agreed.

But one thing we do have over all those other schools is top notch facilities..not all of those schools can even say that. PSU looks more like a professional team when it comes to facilities.

[DeToxRox]

The Carolina schools are looking damn good this recruiting season. I am interested to see UNC in the next few years, they have a shot to become a dominate team.

[larrymcg421]

Deonte Thompson should be announcing any minute now...

[Mr. Wednesday]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Yah Butch Davis is doing good today. ND has lost a few WRs today. Who is uber-qb Jimmy Claussen going to throw to?

If by "a few" you mean "one", that's true, but I believe we'll still have eight next season.

[timmyw3]

For all you USC heads out there, what are your thoughts on Antwine Perez? Left SC to come back east and play at Maryland.

[cschex]

My question for the Tenn. fans:

By my math, UT has signed 32 players. Is Fulmer expecting that many not to qualify or will they all accept greyshirts?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by timmyw3

For all you USC heads out there, what are your thoughts on Antwine Perez? Left SC to come back east and play at Maryland.

Has good physical skills, but I thought his mental aspects of the game left something to be desired. He seemed to lose focus at times from what I've seen and heard.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

Deonte Thompson should be announcing any minute now...

I'll be surprised if he leaves Florida (I mean one of the Florida schools, not necessarily Florida) for USC, but I'm hoping..

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'll be surprised if he leaves Florida (I mean one of the Florida schools, not necessarily Florida) for USC, but I'm hoping..

Everything I read is it is down to FSU and Miami. His heart is with Miami, but Bobby has been making a very persuasive last minute pitch about Nix's inability to get Calvin Johnson the ball more.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wednesday

If by "a few" you mean "one", that's true, but I believe we'll still have eight next season.

Sorry I should have clarified...by a few I was talking verbals. ND lost Greg Little and OG Chris Little.

[cschex]

Thompson to Florida. After the Toliver commit to LSU and the other reciever decommits, that makes plenty of sense to me.

[Eaglesfan27]

No surprise. Good move for Thompson. He has a young kid in Florida and doesn't want to leave her for a few years, and the child's mom doesn't want to move to California reportedly.

[Toddzilla]

OUCH!

I know Tyrod Taylor is excited to be a Hokie, but he's not going to win any friends on the team with this kind of response to a very-loaded question:

Originally Posted by ESPN

Charlie (Arlington): Did the fact that Tech has no talent at the QB position play a part in your choosing the Hokies?

SportsNation Tyrod Taylor: (3:48 PM ET ) Yes. That influenced me a lot.

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

I know Tyrod Taylor is excited to be a Hokie, but he's not going to win any friends on the team with this kind of response to a very-loaded question:

In fairness, do we actually have any talent at the QB position?

[Mr. Wednesday]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Sorry I should have clarified...by a few I was talking verbals. ND lost Greg Little and OG Chris Little.

In context, it looked like you were saying we'd lost a few WRs.

Anyway, yeah, in addition to those two there was also Trattou... and I thought that one was bad with him reneging a couple weeks out. The case of the Littles is ridiculous.

[Eaglesfan27]

Marc Tyler has made USC official now. #1 and #2 RB's in the country come to USC as well as Green who is a top 15 back.

Aaron Corp, #3 QB in the country who runs a 4.6 in the 40 and has a very accurate arm also signed his LOI with USC. 4 or 5 other 4 star athletes also signed their LOI.

[Tigercat]

I wonder how good USC would be if they pulled back from recruiting so many skill positions guys and did a better job of recruiting more big time big uglies? Just a slightly negative critique of their recruiting dynasty.

Its not unusual to see them get a whole bunch of the top skill positions, but you never see them load up on big time OLmen or DTs. (They got one very good OLmen this year, but depth is always nice...)

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Tigercat

I wonder how good USC would be if they pulled back from recruiting so many skill positions guys and did a better job of recruiting more big time big uglies? Just a slightly negative critique of their recruiting dynasty.

Its not unusual to see them get a whole bunch of the top skill positions, but you never see them load up on big time OLmen or DTs. (They got one very good OLmen this year, but depth is always nice...)

Actually, they have already signed 2 of the top DE's in the country in Griffen and Reardon. They got nice depth with Trey Henderson at DE. DaJohn Henderson is one of the top 5 DT's in the country and he should sign today.

Martin Coleman is one of the top T's in the country and he has signed his LOI. Kristofer O'Dawd should sign today and he is one of the top G's. Not to mention, most of their OL are returning and are very good players who should more cohesive and better this upcoming year. USC's class is behind Florida due to the large number of spots that Florida had open. USC didn't have enough guys leave to need to recruit as many guys, but their top 10 guys compares favorably with Florida's.

Edit: I forgot Christian Tupou who is a top 20 DE and will likely sign with USC today, too.

[Eaglesfan27]

Not that it means much, but ESPNu has just moved Southern Cal up to #1 in their recruiting ranking for this year.

[larrymcg421]

Oh well, if we had to lose Deonte to another Florida school, I'm glad it was Florida and not FSU.

At least we still landed DE Allen Bailey from Georgia, along with two four star WR's, a four star ATH, and a huge pickup in four star QB Robert Marve. The way Wright and Freeman played last year, I wouldn't be surprised to see Marve get some action early.

[Barkers Pools]

Originally Posted by cschex

My question for the Tenn. fans:

By my math, UT has signed 32 players. Is Fulmer expecting that many not to qualify or will they all accept greyshirts?

A little of both. At least three of four, maybe more, will not be qualifying and going the prep school/junior college route. Then we will greyshirt a couple. Fulmer said he will fit them in using a variety of methods.

We are very excited though, as this is easily the best class Fulmer has ever landed, including the highest-rated recruit we have had since Peyton Manning with Eric Berry, the #4 recruit in the nation and the best defensive back.

--Ben

[wbatl1]

As a Carolina (northern variety) fan, I couldn't be more pumped after today. Butch Davis brought in a terrific class after only 8 weeks or recruiting. Not only did he get visits and talk with big-time recruits (which we have done many times before) but he really closed and locked down almost all of our late-deciders. Great work by Butch, and I couldn't be more optimistic about this program than I am right now.

[Eaglesfan27]

I think UNC and South Carolina had the 2 most surprising classes/impressive classes after factoring in their recent histories.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I think UNC and South Carolina had the 2 most surprising classes/impressive classes after factoring in their recent histories.

They were very impressive, but I don't think very surprising given the coaches involved.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

They were very impressive, but I don't think very surprising given the coaches involved.

Yeah. I just didn't think either coach would make THAT big of an impact.

[bhlloy]

Disappointing not to get either Paige or Deonte Thompson, but it was always going to be tough to get them to come across country.

Tyler is going to stay at RB, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see him take a redshirt to get back up to game speed. Nobody is mentioning this as a possibility atm, but it was a horrific injury he suffered. McKnight will contribute right away as a kick returner and third down back. Green is the odd man out - I am very surprised he signed. However, he is instantly the best short yardage back on the roster, and if he can block a lick will probably get some reps at FB as well because Brandon Hancock and Ryan Powdrell aren't coming back.

[st.cronin]

I'm not surprised by UNC, that really should be one of the top 10 programs in the country.

[Cuckoo]

Small class for OU this year. And it was looking like it was only going to have a couple of key guys in it there for a while, particularly after they lost guys like Scott to Texas and Creer to UT. Many fans were already looking toward a couple of big name juniors that have committed for 2008.

But it appears the Sooners finished up pretty strong, getting a couple of 4 star switches in Broyles (from OK State) and Lewis (from Nebraska) as well as a late commit from 4 star DE Alexander out of Louisiana. Despite the small numbers, it'll probably be a top 15 class by Rivals and top 10 by average ranking.

Not too bad at all. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Nichol, Box, Lewis and Mike Reed can do.

[timmynausea]

WVU stole WR Tarus McKinley from Miami today. Apparently he'll be prepping at Hargrave for a semester and coming to WVU in January '08. Not a massive deal, but it's nice to get a pleasant surprise after the Devine news. Whenever you're beating Miami for a recruit, he can't be too bad.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by timmynausea

WVU stole WR Tarus McKinley from Miami today. Apparently he'll be prepping at Hargrave for a semester and coming to WVU in January '08. Not a massive deal, but it's nice to get a pleasant surprise after the Devine news. Whenever you're beating Miami for a recruit, he can't be too bad.

If rivals.com info is right, I wouldn't be too excited about him. He's 5'9" and runs a 4.74. He would've been the slowest and shortest of a 5 WR class for Miami. I think Harris and Matthews have better potential for WVU, eventhough they are only two star recruits.

[fjvieane]

Originally Posted by timmyw3

For all you USC heads out there, what are your thoughts on Antwine Perez? Left SC to come back east and play at Maryland.

I agree with what EF said. But Ill add that Perez did have a nagging hammy or something like that early on and when he was completely healed Taylor Mays had surpassed him. I also heard he was homesick as well.

So Perez had to do what was best for him, I hope he starts for Maryland when he gets his chance, he can turn out to be a great player.

[General Mike]

Even with the loss of Nicolas, I'm very happy with Rutgers recruiting class.

[wbatl1]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I'm not surprised by UNC, that really should be one of the top 10 programs in the country.

Key word: should, although I would disagree with your assessment. I think Carolina has the potential and should be a top-25 team every year, but we have been nowhere close to either of these benchmarks recently. This recruiting class and the staff Davis has assembled are signs that we may (finally, again) be moving in the right direction.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Even with the loss of Nicolas, I'm very happy with Rutgers recruiting class.

Rutgers is in a hot bed of high school talent. A few more 8-10 win seasons and they will be a team to beat in the Northeast.

[wbatl1]

Originally Posted by bsak16

Rutgers is in a hot bed of high school talent. A few more 8-10 win seasons and they will be a team to beat in the Northeast.

and Schiano recruits Florida very well for speed. They could be scary to a lot of teams pretty soon...

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Barkers Pools

A little of both. At least three of four, maybe more, will not be qualifying and going the prep school/junior college route. Then we will greyshirt a couple. Fulmer said he will fit them in using a variety of methods.

We are very excited though, as this is easily the best class Fulmer has ever landed, including the highest-rated recruit we have had since Peyton Manning with Eric Berry, the #4 recruit in the nation and the best defensive back.

--Ben

Woah, another UT fan! Woo!

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Small class for OU this year. And it was looking like it was only going to have a couple of key guys in it there for a while, particularly after they lost guys like Scott to Texas and Creer to Tennessee.

Fixed that for you.