kramer

Anyone see the guys blog, some nice pics. Oh yeah good article

Revisiting the recruiting rankings John Biever/SI A year ago next week, Tennessee fans basked in the glory (albeit temporarily) of landing the nation's No. 1 recruiting class. This year, that honor is expected to be bestowed on Florida. Question: Do such rankings necessarily equate to similar success on the field? Answer: Sometimes yes, sometimes, not at all. The best time to truly measure the strength of a recruiting class is several years later. Signing-day rankings are entirely theoretical, based on the assumption that all those "five-star" prospects will turn into college All-Americas -- and all those two-star guys the other schools signed will barely be able to put on their pads properly. Revisiting a class years later, however, often reveals that some of those five-stars never even became starters. Some flunked out, suffered too many injuries or transferred. Meanwhile, some other school's lesser-heralded recruits were busy playing their way to national championships and high NFL draft selections. SI.com reevaluated the consensus No. 1 classes over the most recent measurable five-year period (1999-2003). Some proved to be right on the money. Others went terribly awry. In each case, we also scoured other prominent classes that year and, where applicable, crowned a "revised" No. 1 based on how it turned out. Note: the consensus No. 1 class used for each year was the one tabbed No. 1 at the time by the majority of the following recruiting services: SuperPrep (Allen Wallace), Prep Football Report (Tom Lemming), The National Recruiting Advisor (Bobby Burton), National Blue Chips (Max Emfinger) and Scout.com (2002-03 only). 1999 No. 1: Texas Standouts: OL Derrick Dockery, DE Cory Redding, TE Bo Scaife, QB Chris Simms, DT Marcus Tubbs Starters: DB Rod Babers, OL Robbie Doane Busts: DB Monti Collie, WR Artie Ellis, WR O.J. McClintock, OL Alfio Randall, RB Ivan Williams Assessment: The presence of Simms and Redding, USA Today's offensive and defensive players of the year that season, created enormous expectations of Mack Brown's first full class, which, despite a five-year record of 50-15, was largely regarded as a disappointment. The class certainly produced some stars -- including five current NFL players -- but, in retrospect, wasn't all that deep. Who should've been: Miami Standouts: DB Julian Battle (All-SEC at Tennessee), DB Philip Buchanon, OL Vernon Carey, QB Ken Dorsey, WR Andre Johnson, OL Bryant McKinnie, RB Clinton Portis Starters: DB Maurice Sikes Busts: RB Jason Geathers, DL Marquis Johnson Assessment: Fresh off probation, the Hurricanes were still flying somewhat under the radar at the time, and the class failed to crack most top-10 lists. Dorsey, Johnson, Portis and McKinnie became the offensive stars of Miami's 2001 national championship team. McKinnie, Buchanon, Johnson and Carey were first-round NFL draft picks, and Portis the 2002 Offensive Rookie of the Year. 2000 No. 1: Florida Standouts: DB Guss Scott, TE Ben Troupe Starters: WR Kelvin Kight, WR Carlos Perez, DL Ian Scott, OL Shannon Snell, OL Max Starks Busts: QB Brock Berlin (transferred to Miami), DB DeShawn Carter, RB Willie Green, DL Darrell Lee, DB Tre Orr Assessment: Berlin was one of the most hyped recruits in years, so his failure to win the starting job at UF and subsequent transfer to Miami forever put a damper on this class, particularly when the Gators' slide to mediocrity began shortly thereafter under coach Ron Zook. In truth, the class wasn't a complete disaster like some Florida fans remember it, but it certainly didn't live up to its billing. Who should've been: Auburn Standouts: RB Ronnie Brown, QB Jason Campbell, LB Karlos Dansby, RB Rudi Johnson, DB Carlos Rogers, DB Junior Rosegreen Starters: LB Bret Eddins, FB Brandon Johnson, DL Jay Ratliff Busts: WR Silas Daniels, DL Marcus White (transferred to Murray State) Assessment: Campbell was the only nationally-prominent name in a class that cracked just one major top-10 list, but he, Brown, Rogers and Rosegreen were all cornerstones of the Tigers' 13-0 season in 2004, while Dansby was an All-SEC performer and Rudi Johnson, a junior college transfer, was SEC Offensive Player of the Year in his one season with the Tigers. 2001 No. 1: Florida State Standouts: RB Eric Shelton (transferred to Louisville), WR Craphonso Thorpe Starters: OL Milford Brown, DB Jerome Carter, DB Kyler Hall, WR P.K. Sam Busts: LB Chauncey Davis, LB Willie Jones, OL Ron Lunford, QB Adrian McPherson, DB Dominic Robinson Assessment: Of all the great classes FSU has assembled over the years, this one may go down as its most disappointing. Very few consistent starters emerged from the group. Robinson, considered one of the top skill players in the country that year, made very little impact, and McPherson's career was derailed by his legal troubles. Who should've been: LSU Standouts: WR Michael Clayton, DL Marquise Hill, DL Marcus Spears, OL Andrew Whitworth, OL Ben Wilkerson Starters: RB Joseph Addai, QB Rick Clausen (transferred to Tennessee), DB Travis Daniels, OL Nate Livings, OL Rudy Niswanger, DE Melvin Oliver, CB Ronnie Prude Busts: DL Brandon Washington Assessment: The experts weren't far off on coach Nick Saban's first full class, with one No. 1 vote and No. 2 or 3 from the rest. You can't ask for much more from a class that produced nearly all the star players from LSU's 2003 national title season and several starters from last year's SEC West champs. Clayton, Spears and Wilkerson were all Parade All-Americas who lived up to the hype. 2002 No. 1: Texas Standouts: OL Justin Blalock, LB Aaron Harris, TE David Thomas, DT Rod Wright, QB Vince Young Starters: DL Larry Dibbles, DL Chase Pittman (transferred to LSU), DE Brian Robinson, CB Aaron Ross, OL Lyle Sendlein, OL Kasey Studdard, RB Selvin Young Busts: WR Marquis Johnson, CB Edorian McCullough, DL Brian Pickryl Assessment: If you watched the Rose Bowl, you know this class -- led by top-rated quarterback Young -- certainly fulfilled its prophecy, though not without some hitches. Besides Young, Wright and Blalock, the most heralded prospects in the class were Dibbles, McCullough and Pickryl, none of whom became stars. After the Longhorns won the national championship with this class in 2005, it would be hard to argue Texas didn't deserve No. 1. Who should've been: Texas Texas may have held the top spot, but the Longhorns weren't a runaway winner. Close second: Ohio State Standouts: LB Bobby Carpenter, RB Maurice Clarett, LB A.J. Hawk, WR Santonio Holmes, OL Nick Mangold, QB Troy Smith Starters: OL Doug Datish, OL T.J. Downing, DB Tyler Everett, DB Nate Salley, DE Mike Kudla, DT Quinn Pitock, OL Rob Sims Busts: LB Mike D'Andrea, CB E.J. Underwood, QB Justin Zwick Assessment: No need for revision here, either; OSU was a consensus No. 2. Clarett had the biggest immediate impact, playing a huge role in the Buckeyes' 2002 title season, while Hawk, Holmes and Smith were the stars of the '05 team that beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Interestingly, Zwick was far more touted than Smith, and D'Andrea was rated much higher than Hawk and Carpenter. 2003 No. 1: LSU Standouts: RB Alley Broussard, QB JaMarcus Russell, S LaRon Landry Starters: OL Will Arnold, WR Dwayne Bowe, DB Jessie Daniels, QB Matt Flynn, WR Craig Davis Busts: RB Barrington Edwards (transferred to North Carolina), WR Amp Hill (transferred to South Florida), S Daryl Johnson Assessment: This class's ultimate legacy is yet to be determined, with headliner Russell among those with two seasons of eligibility remaining, but so far there haven't been quite as many breakout stars as expected. Bowe and Davis, arguably the biggest gets behind Russell, have been inconsistent. On the plus side, Daniels and Landry were freshman contributors to the '03 title team. Who should've been: USC Standouts: OL Sam Baker, RB Reggie Bush, OL Ryan Kalil, CB Will Poole, WR Steve Smith, RB LenDale White Starters: OL John Drake, QB John David Booty (projected), DT Sedrick Ellis, DE Lawrence Jackson Busts: RB Chauncey Washington, WR Whitney Lewis Assessment: At least one service did have the Trojans No. 1 on signing day, and others moved them up after Booty signed in the spring. Amazingly, in a class with a Heisman winner (Bush), a soon-to-be first-round draft pick at tailback (White) and numerous other stars of the past two BCS title games, the most heralded prospect in the entire class was Lewis, who has yet to pan out.

Redefining 'commitment' On the various Web sites that track such things, Pat Devlin had been listed as a Miami commitment for nearly seven months. Just three weeks ago, the Parade All-America from Exton, Pa., told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "I'm committed to Miami 100 percent." But in the turbulent game of college recruiting, the word "commitment" doesn't always take on the same binding definition as it does in the real world. No one knows that better right now than Hurricanes coach Larry Coker. Last weekend, his 100-percent committed quarterback -- the fourth-best QB prospect in the country, according to Scout.com -- took an official visit to Penn State, where he was reportedly serenaded by students chanting his name while attending the Nittany Lions' basketball game against Ohio State. The son of two PSU alums (his mother was a Nittany Lions cheerleader), it seems Devlin started to have second thoughts about his pending decision after Miami fired its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Dan Werner -- the coach who recruited Devlin -- following a 40-3 loss to LSU in the Peach Bowl. On Monday night, he informed coaches from both schools of his new "commitment": Penn State. It was a familiar situation for both schools. Like Devlin, Anthony Morrelli, the Nittany Lions' projected starting quarterback next season, had been committed to another school, Pittsburgh, for several months before taking a last-minute visit to Happy Valley. And just last year, Derek Shaw, a quarterback from California who had committed to Miami the previous summer, also reversed course in mid-January and instead signed with Arizona State. The year before that, Miami pulled off a similar heist of its own, landing Pennsylvania running back Andrew Johnson -- who'd been committed to Pittsburgh since July -- on signing day. Though such 11th-hour reversals are still far from the norm, they've become prevalent enough that coaches are spending nearly as much time re-recruiting their committed prospects as they are chasing the remaining undecided ones in these final, frantic days before national signing day next Wednesday, the first date prospects can sign official letters-of-intent. "As a recruiter you have to be on your toes, because there are always people taking swipes at your guys," said one major-college assistant. "The recruiting process doesn't stop when someone commits. You have to stay on them until they sign." Nearly 80 percent of Scout.com's Hot 100 players have already announced their college commitments, but that doesn't mean they're not still being recruited by other schools. A particularly high-profile switch took place last year when Louisiana quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, one of the nation's top overall prospects, insisted for months he was committed to Texas, only to wind up taking visits to LSU and Mississippi State and eventually signing with the Tigers. There was a time earlier this month when it appeared this year's top-rated quarterback, Arkansas-bound Mitch Mustain, might pull a similar move after briefly reopening his recruitment (Notre Dame was among his suitors), but he re-committed to the Razorbacks. Besides Devlin, however, there are a few other notable prospects causing their prospective coaches to lose sleep these days. • Springdale, Ark., receiver Damian Williams, a high-school teammate of Mustain's, has been committed to Florida since August, but was spotted in Fayetteville last weekend. (The pair's high-school coach, Gus Malzahn, is now Arkansas' offensive coordinator). Asked by Scout.com whether he may switch allegiance to the Razorbacks, Williams said, "I don't know. There's a chance of anything, but I'm still committed to Florida." • Another player who committed to the Gators, Virginia receiver Damon McDaniel, is scheduled to visit rival Florida State this weekend. The 'Noles, who need to replace recently dismissed receiver Fred Rouse, are also reportedly pursuing a recruit who committed to Michigan, Greg Matthews of Orlando, Fla. Meanwhile, Alcoa, Tenn., tight end Brandon Warren, a longstanding FSU commitment, has been getting the full-court press from Tennessee and will visit the Knoxville campus this weekend. Ole Miss is apparently still hot on the trail of two previously committed LSU prospects. It may sound unethical for rival coaches to continue actively pursuing previously committed prospects, but in today's recruiting climate, anyone is considered fair game until that letter-of-intent gets faxed on Feb. 1. "The reality is that no one is going to give up on players until the very end -- that's just the world we live in today," said the coach. "Once a kid commits, you check in with him from time to time to see how he's doing and if he's having any doubts about his commitment." Many coaches think much of the last-minute chaos for both coaches and prospects could be avoided if the NCAA had an early-signing period for football -- perhaps before the start of the season in September -- like it does for basketball. "That would help," said the coach. "You could lock down guys and not worry about them going elsewhere. They would be signed, sealed and delivered when they committed."

Going with the Steel Curtain

Anyone else have some preliminary numbers ..post'em. Bowman ran the fastest 40 time at 4.31 electronic Zac was about 4.9, just throw the ball Zac

Oh boy...sorry I asked

Can you guys give me some updates every once in a while...I don't get ESPN.

My Webpage Todd Hays narrowly missed Olympic gold four years ago. His next shot comes at the Turin Games, and he'll have Pavle Jovanovic this time to help the cause. Hays — a native of Del Rio who now lives in Concan — and Steven Holcomb were the two drivers selected for the U.S. men's Olympic bobsled team Monday, headlining a lineup with few surprises. Both will drive in the two- and four-man competitions at Turin next month, and Jovanovic — a talented brakeman who missed the Salt Lake City Games after testing positive for a banned steroid, despite claims he accidentally ingested the product through a tainted supplement — will likely be in Hays' sled for both events. Along with that trio, the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation picked 2002 Olympians Steve Mesler, Bill Schuffenhauer and Randy Jones, along with Brock Kreitzburg, Curt Tomasevicz and Lorenzo Smith III to complete the roster. Schuffenhauer and Jones were silver-medalists four years ago, riding in Hays' sled. This will be the fourth Olympic trip for Jones. Hays, a former linebacker at Tulsa and one-time national kickboxing champion, currently leads the World Cup standings in two-man events and ranks second in the four-man standings — even though he earned no points after crashing in a race at Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. "The goal is simple, a gold medal," Hays said. "That's what everyone here is shooting for and what we're working for." In other news • Nordic combined and jumping team named — The United States selected seven previous Olympians in Nordic combined and jumping to the American contingent for the Turin Games. Todd Lodwick, a six-time World Cup champion, highlighted the list of 11 representatives in the two sports. • Spending tops $3.6 billion — The final budget for next month's Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, was approved Monday, covering a $96.3 million shortfall that caused months of delays. The vote had been scheduled for last month and was further delayed last week. The approved budget — covering the operating costs of the Feb. 10-26 games — totals $1.4 billion. Overall spending, including construction, is estimated at more than $3.6 billion.

Shane Shane Powers was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. After finishing high school, Powers moved to Los Angeles. Favorites Sports Teams Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Supersonics He'll be on Survivor

Good luck JB, it was fun, I feel your going to the wrong place, but good luck and hope everything works out.

Looking around....they just went to commercial, Walton announcement coming up next...they called hin the best offensive guard in the country.

Okay I don't have this damn channel, they don't show it in Omaha. What did he pick??

I can't see it either.

Very, very close. I'll pick Tommie because he had 2 national championships under his belt. Vince is a better athlete though

Oh man were in for it.

I stole this from Pedia. Funny! "Bud Light presents Real Men of Genius (Reaaaaal Men Of Genius) Today we salute you, Mr. Delusional Michigan Fan (Mr. Delusional Michigan Faaaaaan!) Season after season, year after year, you try to justify your absurdly high preseason ranking (clutching at straws!) Season after season, year after year, you scramble to make futile attempts at damage control when the Wolverines lose to a grossly inferior opponent (How'd Northwestern score fifty fouuuuuur?) Inevitably, you'll bring up the past, and boast of National Championships won 40 years before you born (those were the daaaaaays!) You will point out that you have more wins than any other program as though that is relevant to the current season (been playing since the 1870s!) Go on, ignore that home loss to your arch rivals in the regular season finale and continue to believe that you'll defeat your bowl opponent with striking ease (we'll win by thirteeeeeeey!) So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Emperor of Excuses, and take comfort knowing that when you finish ranked number twenty, you'll be back to number three when the preseason polls come out next year (Mr. Delusional Michigan Fan!)"

Suh finds a home as a Cornhusker Ex-Grant High star counts on putting knee injury behind him By STEVE BRANDON Issue date: Tue, Dec 20, 2005 The Tribune -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An injury kept Ndamukong Suh from playing as much as he wanted to this season, but the Nebraska freshman says he still has had a lot of fun. “I grasped the system quite well and was in the rotation before I got hurt,” he says. “We have a close-knit team, and the fans are friendly —you get a lot of ‘hey’s and ‘hi’s when you walk around. “It’s fun to be a Husker.” Suh, an all-state lineman and state shot put champion from Grant High, was one of the top football prospects from Portland in many years when he chose Nebraska over Oregon State, Mississippi State, California and Miami. He did not want to redshirt as a freshman, and he appeared in two games at defensive tackle for Nebraska, making one tackle, before tearing the meniscus in his left knee in practice before the third game (Pittsburgh). Suh says the tear actually occurred during his final year of PIL basketball with the Generals. “It happened during basketball season,” he says. “I just kind of blew it off and didn’t pay much attention to it. It resurfaced again during practice before the Pittsburgh game. “But I’m happy the injury came early in my college career. I’ve gotten it out of the way. “And it’s made me even more humble. It’s been a blessing.” Suh has been back at football practice for nearly two months. “Everything’s going good. I’m getting a lot of reps,” he says. He hasn’t been ruled out of Nebraska’s final game —the Cornhuskers (7-4) will face Michigan (7-4) in the Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28 in San Antonio. But if he doesn’t play, the Huskers can redshirt him and plan to apply for a medical hardship that would restore his first year. “It’s all up in the air,” he says. “It depends on whether they need me for the bowl game. If not, we’ll try to get the year back.” Nebraska is trying to recapture its football glory and bounce back from a 5-6 record in 2004. The Cornhuskers are 111⁄2-point underdogs to Michigan, but with a strong freshman class, some optimism has returned to Lincoln, Neb. “I think we’re on the rise,” Suh says. Suh, who will turn 19 on Jan. 6, is 6-4 and weighs 305 pounds. “They want me at 295 to 300,” he says. He says making the leap to major college football “was mainly a matter of adjusting to the speed and having to go harder on each play.” Suh is majoring in engineering. He completed finals Friday; “I’m doing pretty well in school,” he says. He’ll be in San Antonio with the team over Christmas but will return to Portland in time for New Year’s Eve on his holiday break from school.

May be the best Blackshirt LB in the last 10 years. I say he put himself on the Butkus watch list for sure after that game. Without him we lose at least one more. As far as I'm concern, he's the only one on the team who wanted to hit anyone.

USC is told of possible violations By JEFF WILSONSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERBy JEFF WILSON STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/13523393.htm A common recruiting tool used by Southern California's top-ranked football program is under review by the school for possible NCAA violations after trips to a Los Angeles-area restaurant owned by a former Trojans player were detailed by separate news organizations this week. A story Sunday in the Star-Telegram and a Thursday report on CBS Sports Line.com centered on visits by USC recruits to Papadakis Taverna, a Greek restaurant in San Pedro, Calif., owned by former USC linebacker John Papadakis. Papadakis is a central part of the restaurant's standard entertainment, which includes Greek belly dancers, traditional Greek dances and the customary breaking of plates. Athletic prospects, the stories reveal, are subject to impassioned speeches by Papadakis, who as a former player is considered a "representative of athletics interests" by the NCAA and is prohibited from speaking to recruits about the Trojans. The eatery is 25 miles from the USC campus and prices for entrees are as high as $59.95. The combination of distance and expense appear to go beyond the NCAA stipulation that a recruit's meals should reflect those comparable to normal college life. Tim Tessalone, sports information director at USC, said the Trojans' compliance department was informed Tuesday of the possible violations, after the Star-Telegram questioned whether any recruiting rules were broken. He said the campus is closed through the Rose Bowl, which pits USC against No. 2 Texas on Wednesday, and gave no timetable for a possible internal ruling. Per university policy, Tessalone offered no details as to how the compliance office would proceed. A spokesman for the NCAA said the offices were closed this week and that no one could be reached for comment. Papadakis, reached Friday at his restaurant, said he has not been contacted by USC about possible violations. However, a compliance director at a Division I-A school said the stories raised a red flag, and the source would not permit similar practices at his school. The source's top concern was Papadakis' involvement, which falls under Articles 13.02.13 and 13.1.2.1 of the NCAA Division I Manual. "Alumni are not allowed to be involved in the recruiting process," the source said. "He has a right, if they go there, to use his facility. But to have him involved in the meal, and serving the restaurant, singing and entertaining and dancing, that's just illegal." Papadakis, who lettered at USC in 1970-71, told the Star-Telegram earlier this week that he gives recruits a speech about the significance of the Trojans' cardinal and gold uniform colors and closes the dining experience by urging recruits to declare, "I want to be a Trojan." The CBS Sports Line story quotes Papadakis as saying he called a prospective recruit a "dumbass" if he didn't go to USC. The player, offensive lineman Jeff Byers, signed with the Trojans in 2004. "I cringed for the USC people," the compliance director told the Star-Telegram. "That's just not permissible." The source indicated that the definition of a "comparable meal," as indicated in Article 13.6.6.7, falls into a gray area and varies by campus. For instance, the cost of a meal in New York City or Los Angeles varies greatly from one in Manhattan, Kan., or Athens, Ga. However, a meal deemed too extravagant could be considered an act of inducement, the source said. NCAA rules state that recruits' meals "must be comparable to those provided to student-athletes during the academic year." The source said USC players who were taken to Papadakis Taverna would remain eligible unless their meal exceeded the $100 NCAA limit. If that occurred, players become ineligible, must reimburse the amount over $100 (payable to a charity) and have to be reinstated.

Earlier in the year a story broke out that Blake was being courted by Miami and COker, well now Miami fired 4 assistants. No doubt whether legit or not, Blake's name will rise and this will hurt NU.

possible visit soon

This kid has piles of offers already. Dozens..

Word out says Freeman is looking at MIzzoui now. Because Prince the head coach at KSU, is looking and trying to get officials and commitments from other QB's including a big time JUCO QB. He claims Prince wasn't truthful with him. AAhhhhh, the beat goes on for the Freeman's. This kid is so afraid of competition.

Read on other boards that he will be visiting NU.

On Gameday he just said that he talked to the head of Sunbelt officials and was told that since both Nebraska and Michigan players were on the field, it would have been offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and the game would have still been over. There would have been no replay of the down. So at least maybe ESPN and Michganders can stop whinning about that now.