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With such big-time programs as UCLA, LSU, Ohio State and Notre Dame suffering through decidedly less-than-spectacular seasons, does that mean these schools' recruiting campaigns will suffer as well? Not at all, says Tom Lemming, ESPN.com's college football recruiting analyst.
In his Nov. 17 chat with ESPN.com users, Lemming pointed out that when a team fails on the field, elite prospects see an early chance to succeed in breaking into the starting lineup. Lemming also updated users on how a number of the nation's elite teams are faring so far in the recruiting wars and where some of the top-ranked prospects are visiting and leaning.
Here's an edited transcript:
volfan: Tennessee didn't pick up any commitments after the Notre Dame weekend. It is thought to be
because the coaches want to keep it quiet, so they can close better than last year, and years
past. Do you think this is a good strategy? Also, I just read Tennessee has gotten a verbal from
Rashad Baker. You had him ranked 146; has he improved in your rankings since then, and who
is he comparable to? Who else is Tennessee in on? Thanks for any comments.
Tom Lemming: Over the past nine or 10 years, Tennessee has gotten more media coverage of its recruiting than
just about any other program, and some of it has been used against them in recruiting.
December and January are the most important months in recruiting, and Tennessee would be
able to land more ball players without all the media coverage. Keeping a low profile will benefit
the Vols in the long run during these key months.
Rashad Baker is comparable to Mark Jones, the top player in Pennsylvania, who has already
committed to Tennessee. Baker is a quick and sure-handed receiver who I think has
All-America potential at both WR and CB. He might be a better CB than WR.
Right now, Tennessee and Florida State lead everyone else in this year's recruiting campaign.
Of the top 50 ball players, Tennessee has a legitimate shot at 30 of them, which is unbelievable.
goblue: Any word on Charlie Rogers? I'm hoping he becomes a Wolverine as all sorts of incredible
things could happen with Henson throwing to him and David Terrell. Also, as of last
update, it didn't appear as if Michigan had too many recruits signed yet. Have any more
committed?
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ABOUT TOM LEMMING
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Tom Lemming is editor of Prep Football Report. For information on how to subscribe to Prep Football Report's magazine, newsletters and website, log on to www.prepfootballreport.com. For year-round recruiting updates, call Tom Lemming's Prep Football Hotline at 900-860-9888. Calls are $1.79 per minute, and callers must be 18 years old or have parents' permission. |
Tom Lemming:
Rogers has been to Florida State, Tennessee and UCLA on official visits, will visit Michigan
State and Michigan the first two weeks of December and will probably announce before
Christmas. He has his pick of any school in the country and right now rumors are that Michigan
State and Michigan are slightly ahead of FSU, Tennessee and UCLA.
The Wolverines have gotten a recent commitment from a player from last year, Victor Horn, a
LB from Huntsville, Ala., who attended a prep school this year. He'll sign with Michigan this
coming February.
Bill D: Has Virginia Tech's wildly successful 1999 season paid off in terms of commitments from
top-notch high school seniors? If so, who are the 3-4 best recruits that the Hokies have gotten
verbals from?
Tom Lemming:
Perhaps the top commitment is Jon Dunn, an OL from the Tidewater area, who committed to
the Hokies over several big-time schools. The key will be the December and January visits by
some of the biggest names in the South, such as RB Brandon Royster from Fairfax, Va.,
Maurice Shanks from Hampton, and several top stars from Florida. A lot of top players are
considering Virginia Tech, but haven't scheduled visits yet. The next two months will be the
most critical recruiting months in Virginia Tech's recent history, because they do have a shot at
several of the nation's top prospects.
BennyJ: How does Ohio State look? Will the poor season hurt their recruiting efforts?
Tom Lemming: No, I think the poor season will enhance their recruiting chances, mainly because the top
prospects feel they have a shot at starting earlier than in recent years.
Jonathan Hamlet: Who is the front runner for the LSU job ? And what effect will it have on recruiting ?
Tom Lemming:
A couple of the names I've read about being mentioned are Steve Logan, the head coach of
East Carolina, and Clemson offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez.
Right now, I don't see the coaching situation having that great of an effect on recruiting. The
current assistant coaches, led by Charlie Coiner, are maintaining everything, and all the
committed players seem happy; plus, LSU is maintaining the interest of all their top prospects in
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
If LSU hires a new head coach within the next couple of weeks, they still have a shot at having
an outstanding recruiting year. But it's imperative that the new guy swing into action as soon as
possible.
Bill D: Who are the bluest of the blue chips expected to attend the Florida State-Florida war this
week? And who are those players considering?
Tom Lemming: The top players expected to attend the game in Gainesville are QB Brandon Sumner of
Daytona Beach; QB Tracy Thorpe of Melbourne; RB Willie Green of Kissimmee; RB Alex
Haynes of Orlando; OL Shannon Snell of Tampa; OL Pat Worsham of Daytona Beach; DL
Ian Scott of Gainesville; DL Bobby Williams of New Smyrna Beach; DL Keron Koon of
Miramar; LB Eric Moore of Pahokee; LB Brooks Daniels of Jasper; DB Trey Orr of Lake
City; DB Marcus Hawkins of Jasper; and DB Matt Jackson of Live Oak.
Pitt Panther: Where do you see Pitt's recruiting class headed. Will they have a top 25 class? How big was
the Notre Dame game?
Tom Lemming: I see Pittsburgh headed straight up, not only with the N.D. victory but also with their
state-of-the-art facilities, which should be ready next season. With a popular, offensive-minded
head coach like Walt Harris, Pittsburgh will have a chance at reliving its glory days of the '70s.
The key to any successful team is landing home-grown talent, and Pittsburgh has to keep top
schools, particularly Penn State, away from Western Pennsylvania players in order to be
successful.
Jimmy: What do you know about Raymond Mann from Hampton, VA? Where's he leaning?
Tom Lemming: Mann is one of the nation's premier LB prospects and will probably choose between
Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. As of now, the Vols have a slight lead.
Go Big Red: With Ron Dayne showcasing Wisconsin's running game this year, I would be very disappointed
if UW did not land one of the top 5 RB's in the country this year. Who could be the next
"Great Dayne" coming to Madison?
Tom Lemming: In the case of the Badgers, they have now propelled themselves into the elite status of a
big-time program; with two straight Rose Bowl appearances, they have now become a national
recruiting team. They are pursuing RB Anthony Davis from Plainfield, N.J., and are also in
pursuit of Texas standout RBs Derick Arnold of Houston, Tyson Thompson of Irving, and Gary
Allen of Baytown. They're also recruiting several top backs in California and are pursuing the
nation's top two JUCO RBs.
GoIrish: Tom, with all the problems N.D. has, do they have a stack of recruits coming in to rebuild the
program? Do they any QBs coming in because next year they have only one QB on
scholarship?
Tom Lemming: N.D. already has a commitment from one of top two QBs in the East, Matt Lovecchio from
Oradell, N.J., and they're almost certain to land one of several blue-chip QBs, such as Jared
Clark from Sarasota, Fla., Brandon Sumner of Daytona Beach, Carlyle Holiday of San
Antonio, and Sean Jones of Atlanta, along with Aaron Alston of Durham, N.C. That means
N.D. will have commitments from two of the top 15 QBs in the country, which is all they should
hope for. N.D.'s lack of success on the field may help them land a great recruiting class because
of the chances of playing early. N.D. is a unique school with a lot to offer, and they normally
don't have the problems of other schools in dealing with a losing season, thanks to TV
exposure, tradition and graduation rates.
Tyler V.: Any ideas about where Sean Young out of Georgia may end up?
Tom Lemming: His brother plays for the Bulldogs, which gives them a great shot, but he's always been
enamored of the FSU program, so it'll probably come down to those two schools. He's already
visited FSU and will visit Georgia Dec. 10. He also will have a great shot of making my
All-American team, which will be on ESPN in early February.
Jimmy: What's your gut feeling on Mike Munoz from Ohio? I think he was at the VT/Miami game this
past weekend.
Tom Lemming: I doubt he was at that game. I think it's a two-team race between Tennessee and Ohio State,
and right now it's too close to call. He grew up a Buckeyes fan, but his sister, Michelle, has
committed to the Lady Vols.
U.C.L.A. J: How is the UCLA. recruiting year looking ? Are they going to be negatively affected by their
horrible season? Any blue-chippers that you think may be coming to Westwood?
Tom Lemming:
As of now, UCLA appears to be doing well, and of course the lack of success this season
won't help, but I think they've done such a good job laying the groundwork during the spring
and summer for this recruiting season that they'll end up with a successful recruiting class. The
players they have great shots at are the nation's top RB, Marcus Houston of Denver; another
top 10 RB, Albert Hollis of Sacramento; WR Tab Perry of Milpitas, Calif.; the nation's top TE
prospect, Alex Holmes of Studio City, Calif.; DL Travis Johnson of Sherman Oaks, Calif.; LB
D.J. Williams of Concord, Calif.; and DB Matt Grootegoed of Santa Ana, Calif.
stu: What is the story on Robert Peace? Will the fact of LSU's firing their coach affect his decision?
Tom Lemming:
He was extremely fond of Gerry DiNardo and is now entertaining offers from other schools. At
this point, he's solidly in the LSU camp, but anything could happen over the next two months.
Randy:
Will Yohance Buchanon be a 'Nole, or is he wavering?
Tom Lemming:
He's wavering but is still leaning to FSU. He may also visit Tennessee, Ohio State, Alabama
and Georgia.
cusefan: Has Syracuse recruited any offensive linemen or quarterbacks to replenish their depleted corps
or those that will be leaving?
Tom Lemming:
Right now, Syracuse is in on several top OL prospects, such as Jeremy McCorkle of Freeport,
Pa.; Jason Rogers of Summerville, N.J., the top OL in the East, Shane Olivea of Long Beach,
N.J.; Jon Boilard of New Britain, Conn.; and Sean Mulcahy of Westport, Conn.;
John: How should Kansas State's recruiting class be? Can Snyder bring in big-time players?
Tom Lemming: He's done it the last several years, and I don't see anything different this year. K-State is strong
in Kansas, Missouri, and Texas and is one of the strongest schools in recruiting JUCO talent.
rick:
How big is this weekend for Auburn in the Jason Campbell race and what is the latest on
Derrick Crudup?
Tom Lemming:
Campbell is right now the most hotly pursued QB in the country since the commitment of
Brock Berlin to Florida. As of mid-November, Auburn has a slight lead over Georgia and LSU
for his signature. Also, Crudup has been reported committed to Auburn but will still take a
couple of other visits, most likely to Miami, Syracuse, and possibly Georgia, West Virginia
and/or South Carolina.
Chris Hoadley: What schools is Diamond Ferri of Everett, Mass., interested in? And do you think he can be a star at a
top school?
Tom Lemming:
Without a doubt, he will be a star at a top school. He's become a top priority for schools like
B.C. and Syracuse and is also entertaining offers of visiting Ohio State, Wisconsin, UNC, and
possibly Penn State if they have any scholarships available.
Chris:
How is Tommy Bowden doing with his recruiting at Clemson?
Tom Lemming:
Fantastic. They're off to an excellent start. Their recruiting coordinator, Rich Stockstill, has put
them in line to land several top stars, not only from the Carolinas, but also from Georgia, Florida
and New Jersey.
Jack:
I heard you say on a radio show that Michigan State appears headed for its best class in many
years. Do you think it has the chance to be a Top 10-quality class?
Tom Lemming:
Without a doubt. MSU has a shot at the top 10, and this could be their best class in the past 30
years, which sounds like an outlandish statement but is based in fact and early knowledge of the
great job Brad Lawing has done in bringing some of the nation's top prospects to East Lansing.
As of mid-November, they have a good shot at landing 30 to 35 of the top 100 players for
visits, which is unheard of in past MSU recruiting classes.
The key to this year's class is Charlie Rogers, the nation's No. 1 prospect, who at this stage is
right where MSU wants him. They already have the top QB in the East, Jeff Smoker, as a
commitment. But there's the chance that they could come in second on a lot of those top
prospects, and the class could end up not as good as it could have been. That's the risk you
take when you recruit the top players, because the pressure to commit to other top programs is
so great.
ggib23: Where do you see Alabama's recruiting efforts finishing and who do you think are the most
exciting recruits that they
are currently recruiting?
Tom Lemming:
Alabama, as long as Ronnie Cottrell is in control, is a legitimate contender for a top 10 class
every year. Right now, the Tide has a great shot at landing the top six players in Alabama --
lineman Mac Tyler of Bessemer, lineman Anthony Bryant of Newbern, lineman Marcus White
of Theodore, lineman Antwan Odom of Alma Bryant, lineman Brad West of Madison County,
and DB Mayo Sowell of Birmingham. Alabama is also in good shape with several of the top
prospects in northern Florida.
Buffsfan: What are the recruits to Colorado looking like? They need to get back into the elite. I know
Gary Barnett likes the running game, so are there any good-looking running backs considering CU?
Tom Lemming: The top RB in the nation is right in their backyard in Denver -- Marcus Houston. He's considering
Colorado. They're also trying to get visits from Derick Arnold of Houston, Tex.; Derron
Parquet of Metairie, La., and Syrone Carey of Marrero, La.
Thanks to everyone for all the great questions. I plan to be back here in chat on Monday, Dec.
6, with big recruiting news after the first major recruiting weekend of the season. See you then!
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