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D'Andre Walker (Fairburn, Ga./Langston Hughes) racked up 105 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, two forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and a blocked punt last season as a junior. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound pass rusher played a huge role in helping his team to a 10-2 record and its first playoff berth in school history and hit the recruiting map late in January, when North Carolina became the first program to offer Walker.

Since that time, 34 other programs have offered Walker. While Walker says all schools are now even, three coaching staffs have been able to connect with him the best so far. The 2015 prospect almost committed to one of them a few months back.


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With basketball season over, the No. 1 prospect in Florida can finally hit the road to check out some college campuses. The No. 12 overall prospect in the ESPN 150 David Sharpe (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence School) has no shortage of options to choose from.

During spring break, Sharpe visited in-state Florida and Florida State. Over the weekend, he spent time at two out-of-state programs. Sharpe got to Clemson on Friday morning and stayed there until Saturday morning. He then spent the rest of the day in Athens, Ga., before visiting with some family in Georgia.


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Four-star WR Pack heading to FSU

May, 19, 2013
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video Markell Pack (Purvis, Miss./Purvis) has been high on the Seminoles board for quite a while. So when he committed to Florida State late Saturday night, it was not a surprise that the Florida State coaches were a happy group.

New assistant coach Tim Brewster was the first to get the news Sunday morning.

"I decided to do it last night and when we talked this morning, they were pretty fired up," Pack said.

During the recruiting process, it was Brewster's candid approach that really hooked Pack.

"He's just straight up with me," said Pack, who holds offers from Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State amongst others.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound receiver is versatile given his size. He'll be able to do a lot of things at the next level, whether in the slot or out wide.

And from his perspective, he thinks he'll enter the offense as a good match.

"I just really like what they've got going," he said. "I think I'll fit in great."

Pack joins J.C. Jackson (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee), JoJo Robinson (Miami/Northwestern) and C.J. Worton (Homestead, Fla./South Dade) as the other wide receivers in Florida State’s 2014 class.

Pack, who ranks as a four-star prospect, is the tenth commitment for the Seminoles in this class.

At the end of the March, Washington (Pa.) High running back Shai McKenzie cut his list of more than 30 offers to 15. He's just about ready to snip that list in half once again.

The 5-foot-11, 212-pound back is looking to name a top seven soon, most likely after summer trips to Georgia, Georgia Tech and possibly Florida State. He knows two teams that are in great shape to make the cut already.


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Isaiah Wynn (St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood) has not been shy about telling the world he wants to play in the SEC.

Well that presents a little bit of a problem for Florida State. As an in-state target at a position of relative need, Wynn is naturally high on their board.

But does he have the Seminoles high on his?


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The football program at Locust Grove High School started in 2009 with a freelance Class AAA schedule, then continued to play in AAA for two more years before making the move to AAAA in 2012. Heading into last fall, the Wildcats had a record of 6-19, having won two games each season. For rising junior Cortez McDowell, it was time to help the fledgling program take the next step.

“My main goal was to help my football team since we have not done well the last two years, so my mindset was to help my team win more than two games,” McDowell said.

The 6-foot, 200-pound prospect was a major part in his program doubling its win total in one season, recording 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 10 passes broken up, two interceptions, forcing two fumbles, recovering one fumble on defense while rushing 25 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns and catching 29 passes for 679 yards and eight touchdowns on offense. He took a leadership role on defense, and whenever the team needed a big play on offense, McDowell was there.

Syracuse and NC State had already offered him during the spring of his sophomore year, and after his junior season, scholarships started pouring in. This spring, McDowell has visited Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and North Carolina. While most visits were similar, a few of the trips left an impression on the talented athlete.


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Official Visit: Thomas’ trouble; AU heats up

May, 8, 2013
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NoleNation’s Corey Dowlar talks with Phil Murphy about the latest in Florida State 2013 signee Matthew Thomas' saga, and TideNation's Greg Ostendorf stops by to talk about the impending decisions of ESPN 150 recruits Tre’ Williams and Justin Thornton.
As colleges hit the road for the spring evaluation period, offers continue to pour in for ESPN 150 defensive lineman Kentavius Street (Greenville, N.C./Rose).


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2013 signee Thomas wants out at FSU

May, 7, 2013
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ESPN RecruitingNation's Corey Dowlar discusses linebacker Matthew Thomas' request to Florida State to be released from his scholarship.
JEFFERSON, Ga. -- A bystander watching Preston Williams (Lovejoy, Ga./Lovejoy) warm up at the Georgia state track and field championships simply said, “Who is that guy?” Williams stood on the edge of the long jump pit -- where he was challenging for a state title as only a sophomore -- and exploded with a flat-footed jump to the middle of the pit, reaching a height and distance that turned heads.

As did his outfit. Williams wore blindingly bright yellow shoes, mismatched socks (one was a multi-colored, neon leopard print, while the other was decorated with cupcakes), cut-off camouflage sweat pants over black leggings and a Lovejoy t-shirt. The ensemble was topped off with a gray scarf that would look great on a 78-year-old retiree from Boca Raton but seemed out of place wrapped around Williams’ noggin as a headband.

“This is my look,” Williams said. “My jumping look -- I am exotic.”

While his fashion is eclectic, the true answer to who Williams is a lot more complicated.


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 offensive tackle David Sharpe (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence School) has only played one full year of high school football, but the 6-foot-6, 288-pound athlete has already caught the attention of everyone in the college football recruiting world.

The No. 2-ranked tackle and No. 12 player overall said his football success has come as a surprise.


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BRADENTON, Fla. -- On the fields of the IMG Academy Southeast Regional 7-on-7 Tournament, George Campbell (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake) stood off to the side with a sling hanging off his shoulder and covering his broken wrist.

That injury, suffered a few weeks back, will keep him out of East Lake's spring practices starting at the beginning of May. But fortunately for him, he's already got a ton of offers to begin with and won't be reliant on coaches coming by for the evaluation period.

That doesn't mean he isn't frustrated, though.


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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It had been nearly two months since Elisha Shaw (Tucker, Ga./Tucker) last visited the University of Alabama, but the ESPN 150 defensive tackle felt right at home this weekend when he was in town for the Crimson Tide’s spring game.


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#BlueChipBattles: ESPN 150 release edition

April, 19, 2013
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Speedy Noil, Adoree Jackson, Da'Shawn HandStudent Sports, ESPN, ESPNSpeedy Noil, Adoree Jackson and Da'Shawn Hand are three of the most coveted recruits in the Class of 2014.
#BlueChipBattles Insider: RecruitingNation summoned its writers from around the country to outline the recruiting battles for the ESPN 150's top 10 prospects.

Plus, rank the battles in SportsNation.

#TopFBMixtapes: Athlete mixtapes are all the rage in this highlight-crazed era of sports. We reached out to our Twitter followers to find out which 2014 football stars had the best highlight reels on YouTube, then had our staff rank and comment on the top submissions.

Tom Luginbill writes Insider: After talking to many coaches across the country and hearing their frustrations, here are their five biggest complaints about homemade highlight videos.
The IMG 7v7 Southeast Regional Championship in Bradenton, Fla., on Saturday and Sunday will feature several ESPN 150 players. This star-studded event will feature the South Florida Express, one of the top 7-on-7 teams in the country, and Team Tampa, which won the IMG 7v7 National Championships last year. Here's a look at five things to watch at this weekends events.

1. Wide receiver position is loaded
There will be a plethora of top wide receivers in Bradenton this weekend. Ermon Lane (Homestead, Fla./Homestead), the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the country, will have a chance to showcase his abilities against some elite talent. Additionally, Travis Rudolph (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman), Artavis Scott (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake), Moral Stephens (Perry, Fla./Taylor County), Kenric Young (Gainesville, Fla./Gainesville), Isaiah Ford (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian), Garrett Johnson (Winter Garden, Fla./West Orange) and 2015 wideout Da'Vante Phillips (Miami/Central) are scheduled to participate.


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