On The Trail: Week 13 rewind
The Ducks now have five straight wins against in-state rival Oregon State in addition to nine in a row over Washington and six consecutive against Washington State.
Oddly enough, though, the Ducks don't go head-to-head with Oregon State or Washington State very often for recruits.
Oregon State has signed just a small handful of players who were also offered by the Ducks. The two biggest being senior wide receiver Markus Wheaton and freshman center Isaac Seumalo. Wheaton -- whose cousin is Oregon legend Kenny Wheaton -- was a lock to be a Duck until Oregon fired wide receiver coach Robin Pflugrad and defensive line coach Michael Gray, who was Wheaton's main recruiter. Seumalo went to high school in Corvallis and his brother Andrew is a senior on the Beavers' defensive line. Seumalo's father, Joe, is the Beavers' defensive line coach, making it nearly impossible for any school aside from Oregon State to sign Isaac.
Oddly enough, though, the Ducks don't go head-to-head with Oregon State or Washington State very often for recruits.
Oregon State has signed just a small handful of players who were also offered by the Ducks. The two biggest being senior wide receiver Markus Wheaton and freshman center Isaac Seumalo. Wheaton -- whose cousin is Oregon legend Kenny Wheaton -- was a lock to be a Duck until Oregon fired wide receiver coach Robin Pflugrad and defensive line coach Michael Gray, who was Wheaton's main recruiter. Seumalo went to high school in Corvallis and his brother Andrew is a senior on the Beavers' defensive line. Seumalo's father, Joe, is the Beavers' defensive line coach, making it nearly impossible for any school aside from Oregon State to sign Isaac.
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The weather at Ohio State was a bit startling for defensive end Da'Shawn Hand, who is expected to be one of the prospects in the nation for the 2014 class.
"It was very cold!!!" the junior defensive end from Woodbridge (Va.) stated to ESPN via text message on Sunday after watching the Buckeyes beat Michigan 26-21 on Saturday. "... but the stadium was nice."
The temperature at game time for Hand's visit was in the mid-30s. When asked what else stood out about the visit, Hand stated, "A lot of die-hard fans [and] great tradition."
"It was very cold!!!" the junior defensive end from Woodbridge (Va.) stated to ESPN via text message on Sunday after watching the Buckeyes beat Michigan 26-21 on Saturday. "... but the stadium was nice."
The temperature at game time for Hand's visit was in the mid-30s. When asked what else stood out about the visit, Hand stated, "A lot of die-hard fans [and] great tradition."
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Safety Antonio Conner takes Ole Miss win in stride
Antonio Conner saw the improvement at Ole Miss when he visited the Oxford campus this weekend. The state's top prospect has been impressed.
The Rebels beat Mississippi State 41-24 to become bowl eligible at 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC on Saturday. The also have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation under first-year coach Hugh Freeze.
Antonio Conner saw the improvement at Ole Miss when he visited the Oxford campus this weekend. The state's top prospect has been impressed.
The Rebels beat Mississippi State 41-24 to become bowl eligible at 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC on Saturday. The also have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation under first-year coach Hugh Freeze.
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ESPN Watch List offensive tackle Demetrius Knox (Fort Worth, Texas/All Saints Episcopal) has four schools atop his list. Monday is expected to be his much-anticipated commitment day.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound tackle is expected to choose Texas, Alabama, TCU or Ohio State. Many feel Knox will follow All Saints teammate and good friend Daniel Gresham, a fullback who committed to Texas in August. Knox told ESPN’s HornsNation that he’s already reached a decision but didn’t have plans of announcing until after the Thanksgiving weekend.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound tackle is expected to choose Texas, Alabama, TCU or Ohio State. Many feel Knox will follow All Saints teammate and good friend Daniel Gresham, a fullback who committed to Texas in August. Knox told ESPN’s HornsNation that he’s already reached a decision but didn’t have plans of announcing until after the Thanksgiving weekend.
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Washington continues to make a push for young local talent. The Huskies invited 2015 athlete Austin Joyner (Marysville, Wash./Marysville-Pilchuck) to attend practice early last week and, by the time it was over, he had landed a scholarship.
It was the first offer for the two-way standout -- he plays running back and safety -- who was surprised to receive the invitation from Washington. He is the second local sophomore running back the Huskies have offered, joining Chico McClatcher (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way).
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ATHENS, Ga. -- The Georgia coaching staff had a lot to be thankful for this past week as the Bulldogs picked up three commitments in five days. On Tuesday, ESPN 300 athlete Brendan Langley (Marietta, Ga./Kell) announced that he had decommitted from South Carolina and planned to line up at cornerback for the Bulldogs. The next day, junior college wide receiver Jonathon Rumph (Cayce, S.C./Holmes) called the coaching staff to let them know that he also had decided to commit to Georgia. Then late Saturday night, juco defensive back Kennar Johnson (Clermont, Fla./Mississippi Gulf Coast) committed to Mark Richt while on his official visit.
All three will enroll in January which is important for two reasons. First, Georgia is losing four of the starters to graduation in its secondary so having Langley and Johnson go through spring camp will go a long way to preparing them to contribute in an area of need. Rumph, too, will benefit from spring camp as he learns Georgia’s playbook and blocking responsibilities.
Secondly, the Bulldoga have 30 commits already and want to bring in four to six more. The only way Richt can sign so many players is to have around 10 of them enroll early and count backwards towards last year’s small signing class. There is plenty of room on the roster and Georgia will likely suffer more attrition as some players decide to leave early for the NFL.
Georgia’s recruiting momentum might net a couple more commits in the coming weeks. Wide receiver Ja’Quay Williams (Tyrone, Ga./Fork Union) took an official visit over the weekend. He was committed to Auburn while he was in town but with Sunday’s news that Gene Chizik had been fired, Williams decommitted from the Tigers. The situation on the Plains also has top inside linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) looking at other options. He is still committed to Auburn, but he took an unofficial visit to Georgia on Saturday to speak with the coaches in Athens.
All three will enroll in January which is important for two reasons. First, Georgia is losing four of the starters to graduation in its secondary so having Langley and Johnson go through spring camp will go a long way to preparing them to contribute in an area of need. Rumph, too, will benefit from spring camp as he learns Georgia’s playbook and blocking responsibilities.
Secondly, the Bulldoga have 30 commits already and want to bring in four to six more. The only way Richt can sign so many players is to have around 10 of them enroll early and count backwards towards last year’s small signing class. There is plenty of room on the roster and Georgia will likely suffer more attrition as some players decide to leave early for the NFL.
Georgia’s recruiting momentum might net a couple more commits in the coming weeks. Wide receiver Ja’Quay Williams (Tyrone, Ga./Fork Union) took an official visit over the weekend. He was committed to Auburn while he was in town but with Sunday’s news that Gene Chizik had been fired, Williams decommitted from the Tigers. The situation on the Plains also has top inside linebacker Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn) looking at other options. He is still committed to Auburn, but he took an unofficial visit to Georgia on Saturday to speak with the coaches in Athens.
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama’s 49-0 drubbing of Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday was the last domino to fall before Gene Chizik was fired as head coach of the Tigers. Now the Crimson Tide are looking to poach some of AU’s top recruits.
Over the weekend, Alabama hosted a number of Auburn commitments including defensive tackle Dee Liner, the state’s top-ranked player, ESPN 300 wide receiver Earnest Robinson and four-star athlete Jason Smith.
“It was fun,” Smith said of his visit. “I came in for the game with my parents. The atmosphere was crazy. Whenever you come to a big rivalry game like that, it’s going to be packed out, and the excitement of that game is crazy. It was great. I liked it.”
Over the weekend, Alabama hosted a number of Auburn commitments including defensive tackle Dee Liner, the state’s top-ranked player, ESPN 300 wide receiver Earnest Robinson and four-star athlete Jason Smith.
“It was fun,” Smith said of his visit. “I came in for the game with my parents. The atmosphere was crazy. Whenever you come to a big rivalry game like that, it’s going to be packed out, and the excitement of that game is crazy. It was great. I liked it.”
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Texas A&M's final regular-season weekend brought several visitors, official and unofficial, including an unofficial visit from the nation's No. 1 athlete, ESPN 150 prospect Ricky Seals-Jones.
It was the second Texas A&M game in as many months that the Sealy (Texas) High School athlete has attended. He had the chance to meet with the coaches before the game, including coach Kevin Sumlin and running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Clarence McKinney. He also got to interact with the Texas A&M players after their 59-29 win over Missouri and his father, Chester Jones, said the players were talking the Aggies up to Seals-Jones.
"They were talking to him [Saturday] night pretty good," Jones said. "They were telling him 'What are you waiting on? You need to come on down here and get on this team and be a part of this.' It was a good deal. We had fun."
It was the second Texas A&M game in as many months that the Sealy (Texas) High School athlete has attended. He had the chance to meet with the coaches before the game, including coach Kevin Sumlin and running backs coach/recruiting coordinator Clarence McKinney. He also got to interact with the Texas A&M players after their 59-29 win over Missouri and his father, Chester Jones, said the players were talking the Aggies up to Seals-Jones.
"They were talking to him [Saturday] night pretty good," Jones said. "They were telling him 'What are you waiting on? You need to come on down here and get on this team and be a part of this.' It was a good deal. We had fun."
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The combination of the Thanksgiving holiday and Texas high school football playoffs made it difficult for some players to make it to Austin for Texas' loss to TCU. Looking back, though, that could have been a good thing given the way the Longhorns played. Then again, it was on national television for the whole country to see.
One of those players who wasn't able to make it in was 2013 Texas commitment Geoff Swaim, who watched the game back home.
"I thought it was a tough game," Swaim said. "There didn't seem to be a lot of rhythm in the game, and when you don't have any rhythm it's hard to get anything going."
Despite the loss, Swaim isn't getting discouraged with his choice to commit to Texas and still thinks the lofty expectations of this team moving forward are well in reach.
One of those players who wasn't able to make it in was 2013 Texas commitment Geoff Swaim, who watched the game back home.
"I thought it was a tough game," Swaim said. "There didn't seem to be a lot of rhythm in the game, and when you don't have any rhythm it's hard to get anything going."
Despite the loss, Swaim isn't getting discouraged with his choice to commit to Texas and still thinks the lofty expectations of this team moving forward are well in reach.
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Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is called Bedlam, and it certainly was in OU’s 51-48 overtime victory against its in-state rival.
A thrilling win that led to a memorable atmosphere for in-state recruits who were in attendance.
“That was the best game I’ve seen in person,” said 2014 safety Steven Parker (Jenks, Okla./Jenks), who has offers from both schools.
A thrilling win that led to a memorable atmosphere for in-state recruits who were in attendance.
“That was the best game I’ve seen in person,” said 2014 safety Steven Parker (Jenks, Okla./Jenks), who has offers from both schools.
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From ESPN 150 players such as Eli Woodard, Cam Burrows, Ezekiel Elliott and Trey Johnson to ESPN 300 Ohio State commits such as J.T. Barrett, Jayme Thompson and Michael Hill, it was a memorable weekend at The Horseshoe on Saturday.
ESPN 300 athletes Shelton Gibson and Donovan Munger joined ESPN Watch List juniors like Raekwon McMillan, Jimmy Byrne, Drew Barker, Kyle Trout, Jamarco Jones and Darius West to sing the praises of their most recent visit to Columbus.
ESPN 300 athletes Shelton Gibson and Donovan Munger joined ESPN Watch List juniors like Raekwon McMillan, Jimmy Byrne, Drew Barker, Kyle Trout, Jamarco Jones and Darius West to sing the praises of their most recent visit to Columbus.
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LOS ANGELES -- Four-star cornerback Jalen Ramsey (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy), the No. 48 overall prospect in the ESPN 150, was in town for an unofficial visit over the weekend, taking in his first USC game on Saturday and seeing fellow Trojans commits Su'a Cravens and Chris Hawkins face off in the CIF Southern Section Inland Division semifinals on Friday.
Ramsey, Cravens and Hawkins were joined at the Coliseum by USC verbal commits Nico Falah, Kylie Fitts, Sebastian LaRue and Steven Mitchell. Class of 2014 quarterback Wilton Speight (Richmond, Va./Collegiate School) made the trip west, too.
Meanwhile, Trojans defensive tackle commit Eddie Vanderdoes was also in town, but for an official visit to UCLA.
"Great time....nuff said," Vanderdoes wrote on his Twitter account.
Read more about Ramsey's visit to Los Angeles on WeAreSC.
Ramsey, Cravens and Hawkins were joined at the Coliseum by USC verbal commits Nico Falah, Kylie Fitts, Sebastian LaRue and Steven Mitchell. Class of 2014 quarterback Wilton Speight (Richmond, Va./Collegiate School) made the trip west, too.
Meanwhile, Trojans defensive tackle commit Eddie Vanderdoes was also in town, but for an official visit to UCLA.
"Great time....nuff said," Vanderdoes wrote on his Twitter account.
Read more about Ramsey's visit to Los Angeles on WeAreSC.
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There was not any shortage of news in the Midwest this weekend from ESPN 300 commitments. There were big-time visitor lists, coaching changes and even a few ESPN 150 prospects heading south for official visits.
Darius Latham (Indianapolis/North Central), an ESPN 300 defensive tackle, ended the speculation Sunday night and committed to in-state Indiana. Latham decommitted from Wisconsin last month in favor of the Hoosiers. In Bloomington, Latham will be able to play defensive line instead of offense, which is where most programs feel he will flourish best.
It is a big commitment for Indiana as Kevin Wilson has turned a class that was shaping up to the Big Ten's worst into a class that has the potential to turn the Hoosiers around.
Darius Latham (Indianapolis/North Central), an ESPN 300 defensive tackle, ended the speculation Sunday night and committed to in-state Indiana. Latham decommitted from Wisconsin last month in favor of the Hoosiers. In Bloomington, Latham will be able to play defensive line instead of offense, which is where most programs feel he will flourish best.
It is a big commitment for Indiana as Kevin Wilson has turned a class that was shaping up to the Big Ten's worst into a class that has the potential to turn the Hoosiers around.
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There was another head coaching shakeup in the Pac-12, as Colorado coach Jon Embree was fired on Sunday evening, just one week after Jeff Tedford was let go from his post at California. Offensive linemen Gunnar Graham (Kentfield, Calif./Marin Catholic) and Colin Sutton (Orange, Calif./Lutheran) quickly reaffirmed their commitments to Colorado, as both said they will sign with the Buffs if the new staff allows them to do so.
Cornerback Devin Ross (Mission Hills, Calif./Alemany) is one of Colorado's few verbal commitments who holds a long list of scholarship offers. While he said he would wait to see what happens with the coaching search before making a decision, he added that Embree's departure makes him more likely to look at his other options, with Oregon State and Utah serving as schools he would like to officially visit.
Another player to keep an eye on will be four-star quarterback commit Sefo Liufau (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine), who holds a lone offer from Colorado, but would likely see his recruitment pick up in a big way if he decided to explore other options.
It wasn't a great weekend for UCLA on the field, as they dropped the regular season finale against Stanford, but off of it, the Bruins made a big impression on three recruits that could be huge additions to the UCLA class. The Bruins are doing what they can to bring in an offensive line class that will set the stage for the Jim Mora era at UCLA, and they hope to add four-star offensive guard Caleb Benenoch (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) to their haul. He could prove to be a tough pull out of Texas, but Benenoch hasn't been shy about expressing his admiration for UCLA ever since the Bruins offered. Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (Auburn, Calif./Placer) and athlete Danny Mattingly (Spokane, Wash./Mead) will likely be even tougher pulls away from USC and Notre Dame, respectively, but the Bruins got them both on campus for official visits, which is often half the battle. If USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron does not return to the Trojans, Vanderdoes will likely look for another program, and UCLA could wind up as the beneficiaries after this trip.
Cornerback Devin Ross (Mission Hills, Calif./Alemany) is one of Colorado's few verbal commitments who holds a long list of scholarship offers. While he said he would wait to see what happens with the coaching search before making a decision, he added that Embree's departure makes him more likely to look at his other options, with Oregon State and Utah serving as schools he would like to officially visit.
Another player to keep an eye on will be four-star quarterback commit Sefo Liufau (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine), who holds a lone offer from Colorado, but would likely see his recruitment pick up in a big way if he decided to explore other options.
It wasn't a great weekend for UCLA on the field, as they dropped the regular season finale against Stanford, but off of it, the Bruins made a big impression on three recruits that could be huge additions to the UCLA class. The Bruins are doing what they can to bring in an offensive line class that will set the stage for the Jim Mora era at UCLA, and they hope to add four-star offensive guard Caleb Benenoch (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) to their haul. He could prove to be a tough pull out of Texas, but Benenoch hasn't been shy about expressing his admiration for UCLA ever since the Bruins offered. Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (Auburn, Calif./Placer) and athlete Danny Mattingly (Spokane, Wash./Mead) will likely be even tougher pulls away from USC and Notre Dame, respectively, but the Bruins got them both on campus for official visits, which is often half the battle. If USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron does not return to the Trojans, Vanderdoes will likely look for another program, and UCLA could wind up as the beneficiaries after this trip.
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