Five-star LB Foster starts fresh
ESPN RecruitingNation
Life should be great for LB Reuben Foster. He's a five-star prospect, ranked No. 2 in the ESPN 150 and been an Alabama commit since June.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
-
ESPN The Magazine subscribers
-
Need more information?
ESPN 150 commits by teams
2. Reuben Foster, ILB; 43. O.J. Howard, TE-H; 54. Altee Tenpenny, RB; 76. Tyren Jones, RB; 143. Andy Dodd, OG; 146. ArDarius Stewart, ATH
5. Carl Lawson, DE; 8. Dee Liner, DT; 122. Earnest Robinson, WR; 134. Trey Johnson, ILB
106. Chris Johnson, QB-DT
73. Dorian O'Daniel, OLB; 124. Ben Boulware, ILB
18. Caleb Brantley, DT; 22. Kelvin Taylor, RB; 38. Daniel McMillian, OLB; 44. Ahmad Fulwood, WR; 58. Nick Washington, S; 64. Keanu Neal, S; 109. Quinton Powell, OLB
35. Maquedius Bain, DT; 40. Austin Golson, OT; 108. Tony Stevens, WR
45. Derrick Henry, ATH; 47. Tramel Terry, ATH; 86. Shaq Wiggins, CB; 110. Brice Ramsey, QB; 116. Tray Matthews, S; 148. Johnny O'Neal, ILB
70. Keith Bryant, DT; 131. Standish Dobard, TE-H
37. Shane Morris, QB; 63. Gareon Conley, CB; 75. Mike McCray II, OLB; 92. David Dawson, OG; 97. Logan Tuley-Tillman, OT; 98. Dymonte Thomas, ATH; 105. Chris Fox, OT; 107. Jourdan Lewis, CB; 112. Kyle Bosch, OG; 115. Taco Charlton, DE; 121. Patrick Kugler, OG
91. Colin McGovern, OT; 95. Hunter Bivin, OT
113. Matt Alviti, QB-DT
12. Eli Woodard, CB; 21. Cam Burrows, CB; 55. Jalin Marshall, ATH; 127. Marcus Baugh, TE-Y; 142. Evan Lisle, OT
29. Greg Bryant, RB; 36. Keith Ford, RB; 93. D.J. Ward, DE
81. Thomas Tyner, RB
11. Christian Hackenberg, QB; 39. Adam Breneman, TE-Y; 123. Greg Webb, DT
17. Ryan Burns, QB; 132. Isaac Savaiinaea, ILB
7. Ricky Seals-Jones, WR; 9. Tyrone Swoopes, QB-DT; 19. Darius James, C; 78. Jake Raulerson, OT; 87. Kent Perkins, OT; 111. Jacorey Warrick, WR; 133. A'Shawn Robinson, DT
28. Derrick Griffin, TE-H; 50. LaQuvionte Gonzalez, ATH; 51. Kohl Stewart, QB; 101. Joas Aguilar, OG; 103. Jamar Gibson, WR
140. Dashon Hunt, CB
10. Kenny Bigelow, DT; 13. Max Browne, QB; 69. Chris Hawkins, CB; 90. Kylie Fitts, DE
117. Holland Fisher, OLB
Notes from around the ESPN 150
There aren't any five-star prospects in the East region, but there is plenty of talent, especially for programs looking for a QB.
Three of the 12 signal-callers in the initial ESPN 150 -- No. 11 Christian Hackenberg (Richmond, Va./Fork Union Military Academy), No. 17 Ryan Burns (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) and No. 77 Kevin Olsen (Wayne, N.J./Hills) -- are from the East.
Interestingly, the region's four highest-rated prospects are already committed. Defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow (Elkton, Md./Eastern Christian Academy), No. 10 in the ESPN 150, committed to USC in November. Hackenberg committed to Penn State in February. Cornerback Eli Woodard (Vorhees, N.J./Eastern) No. 12, committed to Ohio State in February. Burns committed to Stanford in March. The highest-rated undecided prospect is receiver Robert Foster (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), who is No. 23 in the 150 and has offers from Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State and many others.
Virginia and Pennsylvania are the most talented states with seven prospects on the ESPN 150, followed by New Jersey with five and Maryland with three. The most talented school is Olney (Md.) Good Counsel which showcases cornerback Kendall Fuller and linebacker Dorian O'Daniel.
-- Dave Hooker
• For more on East recruiting from Dave Hooker, check out the East blog. ![]()
Midlands: Texas prospects lead the way
The initial ESPN 150 tends to favor the Southeast region near the top, but throughout the list, the Midlands region is well represented with high-profile players.
As expected, players from Texas lead the way for the Midlands region. Nineteen players from the Lone Star State are in the 150, led by a trio of future Texas Longhorns in five-star receiver Ricky Seals-Jones (Sealy, Texas/Sealy), who is No. 7 overall, dual-threat quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (Whitewright, Texas/Whitewright), who is No. 9, and center Darius James (Harker Heights, Texas/Harker Heights), who is No. 19. All three are the highest ranked players at their respective positions and the Longhorns have seven commits from ESPN 150 prospects.
Five players have committed to Texas A&M, led by receiver/tight end Derrick Griffin (Rosenberg, Texas/Terry), who is No. 28 in the rankings.
Eight players are still undecided, including athlete Dontre Wilson (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto) and defensive tackle Justin Manning (Dallas/Kimball). Wilson and Manning are Nos. 53 and 85, respectively.
The three non-Texans in the ESPN 150 from the region are defensive end D.J. Ward (Lawton, Okla./Lawton) at No. 93, offensive tackle Chris Fox (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa) at No. 105 and defensive end Jamone Boyd (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit West) at No. 141. Fox has verbally committed to Michigan.
-- Damon Sayles
• For more on Midlands recruiting from Damon Sayles, check out the Midlands blog. ![]()
Midwest: Best year in recent memory
The Midwest can beam with pride with the release of the ESPN 150, as the region is bucking normal Midwest trends. Often considered a region lacking in talent, the Midwest saw a 50 percent increase in the number of prospects on the ESPN 150, growing its number to 18 from 12 a year ago with CB Cam Burrows (Trotwood, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison), who is ranked No. 21, leading the way.
And unlike last year when eight of the 12 ESPN 150 members were linemen, the linemen were outnumbered in 2013 by skill positions eight to 10.
It was a strong year for the state of Ohio, too, which partly explains why Michigan and Ohio State have combined for 16 ESPN 150 commitments already. The Buckeye State has seven prospects on the ESPN 150 after having five the past two classes and just two in 2010.
-- Jared Shanker
• For more on Midwest recruiting from Jared Shanker, check out the Midwest blog. ![]()
Southeast: Defense dominates
Defense is the theme coming out of the Southeast. Led by five-star defensive end Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson), who is No. 1 in the rankings, four of the top eight prospects are from the Southeast.
The nation's top two defensive ends -- Nkemdiche and Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton's Carl Lawson -- the top D-tackle -- Muscle Shoal (Ala.) High School's Dee Liner -- and top linebacker -- Auburn (Ala.) High School's Reuben Foster -- come from the region.
While Florida, California and Texas are widely considered the big three states when it comes to recruiting, Georgia staked its claim to make it a big four this year. While Florida has the most prospects in the nation with 30, Georgia adds 16 prospects to the list. To put how talented Georgia is this year in perspective, it has more 150 prospects than California (14) and just three fewer than Texas (19).
-- Jamie Newberg
• For more on Southeast recruiting from Jamie Newberg, check out the Southeast blog. ![]()
Florida: Top state for prospects again
With 30 prospects in the ESPN 150, Florida covers nearly 20 percent of the rankings and is once again loaded with defensive backs, running backs, wide receivers and defensive linemen.
Lake City (Fla.) Columbia offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil is the top-rated player in the state and has been on the radar since his sophomore season. Tunsil's biggest test actually came the summer before his sophomore year, back when he when battled 2011 ESPN 150 and current Florida State DT Tim Jernigan in practice every day. The 6-6, 285-pound Tunsil admittedly took his lumps from Jernigan that summer, but has been dishing it out to every defensive lineman he's faced since.
The wide receiver battle is one that will be really interesting to watch for the next several months. Oakland Park Northeast's Stacy Coley (No. 30) and Davie University School's Jordan Cunningham (No. 32) are the tops in the state, but Seffner Armwood's Alvin Bailey (No. 49, listed as an athlete) has been the most productive of the bunch and Tampa Bay Tech's Richard Benjamin (No. 102) could be the most talented but needs to be more consistent.
-- Corey Long
For more on Florida recruiting from Corey Long, check out the Southeast blog. ![]()
West: DBs strength of the region
It may be called the secondary, but it's the primary strength on the West Coast for the Class of 2013, as six defensive backs are listed in the initial ESPN 150. As much as the offensive line class shone last year, this group of safeties and cornerbacks could put up a challenge. The defensive back talent in the area the past few years has been good, but this group is on another level. The collection of recruits offers plenty of versatility as well, as several players shine at multiple defensive positions and help their high school teams on offense, as well.
It starts up top with Su'a Cravens -- No. 15 overall and the No. 1 safety -- but cornerback Chris Hawkins (No. 69) and safeties Priest Willis (No. 62) and Tahaan Goodman (No. 128) have already made statements this spring, earning invitations to Nike's The Opening.
-- Erik McKinney
• Here's more on recruiting out west, specifically as it relates to USC, from Erik McKinney, check out WeAreSC.com.
RecruitingNation 411
Must-see links
You must be signed in to post a comment