NCAA Recruiting Scoop

Just keep reading if you’re a Florida State Seminoles fan. Why, you ask? That’s simple. Just below this story at NCAARecruitingScoop.com you’ll find that Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles also just got a commitment from a big burly back with speed by the name of Tavares. . . Aw heck, just keep reading! It’ll be fun!

Nick Moody is a 6-foot-1, 218 pound outside linebacker from Philadelphia, PA (Roman Catholic High) that runs the 40 in 4.45 seconds. Not bad, huh? But that’s before we mentioned the 65 tackles and four sacks he accrued as a junior in high school last season.

Sounds better than not bad now, doesn’t it? By the way, we did say junior. . . It seems as if a lot of the time when we talk about prospects we forget that these stats were gotten before their supposed best and most mature season.

Altogether, Moody’s measurables and production compelled those at Rivals to rank him at number 91 on the 2008 Rivals 100, number eight on their list of outside linebackers nationwide, and number six on the Pennsylvania Top 40. By the way, he’s also considered the hardest hitting safety in the nation.

But he’s being looked at as an outside linebacker by most college football outfits.

In the end, Moody has already verbally committed to play for the Florida State Seminoles next season. He chose Bobby Bowden’s gang over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami of Florida Hurricanes, Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Temple Owls, Virginia Tech Hokies, and Florida Gators.

How about them Seminoles! They may have just lost to the Florida Gators handily, but they’re still doing an awful good job on the recruiting trail. That Bowden could talk people into trading a Corvette in for a Civic!

It’s just amazing, isn’t it? To think that there are a bunch of college football coaches and scouts interested in a very big, very fast, and very strong running back. Just nuts, isn’t it?

Not!

Tavares Pressley, a 6-foot-1, 215 pound all purpose back from Torrance, California (El Camino Community College) has verbally committed to play for Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden and offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher next season.

That’s right: He wants to play for the Seminoles.

Pressley is a very big and strong back that benches 385 pounds, squats 500 pounds, and possesses an astounding 33 inch vertical leap. Add in his 4.4 speed in the 40 yard dash and it becomes pretty obvious that the Seminoles have got themselves one heck of an athlete. This and some strong play has got Pressley falling in at number 12 in the Rivals 2008 Junior College Top 50.

In the end, Pressley chose Florida State over the Kansas State Wildcats, Ole Miss Rebels (think Orgeron getting fired hurt their chances?), Nebraska Cornhuskers (same thing but just change the name to Callahan), Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon State Beavers, Washington State Cougars, Arizona Wildcats, and Colorado Buffaloes. Will it be a good decision?

You’ve got to think that a big strong back will do well in a Jimbo Fisher offense, no? After all, such backs have always seemed to do well in his offense in the past. By the past, we mean LSU of course. Speaking of the LSU Tigers, you’ve got to wonder if the Michigan rumors are going to hurt Les Miles’ chances of pulling in anymore stellar recruits this season.

Actually, you don’t really have to wonder. Of course they are!

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops doesn’t often find himself mentioned in the race for Rivals 100 prospects. Ryan Bass is an exception to the rule, however, and Stoops is no doubt stoked about that. Maybe not quite as stoked as he was when his Wildcats defeated Oregon, but stoked nevertheless.

Ryan Bass is a 5-foot-10, 186 pound all purpose back from Corona, California (Centennial High School) that runs the 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds. In other words, he’s fast. That said, there are plenty of fast people playing high school football these days.

But most of them haven’t come anywhere near rushing for 2,351 yards as a junior. For that matter, most also didn’t average 8 yards per carry and didn’t score 36 touchdowns on the ground. Thing is, Ryan Bass did.

And that’s why Rivals considers him to be the 89th best prospect in the 2008 high school class. For grins, Bass is also considered the second best all purpose back and the 27th best overall California recruit in the 2008 class.

Not bad, eh?

In the end, Bass has already verbally committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats in 2008. He chose them over the Arizona State Sun Devils, Iowa State Cyclones, Louisville Cardinals, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Ole Miss Rebels, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon State Beavers, and Fresno State Bulldogs.

Not exactly real difficult wondering why Bass didn’t choose the Huskers, is it? Simply put, that coaching situation made it hard for any recruit to take a chance. That said, how fast Nebraska is able to fill the position- and with whom- will go a long way toward determining if they’re able to hold onto some of those that have already committed to play for them.

There are a whole lot of big time teams in the running for Brandon Harris. That said, a betting man would probably figure he stays somewhere relatively close to home. Could Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville convince him to come play for the Tigers in Alabama? It certainly is possible. But not if those rumors continue to swirl about him leaving the Tigers for greener (or browner) pastures at Texas A&M.

Brandon Harris is a 5-foot-10, 174 pound cornerback from Miami, Florida (Booker T. Washington High School) that runs the 40 in 4.45 seconds and possesses a 3.3 GPA. In other words, he’s fast. However, he’s also versatile and productive.

Last season in high school Harris threw seven passes for 200 yards and didn’t miss on one. He also caught 35 passes for 560 yards and 10 touchdowns. Oh yeah, and then there’s defense, which just so happens to be the place most feel he’ll end up in college. How about 32 tackles and a whopping five interceptions?

Those interceptions mean even more when you consider the fact that most teams have no desire whatsoever to throw in his area.

Thus far Harris hasn’t verbally committed to play for anyone next season. The teams on his short list include the Florida Gators, Miami of Florida Hurricanes, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, and University of Central Florida Golden Knights. Earlier the Hurricanes were considered a front runner for his services. But word is he’s unhappy with their play as of recently.

Thus, Harris may choose not to stay that close to home. Don’t be surprised if the Auburn Tigers make a play for him here. They have a great defensive coordinator in Will Muschamp and some turnover at the cornerback position. But the rumors about Tommy Tuberville aren’t dying and will hurt any recruiting efforts on the Tigers part.

Can Texas head coach Mack Brown convince another great player to attend school in Texas? Sure he can. But the reality is that Colorado and head coach Dan Hawkins are beginning to become major players on the recruiting trail as well. And don’t forget about those Missouri Tigers.
Yep, there are just so many scenarios.

Bryce Givens is a 6-foot-6, 257 pound offensive tackle from Denver, Colorado (Mullen High School) that runs the 40 yard dash in 5.1 seconds, is able to bench press a whopping 355 pounds, squats 475 pounds, and possesses a 28 inch vertical leap.

Imagine someone of that size being able to leap 28 inches in the air. Ridiculous.

In addition, Givens is smart as his 3.6 GPA would seem to attest to. Thus, it’s no surprise that he is considered the 86th best 2008 prospect in the nation according to Rivals. Givens is also considered the 12th best offensive tackle in the nation, the second best overall Colorado state prospect, and the fifth most agile offensive tackle recruit in the nation.

In the end, Givens has chosen to offer Nebraska a soft commitment. That’s right: Givens is going to become a Cornhusker, unless of course he jumps ship because of the controversy surrounding head coach Bill Callahan. Actually, a betting man might count on him deciding to go elsewhere as he is still going on visits. The other schools in the running?

How about the Texas Longhorns, Colorado Buffaloes, Missouri Tigers, Florida Gators, Louisville Cardinals, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and Stanford Cardinals.

Don’t be surprised if Givens decides to join the Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Dan Hawkins. Things are looking up for that team and it’s close to home. However, if the Missouri Tigers are able to defeat the Kansas Jayhawks this weekend. . . Well, just stay tuned.

Things aren’t just getting interesting when it comes to the BCS. They’re also getting going on the recruiting trail.

That victory over the Oklahoma Sooners was huge for Texas Tech football and their head coach Mike Leach. Want to know what else would be huge for them? How about convincing Stacey McGee, a big time defensive tackle from Oklahoma, to come play for them. Easier said than done? Maybe. But is sure isn’t impossible now, is it?

Stacey McGee is a 6-foot-5, 255 pound defensive tackle from Muskogee, Oklahoma. Let’s get right down to it. As a sophomore, McGee accrued 91 total tackles with two sacks and two interceptions. But could he put in another year like that as a junior with every prep star keying on him?

How about 87 tackles?

Altogether, this has gotten him all the way to number 83 on the 2008 Rivals 100.

In the end, McGee hasn’t verbally committed to play for anyone in 2008. The schools on his short list include the Arkansas Razorbacks, Kansas State Wildcats, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Tennessee Volunteers, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Recently, the Oklahoma State Cowboys and head coach Mike Gundy became major players in the Stacey McGee contest, as he took a visit to Stillwater. Does that mean he’s going to choose the Cowboys? Not necessarily. Oklahoma is still a player as is Texas Tech. You just have to wonder how much recent play dictates these players decisions. For example, did that Texas Tech victory over Oklahoma do anything for their chances to nab a guy like McGee?

One thing’s for sure. We’ll know by February. By the way, check out what McGee said about himself to Scout:

“I am dominant player that can play both ways, offense or defense. I play offensive guard on offense and I play defensive tackle on defense. The college programs are mainly looking at me for defense.”

Can Dan Hawkins nab the best high school running back in the nation? Betting men would say yes.

In the November 19th issue of The Sporting News, Matt Hayes reported that Darrell Scott, the nation’s number one prep school running back, wants to play with his uncle. For many 2008 prospects, this would be a problem. Fortunately for the Colorado Buffaloes, they so happen to have Scott’s uncle playing for them.

That’s right: Colorado wide receiver Josh Smith, a freshman for the Buffaloes, is Scott’s uncle.

Hayes goes on to write that there are other things pushing the Buffaloes ahead of the other two teams he’s high on- the UCLA Bruins and Florida Gators. The Bruins, unfortunately for head coach Karl Dorrell and recruiting in general, may be switching coaches at the end of this season and that’s never something recruits want to hear. Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer is just fine. However, the fact that Southern California running back Emmanuel Moody recently transferred to the Gators isn’t doing anything for their chances to nab Scott.

Just in case you were wondering what the big deal is on this running back, check out his bio below:

Darrell Scott is a 6 foot, 204 pound running back from Ventura, California (St. Bonaventure High) that runs the 40 in 4.4 and possesses a 3.2 GPA. That all sounds nice: Now here’s what sounds better than nice.

Last season Scott rushed for 3,194 yards and 45 touchdowns, following a sophomore high school season at Moorpark (he transferred to St. Bonaventure for his senior year) where he put up 1,988 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Amazing, huh?

Thus, it’s no wonder that Darrell Scott is considered the fourth best prospect in the entire 2008 class and the best running back overall by many. He’s a powerful runner with great vision and cutback ability that Rivals is saying is the highest profile running back to come out of California since Reggie Bush.

There are several teams beyond the Buffaloes, Bruins, and Gators that are fighting over him including the California Golden Bears, Florida State Seminoles, Southern Cal Trojans, Miami of Florida Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, North Carolina Tar Heels, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Texas Longhorns.

Still, it’s looking like Dan Hawkins and the gang may luck out when it comes to Scott.

Every team could use a 6-foot-6 wide receiver. That said, Jim Leavitt sure is hoping that this one decides to attend school in South Florida. Of course, there’s this guy by the name of Randy Shannon that would just love to have Tommy Streeter stay even closer to home. Check in later to find out what happens.

Tommy Streeter is a 6-foot-6, 200 pound wide receiver from Miami, Florida (Northwestern High School) that runs the 4.5 seconds. Most impressive, however, is the fact that he was able to accrue 57 catches for 804 yards and 14 touchdowns last season as a junior in high school. In other words, Streeter has been productive as a high school player in Florida.

Obviously, Florida high school football is about as competitive as the high school gridiron gets, so that means something.

Thus, when you put it altogether Streeter is considered the 79th best 2008 prospect in the nation according to Rivals and the 36th best prospect in the state of Florida.

In the end, Streeter still has not verbally committed to play anywhere next season. The teams in the running for him include the Miami of Florida Hurricanes- not a real shocker considering where he lives- the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Boston College Eagles, Ole Mississippi Rebels, North Carolina Tar Heels, Pittsburgh Panthers, South Carolina Gamecocks, South Florida Bulls, University of Central Florida Golden Knights, and Florida International Panthers.

By the way, for all of you South Florida fans out there. . . The word is that Streeter is strongly considering becoming a Bull. You just wouldn’t have heard that from a Rivals 100 recruit a few years ago. Amazing how far the South Florida Bulls and head coach Jim Leavitt have come, don’t you think?

You’ve got to figure that it never hurts to invite a big time prospect like Joshua Jarboe to watch a game in Baton Rouge. Along with that, maybe Les Miles could work something about with the cheerleaders. For example, right under the word Tigers they could place Jarboe’s name. On second thought, that’s cheesy for a team of their caliber. No need for something like that: Unless they lose another game this season, that is.

Joshua Jarboe is a 6-foot-3, 195 pound wide receiver from Ellenwood, Georgia (Cedar Grove High School) that runs the 40 in 4.4 seconds and benches 225 pounds. However, it’s starting to seem like there a ton of prospects out there that run the 40 in the 4.4 to 4.5 second range. The good thing about Jarboe, however, is that he’s also been productive in high school.

How about 48 catches for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. By the way, in case you were wondering, that’s a whopping 19.7 yards per catch. Word is that he’s got outstanding hands and is elusive after the catch.

Thus, when you put it altogether it’s hard to be surprised by the fact that Jarboe found his way into the 2008 Rivals 100 at number 78. Further, he’s considered the 18th best wide receiver prospect in the country and the 12th best player in the entire state of Georgia.

Thus far, Jarboe hasn’t verbally committed to play for anyone yet. Some of the schools on his immediate radar include the Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Florida Gators, Louisiana State Tigers, Miami of Florida Hurricanes, Tennessee Volunteers, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Can’t imagine that beating the Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers toward the end of the season has hurt Mark Richt and Georgia’s chances of keeping Jarboe close to home. Then again, the LSU Tigers haven’t exactly been sucking wind either.

Etienne Sabino could’ve verbally committed to the USC Trojans and Pete Carroll just like everyone used to before they started to look human this season. He also could’ve said yes to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish like many of the best 2008 prospects in the nation have already done (maybe the Navy loss didn’t sit well with him). However, instead he chose the number one team in the nation. Go figure.

Etienne Sabino, a 6-foot-3, 222 pound inside linebacker from Miami, Florida (Dr. Krop High School) has verbally committed to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Jim Tressel next season.

Sabino runs the 40 in 4.6 seconds, put up 22 repetitions on the bench press, possesses a vertical leap of 28 inches, and runs the shuttle in 4.2 seconds. In other words, he’s not one of those plodding inside linebackers; this guy can move. Along with this, he managed 131 tackles and eight sacks last season in high school.

That’s right: 131 tackles.

When you put all of the aforementioned together you get the 49th best 2008 high school prospect in the country according to Rivals. However, you also get the best inside linebacker prospect in the nation, the 10th best state of Florida prospect, and the fourth best run stopping linebacker in the country.

Tressel, a defensive guru, has got to be loving this pickup. Along with this, Sabino could’ve gone almost anywhere. That said, the other schools in the running were the Southern California Trojans, Tennessee Volunteers, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Miami of Florida Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Hurricanes have always done well in Miami. You’ve got to figure that Randy Shannon is more than a little annoyed that this guy got away.

Did Nick Saban lose out on Charles Mitchell when the Tide fell short against LSU this past Saturday? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Unless you know a recruit personally it’s really hard to read how each game may or may not impact things. Speaking of Charles Mitchell. . .

Charles Mitchell is a 5-foot-11, 190 pound cornerback from Clarksdale, Mississippi (Clarksdale High School) that runs the 40 in 4.58 seconds, benches 245 pounds, squats 335 pounds, and possesses a 39 inch vertical leap. Yep, that’s not a misprint.

Mitchell can leap 39 inches in the air.

Though he is listed as a cornerback by Rivals, the reality is that Charles Mitchell could end up playing running back just as easily at the college level. Still, he is considered the 7th best 2008 cornerback prospect in the land, the second best prospect in all of Mississippi, and the third most athletic cornerback prospect in the 2008 class.

Even so, as a running back Mitchell managed to rush for 1,151 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Taken together, he’s considered the 82nd best overall 2008 prospect in the nation.

Lucky for the schools on his short list, Mitchell has not yet committed to play for anyone in 2008. The team in the running include the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs, and Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.

You’ve got to wonder what LSU’s recent come from behind victory did for their chances to take Mitchell. At the very least, the loss may have hurt the Tide’s chances.

Then again, when it comes to recruiting, you never really know if one game or anything else will make the slightest bit of difference. That’s why these recruiting wars are so fun to watch unfold.

Nobody can say that Demetrius Byrd wasn’t one of Les Miles’ recruits. In other words, recruiting is doing just fine without Nick Saban. By the way, so are the Tigers as one could easily see during Saturday’s win over their former coach.

Demetrius Byrd, That was then: Demetrius Byrd was a four star wide receiver prospect from Poplarville, Mississippi that attended Pearl River Community College. Listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds just last season, he was timed running the 40 in 4.4 seconds.

However, it was his production that had college football teams taking a long look at him. After all, last season Demetrius Byrd caught 42 balls for 703 yards and seven touchdowns. And remember, that was against junior college competition, not high school.

Altogether, his measurables and performance had recruitnicks believing that he was the 25th best junior college prospect in the country.

In the end, Byrd chose to play and attend school at LSU. He chose the Tigers over the Louisville Cardinals, Ole Miss Rebels, Florida International Golden Panthers, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida State Seminoles and Iowa State Cyclones.

Demeterius Byrd, This is now: During LSU’s 41-34 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on November, 3, 2007, wide receiver Demetrius Byrd caught six passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. A great day, no doubt. However, it’s the touchdown that made the biggest waves.

Staring at a 10 point deficit and a crazed Alabama crowd, Demetrius Byrd and LSU quarterback Matt Flynn hooked up for a 61 yard touchdown pass that brought the Tigers within striking distance and silenced the masses. It was the first step in another comeback for a team used to doing that.

What’s more, it kept LSU’s national championship hopes alive. Think the Tigers are glad that they ended up getting Byrd? Well, his 443 yards receiving and four touchdowns on the season would appear to say a whopping yes.

2006 Miss America Jennifer Berry is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Thought you might want to know. That fact probably didn’t have anything to do with Jeff Fuller’s decision to attend the school. Even so, this was a chance to put up a picture of someone other than a coach.

Jeff Fuller is a 6-foot-2, 202 pound wide receiver from McKinney, Texas (Boyd High School) that runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds, benches 265 pounds, squats 370 pounds, and possesses a 36 inch vertical leap. Fuller also reports a 3.65 GPA and a score of 1200 on his SAT’s.

In other words, he’s a big, strong wide receiver with a whole heckuva lot of smarts.

Last season, Fuller caught 27 balls for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Based mostly on his potential, Fuller currently falls in on the 2008 Rivals 100 at number 81. In addition, he’s considered the 12th best wide receiver in the nation and 13th best Texas prospect in the 2008 class.

Lucky for head coach Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners, Jeff Fuller has already verbally committed to play for them next season. He chose the Sooners over the Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, Florida Gators, Michigan Wolverines, and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Looks like Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is going to have a good one to throw to in the coming years. Think those recruiting penalties regarding Bomar and the like really hurt the Sooners? Me neither.

After all, these are the Oklahoma Sooners. Barring a huge penalty, kids are simply going to want to play for them.

We’re kind of getting tired of singing head coach Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes’ praises on the recruiting trail. Then again, if we weren’t singing their praises all the time, it would just be someone else.

J.B. Shugarts is a 6-foot-7, 299 pound offensive tackle from Klein, Texas (Klein High School) that runs the 40 in 5.12 seconds, can put up 25 repetitions on the bench press, possesses a 26 inch vertical leap, and ran the shuttle in 4.61 seconds. In other words, he’s awful big and pretty athletic for someone his size. Not to mention, he has great feet, long arms, and is as tough as they come.

Now imagine what this 80th ranked overall 2008 prospect might have been able to accomplish had he been able to concentrate on only one position in high school. That’s right: Shugarts also played a little tight end for Klein, which is probably why he’s considered the third best athlete on the offensive line in the 2008 class. Beyond that, here are a couple of other numbers.

Shugarts is considered the 10th best tackle in the nation and 11th best prospect from the state of Texas. There, now we’ve said it all. Well, not quite.

You see, J.B. Shugarts has already verbally committed to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes next season. He chose them over the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies, Virginia Tech Hokies, Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and LSU Tigers.

Not bad company to keep, now is it? Maybe the Florida Gators beat the Ohio State Buckeyes last season in the BCS National Championship Game, but they couldn’t out duel them when it came to J.B. Shugarts.

That could mean something in a few years.

The cheerleaders seen above haven’t had a whole lot to celebrate recently. But if they end up reading this bio, maybe it will give them hope that things will be changing for the better real soon.

We here at NCAA Recruiting Scoop kind of felt like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish needed a boost after losing to the Navy Midshipmen for the first time in 43 years. Thus, we thought we’d back up our Omar Hunter recruiting bio with another Notre Dame commit by the name of Michael Floyd.

Michael Floyd is a 6-foot-3, 195 pound wide receiver from St. Paul, Minnesota (Cretin-Derham Hall) that runs the 40 in 4.55 seconds and possesses a 3.2 GPA. Pretty nice, huh?

But then you realize that Floyd caught 63 balls for 1,240 yards and 16 touchdowns last season in high school, and that pretty nice turns into something else.

Damn impressive, that’s what. Not to mention, Floyd also managed to rush for 280 yards on only 12 carries (a whopping 23.3 average per rush). Thus, when it’s all said and done, Floyd falls in at number 79 on the 2008 Rivals 100 for these reasons and more.

Just for kicks, we also kind of figured you’d want to know that he’s considered the 11th best wide receiver in the 2008 class and the best high school football prospect in the entire state of Minnesota.

In the end, as was mentioned earlier, Michael Floyd has already verbally committed to play for the Irish in 2008. He chose them over the Ohio State Buckeyes, Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Gators, Iowa Hawkeyes, Louisville Cardinals, Miami of Florida Hurricanes, Michigan Wolverines, and Minnesota Golden Gophers.

So there’s something for Notre Dame fans to hang their hat on. Head coach Charlie Weis will eventually right the ship, and Michael Floyd will likely be a part of the resurgence.