So as many of you know, I am an announcer at my old high school in Virginia Beach. Last night Kellam played Ocean Lakes in basketball. Ocean Lakes is the high school of Tennessee football and track commitment Justin Hunter.
I was announcing the football game between Kellam and Ocean Lakes when he caught 3 huge touchdown passes. Now I finally got to see him up close sitting at the announcer's table while he played basketball. I had joked with the Kellam players earlier in the week to go ahead and win but try not to hurt Hunter (they all know I am a UT grad). They got a laugh out of it and said they will do their best.
Anyway, the first thing I noticed about him is that he is very thin. Yes I like that he is 6'4" and is very quick, but I think he will have to spend some time in the weight room and get stronger if he is going to be able to battle for balls in traffic in the SEC. I do not know how that will effect his leaping ability for track and field, but for football it is a priority.
What impressed me the most was his crazy leaping ability. He really got up above the rim on the two dunks he had in the game, however, basketball is definitely his third best sport as he could not sink a free throw to save his life and Kellam won the game 50-44.
I do think Tennessee has a great player in Hunter and will be a huge help for the Volunteers in both football and track and field.
Another name I want everyone to remember is Kellam basketball player Ramone Snowden. He is just a freshman and only 14 years old, but plays like a senior and at 6'5" 200 lbs (and still growing) he looks like one too. I am not a big fan of these scouting services that are ranking high school freshman, but he is near the top of those lists.
It will be fun to watch Snowden's progress from up close.
Showing posts with label recruiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recruiting. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tennessee's Signing Day 2010
I have never been the biggest fan of recruiting. I know it is essential to the college football process, but I think it gets a little out of hand.
Take for example New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. He was the Texas 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1996 and led his team to a 16-0 record and state championship, but was not recruited heavily by the big Texas schools mostly because he was too short. Instead he went to Purdue where he set all kinds of school and Big Ten records, and led the Boilermakers to the 2001 Rose Bowl. Still his draft stock took a hit because of the belief that he was again too short, lack of arm strength and was a system quarterback. Now here he is taking the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl!
Nevertheless, new Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley did a fabulous job on the recruiting trail with less three weeks on the job. Dooley was able to keep many of the Tennessee commitments that had been recruited by Lane Kiffin before he skipped town, and was also able to add some big names of his own.
The biggest story out of Knoxville is the possible return of "Wide Receiver U." Tennessee landed two great receiver prospects in Justin Hunter of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Da'Rick Rogers of Calhoun, Georgia. According to Rivals.com, Hunter was the No. 8 WR prospect overall and Rogers was the No. 1 prospect in the entire state of Georgia, which I am sure does not make Mark Richt happy.
Along with early-enrollees Matt Milton and Ted Meline the group of receivers Dooley and former coach Lane Kiffin collected could be the envy of college football. And it could have been even better if Kiffin hadn't taken former UT commit Markeith Ambles with him to Southern California.
Tennessee also got some help shoring up some holes on both lines. Ja'Wuan James and James Stone are both top ten offensive tackle prospects, and Corey Miller and Jacques Smith are great defensive end prospects, which has to make new Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox excited. With potential starting quarterback Nick Stephens heading into his senior season, it was a plus to get Tyler Bray onto campus early so the Vols can have a solid backup to start the season.
The biggest miss from this class is at defensive tackle. Losing J.C. Copeland to LSU on signing day was a killer. However, Dooley did a great job at getting Tennessee a top ten recruiting class in less than three weeks. No matter who is coaching Tennessee, a few huge recruiting factors remain the same. Neyland Stadium still seats over 100,000, the facilities are state of the art, you play in the best football conference, all the traditions are still there, and you get to play for the greatest fans in college football!
For a complete list of Tennessee's commitments, check them out here
Take for example New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. He was the Texas 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1996 and led his team to a 16-0 record and state championship, but was not recruited heavily by the big Texas schools mostly because he was too short. Instead he went to Purdue where he set all kinds of school and Big Ten records, and led the Boilermakers to the 2001 Rose Bowl. Still his draft stock took a hit because of the belief that he was again too short, lack of arm strength and was a system quarterback. Now here he is taking the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl!
Nevertheless, new Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley did a fabulous job on the recruiting trail with less three weeks on the job. Dooley was able to keep many of the Tennessee commitments that had been recruited by Lane Kiffin before he skipped town, and was also able to add some big names of his own.
The biggest story out of Knoxville is the possible return of "Wide Receiver U." Tennessee landed two great receiver prospects in Justin Hunter of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Da'Rick Rogers of Calhoun, Georgia. According to Rivals.com, Hunter was the No. 8 WR prospect overall and Rogers was the No. 1 prospect in the entire state of Georgia, which I am sure does not make Mark Richt happy.
Along with early-enrollees Matt Milton and Ted Meline the group of receivers Dooley and former coach Lane Kiffin collected could be the envy of college football. And it could have been even better if Kiffin hadn't taken former UT commit Markeith Ambles with him to Southern California.
Tennessee also got some help shoring up some holes on both lines. Ja'Wuan James and James Stone are both top ten offensive tackle prospects, and Corey Miller and Jacques Smith are great defensive end prospects, which has to make new Tennessee defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox excited. With potential starting quarterback Nick Stephens heading into his senior season, it was a plus to get Tyler Bray onto campus early so the Vols can have a solid backup to start the season.
The biggest miss from this class is at defensive tackle. Losing J.C. Copeland to LSU on signing day was a killer. However, Dooley did a great job at getting Tennessee a top ten recruiting class in less than three weeks. No matter who is coaching Tennessee, a few huge recruiting factors remain the same. Neyland Stadium still seats over 100,000, the facilities are state of the art, you play in the best football conference, all the traditions are still there, and you get to play for the greatest fans in college football!
For a complete list of Tennessee's commitments, check them out here
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tennessee Lands Virginia Beach Star
Tennessee has been able to land some really great players from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. A few Tennessee Volunteer legends you might have heard of from the Tidewater area include: Jerod Askew, who red shirted this year but I think will be a great linebacker, Jerod Mayo, 2008 AP Defensive rookie of the year for the Patriots, Todd Kelly, 1992 Team Captain and All-SEC, Frank Emanuel, 1965 All-American and 2004 College Football Hall of Fame, Ed Beard, C.J. Fayton, Mark Adams, and Steve DeLong, All-American 1963-64, and Outland Trophy Winner 1964.
Another top player from Hampton Roads is heading to Rocky Top, from Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Justin Hunter. Hunter originally committed to LSU last spring but has changed his mind and is headed to Tennessee.
Hunter is 6 foot 4 and 185 pounds and can catch the football, which I got to see first hand. I was announcing at Kellam (my old high school) when Ocean Lakes came to play this past fall and Hunter led Ocean Lakes to a win with eight catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
This is a big gain for Tennessee and a strong start for new head coach Derek Dooley. Hunter said he felt much more comfortable and more trusting with Dooley than with the other Tennessee coach.
It is also a win for the Tennessee track team. Hunter is one of the nation's best in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump.
While I will always cheer for the Vols no matter where they are from, it is great to have another player from my hometown on Rocky Top.
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