Rockerbraves Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Southeast's top prospect among uncommitted stars With National Signing Day on Wednesday, deadline approaching for undecided recruits Sunday, February 04, 2007 By NEAL McCREADY Sports Reporter Don't bother calling Joe McKnight this weekend. He's not taking your calls. Don't try to go to McKnight's house to look for a clue to which school he's going to sign with on Wednesday. He's almost certainly not there. Don't try to get to the star running back from River Ridge, La., by logging onto his MySpace.com page. His message there reads, "I'm almost there," and that's all he's saying. As an aside, if you'd like to see the comical -- pathetic, perhaps? -- side of college football recruiting, check out McKnight's MySpace.com page (www.myspace.com/joeshowtime4 ) and look at the messages left for him from fans of some of the schools that he's considering. McKnight, the top-ranked player on the Press-Register's Super Southeast 120, visited with LSU coach Les Miles and Southern California coach Pete Carroll on Thursday, then spent part of Friday with Ole Miss assistant Frank Wilson before essentially going into hiding for the remainder of the weekend. McKnight said Friday he'll sign with LSU, USC or Ole Miss on National Signing Day. Beyond that, he's giving no hints. John Curtis Christian School coach J.T. Curtis told the Press-Register Friday that McKnight will make his announcement at 11 a.m. Wednesday on one of the ESPN networks. Curtis said rumors of a McKnight trip to Alabama this weekend are inaccurate. "Alabama did a great job with him," Curtis said Friday afternoon. "He told the Alabama coaches Thursday that he was through visiting, and they indicated they would respect that." Curtis did point out that McKnight saw Alabama's facilities during the fall when the Patriots trekked to Alabama to face Hoover High School, and he would not rule out the possibility that McKnight would sign with the Crimson Tide. Most recruiting experts, however, believe McKnight will sign with USC or LSU, though Curtis said Ole Miss "is definitely in it." McKnight, who is also ranked No. 1 on the ESPN 150, is one of 20 uncommitted players on the Super Southeast 120. Other uncommitted players include: -- North Fort Myers, Fla., running back Noel Devine (No. 4), who will likely spend next season at a preparatory school, is considering Alabama, West Virginia and possibly Florida State. -- Darien, Ga., defensive end Allen Bailey (No. 10) has narrowed his list to Florida and Miami. -- Belle Glade, Fla., wide receiver Deonte Thompson (No. 15) has narrowed his choices to Florida, Miami, Ohio State and Southern Cal. -- McGill-Toolen defensive end Sidell Corley (No. 16) is at LSU this weekend. Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee are also in the mix for his signature. -- Baton Rouge, La., defensive back Chad Jones (No. 19), a top baseball prospect, is expected to choose LSU. -- Sterlington, La., wide receiver Ahmad Paige (No. 28) is wrapping up an official visit to Southern Cal today. Florida and Tennessee are the Trojans' competition for his services. -- Reserve, La., safety Stefoin Francois (No. 29) is deciding between LSU and Florida State. -- UMS-Wright wide receiver Brandon Gibson (No. 43) favors Alabama over Auburn and could announce a decision soon. -- Alcoa, Tenn., defensive end Rae Sykes (No. 49) will sign with Florida State or Tennessee on Wednesday. -- Jacksonville, Fla., linebacker Brandon Hicks (No. 79) will choose between Florida or Miami on Wednesday -- Williamson offensive lineman Nick Fairley (No. 80) favors Auburn over Alabama, though he could be a sign-and-place candidate. -- Oxford, Miss., linebacker Johnathan Frink (No. 85) is wrapping up an official visit to Air Force today. Ole Miss continues to lead for his services, though Stanford and Indiana are strong contenders. -- Tallahassee, Fla., athlete Brandon Paul (No. 91) is on an official visit to Miami this weekend. Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Tennessee are in the mix for his services. -- Memphis, Tenn., wide receiver Roderick Davis (No. 95), a late bloomer whose stock has soared in recent weeks, is on an official visit to Tuscaloosa this weekend. Ole Miss appears to be the team to beat for his signature. -- Nashville, Tenn. wide receiver Rashod Mason (No. 97), another late bloomer, is also considering Ole Miss, though North Carolina appears to be his leader. Kentucky and Michigan are also in the game. -- Miami running back Antwain Easterling (No. 103) took an official visit to Southern Mississippi late last week, then was scheduled to fly to Minnesota Saturday for a one-night official visit. Rutgers leads for Easterling's speedy services. -- Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., linebacker Josh Bynes (No. 117) has narrowed his choices to Auburn and Louisville. -- Hollywood, Fla., defensive end Jabaal Sheard (No. 120) is taking an official visit to Arizona State this weekend. Auburn, Rutgers and Pittsburgh also are contending for his signature. These players' decisions could cause some fluctuation in recruiting rankings. However, several Southeastern Conference programs appear poised to have top-10 or top-20 recruiting campaigns. Florida, with 14 commitments from the Super Southeast 120, was ranked No. 1 nationally as of Saturday by Rivals.com and Scout.com. The Gators' 14 commitments are the most on the Super Southeast 120. Auburn entered the weekend with 12 commitments from the list. LSU had eight, while Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina had six each. Ole Miss and Georgia Tech had six commitments each, while Tennessee and Notre Dame had five apiece. Miami had four and Arkansas and Mississippi State had three each. North Carolina, Illinois, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Kentucky, Michigan, Florida State, Virginia, Louisville and Itawamba (Miss.) Community College had one each. Tennessee entered the weekend ranked No. 2 by Rivals and No. 3 by Scout. LSU and South Carolina were ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, by both publications. Rivals ranked Georgia No. 8, while Scout ranked the Bulldogs No. 16 as of Saturday. Auburn was ranked ninth by Rivals and 10th by Scout, while Alabama was ranked 13th by Rivals and 28th by Scout. Ole Miss entered the final weekend ranked 17th by Rivals and 24th by Scout. -- TIGERS CLOSING THINGS OUT: Auburn appears to be in the lead for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., defensive end Antoine Carter. Florida State and Ole Miss are the Tigers' competition for the Dillard High School standout. Baton Rouge, La., defensive end Frank Alexander is leaning to Auburn over Oklahoma and Miami, while Eufala athlete Jerrel Jernigan -- currently committed to Troy -- is awaiting an Auburn offer and has indicated he'll commit to the Tigers if one is forthcoming. Auburn is concerned that Hoover defensive tackle Josh Chapman could renege on his commitment to the Tigers and sign with Alabama Wednesday. Chapman is ranked No. 86 on the Super Southeast 120. -- TIDE TRYING TO CLOSE STRONG: Nick Saban and Co. entered the final weekend with work to do. Besides trying to turn Davis to Alabama, the Tide is working hard to change Rolando Melancon's mind. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive tackle from Lutcher, La., is ranked No. 23 on the Super Southeast 120. He committed to Tennessee earlier in the recruiting season. "I am as solid to Tennessee as I can be, though," Melancon told Scout.com. "I don't think just 'cause I am going up to Tuscaloosa they can do that much to change my mind. I don't think I will change my mind. I believe I am a Vol, but who knows? I am just going to see what's up." Baker athlete Ken Dailey, a 6-2, 192-pounder who missed all but two games of his junior and senior seasons with knee injuries, will likely commit to Alabama if the Tide offers this weekend. Dailey is also considering Southern Miss. Spartanburg, S.C., wide receiver Markish Jones is in Tuscaloosa this weekend. He'll sign with Alabama, Clemson, Florida State or Kentucky. Advertisement College Park, Ga., defensive end Jeremy Elder canceled a visit to Arkansas and traveled to Tuscaloosa instead. Georgia is also under consideration by Elder. Alabama could also land a commitment from Nettleton, Miss., wide receiver Jeremy Word if the Tide offers him a scholarship during his official visit this weekend. Other players possibly on Alabama's recruiting board include Coffeeville, Miss., running back/wide receiver Lee Chambers; Charlotte, N.C., defensive end Kourtnie Brown; Wheaton, Md., linebacker Pat Lazear; Birmingham athlete Marquis Maze; and Batesville, Miss., fullback Jeramie Griffin. Chambers, who backed out of a commitment to Mississippi State, is also considering Miami. Brown, who committed to Alabama during the fall, is considering Clemson and North Carolina. Lazear and four friends were arrested on May 18 for their role in an armed robbery in Bethesda, Md. The 6-foot, 229-pounder allegedly drove the getaway car after his friends held up a Smoothie King. Charges against Lazear were eventually reduced to a misdemeanor. West Virginia, Ohio State and possibly Alabama are believed to be interested. Maze, a Tarrant High standout, favors Alabama over Tennessee. Griffin, a former Ole Miss commitment, is considering Alabama and Mississippi State. Griffin is not expected to meet academic requirements. -- LSU WAITS ON 'BIG DOGS': Hempstead, Texas, wide receiver Terrance Toliver, ranked by some recruiting services as the nation's top wideout, is deciding between LSU and Florida. Dallas safety Christian Scott, meanwhile, favors LSU over Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. -- WILLIAMS A SOONER: New Orleans offensive tackle Alex Williams, a 6-6, 295-pounder who didn't play as a junior because of Hurricane Katrina, committed to Oklahoma Saturday. Williams, who had committed to Ole Miss last summer, also considered Michigan State. -- BREAUX SETTLES ON REBELS: New Orleans wide receiver Lionel Breaux, ranked No. 118 on the Super Southeast 120, canceled his scheduled official visit to LSU Friday and firmed up his commitment to Ole Miss. Breaux also had considered Alabama. Breaux's brother, Delvin, is committed to LSU. "Our family has made the decision that Ole Miss is the best place for him," Breaux's mother, Juanita Barkley, told Scout.com. "Lionel has visited several schools now and he just feels like Ole Miss has everything he was looking for. We are very excited for him. It is going to be a special day for our family Wednesday. We have one going to Ole Miss and one going to LSU. They have been ribbing each other." -- POWE TO SIGN WITH OLE MISS -- AGAIN: Former Waynesboro, Miss., defensive tackle Jerrell Powe, who was the subject of a heated court/NCAA battle last year, will sign with Ole Miss on Wednesday. Powe, according to the (Memphis) Commercial-Appeal, is on course to qualify, though the NCAA Clearinghouse must approve his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerbraves Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Recent Verbal Commits to LSU -- McGill-Toolen defensive end Sidell Corley (No. 16) is at LSU this weekend. Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee are also in the mix for his signature. -- Reserve, La., safety Stefoin Francois (No. 29) is deciding between LSU and Florida State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/...mark&id=2756308 based on what I'm reading, Florida is unlikely to repeat next year. However, the year after that could be a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 I think a Gator v. USC BCS title game would be a great thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerbraves Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 I think a Gator v. USC BCS title game would be a great thing... Coffeeman congrats to USC for getting Joe McKnight. You guys are putting together one heck of a recruiting class. The joke around here is that McKnight preferred to play against those weak PAC 10 defenses. Really can't blame him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Coffeeman congrats to USC for getting Joe McKnight. You guys are putting together one heck of a recruiting class. The joke around here is that McKnight preferred to play against those weak PAC 10 defenses. Really can't blame him. We got him?! Hot damn! They say he's the next Reggie Bush, so that exciting, if he (and his family) stays out of the $ trouble... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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