January 20 Notebook
January 20, 2005 03:17 PM | General
January 20, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- With football signing day less than two weeks away, the so-called recruiting experts have Nebraska ranked No. 1 right now with Tennessee and USC running a close second. If the Vols can finish strong it could have its first No. 1-rated recruiting class since Coach Phil Fulmer’s 1994 signing group was headlined by quarterback Peyton Manning.
As it turned out, more than a third of Tennessee’s No. 1-rated recruiting class that year wound up leaving school early or never making it to Knoxville in the first place. Now does that constitute the country’s best recruiting class?
Former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, who chased high school prospects for 37 years, believes fans are being duped by these so-called recruiting experts.
“These gurus out there … they rate classes and they do this and they do that,” Nehlen said. “A football coach is expected to win and he’s expected to be in the top 10 in the recruiting (rankings).
“How in the world would (a recruiting guru) who works at this company have any idea how good this quarterback is in Cleveland, Ohio?” Nehlen asked. “Give me a break. It’s tough enough for a coaching staff to go into a school and talk to the coach, look at film, and try to judge. That’s a hard job right there, let alone some guy who hears from this guy or that guy that this kid is a great player.”
On signing day (Feb. 2), MSNsportsNET.com will attempt to detail the big business of college football recruiting with an extensive study of how it began, how it affects prospects and coaches, and how the Internet today has changed the way reporters cover recruiting.
You will be surprised by some of the names.
You can eliminate Roethlisberger because he played in the MAC, Vick wasn’t even the top-rated player in Virginia his senior season and I was told that Donovan McNabb wasn’t on any of Tom Lemming’s lists despite being from Lemming’s backyard in Chicago. That leaves just Tom Brady who went to Michigan. My guess is Brady might have been.
If anyone can confirm Brady, fire me an email. I would be interested to know.
“Kids don’t understand it. A lot of kids get hurt in recruiting because they think they’re going to Michigan or Ohio State and then all of the sudden it’s Iowa State and Indiana. And then all of the sudden it’s Bowling Green and Western Michigan and my gosh, where are they?” Nehlen said. “They get a letter and they think that’s something but they don’t understand every kid that puts on a pair of football cleats as a senior probably gets 10 letters from somebody.”
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| Former WVU running back Jimmy Gary makes his soap debut Friday on All My Children.
Submitted photo |
The former Mountaineer running back makes his soap opera debut on Friday, Jan. 21, on the show All My Children. For those of you at home or in front of a TV at work, be sure to tune in on ABC from 1 to 2 pm ET. If you miss Friday’s show, you can see a replay from 8-9 pm on SoapNet Friday night.
You can also support Jimmy’s career by writing his fan club at: All My Children, ABC TV, 32- West 66th St., New York, NY 10023.
The Sun-Sentinel says UCF is trying to find a replacement to play in Morgantown or it will have to pay the Mountaineers a $50,000 buyout.
Maisel’s other teams hurt by early defections include Nebraska, Temple, Florida and Utah.
“As soon as I got out there, I felt like I had been out there the whole game,” Marshall said of player receiver. “I lined up and I was going with the flow. It was a smooth transition.”
In addition to Marshall, Mountaineer linebacker Adam Lehnortt also played in the game for the North team.
First baseman Stan Posluszny was listed as the conference’s 10th-best professional prospect and possessed the “best raw power” in the conference.
The publication also lists Mountaineer freshman quarterback Pat White as the league’s fifth-best newcomer. However, White will be one of just two available quarterbacks on the football field competing for the starting job this spring along with Dwayne Thompson.
Sophomore Adam Bednarik will be sidelined this spring while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Believe it or not, baseball begins its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 12, at Norfolk State (Va.). It is the earliest start in school history.
He lost his first match against Bloomsburg last Saturday before posting his first collegiate win against Clarion on Sunday.
The Mountaineers are coming off their best cross country season in school history, winning the Mid-Atlantic Regional and placing 15th at nationals.
Way to go ladies!
Have a great week!
Note: The views and opinions expressed here aren't neccessarily those shared by the WVU Athletic Department, the Mountaineer Sports Newtork or West Virginia University.
