Signing Day Leftovers
February 05, 2009 02:52 PM | General
(2:53 pm)
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| Quarterback Eugene Smith was the No. 3-rated player in Florida according to the Miami Herald.
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Another signing day is now in the books. West Virginia secured signatures from 24 football prospects from eight different states and Washington, D.C. The Mountaineers landed two junior college players and added one late recruit when another prospect on signing day flipped a coin and it came up tails for Rutgers.
No kidding!
The consensus among the experts is that West Virginia had the strongest haul in the Big East this year, ranking 23rd nationally by one service and 27th in another. The pundits said USF and Rutgers also had unusually strong recruiting years.
The first prospect to fax in his letter-of-intent to West Virginia was Gainesville, Fla., offensive lineman Jordan Weingart at 7:15 am, followed by defensive lineman Curtis Feigt minutes later. The last player to sign on Wednesday was defensive lineman Tevita Finau. However, Finau has a good reason to be late because he’s back home in Hawaii finishing up his junior college credits. That is a five-hour time difference.
Sizing them up … Connecticut covered the most area signing players from nine different states and Canada. Nine of Syracuse’s 14 prospects came from different states while West Virginia traveled to eight different states and Washington, D.C., to make up its recruiting class. Meanwhile, 22 of South Florida’s 30 prospects hail from its home state; Cincinnati signed 12 in-state prospects, Rutgers 10 and Pitt nine.
Once again West Virginia had the fewest home-grown recruits in the Big East, landing just two.
It’s a matter of opinion … Scout’s top three Big East classes were West Virginia (23rd), South Florida (25th) and Pitt (29th). Rivals had it West Virginia (27th), USF (30th) and Rutgers (38th). Scouts, Inc., which rates prospects for ESPN, listed Rutgers’ class 21st and USF’s 24th.
West Virginia did not make the Scouts, Inc. top 25. Cancel your subscriptions!
There were none of the so-called five-star prospects to sign with Big East schools this year. The Big East’s last five-star recruit was Pitt’s Jonathan Baldwin in 2007. According to Rivals, there have been four five-star recruits to sign with Big East schools since the ACC raid: West Virginia’s Jason Gwaltney and Noel Devine, Pitt’s Jonathan Baldwin and Louisville’s Woodny Turenne.
Only twice since 2004 has the Big East had three schools finish in the top 40 in recruiting: West Virginia, USF and Rutgers this year, and West Virginia, Pitt and Rutgers in 2007.
The highest rated recruiting class in the Big East was pulled in by Pitt in 2006. That class was ranked 21st in the country and featured Aaron Berry, Nate Byham, Jovani Chappel, Jeff Otah, Jason Pinkston, T.J. Porter and Greg Romeus. All of those guys now play for the Panthers.
Others, like top-rated recruits Dorin Dickerson and Elijah Fields, are still trying to get their careers on track.
Speaking of stars, overall the Big East performed better this year than last year. The eight Big East schools landed 24 four-star players according to Rivals - four more than the 20 (19 plus five-star Jonathan Baldwin) inked on signing day last year.
Here is the list of so-called four-star players heading to Big East schools next fall:
West Virginia
USF
Rutgers
Pitt
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Louisville
The one name that kept popping up yesterday over at the Puskar Center was Virginia Beach defensive tackle Dominik Davenport. Davenport doesn’t possess great size, probably more on the order of 6-foot, 245/250 instead of the 6-1, 265 that is listed, but he has incredible quickness and a great motor. His biography had Florida State as one of the schools that offered him a scholarship.
“I tell you, the surprise of this class is Dominik Davenport,” said Coach Bill Stewart. “He’ll play. Watch this guy because he never stops.”
Some of you old timers may recall another undersized, high-motor defensive linemen West Virginia once pulled out of Virginia that went on to have a great career. His name was Carl Crennel.
Stewart also mentioned that West Virginia got three of the top safeties on their recruiting board in Jonathan Scott, Terence Garvin and Darwin Cook. Cook had previously committed to Cincinnati before making a late switch.
“Thank God for Bobby Huggins because we wouldn’t have gotten (Cook) if it wasn’t for basketball so I’m deeply indebted to Coach Huggins and (WVU basketball player Will Thomas),” said Stewart. “They’re peers and they did a great job of getting him signed up.”
Cook is WVU's first Shaw High School product since the Talley brothers played at WVU in the early-to-mid 1980s.
“These three are fine safeties and I’m talking, real fine,” Stewart said.
Stewart also mentioned that Pat Miller and Broderick Jenkins were two of the top three corners on their board. Miller played in an outstanding prep program at Class 6A Hoover High School while Jenkins also doubled as a wide receiver on offense at South Fort Myers (Fla.) High School.
Stewart said the four criteria West Virginia was looking for from this year’s recruiting class were character, grades, speed and athleticism. The coach indicated Wednesday that there were still openings and the possibility remained of adding a late prospect or two.
In the three running backs West Virginia signed this year Stewart said they got a little bit of everything. In 222-pound Shawne Alston West Virginia got a straight-ahead, power back that can get tough yards. Daquan Hargrett is a north-south runner who gets up field quickly. And Tavon Austin is quick and shifty and can also be used at the slot receiver position.
Wide receiver Logan Heastie is already enrolled in school and will participate in spring drills. Stewart said Heastie has already gained eight pounds in West Virginia’s winter conditioning program and the word from strength coach Mike Joseph is that Heastie is doing well.
