Gridironstuds.com Blog

I don’t care what she says,  some 18 years ago,  Shaiy Howard could not have known that this moment would be like this.  All parents dream of and pray for big things for their child upon their entrance into this World.  However,  All-American cornerback Tracy’s Howard’s mother could not have envisioned this scenery nearly two decades ago.

On the eve of what will be her son’s biggest decision, Shaiy Howard is trending on one of the largest websites on the Internet, Twitter.com.  Howard has posed as the de facto social media bouncer for her highly sought after son.  In this day in age,  it’s probably a necessary evil as the on rush from fans, media and coaches through a Twitter account can drop a G.P.A. like Michael Spinks versus Mike Tyson.  So there she is, with her shield like a soldier in “300″ taking on everything coming his way.  Ms. Howard is doing a great job but also appears to be enjoying it.

“You wild! RT @MrLove305: Tracy Howard to……… THE MIAMI DOLPHINS!!! LMAO”

That was her response to a fan who jokingly suggested Tracy skip the whole National Signing Day thing and head straight to the Dolphins.  Several 2011 Dolphin season ticket holders may be taking a more serious approach to that suggestion.

“Nothing, it is funny how everyone knows more than us about us…..tomorrow is almost here and he can select one school:-).”

Howard’s response to an apparent friend as she poked fun at the insanity of fans who want so hard to have the scoop that they will pretend to know everything about a recruit down to name of his favorite aunty.

It can be both comical and scary if you think about it.  After all,  Tracy Howard is a teenager and he has an entire legion of football fans hanging on his utterance at 9:50 Wednesday morning.  In what other situation would something like this happen?  Fans will be dug in before their computers tomorrow like a pair of the new Jordans are going to pop out.  However,  before that,  many are taking to Shaiy Howard’s twitter account to toss in those final few words that will sway their decision towards their school.  In some fantasy world they feel that the words of Joe Fan will supersede those of mother, father and son, uncle and aunt, grandma and grandpa.  It’s as if they are envisioning a scene in which Shaiy and Tracy will say right after their announcement that it was the words of “SuperMaxLovaShotCalla” on Twitter that did it for us and we chose school X.  No doubt,  Ms. Howard is sitting atop a unicorn while she says this.

Stacks850 T r e n d s e t t a
@ shaiyhoward I hope to see Tracy put on da UF hat n you doin da gator chomp!!! While he signs da LOI

TheG8TROB Rob Dunkel

@shaiyhoward Just remember the Gatornation is everywhere. Muschamp is the best coach to develop a defensive back.

High School Football

There’s fast and there’s what the hell Marvin Bracy is.  Bracy has developed a reputation more so for his speed than his football prowess over the last year or so.  Bracy ran a 10.05 last summer in the 100 meters and made people watching it curse in amazement.   Just when you say to yourself,  the kid has probably maxed out his potential,  Bracy opens up this track season with what he did the other day.

Bracy lined up for a 55 meter dash for a Youth (hilarious) indoor track meet on Sunday January 29th and stunned the crowd with Mazerati type acceleration out of the blocks.  Before anyone knew what happened,  Bracy blistered through the finish line and into the safety pads in a time of 6.08 seconds.   This is the fastest time of the year thus far.  It’s early in the track season folks.  It sure seems to me like Bracy is on his way of surpassing the junior record of 10.01 set by Florida’s Jeff Demps.

Video of the 55 meter race is below.  Bracy is damn near half way done with the race before you hear the sound of the gun and he’s out of those blocks before the smoke is visible.  The second place finisher came in at 6.48.   That’s a full four tenths of a second behind.  There’s no doubt that Bracy will be on this 40 yard dash list very soon.  View the video below:

High School Football

If you are a recruitingnik,  by now you have dug deep into the Landon Collins drama.  Collins announced his college intentions at the Under Armour All-American game earlier this month.  What is typically a joyous event for player and family alike,  punctuated with hugs and tears was anything but.

Collins’ choice of the Crimson Tide hat was greeted with a sigh, head drop and hand over face by Landon’s mother April Justin.  Justin is stern in her belief that Collins’ best choice would be the hometown LSU Tigers as opposed to their bitter SEC rival Alabama.  Justin’s motives may never be truly known but she has offered up her opinion publicly.

In an interview with Momsteam.com,  Justin indicated that the family routinely sets short term and long term goals.  Several of the long term goals were circumvented when Collins chose Alabama.  One of those goals was for Collins to play at LSU with his younger brother who is also being courted by the Tigers.  She also stated that winning the Heisman Trophy was another “goal” that has been set.  That remark will be sure to draw the ire of football purist who will see Justin as a person who has taught her son to put himself and his goals before the teams.

While I could pile on Justin as so many others have,  my experience as a youth football coach gives me reason to pause.  Seven years of coaching youth football allowed me the opportunity to have a finger or two wagged in my face by a protective mother who felt like my goals did not matchup with what she had in mind for her son.  My travel through the World of youth sports educated me on the fact that when it comes to their children,  women have their goals for them and then bleep all the rest.  You can take your X’s and O’s,  your strategy, your team building, etc. and toss it in the bonfire.   Before you go and criticize this quality in a woman,  understand that it is that very quality that makes them the primary care taker inherently.   Mothers have one objective and that is the well-fare of their offspring.  It’s what makes female birds attack people walking close to their nest,  a bear want to destroy a hiker and what made my mother throw the neighborhood bully into the bushes when she saw him in my face.

Another thing moms have is intuition.  Mom’s can read people and they make it a point to do so when someone enters into the lives of their children.  Justin has had the privilege of entertaining both Nick Saban and Les Miles in her home.  Perhaps,  she got a read on one or both that suggests to her that Landon would be best suited in Baton Rouge than in Tuscaloosa.

With all this said,  I have made the following observations.  Landon Collins is a pretty damned good football player. I don’t think he can go wrong at either Alabama or LSU.  Ole Landon is going to be the one going to class, meeting people and suiting up in the pads.  He’s going to have to feel comfortable in his environment.   If mom has done everything right, then at age 18,  Landon should be able to make quality decisions for himself.  Alabama’s success would certainly be tied up in the fortunes of a 5 star recruit like Landon Collins.  They can ill afford to have him fall by the wayside so I am sure the plan they have for him is a solid one.

I would not be surprised if there is a hold up in Collins’ signing on Wednesday but I am not expecting that.  These things usually have a way of working themselves out.  Sometimes,  the player ends up being not as advertised and it’s much ado about nothing or the player ends up proving to be a lights out player that would have hit the NFL whether he was playing for the BCS national champs or Austin Peay.

High School Football

Always fun to watch some of the best in the country go up against each other.  Check out the 1-on-1′s DBs v. WRs from the Army All American Bowl practice:

2012 Army All American Bowl – 1-on-1\’s – DBs v. WRs

High School Football

I have long waited for this day to come.  Gridironstuds.com was launched in 2009 and our initial 2009 class was a great one sure to produce some NFL talent.  Names like Tavon Austin (WVU),  Rueben Randle (LSU),  Russell Sheppard (LSU),  Jamaal Berry (OSU) and William Gholston (MSU) stacked our initial class and left many of our visitors excited about their futures.  However,  with his early declaration for the NFL draft,  former Miami Killian High School product and now former Miami Hurricane Lamar Miller is poised to be the first Gridironstuds.com member drafted into the NFL.  After redshirting in 2009,  Miller turned some heads in the 2010 season rushing for 646 yards and 6 TDs while averaging an unusual 6.0 yards per carry.  Miller followed that up with a 2011 redshirt sophomore year that saw him gain 1,272 yards average 5.6 yards per carry and hit the end zone nine times.  With that,  Miller has declared for the NFL draft and will take his talents to the NFL come April.   There’s always the chance that someone else from our 2009 class will declare early but until then,  it seems that Lamar Miller will be the first member to be drafted.  Click here to view Lamar Miller’s profile on Gridironstuds.com.

High School Football

Attention Division I, I-AA and even division II programs. If you are looking for a talented, athletic, physically gifted DE/LB type to fill out your 2012 class then we have one for you. Tristan Humbles (Notre Dame, Chicago, IL)  is new to the organized football game but you wouldn’t entirely know that watching him on film. Humbles is well put together and that’s obvious when you look at the video. He also knows how to get after the quarterback, be relentless and put the pressure on the person assigned to block him play after play. One of the best attributes a defender can bring to the table is a great motor. As Ray Lewis is often quoted as saying before his unit takes to the field “let’s go hunt!”. Humbles goes hunting on Friday Nights and there’s no doubt that his hunting should continue on Saturday for an upper echelon college football program. The tape doesn’t lie on this prospect. View Tristan Humbles 2011 senior year highlight video.

High School Football

There are good games and there are games like the one freshman QB Tucker Israel had on Thursday Night.  The signal caller surpassed the Florida state record of eight touchdown passes in a game when he went out and rained down 10 TD passes on Celebration High School in a 68-10 win for Lake Nona.  If you are looking at those numbers and thinking it was bombs away,   you would be disappointed.  Eight of Israel’s 10 touchdowns traveled less than 20 yards in the air.  Israel hit Ryan Sousa on a pair of skinny slant pass patterns and that was as deep as it got.  The rest of Israel’s TD passes came from a combination of jet sweeps in which he chucked the ball one yard ahead to a player in motion and screen pass type dump offs to a back standing at the line of scrimmage.  Regardless of this fact,  it worked for Lake Nona as they had a 54-10 halftime lead on the well whipped Celebration team.  Israel fell short by one of the national record of 11 TD passes thrown in a game.  On the season,  Israel has 24 TD passes and only four interceptions with an eye popping 1808 yards to boot.  Lake Nona has won five straight since losing their opener to Orlando University High School.  It’s gonna be a great year and a great career for this freshman.  If he stays healthy he will likely own all of the state passing records by the time he dons his cap and gown.

Here’s a link to a full story and video of this performance:  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/os-hs-celebration-lake-nona-20111013,0,7844775.story

High School Football high school quarterback, lake nona, tucker israel

Desean Jackson in his Poly days

We all see him on Sunday’s giving the other team fits and making opposing fans say words they should not be saying on Sunday.  However,  Desean Jackson is not new to this.  Jackson was a phenom in high school playing for popular California High School Long Beach Poly.  Jackson was groomed for greatness… literally.   Jackson was trained by older brother and friends to be a playmaking machine.  Young Jackson took the training and ran with it.  It’s always good to look back and see what a guy used to be especially when he’s now a pro getting it done.  Max Preps takes a look at Desean Jackson’s playmaking high school days in their segment called “Way Back When”  

High School Football desean jackson, long beach poly

Proof that NBA players are getting bored during the lockout,  NBA superstar Lebron James took to the high school gridiron and practiced in full gear for the St. Vincent, St. Mary football team on Tuesday.  James wore it all down to the visor and mouthpiece however,  tackling James was off limits (duh!).  James borrowed equipment from an injured player who stands at 6’5″ inches tall.  No video or pictures available but it is being told that James went up and got every pass thrown his way during the 1 1/2 hour practice session.   The 6’8″ James was an All-State wide receiver for St. Vincent, St. Mary Fighting Irish in high school and led the team to the state semi-finals his junior year.  A full write up about this story can be found on the Sun Sentinel’s online newspaper click here.

High School Football high school football, lebron james

Nature Coast Tech DB/RB Isaac Bailey who was arguably the most valuable player on the 2010 squad has signed on with ASA College in Brooklyn, New York.  ASA,  is a rising secondary school program that has acquired some strong talent over the recent years and they continue that with the signing of this very talented prospect.

You can read a full article on Bailey’s signing:  click here

You can view his gridironstuds.com profile and highlight video:  click here

High School Football isaac bailey