Gridironstuds.com Blog

Cartersville, Georgia HS 2014 linebacker Jesse House is the latest addition to the Gridironstuds.com Recruit Watch List.  House gets to the ball fast and brings the pain when he gets there.  He plays with intensity and a low pad level.  It’s the kind of things that coaches love.  House does not yet have an offer which makes him a diamond in the rough so to speak.  He’s definitely someone who will be getting or should be getting more attention during this upcoming summer and off-season.  He has the tools to be a successful football player this senior year and at the next level.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Chris Taylor – WR – North Broward Prep – Coconut Creek, Fl has committed to the Duke Blue Devils.  Taylor becomes the first WR commit and the 7th commit overall for the Blue Devil’s 2014 class.

The University of Miami has received a commitment from California’s Chaminade Prep HS QB Brad Kaaya.  Kaaya becomes the 2nd QB committed and 8th recruit committed to the Hurricanes overall in the 2014 class.  Kaaya also has an offer from San Diego St. University.  Check out Kaaya’s highlights on YouTube, click here.

High School Football

Dream School vs. Right School

Every high school football player has their dream school, the school they rooted for when they were growing up. Some even have a list of five schools they have always wanted to play for. However, when it comes to recruiting, often times that list has to be put away.

If you are in the fortunate position where every school in the country wants you then the dream school is an option. However, for the majority of recruits, you want to go where you are “wanted”. If you have offers from schools but you are more interested in forcing your way into another school that is not that interested then you could be setting yourself up for failure.

Via PrepNation.com

FEATS OF THE WEEK: Derrick Henry of Yulee, Fla., and Jacob Taylor of Lake Arrowhead, Calif., Rim of the World became the sixth and seventh players in prep football history to run for 4,000 yards in a season. … Henry’s record-breaking career ended when Yulee lost to Jacksonville, Bolles, 45-35, in the Class 4A semifinals. The Alabama commit gained 316 yards in the game to leave his national record for career rushing yards at 12,121. Henry broke single-season Florida marks with 4,260 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns. He ran for over 100 yards in a national-record 47 straight games. … Taylor had 260 rushing yards to lead Rim of the World to a 34-31 win against Ontario, Christian for the CIF-SS East Valley championship. Taylor (uncommitted) finished the year with 4,032 yards, the second-best total in state history. … Prominent national and state records were broken on Tennessee’s championship weekend. Davis Howell of Knoxville, Christian Academy finished his career with a national-best 358 receptions. Howell (uncommitted) caught 15 balls in a 48-14 rout of Milan for his team’s second straight Class 3A title. … Meanwhile, in the 5A final, junior Jalen Hurd of Hendersonville, Beech set a state single-season record with 3,357 rushing yards during his team’s 56-35 win against Columbia. Hurd ran for 394 yards and seven touchdowns in the game. … Max Browne of No. 19 Sammamish, Skyline broke the Washington career passing record as his team thumped Tacoma, Bellarmine Prep, 49-24, in the 4A championship game. Browne, a Southern Cal recruit, threw for 384 yards in the game to bump his career total to 12,951.

High School Football derrick henry, jacob taylor, jalen hurd, max browne

Junior Running Back Chris James is going to be the name on the tip of many people’s tongues in and around the Chicago, IL area but he should be on the minds of many across the country.  James brings speed and power to the game like few others can. 5’10″ 200 lbs. and 4.41 in the 40 for James and he plays like that.  As they say,  the proof is in the pudding and so like we do at Gridironstuds.com, we provide visual evidence.  Check out Chris James’ 1st three games highlight video on his profile at Gridironstuds.com, click here now.

High School Football 2014 RB, chris james, notre dame dons

Recruiting high school quarterbacks is never easy.  The most important position for any program always has it’s challenged when it comes to recruiting and sorting through the hype can be a difficult task for coaches.

When it comes to Boeing Brown,  there’s no hype,  just substance.  Cut the tape on and you will see Brown looking off defenders, fitting balls into tight windows,  making touch passes, commanding the offense and scrambling for first downs and more.  The 2013 QB out of Brookfield, Connecticut has been finding holes in defenses since his sophomore year and has continued to improve with each season.  The most amazing thing about Brown is not his football IQ, his arm strength or his production,  it’s that he does not yet have a division I offer.

The recruiting game is a puzzle, to say the least but this one is a real head scratcher.  A look at the tape and you think that he was walking around with 10, 15 even 20 division I offers but that’s just not the case. It’s not like he is lacking the physical attributes either.  Brown is 6’4″, weighing 215 lbs.  He also runs a 4.65 forty.  Despite all that, the offers are yet to come despite fielding interest from several top notched programs.

“I have developed very good relationships with Coach Canada at Wisconsin, Coach Bible at NC State, Coach Taaffe at UCF and Coach Werner at Ole Miss. I also communicate still with Coach Mangus at South Carolina for advice and Coach Elrod at Wake Forest to keep in touch,” Brown said.

He has also made his way around the camp circuit in an almost unheard of manner.

“I did Northwestern, Wisconsin, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Florida, UCF, Maryland, UMASS, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Indiana, Tennessee, UCONN, Yale, and ELON,” replied Brown when asked what camps he has attended this offseason.

He has shown that he is not afraid to lace em up and compete any time, any place.

The biggest obstacle for Brown seems to be the fact that he plays football in Connecticut which is not regarded as a hotbed for high school football. Brown still feels that Connecticut football is highly underrated.

“I feel I face great talent, underestimated talent and when reporters and coaches compare CT to FL, IL, TX, NJ, ETC, it is assumptions, but we play good football here.”

Brown does have a pedigree for college football as his dad played for Central Florida in the 80′s.  This, along with other things, makes UCF one of the teams he would like to play for.  Along with the Knights,  Brown has his sights set on a couple of other schools.

“I would say Wisconsin, UCF and NC State in that order and all dream schools for me,” said Brown when asked what are his top schools.

For now he is finishing up the summer camp circuit and getting ready for his senior year.  His Bobcat football team is looking to improve on last year’s 5-5 finish.  Brown remains patient and feels like he will end up at the right school for him in the end.

“I am confident the right school will come, they all know me and they are watching me.”

“If Wisconsin, NC State or UCF offer soon I would lock it down with them as I have visited, I am communicating with the coaches and so it would make sense, but I am open to options and looking forward to a really good season.”

Click here to view Boeing Brown’s highlight video on Gridironstuds.com

High School Football, Recruiting News

When you are a high school football player holding 21 offers from Division I schools it’s tough to say that you are in need.  However,  2013 wide receiver Dionte Taylor out of University School (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)  is looking for some attention from up North.

Specifically,  Taylor has his eyes on the Michigan Wolverines.

“They have a strong academic reputation, a huge fan base and tradition in football,”  Taylor said.  ”I made a checklist of all the things I want in a school and Michigan has them all,” he continued.

Along with reputation, fan base and tradition in football,  Taylor is drawn to the fact that Michigan is one of the top teams in their conference,  they run an offense he can excel in and the school is located not too far from a major city.

The biggest problem with Michigan for Taylor is that he does not yet have an offer from them.  Of the 21 offers that Taylor currently has,  Boston College, Wake Forest, Nebraska, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF stand out for him.  With that said,  Michigan is still a program that Taylor has his eyes on.

“I have a really strong interest in their program and school. I will be a major asset to their team and family and that If given then opportunity, I will be a committed and dedicated player to their program,”  Taylor said about Michigan.

For now,  Taylor will continue to polish the skills that have made him a highly touted recruit with offers from across the country.  His University School team kicks off their 2012 season in Ohio against state power Trotwood Madison.  Look for him to put his skills on display and hopefully catch the eye of the Wolverines in the near future.

Check out Dionte Taylor’s highlight video,  click here now

High School Football, Recruiting News 2013 WR, dionte taylor, michigan wolverines, university school

We have all seen the hoopla that surrounds National Signing Day.  Espn gives you 24 hour coverage seemingly on that date in February.  The major recruiting sites are abuzz for the month leading up to and the month after the signing date.  There’s much speculation about where the top recruits will sign and much analysis of each school’s signing class after the letter of intent day.  However,  what gets lost in the shuffle is the number of players from those signing classes that don’t make it on campus at least for their freshman year.

After reading a story that one of the University of Miami’s 2012 recruits,  WR Angelo Louis Jean may have to enter a prep school,  I began wondering how many athletes like Jean each year fall into this category.  In trying to research this topic,  I found very little in terms of numbers regarding this.  I am assuming and this may be incorrectly,  that these numbers are not kept but I would like it if they were. I have seen it happen all too often.  After all of the celebration of a scholarship signing we often miss the news that the player can’t attend the school.  It’s almost like celebrating a Lotto Jackpot win and finding out that the number on the promotional check was 50% less than what the winner received (before taxes wise guys!).

Prep schools are here for this purpose but it seemed back in my day that players headed to prep school didn’t sign letters of intent with major colleges.  Also,  there weren’t cameras present at signing days unless you were one of the top 3 elite players in the county. This is my way of telling you that I am getting old.  What many people don’t realize is that a number of these players that head to the prep schools don’t end up going to the school they originally signed with.  The players at the prep school can be recruited by anyone else while there.  Prep schools have incentives to protect the “property” of the universities that park players in their program but that does not always happen.

Some players also fail to meet the requirements at a prep school and never end up going to college.  How often is that reported and where does that fit into the grade recruiting analysts give these college recruiting classes?  I have heard of far too many cases where players that were picking up hats in front of a large auditorium crowd and television audience never put on the uniform that matches the hat.  I will continue to research this phenomenon and hunt down some numbers.  The only numbers I could readily find was research that said 40% of the 2012 class would have failed to meet the entry requirements that will be put in place in 2016.  A quick look at the new requirements shows that a recruit will need a minimum 2.3 GPA (up from 2.0) and they will need to have completed at least 10 of the required 16 units of core classes by the start of their senior year.    So, with this in mind,  we could see even more desks being added to prep schools across the country if athletes don’t get more serious about their education.

Stay tuned,  more to come on this topic for sure.

High School Football college football, ncaa eligibility requirements, prep schools

Well I told all to watch out for Miami’s Lamar Miller as the likely first Gridiron Stud to be drafted into the NFL but lost sight of LSU’s Rueben Randle.  Low and behold Randle it was and he went to the defending Super Bowl champions,  how ironic for a Gridiron Stud.  Randle closed out the 2nd round at pick #64 to the New York Giants as they added another weapon to Eli Manning’s arsenal.  Randle joins Hakeem Nick and Victor Cruz to bolster an already solid wide receiving corps.  Gridironstuds.com was started in January 2009  and Randle was a member of the initial class entered into the Gridironstuds.com recruiting database. Congrats to Rueben on achieving this milestone in his career and we are delighted at Gridironstuds.com to have reached this milestone ourselves.  Check out Rueben Randle’s Gridironstuds.com profile,  click here.

High School Football, NFL, Recruiting News lsu tigers, nfl draft, rueben randle

Greg Bryant slashes through Glades Central defense

American Heritage Delray head coach Doug Socha was asked what the Oklahoma Sooners will be getting when the sign 2013 RB commit Greg Bryant.  Socha’s comment was that the Sooners would be getting a man.  Socha was wrong.  Sooners will be getting a beast.

The 5’10″ 195 lb. life sized Heisman Trophy statue could grace the cover of Muscle and Fitness magazine.  High school athletes aren’t supposed to look like this and I am certain that AH Delray’s opponents make wise cracks about Bryant’s age.  Something to the effect of “we just got beat by somebody’s daddy out there.”  Tough to believe that a teenager could have the physique of a 15 year IFBB pro bodybuilder.  Bryant’s frame and all that is stacked on it is a function of his work ethic as opposed to any birth certificate funny business.  Trolling around enough college mail to stack on an olympic bar during some power cleans, Bryant still finds himself in the weight room and on the field trying to out work his teammates.   That’s a quality that is hard to teach once they reach this age.  Bryant’s desire to work not only makes him better but inspires his teammates.  This is evidenced in AH Delray’s march to the Florida High School State 3-A Title last year.

Bryant and company stood toe to toe against Class 3A favorite University School and nationally recruited prep star Nelson Agholor from Berkeley Prep during their playoff run.  In both instances, Bryant’s hard nosed Delray squad knocked out the opposition.  Hard work is the culture at AH Delray and Bryant soaks it all in.  What’s impressive is that he has not sat on his laurels both personal and team.  One would not know that he is one of the most highly recruited 2013 prospects playing for a three time state champion.  Those are all beast qualities and they are headed to Norman in the Fall of 2013.

High School Football american heritage delray, class of 2013, college football recruiting, greg bryant, oklahoma sooners

Here are the top 40 Yard dash times so far at Nike Sparq Combines this season.  Want to see your name on this list in the future?  I strongly suggest you check out this product:

High School Football