Gridironstuds.com Blog

It’s that time of year as the track seasons start to wind down to take a look at the football players (particularly the Gridironstuds.com members) that are getting it done on the track.  These athletes have traded in their helmets for the tank top and track spikes and have shown their versatility by heating up the synthetic rubber.

You have to start with the fastest man in the country and that’s Ryan Lankford of Paxon Advanced Studies School in Jacksonville.  Lankford has committed to Illinois to play football this Fall and will take his 10.41 speed to Champagne to try and help the Fighting Illini climb back up the Big Ten standings.  Lankford’s 10.41 time is tops in the nation.

2010 Miami Hurricanes signee Latwan Anderson (pictured right) from Glenville H.S. in Ohio  has heated up the track in a big way.  Anderson has moved from a very successful season on the football field to an equally as impressive season on the track.  Anderson currently holds the fastest time in the country in the 200 with a 20.92 clocking last Saturday at the Maralyn H. West Invitational.  However,  that’s not all,  Anderson also holds the fourth fastest time in the country in the 400 meters with a time of 48.42 also run last week at the Maralyn West Invitational.   The football standout signed a track scholarship with the Hurricanes in March,  one month after the February 4th National Letter of Intent Signing Date.  It was a move met with some skepticism but Anderson is proving that move to be fruitful signing for both the track and football teams at the University of Miami.

Yet another top performer from the Gridironstuds.com members is St. Thomas Aquinas’ Cody Riggs.  The 2010 Florida signee and defending Florida state champ in the 300 meter hurdles currently holds the top time in the event this year with a time of 36.51.  He also ranks 2nd in the 110 meter hurdles nationwide with a time of 14.03 and he ranks 6th in the long jump with a mark of 23′-2.5″.

Other Gridironstuds.com football players turned track athletes performing well in the sprints are:   Shane Wynn,  Anderson’s teammate at Glenville.  Wynn has posted a 10.60 in the 1o0 meters making him tied for 14th overall in the country.  Wynn also has a 21.45 in the 200 meters under his belt this season.  Crenshaw (California) High School’s De’Anthony Thomas laid down a 10.67 in the 100 meters and a 21.48 in the 200 meters.    Miami Northwestern’s Corvin Lamb who will play for Louisville in 2010  has a 2010 best of 10.78 in the 100 meters.

Class of 2011 wide receiver Phillip Dorsett of St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) has bests of 10.79 in the 100 meters, 21.97 in the 200 meters, 15.05 in the 110 meter hurdles, 39.14 in the 300 meter hurdles and has a nationally ranked mark of 47′ 9.50 in the Triple Jump.  Oh and by the way,  Dorsett is also a member of Aquinas’ 400 meter and 1600 meter relay teams.  He is the most versatile track athlete in this report.    Douglas High School (Florida)  junior Orville Reynolds has a 10.80 clocking in the 100 meters to his credit this 2010 outdoor season.  2010 Florida St. signee Lamarcus Joyner of St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) has a 100 meter best of 10.83.   8th Grade sensation Sony Michel from American Heritage Plantation (Florida) clocked a 10.82 yesterday in his district meet.   Yes,  I did say 8th grade.

LSU 2010 signee Kadron Boone,  wide receiver from Trinity Catholic in Florida has a 100 meter best of 10.87.   2010 Ohio St. signee Corey Brown from Cardinal O’Hara (Pennsylvania) is ranked 28th in the country in the 200 with a time of 21.80.   Louisville 2010 signee Michaelee Harris from Miami Northwestern is 9th in the country in the 400 with a time of 48.65.

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High School Football cody riggs, corvin lamb, de'anthony thomas, kadron boone, lamarcus joyner, latwan anderson, Michaelee Harris, orville reynolds, phillip dorsett, ryan lankford, shane wynn

Darius Millines (ATH, American Heritage Delray H.S., FL) signs with Illinois

Cortney Lester (WR/DB, Everglades H.S., FL) signs with Buffalo

Reynaldo Kirton (DB, St. Thomas H.S., FL) signs with Harvard

Alec Ogletree signed with Georgia

Lucky Radley signs with Utah Utes

Ethan Grant signs with TCU

Seantrel Henderson to USC

Terrence Mitchell signs with South Florida

CB Dior Mathis inks with Oregon

Lache Seastrunk signs with Oregon

CJ Olinayan signs with Penn St.

Demar Dorsey signs with Michigan

William Gholston signs with Michigan St.

Jaylen Watkins to Florida

Michael Taylor to Florida

Trovon Reed signs with Auburn

Cody Riggs signs with Florida

Jesse Scroggins signs with USC

Adrian Coxson’s letter of intent now in for Florida

Aramide Olinayan inks with UCLA

Kenny Shaw inks with Florida St.

Ego Ferguson chooses LSU

Delvin Jones (Palmetto H.S., FL) inks with Ole Miss.

Keenan Allen to California

Jose Jose to USF

Johnathan McKnight, brother of Joe McKnight, snubs USC and lands at Arizona.

Gridironstuds.com member David Perry (University School, FL) signs with Miami

Latwan Anderson will not announce today and will wait to take a trip to USC before deciding between USC, Ohio St. and WVU.

Miramar H.S., FL wide receiver Ivan McCartney chooses West Virginia…

Miami inks Tavidis Glenn

Pahokee wide receiver Chris Dunkley signs with Florida

Marcus Lattimore chooses South Carolina

Da’Rick Rogers, a long time Georgia commitment, switches to Tennessee on signing day.

Corey Lemonier chooses Auburn

Joe Grap signs with Frostburg University

Miramar H.S., FL wide receiver Dante Chambers chooses West Virginia

Munchie Legaux QB (Louisana) chooses Cincinnati

Travis Bell (Glades Central H.S., FL) to West Virginia

Brandon Gainer (Central H.S., FL) signs with Kentucky

Markeith Ambles (Georgia) signs with USC

Christian Jones (Lake Howell H.S., FL) signs with Florida St.

Ralph Williams (Southridge H.S., FL) signs with Ole Miss.

Kadron Boone (Trinity Catholic H.S., FL) sings with LSU

Nickel Robey (Frostproof H.S., FL) signs with USC

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General adrian coxson, alec ogletree, Aramide Olaniyan, brandon gainer, chris dunkley, christan jones, cj olinayan, cody riggs, corey lemonier, cortney lester, da'rick rogers, Dante Chambers, darius millines, david perry, delvin jones, demar dorsey, dior mathis, Dunkley, ego ferguson, ethan grant, Ivan McCartney, jaylen watkins, Jesse Scroggins, Joe Grap, johnathan, johnathan mcknight, jose jose, kadron boone, keenan allen, kenny shaw, latwan anderson, lucky radley, marcus lattimore, markeith ambles, munchie legaux, nickel robey, reynaldo kirton, seantrel henderson, tavidis Glenn, terrence mitchell, travis bell, trovon reed

Becomes the Latest Aquinas Raider to Commit to a Division I School

In back to back nights,  St. Thomas Aquinas has had a pair of Top 100 rated recruits make their commitments.  Thursday Night it was Cody Riggs turn.  The Gridironstuds.com member  pledged his services to the defending champion Florida Gators.

Riggs burst onto the scene in 2008 when he nabbed eight interceptions and locked down receiver after receiver.   This year the interception numbers are not as high as teams have wisely chosen to throw less against Aquinas’ All Star defensive backfield.  Nevertheless Riggs has handled his business and has played a strong part on a defense that has only allowed 7.5 points per game.  Riggs is leading the team with four interceptions and 10 passes defensed this season.  He has 12 career thefts for the Raiders.  Aquinas takes on Bradenton Manatee in the semi-final round of Florida 5-A Playoffs on Friday.

Riggs entered St. Thomas Aquinas as a running back and will depart as one of the top cornerbacks in the country with a full-ride to one of the most prestigious programs in college football.    He took official visits to Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Notre Dame.  In the end,  Riggs chose to stay in state and help the Gators remain on the top of the college football World.

The 5’9″ Riggs is a two time state champ in the hurdles and opened eyes this past Spring by clocking sub 4.4 forty yard dashes and performing well in 1-on-1′s versus some of the top wide outs in the country.   Riggs combines with teammates Lamarcus Joyner and Keion Payne to put at least one Aquinas Raider from a graduating class at each of the top three schools in Florida for the first time in St. Thomas history.

Gridironstuds.com congratulates Cody Riggs on his great career and decision to join the Florida Gators.

Click here to view Cody Riggs highlight video.

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High School Football cody riggs, top 2010 defensive backs

December 3, 2009

The Florida St. Seminoles scored pledges from a pair of Treasure Coast High School (Florida) teammates.  Safeties Lamarcus Brutus and Keelin Smith both have committed to Florida St.  Both prospects are class of 2011 graduates.  Brutus is also being recruited by LSU, North Carolina, Stanford, Ohio St. and Ole Miss.   Smith is also being recruited by LSU, North Carolina, Ohio St., Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Glades Central High School (Florida) wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin has named an early top 5 of Miami, Florida St., Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia.

December 2, 2009

Pahokee H.S. (Florida) DT Richard Ash has committed to West Virginia University. Ash is also being recruited by Minnesota, USC and South Florida.

Raines H.S. (Jacksonville, Florida) defensive tackle Louis Nix has dropped his University of Miami commit for the University of Notre Dame.

St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. (Florida) cornerback Cody Riggs has received his first home visit and it’s from the University of Georgia.

December 1, 2009

Top rated defensive end Chris Martin from Grandview H.S. (Colorado) has decommitted Notre Dame amongst the uncertainty with the coaching situation.

Though he is still a Florida St. commit, Pahokee wide receiver DeJoshua Johnson will continue to look at other programs. Johnson is being recruited by Alabama, LSU, Miami, South Florida and Florida.

Rumor has it that the University of Miami has pulled it’s offer to Pahokee defensive back Raheem Buxton citing academic issues.

Rumor has it that Shaquelle Evans (Inglewood H.S., Calif.) a top recruit for Notre Dame in their 2009 class is not to happy in South Bend.

Glade Central H.S. (Florida) athlete, Greg Dent has dropped his University of Miami commit for Florida St.

November 30, 2009

Carol City H.S. (Florida) cornerback Gareef Glashen has committed to Syracuse University. Glashen marks the third commit that Syracuse has received from the state of Florida in the past week.

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Rumors and Wires chris martin, cody riggs, dejoshua johnson, gareef glashen, greg dent, keelin smith, Kelvin benjamin, lamarcus brutus, Louis Nix, raheem buxton, richard ash, shaauelle evans

The college football recruiting season is in full swing and on a daily basis, prep football players are making their choices and commitments to programs where they believe they will spend the next four to five years.

Some players have a really clear idea of where they want to go and have known all along while others aren’t quite sure and will be rather cautious with their decision. The latter would describe where St. Thomas Aquinas’ (Ft. Lauderdale) cornerback Cody Riggs stands right now.

Riggs has played his cards close to his vest for most of the recruiting process but he has reached the point where he knows he needs to narrow things down and focus on a few schools. With that in mind, Riggs has named his top five schools as Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, Tennessee and FSU.

“Georgia is the leader,” Riggs said. “I got along with their entire coach staff, especially Coach Martinez and Coach Richt,” he added.

There is a lot more for Riggs to like at Georgia along with the coaching staff. This includes Georgia’s beautiful campus and direction they are heading in. Riggs admits that Florida’s campus and facilities impressed him the most but Georgia’s on the upswing.

“Georgia is redoing their weight room and everything was brand new,” Riggs said. “They are doing a lot of good things at Georgia.”

Many had thought Notre Dame was a front runner for Riggs’ services but he said that he was just really impressed with Georgia and that Florida is another school getting strong consideration.

Eventhough Riggs has narrowed things down to five schools, he still wants to wait until after the season to make his choice. With so many other top named players making early commitments, Riggs may feel some serious pressure to make a choice before he originally planned. He admits to feeling pressure from Florida because they are getting commits left and right. However, with Riggs’ stock rising, he may have the power to hold out until season’s end.

One of the interesting questions surrounding Riggs has been his lack of interest or the local college’s (University of Miami) lack of interest. Riggs has not been offered a scholarship by Miami and it would not have mattered if they did.

“I wasn’t going to stay home so I would have been wasting their time,” said Riggs.

Along with sorting out his future, Riggs is also getting focused on the upcoming season. St. Thomas will be defending their High School National Championship and Riggs will be anchoring a secondary that will be considered the best in the country. Riggs will combine with top recruits Keion Payne (transfer from Dillard High School), Brian Robinson and Gridironstuds.com member Reynaldo Kirton to form a formidable quartet of pass defenders.

Riggs is perhaps the best natural corner in the country. Nothing he does on the field looks forced and he has an abundant supply of the best physical tool that a corner needs and that is good feet. He used his great instincts, quick feet and aggressiveness to lock down his opposition last year while nabbing 8 interceptions.

Despite his gaudy numbers and strong performance in his first year as a starter, the respect for Riggs was slow to come. When Rivals and Scout put out their Top 100 list of recruits this year, Riggs was absent from both of them. At some point, the recruiting services woke up.  Rivals now has Riggs ranked 43rd overall and as the 5th rated defensive back in the country.  Scout ranks Riggs as the 7th best corner in the country.

Some may question Riggs’ size (5’9″) but you can’t question his speed (4.38 in the 40) or his skills.   Riggs has taken on some of the best wide outs in the country at the Army Underclassman,  Nike Camp and Under Armour combines.  He made a name for himself by getting in receivers’ hip pockets and denying them the football.  He’s looking forward to displaying his skills on the field again this season.   He credits his natural ability and Aquinas’ defensive back coach Otis Mounds for success.

“He knows what he’s doing (Mounds) and he works with us a lot,” said Riggs.  “He always wants to workout.”

Riggs also said Class of ’09 receivers Duron Carter and Dwayne Difton helped mold him into the corner he is today.  This should come as no surprise as St. Thomas Aquinas always packs a roster of full of top rated talent.   Riggs and friends will be on the field looking to go undefeated again in 2009.  When all is said and done,  Aquinas should make a run at defending their national title and Riggs will be making plans to play at one of the top college football programs in the country.

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Check out Cody Riggs’ Junior Season highlight video

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High School Football cody riggs, college football recruiting, florida gators, georgia bulldogs football, high school football, Notre Dame football, St. Thomas Aquinas football, top 2010 defensive backs, top 2010 recruits

From the Rumor and Wires….

April 19, 2009

Recruits reported to have been at the University of Florida Spring game on Saturday. Matt Elam, Demar Dorsey, Gerald Christian, Quinton Dunbar, Ted Meline, Ivan McCartney, Gideo Ajagbe, Travis Bell, Richard Ash, James Louis, Brandon Linder, Gio Bernard, Vinnie Mauro, Kembrell Thompkins.

Rumors are that Demar Dorsey has eased off of Gator commit because of the depth in the secondary, playing time concerns and the recent commitment of Jaylen Watkins to Gators.

April 18, 2009

Highly recruited Skyline High School (Washington) QB and Gridironstuds.com member Jake Heaps has named his top 5 schools Scout.com is reporting. His five, in no particular order are BYU, California, LSU, Tennessee and Washington. Heaps is expected to make his college choice some time in the summer.

North Broward Prep High School (Florida) RB and Oregon commit Ethan Grant has been offered a scholarship by Wisconsin.

April 17, 2009

University of Miami landed commit from Terry Parker H.S.’s Tavadis Glenn. The Jacksonville, Florida prospect was being recruited by Arkansas, Florida, Florida St., Georgia and LSU.

Michigan landed a commit from Lake Region H.S. (Florida) safety Marvin Robinson. The 6’1″ 185 lb. prospect was also being recruited by Florida, Ohio St., South Florida, USC and UCLA.

Lamarcus Joyner had to skip Alabama trip this weekend for “family time”. Recently spent more time at Florida St. than originally planned. Reportedly enjoyed his visit.

April 16, 2009

Gainesville High School’s (Georgia) Tai-ler Jones is going to be a Stanford Cardinal. What a coup for Jim Harbaugh and his staff. They went down into Georgia and got themselves a playa! Kudos to them.

Miami Booker T. Washington High School’s top rated running back Eduardo Clements has apparently named his top 3 and they are as follows: (1) Georgia (2) Miami (3) Florida St.

New offer for Woodberry Forest, Virginia linebacker Aramide Olinayan from Clemson despite being a Duke commit.

April 15, 2009

Standout athlete, Tai-ler Jones from Gainesville High in Gainesville Georgia is set to announce his school of choice on tomorrow Thursday April 16th. Jones has offers from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio St. , UCLA, Stanford and more. Check back here on April 16th for his choice.

Highly recruited University School (Davie, FL) defensive end David Perry enjoyed his Spring Break trip to the University of Florida and has moved them to the top of his list. Perry also visited Central Florida and South Florida during Spring Break.

There’s a rumor floating around that Royal Palm Beach wide receiver Chris Dunkley has a silent verbal commitment to the University of Florida. How do these silent verbals work anyway? What do they do, give a head nod? Then again, there’s also the rumor that if Ohio St. offers him at their spring game which he allegedly will be attending, Dunkley will accept on the spot. Sounds like a Buckeye contrived rumor to me.

Recruits spotted at Notre Dame’s spring game last weekend: Kyle Prater, Corey Cooper, Spencer Boyd, Cody Riggs, Khairi Fortt, Zach FUlton, Lucky Radley, Laken Tomlinson, Tony Jefferson, Detric Riley, Dominic Easley, Dakota Roye.

SoFlaFootball.com reports 4 new offers this month for WR – Shawn Corker (Tennessee, Auburn, West Virginia and Oregon). Despite that, rumors persist that a commitment to the Texas Tech Raiders is coming any day now.

Tomahawknation.com is reporting that Boyd Anderson S Demar Dorsey may be reopening his recruitment after committing to Florida earlier this year.

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High School Football, Rumors and Wires chris dunkley, cody riggs, david perry, lucky radley, top 2010 recruits

Anyone who has followed Rutgers football knows that since Greg Schiano took over the program, he has made an effort to get talent out of the State of Florida. The 2009 recruiting class represented a departure from that objective for some reason. Rutgers’ 2009 class only had one player from the State of Florida after signing only one player from Florida in 2008. Rutgers’ 2005-2007 classes all had at least five Florida players.

Schiano and his staff have made the attempt to return to the Sunshine State for talent and are currently listing 15 prospects from Florida. Five of those prospects are Gridironstuds.com members. The Scarlett Knights have listed Gridironstuds.com members (RB/LB Will Powers, RB James White, LB Justin Birkenholz, CB Peniel Jean and CB Cody Riggs) as prospects. There’s no doubt that Rutgers is looking to add some Florida speed to their roster.

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High School Football cody riggs, james white, justin birkenholz, peniel jean, rutgers football, top 2010 recruits, will powers

In a showdown of some of the top sprinters in Broward County, FL,  Gridironstuds.com member DeMar Dorsey was upset by Deerfield Beach and Michigan bound senior Denard Robinson in the 100 meters.   It took Robinson’s personal best to get it done as he blazed through the line at 10.44 seconds to take first in the event.  Dorsey was second with a time of 10.60.   Seven of the eight competitors in the event went under 11 seconds in the final.

Other Gridironstud members in the meet were St. Thomas Aquinas’  Cody Riggs who won the 300 meter hurdles with a Florida H.S. season best time of 37.28.  Riggs is the defending state champ in the event.  He also won the Long Jump with a mark of 23-05 and placed a close third in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.53.    Everglade H.S. and Kansas St. bound senior Courtney Thompson won the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14.51.

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High School Football cody riggs, demar dorsey, top 2010 defensive backs, top 2010 recruits

Today’s video of the day comes from Ft. Lauderdale, FL and #1 ranked St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Cornerback Cody Riggs made a name for himself locking down opposing receivers and picking off passes from their quarterbacks in 2008. Riggs used his quick feet and elite speed to rack up 8 interceptions and over 20 pass deflections. By the end of 2008, throwing to Riggs side of the field constituted what would be called a bad game plan. Riggs has drawn interest from across the country and now has offers from Miami-Fla, Notre Dame, Boston College, Duke, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Pittsburgh. Check out Cody Riggs’ Highlight Video.

You can respond to this article and video by going here: Respond to Cody Riggs Video of the Day.

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Video of the Day cody riggs, St. Thomas Aquinas football, top 2010 defensive backs, top 2010 recruits

After months of speculation as to where he would end up, it’s official, former Southwest Miami High School cornerback Lamarcus Joyner will be a St. Thomas Aquinas Raider Wednesday morning. The standout defensive back, arguably the best in Dade County at the position attempted to transfer to Columbus High School in recent weeks but the transfer fell through. Now, Joyner will join Cody Riggs at St. Thomas to give the Raiders perhaps the best secondary in the nation. Aquinas just completed one of the best seasons in South Florida history going undefeated and beating all opponents by double digits. Finding room to throw against this team has just become near impossible. Both players clocked sub 4.5 forty’s on Sunday at the Under Armour Junior Combine at the Miami Dolphins training facility. This should be fun to watch.

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High School Football cody riggs, lamarcus joyner