Posts Tagged ‘michael taylor’
Disasterous 24 Hours for Tennessee Football
Posted by Chad Wilson in High School Football on January 13th, 2010
First it started with the decommitment of top rated linebacker from Westlake High School in Atlanta, Michael Taylor on Sunday. Then came the loss of head coach Lane Kiffin. This also resulted in the loss of defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and recruiting henchman Ed Ogeron. Now recruits are saying bye-bye to the Vols. Tennessee’s attempt to become relevant in the college football world has been put in a figure four leg lock.
Lane Kiffin leaving is obviously a big deal but the biggest loss for Tennessee is Kiffin’s dad Monte Kiffin. I have spoken to several defensive recruits and the majority have said that the major reason they are considering Tennessee is because of the chance to work under Monte Kiffin and get an “NFL education.” Now that opportunity is gone and so are the recruits, one by one.
Evidence of what I am saying can be found in the fact that over the last 24 hours, Tennesse has lost commitments from top recruits Brandon Willis, Calvin Smith, Delvin Jones and A.J. Johnson. All four of these players along with Taylor who decommitted on Sunday, play on the defensive side of the ball. With Monte Kiffin packing his bags for USC, the appeal of Tennessee to these recruits has dwindled in value like an Internet stock portfolio.
There’s still highly recruited defensive ends Jacques Smith and Corey Miller still committed to Knoxville for now but with others bolting, they may rethink their plans. Anymore jumps off of the Tennessee ship could lead to another disaster for the Vols and that’s a rush to hire leading to another hire that’s “not right” for them.
There are whispers of Mike Leach coming. That will certainly deter some defensive talent from Knoxville unless Leach were hired and saddled up with a high impact defensive coordinator. Oh I tell ya, this recruiting things is crazy. I almost can’t wait for the next piece of big news from some college campus. It’s like “As the World Turns” right now.
Rumors and Wires: Week of January 11, 2010
Posted by Chad Wilson in General on January 12th, 2010
January 13th
Brandon Willis DT (Byrnes H.S., S.C.), Calvin Smith DT (Hialeah H.S., FL), Delvin Jones DE (Palmetto H.S., FL) and A.J. Johnson OLB (Gainesville H.S., FL) have all decommitted from Tennessee following Lane Kiffin’s decision to become USC’s next head coach.
January 12th
Westlake H.S. (Georgia) linebacker Michael Taylor has dropped Tennessee and has committed to the University of Florida. Taylor was the MVP for the White Team in the recent Under Armour All Star Game.
Miramar H.S. (Florida) quarterback Ryan Williams has dropped Eastern Michigan in favor of Memphis. Williams committed to Eastern Michigan less than 10 days ago.
Under Armour 2010 High School All Star Game Highlights
Posted by Chad Wilson in General on January 6th, 2010
In case you missed it, the Under Armour High School Football All Star Game was this past Saturday. Overall, I would have to say that it was a sloppy contest as there were a laundry list of errors in the game. I guess some of this is to be expected in an All Star game atmosphere but this particular contest had more than it’s fair share of blunders.
What stood out to me the most was the inability of the wide receivers to catch the football. Pass after pass was dropped. You had punts getting mishandled and fumbled. It looked as though this game was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil. The other thing that stood out was the fact that virtually 85% of the snaps taken in the game were from the shotgun. Now I like the spread just as much as the next guy but did that many snaps need to be taken from the gun? It would have been nice to come away from the game knowing which one of these All Star quarterbacks has been schooled on taking a drop and reading a defense on their decent back in the pocket from under center.
There were many players that did some good things in the game and I won’t be able to mention them all but here’s a few that stood out to me. Dominque Easley, who committed to Florida during the game, looked like Dwight Freeney out there. Very quick, agile and a tough assignment for the tackles to block. WR Darius White from Texas who is also commited to Texas. He had a couple of nice punt returns and a TD catch. Jeff Luc had about five tackles in the game. He also buried Michigan QB Devin Gardner in beast like Jeff Luc fashion. Michael Taylor, linebacker from Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia. Ran around and made plays. He was very aggressive and seem to be prepared for the event. Phillip Sims may have looked the best of the QB’s. He has a live arm, as he displayed in the skills competition with a 67 yard throw. He also moves around well in the pocket and seems poised when pressured.
Demar Dorsey from Ft. Lauderdale Florida and heading to Gainesville is full of confidence and backed it up with his play. He had an interception and showed some sick strength for a “skinny” guy when he flipped Michael Dyer over his back like he was in WrestleMania. Jonathan Dowling, safety from Florida and a Gator commit, showed what he’s all about. The kid just has a nose for the ball and came away with a pair of interceptions in the contest one of which he returned for a TD. Dowling picked off 14 passes his junior year. Gardner, from Inkster High School and headed to Ann Arbor also looked solid at the quarterback position and appeared to be a leader. There were some others that did big things but those were the ones who stood out.
To put pictures to the words I wrote, Check out a brief highlight video of the 2010 Under Armour Game:
Rumors and Wires Week of August 10, 2009
Posted by Chad Wilson in Rumors and Wires on August 10th, 2009
August 13th
University School (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) defensive end and Gridironstuds.com member David Perry has named a top 5 of Miami, Florida St., Florida, LSU and Rutgers. Watch David Perry’s highlight video.
Proviso West H.S. (Illinois) wide receiver and Gridironstuds.com member Kyle Prater has set his announcement date for September 2nd. USC is the leader for the stand out pass catcher. Watch Prater’s highlight video, click here.
August 12th
Trinity Catholic H.S. (Florida) wide receiver and Gridironstuds.com member Kadron Boone has committed to Texas Tech. Boone is also being recruited by Georgia, Miami and Oklahoma. Texas Tech has nabbed two top wide receivers from the state of Florida. Last month, Gridironstuds.com member Shawn Corker committed to the Red Raiders. Watch Kadron Boone’s highlight video.
Bishop Miege H.S. (Kansas) athlete Justin McCay has committed to the Oklahoma Sooners. McCay is also being recruited by Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Notre Dame and Tennessee.
St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. (Florida) cornerback Keion Payne has announced a top 5 of Florida, Florida St., Miami, Ohio St. and Tennessee.
August 10th
Westlake, GA High School linebacker Michael Taylor has chosen Tennessee. Taylor is also being recruited by Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami and Stanford.
Glenville H.S. defensive back and Gridironstuds.com member Latwan Anderson solidifies that West Virginia is his top choice. He also added that Michigan St. and Georgia are the other two teams in the running for his services. Anderson said to Eersports.com ” I give great consideration to West Virginia.” View Anderson’s video, click here.
Palmdale H.S. cornerback Josh Shaw says that Ohio St. is his leader. Meanwhile he also says that he is considering LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn St., Tennessee, Washington, UCLA and USC. View Shaw’s highlight video.
Arundel High School QB Billy Cosh has chosen Kansas St. Cosh is also being recruited by East Carolina and Kentucky.
