Farrell: Seals-Jones, UCLA and Thomas Tyner headline roundup

By Mike Farrell, Rivals.com, Special to SI.com

UCLA and quarterback Eddie Printz parted ways, and Printz's family is claiming coach Jim Mora dropped him after promising him a roster spot.

Courtesy of Rivals.com

In this week's edition of the Recruiting Roundup, Mike Farrell explores the unpredictable recruitment of Ricky Seals-Jones, UCLA's controversial drop of quarterback Eddie Printz, and how the Bruins' hot start will improve its recruiting class among a series of other topics.

Deep thoughts

Texas's decision to stop recruiting Ricky Seals-Jones is confounding: I really like the new approach to Texas recruiting by Mack Brown except for one thing: Don't give up on a player as talented as Ricky Seals-Jones in September (Seals-Jones is now down to LSU and Texas A&M). Texas is now offering juniors earlier rather than waiting until after LOI Day, and the Longhorns are taking fewer early commitments so they have room down the stretch for targets at key positions. I know Brown has his reasons for the decision, but dropping RSJ rather than fighting the Tigers and Aggies down the stretch is not what big-time programs do. Would any SEC team back off a kid this talented? Would USC?

UCLA and Eddie Printz are better off without one another: There was plenty of outrage over UCLA dropping Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter quarterback Eddie Printz last week, if that is indeed what happened. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but if UCLA actually did drop him I am not bothered. After a hot start to the season and especially after the win over Nebraska, UCLA was suddenly intriguing to local quarterbacks who are more coveted and talented and who began to show more interest. A coach like Jim Mora simply has to take the best players when he can. I was puzzled why UCLA left the west coast for a quarterback in the first place and didn't push harder for Hayden Rettig, Troy Williams and others. And for those who say it's unethical to drop recruits, what about the number of prospects who drop verbal commitments themselves -- including Printz who was committed to SMU before following Adrian Klemm to L.A.? Both sides sound like they are better off now anyhow.

UCLA will land a big class: Speaking of UCLA, the Bruins are currently very hot on the recruiting trail, drawing more and more attention from some high-profile prospects. The trio from Fresno (Calif.) Central East could very well end up at UCLA if the team continues to win. While Hatari Byrd is committed to Oklahoma, it wouldn't stun me to see him de-commit for the Bruins if his teammates L.J. Moore and Johnny Johnson end up there.

Notre Dame seeks defensive backs: Moore will be with fellow California standout Khalfani Muhammad on an official visit this weekend to Notre Dame when the Irish play host to Michigan. But more importantly, Moore will be with fellow defensive back Cole Luke from Arizona. How good could Notre Dame be if they can start recruiting defensive backs? This is the best and most athletic Irish defense in years, and the current front seven will allow them to easily lure defensive linemen and linebackers. But they need to break through at corner and safety soon. Moore and Luke would be a nice 1-2 punch and can play either position down the line.

Thomas Tyner is a budding star: It's time to take another look at Aloha, Ore., running back Thomas Tyner, who just rushed for 644 yards and 10 TDs in one game on 38 carries and now has 1,245 yards and 17 scores in three games this season. Tyner was once rated as the No. 1 running back in the country by Rivals.com, but after a track injury this spring that followed an injury-plagued junior year, he lost that title and his fifth star. Tyner, who was once No. 9 overall in the country, is now No. 51 overall and is No. 6 at his position. After his record-setting game I asked him if he was a man on a mission and he simply replied, "Got a chip on my shoulder!" When healthy, there is no running back in this class who has a better combination of size and speed.

Quick Hitters

• Talk about blowing your chance to impress arguably the top recruit on your board. North Little Rock, Ark. running back Altee Tenpenny is clearly the No. 1 prospect in state and, despite being committed to Alabama, has been a top priority for Arkansas all along. So what does he get to see when he takes an unofficial to Fayetteville to watch the Hawgs battle the Crimson Tide? A 52-0 drubbing where the Hawgs rushed for 58 yards on 37 carries while 'Bama put up 225. At least Arkansas can sell immediate playing time, right?

• I know Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab defensive end Tim Williams recently said that Miami has a small lead over Florida State, Alabama and LSU right now, but if he ends up playing for anyone aside from the Tigers I would be stunned. He plans on being at every home game for LSU this season.

• Is Colorado the worst BCS team in college football now? It is very likely. Four-star tight end commitment Mitchell Parsons is looking around now because the Buffs are so horrid, and other uncommitted targets are dropping them from their lists as well.

• Tennessee has a lot of recruiting momentum right now. Players such as safety Vonn Bell and offensive lineman Reeve Koehler are strong leans to the Vols, and stars Jalen Ramsey, Derrick Green, Marquez North, Derrick Henry, David Williams and many, many others showing increased interest. However, Derek Dooley is now 0-11 in Knoxville against ranked teams and 0-18 all-time. That doesn't fly at Tennessee, and the Vols have a stretch of four straight games against ranked teams starting Sept. 29. If the trend continues, Dooley's seat will continue to heat up, and that will make recruiting interesting down the stretch.

• There's going to be a whole lot of talent in Tallahassee this weekend when Florida State takes on Clemson in arguably the most important game for Seminoles in ages. A win gives Jimbo Fisher's squad a clear path to the ACC title game. It will also send a message to remaining 2013 recruits, as well as big-name 2014 recruits expected to attend, that FSU is back. A loss? Recruiting will still go well, but they could start to lose ground on some difference-makers, especially with the team in Gainesville starting to thrive again and Clemson a danger to everyone on the recruiting trail.

For more in-depth recruiting coverage, visit Rivals.com.

20 Sep, 2012

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Rivals.com: Louisville lands top-ranked guard

By Eric Bossi, Rivals.com, Special to SI.com

Rick Pitino added the nation's top-ranked junior college player to an already impressive recruiting class.

John Sommers II, Reuters

As soon as Chris Jones made it back to Northwest Florida in Niceville, Fla. from his weekend visit to Louisville, his coaches could tell a commitment was imminent.

The 5-foot-11 floor general said he'd had a good time but nobody wanted to push the four-star junior college point guard into rushing things.

"He came back from his visit and I could tell he liked it and wanted to do it," said Northwest Florida coach Steve Forbes. "Coach Pitino was great and didn't try to get him to pop and we just told him to sleep on it.'

What Forbes did do, though, was set up a Monday morning meeting with his star point guard and ask him what he wanted to do with his recruitment at this point.

"We sat down and I asked him how he feels about Louisville," Forbes told Rivals.com. "He said Coach I want to go to Louisville so I said let's call Pitino."

One of the top players in the junior college ranks, Jones is an impact player. He can run a team, he scores and he plays with incredible intensity. On top of that, he's a proven winner.

"I think Chris Jones is a fierce competitor who is a winner," said Forbes. "He won a state championship in high school, played for a national championship in junior college and now has put himself into a position to play for one at a four year school. Most junior college kids don't get to do that.

"And, he gets to play for a hall of fame coach in Rick Pitino."

Jones joins a Louisville recruiting class that already includes four-star shooting guard Anton Gill and four-star point guard Terry Rozier who is doing a prep school year after signing as a class of 2012 recruit.

18 Sep, 2012

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Gabriel Baumgaertner: Upsets dominate Week 4 as Grayson and Skyline fall

Manatee holds onto the top spot after avoiding the upset bug that bit three of last week's top 10.

Courtesy of Don Keller

Let's talk about upsets.

Without upsets there would be no underdogs, and without underdogs we wouldn't have "Rudy" or "Remember the Titans," and then football fans would have fewer reasons to cry among their friends. Don't lie to me and say you didn't cry when Rudy sacks the Georgia Tech quarterback; I'll even let you get away with saying that you cried because you found yourself cheering for Notre Dame.

And we wouldn't even have those totally saccharine underdog flicks like "Radio" which remind us that underdog movies can in fact be unwatchable, thus increasing our appreciation for the aforementioned films and anything titled "Friday Night Lights."

History, not just Hollywood loves underdogs, too. Every powerhouse has met their Waterloo and now every team named the Spartans seems to pay some homage to the Battle at Thermopylae (even if players are referencing Zack Snyder's overdone, greasy six-pack man film, "300").

Tangential underdog rants aside, the high school football scene had a whole host of shockers this past weekend.

Grayson shocked: The Robert Nkemdiche commitment saga continues, his mother most recently weighed in by claiming her son's decision is not final, but that stopped mattering on Friday night. Nkemdiche and the Grayson Rams lost to a team that had scored three points all season, dropping a stunner to Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 22-7. The Panthers were just a week removed from a 20-0 loss to Norcross (Ga.) while Grayson had last week off. Parkview's offense had not scored a touchdown all season (it won its first game 3-0 before being shut out), but was able to take a lead it would never surrender against Grayson's lauded unit.

Grayson now tumbles out of the rankings, but it was not the only nationally ranked team to lose a shocker this past weekend.

The Sky(line) is falling: Despite its prolific offense, the Skyline (Dallas) defense has been unable to stop any opponents this season, and Bowie (Arlington, Texas) got the best of them in a 38-36 win. The Raiders have given up at least 28 points in each of their three games this season, and on Friday they had given up 38 points by the end of the third quarter. The Volunteers almost blew a 38-16 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but not even stars Devante Kincade and Ra'Shaad Samples could bring Skyline back from the large deficit. The schedule does not get any easier for the Raiders, as they enter a high-profile 5A showdown at Dallas Jesuit this week.

Diffusing the Rockets: Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) was another school ripe for an upset this weekend, but the Hurricanes continued their torrid offensive production and held off the surging Miami Central (Fla.) to maintain their perfect record. While Central is now 1-2 after one of the hardest non-conference schedules imaginable, it is clear that the young Rockets have arrived and will churn several players into Division-I football. Anchored by its explosive offense and an excited defense, Manatee outlasted Miami Central 44-34 in a marathon to maintain its perfect record and avoid the upset bug that bit other top-ranked opponents this weekend.

It appeared from the outset that Manatee would coast to victory against the Rockets. Central went 12 yards backwards in its first two possessions and was down 9-0 early. By halftime it was 23-7.

But the offenses would come to life, recording a series of long offensive drives and providing the thrilling offensive showdown that onlookers expected. While quarterback Cord Sandberg has been the catalyst of the Hurricanes' offense for most of the season, running back Trevon Walters sealed the game on an 85-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Walters finished with 227 total yards and two touchdowns.

The schedule finally gets easier for Central after a vicious stretch to begin the season while Manatee shows no signs of slowing down.

National Crusaders: Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) traveled 2,535 miles, but it recorded its biggest win of the year in a 42-35 victory over Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). Bishop Gorman played its third out-of-state opponent and second highly-ranked team (the Gaels beat Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) to start the season), but turned the ball over too many times to pick up its third victory of the season. Bergen Catholic was already touted as the best team in New Jersey and one of the best in the Northeast, but the Crusaders cemented itself as one of the nation's best with their landmark victory on the road.

And now the rankings, which are all shaken up after Friday's madness:

1. Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.)

Previous rank: 1

Record: 3-0

Last game: Won 44-34 over No. 10 Miami Central (Fla.)

Next game: at Southeast (Bradenton, Fla.)

Sure, the Hurricanes got their first test, but they had no trouble solving it. The schedule now opens up to continue down that road toward a national championship, but obstacles always await when you are at the top.

2. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Previous rank: 3

Record: 4-0

Last game: Won 72-0 over Carson (Calif.)

Next game: vs. St Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.)

The Eagles led 55-0 at halftime in Friday's laugher. The feast of cupcakes appears over, however. The Eagles welcome a challenging St. Bonaventure squad into Orange County next weekend, and after that starts the battles of the Trinity League.

3. John Curtis (River Ridge, La.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 4

Last game: Won 34-7 over East St. John (Reserve, La.)

Next game: vs. Cohen (New Orleans, La.)

The Patriots start conference play and it shouldn't be too difficult; Cohen has been outscored 125-6 in its first two games of the season.

4. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

Record: 2-0

Previous rank: NR

Last game: Won 42-35 over No. 8 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Next game: at St. Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, N.J.)

The Crusaders are the new kids in this week's power rankings, and they could shoot up the rankings even more if they can win another enormous game next week. Just one week after traveling across the country to beat a sturdy Bishop Gorman side, Bergen Catholic will play in a Jersey showdown against St. Joseph Regional, which recently dropped a hard-fought battle against Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), who was Bishop Gorman's first opponent of the season.

5. Bellevue (Wash.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 5

Last game: Won 69-0 over Sammamish (Bellevue, Wash.)

Next game: vs. Lake Washington (Kirkland, Wash.)

Bellevue should get a bit of a better test with the Kangaroos this coming weekend, but Lake Washington is coming off of a blowout 42-13 loss against Mercer Island. The Wolverines, conversely, are showing no signs of letting up on offense.

6. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: 7

Last week: Won 21-13 over St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.)

Next week: @ Granada (Livermore, Calif.)

The Spartans had to claw a bit in its win over St. Mary's, but they controlled the tempo from the beginning and continues to show itself as the best team in California. De La Salle gets an unheralded by undefeated side in Granada next week.

7. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: 9

Last week: Won 41-0 over Clinton (S.C.)

Next week: vs. Boiling Springs (Spartansburg, S.C.)

Brynes coasted to an easy victory against a weak Clinton side, but will face one of the stronger teams in the state when it plays Boiling Springs this weekend. The Bulldogs have scored at least 34 points in three of its four games and should be a significant test for the Byrnes defense. It is unclear if Boiling Springs will have any means to stop the electric Akia Booker, however.

8. St. Ignatius (Cleveland)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: NR

Last week: Won 40-0 over Strong Vincent (Erie, Pa.)

Next week: at McDowell (Erie, Pa.)

The Wildcats enter the top-10 this season predominantly because they have beat every opponent (all of which have been respected teams) by at lest 27 points. St. Ignatius has faced top teams from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and has put up at least 31 points on every one; it has now outscored opponents 168-41 on the year.

9. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.)

Record: 3-0

Previous rank: NR

Last week: Won 59-14 over Redlands East Valley

Next week: vs. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego Calif.)

USC prize recruit Su'a Cravens and company positively obliterated a strong Redlands East Valley side last weekend, and for that it deserves a jump into the rankings after toiling in the "next five" section up in the previous editions of Power Rankings. Vista Murrieta lacked some consistency at the beginning of the season, but enjoyed a tremendous offensive performance on Friday. All eyes are on Cravens, an athlete expected to revolutionize the Trojan secondary when he arrives next fall.

10. Trinity (Louisville)

Record: 4-0

Previous rank: NR

Last week: Won 14-13 over St. Xavier (Cincinnati)

Next week: at Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.)

Many have considered Trinity a general disappointment this season, but it remains undefeated and held off one of the top teams in Ohio last weekend. The tenth spot shuffle may continue if the Shamrocks cannot log a big win when it travels to Indianapolis this weekend.

Next five: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.), Miami Central (Fla.), Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), Lake Travis (Austin)

Dropped Out: No. 2 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), No. 6 Skyline (Dallas), No. 8 Bishop Gorman

18 Sep, 2012

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Jeff Ritter: Glory Days: The rise of full-contact alumni football games nationwide

Generations collide on the high school gridiron

Source:SI

SI.com's Jeff Ritter goes back to his hometown of Schoolcraft, Mich., for its first-ever alumni football game.

Dennis McNally, 63, served as Schoolcraft (Mich.) High's backup quarterback in its inaugural alumni football game.

Robert Nye/In Your Face Photography

SCHOOLCRAFT, Mich. -- It's a clear summer night in southwest Michigan, and Brad Johnson is lined up seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, ready to reprise the role that once made him a household name in this tiny town. At the snap, Johnson, playing tailback, bolts from his stance and sprints left. He has run this play, 49 Option Dive, thousands of times. He receives the pitch from his quarterback and glides toward the home sideline and, just beyond his row of teammates, a set of bleachers packed with folks who knew his name then and still know it today.

Johnson plants his left foot in the grass and cuts upfield when he is summarily met by Keith Kellis, a hulking defensive tackle who has taken the perfect angle and closed at full throttle to quickly end this trip down memory lane. The collision is tremendous, and the crack of the men's pads reverberates across the field. The impact sends Johnson briefly airborne. It's the kind of hit that would fit seamlessly into a scene of Friday Night Lights, Any Given Sunday or The Longest Yard (the original, not the Adam Sandler fiasco).

But this tackle doesn't happen in supersonic slow motion, and it isn't set to a classic rock soundtrack. This hit is quick and violent. "A perfect hit," Johnson said after the game, blood seeping from the bridge of his nose.

After both men crash-land, Kellis quickly pops up, faces his bench and lets out a triumphant, carnal scream. Johnson lies on the grass for a few long seconds before -- somehow -- peeling his No. 22 jersey off the turf and wobbling to his sideline. He'd return to the game shortly afterward, which is a remarkable feat because Johnson is no longer in high school. He's currently 40 years old.

In the fall of 1988, Johnson was the 17-year-old star of a state-champion high school team. Today he's a 5-foot-10, 185-pound father of three with a wife and a job in construction. Kellis, the man who rocked him, is a 6-foot-3, 300-pound, 34-year-old father. Johnson hails from Schoolcraft, Mich., a cornfield community with a population of 1,500. Kellis comes from Portage, a larger city located a few miles away. Both men were representing their respective schools in the first-ever alumni football game at Schoolcraft High's field. Kellis still buzzed over his monster tackle moments after the contest was finished. "To break down and make a hit, but to also know what you're doing in life, it's a great feeling," said Kellis, who works as a tool and die operator. "It was a fun play."

"I played two years of college ball after high school," Johnson added. "But tonight was the hardest I've ever been hit."

*****

Ever wonder what it would be like to get your old high school team together for one more game? There are many ways to pull it off. You could make some phones calls. Hop on Facebook. With a little luck, you might scrape together a tackle game in a buddy's backyard. Maybe you'll end up playing two-hand touch in a stony lot. Maybe you'll play flag football. Maybe it'll be co-ed. Powder puff, perhaps.

But if you want to get serious (full disclosure, I hail from Schoolcraft, and can state with certainty that when it comes to football, my hometown is serious), there's another option: you can unite with school alumni across generations, strap on pads, and hit -- and get hit -- just like you did as a teenager. Advil sold separately.

The company making it happen is called Alumni Football USA, and every year it stages games in towns large and small, urban and rural, from coast to coast. For thousands of former high school football players, the dream of suiting up and playing a real game -- complete with helmets, pads, refs and a raucous crowd -- is becoming a reality.

"A lot of times, guys hear about us and these games, but they don't think it's possible to do it in their town," said Bob Cazet, founder and president of Alumni Football USA. "But they'll hear about this game in Schoolcraft, and other games as we keep moving around the country, and they'll realize -- it's real."

Cazet, a former Marine and schoolteacher, organized his first high school alumni game in 1984 with a group of friends in Saint Helena, Calif. His goal wasn't to start a company. It was to raise a little cash for a prep team he was coaching. "I was 24 years old and had become the head softball coach at Saint Helena High School. My budget was something like $280," Cazet said. "I figured I had to do some kind of fundraiser. I always wanted to play one more high school football game. I started talking to buddies, and we ended up with 100 guys in the game. We put in it the paper, and we had about 3,000 people show up and watch it."

That game got the attention of other former high school football players in the Bay Area, and before long, Cazet organized a game in a neighboring community. Then another. He'd take his profits from the events and invest in more pads and helmets. Soon Cazet realized that thousands of ex-jocks had a similar dream of suiting up for one more full-contact game. There was just one problem: Cazet had no idea what he was doing.

"The first game I ever did for profit, I had 21 guys walk off with my equipment. I just thought they'd give it back," Cazet said with a laugh. "I wasn't focused on hiring more people, buying trucks, getting insurance. We needed a process for everything."

Today Alumni Football USA's system is simple: Each player pays a fee (usually about $100) to join the team, while Cazet's company prints the tickets and supplies equipment, refs, security, EMTs and liability insurance. Schools pay no money up front, but must provide a field to stage the game. Alumni Football USA takes a cut of ticket sales, while schools typically open concessions and sell raffle tickets, the proceeds of which are theirs to keep.

Cazet says the model is the best way to force players to get organized and boost attendance, and the fundraising potential also ensures the games carry a purpose greater than a bunch of old, marginally out-of-shape guys attempting to relive their glory days. (Although, let's face it, that Springsteen tune would make for a solid soundtrack.) Getting that first alumni game off the ground isn't always easy, but the opportunity is there for teams to raise some cash for their schools.

15 Sep, 2012

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