Owens Commits To Duke
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Reggie Owens (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
In what should be the first of manyDivision I commitments from Ocean Lakes this season, Reggie Owens is the man to break the ice. Owens (SR 6-0 190) is a well-muscled and athletic DB who’ll be a great fit in the ACC. Duke nabbed a commitment from Owens after he had narrowed his choices down to Duke, East Carolina and Marshall. The Ocean Lakes defender had also claimed interest from Virginia, West Virginia, UConn, Richmond, Delaware and Old Dominion.
Duke is a program on the rise in the ACC. The arrival of Head Coach David Cutcliffe has sparked a winning attitude and a new level of fan interest in the program. Of course, Duke also offers significant academic advantages,which makes the opportunity to learn, play in a rising program and potentially play early attractive for Reggie.
Owens’ decision comes on the eve of football season kicking off. Ocean Lakes travels to Princess Anne tonight in what should be an interesting matchup, although recent games have been lopsided in the Dolphins’ favor. According to Ocean Lakes’ Head Coach Chris Scott, Owens was ready to get the decision out of the way and move on to playing his senior season.
Owens is a true student-athlete, carrying a 3.2 GPA at Ocean Lakes while excelling on the field for the Dolphins. He had eight interceptions in his junior season including two returns for touchdowns. You can see highlights of Reggie in action against Bayside in his recruit757 highlight reel here.
Ocean Lakes fans should still expect Lafonte Thourogood, Josh Mann, Chaz Lowery and Lamar Neal to make major college commitments this fall. The program is loaded full of talent and should be a recruiting stop for many colleges scouring the region for college ready talent.
- Andy Hilton
Paddyfoot Prepping Kempsville For Playoffs
by Kellen Owings, recruit757
Head Coach Jamaine Paddyfoot (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
After a 6-5 season and their first postseason berth in seven years, the Kempsville Chiefs will look to return to the playoffs under first year Head Coach and former Kempsville assistant Jamaine Paddyfoot. Paddyfoot replaces David Johnson, who stepped down after two years at the school. Paddyfoot inherits a loaded team and bonafide contender led by standout running back and linebacker Travis Hughes.
However, Paddyfoot and his team aren’t going to rest on their laurels, it’s a new season and no playoff spot comes guaranteed. “We’re confident with the group coming back, but myself included, we have to make our own way. We can’t depend on what happened last season. We have other teams (in our district) that didn’t make the playoffs that want a playoff spot, and we have to earn our own. We can’t base it off of last year, and we know we got our work cut out for us,” he said.
The offense will be lead by quarterback Rex Harrison (SR 6-2 210). Harrison transferred in from Tabb High School in York County. After leaving Tabb, he looked to break into the lineup at Oscar Smith, where he had hoped to compete for the starting QB job. That didn’t work out and Harrison’s family ended up settling in the Kempsville school district. Harrison was a second-team All-Bay Rivers District quarterback a year ago after playing well at Nansemond-Suffolk in his first two years of high school ball.
Harrison joins a potent offense featuring running back Travis Hughes (SR 6-1 230), who was the second-leading rusher in South Hampton Roads last year with 1,274 yards gained on the ground. Seniors Mason Thomas (6-0, 195) and Gavin Williams (5-8, 160) provide two good options for Harrison at wide receiver. Kempsville also has two seniors coming off of injury, Jasonte Kimbro (5-11, 165) and Justin Whiteford (5-10, 160) who will see time at receiver. Both can run well and are physical, downfield blockers. Deandre McNair (5-10, 160), who played sparingly last year, figures to have a much bigger role this year. A scat-back type, he’ll help take the load off Hughes and catch balls out of the backfield. Says Coach Paddyfoot, “He’s a guy were gonna get the ball to often.”
Joey Droll (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Joey Droll (6-0, 190) is another interesting prospect on offense. He was the teams’ QB during 7 on 7s and took most of the snaps last year, but is now seeing time at tight end, receiver, and some as QB. “He did a lot for us last year and will continue to do that. He’ll always do what’s best for the team,” Coach Paddyfoot said. “Right now he’s nursing a shoulder injury so he’s taking a lot of tight end reps, when he comes back he’ll get some QB reps as well. We just want to be prepared.” Senior Bryce Barnes, a standout Beach District wrestler, is also getting reps at tight end.
The offensive line is also a strength for the Chiefs, lead by Andrew Hendrix and Greg Maloid. Maloid (SR 6-0, 245), who is going in to his second year as a starter, played well at right tackle last season but will move to the left side this year. Hendrix (SR 6’1, 250) started at center last season, but is a flexible lineman capable of playing anywhere on the O-Line. Juniors Frederick Pauley and Brandon Hubbard move up from JV and will be asked to start and help take the offense to the next level. Aaron Williams and Jesse Litton will also be contributing on the offensive line.
The defense will be a group effort built around Travis Hughes, and Paddyfoot envisions “everyone rallying to the ball and trying to make things happen.” Hughes will be the top playmaker on defense from his middle linebacker position. Gavin Williams will also play both ways and will be the team’s top corner.
Hughes already plans to play linebacker next fall, and his list is getting shorter as he focuses on the season. He has narrowed it down to 5 or 6 teams, including UNC, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and UVA. Gavin Williams is also getting a lot of college interest as well.
Coach Paddyfoot says about his team, “We’re doing well right now, we just want to keep getting better. We have a lot of guys who are going to have a hand in this season, a lot of guys who don’t get noticed but are contributors.” The Chiefs have had some injury problems, so Paddyfoot hopes his guys can stay healthy so he doesn’t have to dig deeper.
Says Paddyfoot, “We hope to do better than last year. We’re going to come out and work hard and take the program to the next level.”
Kempsville is poised to get to that level. They field an experienced, talent-laden team that should be at the top of a very strong Beach District. They are a true contender in the region. Who knows? Maybe a playoff rematch against Oscar Smith looms? The Chiefs would love to avenge last season’s playoff loss, and Rex Harrison would love to show Oscar Smith coach Richard Morgan what he can do with an explosive offense of his own.
- Kellen Owings
Bayside DB Nicholson Still Open
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Demetrious Nicholson (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Demetrious Nicholson has been a terror as a wideout and defensive back for Bayside. It’s gotten him noticed.
Nicholson was listed as the Southside’s top high school football player in the 2011 class by Larry Rubama of the Virginian-Pilot, and he’s the target of somewhere around two dozen colleges looking to sign him to a scholarship. Tra’s been hot for a while. You’d think he’d have his eye on a few schools in particular, right? Not so fast.
“I’ve narrowed (my list) down a little bit. I’m not really blocking anybody out, but school is about to start and I’m not going to have much time to think about it,” said Nicholson.
That’s surprising considering that he has a myriad of choices and they’re all good ones. The 5-11 170 speedster has skills that any school would covet. Who tops his list? “I don’t want to call them my top, but the schools I’m zoning into are North Carolina, UVA, Clemson, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Probably Stanford too. I’m supposed to start my official visits on September 4 (Bayside’s bye week), and I’m trying to set a visit to Stanford and see what’s going on out there. That possibly could switch around, but those are the schools I’m zoned in on.”
With five official visits at a maximum, how is he going to pick from all of his choices? “Me and (Bayside) Coach Moore have talked about it a little bit, we looked at scheduling stuff on days I’m off so I can go out on visits. Carolina is one, Stanford is one, West Virginia is one of them… schools that I can’t drive to. Clemson is one of them…. So I’m going to go out to those schools and see what’s going on out there. I’m going to try to learn about them in the short amount of time that I have.”
Nicholson also talked about his role on the Bayside team that’s expected to do great things this season. The team was young last year and wound up winning the Beach District under the leadership of a freshman quarterback. They lost few players from last year’s team and should gain from the experience of last season.
Tra is excited about his senior season. “We have a pretty young team. I’m the oldest on the team and it seems crazy because I remember being the young guy on team. I like how we compete. A lot of these guys are inexperienced, but they fight well. All it takes is effort and a little bit of talent here and there. We’re like last year, but a little better,” said Nicholson.
If Bayside can keep their game at the level of last year’s team and perhaps be even a little better, they should go a long way.
Nicholson’s college choice will be a tough one for him. At this point, he’s keeping his options open as he narrows down the field.
- Andy Hilton
Harrison Settles In As A Chief
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Rex Harrison (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Rex Harrison put up good numbers for the Tabb Tigers last year. Harrison threw for 1065 yards in 10 games with Tabb last year and almost brought them to the playoffs. A last minute touchdown by eventual State Finalists Bruton ended the Tigers season at 6-4. Harrison was awarded 2nd Team All-Bay Rivers District honors as a junior quarterback in his first year with the Tigers.
Harrison played for Tabb only one year. He had played for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy in his sophomore year. Now in his senior season, Harrison has found a home in Kempsville.
It’s not completely unusual for players to transfer in the offseason. Sometimes they do it because of family circumstances. Sometimes they do it in order to better their recruitment prospects. In Harrison’s case, it’s likely the latter.
Kempsville was a playoff team last year in the super competitive Beach District. As competitive as the Bay Rivers District is, it doesn’t offer the higher level of competition that Harrison will see week in and week out as a Kempsville Chief.
We caught up with Rex and talked about his new team, his recruiting, and how he was settling in at the Beach. His first impressions of the team and his new situation were all favorable. “The transition has been smooth. I like it a lot. I like the new system, I like my teammates and I think we’re going to have a good year,” said the quarterback.
The new system at Kempsville is going to be a little more complex than the system at Tabb, but it will also allow Rex to showcase his talents for college coaches. “At Tabb we ran the Wing-T which involves a lot of reading the corners as you roll out. At Kempsville we’re running the Spread and I (formation), so you have to read the whole defense which is good for college,” said Harrison.
College coaches have had to follow Harrison along his path. Now they’re going to see a new side of Rex. “I’ve been in touch with the coaches that had been recruiting me and they’re very excited that they get to see me in a spread look. It’s a lot better for them to see if I can make the reads and make the throws.”
The college list for Harrison remains at NC State, UVA. “UVA said they have a scarcity of scholarships, but they might offer me if they decide to take a second quarterback in this class,” said Harrison. Hampton QB David Watford has already committed to the Cavaliers.
“I had visited Elon, but they had a quarterback commit already. Marshall and ECU are planning to see me in my first game here at Kempsville. Richmond, JMU and William & Mary are still in the mix. I talk to Coach Kepa (Tribe Offensive Coordinator). North Carolina was in the mix, but they’ve had a quarterback commit,” Rex said.
Of his current schools under consideration, NC State catches Harrison’s eye. “NC State said they would offer me if Steven Rivers (Phillip Rivers’ younger brother) committed somewhere else and he committed to LSU Monday. Hopefully I’ll be hearing from them soon,” said Harrison.
Rex is looking forward to a new season and a new competitive situation. What’s getting him jacked? “We have a lot of talent this year. We’re excited. Joey Droll (SR 6-0 190) is playing some tight end. We have Cody Mister (SR 5-10 160) who’s pushing me at the quarterback position. We have Travis (Hughes) and a few other guys… we’re loaded on offense.”
Kempsville certainly has depth at quarterback with the addition of Rex Harrison. Harrison is more of a true quarterback, where as Kempsville’s backups have played other positions. Joey Droll started at quarterback for much of last season but is a capable wideout and tight end. Cody Mister also started four games at quarterback last year. All three players are seniors this year, which might leave Coach Jamaine Paddyfoot in a bit of a lurch once he loses this year’s senior class. They’ll cross that bridge next year.
In the meantime, Rex Harrison is looking to field more offers and holds out hope that the offer from NC State comes through. For the team, the first priority has to be the August 27 opener against Salem, which is only two weeks away.
- Andy Hilton
Half Back: Lake Taylor Returns 50% of a Winning Squad
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
Coach Hank Sawyer (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
How’s this for a track record? District Champs for seven out of the last eight years and eight out of the last ten. That’s Lake Taylor Football. For Coach Hank Sawyer, there is no choice but to keep moving forward.
Lake Taylor has lost in the Division 5 Eastern Region Final to eventual State Champion Phoebus for two years in a row. Last year’s loss was a heartbreaker, 20-19. That was the closest game the Phantoms played all year in an undefeated season where their margin of victory was 27 points over their 15 wins. 2007 and 2008 were one loss seasons for the Titans. They just need to get over the playoff hump. Phoebus may likely stand in their way again at the end of this season.
The Titans lose two BCS level commits from the 2009 team. DB Mario Rowson has gone on to play at Maryland and LB Travis Williams is now a Miami Hurricane. Coach Hank Sawyer has seen some talent come through his program. What’s the prognosis this year?
“Offensively we lost five starters, we have six coming back on offense. We have a running back coming back in Derrion Walton (5-6 170), he had 2400 all-purpose yards last year. He had 1457 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s All-District, All-Region and All-State so we’re going to put the ball in his hands a lot,” said the coach.
“We have a very experienced offensive line. Four of those five guys are back this year. They’re all benching over 300 pounds so we’re real happy about that. Datrelle Anderson (SR 5-11 180) is back at Tight End; he’s a real good tight end for us. Mekel Watson (JR 5-11 170) and Donovan Powell are battling at Quarterback, we’re expecting good things out of them. We just hope the defense will set us up. Defensively we have six starters coming back. Linebacker Torrein Edwards and Lineman Taylor Darby (SR 6-1 285) will be keys. Darby is the strongest lineman I’ve ever coached. He benches about 450. Jamel Spellman is returning at defensive tackle. Deandre Moore (SR 6-1 185) is going to play both ways for us. He’s a great receiver and a shutdown corner. Those guys can make it happen for us,” said Coach Sawyer.
Taylor Darby (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Elder “Budd” Hudson was also mentioned by Coach Sawyer as a key contributor on the line for the Titans. “Budd’s going to be big time for us. Budd’s one of those 300 bench guys on the offensive line. We’ll turn to him and Tevin Fitchett. It’s always good to get those guys involved.”
In past years BCS programs such as Miami, Florida and Maryland have recruited kids out of Lake Taylor. In fact,the ACC and Big East schools are well aware of what Lake Taylor could offer. With Rowson and Williams gone, are those schools still stopping by? “For (the BCS) schools, they’ll say that Taylor Darby isn’t tall enough at nose guard. Deandre Moore is going to be as good as Rowson. Maryland’s very interested in him,” said the coach.
In fact, Deandre Moore is getting interest from Maryland, Penn State and North Carolina. Taylor Darby’s getting interest from William & Mary, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Darby has a 3.2 GPA in his core classes and scored a 990 on the SAT. Darby camped recently at William & Mary.
I asked Coach Sawyer to give me his expectations for the season.
“We’re expecting big things out of our guys. Half of our offense and half of our defense is returning so we’ll shake it up and see. All of our competition is going to come after us because we’ve won our district five years in a row. We’ve won it eight out of the eleven years that I’ve been a head coach. They all think they can beat us. You can’t talk this game. You have to play it. We feel good and we’re going to shake it up and see what happens.”
- Andy Hilton
Tabb’s Haislip Ready For Offers
by Andy Hilton, recruit757
LB Ian Haislip (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
The Bay Rivers District is perhaps the most competitive in the area. From year to year it’s tough to predict who’s going to win the district. In fact, over the past five years, the district has had four champions: Lafayette twice and Bruton, Poquoson and Grafton once each. Tabb has finished in the top half of the district in each of the last four years, but hasn’t pulled out a District Title yet. It’s tough winning the Bay Rivers. At times it’s even tougher for the players in the BRD to get the attention they deserve.
Ian Haislip is a gutty, gritty middle linebacker for the Tabb Tigers. He’s coming into his senior season and should be fielding offers now. The colleges are interested, but no one’s jumped… yet. “I’m feeling pretty good (about the season and about recruitment). I’m looking at a couple of Division I-AA schools right now in Richmond and Old Dominion. Coaches are talking to me here and there, so we’ll see how it goes,” said Haislip.
In the summer between the junior and senior years, camps become extremely important. It’s a chance for college coaches to get a close up look at a player’s true size, agility, speed and other measurable skills that make the difference in being offered and being put on the back burner by a college. Haislip has hit some camps and opened some eyes this summer.
“I’ve gone to Virginia, Virginia Tech, William and Mary and Old Dominion so far. I have no offers yet, but a lot of interest from Old Dominion and Richmond. They’ve said if I do well in my senior season then I could play myself into a scholarship.”
That gives Haislip extra motivation to perform at a high level in his senior season. Don’t leave out the opportunity for Division I-A offers during the season as well. Players like Haislip can get noticed by plenty of schools beyond the range of the few that started recruiting him. Once one school offers, many others often jump in.
The key for Ian is getting that first offer in hand.
- Andy Hilton
David Watford Picks UVA
Chalk another one up for the home team.
David Watford of Hampton High School has verbally committed to the Virginia Cavaliers. Watford (6-2 185) becomes the 20th player to commit to Coach Mike London and the Cavaliers in this recruiting class, and he becomes the first quarterback in Virginia’s 2011 class.
Coach London has aggressively recruited the state since his arrival in the off season. Of the 20 players verbally committed to Virginia, twelve of them are in-state recruits and six of them are 757 area players. Watford joins David Dean (Green Run), Caleb Taylor (Phoebus), Ross Burbank (Cox), Kameron Mack (I.C. Norcom) and Clifton Richardson (Menchville). Richardson’s commitment to Virginia has been debated, but as of now he’s penciled in as a Cavalier next season. National Signing Day is February 2, 2011. That’s the first day that recruits and colleges can official cement scholarship agreements with a signed letter of intent.
Watford’s commitment to Virginia is unique or unusual for several reasons. Firstly, Virginia already has six quarterbacks on it’s roster including four quarterbacks from the 2010 recruiting class. This year’s starter, Marc Verica, is a senior and will exhaust his eligibility after this season, but the depth chart will still be clogged unless Coach London moves players to other positions. Secondly, Hampton High School hasn’t sent a player to Virginia since Marques Hagans in 2001. Coach Mike Smith of Hampton has sent a number of players to Virginia Tech in the past ten years, most notably current Hokie QB Tyrod Taylor.
Oddly enough, Marques Hagans is Watford’s first cousin. Like Hagans, David Watford wears number 5 for the Crabbers.
Watford had narrowed his decision down to West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia, and made his announcement at a press conference held at nearby Christopher Newport University. Watford will be a fantastic fit at Virginia academically. He currently holds a 3.8 GPA and is enrolled in the International Baccalaurate program at Hampton High School. The “IB” program is internationally standardized and recognized as an academically ambitious and rigorous course of study.
Reading Between The Lines on Watford, Thourogood Recruitment
QB Lafonte Thourogood of Ocean Lakes (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
At first, you might think the two players are unconnected. One is the star quarterback for the Hampton Crabbers, playing in the Peninsula District. The other is the star quarterback for the Ocean Lakes Dolphins, playing in the Beach District. Look closer.
Both David Watford of Hampton and Lafonte Thourogood of Ocean Lakes are rising seniors. Both have been courted and offered by multiple colleges. Watford’s offer list includes Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Thourogood claims offers from Tennessee, Arkansas, UNC, NC State, West Virginia, Stanford, Virginia and Virginia Tech. There’s some cross over in that group, but look even deeper.
Thourogood has reported that his list has been narrowed down to Virginia Tech, Virginia, West Virginia and Arkansas. Arkansas is a relatively new addition and a wildcard in the bunch.
Watford has narrowed his list to UVA, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. He’s set to announce his decision on Saturday in a ceremony at Christopher Newport University.
Here’s how the circumstances stack up. Both QBs are highly desirable and very unlikely to pick the same destination. Watford’s head coach, Mike Smith, has sent players to Virginia Tech including their current quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Virginia Tech’s recruiter for the area, Curt Newsome, used to coach against Mike Smith when Newsome coached at neighboring Kecoughtan High School. Virginia Tech is still the “big dog” in-state school and Watford would be a good, traditional “get” for Coach Frank Beamer. Beamer has no fewer than four quarterbacks on his roster now, but it’s not at all unheard of for Beamer to move a player off the QB depth chart and into another position.
While UVA Coach Mike London would love to have Watford, London already has 19 of a projected 25 scholarships committed already. London has six quarterbacks in his system now after giving scholarships to four QBs in the 2010 class. Marc Verica is London’s only senior signal caller. Face it, there’s a glut of quarterbacks at Virginia. London could move two of his QB prospects to other positions and still have plenty of depth.
That leads us to Thourogood’s status. First of all, it’s interesting to note that Tennessee was not enticing for Thourogood. His teammate Justin Hunter committed to the Vols in the 2010 class. He’s stated an interest in Virginia Tech, Virginia, West Virginia and Arkansas. He’s also stated that he has no desire to move out of the quarterback position. Thourogood has announced that no decision is imminent, but that he’ll decide before the start of the season. That should mean that Virginia’s out from a depth chart standpoint no matter how much he likes the coaches there and the Charlottesville campus. If Watford commits to Virginia Tech as anticipated, then it should mean that Tech is out for Thourogood. That leaves West Virginia and Arkansas.
Arkansas is a late arrival and they should lose their starting QB Ryan Mallett to the NFL draft after this season. Arkansas’ depth chart is a little more shallow than most at the QB position and there could be a possibility for Thourgood to earn playing time early. At West Virginia, there’s the Chris Beatty connection. Beatty coached Landstown High School only a few years ago and Beatty sports tons of connections in The 757. The Mountaineers will be led by sophomore Geno Smith this season, and they have 2010 class QB phenom Barry Brunetti of Memphis waiting in the wings.
Arkansas is truly a quality wildcard, but expect proximity and familiarity to win out. Thourogood looks like a future Mountaineer. Watford should be a Hokie. It could make for an interesting VA Tech/WVU game if we can ever get that rivalry going again.
Thourogood Narrows To Three?
QB Lafonte Thourogood of Ocean Lakes (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757.com)
Ocean Lakes is prepping for the fall with Passing League games and offseason conditioning. QB Lafonte Thourogood has that and more on his mind.
Thourogood has been courted by well over a dozen universities and has a choice between a bunch of attractive BCS offers including Stanford, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina. As sweet as those offers are, Thourogood is inclined to stay closer to home. He has excellent choices for academics and facilities at any of his choice schools. The decision now has come down to relationships.
At Virginia Tech, Assistant Coach Curt Newsome and Head Coach Frank Beamer have shown distinct interest in Thourogood. Tech has also shown interest in Hampton QB David Watford from the 2011 class and Virginia Tech reportedly has more than a dozen quarterbacks interested in a scholarship offer from the Hokies. Coach Beamer also has a history of gathering quarterbacks, then moving them to other positions once they’re in Blacksburg. Quarterbacks have a good head for the game on both sides of the field and they often make great leaders.
Virginia is also in Thourogood’s top three. Coach London at UVA has infiltrated The 757 and between London and Recruiting Coordinator Chip West, the coaches there have the region thoroughly covered. UVA is already more than halfway done with their 2011 recruiting class, but Thourogood would be a gem of an addition. London’s class is already 757 heavy and the Ocean Lakes QB would simply push the balance further.
West Virginia is the last (but not least) of Thourogood’s top three. Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Chris Beatty has deep roots in Hampton Roads and it should be no surprise that WVU is pursuing one of the hottest area QB prospects in this year’s class.
So between the three schools, what’s going to be the difference maker? Two things. First of all, the relationship. All three relationships are good, but who’s going to take the best care of Lafonte? Secondly, he wants to be a quarterback. Thourogood may be 6-3 220, but the talented signal caller has no desire to play linebacker.
With his size and skill, Lafonte Thourogood could easily get a scholarship at most any school for football. At this point, he has to make the decision based on what’s best for him and he’ll decide which program will truly give him a shot to earn the starting quarterback position.
After watching Thourogood in the Beach Passing League, I can attest that he looks like a quarterback. There will be more development along the way, but his future as a quarterback is bright.
When will a decision be made? It’s tough to say. According to Coach Chris Scott at Ocean Lakes, Lafonte still needs to develop more of a relationship with the quarterback coaches at WVU, UVA and Virginia Tech. Then again, these decisions are never easy. Thouroughgood’s teammate, Justin Hunter, committed to LSU last summer only to change his commitment to Tennessee just before signing day. Is there a chance that Lafonte will commit to the Vols in order to join Hunter? Thouroughgood’s not there yet, but once he’s ready, the decision will come.
Expansion: Rumor Mills ON FIRE!
There’s been too much to keep up with this weekend. Rumors have been flying left and right nationwide. It would be fruitless to try to review all of the potential scenarios for you, but suffice it to say, next week will be extremely busy with announcements about new conference affiliations and stunning deals.
Texas A&M seems to be looking for forge their own way. The Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to the PAC 10 deal may still be in place, but at this point it looks like Texas A&M is going to part ways with Texas. That could mean that they stay in some kind of reformulated Big 12 once Texas leaves for the PAC 10 or A&M could bolt to the SEC as they expand.
The SEC has been hotly rumored as attracting Texas A&M in the west, then looking at North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech or even West Virginia to the north and east. ESPN announced earlier today that SEC sources reported that they were not considering Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech or Miami for admission to the SEC. The report went further to express doubt that Virginia Tech would leave a partnership with Virginia.
Rumors have floated that North Carolina legislature has gotten involved with the possiblity of UNC leaving the ACC for the SEC. In that case, there is some thought that North Carolina legislature would lobby hard for the ACC to add East Carolina as a replacement.
Kansas is still looking to figure out what its fate might be. It was rumored that they’d be interested in most any BCS offer including the PAC 10 and SEC, but both conferences have supposedly denied making an offer to KU. Kansas could stay in the Big 12 and become more of a flagship program, especially if Texas and Oklahoma leave. There have been some rumblings that the Big 12 may only lose Colorado and Nebraska, then would keep on as a ten team league or look to expand from there. Rumors have flown that schools like BYU, TCU, Memphis and Houston could find their way into the reformulated Big 12. Exit fees from members leaving the Big 12 could fund a lot of programs if the Big 12 manages to survive this flurry of expansion and conference switching.
One thing’s for sure. This weekend’s been full of manuvering and it’s not over yet. Expect big surprises this week as the dominos continue to fall.