Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Recruiting - Football

More on Colin Peek:

Colin Peek, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end out of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., announced Monday he will attend Georgia Tech.


Peek was weighing offers from Alabama, Duke and the Yellow Jackets.


"He committed to Georgia Tech," said Gene Peek, Colin's father. "He was thrilled that Alabama and Duke had so much interest in him. It was one of the hardest decisions of his life."


I don't think we'll land DE Michael Hall, but this article says we are still in the running.......... This is an interesting story about coaches "bemoaning" the dreaded "soft verbal". We have had our share of those.

Imagine what it's doing to coaches like Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey. The Yellow Jackets lost verbal commitments from two highly regarded prospects -- quarterback Todd Walker (Texas Tech) and linebacker Marvin Sapp (South Carolina).


Georgia is facing a similar situation with defensive lineman Jeffrey Owens, who has committed to the Bulldogs but is also talking up Florida State.


Verbal commitments are non-binding and, to Gailey, offer an easy target for rival coaches and programs.


"All that does is put the bullseye out there," Gailey said. "Instead of beating six or five, now it's one. Now they try to talk down that one."


Here's a story on Danial Voss, the former Philly area wide receiver converted to O-Lineman who will sign with the Jackets on Wed. Yes, I said he converted from WR to OL. Let's just say "growth spurt", but it means the kid has speed.


Here is an outstanding story about the recruiting of Jerry Mays, from Bill Curry in the USA Today:

Despite shortcomings, Mays walked the walk


ESPN analyst Bill Curry was the head coach when Georgia Tech
signed running back Jerry Mays.


"No I-A school except Georgia Tech offered a scholarship to Jerry Mays," Curry says. "Mays was 5-6, didn't have great speed, didn't have a lot of the things that you'd think you'd have to have. But our coach who recruited that area was Larry New (now a Tech associate AD), and he said, 'All I can tell you is this guy makes yards, and he's smart.'


"I gave the (new) players a form to fill out with their goals. Most put down, 'I'd like to play by my third year,' or 'I hope to become a starting player.' Jerry wrote down two words: Heisman Trophy.


"We put him in remedial math, and he stormed into my office and said, 'I do not deserve to be in remedial math.' I said, 'Let me tell you something: I was in remedial math at Georgia Tech.' He said, 'You needed it. I don't.' That was his attitude. Halfway through the first quarter of our first game, he was a star."


Mays was ACC rookie of the year in 1985. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1997.


Here's a story about how the "human factor" plays a role in recruiting, with mention of QB Jonathan Garner.


Here's an interesting story about how small college recruiting really kicks into gear AFTER signing day, when the boards are full for the Div I-A bigtime schools.