Report: 13-year-old commits to USC

Friday February 5, 2010 2:42 PM By Mike Rose

Lane Kiffin hasn't even coached a game yet at USC and he's already making news.

Kiffin finished strong on Wednesday's National Signing Day, landing what many experts believe is a top 10 class. And he's already working on the class of 2015.

2015? Yes, that's right.

According to this ESPN.com story, 13-year-old quarterback David Sills of Bear, Del., has given a verbal commitment to Kiffin.

Steve Clarkson, who is Sills' personal coach, said he was speaking with Kiffin about a quarterback recruit for next year when he suggested that Kiffin take a look at the tape of Sills.

(Clarkson has mentored many top quarterbacks, including current USC starter Matt Barkley.

Kiffin, according to the ESPN.com story, viewed the tape and then called Clarkson back immediately.

Lucky for Kiffin that Sills was already a USC fan. David Sills IV told ESPN that USC has always been his son's dream school. Sills IV also told ESPN that the family will be in California soon and will meet with Kiffin.

C.W. Post announces 2010 Signing Class

Wednesday February 3, 2010 7:28 PM By Mark Macyk

C.W. Post announced the early signees from its 2010 recruiting class and it inlcudes three All-Long Island players.

Thorp Award winner Anthony Brunetti (Holy Trinity) and runner-up Kevin Allen (Freeport) should give the Pioneers a fun backfield to watch. Joining them on offense will be All-Long Island wide receiver Mike Gallo (Seaford), who was named Nassau's best Wide Receiver. East Meadow linebacker Rob Bright rounds out the quartert of Long Island High Schoolers.

Also from Long Island, former Hofstra linebacker Maalik McVea (Freeport) commited. Keeping with the Hofstra theme is former Carnarsie (Brooklyn) HS and Temple product DB Jamal Schulters, the younger brother of Hofstra and NFL veteran Lance Schulters.

Joining Schulters in the defensive backfield is Brooklyn DB Donovan Edwards (Midwood) and, from Idaho, WR/DB Steve Laurino.

The full release is available here.

Three LI players commit to Syracuse

Wednesday February 3, 2010 4:06 PM By Gregg Sarra

Syracuse University inked three of Long Island's top football players early this morning. Riverhead linebacker Malcolm Cater, Lawrence quarterback John Kinder and St. Anthony's defensive tackle Rob Welsh will all play for the Orange in the fall. Cater, the co-winner of the Hansen Award, presented to Suffolk's top player, turned down offers from multiple D-I schools to accept coach Doug Marrone's invitation.

"Syracuse is the right place for me," said Cater, who also won the Collotta Award given to Suffolk's top linebacker. "The coaching staff made me to feel very comfortable. And the head coach, Doug Marrone, treated me like family."

Kinder felt he same love from the Syracuse coaching staff. "It's a very exciting day," said Kinder, who led Lawrence to the Long Island Class III championship game. "I'm a part of Coach Marrone's first recruiting class and that's something I definitely wanted to be a part of. And the fan base in Syracuse is phenomenal. That's important for an athlete."

See where All-Long Island football stars will play in college

Welsh, a bruising defensive tackle or end, was also excited at the prospect of playing in the Carrier Dome. He felt he could become a part of something big -- the rebirth of Syracuse football.

"It's the best feeling because we really are gonna turn it around," Welsh said. "It's a perfect spot. Everyone was friendly, they treated me like I was already there. I just realized this was where I was meant to play. It's awesome."

Stony Brook University also landed its share of prominent Long Island players. Half Hollow Hills West halfback JeVahn Cruz, Sachem North halfback Davon Lawrence and Roosevelt's defensive star Jawara Dudley will all play for the Seawolves in the fall. Cruz, the co-winner of the Hansen Award, led the Colts to the Long Island Class III championship with a win over Lawrence. The electrifying Cruz finished the season with a Long Island record 48 total touchdowns. The dual threat passed for 24 touchdowns and ran for 24 more.

"It's a big day for me and my family," Cruz said. "And there's a great opportunity to play at Stony Brook."

Brentwood wide receiver Christopher Jean-Pierre accepted a scholarship as a preferred walk-on at Bowling Green. The speedy Jean-Pierre, who had great leaping ability, earned the National Football Foundation's award as Suffolk's top receiver, caught 47 passes and scored 16 touchdowns this season.

Stony Brook has local flavor on signing day

Wednesday February 3, 2010 4:03 PM By Bob Herzog

Stony Brook University is becoming a desirable destination for Long Island high school football teams. The demise of Hofstra’s football program combined with the continued improvement at Stony Brook has created a perfect storm of opportunity for the Seawolves, who Wednesday signed five L.I. players on National Signing Day.

JeVahn Cruz of Half Hollow Hills West, the little quarterback who guided the Colts to the Class III Long Island Championship and shared the Hansen Award, is the headline local recruit for Stony Brook. Cruz expects to be utilized as an all-purpose back, running the ball, catching passes and returning kicks.

Joining Cruz at SBU next fall are defensive end Kevin Hauter of Floyd, running back Davon Lawrence of Sachem North, linebacker Jawara Dudley of Roosevelt and offensive lineman Cody Precht of Harborfield.

Stony Brook also signed three L.I. transfers from Hofstra – running back Miguel Maysonet of Riverhead, running back/wide receiver Brock Jackolski of Floyd and defensive lineman Andrew Nelson of Uniondale.

Stony Brook 2010 Football Signing Class

Name        Pos.        Ht.        Wt.        Hometown (High School/Previous School)
Sheldon Armstrong*        DB        5-11        180        Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Polytechnic/Utah State)
JeVahn Cruz        QB/DB        5-8        165        Wheatley Heights, N.Y. (Half Hollow Hills West)
Jawara Dudley        LB        6-0        195        Queens, N.Y. (Roosevelt)
Kyle Essington*        QB        6-2        185        Chino Hills, Calif. (Brea Olinda/Fullerton Coll.)
Kevin Hauter        DL        6-3        220        Moriches, N.Y. (William Floyd)
Al-Majid Hutchins*        DB        5-11        185        Newark, N.J. (East Orange/Rutgers)
Brock Jackolski*        RB/WR        5-10        200        Shirley, N.Y. (William Floyd/Hofstra)
Roosevelt Kirk*        DL        6-3        260        Oakland, Calif. (Bishop O’Dowd/Laney Coll.)
Davon Lawrence        RB        6-0        195        Central Islip, N.Y. (Sachem North)
Dominick Maddox*        DB        5-11        205        Converse, Texas (Converse Judson/Navarro Coll.)
Bryant McAdoo        WR        6-5        185        New York, N.Y. (Cardinal Hayes)
Miguel Maysonet*        RB        5-10        200        Riverhead, N.Y. (Riverhead/Hofstra)
Nicholas Moody        QB        6-1        180        Carrollton, Texas (Creekview)
Grant Nakwaasah        LB        6-0        200        Dallas, Texas (Berkner)
Tanner Nehls        TE        6-2        230        Houston, Texas (William B. Travis)
Andrew Nelson        DL        6-4        300        Uniondale, N.Y. (Uniondale/Hofstra)
Cody Precht        OL        6-3        280        Centerport N.Y. (Harborfields)
Andres Trujillo*        LB        6-0        220        Miami, Fla. (American)
Devante Wheeler        QB/CB        6-0        180        Staten Island, N.Y. (Poly Prep)
* Enrolled at Stony Brook Spring 2010

National Signing Day: The rich get richer

Wednesday February 3, 2010 11:24 AM By Mike Rose

No matter which rankings you follow -- Rivals, Scout, ESPNU -- it's pretty obvious that Florida's Urban Meyer has landed the top signing class for 2010.

According to Rivals, Meyer and the Gators have signed four of the top defensive players in the country.

Dominique Easley, a end from Staten Island who was originally a verbal commit to Penn State, safety Matt Elam of West Palm Beach, Fla., tackle Shariff Floyd of Philadelphia and Ronald Powell, an end from Moreno Valley, Calif, are committed to the Gators. Rivals has all four players as five-star prospects.

Texas is No. 2 in just about every rankings list. The Longhorns got a big boost in the past week by landing linebacker Jordan Hicks from West Chester, Ohio, and Jackson Jeffcoat, a defensive end from Plano, Texas. Both are consistent five-star players in all of the recruiting services.

The SEC in general has had a strong recruiting year. Arch-rivals Auburn and Alabama should be among the top five or six schools -- depending on which recruiting service you prefer. Michael Dyer, among the top running back recruits in the country, is going to Auburn.

Marcus Lattimore, another top running back recruit, is going to South Carolina, as was long expected.

Ruffin McNeill finds way back to East Carolina

Friday January 22, 2010 5:27 PM By Mike Rose

Ruffin McNeill is home.

McNeill, who was Texas Tech's defensive coordinator, was introduced today as East Carolina's new head football coach. And for McNeill, it's definitely a homecoming. McNeill is from North Carolina, he played defensive back for the Pirates in the late 1970s and was an assistant coach there. Plus, his wife, Erlene, has a Master's degree from East Carolina and other family members are also alums.

McNeill replaces Skip Holtz, who left to become South Florida's head coach.

"This is my destination job," McNeill said today during his press conference. "Let's get that out front right now and make sure that's very clear. This is not a stepping-stone hop for Ruff. This is where I want to be until you all take me away from here. You'll have to drag me away."

McNeill, 51, said former Texas Tech offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley will join his staff to run the offense at East Carolina. McNeill said he'll continue to use Texas Tech's pass-heavy offense.

For McNeill, it's been a wild ride over the past three weeks. He coached the Red Raiders in place of Mike Leach in the Alamo Bowl, leading Texas Tech to a 41-27 win over Michigan State. McNeill expressed interest in remaining at Texas Tech and being a candidate for the head coaching job. But Texas Tech hired former Auburn Tommy Tuberville, who fired McNeill and Riley.

McNeill said one of his goal as head coach is to maintain strong academics at East Carolina. And his next goal?

"The next one is to win championships," McNeill said. "That's what you get in it for. That's why I'm here. I'm not coming to a place that has not won championships. Don't misunderstand that.

"When I talked to the team last night, we said that's a major goal - to win championships. Let's continue to compete and go to another level. Let's keep reaching for that. It'll come with your help."

Derek Dooley might be perfect fit at Tennessee

Monday January 18, 2010 5:34 PM By Mike Rose

Tennessee lost Lane Kiffin to USC, and couldn't persuade Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp or Duke head coach David Cutcliffe to come to Knoxville.

But in the end, getting Derek Dooley to be the 22nd head coach in the program's history might be a very good thing.

Dooley is young (41) and an up and coming coach. He was just 17-20 in three seasons at Louisiana Tech. But the Bulldogs finished second in the WAC in 2008, gaining the program its first bowl game and bowl victory (Independence) in 30 years.

He also has roots in the SEC. His dad, Vince Dooley, was the legendary head coach at Georgia. Plus, Dooley served on Nick Saban's staff at LSU. Dooley was LSU's recruiting coordinator, bringing in some stellar classes.

Dooley followed Saban to the Miami Dolphins, gaining the valuable pro experience that some recruits look for when deciding where to go to school.

After the messy split with Kiffin, perhaps not getting a head coach who isn't a big name but has potential is the best thing.

Roundup: More coaching moves

Friday January 15, 2010 12:12 PM By Mike Rose

South Florida has officially hired Skip Holtz as its new head coach. Holtz spent five seasons at East Carolina and engineered a remarkable turnaround for the program. Under Holtz, East Carolina had four straight winning season, went to four straight bowl games and won back-to-back Conference USA championships.

Georgia hired Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Todd Grantham as its defensive coordinator. Grantham has 11 years of coaching experience in the NFL and has had college coaching jobs at Michigan State (defensive line) and Virginia Tech (defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs).

ESPN.com's Heather Dinich is reporting that former Virginia head coach Al Groh has been hired as Georgia Tech's new defensive coordinator.

Norm Chow, who was offensive coordinator at USC under Pete Carroll, announced that he will remain at UCLA as the Bruins' offensive coordinator. USC had interest in adding Chow to Lane Kiffin's staff, presumably as offensive coordinator.

"I appreciate the interest from USC and Lane Kiffin, but I feel we are building something special here at UCLA and I am excited about our future," Chow said in a statement released by the school. "We have some outstanding young players in the program and we are working hard on finishing strong in recruiting."

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe announced today that he will remain with the Blue Devils. There was speculation that Cutcliffe was being considered to replace Kiffin at Tennessee.

"After much thought and consideration, Karen and I reached the decision that Duke is the place for our family," Cutcliffe said in a statement on the school's Web site.  "We have both family members and lifetime friends in the Knoxville community and share a deep respect for the University of Tennessee.  Our ties to the school and the Eastern Tennessee area are obvious.  But before Tennessee's hiring process comes to a conclusion, I know that Duke University is where we want to coach."

James Willis was hired as Texas Tech's new defensive coordinator, replacing Ruffin McNeill. Willis was associate head coach at Alabama under Nick Saban, coaching the linebackers. Willis had worked for new Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville while the two were at Auburn.

Lane Kiffin introduced as USC's new head coach

Thursday January 14, 2010 10:56 AM By Mike Rose

An interesting press conference late yesterday in Los Angeles to introduce Lane Kiffin as USC's new head coach.

As we've written here, Kiffin has a strong history at USC. Kiffin was an assistant under Pete Carroll from 2001-2006, serving his last two seasons as offensive coordinator and lead recruiter.

Kiffin discussed yesterday how Carroll had prepared him for this moment.

Kiffin also had an unforgettable stint as the Oakland Raiders' head coach, going 5-15 in less than two season. So Kiffin clearly has a history in California.

His abrupt decision to leave Tennessee has the entire state in an uproar. Plus, as you'll see below, the end of yesterday's press conference got very interesting.

"Really, as we looked at this, it was a very difficult decision," Kiffin said to open the press conference. "One that was not easy for us. We thought a lot about it. But as we looked at being where we were at, it was a very special place we were. We're very grateful to all the people that we met there. Great relationships, especially to the athletic director, Mike Hamilton, for the opportunity he gave us.

"But it became very obvious when we had the chance to come back here, we were coming back home to the greatest job in America."

Kiffin added, "Our number one thing that we're going to do is have a dedication to run an extremely clean, disciplined program. And that will start from today, and we'll continue that through the whole time we're here."

Kiffin also said the staff he puts together at USC will be the best in the country. Father Monte Kiffin, who will run USC's defense, and Ed Orgeron, who was an assistant head coach and lead recruiter at Tennessee, will be joining the staff. Both were present at yesterday's press conference.

Near the end of the press conference Kiffin was asked about running "an extremely clean, disciplined program." Reports have Orgeron calling Tennessee recruits, telling them not to attend to class and that they should come to USC. Tennessee had a number of early enrollees set to begin school on Wednesday.

There was a back and forth exchange between Kiffin and the reporter who had asked a question about it. Kiffin's main comment was:

"I believe that to be inaccurate what you just said; okay," Kiffin said. "That Coach Orgeron called Tennessee recruits and talked them into leaving and also not enroll for class. I believe that to be inaccurate. I have no information telling me that's happened.

"I have had a conversation that I don't believe that has happened. And I'm going to go continue to try to figure it out. But like I said, I just landed off a plane, came here to have this press conference."

Other quick-hitters from the press conference:

On UCLA's (and former USC offensive coordinator under Carroll) Norm Chow, who is rumored to be joining Kiffin's staff as offensive coordinator:

"Yeah, as I said before, this staff's going to take time. We're going to put together a great staff. Out of respect to other universities and other NFL teams, I'm not giving any specifics about the search, who we're hiring. We have two coaches that we brought with us, and we're going to take our time figuring the rest out."

"I've seen Norm a couple of times. We played each other a couple of times, once in the preseason and once in the regular season maybe I bumped into him a couple of times. I think the world of Norm. And I don't have any issues with Norm."

On whether possible sanctions by the NCAA will impact his recruiting at USC:

"Well, I think through my conversations I've had with people here prior to taking the job and people that have been here, I feel he very confident that it will not affect us in recruiting, and it will get resolved and we'll move forward."

On the uproar at Tennessee and angry scene on campus after Kiffin announced he was leaving:

"Yeah. I think, first, as you go back to being at Tennessee, it is a very, very passionate place. The fan base and students are extremely passionate about sports. Especially about football.

"As I look at the reaction of what happened last night, I really thought to myself. I said, you know what, they're upset that we're leaving because of what we've been doing. If they weren't upset that we were leaving, then we weren't doing anything right.

"So the fact that there were a number of people upset there, because we had done so much in so little of a time. They saw where it was going. They saw the direction. It was so much excitement there, it was hard on them. And it was a hard decision for us.

"As I said yesterday, I don't think there was another job I would have left for, but this is home. All three of the kids were born here. My wife loves it here. We've spent 10 of the last 11 years in California. So it became a lot easier at that point."