Headlined by a quintet of players from the two-time state champion Oceanside Pirates, Brady Hoke announced a class of 27 recruits yesterday on National Signing Day. The largest Aztecs recruiting class since 2005 is the latest sign of Hoke’s attempt to cleanse the program of its losing ways.
“All programs have a blueprint of what they want to be,” said Hoke at a Montezuma Mesa press conference (video below), “The biggest thing for us is to recruit guys who have character. We want to recruit guys who come from winning programs.”
In that case, reaching out to John Carroll and Oceanside High is a natural start. The six-time defending CIF champions and two-time state champs are coming off a 13-0 season. The late addition of speedy cornerback/slotback Jerry Whittaker (who decommited from Arizona) to a group that already included linebacker Rene Siluano, cornerback King Holder, linebacker Jake Fely, and defensive lineman Kenneth Galea’i gives Hoke his first clear win in local recruiting.
Yes, the biggest fish in what might have been the best year for prep talent in San Diego history still left the pond. There are no obvious superstars like Tony Jefferson, Ricky Seale or Thomas Molesi in Hoke’s class. But you’ve got to start somewhere, and the class of 2010 for SDSU reflects months of hard work reconnecting with local prep coaches who had backed away in the Craft/Long era.
The San Diego Section’s all-time rushing leader will be heading to the Bay Area to play football. Escondido’s Ricky Seale signed his letter of intent to attend Stanford University in the fall, and to play for coach Jim Harbaugh on the football team. Seale’s signing, which took place today at the Escondido High School Learning Center, capped months of speculation as to where Seale would land.
“Thank God, it’s finally all over,” said Seale after putting ink to paper.
Seale was one of four Escondido athletes signing letters of intent on Wednesday, a banner day for the North County school. Tim Zier signed a baseball scholarship with SDSU, while Joe Morton signed to play basketball at Wyoming, and Mala Lemay accepted a softball scholarship from Hawaii.
“It was a 50-50 deal all the way,” said Seale, “but Stanford was always my first choice.”
After the jump, watch video of Seale and Tim Zier answering questions on Signing Day:
Seale didn’t know for sure if he would be admitted into Stanford until late last night, when Harbaugh called his house.
“I was just, Oh My God,” said Seale, “I was actually surprised I got in, but I’ve been working so hard for it so I was really happy it all worked out.”
Seale was receiving pressure from inside his own school and to the west as well. Over at Oceanside, the five Pirates who are coming as a group to play under Brady Hoke were reaching out to Zier, asking him to help recruit Seale to SDSU. Meanwhile, the Pirates were trying to keep mammoth defensive tackle Thomas Molesi in town as well; Molesi said he came “this close” to switching, but instead honored his commitment to Oregon State.
Watch Ricky Seale and Tim Zier answer questions from 619 Sports and the assembled media in Escondido:
Seale finished his prep career with 6,694 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He will compete for playing time in the Cardinal backfield with another San Diego prep phenom, the former section rushing leader (and state player of the year) Tyler Gaffney.
Zier, meanwhile, is excited to begin a baseball career under Tony Gwynn at San Diego State, but admitted that “football is always in the back of my mind.” Zier teamed with Seale to form a lethal combination the past two years in the Cougars’ backfield.
Historically San Diego County has developed some the best running backs to ever play the game of football, with a list that includes Heisman Trophy winners: Marcus Allen, Rashaan Salaam, Ricky Williams and Reggie Bush. NFL great, Terrell Davis, one of five 2,000 yard rushers at the professional level, could also trace his roots back to the area. Even with the area’s rich history at the position, San Diego’s running back class of 2010 is arguably the most talented group ever to be coming out of any single location, let alone San Diego County.
Currently on Rivals, Dillon Baxter (6’0 205lbs), is ranked as the top overall all-purpose back in the nation and the only one with a five star rating at his respective position. As a Mission Bay Bucaneer, he led his team to a perfect season by playing both running back and quarterback. On the season, Dillon rushed for nearly 3,000 yards, scored 50 TDs rushing, 25 TDs through the air and had an impressive average of 11.4 YPC. He went over 300 yards in three different occasions and his lowest rushing mark of the year was 100 yards. As expected, Dillon was recently announced as the National Player of the Year. Dillon will be playing close to home with a commitment to USC.
Close on Dillion’s heels on the Rivals all-purpose back rankings is Brennan Clay (6’0 200lbs), who is currently holding the number two spot. During his junior year at Scripps Ranch, Brennan was a dual threat running back, surpassing 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving. He is a home run threat every time he touches the ball and is an explosive return man. Brennan recently signed with the University of Oklahoma.
Now look at Ricky Seale (5’10 190lbs), a big play back coming out of Escondido High School whose production over the last few years surely speaks for itself. His breakaway speed paired with superior vision has enabled him to amass 2,400 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns in each of the past two season. Towards the end of his senior year he became the leading rusher in CIF-San Diego Section history and first ever in the section to go over 6,000 total rushing yards. He was highly recruited within the PAC-10, and ultimately signed with Stanford.
Then, there is Damien Williams (6’0 200lbs), a newcomer to the list of star running backs leaving San Diego County this year. Everyone always knew that he had talent, but grades and changing schools prevented him from demonstrating his talent early on. During his senior year at Mira Mesa he established himself as a top-tier back by rushing for nearly 2,300 yards, 24 TDs, 9.9 YPC and closing out the season strong with a string of eight consecutive 200 yard performances. Damien is now signed with the Arizona State Sundevils.
Don’t forget about Tony Jefferson (6’1 205lbs), from Eastlake High School, he has rushed for 5 yards shy of 2,000 with a 8.95 YPC and 25 TDs on the season. The scary thing is Tony was being recruited as a Safety and not a running back, so that speaks volumes about his potential to play on both sides of the ball. After being recruited and showing high interest in playing for Michigan, Oklahoma or USC, Tony decided on Oklahoma.
These young players have history on their side; San Diego County has produced more Heisman winners than any other place in the country. Is there something in the water? Maybe it’s a little too early to be speaking about the Heisman, but each one of these players has a chance to be something special, so make sure you keep an eye out for them in the next few seasons.
In January 2006, Drew Brees was facing shoulder surgery for a torn labrum while the city of New Orleans was still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that happened mere months before. Now, in 2010, both are looking at a revitalization, with a little help from one another. In the spring of 2006, Drew entered free agency while rehabbing his shoulder with an uncertain future and few many teams interested in him other than his own Chargers and the New Orleans Saints.
Brees signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints in 2006 just months after his shoulder surgery. The Saints were in desperate need of a quarterback to turn the team around and bring life back to the city and Brees proved to do just that. The city of New Orleans also provided the perfect opportunity for the already charitable player to expand and help a community desperately in need. The Brees Dream Foundation has donated more than $4,500,000 to charitable causes and academic institutions in the New Orleans, San Diego and West Lafayette/Purdue communities since its inception
Now, Brees, the Saints, and the city of New Orleans are onto the world stage, though many eyes have been on them all season. The Saints will take on the Indianapolis Colts in South Florida, with no doubt that many will be rooting for this comeback kid. Drew Brees has proven that resurrections can happen for athletes, teams and cities.
Watch below for Drew Brees at the 2009 San Diego Celebrity Golf Classic to see what he has to say about following your dreams and his future.
National Signing Day for college football marks the deadline in which the nation’s top talents must make their final decisions in regards to which prestigious college programs they will grant their services to. Possibly facing the toughest decision of their lives, these young men have wisely chosen to take it down to the wire in order to explore all of their college football options. The miscalculation of playing for the wrong coaches or system could cost them a chance to play in the NFL. Due to the significance of these decisions, we at SportsForce are honored to be heavily involved with the college recruiting goals of some of the country’s top student-athletes. Our unique relationship with student-athletes and their families allows us to assist in securing the proper college recruiting exposure for them, while ultimately seeking what is most beneficial to the student-athlete during the college sports recruiting process. So far this year we’ve had the pleasure of covering some of the nation’s most elite football players such as Dillon Baxter [USC], Brennan Clay [Oklahoma], Ricky Seale [Undecided] , Damien Williams [Arizona State] and Kenny Stills [Oklahoma] just to name a few. In a year where college football has been shaken up by a multitude of coaching changes, a little recruiting guidance could go a long way.
With four of the top ten players in the nation undecided on where they will play ball, many of the top college recruiters will be working overtime this year. Plenty of big names are still up for grabs; most recognized is the massive offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson (2), who many believe is the best player in the nation and is expected to head to either Ohio State or Florida. Surely the return of Florida head coach Urban Meyer doesn’t hurt the Gators chances of landing Henderson. Keenan Allen (5), who has been compared to NFL star Ed Reed, is suspected to be a Clemson Tiger on signing day. Owamagbe Odighizuwa (8) is expected to leave Oregon in order to attend The University of Nebraska, while top ranked running back Marcus Lattimore (10) currently looks as if he’ll be staying home in South Carolina and playing for the Gamecocks. Other Notable predictions are Outside Linebacker Christian Jones (20) to stay in Florida to play for the Seminoles and Wide Receiver Markeith Ambles (24) to USC.
Wednesday February 3rd is when all the college football recruiting speculation and uncertainty will end, but the day should not expire without a few surprises. Anything is possible since this is the last chance for many teams to improve their rosters in order to make a run at next year’s championship game. National Signing Day TV specials should be airing on local channels all across the country, so don’t forget to tune in as some of the most prestigious college football programs fight to the very end for the nation’s top remaining talent.
Each year the first week of February and the National Signing Day for college football becomes the pinnacle of years of hard work for many of the most prestigious football programs in the country. This year the world of college football has been shaken up by notable coaching changes and even health issues and the lure of the NFL. At SportsForce we are heavily involved in the recruiting goals of numerous top student-athletes. Because of this unique relationship we build with student-athletes and families are able to learn firsthand of many of the recruiting decisions and thoughts that families have when deciding what college is the right fit for them.
The USC Trojans (9-4) were recently voted the college football program of the decade and captured two national titles under Pete Carroll’s reign. With the departure of Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks, the University of Southern California should be prepared to lose some of their top- ranked or at least potential recruits. Recalling Lane Kiffin back to USC leaves much to be desired and could prove to be disastrous. His one-year stop at Tennessee (7-6) was quite disappointing, especially if you consider the reputable and expensive coaching staff. Following the uncertainty at the coaching position both Dillon Baxter and Kyle Prater were second guessing their decisions to play for USC, but Lane Kiffin deserves credit for persuading them to stay. Lache Seastrunk, a once potential high-profile recruit for the Trojans cancelled his visit altogether and for the moment looks as if he is headed to another PAC-10 powerhouse in Oregon.
Florida (13-1) faced a similar scenario as Head Coach Urban Meyer announced his resignation due to health reasons in late December, but a day later decided to take an indefinite leave of absence instead. The expected return of Meyer must have been a key factor for Ronald Powell, the top ranked recruit in the 2010 class, when he picked Florida over USC. It is believed that Sharif Floyd, another highly sought after recruit may have discussed college choices with Powell and chosen Florida so the two can play alongside each other. The pairing should provide the Gators with an extremely solid defensive line for the next couple of years.
Not only will these coaching changes play a role in determining the outcome of the recruiting class, but it also may be a factor in whether college players chose to stay for another year or enter the draft. When Notre Dame let Charlie Weis go, it probably made it easier on Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate to leave as underclassman. As signing day quickly approaches keep a close eye on how these coaching changes and uncertainties are affecting player decisions and team dynamics.
The West team received the opening kickoff, but the first possession for each team resulted in quick three and outs. During the West’s second drive, Connor Wood, a quarterback committed to The University of Texas, led the offense down the field and struck first by sailing a ball over the defenders to his emergency tight end, Ronald Powell, in the back of the end zone for a 23-yard score. Powell, known as a terrific defensive end and the fifth ranked player nationally, showed that he has the potential to be a two way player at the college level with his leaping grab.
On the ensuing drive, facing a third-and-9, Markeith Ambles came up with a spectacular forty-yard catch to keep the drive alive. Just when the East looked like they were going to get on the board, Michael Palardy had his 32-yard field goal attempt blocked by Cassius Marsh and Josh Shirley delivered and put the West up 14-0 at the half.
During the half Dillon Baxter, an explosive all purpose back from Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California, was awarded the U.S. Army player of the year award for his outstanding performance and leadership this past season. Baxter led the Buccaneers on a perfect 13-0 season that resulted in a San Diego CIF Division IV title. His stats are astonishing as he has accounted for 76 total touchdowns on the season and carried his team with 7 touchdowns in the championship game. With the departure of Pete Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks, Baxter is seriously reconsidering his commitment to USC.
Sport: Football Positions: QB / DB Height: 5’9” Weight: 180 Class: 2010 School: Francis Parker High School San Diego, CA
Deon Randall was a one-man human highlight reel as his Francis Parker Lancers came up just short in the CIF State bowl series against Modesto Christian 44-40. The speedy 5’9” 180 lb quarterback was nothing short of spectacular. He accounted for 30 of his team’s 40 points, totaled 5 touchdowns: 2 through the air, 3 on the ground, and gained 386 of his team’s 437 total yards on offense. Often cited as too short to play the quarterback position at the collegiate level, Randall’s leadership has never been questioned. Head coach John Morrison told the North County Times, “I want the ball in his hands with the game on the line.” While his Lancers may have come up short, Deon Randall was anything but.
Maybe someday Brady Hoke will throw that proverbial “fence around the county” and get the top prospects in San Diego County to come to SDSU. Before he builds that fence, though, Hoke will need to first interrupt the pipeline.
You know, the one Bob Stoops has built between San Diego and Norman, Oklahoma.
Stoops, looking to restore Oklahoma to national title contention in 2010, will do so with the help of a trio of San Diego talents. All-time San Diego section receiving leader Kenny Stills and hard-hitting Eastlake star
Tony Jefferson both announced on Friday night that they will attend the University of Oklahoma next year, joining Scripps Ranch star Brennan Clay. The threesome made their announcements at the KUSI Prep Pigskin Gala at the Hall of Champions.
Clay, who had committed months before to the Sooners, was thrilled to have his two talented Silver Pigskin finalists (Mission Bay’s Dillon Baxter won the trophy) join him in Norman:
Hear from all three of the newest Sooners after the jump:
Brennan Clay(full SportsForce profile here) was the first to commit to Oklahoma. He joined 619 Sports immediately after the announcement of the Silver Pigskin award to talk about the honor of the evening and the process of luring Jefferson and Stills to join him in Norman:
Kenny Stills (full SportsForce profile here) had been heavily recruited by USC but wound up narrowing his choices to Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma. In the end, Stills told 619 Sports the chance to team up with Jefferson and Clay, and to participate in the Sooners’ vaunted passing attack, was too much to pass up:
Tony Jefferson angered the Arroyo Seco when he first committed to UCLA, only to show up at the UCLA-USC game wearing Trojans garb. After hearing the barbs from the Bruins, Jefferson withdrew his commitment to the Bruins and took a campus trip to Norman. The rest was history, as he told 619 Sports:
With Jefferson in the secondary and Clay and Stills in the OU backfield, Boomer Sooner is picking up speed heading into 2010.
