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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Football Recuiting Buzz By Jeff Goodman SchoolSports.com | ||||||
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Leon Williams was the prize of the Penn State recruiting class and the nation's No. 1 linebacker, but the Brooklyn Canarsie High (N.Y) star won't be heading to Happy Valley after all after he de-committed from the Nittany Lions and will head south to Miami instead.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Williams said his decision wasn't swayed by the fact that Al Golden, who recruited him, went to become the defensive coordinator at Virginia under former New York Jets coach Al Groh. "I just didn't want to be at such a big school," said Williams, who had 98 tackles and 10 sacks this season from the middle linebacker spot. "Miami's a private school and they have less students in each class. Plus, my mom liked it out there and the weather is nice." Williams eventually chose the Hurricanes over Syracuse and Michigan State. "I had a shot at going to Penn State and starting right away, but every school is going to tell you that. But every place has about 10 linebackers and I know I'm going to have to work real hard to get a starting spot." Williams will try to follow in the footsteps of Ray Lewis, Michael Barrow and Jesse Armstead - each of which played in Sunday's Super Bowl. Williams runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, but said that he needs to get faster to become an impact player at the next level. He also mentioned that his biggest criticism has concerned his change of direction. "He's special. His size makes him so good, but he knows the game and blocking patterns and sees what's happening," said Canarsie coach Mike Camardese. "Maybe Miami being No. 2 in the country had something to do with it." With Hurricanes coach Butch Davis bolting for the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, Williams may decide to explore other options. Switching Gears Etowah High (Ala.) running back Carnell Williams wasn't intimidated by the fact that Tennessee is recruiting a handful of backs, but the 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior figured it didn't make much sense to have to beat out that many elite runners. Williams backed out of his verbal commitment from the Vols and was debating between a pair of in-state schools, Alabama and Auburn. He made his decision on Monday afternoon at a news conference in which he took off his jacket to reveal an Auburn Tigers jersey. Williams admitted that the recent allegations that Alabama paid off a Tennessee high school coach to steer a player to the Crimson Tide, which now have the FBI involved, had an impact on his final decision. "That had a little something to do with it," said Williams. "If they weren't on probation, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made up my mind this early. I just sat down, weighed my options and the I felt at home at Auburn more than anywhere else I've been." "I didn't think he was willing to roll the dice with his future at Alabama," said Etowah coach Raymond Farmer. "When the FBI gets involved, a lot of stones that probably wouldn't get overturned will get overturned. There could be serious penalties." Williams rushed for 1,729 yards and 23 touchdowns last season. He rushed for 2,500 yards and 35 touchdowns in 1999. Decision Time With Williams being crossed off the Tennessee board, that may alter the decision-making process of bruising Tucker High (Ga.) 5-foot-11, 230-pound running back Jabari Davis, who is set to decide between the Vols and Georgia at a 9 a.m. news conference on Wednesday. "I haven't told anyone yet, not even my parents," said Davis. "I'll let them know tonight (Monday)." Davis was also looking at Mississippi State, but eliminated the Bulldogs last week. "It was a hard enough decision with three schools, and I didn't need another one," added Davis. "The biggest factor for me is winning a national championship. The other backs at Tennessee doesn't really matter to me right now." Prime Time II Defensive back Dominic Robinson didn't show the flamboyant side while at Diamond Bar High (Calif.) that a national television audience got to view in the National High School All-Star Game in December after he made a pair of interceptions. Now Robinson has become one of the top commodities and has narrowed his choices to Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia Tech. "He's pretty outgoing to say the least," said Diamond Bar coach Terry Roach. "We probably crimped his style because what we saw in the High School All-Star Game we never saw here. He understood that's the way it is here and he was just one of 50 guys and he had no problem dealing with it." FSU coach Bobby Bowden visited Robinson, a lifelong Seminoles fan, on Tuesday night. Vols coach Philip Fulmer will visit this week. Air Currie Richland Northeast High (S.C.) speedy wide receiver Airese Currie doesn't know when he'll make his decision, but the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is looking for a program that doesn't just have a quality football program. The track star, who wasn't able to go for the state title last year because of a broken foot, wants to sign with a school that also has a strong track program and that favors Clemson over Florida State and Georgia. "It's tough to make this decision," said Currie. "I want to go somewhere I feel at home and somewhere that always has a strong track team." Currie also mentioned that he knows he'll get more immediate playing time at Clemson, so all signs point towards the wideout becoming a Tiger. Rival Canidate Alhambra High (Ariz.) running back Cornell Canidate wants to follow in his older brother Trung's footsteps in reaching the NFL, but he chose rival Arizona State over Trung's alma mater, Arizona. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior also considered Cal and Oregon before ultimately deciding to stay in the Phoenix area. Canidate returned seven kickoff returns for touchdowns in his high school career and could see immediate time in that capacity. He ran for 4,252 yards and 57 TDs in his career. Still Debating: Cretin-Derham Hall (Minn.) quarterback Joe Mauer returned from his final visit to Florida State Monday and could make his decision this week. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound three-sport star is choosing between Miami, FSU, Arizona and Minnesota. But if he's a high draft pick in the baseball draft this June, he probably won't attend college and will take the huge signing bonus and head to the minor leagues. . ... Chaminade High (Ohio) 5-foot-11, 185-pound receiver Angelo Chattams has backed off his commitment to Ohio State and is now considering Purdue as well as the Buckeyes. "It's a good possibility that he'll still be at Ohio State, but he's exploring other options," said Chaminade coach Jim Place." ... Sandy Creek High (Ga.) running back JR Lemon is deciding between Miami, Stanford and Georgia Tech. ... Concord De La Salle High (Calif.) linebacker Kevin Simon has narrowed his choices to Miami and Tennessee after eliminating UCLA. ... Atlanta Douglass High (Ga.) 5-foot-11, 190-pound defensive back Ahmad Carroll is down to Florida State, Clemson, Arkansas and Georgia. ... Look for Tolleson High (Ariz.) running back Mike Bell to stay in state and pick either Arizona State or Arizona over Colorado State. ... Bryan Station High (Ky.) RB Eric Shelton is down to FSU and Florida. ... Union High (S.C.) receiver Roscoe Crosby was sick and unable to visit Georgia Tech this past weekend, so he will go to Tech this Friday and then make his decision out of Florida State, Clemson, South Carolina and Georgia Tech. ... Newark High (Del.) defensive lineman Orien Harris appeared to be leaning towards Miami, but with Butch Davis on his way out, the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder will probably choose between FSU, Tennessee and UCLA. Done Deals: St. Louis High (Hawaii) linebacker Joseph Lobendahn committed to Washington. The 6-foot, 210-pound senior chose the Huskies over Wisconsin, Arizona and USC. ... Lance Rhodes, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound senior athlete from Hoover High (Ala.), committed to Arizona State after de-committing from Kentucky. Rhodes played quarterback last season and chose the Sun Devils over Auburn and North Carolina State. ... Banning High (Calif.) offensive lineman Thomas Stevens pledged to Arizona over San Diego State and Colorado State. ... Jacksonville High (Texas) offensive lineman Jami Hightower committed to Texas A&M. ... La Porte High defensive back Rufus Harris chose Texas over LSU, Arizona and Texas A&M. ... Harrisburg McDevitt High (Pa.) wide receiver-defensive back Fred Lee opted for Virginia Tech over Michigan State and N.C. State. ... Georgia secured commitments from Monroe Ouachita Parish (La.) defensive lineman Jay Ashton and College Park Banneker High (Ga.) safety Greg Blue. ... Plano East High's (Texas) Charlie Peprah chose TCU and will probably switch from running back to defensive back with the Horned Frogs. ... Washington-Wilkes High (Ga.) RB Daccus Turman pledged to South Carolina. ... Decatur High (Ala.) receiver Ratavious Bittle committed to Mississippi. 
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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