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Now that the recruiting season has hit the home stretch toward Signing Day on Feb. 2, just about every day or so brings word of another big-name commitment. In fact, ESPN.com recruiting guru Tom Lemming's top-rated national prospect, WR Charlie Rogers of Saginaw, Mich., is set to announce his college choice on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
Lemming chatted with users on Monday, Jan. 17, to bring them the latest from the recruiting scene. Here's an edited transcript:
Tom Lemming: Now that we've only got two weeks left in recruiting before Signing Day, this is the time for the
major players to make their statement and for the major programs to make their move toward the
mythical national recruiting title.
Now, on to your questions...
Tom: What's the latest on Charlie Rogers, is FSU still possible?
Tom Lemming: No. He'll probably tell me (Tuesday) night; it's currently between Tennessee, Michigan and
Michigan State. He's officially announcing on Wednesday.
BamaMan: How do you see Alabama's efforts going? It seems the emphasis is on the defensive side of the
ball. Does it look like a top 5 class in your opinion?
Tom Lemming:
I think Alabama does have a shot at the No. 1 spot. Right now there's no program doing better
than the Crimson Tide, though a couple -- FSU and Tennessee -- are even with them, with
Michigan, Texas and UCLA also having a shot to catch up.
TGOSU: How does Ohio State look after the loss of Antonio Hall?
Tom Lemming: I was shocked he went to Kentucky, but the Wildcats have done a great job getting close to
Antonio and his father. The Buckeyes will not give up on him until Signing Day, so the Wildcats
have to stay close. Overall the Buckeyes are doing well, but right now they do not have a top 10
recruiting class. But they're doing better than most of their fans would give them credit for.
Drizmo:
UCLA has 15 verbals with three remaining spots. They currently have Marcus Houston, Matt
Grootegoed, Alex Holmes, Darrell Lee, Travis Johnson, Kwame Harris, and Eddie Smith
considering the Bruins. Who do you feel will be the three they end up with?
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ABOUT TOM LEMMING
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Tom Lemming is editor of Prep Football Report. For information on how to subscribe to Prep Football Report's magazine, newsletters and website, log on to www.prepfootballreport.com. For year-round recruiting updates, call Tom Lemming's Prep Football Hotline at 900-860-9888. Calls are $1.79 per minute, and callers must be 18 years old or have parents' permission. |
Tom Lemming:
I try not to get involved with the guessing game, but I'd say that Grootegoed, Houston and Lee
could be good bets.
Luke: Who do you think will have a better recruiting class between Michigan and Michigan State?
Tom Lemming: Right now both are having tremendous years, but it looks like the Wolverines will wind up with the
better class mainly because of the 10 days the Spartans went without a head coach in early
December.
Big Vol:
What's the latest on Lynn McGruder?
Tom Lemming: The latest is that Tennessee and Wisconsin are his two favorites, with Texas trying to get back in
the race. The Vols lead.
Yosts_ghost: Who do you feel has the lead for Travis Johnson?
Tom Lemming:
Right now I think it's a toss-up between FSU and Michigan, with Tennessee as the darkhorse.
aaron:
Are you surprised Dustin Picciotti went to Pittsburgh?
Tom Lemming: No, his father had been calling me for the past several weeks and was impressed with the game
plan Walt Harris came up with, and coach Harris had a great in-house presentation with the
Picciotti family about his future career at I-back.
yosts_ghost: What is the latest on Kwame Harris, Stanford or Michigan?
Tom Lemming:
If one were the leader, Kwame would have announced it by now. He still says it's a four-team
race between Stanford, Michigan, Wisconsin and UCLA. I feel it's between Stanford and
Michigan. He'll decide some time in the next week.
Darren:
How do you think Auburn's class looks so far? Do you see any other major commitments coming
soon?
Tom Lemming: The class, led by Jason Campbell and a couple of former All-Americans from the '98 season
(DeAndre Green and Robert Johnson), could be something special. This could be Auburn's best
class since the early '90s.
Deb: Everyone else seems to have D.J Williams as the No. 1 recruit and you have him at No. 8. What do you
see there that others don't? Any word yet on where he is headed?
Tom Lemming:
I do believe that he is a difference-maker-type player, but because of his size, I put him as the
No. 3 defensive player in the country behind Travis Johnson and Darrell Lee. All three are
explosive, but the other two are much bigger. I think D.J. may be a better running back than
linebacker. I think D.J. definitely wants to go to FSU. However, his mother would rather have
him go to Miami or Cal.
Brian:
Is Notre Dame close to getting committments from the quarterbacks they have been pursuing?
Tom Lemming: Yes, the QB they're pursuing is Carlyle Holiday from San Antonio. Right now it's even between
N.D. and Nebraska. He should be deciding within the week. They already have commitments
from Matt Lovecchio and Jared Clark.
AntMan:
What about Alex Holmes, the TE from Studio City, CA; have you heard anything where he'll go?
Tom Lemming: His father, Mike Holmes, a former Michigan player, would like him to go to Michigan, while his
mother would probably like him to stay close to home and go to either USC or UCLA. Notre
Dame is a darkhorse at getting the last visit on Jan. 28 and has started moving up slowly but
surely in the race.
Big Vol:
Can Tennessee get Marco Cooper out of Michigan?
Tom Lemming:
Yes, the Vols are one of the favorites for Marco, who has also visited Ohio State and Minnesota
and plans on looking at Wisconsin this coming weekend. Tennessee is the slight leader, but really
it's too close to call.
Big Buff Fan:
Where is Marcus Houston going, or leaning towards? How is Colorado's recruiting class going?
What do you think of Colorado in the future?
Tom Lemming:
I think Marcus right now has UCLA and Colorado as his top two schools. Colorado is doing an
excellent job. They've just
about wrapped up the entire state of Colorado but are also doing well in several states west of the
Mississippi and including Canada.
Eric96: Is Texas out of the picture with D.J. Williams?
Tom Lemming:
Yes, he said he had just an average visit to Austin. Right now, the schools he's considering are
FSU, Miami, Michigan and Cal.
Texas has a great shot at a top 5 class. Once again, they've been able to pick just about every
player they wanted out of the state of Texas.
2001 National Champs...Clemson: Will the loss of Sean Young hurt Clemson?
Tom Lemming: Definitely. He was their No. 1 recruit, and although they have several other top recruits
committed -- in particular, RB Keith Kelly -- the perception that the top prospect de-committed
will hurt more than the reality, because I still believe Clemson's class is above average and has a
shot at ranking in the top 20.
I think this gives an added boost to Tennessee, which now has two of the top five OL in the
country committed, along with Michael Muñoz.
USCFan:
Will Southern Cal be able to land Amon Gordon? Also, how are the Trojans doing?
Tom Lemming: USC has a good shot at Gordon; however, if he would like to go to school with his best friend,
Teyo Johnson, then you would figure that FSU, Stanford and Miami would have a good shot at the
two, since they've visited those schools.
In general, USC is assured of a top 20 class and it's my
belief that they have a shot at the top 10. They've done a great job with high school and J.C.
prospects and have gathered the kind of speedy players that Trojans fans have been looking for.
JCane: How is Miami faring with Eric Moore?
Tom Lemming: I think Miami has a slight lead over Tennessee and FSU. When I met with Eric this summer, he
told me that Miami was by far his favorite school, and right now things don't look like they've
changed too much since then.
GatorKim:
Do you think the Florida can recruit effectively enough against FSU to stay competitive with them
in the future given their ump-teenth top 3 finish in a row coupled with a national championship and
Florida slide down the stretch?
Tom Lemming: Definitely. It all comes down to the ability of Coach Spurrier to go out into as many homes of top
prospects as Bobby Bowden does. If he can match Bowden at in-house appearances, then I think
Florida will always have a great year. The facilities, offense and campus life at Florida are second
to none. In the past, Coach Spurrier has not been able to match Bowden's recruiting enthusiasm;
however, this year it is imperative that he does.
HokieChad: Virginia Tech had a dream of a year. In order to do it again and do it consistently, they have to
recruit on the national level. Are they breaking in?
Tom Lemming: Most definitely, the recruiting has been terrific in the Atlantic Coast region, but they're also trying
to land superstars around the entire Midwest and East, with some success. It looks like this could
be Virginia Tech's best recruiting year in modern times.
Buzz: How do you think Georgia Tech's class will shape up? Will they address all their needs?
Tom Lemming: The class was looking outstanding, but it hit a bump in the road when their offensive line coach
left for Georgia, thus causing the loss of one of the East's top OL, Shane Olivea, to Ohio State.
Still, Georgia Tech has done well landing players in several states in the South and Midwest.
Columbusnole: How do you think Bryant McFadden shapes up against some of the top CB's of the last few
years?
Tom Lemming: He's definitely the top CB in the country this season and could probably start for any program as
a true freshman. He compares favorably with any top CB in the past several years. I think he's
still leaning to FSU over Tennessee even though he had a good visit to Knoxville this past
weekend.
Dawg Fan:
How does Albert Hollis match up with the nation's elite at RB and will he get the starting job at
UGA next year?
Tom Lemming: I rank him as one of the top four RBs in the country, and he's been told by Georgia that he would
be the front-runner for the starting job next season. He's a super-fast back with great vision and
surprising power.
Georgia once again is having a good year, but I think in order for them to finish in the top 10, they
have to finish strong over the next two weeks.
Jason Narrow:
What do you think of Rick Neuheisel's presence at Washington? He's been known to not let the
in-staters go and recruit among the best in the country. Has his presense been felt at UW
recruiting-wise?
Tom Lemming: It was a good year for talent in Washington , and only two of the top prospects left the
state -- Larry Stevens committed to Michigan and Willie Walden committed to Oregon. The rest
have all committed to the Huskies, and with Neuheisel's presence, the Huskies' recruiting future is
extremely bright. He's one of the best recruiters around, definitely one of the top 10.
Brian Zenner:
Has R.C. Slocum come close to recruiting with Mack Brown this year?
Tom Lemming:
The Longhorns are like a runaway train the last couple of years in recruiting, but A&M has
stayed close and particularly because of Slocum and recruiting coordinator Tim Cassidy. A&M
may not get the super marquee names, but they definitely evaluate as well or better than the
Longhorns and have done a terrific job at filling their classes with blue-chip athletes. This season
will be no exception.
michael:
Who is Jason Respert favoring?
Tom Lemming: I think Jason is very close between Georgia and Tennessee, but the Bulldogs may have a slight
lead over the Vols.
Greg:
Sounds like Carlos Perez will go to PSU but is still taking his ND trip. What do you make of the
situation?
Tom Lemming:
Carlos has been leaning to every school he's visited, from Purdue to Ohio State to Penn State.
You can't rule out the Irish; however, just a couple of days ago, he was thinking about replacing
the Notre Dame visit with a Michigan visit. Penn State is right now the team to beat, but that
could change before he makes his final decision.
SpartyNYC:
Who is Tyrell Dortch favoring?
Tom Lemming:
Right now, Tyrell has Michigan and Michigan State as his two leaders over Florida and Florida
State.
Big Vol: Where will O.J. Owens end up?
Tom Lemming: Either FSU, Tennessee or North Carolina.
GopherGold: Any truth to the rumor that Marcus Sanders has committed to Minnesota?
Tom Lemming: Yes, he did commit to Minnesota Sunday over Ohio State and Michigan State.
DJWGOBLU:
Tom, who will get Robert Reynolds out of Kentucky?
Tom Lemming: Michigan was the leader until this weekend, and now the Buckeyes have pulled even with the
Wolverines. However, he still plans on visiting Florida this coming weekend. It's a three-team
race.
Dab in WI: Does Wisconsin have a shot at a Top 10 class and how are they doing overall? Will they end up
with any of the top guys who are still on the board ?
Tom Lemming: I would say the Badgers are more likely to finish in the top 20 instead of the top 10. However,
they could finish even higher if they're able to land some of the players they're still in on, like
Kwame Harris, Marco Cooper, Keron Koon, Lynn McGruder and Traison Lewis.
NoviBuck:
Where do you think Greg Jones will end up?
Tom Lemming:
I would not bet against FSU. However, I do know that Clemson and Ohio State are making a big
pitch for Jones, one of the nation's premier running backs.
HogMan: How do you rate Houston Nutt as a recruiter? Is he a players' coach and can he land the big-name
recruits like all other SEC coaches?
Tom Lemming: Yes, he is a players' coach. However, the Arkansas recruiting area should be spread out more
than what it is right now. I believe they have what it takes to recruit the entire South, including
Florida, and could compete against the rest of the SEC schools when they're recruiting outside
their local area.
Luke:
Who is the best junior in high school?
Tom Lemming: That's a good question. There's a QB in St. Paul, Minn., named Joe Mauer, from Cretin-Durham
H.S., who could be No. 1 next year. There's also a QB near Gadsden, Ala., named Brodie Croyle
who also has a great future.
Jack Knauff: How many days a year do you travel meeting with players and coaches?
Tom Lemming: I generally start around March 1 with my trips, and I wind up around mid-July. I'm not traveling
that entire time, but I'm generally on the road more than 100 days in the year. This year I
personally saw 490 of the top 500 players in their hometowns.
Go Hoosiers:
How is Cam Cameron and Indiana doing so far in recruiting? How would you rate them?
Tom Lemming:
Cam right now is getting the speed he wants in this year's class. Indiana has done well in both the
J.C. and high school ranks. They were looking for speed at almost every position and came up
with some extremely fast and aggressive defenders, led by All-American DLs Steve Williams and
John Lumpkin. Plus, they also have a commitment from the fastest player in the Atlantic Coast
region in Rico Lloyd.
GoHeels: Has the combination of Carl Torbush and Mike O'Cain led to a good class for the Tarheels?
Tom Lemming: It's not over yet, but it looks like they are doing well. They've been able to land just about every
in-state prospect they wanted and have also been able to do well out-of-state.
wvueer22:
Where do you see WVU ending up in the nation -- Top 25 perhaps? In the Big East?
Tom Lemming:
West Virginia is doing better this year than in the past few years, but they have to pick it up a
notch to finish in the top 25. However, their recruiting in Pennsylvania and Florida has made this
class something special.
Go illini:
How do you rate Illinois in their recruiting?
Tom Lemming: Illinois will finish somewhere in the top 30. I expect them to have an even better year next year to
take advantage of this season's great finish. The only mistake they made this year was offering a
few too many guys too early and they ran out of scholarships before they ran out of blue-chip
prospects.
Noles#1: Give us a prediction or two before you go.
Tom Lemming:
It's hard to predict who will end up with the top class, but the schools with the best shot are
Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State, Michigan, Texas, and UCLA, and the darkhorses are
Georgia, Texas A&M, USC and Notre Dame.
Michigan man here: When is your magazine coming out?
Tom Lemming: It was mailed last Thursday, so most of our subscribers should have it by now.
Thanks to everyone for all the questions! I plan to chat again here on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. See
you then!
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Recruiting: Lemming's Top 100
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