Big 12 Blitz: Tech adds passers
To run Mike Leach's high powered passing attack at Texas Tech, having a talented quarterback is a must. The Red Raiders not only have one blue-chip quarterback commitment but two of them have already pledged to Tech.
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Recently Tech added Southlake (Texas) Carroll three-star standout Greg McElroy. He joined Abilene, Texas, quarterback Taylor Potts on the list. Potts committed early in the process and he says he's solid and understands Tech taking two quarterbacks in this class.
"I'm still committed to Texas Tech," Potts, who is 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, said. "The whole two-quarterback situation is okay with me. We've let the whole thing settle down and everyone has said what they want to say and now there's not too much to it."
Potts, ranked as the nation's No. 12 pro-style quarterback, has had a good season and McElroy, ranked as the No. 14 pro-style quarterback, has been amazing, completing 120 of his 176 passes for 1,875 yards and 26 touchdowns. Last weekend, Potts had a solid game against Mildand High.
"We came out good in the first half and went up big. Midlands, being the great team they are, we began playing conservative running the ball and stuff," Potts said. "We ended up winning 31-20. I think I was 12-24 for 230 yards and one touchdown passing, one running."
Do it all player
When Kansas State took an early commitment from Dallas W.T. White athlete Leon Patton, the Wildcats knew he could play a number of different positions. That's why they recruited him as an athlete. However, the 5-foot-7, 174-pound three-star prospect stars as a running back for his team and he's turned out to be a darned good one, too.
This season, Patton has 882 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, which leads his team. He also leads his team with 299 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
"I've been real excited about my play," Patton said. "I've been working hard at making sure that I can keep breaking tackles. I run through what we call the dungeon – it's that machine that has the arms that stick out and you have to run through it. That has really helped me get better at staying on my feet with the ball in my hands."
Patton, however, will get a chance to hit an opponent back for the first time this week against Dallas Skyline. The game will decide who gets a playoff spot in his district and Patton is going to play everything to help his team win.
"I'll be at running back and doing returns like I always do," Patton said. "But this week, I'll be back at free safety. That way I can finally hit somebody instead of them always hitting me."
Patton said he's a very solid Kansas State commitment and there are no worries about his pledge to the Wildcats.
KU continues to make impact in Dallas
Dallas has become a second home to the Kansas Jayhawks, thanks in part to the wonderful job done by Jayhawk recruiting coordinator Dave Doeren. Doeren has played a large role in KU landing three players in this year's class from Dallas and last year KU got four players from the Metroplex.
Doeren is also zeroing in on another top Texas target – three-star receiver Terrell Turner.
"I love talking to coach (Dave) Doeren from Kansas," Turner, who is the nation's No. 47 receiver, said. "He calls me every single week and asks about how my games were and we talk about his games. He asks me how I'm doing and everything. My relationship with coach Doeren will definitely help Kansas out."
Juco LB should have impact for Aggies
Quincy (Calif.) Feather River three-star junior college linebacker Mark Dodge committed to Texas A&M early in the recruiting process and back then it wasn't clear to many Aggie fans how much of an impact recruit the 6-foot-3, 225-pound outside linebacker could be.
Dodge, ranked as the nation's No. 36 junior college player by Rivals.com, took an official visit to Texas A&M a few weeks back for the Baylor game and loved every minute of it.
"I went to midnight yell," Dodge said. "That's amazing. It's quite a sight. It's crazy to see that stuff."
Dodge said he's solid on his decision, but he continues to get recruiting interest from teams all over the country – including offers from Florida State, UVA, California, Michigan State and Washington.
Tigers move in on new in-state target?
When he committed to Ole Miss back in May, Eureka, Mo., linebacker Sam Johnson was a virtual unknown to many. However, Missouri's coaches continued to evaluate the in-state prospect throughout the summer and into the early parts of his senior season.
Because of some off the field problems and the fact that Ole Miss wanted to target junior college linebacker targets, Johnson's coach was told by the Rebel staff that they are no longer going to recruit him – opening the door for the Tigers. The move left a bitter feeling between Johnson and the Eureka coaching staff toward Ole Miss.
And Johnson is definitely back on the market and Mizzou is in the mix along with Michigan State, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Louisville and Nebraska.
"Coach Cornell Ford now, they're short on linebackers, they would like to see a tape," Eureka coach Farrell Shelton said. "Louisville had offered him, Kansas is very interested. Once word gets out, I'm sure there will be a lot of interest.
"I know Cornell Ford. When Missouri offers a scholarship, they stand by it."
CU to host two blue-chippers
This weekend's game against Kansas for Colorado could go a long to way toward determining what happens in the Big 12 North. And what better setting than a home game to bring in two talented prospects.
CU is scheduled to play host to Long Beach (Calif.) Poly cornerback Vincent Joseph and Mesquite (Texas) Horn running back Mon Williams. Joseph is a three-star prospect that is ranked as the No. 25 corner in the nation. Willliams, a four-star prospect, is a Rivals100 member.
Joseph is also looking hard at Cal, Oregon and Washington State. Miami, USC and Washington are also involved. Williams had been leaning toward Florida, but Colorado's tough running style would be a perfect fit for Williams and he's slated to visit there this weekend. K-State, Michigan State and Oklahoma are also involved with scholarship offers.
Etc.
They don't throw the ball much at Spring (Texas) Westfield, but when they do, they make it count. And the receiving end of many of those passes is Oklahoma State pledge DeMarcus Connor. The two-star receiver has 10 receptions for 218 yards receiving and two scores. He is averaging 21.8 yards a catch… How important is the run game to the Texas Longhorns? The three rushers in UT's class this season – Vondrell McGee, Derke Robinson and Emmanuel Moody – have put up some good stats this season. McGee has 959 yards and 13 scores, Moody has 735 yards and 11 scores and Robinson has 914 yards and seven scores… Oklahoma has offered another junior college offensive lineman. The Sooners recently extended an offer to Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna Junior College three-star tackle Clarence Bailey… Nebraska's become a force in the junior college ranks – landing their second fifth star juco player in two years. This time the five-star prospect is cornerback Andre Jones… Iowa State quarterback commitment Austen Arnaud is completing more than 55 percent of his passes as a senior.
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http://rivals100.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=468109">SEC: LSU gets two linebackers