Blinns 2007 crop is plentiful

With four prospects from last year's Brenham (Texas) Blinn's junior college class signing Division I letters, it's obvious that this year with the team winning big early, that things should be the same if not more plentiful.

Coach Brad Franchione says that despite winning and being ranked No. 4 in the country doesn't mean anything until you get the job done on the field. He also says that he has several prospects in the 2007 class that are either on the board with offer or have been picking up huge amounts of interest.

The most heavily recruited prospect is defensive end Alex Cook, a four-star prospect, has added offers already from Iowa State, UTEP, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State.

"Well he had 14 sacks as a freshman for us," Franchione said. "He's got those offers, but also Florida has been calling since he's originally from there. Tennessee just called me about him too. He'll graduate in May too."

One giant prospect is the 6-foot-7, 370-pound Jake Johnson. As big as he is, Franchione says he's a simple guy who doesn't ask for a lot and works extremely hard.

There was one specific instance that the head coach saw what kind of work ethic his offensive tackle had.

"Well, we were going to have the guys lift on Friday and give them the weekend off," Franchione said. "Jake came up to me and said that if he worked out on Thursday, could he leave early on Friday. When I asked him why, he said because he wanted to go home and work on the farm.

"It's hard to say no to a kid like that. He's just a good kid. He's got great feet, came come off the ball and hit you in the mouth. Unbelievable blocker on the counter and there is no doubt he's a Division I athlete."

Running back Bernard Scott is a great talent and has had great stats so far, but he's having to work very hard on academics to become eligible. Several other prospects are worth taking a look at according to Franchione.

Those include the big 6-foot-3, 220-pound receiver Carl Johnson and speedy slot receiver Phillip Beck. BYU was looking at Beck in the spring.

Safety Alfonso Jackson is a prospect that the coaches think could even play corner on the next level.

"He's started every game for us last year and has so far this year as well," Franchione said. "He's just getting a lot of letters right now, but Kansas is a school we've spoken with. They mentioned some interest in him."

Playing cornerback is Ryan Mouton who Franchione says may be the "best pure athlete on the team."

"He runs 4.42 and did on three different occasions for us between last spring and now," Franchione said. "He's a cover corner, but he's played on offense for us and even at safety. He's the type of kid that knows the game of football and when he learns the scheme, he learns the whole thing. He's a phenomenal athlete."

The highly rated Cook isn't the only defensive lineman on the Blinn team with talent. Defensvie tackles Terrell Clark and Ryan Gloston are two players on the rise. Clark was a pre-season All-American and started every game as a freshman for Blinn.

"He's a great technique player and he goes out there to show down the run game," Franchione said. "He just makes plays. He's really a great run-stopper, more so than a pass-rusher."

Linebacker Jeremy Jackson is also full of ability. At 6-foot, 210 pounds, he's a 4.4-second 40-yard dash runner and can cover the pass better than most linebackers.

"A lot of interest is coming for him as people start to watch the tape," he said. "If they run the ball away from him, you see him close the gap faster than anybody else. He's become more of a student of the game since high school."

Former Arkansas signee Michael Tate, offensive guard Brandon Medelberg, and linebacker Damien Reed are also guys receiving interest and are expected to be Division I prospects.