National Notebook: Schools jump on JUCO talent

Some college football programs frown on recruiting junior college prospects. But more and more schools are finding this season's junior college crop to be one of the strongest in a long time.

Looking at the recently updated Rivals.com junior college top 100, you'll see familiar recruiting powers such as USC, South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma State all over the list.

This week, LSU received a pledge from four-star defensive tackle Akiem Hicks of Sacramento (Calif.) City College, Minnesota hauled in four-star receiver Hayo Carpenter of Santa Clarita (Calif.) College of the Canyons and Oklahoma State scored three-star defensive end Darius Hart of Poplarville (Miss.) Pearl River CC.

Even non-"Big Six" schools such as Troy have scored big in this year's loaded class. The Trojans have two commitments from top 60 national prospects, including defensive lineman Eugene Kinlaw of Hutchinson (Kan.) CC.

Kinlaw, a 6-foot-2, 294-pounder originally from Homerville, Ga., is ranked No. 5 in the nation after a dominating sophomore season that saw him earn defensive player of the year honors in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

"Eugene is a big, strong, physical defensive tackle that is really strong at both stuffing the run and rushing the passer," Hutchinson coach Rion Rhoades said. "He's the type of player who can flat-out take over a game. He's got the potential to be a future impact guy – not just in college, but in the NFL."

OVERCOMING THE ODDS

Perris (Calif.) Citrus Hill three-star linebacker Greg Smith has overcome a lot. Smith, a 6-2, 235-pound linebacker/defensive end, was homeless as a freshman and his mother had been in trouble with drugs before Citrus Hill coach Doug DuBois discovered him playing a pickup basketball game.

Three years later, Smith is one of the most heavily recruited defenders in the Inland Empire area of southern California. Smith has visits lined up to Fresno State and UTEP, and Pac-10 schools such as Washington State and Oregon State are showing heavy interest.

"It was a lot of hard work to turn things around," Smith said. "I wasn't in school because I was working. I had to be the man of the house. But Coach told me if I got into school, worked hard and studied, that football could be something that would change my life.

"He was right. But I didn't do it alone. It was something my mother (LaWanda Jackson) and I worked really hard to turn around. Now I'm really proud of my mom, and the whole family can't believe I'm going to have an opportunity to get to go to college for free."

Citrus Hill is riding a 23-game winning streak and Smith is one of the leaders of the Hawks' defense.

"He's got unlimited potential," DuBois said. "He's going to be an amazing steal for somebody. He's good enough to play in the Pac-10 and other BCS-level schools."

POLY POWER

There were some big games in Los Angeles this past weekend, and one of the biggest featured two undefeated teams loaded with underclass talent. Long Beach Poly (9-0) defeated Compton (7-1) with several big plays from Kaelin Clay, a 5-10, 170-pound junior receiver who is a member of the "Rivals250 to Watch for 2010."

Clay had three receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He couldn't be stopped on the deep balls, and there was no question he was the fastest player on the field. Over the summer, Clay won the most valuable player award for the receivers at the National Underclassmen Combine in Los Angeles.

Also having a big game was Iuta Tepa, a 6-3, 230-pound defensive end who is committed to Hawaii. Tepa was in the Compton backfield all game long. With Oregon State coaches on the sidelines, Tepa played like a player worthy of a spot at a Pac-10 school or another BCS-level program.

HOLDING STEADY

Any time there is a coaching change at a college program, there will be recruits who defect. For the most part, Kansas State's recruiting class looks as if it will remain intact. When it was announced last week that coach Ron Prince would not return, nine of the Wildcats' 10 commitments said they were sticking with their commitments – at least for now.

The lone recruit leaning toward changing his mind is offensive tackle Michael Bowie, the highest-ranked recruit in K-State's class. Bowie, a 6-5, 300-pounder from Sand Springs (Okla.) Page, visited Texas Tech this past weekend. Schools such as Oklahoma State and Oklahoma have been showing interest over the past few weeks.

ETC.

• Ten more players were added to the U.S. Army All-America Game roster this past week. This includes four-star receiver Shaquelle Evans, who announced his commitment to Notre Dame last Friday. Rivals.com has full coverage of the Army Game selection tour.

• Oregon State made the most of its trip to southern California. The Beavers beat UCLA and also scored a commitment from Corona (Calif.) Santiago cornerback Sean Martin. "I was going to commit to them at some point, and I just happened to be at the UCLA game when I saw the coaches hanging around after the game," Martin said. "So I decided to talk to them and decided to commit right there."

• Highly regarded 2010 quarterback Peter Thomas of El Cajon (Calif.) Valhalla traveled cross-country last weekend to take an unofficial visit to Boston College. The Eagles are the first-team to offer Thomas, a 6-5, 201-pounder, but they won't be the last. He's expected to be one of the most heavily recruited players in California.

• Coach David Cutcliffe and Duke got a head start on the 2010 class with a commitment from dual-threat quarterback Anthony Boone of Charlotte (N.C.) Weddington. "He's the best quarterbacks coach around, and Duke is a great school. What more could you want?" Boone said.

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