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football Edit

Rankings rewind: Gronkowski, Hoyer

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Lawrence Timmons and the Steelers held the Ravens to 63 yards rushing.
After a rough start to the 2014 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have once again positioned themselves to make a serious playoff run. One reason for this has been the steady play of linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who is one of the league leaders in tackles. During a 43-23 victory against rival Baltimore, Timmons continued his impressive season with 11 tackles and one sack.
Timmons was drafted by the Steelers in the first round (15th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. In his first two years in the league, Timmons played in every game but only saw two starts. Starting in 2009, he began to entrench himself into the Pittsburgh linebacking corps. In 2009, despite missing two games because of a hamstring injury, Timmons started 13 games and finished with 78 tackles, seven sacks and four forced fumbles. In 2010, he returned and achieved his highest tackle total of his career with 135, then added 93 in 2011, 106 in 2012 and 126 last season. Through nine games this season, Timmons already has 78 tackles, which puts him fifth in the league.
Before Pittsburgh, Florida State was where Timmons made a name for himself. He finished his time as a Seminole with 126 tackles, eight sacks and 22.5 tackles for a loss, while starting 13 of 38 career games. He had his best season in 2006, when he started all 13 games and was named third-team All-American. He totaled 79 tackles, five sacks and blocked two kicks during this season.
Timmons played high school football at Wilson High School in Florence, South Carolina. As a senior at Wilson, Timmons earned first-team All-State honors after finishing with 150 tackles and two sacks, plus added 47 receptions for over 800 yards and five touchdowns at tight end. He also impressed as a junior with 95 tackles and four sacks, plus 42 receptions for 680 yards and 14 touchdowns. During the recruiting process, Timmons took official visits to North Carolina, FSU, Florida and Tennessee and almost took a late visit to Clemson. His final three were the 'Noles, Gators and Vols, and he committed to FSU days before Signing Day.
Timmons was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2004, the No. 5 ranked outside linebacker nationally, the No. 4 ranked recruit in South Carolina and the No. 61 ranked recruit nationally. In South Carolina, none of the three players ranked ahead of Timmons had anywhere near the same level of success as him. At his position, the situation is basically the same. While players like Willie Williams received more attention back at the high school and college level, they definitely didn't produce at the same level as Timmons. Now in his eighth season with the Steelers, and still considered one of the top linebackers in the league, Timmons has obviously proven himself as an elite talent. Even though he was ranked as a high four-star back in 2004, an argument can still be made that he should have been ranked a little higher. Overall though, we identified his potential early and almost nailed his ranking. I remember seeing him at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas after his senior season and being very impressed, but had no idea he'd be the star he is to this extent in the NFL.
LB
Lavonte David
Four-star, Juco class of 2010, signed with Nebraska
Lavonte David has two of his career six interceptions against Buffalo.
Another linebacker having a big season is Lavonte David of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite the rough season in Tampa, David has proven himself to be one of the top young linebackers in the league. On Sunday, during a tough 22-17 loss to Cleveland, David once again excelled with nine tackles.
David was drafted in the second round (58th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay. Now in his third season, David has started each of the 40 games he has played to this point. He has already established himself as a tackling machine, finishing his rookie season with 139 tackles and then the 2013 season with 145. During his first two years, he has also totaled nine sacks and six interceptions. This season, through eight games, David already has 89 tackles, which places him second in the league behind Luke Kuechly.
David played his college ball at Nebraska, where he started all 27 games he played in, after playing his first two seasons at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas. In 2010, his first in Nebraska, he set a school record with 152 tackles. He then added 133 more during his senior season, making his 285 career total the fourth highest in school history, and the most by a two-year player. After his senior season, he was named a finalist for the Butkus Award and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award.
Playing his high school football at Northwestern in Miami, he helped the school to back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007. After originally signing with Middle Tennessee State in January, 2008, David made his move to Fort Scott J.C. because of academic issues. At Fort Scott, David resolved his academic issues while also greatly improving his game. At that time, David also re-opened his recruiting process as he became a hot commodity for several bigger programs. First offering David were Kansas, Tennessee, Kansas State, Tulsa and Southern Mississippi, followed by Nebraska, Baylor and Houston. Being a mid-year enrollee, it was an official visit to Lincoln in November, 2009, that ended the process for David. Two weeks after his visit, he decided that he did not have to look any further and committed to the Cornhuskers.
While David was a two-star recruit in the Class of 2008, he became a four-star JUCO recruit in the Class of 2010. As a JUCO, David was the top ranked linebacker in the nation and the No. 7 overall JUCO recruit nationally. Ranked ahead of him in the national JUCO rankings, two other players have also made an impact in college and now the NFL: Cam Newton and Bruce Irvin. While David obviously had academic issues to clear up, he took care of his business and has become one of the top linebackers in the NFL in a very short time. David always had the potential for this, but just had to set his priorities straight before he could actually accomplish his career goals.
DE
Shane Ray
Three-star, class of 2011
Shane Ray has racked up an SEC-best 12 sacks this season.
With Michael Samgraduated from Missouri, it has given Shane Ray the opportunity to shine this season for the Tigers. On Saturday, during a 20-10 victory against Kentucky, Ray collected two more sacks to give him 12 for the season. This total sets the single-season record at Missouri, breaking the previous high of 11.5 set by Sam and Aldon Smith.
After redshirting in 2011, Ray began to make an impression during the 2012 season when he finished with 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery. In 2013, Ray still saw a majority of his time as a reserve, but totaled 39 tackles, 4.5 sacks and nine tackles for a loss. He also returned a fumble 73 yards for a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma State. This season he has obviously risen to the occasion and has become one of the top pass rushers in the SEC, if not the nation.
Playing his high school ball at Bishop Miege in Kansas, Ray had huge performances during his junior and senior seasons. As a junior in 2009, Ray helped his team to a state title with 131 tackles, 15 sacks and 32 tackles for a loss. Then as a senior, while earning first-team all-state honors, Ray finished with 100 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss. With recruiting, Missouri was the first school to offer Ray, followed by Kansas and Wisconsin. With his father, Wendall Ray, having played for Missouri in the 1970's, the decision for the younger Ray did not take too long as he committed a couple of weeks after receiving his offer in the spring. An offer from Notre Dame during the fall clouded the situation however and resulted in an official visit to South Bend, but an ensuing official visit to Missouri once again solidified his commitment to the Tigers.
Ray was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2011, the No. 17 ranked weakside defensive end nationally and the No. 3 ranked recruit in Kansas. He was not ranked overall nationally. In Kansas, Ray was only ranked behind Jordan Phillips and Bubba Starling. Phillips has had a good career at Oklahoma to this point, while Starling has turned his attention to professional baseball. Ray's situation is an interesting one, because while he showed glimpses in the last two years, not many people expected this season out of him. He has become one of the top pass rushers in the country, but now we have to see how he continues to progress. To this point, I'm still pretty confident with our ranking of Ray. That could all change in a couple of years if he continues to progress and makes a name for himself in the NFL.
QB
Brian Hoyer
Three-star, class of 2014, signed with Michigan State
Brian Hoyer threw for 300 yards in the Browns' victory over the Bucs.
When Johnny Manziel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns this season, most people assumed it was only a matter of time that he became the starter for the franchise. Nobody seemed to tell Brian Hoyer that, who has had a steady season that has led the Browns to be one of the surprise teams in the first half of the season. On Sunday, during a 22-17 victory over Tampa Bay, Hoyer completed 21 of 34 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns to move the Browns to 5-3.
Hoyer was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2009. After seeing minimal time in three seasons in New England, Hoyer made a brief stop in Pittsburgh before signing with Arizona during the 2012 season. With the Cardinals, he appeared in the final two regular season games, including one start, and passed for 330 yards and one touchdown. For the 2013 season, Hoyer once again made a move, this time to Cleveland where he started three games and now all eight so far this fall. This season, he has already passed for 2,014 yards and 10 touchdowns.
At Michigan State, Hoyer played in 39 games and started 27. He finished his career in East Lansing with 6,159 yards, which is currently fourth in school history, and 35 touchdowns, which is currently seventh in school history. Hoyer's best season was his redshirt senior year in 2009 when he passed for 2,404 yards and nine touchdowns.
Hoyer played high school football at St. Ignatius in Cleveland, Ohio. As a junior, Hoyer passed for 2,120 yards and 19 touchdowns and then as a senior he passed for approximately 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns. Michigan State was the first school to offer Hoyer, which was next followed by South Carolina. During the spring and summer, Hoyer camped at Ohio State, Michigan, South Carolina, Pittsburgh and finally Michigan State. A few days after attending the Spartans camp in July, he decided to end his recruiting process with a commitment to Michigan State.
Hoyer was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2004, the No. 14 ranked pro-style quarterback nationally and the No. 16 ranked recruit in Ohio. He was not ranked overall nationally. At his position, the only other quarterback who was ranked ahead of Hoyer who is currently in the NFL is Chad Henne. The success rate in Ohio that year was also rather disappointing, as Ted Ginn Jr. is the only recruit ranked ahead of Hoyer in Ohio who has made any mark in the NFL. I guess an argument can certainly be made that Hoyer should have been ranked higher because he still is in the NFL while the majority of players in front of him aren't, but overall I still feel like we got this one close to right. Hoyer has shown toughness and perseverance during his career and this has obviously paid off this season in Cleveland. He is not an elite talent, but he has developed his game to the point where even if things don't work out with the Browns in the long run, he should be able to find continued work in the NFL. And that in itself is an impressive accomplishment.
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
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