The Weekend Rewind

With a slower than usual recruiting weekend, many of the nation’s top recruits didn’t go dashing through the snow on official visits this past weekend. But there still was plenty of recruiting news broken on Rivals100.com, and in case you missed some of the highlights here’s look back with the Rivals100 Weekend Rewind.

ANOTHER ALL-AMERICA ANNOUNCEMENT

Cleveland Glenville five-star cornerback Ted Ginn Jr. narrowed his list to three teams this weekend – Ohio State, Michigan and USC. And like many other recruits Ginn has decided to announce his commitment on January 3 at the U.S. Army All-America game in San Antonio, Texas.

“It’s going to be a tough decision for him,” Ginn’s father and coach, Ted Ginn Sr., said. “We were supposed to visit Miami this past weekend, but we decided to stay home and focus on family matters and talk a little bit about Junior’s decision and the future.”

That future looks to be one of there teams, and each of them has their strengths, according to Ginn Sr.

“It’s hard for him not to favor Ohio State,” Ginn Sr. said. “He’s an Ohio kid, and coach (Jim) Tressel was here visiting with us two weeks ago. We’re all very impressed with him. He’s a great guy and somebody that we would be honored to have Ted play for.

“But Michigan and USC are also great schools. I know that Ted had a great visit to USC, and they have a lot of appeal to an elite recruit like him. He knows that Pete Carroll is a former NFL guy, and he can help him get to that next level. Plus, it’s in Los Angeles, and if you’re good out there, you’ll be the center of national attention. Then there is Michigan, which is always one of the best teams in the nation. Coach Carr was here with us last week, and that program and that coach is nothing but first class.”

The 6-foot-1 and 170 pound Ginn Jr. intercepted eight passes during his senior season at Glenville, and returned five for touchdowns. He also had over 900 yards passing and over 900 rushing. All told, Ginn accounted for over 3,000 yards.

Rivals.com is the exclusive media partners with the U.S. Army Game. Expect daily coverage from the event from Rivals100.com.

ONE VISIT DOWN FOR MILLER

Colquitt (Ga.) Miller County five-star weakside defensive end Brandon Miller took his first official visit this past weekend to Georgia Tech.

Heading into the visit, Miller was leaning quietly to Georgia and Florida State, but it looks like the Yellow Jackets made a very good impression on the 6-foot-4, 225-pound sack machine.

“Georgia Tech is a nice, big place," Miller said. "It was a very educational experience for me. Academics are my number one priority. Atlanta is always a really fun place to visit, and the coaches and players at Georgia Tech were great. I could see myself fitting in there really well if that’s where I pick.”

Georgia Tech was the first of Miller's five visits, and the next one will be to Florida State the weekend of January 9th. That will be followed by Alabama (1/16), Florida (1/23), and then finally Georgia (1/30).

As a junior Miller collected 98 tackles, 13 for loss, six sacks, three interceptions and had three fumble recoveries. He also returned three punts for a touchdown. As a senior he missed a large chunk of the season due to injury.

NOT LOOKING AFTER ALL

When Oklahoma announced late last week that Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jason White had been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, many Oklahoma fans wondered if this would hurt the Sooners’ chances in keeping a commitment from the nation’s No. 1 quarterback Rhett Bomar.

Then there were quotes in the local media from Bomar’s father saying there is a chance that his son could look around. However, that train of thought quickly ended when Bomar said he’s going to stick with the Sooners.

“I wouldn’t say that I ever wavered on my commitment to Oklahoma,” Bomar, the nation’s No. 1 quarterback and No. 6 player overall, said. “I do admit that I did a little bit of re-thinking in my head, but then I thought about the real reasons why I decided to pick Oklahoma. I talked things over with my father, and he reminded me about all the other things that I liked about Oklahoma.

“It started to become pretty clear to me that Oklahoma is the right place for me, just like it has been for a while. I did re-think some things for sure, but I wouldn’t worry a whole lot about that because everybody has second thoughts about a lot of things they do in life. I am committed to Oklahoma, and that’s all that really matters.”

CAL CLINGS TO TOP SPOT

The Cal Bears came into the weekend as the top team for five-star defensive lineman Phillip Mbakogu, and even an impressive official visit to Kansas State this weekend couldn’t keep them form holding on to the top spot on his list.

“That’s big time football right there,” Mbakogu said about his visit to Kansas State.

“They have some great athletes there and it was cool watching them practice. I like how hard they play and the coaches and players are all very intense. They have a great football program and it’s a nice little college town there where you don’t have to worry about a lot of distractions. You can just take care of your business on the field and in the classroom.

But…

“Right now, Cal is still my top school,” he said.

“Notre Dame was cool and I liked Kansas State but the Cal visit is the only one where I was really wowed on the trip. I have Oregon on (Jan. 9) and LSU (Jan. 16) but I’m not sure if I’ll take both of them. I’m kind of getting tired of all this recruiting stuff. I do want to check out Oregon but that could be it. The plan is still for me, Robert (Jordan), Marshawn Lynch and Virdell Larkins to go to the same school and Cal is looking good for all of us right now.”

TOAL TAKES IN MIAMI

Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep linebacker Brian Toal took his second official visit this past weekend and was joined by an impressive list of recruits down at Miami. How did it go?

"I liked it, I had a good time," said the 6-foot-2, 228-pounder of Miami. "I was hosted by Leon Williams and hung out with most of the linebackers. They're losing five linebackers this year so there's a good chance to step in and play right away. Miami is an impressive place."

Toal has already visited Boston College, where his brother Greg plays. So how do they compare?

"I felt more comfortable at BC because I know everyone and have for years," he said. "I also got much more attention at BC because they didn't have the same level of recruits coming in for their visits. As far as the two schools and programs are concerned, I think their even in my mind. The biggest difference is that I know I could play right away at BC while at Miami it depends on some other factors."

GOPHERS LOADING UP

If you look at the Minnesota commitment list, you’ll notice that there are six players that are listed as quarterbacks. With the Gophers wanting to re-load at the position because of depth problems it’s amazing the quality of players that Glen Mason has been able to attract. But it’s also amazing at the amount of players that they’ve been able to land.

The latest commitment is actually a signee. Walnut (Calif.) Mt. San Antonio College three-star quarterback Adam Ernst is heading to Minnesota after making his visit this weekend and picking the Gophers.

Ernest will have three seasons of eligibility remaining, after originally signed with California but transferred after one redshirt season. He took a medical redshirt in 2002 at Mount San Antonio after injuring his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the second game. Ernst returned for 2003 and passed for 2,400 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading Mount San Antonio to a 10-2 record.

Quarterbacks John Carlson, Mike Maciejowski, Tony Morttensen, Andre Sloan El and David Wess have also committed to the Gophers, but there is some thought that a few of these guys, especially Carlson and Mortensen, could end up moving to other positions.