DeKalb County talents need a home

Perhaps the most positive aspect of the 2009 Vanderbilt football season was the freshman year of Warren Norman. The dynamic running back and kick returner broke a nearly 30 year old record of a legend in Herschel Walker and gave VU's struggling offense plenty of chances to breakthrough at times. The 5-foot-10 back signed with Vanderbilt out of Chamblee High, one of the most successful programs in Georgia's DeKalb County region.

This recruiting period, the Commodores have snagged commitments from fellow county players such as Kenny Ladler of Stephenson and Sharrod Golightly of Southwest DeKalb. These two defensive backs are expected to keep VU's secondary among the best in the SEC for many years to come. Other top prospects like Michael Thornton, T.J. Stripling, Mack Brown, Ken Malcome, Raymond Sanders, Jonathan Mincy and Tyrone Cornelius will also be big time signees to big programs this February.

However, the county may have even more high quality, "diamonds in the rough". In my constant search for prospects, I found several prospects with either little to no recruiting coverage on any major network. Some of these prospects look like legit SEC level recruits while others could be good enough for the ACC, Conference USA or Sun Belt as well. Here are some talents that are too good to not play major college football.

Don Steib - Stone Mountain High (Defensive End) 6-foot-2, 265 pounds.
15 sacks, 29 TFL, 84 total tackles in 2009. DeKalb County All-Star.

Extremely explosive, great first step and stamina and speed that reminds me of TJ Greenstone.



Chris Gilzeane - Stone Mountain High (Linebacker) 6-foot, 235 pounds
130 total tackles, 13 TFL, 4 sacks

Nicknamed the "Bull" for good reason. Great size and strength, cut from the Chris Marve mold. Solid quickness.



Rashad Williams - Dunwoody High (LB/DE) 6-foot-2, 220 pounds
88 tackles, 18 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT.

Solid drive and ankle. Good linebacker body, good speed. Rico Francis-type.



Jonathan Brooks - Miller Grove (LB/Safety) 6-foot, 190 pounds

Great hybrid bandit type. Similar to Ladler, just not as complete at this point. Perfect guy to pickup in January at the CUSA/Sun Belt level.



Max Thompson- Avondale (Running Back) 5-foot-9, 190 pounds
1,592 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.

Tough, almost Willis MaGahee-type runner. Good strength and speed. A Canadian that no one but in DeKalb must know about.



Miles Gooch- Towers High (QB) 6-foot-3, 220 pounds
Threw for 2,209 yards and 19 touchdowns

Prototypical height and build with good velocity. Release needs to be shortened but lots of upside. Another Dwight Dasher-type.



Jaques Gholston- Redan (DE/DT) 6-foot-2, 245 pounds
69 tackles, 12 TFL, 9 sacks.

Inside/outside type like Theron Kadri. Solid feet and level. High-end motor.



Celento Hairston- Miller Grove (Running Back) 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
1,009 yards rushing and 6 TDs.

Tough hard runner that is a smaller version of Georgia Tech's Roddy Jones.



Muhasbi "Naim" Wakeel- Southwest DeKalb (linebacker/safety) 6-foot, 210
169 tackles, 8 TFL, 6 sacks, 1 INT.

Another perfect bandit/rover type. Could play SAM, Free or nickel. Heatseeking missle.



Kendall Robertson - Avondale (DE/LB) 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
72 tackles, 9 TFL, 7 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries.

Rangy, Aaron Maybin-type. Good shed, jolt and speed. Ideal for a 3-4 defense.



Kyle Sarjeant- Southwest DeKalb (Center/Guard) 6-foot, 255 pounds

Seems capable of gaining 40 pounds. Aggressive driver with solid bend and quick twitch.



Jimmie Kitchen- Lithonia High (DT/OL) 6-foot-3, 265 pounds
101 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 fumble recoveries.

Raw, but good size, ideal on the interior, on either size.



Matthew Hardeman- Avondale (running back/linebacker) 5-foot-11, 215 pounds
93 tackles, six sacks. 10 rushing TDs.

Total athlete. Solid base, good hips, powerful legs. Aggressive.



Jabari Carney- Southwest DeKalb (Defensive Tackle) 6-foot, 260 pounds
109 tackles, 25 TFL, 6 sacks, three forced fumbles.

Undersized, but strong. Solid lateral movement, fast get-off. Would be good addition to a Memphis or UCF type program. A steal if he goes to the OVC.



Cristobal Dinham- Lithonia High (RB/DB) 5-foot-9, 180 pounds
1,084 rushing yards and 7 TDs. 35 tackles, 1 TFL.

Quick, undersized back. Could play either side of the ball at the next level.



Tyrell Poole- Tucker High (FB/RB) 6-foot, 205 pounds
745 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Strong blocker, good punch and stick. Hard, downhill runner. Could be a good fullback for someone with weight training.




OTHERS:

Antwon Jackson - Towers High (DE/LB) 6-foot-3, 235-pounds
115 tackles, 14 sacks, 19 TFL, 12 forced fumbles.

I couldn't find a full highlight film on. But I was able to see some Towers highlights and he took over the show. Dominating, great size, solid speed, solid range, looks like a no-brainer type. Can't figure out why there's been little recruiting mention.

Willie Favors- Cedar Grove (QB/RB/DB) 5-foot-9, 170-pounds
762 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. 1,477 yards and 12 TDs thru the air.

Solid, smooth athlete, with great grades at 3.8 GPA, 1600 SAT, 24 ACT.

DeAntonyo Bryant- Stone Mountain (Receiver) 6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Thin, but athletic and quick.

Demetrius Jones- Towers High (Receiver) 6-foot, 185 pounds
732 receiving yards, 4 TDs.

Doral White- Stephenson High (Defensive Tackle) 6-foot, 260 pounds
72 tackles, 13 TFL, 11 sacks.

Artemus Norman- Chamblee High (DE/LB/RB) 6-foot-1, 210 pounds
57 tackles, 18 TFL, 7 sacks. (YOUNGER BROTHER OF WARREN NORMAN)

Updated 615Report Top 100

While I fully support Rivals in its effort to do a ranking of the top prospects in the country, I do have my own version of the Rivals100.

The Third Release of the 615Report National Top 100 prospects:

1. Robert Woods (ATH)- Gardena (Cal.) Junipero Serra [Committed to USC]
2. Seantrel Henderson (OL)- Saint Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall
3. Jackson Jeffcoat (DE)- Plano (TX) Plano West
4. Michael Dyer (RB)- Little Rock (Ark.) Little Rock Christian [Committed to Auburn]
5. Sharrif Floyd (DT)- Philadelphia (Pa.) George Washington
6. Ronald Powell (DE)- Moreno Valley (Cal.) Rancho Verde
7. Matt Elam (Ath)- West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer [Committed to Florida]
8. James Hurst (OL)- Indianapolis (Ind) Plainfield [Committed to N.Carolina]
9. Chris Martin (DE)- Princeton (NJ) Hun School [Committed to California]
10. Lache Seastrunk (RB)- Temple (TX)

11. D.J. Morgan (RB)- Woodland Hills (Cal) Taft [Committed to USC]
12. Jonathan Dowling (DB)- Bradenton (Fla.) Southeast
13. Latwan Anderson (DB)- Cleveland (OH) Glenville Academic
14. Jordan Hicks (LB)- West Chester (OH) Lakota West
15. Brennan Clay (RB)- San Diego (Cal) Scripps Ranch [Committed to Oklahoma]
16. Kyle Prater (WR)- Hillside (Ill.) Proviso West [Committed to USC]
17. Lamarcus Joyner (DB)- Ft.Lauderdale (Fla.) Aquinas [Committed to Florida State]
18. Martavis Bryant (WR)- Anderson (SC) TL Hanna [Committed to Clemson]
19. DeMarcus Milliner (DB)- Millbrook (Ala.) Stanhope Elmore [Committed to Alabama]
20. Anthony Barr (Ath)- Los Angeles (Cal.) Loyola

21. J.R. Ferguson (DE)- Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military
22. Alec Ogletree (DB)- Newnan (Ga.) [Committed to Georgia]
23. T.J. Stripling- Decatur (Ga.) Southwest Dekalb [Committed to Georgia]
24. Marcus Lattimore (RB)- Duncan (SC) Byrnes
25. Darius White (WR)- Fort Worth (TX) Dunbar
26. Owamagbe Odighizuwa (DE) - Portland (Ore.) David Douglas
27. Robert Crisp (OL)- Chapel Hill (NC) [Committed to N.C. State]
28. Da'Rick Rogers (WR)- Calhoun (Ga.) [Committed to Georgia]
29. Josh Shirley (LB)- Fontana (Cal.) Kaiser
30. Malcolm Jones (Ath)- Westlake Village (Cal) Oaks Christian [Committed to UCLA]

31. Khairi Fortt (LB)- Stamford (CT) [Committed to Penn State]
32. Dillon Baxter (RB)- San Diego (Cal.) Mission Bay [Committed to USC]
33. Jeff Luc (LB)- Port St.Lucie (Fla.) Treasure Coast [Committed to Florida State]
34. Ivan McCartney (WR)- Miramar (Fla.)
35. Corey Nelson (LB)- Dallas (TX) Skyline [Committed to Texas A&M]
36. Jaylen Watkins (DB)- Cape Coral (Fla.) [Committed to Florida]
37. Nick Forbes (LB)- Frederick (MD) Thomas Johnson [Committed to California]
38. Joshua Shaw (DB)- Palmdale (Cal) [Committed to Florida]
39. Justin McCay (Ath)- Shawnee (Kansas) Bishop Miege [Committed to Oklahoma]
40. Reggie Wilson (DE)- Haltom City (TX) [Committed to Texas]

41. Christian Green (Ath)- Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Catholic
42. Andrew Norwell (OL)- Cincinnati (OL) Anderson [Committed to Ohio State]
43. Eduardo Clements (RB)- Miami (Fla.) BT Washington
44. Garrison Smith (DL)- Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass [Committed to Georgia]
45. Gabe King- Greensboro (NC) Page
46. Keenan Allen (Ath)- Greensboro (NC) Northern Guilford
47. Mack Brown- Lithonia (Ga.) M.L. King [Committed to Florida]
48. Kelcy Quarles (DT)- Greenwood (SC) [Committed to S.Carolina]
49. Markeith Ambles (WR)- McDonough (Ga.) Henry County [Committed to Tennessee]
50. Phillip Sims (QB)- Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith [Committed to Alabama]

51. Michaelee Harris (WR)- Miami (Fla.) Northwestern
52. Trovon Reed (WR)- Thibodaux (La.) [Committed to Auburn]
53. Corey Miller (DE)- Duncan (SC) Byrnes [Committed to Tennessee]
54. Brett Nottingham (QB)- Danville (Cal) Monte Vista [Committed to UCLA]
55. John Fulton (DB)- Manning (SC)
56. Eric Reid (DB)- Geismar (La.) Dutchtown [Committed to LSU]
57. Cody Riggs (DB)- Ft.Lauderdale (Fla.) Aquinas [Committed to Florida]
58. Brent Benedict (OL)- Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles [Committed to Georgia]
59. Trey Hopkins (OL)- Galena Park (TX) North Shore [Committed to Texas]
60. Cullen Christian (DB)- Pittsburgh (PA) Penn Hills [Committed to Michigan]

61. Chris Jones (WR)- Daingerfield (TX) [Committed to Texas]
62. Tony Jefferson (LB)- Chula Vista (Cal) Eastlake [Committed to UCLA]
63. Dion Bailey (DB)- Lakewood (Cal.) [Committed to USC]
64. Jake Matthews (OL)- Missouri City (TX) Elkins [Committed to Texas A&M]
65. Xavier Grimble (TE)- Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman [Committed to USC]
66. William Gholston (DE)- Detroit (Mich.) Southwestern [Committed to Michigan State]
67. Marquis Flowers (Ath)- Goodyear (AZ) Millennium
68. Austin Hinder (QB)- Steamboat Springs (Colo.) [Committed to California]
69. Christian Jones (LB)- Winter Park (Fla.) Lake Howell
70. Bronson Kaufusi (DE)- Provo (UT) Timpview [Committed to BYU]

71. Nick Demien (OL)- Wentzville (Mo.) Timberland [Committed to Missouri]
72. Brandon Willis (DE)- Duncan (SC) Byrnes
73. Roderick Smith (RB)- Fort Wayne (Ind.) Harding [Committed to Ohio State]
74. Terrence Mitchell (DB)- Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough
75. Silas Redd (Ath)- Stamford (CT) Heywood Thomas [Committed to Penn State]
76. Chris Dunkley (WR)- Pahokee (Fla.)
77. Jacques Smith (DE)- Ooltewah (TN) [Committed to Tennessee]
78. Ian Silberman (OL)- Fleming Island (Fla.) [Committed to Florida]
79. Alfy Hill (DE)- Shallotte (NC) West Brunswick [Committed to Alabama]
80. George Uko (DT)- Chino (Cal) Don Lugo

81. Matt James (OL)- Cincinnati (OH) St.Xavier
82. C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE)- Johnsburg (Ill.) [Committed to Iowa]
83. Shakim Phillips (WR)- Wayne (NJ) DePaul Catholic [Committed to Boston College]
84. Zack McCray (DE)- Lynchburg (Va.) Brookville [Committed to Virginia Tech]
85. James Stone (OL)- Nashville (TN) Maplewood
86. Cecil Whiteside (LB)- Newport Beach (Cal.) [Committed to California]
87. Tevin Jackson (LB)- Garland (TX) [Committed to Texas]
88. LaDarius Owens- Bessemer (Ala.) Jess Lanier [Committed to Auburn]
89. Corey Lemonier (DE)- Hialeah (Fla.)
90. Marcus Lucas (WR)- Liberty (Mo.) [Committed to Missouri]

91. Spencer Ware (Ath.)- Cincinnati (OH) Princeton [Committed to LSU]
92. Devin Gardner (QB)- Detroit (Mich.) Inkster [Committed to Michigan]
93. DeAndre Hopkins (Ath.)- Central (SC) D.W.Daniel [Committed to Clemson]
94. Ahmad Dixon (DB)- Waco (TX) Midway [Committed to Baylor]
95. Christian Bryant (DB)- Cleveland (OH) Glenville
96. Louis Nix (DT)- Jacksonville (FL) Raines [Committed to Miami]
97. Kadron Boone (WR)- Ocala (Fla.) Trinity [Committed to Texas Tech]
98. Jordan James (RB)- Corona (Cal.) [Committed to UCLA]
99. Jordan Allen (DE)- West Monroe (La.) [Committed to LSU]
100. Lynden Trail (DE)- Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington [Committed to Florida]

YouTube Recruiting Videos

When you are always paying attention to the world of recruiting like I am, you are always looking for ways to find out about new players. One great tool that I've found over the past year or so has been YouTube. Some uploaded highlight films on the famous video hosting site are not of prospects that will end up in the SEC or perhaps even D1-A football, but there are many gems that you will find of prospects that could end up in a major football program in the future.

Here are some of the best YouTube videos I've found recently:

NATE JOHNSON- Stevenson, Ill. (2010 Class)



MARK BEARD- Minor, Ala. (2010 Class)



WILLIAM DILLARD- Vestavia Hills, Ala. (2011 Class)



MARK HUTCHERSON- Oxon Hills, Mary. (2010 Class)



DOMINIQUE JOHNSON- DeMatha, Mary. (2010 Class)



C.J. ROBERTS- Santaluces, Fla. (2010 Class)


D'ANGELO ROBERTS- Bloomington North, Ind. (2011 Class)



ERIC DAGINELLA- Douglas, Fla. (2010 Class)


FOLUKE GORDON-Lamar- Druid Hills, Ga. (2011 Class)



RENDELL CLARK- Central Lafourche, La. (2010 Class)



JULIAN MAYO- Long Branch, New Jersey (2010 Class)



BRIAN STRACHAN- Saint Sebastian's, Mass. (2011 Class)



CEAIRES DRISKELL- Creekside, Ga. (2010 Class)

Memphis prospects rising..

The city of Memphis and always seems to produce the major college talent and this year has been no different. Prospects like Barry Brunetti, Keiwone Malone, Harrison Jones, Cortez Bowen, Ferlando Bohanna, O.C. Brown, Fred Harvey and Jonathan Brown have either committed to BCS conference schools or were considered BCS level prospects. A few other prospects in the area are also of BCS level, though grades or lack of playing experience seems to be stunting their opportunities.

Two prospects who appear to be emerging on the radar however are White Station quarterback/athlete Anthony Hayes and receiver Julian Burton.

Hayes (6-foot-2, 225-pounds) was a three-year starter at tight end for the Spartans prior to this season but moved to quarterback and has led White Station to the Class 6A state title game. A skilled athlete with good mobility and solid frame, Hayes won the Mr.Football Award for the state's best Class 6A back of the year, accounting for 36 touchdowns. While Hayes has thrown for a ton of yards this year, some believe he could project better as a defensive player and schools like Ole Miss and Arkansas have already been involved. Don't be surprised if Vanderbilt gets involved as well as he might be exactly what VU is looking for in a linebacker.

Burton (5-foot-8, 175-pounds) has been Hayes top target for the year, catching 21 touchdown passes. Possibly one of the state's most underrated playmakers, Burton has outstanding feet and solid quickness. On film, he may remind people of Warren Norman or Zac Stacy with his ability make people miss in open space. Programs like Memphis, Arkansas State and others have shown interest in the speedster, but he may get bigger looks with his play this past month.