Gamecocks Eye Shot At Three-Star Defensive Back

Two-way prospect Ameer Abdullah of Homewood (Ala.) has quite a few eyes of interest upon him right now. After a two-interception performance in the Offense-Defense Bowl, Southern Cal offered. Rated the No.10 prospect in the state of Alabama, Abdullah does not yet have an offer from the Crimson Tide and, according to sources, would more than likely commit if offered late. That said, he currently lists Nebraska as his leader, with South Carolina a very close - some say even - second. He will visit South Carolina on January 21st, but will be headed to Nebraska this weekend. Abdullah maintains that he doesn't care which side of the ball he plays on in college, though South Carolina has him projected at corner while the Cornhuskers have him at running back. Nebraska currently has just one running back committed from the 2011 Class - Aaron Green (5-11, 200) of San Antonio, Texas. Abdullah (5-9,177)  has 4.51 speed and a 37 inch vertical jump.

  I will keep you informed on this situation as we follow it closely.

Countdown To Signing Day: Four of Top Twenty Uncommitted

With national signing day just three weeks away there are only four players from the SCVarsity.com Class of 2011 Top Twenty who remain uncommitted. Of course, the big fish is Jadeveon Clowney, whom I've already discussed in an earlier blog today (link). The 6-6, 248lbs defensive end is down to South Carolina and Alabama, with LSU and Florida State in the distance. Speculation is that South Carolina is the team to beat. Manning defensive tackle Phillip Dukes (pictured left) has offers from most of the majors in the Southeast. South Carolina or Clemson, however, will win his services. With the recent departure of assistant Chris Rumph from Clemson to Alabama, the thought is that the Gamecocks have to be alone at the top of his list now. Scott's Branch athlete Jerell Adams is down to three - Arkansas, Clemson, and South Carolina. He plans to announce on signing day. He has a visit scheduled for South Carolina on the 21st; he is rescheduling his visit to Arkansas and plans on a visit to Clemson. Again, Rumph's departure could play a role in Adams' decision as well.
Northwestern DE Roderick Byers is more than likely going to end up a Gamecock. I believe the relationship with Georgia Tech has slowly evaporated, leaving South Carolina as his only other IA offer. A Clemson offer could change things for Byers, but that hasn't happened yet, leading me to be he'll be a Gamecock commit. I will mention one other player among these guys and that is Williston-Elko linebacker Dexter Staley. The 6-2, 215lbs player plans to sign with Georgia and they are placing him in Georgia Military. South Carolina really likes this kid but they do not plan on signing and placing. Of course, placing is not much more than a gentleman's agreement and Staley can do whatever he wants in terms of signing after JUCO, but the fact that Georgia had him as a "take" could hold strong with the all-stater.

Got a recruiting question for JB? Email to scvarsity@sc.rr.com   

Question Of The Year: Where Is Clowney Going?

For the past several months, the most asked question - literally the first asked question - wherever I go is "where is Clowney going?" "Clowney, of course, being All-American defensive end Jadeveon Clowneyof South Pointe High School in South Carolina. My answer is always the same..."he's seventeen years old so who knows?" The truth is, as an analyst, I really don't care where the kid, or any kid for that matter, goes. I'm more interested with the evaluation phase of the athlete related to ranking them. I don't think it is a secret, however, that South Carolina seems to have a slight edge in landing this stalwart's services. Assuming that he (Clowney) hasn't already made up his mind and is still somehow wrestling with this decision, the factors are pretty obvious in this situation.  Alabama: Clowney's Coach, Bobby Carroll, likes Alabama for the kid. Carroll has been heard saying as much and from those close to the South Pointe program tell me that Clowney is being "strongly encouraged" to choose the Crimson Tide. That could be a huge factor in his decision. The Tide will have Clowney on campus for an official visit this coming weekend and it has been reported that Carroll will join Clowney and his mother on the visit.  South Carolina: There is little doubt that South Carolina has a lot of reasons for feeling good about this situation. First of all, being close to home is a big factor; while Clowney downplays that like many recruits do, when it comes right down to signing, it plays a big part in most of these kids' minds. Clowney's relationship with Stephon Gilmore is a point of interest and to believe that relationship hasn't been "utilized" would be ridiculous. Outside of those two huge leaders are a couple of interesting suitors. Clowney has said that he will visit LSU and Florida State, though he has not set up visits at this time. Obviously, if the Michigan-Les Miles situation begins to carry weight, I would assume that would
be a factor there, and Florida State has a pretty young depth chart at the end position and have already signed the top junior college prospect in the country, Cornellius Carradine.

2012 Corner Shines At U.S. Army All-American Combine

Greer High School's Josh Rowland competed at the U.S. Army All-American Combine this past week and did the state proud. The 6-0, 175lbs athlete worked out at defensive back and in eight reps, allowed just one catch. He had 6 PBU's and 1 interception. He also ran a 4.49 hand held/4.7 laser 40 yard dash and leaped a 30 inch vertical. Rowland was one of the most impressive athletes in the SCVarsity.com Football Camps last Summer, working out at wide receiver and corner.

Golson Headed To Louisville

Last week, we learned that former Calhoun County athlete Brandon Golson would not be enrolling at the University of South Carolina. Once again, an athlete who was thought to have met the NCAA eligibility standards is now in question. The 6-2, 215lbs Golson has said he will enroll at Louisville. He (Golson) made a visit to Louisville last week. Golson was a three-star prospect and an SCVarsity.com Top 25 Player for the 2010 Class.

Aiken Gets Third Verbal Offer

Junior defensive end Martin Aiken (6-3 245) of Bamberg-Erhardt got his third offer today - this one from the University of Tennessee. He also has offers from Georgia Tech and Illinois. Aiken finished 2010 with 106 tackles, 36 for loss and 13 sacks. He is a two way player, lining up in the offensive trenches, as well, but he will be playing the defensive side of the football at the next level. Despite not having an offer from South Carolina, Aiken still lists the Gamecocks among his favorites.

2012 No. 1's For Palmetto State

Developing the player rankings is something that I not only enjoy doing, but take pride in doing. It is a long, tedious task of watching film, evaluating data, considering coaches' evaluations, and eye-balling the players either on the field or in camps. There are specific criteria that I evaluate from an athletic standpoint, as well as specific criteria for each position on how the player excels at his job. Toss in the very subjective "potential" thoughts and you have the beginnings of the rankings list.

One of the things I always begin with is separating the players by position and then determining which player is the best - in my eyes - at each individual position. Once I'm able to begin some form of position rankings, I will go back and try to develop the overall player ranking list.

Here is a peak at the very first step in the process - my first thoughts at the best at each position for the Class of 2012. While this could very well and probably will change before the final rankings come out, this is the first set based don evaluations that have been done so far. I'll talk about the positions in alphabetical order, so not to give the idea that any one of these players are ranked any higher than any other.

ATHLETE
It used to be that being labeled "athlete" in recruiting was a bad thing - almost an insult to your abilities as a player at the position you play. But the evolution of the game and the players has made this label a good thing now. The players listed in this category are often one of, if not the, best players and biggest impacts on the team. That is certainly true of the young man I have at the top of this list. Lexington's Shaq Roland is a thriple threat on the offensive side of the football as a passer, rusher, and receiver, is dangerous on special teams, and, with time in position, could be one of the best defensive backs in the state. I have had the pleasure of
watching this kid since he was eight years old and he has always been a phenom on the field. I seriously doubt that further evaluations will discover a player more suited for the No. 1 spot than Roland.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

For the time being, I will not separate the safties from the corners. Keep in mind, this is one of the most difficult positions to rank because it is difficult to evaluate on film, either because they are out of the frame or you just can't see the things you need to see on the film. They are much easier evaluated live and at camps. Right now, based on what I have completed in evals, Chester's Tony Wright (6-0, 175) is at the top of this list. He is a sticky corner who plays physical and he has great hips and good closing speed.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

This is going to be a strong position for the state again, but right now, there is one kid that I really like and has set himself apart from the others. Wando's Gimel President(6-4, 242) is a young man who really captured my attention this past season. He is ferocious off of the edge and finished 2010 with 6 sacks and more than 80 tackles with teams running away from him most of the time this past season. He's got 4.6 speed and combined with his strength, makes him almost unblockable for the high school opponents. He reminds me a lot of Carlos Dunlap with his athleticism.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

This is another position that we'll see change in rankings as the evaluations continue. Right now, Bamberg-Ehrhardt's Martin Aiken (6-3, 240) is at the top. He finished 2012 with more than 90 tackles and 8 sacks. He'll definitely have to add some weight but has a good, solid frame that can do it. His quick feet and athleticism are a huge asset for him in the rankings.

LINEBACKERS

Once again, the linebacker spot is very shallow in the Palmetto State. Because of the style of play that most of the offenses are playing, smaller, more athletic players are being lined up at the linebacker spots. For that reason, we have a shortage of the guys who have the speed and size to play at the IA level. At the top of the list right now are three players. Greer's Adam Ah Ching (6-0, 205), Goose Creek's T.J. Burrell (6-0, 190), and Gaffney's Savon Dukes (6-2, 207) are the players that have shined in early evaluations. If I had to put them in order right now, I'd say Dukes, Burrell, Ah-Ching in that order.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Currently, the offensive line crowd appears to be a solid crop. I've got three that I'm debating in my mind for the top spot - Dorman's Patrick DeStefano (6-5, 279), Ninety-Six's Oliver Jones (6-6, 285), and Woodruff's Javarius Leamon (6-6, 260). All three are solid picks and each have IA offers on the table.

QUARTERBACKS

After a class like we had with 2011, this class looks empty in comparison. The truth is, it is a shallow pool in terms of prospects and I currently have no one who has solidified the top spot at the position for me. I like Greer's Reese Hannon (6-3, 190). I had an opportunity to see him in the SCVarsity.com Passing Camp last Summer, as well as on film. He completed 55% of his passes for more than 1,700 yards this past season. He's got a strong arm and throws up to
mid-range balls with great accuracy. Summerville's Dalton Saunders (5-11, 180) lacks the size that most of the recruiters are looking for but Saunders will be the top returning passer (statistically) in the state next year for the public schools. Porter Gaude's Hudson Worthy
has the best stats of any returning starter with 43 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards passing.

RUNNING BACKS

This position will have a very strong group of players. The top spot will be debated. I've got three that I really like right now at the top - Hampton's Dondre Brown (6-2, 215), Ridgeland's Torray Amlett (6-2, 210), and Williston-Elko's Kendric Salley (5'11, 195). But the group of guys pushing them for the top spot is strong. Byrnes' Shakeem Wharton (5-9, 195), Greenwood's D.J. Goodman(5'11, 195), and Nation Ford's Jay Jay McCullough (6'3, 225) are all strong at the position, as well.

WIDE RECEIVERS

As with Roland at the Athlete spot, I have little doubt that evaluations will find anyone better than Gaffney's Quinshad Davis (6-3, 190) at this spot. Davis has a chance at being the state's top player and I don't think he'll be challenged in the position rankings. Behind him is a solid group, including Hanahan's Chris Brown (6-2, 178), Blythewood'sDamar Hall (6-1, 176), and Calhoun County's Mark Irick(6-4, 180).