What'd I Miss?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Posted by DCS

Guilty as charged. I've been AWOL for a few days, but I gotta tell you; it's tough holdin' down a full time job and sneaking in time to feed my passion.

Apparently I've missed out on all the latest Big East coaching staff movement. Jim Leavitt at USF is out another coordinator now that long time assistant Wally Burnham is moving on to Iowa State. Star Bull d-lineman George Selvie is beside himself following Burnham's decision to bolt for Aimes. To make matters worse, it looks like yet another defensive assistant in Troy Douglas, will be moving on to coach defensive backs at UNC with Butch Davis.

In regards to above, I can't say that I'm all that surprised that this is occurring. Part of the draw for Burnham to join Paul Rhoads at Iowa State, is to have the opportunity to coach alongside his son, who currently coaches at Elon, but will now coach the Cyclones' D-line. That being said, if Douglas announced his departure first, it might have opened a spot for Burnham's son to join Leavitt's staff in Tampa, thus keeping Burnham around for a while longer. That didn't happen though, so Leavitt is left to fill vacancies for his two coordinators and a defensive backs coaching positions. The good news? USF's schedule is complete with a second D-1AA team on the docket for 2009.

What else?:

• The folks at Bleed Scarlet are not fans of the idea of Rutgers playing two D-1AA opponents in 2009
• Chas at Pitt Blather opines on the O-Coordinator opening at Pitt
• Chuck Bednar thinks LeSean McCoy may be helping Brian Westbrook out in the Eagles' backfield next year
• Rutgers O-Coordinator John McNulty is apparently being looked at to join the Arizona Cardinals' staff (Tom Luicci / Newark Star-Ledger)
• Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog discusses the conference's under-the-radar successes
• Doug Marrone rounds out his staff with long-time NFL assistant Bob Casullo ...
• ...meanwhile, he hasn't heard from hot prospect David Oku yet

Linkage

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Posted by DCS

Too busy unfortunately to come up with my own material at the moment, so:

• Brian Bennett answers your questions here and here
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin says that MagicJack may in fact be back as the sponsor of the St. Petersburg Bowl next year and beyond
• Tom Heiser of the Louisville Courier-Journal weeps for Dalton Cissel who turned down Navy to walk on for Kragthorpe's "sinking ship" (pun intended I suppose)...
• ...speaking of Louisville, B-Squared (a Louisville native himself) interviews the Cards' new d-coordinator, Brent Guy
• More from Tony Fiammetta's journey toward the NFL
• A thoughtful piece from Bleed Scarlet on how Iowa's days recruiting in the Garden State may be over

Monday Links

Monday, February 9, 2009

Posted by DCS

Still haven't finalized my recruiting analysis for posting yet, but I should have it done later today or early tomorrow. In the meantime, here's what's going on:

• Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog gives you his pre-spring power rankings
• USF defensive end coach Kevin Patrick is named one of Rivals.com's top 25 recruiters
• Big East recruiting breakdown by Scout.com
• Info on the much-discussed coin flip decision by Ka'Lial Glaud (Scarlet Scuttlebutt)
• Scarlet Scuttlebutt's Keith Sargeant discusses the lack of Florida presence in Greg Schiano's 2009 recruiting class
• Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that the Pitt offense falls squarely on the shoulders of their next starting QB, not Matt Cavanaugh or his replacement at OC
• Rutgers quarterback Jabu Lovelace will not practice in the spring (door is open for Natale, Jefferson, and Savage)
• The last two schedule analyses by Brian Bennett: Louisville and Syracuse
• NFL coaching veteran Bob Casullo looks to be the man to fill the special teams/tight ends coaching duties for Syracuse (Donnie Webb / Syracuse Post-Standard)

Signing Day: The Aftermath

Friday, February 6, 2009

Posted by DCS

Apologies for being M.I.A. yesterday. I'm back, and I have plenty O' links to throw your way (although I'm sure you've seen all or most of these already). FYI - I plan to have my own rankings/breakdown of each recruiting class posted this weekend. Until then, enjoy these:

First: The "all-important" ESPN recruiting grades for Big East schools

• Pitt kicker Conor Lee heads the Big East's 2009 All-Academic Team
• Greg Auman says to expect a smaller USF recruiting class in 2010...
• ...he's also got plenty of post-signing day notes for you...
• ...and a little more info on the Kayvon Webster signing...
• ...not to mention the signing of JUCO product Kevin Williams
• Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review seems to think that Pitt will be looking for a new offensive coordinator soon...
• ...Chas at Pitt Blather doesn't seem to think Walt Harris will be that replacement
• The Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner on UCONN's recruiting haul...
• ...and nixes the idea of wide receiver Ellis Gaulden coming back in 2010
• Connor Barwin is on many NFL scouts' radars
• Syracuse recruit Brandon Sharpe is psyched and ready to play (D.O. Football Blog)
• Sean at TNIAAM breaks down the optimism of Doug Marrone and his new recruiting class
• Brian Bennett breaks down Cincy's 2009 schedule...
• ...and Rutgers'...and USF
• If you can throw a ball, Rutgers likes you
• More from Syracuse FB Tony Fiammetta's diary
• Brian Bennett on Louisville's recruiting class
• Keith Sargeant of Scarlet Scuttlebutt discusses Rutgers' success in South Jersey this off-season
• Brent Axe interviews Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone
• West Virginia sets up camp in Florida
• Bleed Scarlet answers the all-important questions
• Mountaineer fans will get to see their showdown with Colorado on ESPN

Surprise Surprise!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Posted by DCS

I'm sure you guys can more than capably follow the filtering-in of letters of intent from eager student athletes today. I thought I might update you on some of the more nail biting signings that some thought may or may not happen:

• I gave Syracuse fans reason to feel optimistic about signing OT Andrew Tiller. That's in fact what the Nassau Community College lineman did when he chose the Orange this morning over the University of Miami.
• The downside for 'Cuse fans? David Oku may be leaning toward Auburn. The Tigers aren't having any problem signing other high profile running backs though, which may make Oku think twice about competing in a crowded backfield.
• West Virginia will unfortunately be without the services of Pompano Beach, FL DB Michael Carter, who chose instead to commit to the University of Minnesota (Go figure!)
• Rutgers fans can rest easy knowing they've wrapped up LB Ka'Lail Glaud who was also considering a bevy of BCS conference programs....
• ...and they'll get to potentially see him on the field against FIU.
• Matt Hinton at Dr. Saturday sums up USF's last second recruitment of Sam Barrington

NLI Day....Signing Day....Whatever...It's Here

Posted by DCS

The day most or all of you have been waiting for is finally here. There will undoubtedly be some heartbreak as I predict that at least two or three major recruits from the conference decide to fax their national letter of intent to another major college program (in another conference), even though they were verbally committed to a Big East school for some time. There may even be some surprise commits that fall into the Big East's lap at the last second as well. That's the beauty of signing day. Whatever the case, I have links coming out of all of my orifices right now, so please indulge:

Big East overall:

• Brian Bennett has you covered on all the signing day pressers and covered events
• B-Squared goes over the best selling points of Big East Conference schools

Connecticut (someone needs to wake Desmond Conner up from his slumber):

• Brian Bennett's analysis on UCONN's 2009 schedule

Pitt:

• Pitt nabs OL who previously committed to Maryland (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Rutgers:

• PA defensive back Abdul Smith will be a Scarlet Knight
• Tom Luicci of the Newark Star-Ledger talks about RU commit De'Antwan Williams playing "big"
• RU recruiting class evaluation on Scarlet Scuttlebutt
• More on Rutgers' recruiting class from SS
• SS again with comments from Greg Schiano
• Last Scuttlebutt link, I promise

USF (all from Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin):

• Bulls pick up a last second recruit in LB Barrington
• USF gets another wide receiver before signing day
• USF dips deeply into JUCO territory
• Bulls lose WR Theliar

Syracuse:

• Notes and quotes from the Daily Orange Football Blog
• Donnie Webb on Syracuse's class

West Virginia:

• Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail discusses the commitment of Eugene Smith after the departure of Tahj Boyd
• WVU -- Best recruiting class in the Big East?
• Dave Hickman of the Charleston Gazette discusses the optimism behind WVU's class
• A 2009 schedule analysis by Brian Bennett

Reasons for Optimism

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Posted by DCS

Let's face it; unless you're in one of these kids' heads, you're not going to know where they're going sign until signing itself, or shortly thereafter. That being said, it's always fun to speculate, and speculate I shall (based on some interesting tidbits strewn about the Internet). Here are some reasons for Big East fans to feel optimistic about three major potential recruits coming on board:

David Oku (RB - Oklahoma):

Rated as the #1 all-purpose back on Rivals.com, David Oku has been disenchanted with the idea of fulfilling his verbal commitment to Tennessee ever since their coaching staff was shaken up. Phil Fulmer's former running backs coach, Stan Drayton, has since moved on to Syracuse in the same capacity, inciting interest in Oku to come North as well. Gene Chizik's new staff at Auburn has also focused in on Oku though, and Tennessee can never be counted out to retain the shifty half back. So, why should Syracuse feel good about Oku following in the footsteps of Jim Brown and Ernie Davis?:

1. Oku has officially relinquished his verbal commitment to UT -- also mentioned in this post is Oku's distaste for the spread offense, which Auburn will employ with new OC Gus Malzahn (3rd Saturday in Blogtober)
2. Scroll down this posting on Warblogeagle.com and see the concern over Auburn's saturation at the running back position (something Oku may not want to deal with)

Justin Brown (WR - Delaware):

Just about everyone in the Mid-Atlantic region wants to know about where this four star (Rivals.com) wide receiver is going to end up catching passes. With great size (6'3"), speed (4.4 forty time), and smarts (3.8 gpa), Brown is a coach's dream recruit. Penn State (old guard in the East) and Rutgers (the new kid on the block) are fighting for Brown's services. What may make Scarlet Knights fans feel more confident about seeing Brown catch bombs from Tom Savage in the near future?:

1. This posting on Fannation.com notes the ominous absence of Joe Paterno in the recruitment of Justin Brown, versus the open recruitment being done by Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. Advantage Rutgers in my opinion.

Andrew Tiller (OT - New York):

Finally, at 6'6" and 320 lbs, Nassau Community College's (NCC) Andrew Tiller is a hot commodity to anchor an offensive line. Tiller's former head coach at NCC, John Anselmo, is now on staff at Syracuse, which makes the Orange squad a natural fit. Tiller also has offers from Rutgers and Miami and made official visits to both schools recently. Most observers seem to think Tiller will choose between Miami and Syracuse. Besides the connection between Anselmo and Tiller, why should Syracuse fans feel bullish about their chances to land this behemoth?:

I'll sum it up in a quote from Manny Navarro in a posting on his Eye on the U blog:

"I think Tiller, a New York area kid, is headed to Syracuse."

I hope all this gives Big East fans a little more to chew on ahead of tomorrow's big day. All of the above is pure speculation and some of these sources are more viable than others. The reality is, unless we actually know these kids and have heard something from them first-hand (which isn't always reliable in itself), then this is all we have to rely on.

Signing Day: T-Minus One Day

Posted by DCS

With signing day literally breathing down our necks, there's no shortage of information as it relates to the recruiting scene in the Big East. Here's what I have for you this morning:

• It was supposed to be "Boyd to Heastie" at WVU. Now it's just Heastie, and that's just fine
• Cincy's signing day event is sold out
• Heartbroken in Hoboken no longer; four star DT Isaac Holmes turns heel and commits to Rutgers -- Rivals.com profile
• Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog breaks down Pitt's '09 schedule
• Syracuse DB recruit Dale Peterman is well thought of at his high school and by DC Scott Shafer (Daily Orange football blog)
• Andre Civil is already in the door at Rutgers (Newark Star Ledger)
• A nice piece by Scarlet Scuttlebutt's Keith Sargeant on Rutgers recruit Mohamed Sanu
• Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald gives props to USF's 2009 recruiting class
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin discusses LB recruit Tyrone Williams bolting for South Alabama and other USF recruiting odds and ends
• Dave Hickman of the Charleston Gazette notes the academic prowess of WVU's incoming recruiting class

I haven't thrown any videos your way in a while, so here are a couple from the Newark Star Ledger on 1.) Some of Rutgers' incoming recruits and 2.) the battle between RU and Penn State over Justin Brown:

Luicci breaks down six solid Rutgers recruits

Latest on WR Justin Brown's decision between Rutgers and Penn

Post-Superbowl Links

Monday, February 2, 2009

Posted by DCS

With the conclusion of last night's Superbowl resulting in the Steelers' second Vince Lombardi Trophy in three years, there will be a few more coaches and personnel that have ties to the Big East Conference, who will be wearing some serious hardware on their fingers. Congrats to all who represented the conference well last night, and especially to Larry Fitzgerald on a game well played despite the loss.

With two days to go until national signing day, here's what's going on:

• Houston Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton (formerly of West Virginia) was seemingly snubbed by coaches and fans when he wasn't selected to the AFC Pro Bowl squad (Scout.com)
• Rutgers nabs an under-the-radar linebacker recruit from Hackensack -- Junior Solice (Tom Luicci / The Newark Star Ledger)
• Syracuse steals a second Ocean Lakes HS (Virginia Beach) from Louisville in DE Brandon Sharpe (Donnie Webb / Syracuse Post-Standard)
• Excellent piece from Scarlet Scuttlebutt's Keith Sargeant on Rutgers QB recruit Tom Savage
• Matt Grothe, George Selvie, and many others will be on hand to sign autographs for fans at USF's national signing day party
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin gives us his thoughts on what Bull fans should expect in the waning days of the signing period

Finally, are you interested in knowing who from the Big East will be participating in the NFL's Scouting Combine? Here's the full list of who's been invited, and below is a listing of the 25 players from the Big East Conference (congrats to Cincy on garnering six invites - the most in the conference this year):

Connor Barwin (Cincinnati - DE)

Will Beatty (Connecticut - OT)

Kenny Britt (Rutgers - WR)

Cody Brown (Connecticut - DE)

Donald Brown (Connecticut - RB)

Darius Butler (Connecticut - DB)

Trevor Canfield (Cincinnati - OG)

Hunter Cantwell (Louisville - QB)

C.J. Davis (Pitt - OG)

Tony Fiammetta (Syracuse - FB)

Adrian Grady (Louisville - DT)

Courtney Greene (Rutgers - DB)

Kevin Huber (Cincinnati - P)

Greg Isander (West Virginia - OG)

Mortty Ivy (West Virginia - LB)

Taurus Johnson (USF - WR)

LeSean McCoy (Pitt - RB)

Tyrone McKenzie (USF - LB)

Scott McKillop (Pitt - LB)

Mike Mickens (Cincinnati - DB)

DeAngelo Smith (Cincinnati - DB)

Brandon Underwood (Cincinnati - DB)

Tiquan Underwood (Rutgers - WR)

Pat White (West Virginia - QB)

Eric Wood (Louisville - C)

Slow Saturday

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Posted by DCS

It's been a pretty slow news day as far as the Big East is concerned. With that, I'll give you all that I have:

• Florida International will not be playing at USF in 2009...
• ...but they may be trekking it to New Jersey to take on Rutgers
• Brian Bennett breaks down the Big East ties to the Superbowl...
• ...and answers your questions
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin gives us more on new Bull commit Jason Pierre-Paul
• The Syracuse coaching staff puts the Kabosh on Philip Thomas visiting FSU

Who's Getting Bush(whacked)?

Friday, January 30, 2009

Posted by DCS

The recruiting Odyssey of New Jersey tight end Malcolm Bush is a bit odd to say the least. After committing to Rutgers last year, Bush reversed course and de-committed shortly thereafter, citing a desire to possibly look into going to Pitt or North Carolina. UNC notified Bush that it had no room for Bush unless he wanted to Greyshirt for a year and wait for a scholarship to open up. That was until today, when scout.com reported that UNC does in fact have room for Bush.

The problem here is, that Bush never really closed the door on Rutgers (visiting on today) or Pitt (visited in Dec.), and he opened the door for Syracuse (visited on Jan. 23). As mentioned above, UNC is back in the mix, so it begs the question: who's getting this kid?

Based on past statements, I'd have to say that UNC is the favorite here, but he may be disenchanted with the idea that they originally didn't want to make room for him. Syracuse has a new staff that has been on a tear recruiting-wise, and Pitt and Rutgers are on fairly solid ground as far as their programs are concerned. My gut tells me this will be a signing day announcement.

Two other tidbits on recruiting:

• Syracuse will try to steal another recruit from Louisville when DE/LB Brandon Sharpe visits this weekend (Donnie Webb / Syracuse Post-Standard)
• Lot's on Rutgers' recruiting effort from the Scarlet Knights Newzer -- Tom Savage is trying to lure Justin Brown to RU, while Andrew Tiller (offer from Syracuse as well) and Ka'lil Glaud will be supposedly visiting RU this weekend

Get to Know: Zack Chibane

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Posted by DCS

Something I'm going to try to do, to the extent that I can, is get in touch with relevant players, coaches, bloggers, and journalists who are relevant to the Big East, so that I can share their thoughts with you. This evening, I had the pleasure of exchanging messages with Syracuse commit Zack Chibane.

I thought Zack would be a good person to start out with because he has broad relevance to the Big East given the fact that he was recruited by three Big East schools; committed to USF, and later switched his commitment to Syracuse. He's an offensive lineman from New Jersey who's very excited about the new Syracuse coaching staff. Here's what he had to say in response to some questions I threw his way:

On his original commitment to USF:

My commitment to USF was something I really felt good about. They are a great program that is established in the national college football world.

On his commitment to Syracuse:

I have always loved Syracuse University and throughout to recruiting process I thought that if they ever offered I would love to be a part of the program. Not only did Syracuse offer but with this great coaching and recruiting situation it's something I feel great about joining. Syracuse pretty much sells itself as an academic institution and after meeting with Coach Adkins and Coach Jackson in my school I knew the athletics would soon be top notch.

On coach Derrick Jackson's (defensive line) involvement in Zack's recruitment before and after the coaching staff transition (Jackson was retained by new head coach Doug Marrone):

Coach Jackson has done a lot to make me feel good about SU. He was recruiting me on the old staff and throughout the transition told me that he would make a strong case for me to the new coach. He did that and I am very grateful for that trust he has had in me.

On the incoming recruiting class:

The incoming class is exciting to say the least. I don't think anyone expected things to turn out the way they are. It's really a testament to the new coach's dedication and passion for what's going to happen here in the coming seasons.

On competing for playing time:

I am very excited to be competing with the new commitments Justin Pugh and Andrew Phillips, and hopefully Andrew Tiller. They're all real good players and it's a great thing to have all of us in the same class. Playing together should be a challenging but enjoyable experience.

On New Jersey as a recruiting pool for Syracuse:

Coming from NJ I know the kind of talent that New Jersey, especially the northern parts produce. It's great to hear the coaches say how they want to start recruiting my area real hard. If I can do anything to make people from NJ choose Syracuse that would be awesome. I think that will pay huge dividends for the program in the future. The more NJ guys the better!

Photo Credit: Rivals.com

Tons Going on In Tampa

Posted by DCS

It goes without saying that the Superbowl is pretty much making Tampa, FL the center of the sports universe right now. That's good because it means the USF Bulls also get more attention and publicity than they would normally be accustomed to. For example, their practice fields (which the Pittsburgh Steelers are using) got a nice little makeover by the "God of Sod," George Toma. Also, the Gramatica brothers (two of which kicked for USF) were used in a segment for the Conan O'Brien show on kicking field goals. And if that weren't enough, USF is doing a pretty good job of making their own publicity without the help of the Superbowl:

• Backup quarterback Grant Gregory will transfer to a D-1aa program
• Five star (scout) / four star (rivals) JUCO DE commits to the Bulls - Rivals.com profile

In other news:

• Doug Marrone was an offensive lineman and coached offensive line. Now he's putting those skills to good use (Donnie Webb / Syracuse Post-Standard)
• Nolan MacMillan is headed to Iowa much to the disdain of hopeful Syracuse fans...
• ...but Auburn picks up another running back recruit. Does this mean that it makes Auburn a less appealing destination for four star (rivals) RB David Oku? Oku is also considering Syracuse
• Brian Bennett gives his top five Big East recruiting moments of the last five years
• B-Squared gets some heated questioning over his "Big East vs. Mountain West" post
• The Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner reports that Florida receiver Mike Lang is in fact slated to go to UCONN

uRi?

Posted by DCS

The mighty University of Rhode Island football team will apparently see an influx of transfers from Rutgers this coming season. According to Kyle Town of the Good Five Cent Cigar (URI student newspaper), backup quarterback Chris Paul-Etienne, tight end Tom Lang, wide receiver Robenson Alexis, and defensive back Rob Cervini are all coming to the Football Championship Subdivision program.

URI head coach Darren Rizzi was an associate head coach under Greg Schiano at Rutgers from 2006-07, so this pipeline is not all that much of surprise. Of the transfers, Paul-Etienne and Cervini stick out the most in my mind. Paul-Etienne was the primary backup to Mike Teel at one point this season, but eventually fell out of favor with Schiano when Dom Natale replaced him in the pecking order. That being said, I would think that Paul-Etienne would have had a solid opportunity to compete for the starting job this season along with Natale and incoming freshman phenom Tom Savage, now that Teel is graduating. Cervini, who was a program walk-on, gained some notoriety in this year's Papajohns.com Bowl when he scored Rutgers' first points of the game on a fake field goal play.

It's significant that Darren Rizzi managed to poach four players from his former employer in the first year he was able to do so. It will be interesting to see if this becomes an annual right of passage for disgruntled Scarlet Knight footballers in years to come.

What else is going on?:

• Tom Dienhart never fails to post an informative column on Rivals.com -- There's a mention of former Syracuse offensive coordinator Mitch Browning possibly going to Boston College as an offensive line coach and a later blurb on Steve Kragthorpe potentially calling the offensive plays for Louisville and the fate of Jeff Brohm
• Former Syracuse fullback Tony Fiammetta is a hot NFL prospect and he's keeping a diary of his experiences leading up to the draft on the Daily Orange Football Blog
• Florida three star (rivals) linebacker Shane Weston gave a (soft) verbal to Pitt

Big East vs. Mountain West

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Posted by DCS

There's been a lot of talk lately, about the Mountain West's appeal to the BCS to have them included as an an automatic bid in the BCS Bowl process. With the success of Utah and TCU, one can't blame them for trying to get in the door. A big part of this discussion has been their perceived comparability to the Big East and ACC Conferences in football. Well, in case there was any question about how the Mountain West stacks up against the Big East, Brian Bennett of ESPN's Big East Blog gives us the lowdown. B-Squared's analysis is pretty much gold to me, so I think we can all sleep better at night knowing that the Big East is still a valid BCS auto bid, and a better overall football conference than the Mountain West.

With that, I give you links:

• Three star (rivals) linebacker Dede Lattimore is headed to USF
• Highly touted linebacker Barkevious Mingo out of Louisiana is on his way to visit UCONN -- You've got to love this guy, if only for the name (Desmond Conner / Hartford Courant)
• Brian Bennett tells us to keep our eye on prospect Justin Brown as he chooses between Penn State and Rutgers
• Tyler Dunne at the Daily Orange Football Blog notes that Charley Loeb is jacked to start competing for the starting QB job right away
• Running back Jeremy Wright is going to be a Louisville Cardinal
• Donnie Webb of the Syracuse Post-Standard gives us a little more on newly committed Orange DE Torrey Ball
• Keith Sargent of Scarlet Scuttlebutt discusses the upcoming national signing day with Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano

Shout Out to Pat White

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Posted by DCS

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm still not posting as consistently as I'd like to, and therefore, I've missed out on passing along information in a timely manner. That being said, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Pat White for his MVP-caliber performance in the Senior Bowl this past Sunday. I think we're seeing more and more why Todd McShay may be a tad off in saying that White can't be a quarterback in the NFL. I plan on posting a more substantive piece on Pat White's prospects for this year's draft and whether or not I think he can be an effective quarterback in the NFL. For now, enjoy these links:

• Syracuse gets a JUCO defensive end commitment
• Syracuse spring practice starts March 23 / Spring game is April 18
• ESPN's Brian Bennett answers your queries
• Ex-SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni is still being mentioned as on the Chiefs' radar (Sporting News)

A Monday Morning Pair of Links

Monday, January 26, 2009

Posted by DCS

Hi all. Not much going on this morning except the aftermath of a huge recruiting weekend. That being said, I have a couple of links to throw your way:

• It looks as if Craig Drummond will not sign with Syracuse as some Orange fans had anticipated (he's signing with Ole Miss) - scout.com
• Darrell Laurant of RealFootball365.com is bullish about USF's chances to win the Big East next season

Syracuse and USF Continue to Set the Recruiting Trail Ablaze

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Posted by DCS

Doug Marrone knew when he took the head coaching job at Syracuse that fans would expect him to quickly turn around and build a formidable coaching staff and recruiting class. When Greg Robinson had been hired for the same position four years ago, some gave him a free pass because he was hired well further into the recruiting season. But as any observant Big East fan can see, Robinson built a less than stellar coaching staff and regardless of the talent he brought to the football field, the results were not satisfactory to the school's administration or fans.

In roughly a month's time, Marrone built a staff around several highly respected assistant coaches and as of this evening, has also built a modestly accomplished recruiting class (considering the time with which he and his staff had to be out on the trail). Various sources are reporting the commitment of Charley Loeb (Quarterback - MA), E.J. Carter (Linebacker - FL), Dale Peterman (Defensive Back - OH), and Philip Thomas (Defensive Back - FL) to the Orange today.

If that weren't enough, Marrone isn't stopping anytime too soon. With the February 5 national signing day looming, the first time head coach and Syracuse alum is looking to add Andrew Tiller (Offensive Tackle - NY), David Oku (Running Back - OK), and Craig Drummond (Defensive End - IL), among others. Here are the headlines on the aforementioned recruiting developments for Syracuse:

• Donnie Webb - Syracuse Post-Standard on Dale Peterman
• Donnie Webb on Charley Loeb
• Donnie Webb on the overall recruiting situation

_________________________

After a somewhat disappointing season, the USF Bulls and head coach Jim Leavitt are taking no prisoners on the recruiting trail. They've shown that they too can be competitive in attracting top level talent in the state of Florida, along with Miami, UF, and FSU.

There has been a great amount of discussion over ultimate destination of former Miami quarterback Robert Marve. The troubled former high school standout announced that he would transfer from the Hurricane program and wished to play at a highly competitive football school, where he could also be closer to his sick father (he lives in Tampa, FL). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that Marve is focusing on four schools: Oklahoma State, Purdue, USF, and Oklahoma (scroll down). This would be quite development for the Bulls, should Marve decide to play his college ball in Tampa, because he would be able to potentially step into the starting job after Matt Grothe graduates at the conclusion of this coming season (Marve would sit out this season).

Then again, it's well known that Robert Marve has had trouble "playing well with others," his coaches in particular. He was suspended for the Hurricanes' bowl game appearance, accelerating his decision to leave the program. USF would have to be sure they would want to risk using a scholarship on another athlete who causes trouble, much like strong safety Carlton Williams.

If you want to discuss the "here and now" of USF recruiting, the Bulls managed to haul in a big fish, in JUCO offensive lineman Carlos Savala. There's no question that if Grothe wants to have the type of senior year that he feels he's capable of having, his offensive line will have to help him a great deal.

I'm Back, and So Is the Big East Apparently

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Posted by DCS

I have to apologize folks, yet again, for being M.I.A. for about 24 hours. I'm but one man with a full time job that doesn't always allow me to post copious amounts of comments/information on Big East football. But alas, I'm back and I promise to try to continue posting consistently. And speaking of being back, how about all these Big East schools setting the recruiting trail ablaze? I have to say, I'm impressed with the quality of student athlete that some of our schools our pulling in. Even a school like Syracuse is managing to get back on the horse by having the number one rated overall running back in the country (rivals.com) visit them this weekend. Best of luck to the Orange in trying to lock up his commitment. For now, catch up on all the action going on behind the scenes in the Big East since I last left you:

Big East Overall:

• Brian Bennett's Friday mailbag (I know you can't live without it)
• B-Squared reviews the Big East recruiting classes thus far
• An analysis by Andy Staples of SI.com about how far recruits will come from their homes to attend a D-1a program (USF has the most "localized" recruiting class in the country)

Cincinnati:

• Connor Barwin is enticing NFL scouts at Senior Bowl practices (scout.com)
• ESPN's Brian Bennett on Cincy's recruiting needs

Connecticut:

• The Hartford Courant's Desmond Conner discusses UCONN's recruit visits
• Kevin at the UCONN Blog is jacked up about four star (rivals) wide receiver Dwayne Difton (out of Florida) becoming a Husky
• Donald Brown is reportedly sweating the NFL combine
• UCONN's recruiting needs according to Brian Bennett

Louisville:

• B-Squared's report on Louisville's recruiting needs

Pittsburgh:

• LeSean McCoy's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, wants Shady to be the first 'back taken overall
• Chas at Pitt Blather opines on Pitt football
• Another Pitt Blather link. This time on the recruitment of PA linebacker Dan Mason
• Sergey Zikov on the Bleacher Report gives us a breakdown of the Panthers' offense
• Another "recruiting needs" report by Brian Bennett -- this time about Pitt

Rutgers:

• Brian Bennett -- Rutgers' recruiting needs

South Florida:

• LB Tyrone McKenzie is eager to impress NFL scouts at the Senior Bowl
• Bull commit Ryne Giddins is named a Parade All-American (scout.com)
• Greg Auman on how Jim Leavitt has not yet made a decision on his offensive coordinator
• You know the drill -- Bennett's recruiting needs report for USF
• Brian Landman of the St. Petersburg Times reports on the financial implications of a home-and-home with FSU
• The Bulls nab another wideout - Derrick Hopkins

Syracuse:

• DB Rishard Anderson, out of Florida, commits to the 'Cuse -- rivals.com profile
• Syracuse's recruiting needs as pointed out by ESPN's Brian Bennett
• More on Orange recruiting by the Syracuse Post-Standard's Donnie Webb

West Virginia:

• According to B-Squared, Bill Stewart knows how to recruit...
• ...but they still have needs

Greg Gregory: That whole thing about me going to coach with Urban Meyer...that was a joke. Can I have my job back?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Posted by DCS

Sorry folks, for not being around for the better part of yesterday. I'll really briefly mention that Greg Gregory was not hired to coach tight ends at the University of Florida, as was speculated. Now, Gregory is sitting around as an idle staff member of the USF Bulls, but remember, he is no longer the offensive coordinator (he was stripped of those duties by head coach Jim Leavitt when Leavitt learned that he would be pursuing the UF opening). No update on what will happen with Gregory at this point, but one interesting tidbit to note is that the coach that Urban Meyer decided to hire is Brian White, who not all that long ago, was the offensive coordinator for the Syracuse Orange.

And with that, I give you a plethora of Big East football related information:

• Donnie Webb of the Syracuse Post-Standard discusses the outside possibility that UNC backup QB Mike Paulus (bro of Greg) may want to come home to Syracuse
• Frank Ahrens doesn't hold back on his feelings for Todd McShay and his assessment of Pat White on the Bleacher Report
• Cincy's Mike Mickens is going to sit out the Senior Bowl
• Brian Bennett of ESPN ponders whether or not Larry Fitzgerald is the greatest receiver ever to grace the Big East
• Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pitt has snared a new DE recruit
• Rutgers Spring practice begins March 10 and their Spring game is on April 18 (Scarlet Scuttlebutt) -- scroll down
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin reports that the Bulls have nabbed another big time recruit