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

Brian Bennett Rushes More

Friday, February 13, 2009

Posted by DCS

Brian Bennett's next gimmicky stunt over at his ESPN Big East Blog is to compile a running list of "Mount Rushmores" of Big East football programs. He's providing four individuals per program, that define the building blocks of their perceived success. I don't really have a problem with any of the selections he made, but I'm somewhat surprised he didn't pick Tom Jackson (if only for his NFL Game Day career status) for the Louisville Mount Rushmore. Anyway, without further ado, here are B-Squared's first three mounts:

• Louisville
• UCONN
• Cincinnati

Just a couple of more links:

• Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette reports that WVU ticket prices will not go up in 2009
• Greg Gregory speaks about his departure from USF

Here's a Shocker: Gregory is Officially Out at USF

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Posted by DCS

It doesn't happen often, but today, Brett McMurphy who authors the Bulls Report, scooped his journalistic rival Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin. Today, he is the first to announce that former USF offensive coordinator Greg Gregory is officially leaving the program for the same post at the University of South Alabama (an upstart D-1A program this year).

It was a long and strange saga that began with Gregory notifying head coach Jim Leavitt that he was interviewing for the vacant tight ends coach position at the University of Florida, being relieved of his coordinator duties by Leavitt (all while still working on behalf of the Bulls), switching offices with former OC Mike Canales, and now officially leaving the program for the affectionately acronymed USA.

As McMurphy points out at the end of his piece, Leavitt will have to decide between elevating Canales to OC (as many expect he will) and hiring a wide receivers replacement from outside, or vice versa. Hey, I hear Mitch Browning is still maybe...sorta...available?

Linkage

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

A Hump Day Look Around the Big East Football Landscape

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Posted by DCS

Here's what I've got for you:

• In case you were worried, USF's academic performance rating improved (Brett McMurphy / Bulls Report)...
• ...and the MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl is no more...well sort of
• Rutgers hires a Director of Football Recruiting Operations
• Bill Stewart suspends Jock Sanders indefinitely; no surprise there (Scout.com)
• Keith Sargeant of Scarlet Scuttlebutt opines on the Sporting News' rating of Kenny Britt as a top 10 prospect for this year's NFL draft
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin assures the Bulls faithful that it's okay to schedule two D-1AA opponents

Five, Count Em', Five New Offensive Coordinators in the Big East

Monday, February 9, 2009

Posted by DCS

With the high turnover rate in college football coaching, it's no surprise to see several new faces stalking the sidelines on an annual basis. This coming season, the offensive play calling will have a decidedly different look when five new offensive coordinators take the helm of Big East offenses. Syracuse brought in Rob Spence under new head coach Doug Marrone; UCONN replaced Rob Ambrose who left to coach Towson state, with Joe Moorhead; Jim Leavitt relieved Greg Gregory of his play calling duties at USF; Pitt's Matt Cavanagh is moving on to the New York Jets as of today, and finally, Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe will be calling the plays for the Cardinals now that Jeff Brohm is off to Florida Atlantic University.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the change that is occurring on the offensive side of the ball in the Big East. In fact, many could argue that Syracuse, UCONN, and Pitt will get a definite upgrade with these switches. It will be critical to see how the new play callers respond to the uncertain quarterback situations at all of these schools (with the exception of USF), making for interesting story lines going into the 2009 season.

What else is up?:

• Donnie Webb of the Syracuse Post-Standard reports that Maine may fill a void on Syracuse's 2009 schedule...
• ...Speaking of which, Brian Bennett says that 2009 scheduling has been a tricky proposition for many Big East schools
• Cincy fans submitted their Orange Bowl photos, so here they are
• Tyler Dunne of the Daily Orange Football Blog got a hold of David Oku's HS coach and reports that Oku is still undecided on his fate

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

BULLieve It!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Posted by DCS

It's a widely known assertion at this point, that USF this year nailed down their best recruiting class ever. Adding to that stellar class, Kayvon Webster, who verbally committed to the University of Miami, will now be a Bull (along with two of his high school teammates: Derrick Hopkins and Sterling Griffin).

On a disappointing note, USF lost out on defensive back Jayron Hosley, who opted to instead sign with Virginia Tech. On the bright side, this was really the only negative surprise for the Bulls.

More on the USF's 2009 class:

• USF Sports Bulletin's Q&A with Ryne Giddins
• Scout.com's signing day photo gallery of Ryne Giddins

Surprise Surprise!

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

Signing Day: T-Minus One Day

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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)

Pre-Superbowl Links

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Posted by DCS

As you all sit there on your couches, perusing various other t.v. channells, ordering food, waiting patiently for the big game to start, you may also be cruising the net looking for info on any range of subjects. I'll meet you halfway with these links:

• Pitt alum Russ Grimm (coaching in today's Superbowl for the Cardinals) is snubbed from HOF consideration yet again (Scout.com)
• USF alum Anthony Henry donates $100k to the Bulls football program
• Current Scarlet Knight Desmond Stapleton will be watching brother and former Scarlet Knight Darnell in this evening's Superbowl (Scarlet Scuttlebutt)
• Surprise Surprise, Pat White wins yet another award (The Charleston Gazette)
• Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin speculates that the Bulls may see JUCO tackle Jamar Bass back in the recruiting picture

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

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

NBC Has No Pull

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Posted by DCS

I came across an interesting nugget from Greg Auman of the USF Sports Bulletin today, about how USF signal caller Matt Grothe nearly played quarterback for the NBC broadcast crew for the Superbowl. Essentially, NBC wanted Grothe to throw passes to Cris Collinsworth (Grothe would be off camera) during a broadcast segment. Sounds pretty worthless to me, but I guess it could have been fun for Matt. USF signed off on the idea, but alas, with security being what it is at the "new sombrero," Grothe wasn't able to get a credential from NBC. So you're telling me that the network responsible for broadcasting the Superbowl this year can't get one measly college student on the field for a gimmicky stunt? I think I hear a PA getting fired.

I've got more:

• Brian Bennett aka "Captain Obvious" points out that Cincinnati is going to reap the recruiting benefits of an Orange Bowl appearance
• Odds and ends from Donnie Webb of the Syracuse Post-Standard
• Keith Sargeant of Scarlet Scuttlebutt notes that the Rutgers AD search is humming along

And in case anyone out there wants to question the quality of officiating in the Big East, please know that the conference's Coordinator of Football Officials, Terry McAuly is refereeing a little game called the Superbowl.

Big East vs. Mountain West

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

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.