Breaking down the underclassmen
We’ve come to the end of the season and the time when your humble correspondent steps aside for the insanity that is college recruiting in the South. The AJC’s expert, Chip Towers, will get you through the process.
But before we go, here is a little exercise I put together this morning, breaking down the underclassmen who have declared for the draft by conference. It will not surprise you that the SEC (15) and the ACC (10) lead the way. Look at this list and tell me the guys you are really going to miss.
I want to thank you all for another wonderful season. We’ve had our ups and downs but that is what makes it fun and interesting. You are the smartest and most passionate college football fans in the world and I appreciate you. Have fun with this….TB
UNDERCLASSMEN WHO HAVE DECLARED FOR THE NFL DRAFT
SEC (15)
Alabama: Marcell Dareus, DE; Julio Jones, WR; Mark Ingram, RB
Arkansas: Ryan Mallett, QB
Auburn: Nick Fairley DT; Cameron Newton, QB; Darvin Adams, WR
Florida: Will Hill, S
Georgia: Justin Houston, DE; A.J. Green, WR
Kentucky: Randall Cobb, WR/KR/QB
LSU: Patrick Peterson, CB; Stevan Ridley, RB
Ole Miss: Jerrell Powe, DT
South Carolina: Tori Gurley, WR
ACC (9)
Clemson: Da’Quan Bowers, DE; Jamie Harper, RB
Georgia Tech: Nick Claytor, OT; Jarrad Tarrant, DB
Maryland: Torrey Smith, WR/KR:
Miami: Brandon Harris, CB
Virginia: Zane Parr, DE
Virginia Tech: Darren Evans, RB; Ryan Williams, RB
BIG TEN (7)
ILLINOIS: Mikel Leshoure, RB; Corey Liuget, DT; Martez Wilson, LB
INDIANA: Tandon Doss, WR
IOWA: Tyler Sash, S
WISCONSIN: John Clay, RB; J.J. Watt, DE
BIG 12 (3)
MISSOURI: Blane Gabbert, QB; Aldon Smith, DE
TEXAS: Aaron Williams, CB
BIG EAST (5)
CONNECTICUT: Jordan Todman, RB
PITTSBURGH: Jon Baldwin, WR; Henry Hynoski, FB; Dion Lewis, RB
WEST VIRGINIA: Robert Sands, S
PAC-10 (7)
ARIZONA STATE: Lawrence Guy, DT
CALIFORNIA: Shane Vereen, RB
OREGON STATE: Jacquizz Rogers, RB
UCLA: Akeem Ayers, LB; Rahim Moore
USC: Jurrell Casey, DT; Tryon Smith, OT
CONFERENCE USA (1)
SOUTHERN MISS: DeAndre Brown, WR.
MID-AMERICAN(1)
TEMPLE: Muhammad Wilkerson, DT
MOUNTAIN WEST (2)
UTAH: Brandon Burton, CB; Sealver Siliga, DT
INDEPENDENT (1)
NOTRE DAME: Kyle Rudolph, TE
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273 comments Add your comment
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
10:31 am
@Brian
I’m fed up with CFB as well, but the NFL is not only boring, it is the source of all of these problems with college ball. I can quit CFB, but I never started caring about the NFL.
@JB & DC
Whine to your heart’s content. The best recruits want to play for the best team. Year in and year out, the best program in CFB is the Crimson Tide.
In spite of all that — we’re #1 right now. Sooners Rule!
JB
January 17th, 2011
10:38 am
No whining Okie, just looking at the landscape. No doubt Saban has it going, but I didn’t see three losses coming last year, did you?
1eyedJack
January 17th, 2011
10:40 am
Check out Scout.com’s elegibility tracker for Alabama. They show 115 total on scholarship with 44 freshmen. Even they can’t figure out what the deal is at Alabama.
gcs
January 17th, 2011
10:43 am
You could build a good football team with the talent coming out of the SEC alone.
.
DC
January 17th, 2011
10:45 am
I’m not whining im curious just as JB is…remember these are kids lives and some are playing to get a free education b/c some will not make it to the NFL…Watch Outside the Lines with that QB from LSU…good piece on over recruiting.
Don
January 17th, 2011
10:46 am
Thanks Tony – we’ll figure out the obivous while you are gone
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
10:50 am
@JB
Considering the Bama players that didn’t return from 2009, I’m not surprised by 3 losses. Florida and Texas surprised me more. Alabama will be in contention for a NC every year for the foreseeable future. The difference between an undefeated season and 3 losses can be a simple as dumb luck. I saw Auburn get lucky at least 3 times this season.
Explain This BAMA "dude"...
January 17th, 2011
10:51 am
This from 2009:
The NCAA Committee on Infractions called the University of Alabama a “serial repeat violator” with an “abysmal infractions track record” and an “extensive recent history of infractions cases unmatched by any other member institution in the NCAA
Bubba
January 17th, 2011
10:53 am
Left off Jerrard Tarrant of Tech.
TallaDawg
January 17th, 2011
10:59 am
sorry “conference.”
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:04 am
@ JB
Here is my reason for the three losses: lack of playmakers.
The 2009 team had ‘em, the 2010 team did not. Bama was not able to replace Terrence Cody, and consequently lacked control in the DL, on the point of attack. The other playmaker missing was Javier Arenas. Arenas flipped the field, and made other big plays in 2009. Bama had no replacement. The other big factor was the OL. It just never gelled in 2010.
There is such a very small margin between a regular season 12-0, vs 9-3. The 2009 team could have easily been a 9-3 team.
TallaDawg
January 17th, 2011
11:04 am
Beyond Newton and Fairley, AU is losing a huge number of seniors. They will be lucky to be 8-5 next year.
Tony Barnhart
January 17th, 2011
11:05 am
Georgia Tech’s Tarrant has been added to the list. Sorry for the oversight…TB
JB
January 17th, 2011
11:09 am
3rdn8…………….What about QB in 2011…. pretty important….Could cost Tide a game….maybe two, which throws them out of the NC contest ?
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:10 am
@Explain This BAMA “dude”…
You must not be an Auburn fan, or you wouldn’t want to get into a pi$$ing contest over NCAA infractions. The only program that exceeds Auburn for all-time infractions is SMU, and they still haven’t recovered from their “Death Penalty”. Nobody familiar with the history of CFB is surprised that an undefeated season at Auburn usually means that the NCAA hammer is about to fall on the Tigers.
Congrats on your NC* though.
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:11 am
@JB
If I’m not mistaken, the past 2 National Champions started a new QB, didn’t they?
DC
January 17th, 2011
11:15 am
TallaDawg to be honest with you…my biggest concern is the OL..looking back on recruiting we got some good 4 stars on the line..time for them to shine i guess..we went 8-5 with Burns at QB last year…I saw him play against Mississippi…he sucked..jussssst saying..
JB
January 17th, 2011
11:15 am
Ya’ll have a Cam Newton type sitting over there? Who is the QB gonna be. How much live playing time does he have? Can he run and throw. How big is he? Not questioning, just curious.
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:16 am
@ JB
No doubt the new QB is a huge question mark. McCarron has only had some spot duty (usually mop-up time), and Simms has not taken a snap. Bama has a verbal from Philip Ely out of Tampa, but his stock has dropped during his senior year in HS.
I know the Bama coaches are pretty high on McCarron….but they’ll have to wait and see like the rest of us.
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:20 am
Not really into making season predictions….too many things can happen between now, and next December. But talent-wise, I think this may be Saban’s best team to date.
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:21 am
@JB
I sure hope we don’t have a “Cam Newton type” on our team. If we do hang on to the #1 ranking, I don’t want it to come with asterisks.
DC
January 17th, 2011
11:21 am
Okie, you are splitting hairs man…can’t really bash when bama is on probation currently..and thank you for the congrats on the National championship..
as for the QB discussion, McElroy didn’t have to pass much due to the sick running game during their championship run.
Cam newton is a RARE…i repeat RARE QB…you generally and when I say generally I mean never..see a QB come in first year and dominate the SEC the way he did…
ND Fan
January 17th, 2011
11:22 am
Michael Floyd returning to ND for his senior season was great news for the Irish! Looking forward to a successful 2011 campaign!
DC
January 17th, 2011
11:23 am
ND Fan you guys need to stop being independent and join a conference!
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:26 am
DC
Agree re: Newton. I thought I’d never see a player as good as Tebow for the next ten years….Newton was better. My sons (both AU grads) were crowing last year about this JUCO transfer that was all-world. I wrote it off as AU delusion. By mid-season, I was a convert.
ND Fan
January 17th, 2011
11:26 am
I think that joining an expanded Big East would be a better fit for ND than the Big Ten (12).
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:28 am
The AU team took a big hit this weekend. I thought Darwin Adams was the most underrated WR in the SEC.
DC
January 17th, 2011
11:31 am
He was our main receiver..I guess he sees a weak draft as an advantage…no clue why he is not going to stay his final year..
Delbert D.
January 17th, 2011
11:32 am
Tony, his name is Blaine Gabbert.
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:33 am
@ND Fan
Aren’t you guys already in that conference for everything except football?
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:36 am
@DC
You didn’t watch Alabama play in 2009, did you? McElroy was a rather prolific passer. He set several passing records during his tenure, if I’m not mistaken.
jumbeauxtiger
January 17th, 2011
11:37 am
Tony,
Darvin Adams, Auburn’s leading receiver the last 2 seasons, is reportedly forgoing his senior season now.
Is that 15 of 22 starters that War Eagles are now losing?
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:38 am
BTW: You can’t be a “first year” quarterback when you are playing for your third college.
Will
January 17th, 2011
11:39 am
This from a source within the Tech family:
When asked if he is taking a chance by declaring for the draft, one of the two Tech players responded: “I would rather go undrafted than play another year for Johnson” !!
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:40 am
SEC QBs
one thing that puzzles me about the SEC is the lack of great QBs. Setting Tebow, and Newton to one side…..there really has been very few standout QBs in the conference in the past ten years. Stafford, and Cutler are exceptions.
Going into 2011….UGA has Murray, and UT has Bray. Both are potential all-stars. Other than those two…not so much.
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:41 am
The shine wore off of Tech’s new HC pretty quickly. They should hire Leach — nobody else will.
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:42 am
forgot about Mallet.
Okie From Muskogee
January 17th, 2011
11:44 am
@3rdN8
Hotdog quarterbacks want to play “backyard” football in hotdog offensive schemes. Most SEC teams run a more team oriented offense. Diva’s don’t work out well in such offensive systems. That’s why people doubt Tebow and Newton’s potential in the NFL.
jumbeauxtiger
January 17th, 2011
11:44 am
3rdN8,
I would have to add Mallet and Eli Manning as standout QBs in the last 10 years.
SEC Fact Finder
January 17th, 2011
11:46 am
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but Tony’s list is incomplete. Darvin Adams from Auburn is also turning pro. The WR was a big playmaker for Auburn the past two years.
With Newton, Fairley, and now Adams along wit 24 seniors, we will see a completely new Auburn football team this fall.
In recent memory I cannot remember when we will see more SEC teams coming into spring practice with questions to be answered.
Georgia, has some big shoes to fill at WR, and on the defensive side.
USC will have a quarterback battle and some defensive holes to fill
Florida will be redoing its entire look on offense and defense while learning a new system
Tennessee will keep plugging along with all of these youngsters and will need to find a new back.
Kentucky will need to find a solid answer for quarterback, and continue their defensive retooling.
Vanderbilt will be learning a new system, all with new coaches, and more of as spread look.
LSU will need to find a couple of OL, have a QB battle and need some DB help
Alabama will need to find a go to WR, a new QB battle, and a couple of new coaches on DL/OL
Auburn will look like a new team with most of their team now moving on.
Mississippi St. will need to find a couple of OL and DL to play right away
Ole Miss will still be looking for offensive and defensive answers
Arkansas gave us a preview of their new QB against Auburn and will need to find some help on Defense.
All and all within a few weeks we will be seeing what kind of players we sign and shortly after that we will get a picture of what we can look forward to in the fall.
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:47 am
Okie
My take on McElroy (and JP Wilson as well), is that he was a very servicable QB. He lost very few games, and made few mistakes; but was not the type of player that could carry his team if required.
In fact, I’d say that JP Wison was more capable of carrying the team than McElroy was.
All of this is easy to say when you’re sitting at a computer, several weeks/months/years downstream of actual events.
John
January 17th, 2011
11:49 am
On this day when we reflect on the teachings of Dr. King, it is appropriate to take a look at the effect his legacy has had on college sports.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the SEC and ACC. In a little more than 40 years, schools like UGA have gone from recruiting all white teams to recruiting (with the exception of quarterbacks, offensive linemen and an occasional fulback and receiver) to recruiting African-Americans almost exclusively. UGA did not have a single white player play any significant minutes on defense this year. Auburn won the national championship with an almost all African-American team.
The progress of this to be noted is not the fact but the almost universal acceptance of this within the fan base of these teams.
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:50 am
jumbeauxtiger
I amended on Mallet, but completely forgot Eli Manning.
jumbeauxtiger
January 17th, 2011
11:50 am
SEC Fact Finder,
LSU has only one senior on the OL. They rotated 3 true freshmnn plus a RS Frosh in the secondary so they have depth there. The biggest hole is at linebacker. They lose Sheppard and have a lack of experienced linebackers. As a Tiger fan that is my biggest concern along with losing Josh Jasper.
Outside Observer
January 17th, 2011
11:51 am
Which of these players don’t fit? I believe it would be the two guys from Tech who have zero chance of being drafted. It’s a shame they felt the need to move on to the NFL, instead of staying around one more semester, getting their degree, and then giving one of the smaller football leagues a shot, because they will not make an NFL roster, or practice squad. Good luck to both of them in whatever their futures hold. I hope the real world doesn’t slap them in the face too hard.
CMR isn't Going Anywhere!!!
January 17th, 2011
11:52 am
Wishful thinking by the haters on this board. He is turning it around and he will be there for a long time to come. And he will do it the right way.
jumbeauxtiger
January 17th, 2011
11:53 am
3rdN8,
I couldn’t forget Manning. In 2003 I was in Oxford and we barely escaped with a 17-14 nail biter. The Rebs were really good and actually tied us for the West.
Dawg Tired
January 17th, 2011
11:57 am
It is interesting to see not one player from Oregon left early. Arguably the second best team in the country and not one player left early. Is that an indication that those players are really enjoying playing that wide open brand of football? Ot is it just coincidence? Of course, one could also ask why TCU had no one leave early. In TCU’s case it may be lack on NFL talent. Of course, that really causes concern for UGA fans in that we have NFL talent and can’t beat UCF (or any other team with a winning record). The more you analyze this stuff, the more obvious it becomes just how poorly coached our young men are. However, there may be other problems as well when you consider the fairly obvious character problems our players keep showing us.
3rdN8
January 17th, 2011
11:59 am
QBs continued……
Ten or so years ago, Bama and AU passed on Philip Rivers (Athens Alabama). They also both passed on Brett Farve in the late 80s.
This year, they both passed on Philip Rivers’ brother. Leave it to crazy ole Les Miles, he must be a believer in genetics.
SEC Fact Finder
January 17th, 2011
12:00 pm
One of the arguments on here is why a team like Alabama lost 3 games, I will give my two cents.
2 of the games lost were road games in which both teams( South Carolina and LSU) had open weeks to prepare. On top of that the other 5 games in which teams had open weeks prior to playing Alabama. It is hard enough for any team to play another on the road in the SEC and win, much the less add the open week to the mix and that is a “double dose”. Is that an excuse? Yes but it should be considered a legitimate one. Now the Auburn game was just a complete utter failure of the Offensive coaches to keep playing like they did in the first half. In the second half they went into game plan of Not Losing and as is the case with most teams it cost you a loss.
Losing is losing, but losing to your rival at home with a double digit lead is disasterouus and that one game may have done the same as the Florida and Utah losses 4 years ago. We will have to wait and see how all the SEC teams respond.
I personally think the loss by UGA to UCF will serve the program well in Athens, it made a great deal of these young kids understand that just putting that red and black jersey on does not guarantee success, you have to work for it, be dedicated and play as a team to get to the next level.