‘AJC Recruiting Mailbag’ is open for business (UPDATED)
We’re barreling headlong into the start of football season. Teams are already heavy into their summer workouts and, before you know it, players will be reporting for preseason camps.
Time now to introduce a new feature for the AJC Recruiting Blog. Starting this Friday, I give you the “AJC Recruiting Mailbag!”
OK, so there’s no cutting-edge new concept here. Numerous sports writers and bloggers I know and follow utilize mailbags. Besides, my good friend, whom I shall refer to only as The Neighbor, absolutely insists I need to “do a mailbag.” So I’m going to do one.
But I do feel it can be particularly useful in recruiting, especially as we get further into the fury that is the football season (does it ever really end in the South?).
Regulars here know I post blogs three or more times a day during the season. Thanks to your continued interest, there are often hundreds of comments for each blog. Among those comments are often questions posed directly to me. But as I continually move on to the next thing, I may not always see those queries and some of the questions may go unanswered.
Well, hopefully that won’t happen anymore. Or at least it shouldn’t. Of course, there will be a reasonableness factor to this equation. Your questions ideally will pertinent and specific and, well, not silly. Once a week — STARTING THIS FRIDAY – I’ll pull out the mailbag and answer the best questions to the best of my ability. Some, I’m sure, will become blogs of their own.
So remember this e-mail address or write it down and put it somewhere you can find it for future reference: AJCrecruiting@yahoo.com.
By the way, if you’re uncomfortable with me using your real name in the blog — I know, admitting you follow recruiting can be shameful — just indicate so and I’ll use whatever handle you would like to go by. Again, only reasonable queries will be considered.
Responses to the best questions will be posted here every Friday starting this week. Initially I wasn’t sure when it’d start but I’ve already received enough good questions to realize we can go ahead and get started.
Hope this is something you will like. As always, thanks for hanging out.
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107 comments Add your comment
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
3:37 pm
Oh…I forgot my question……how tight do you think Rome is with Clemson….or do you think Bama and the Gators…not withstanding the Dawgs…have a shot at him?
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
3:38 pm
Chip…sorry…I just read about the questions and the email…ignore the question if you want….and you might want to because I am a Gator anyway. Thanks.
Berry29
June 30th, 2010
3:50 pm
nations #1 punter – Darr to UT today – to join #1 place kicker
Palardy. That’s SPECIAL teams for Coach Dooley. Chip is Avery Walls next for UT?
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
4:02 pm
Tampa Gator, I guess Meyer didn’t want Orson Charles or Murray out of florida so he let the dawgs have them..Is this what your absurd post is trying to say..as always
Chip Towers
June 30th, 2010
4:17 pm
TampaGator: True, Urban Meyer has been very good at getting the majority of the players he really wants. In the case of James Wilder, however, he’s having to sell him on a concept and not something we’ve seen on the field. The only “power back” the Gators have utilized under his watch played quarterback. Of course, Wilder (TB, LB, DE) could probably play that position, too! . . .
As for Jay Rome, I just happened to interview him earlier this week. He likes the Gators a lot. They’re in his final four. But if I was forced to handicap at this very moment, I’d put Florida No. 4 behind Georgia, Clemson and Alabama.
Bulldog59
June 30th, 2010
4:21 pm
Berry29, congrats on the punter, coupled with Palardy, they definitely strengthen your STs. I will refrain from any cheap comments about UT’s need for a top punter in 2010 (we endured those comments at UGA most of last season.)
Mike
June 30th, 2010
4:24 pm
Gators 18 out of 21.
More stompage this year. Dawgs won’t even beat sc or ark.
KD
June 30th, 2010
4:24 pm
If Richt was smart I would also make Wilder my #1 priority recruit, he is a beast on either side of the ball, he wants to play RB in college ,then let him, tell him what he wants to hear, that’s what Saban & Meyer are telling him.
Bulldog59
June 30th, 2010
4:29 pm
TampaGator, agreed Meyer more often than not, gets his man, but “hasn’t failed yet” is an overstatement. It was common knowledge that Meyer had Aaron Murray as his primary QB target for the 2009 class and he didn’t get that one (away from Georgia) and he REALLY wanted him.
Nobody gets them all.
naganole
June 30th, 2010
4:33 pm
KD, you gotta start with instate kids first. Richt going after Drew and Crowell is the right idea…
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
4:42 pm
Couldn’t have said it better Bulldog59…As for Wilder, it will be difficult to get him out of gator country so they should have the inside track, but it isn’t a slam dunk…
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:01 pm
Bulldog59….you are highly incorrect about Murray. Meyer never personally recruited Murray like he did the names I posted. Burton was the QB Meyer wanted and personally recruited, and he got him the year after Murray as he wanted. The Gators already had Brantley and did not need Murray as a backup (which he would be at Florida). Burton is that backup…for two years until Driskell (who is going to be great) takes over.
Einstein
June 30th, 2010
5:03 pm
Chip, this isn’t a recruiting question, but how does Dontavious Jackson figure into the Dawgs offense this season? Thanks.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:07 pm
Chip….my thoughts on Rome…the problem with him at Florida and Georgia is that both schools currently have (Florida, two, and soon to be three with Leonard out of Jax committed) a lot of young, talented depth at TE. He has a better chance of playing early at Clemson (where I think he is headed) and Bama.
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
5:09 pm
Sorry, TampaGator, you are highly incorrect, not Bulldog59, Murray was recruited by the gators very strongly as was Orson Charles…Your info is just incorrect as it so often is…Why is it that if they don’t sign with the gators then they didn’t want them anyway…Your posts unbelievable as to the arrogance you show…You and the gators have nothing to prove, why put down the other programs like you do and posts untruths? Why don’t you get your facts together or better yet why don’t you talk to the family of Mr. Murray and see if you info pans out…You know the answer to that one, now don’t you..I hate to have these kind of discussions, but sometimes the incorrect info has to be addressed…
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:10 pm
Also Chip…Meyer utilized “power backs” a lot at Utah. He just hasn’t had any at Florida. And you will see a lot of “I” and 2-back sets this year…and Florida…if you look at the commitment list this year…just got a commitment from the #1 FB in the country…who just happens to play in Tampa (like Wilder) and is good friends with Wilder. I think Wilder can see that picture that Meyer is painting for him.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:15 pm
Dawgster…maybe you should go back and read my previous post and stop calling me arrogant, etc. The FACT is…Meyer NEVER “personally” targeted Murray as a MUST get. If fact, the Florida coach recruiting Murray to Florida was the OL coach who recruits the Tampa Bay area because he used to be a coach at USF. Another fact…if you were Murray…would you come to Florida and backup Brantley for two years or go to Georgia and be #1??? Same with Charles…back up Hernandez??? Also…Christian was the TE Meyer wanted out of Florida…the year after Charles…and Christian has the same skills as Charles…and is faster. Does this make any sense to you….not to be arrogant or anything in asking.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:20 pm
Dawgster…you are right about one thing…the Gators really wanted Charles (must more than Murray)…but, again, Meyer was NOT personally involved in his recruitment. Meyer did target the TE Gerald Christian and got a commitment from him early last year….along with Elam (who will be the nickel safety replacing Will Hill this year with Hill replacing Major Wright at free safety).
Alphare
June 30th, 2010
5:24 pm
Chip,
Last time I counted Florida has 49 4-5 stars listed on Rivals website. Since Florida is a dominant recruiter in Florida, why would Florida even bother to offer some 3 stars or out-of-state stars? I kinda remember Florida even offered to a no-star last year. I mean why bother if I am Florida with so many talents to cherry pick.
Lizard King
June 30th, 2010
5:29 pm
Just to clarify, Urban Meyer usually picks a couple of recruits that he gets involved with almost exclusively and puts tremendous time into. Tim Tebow obviously was one of those, Mack Brown and Ronald Powell were designated Urban recruits last year. Wilder is certainly in that category this year, considered to be by some the most important recruit since Tebow. Aaron Murray and Charles were certainly recruited by the head coach but not as exclusive targets. I know that Murray’s lead recruiter was Dan Mullen, now head man at Miss State. Although he was recruited heavily, UF knew that they already had Tebow, Brantley and even (at that time) Cameron Newton in the fold, so Murray wasn’t considered a “critical must have for the future of the program” recruit.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:29 pm
Again…DAWGSTER….learn to read better with a little more comprehension skills…since you constantly throw insults at me. Nowhere in any of my posts did I say Meyer “didn’t want” Murray or Charles. Florida would have loved to have had both players on the bench as backups to (then) Tebow and, now, to Brantley and to (then) Hernandez at TE (Meyer did not thing Hernandez would leave after his Jr. year and thinks Gerald Christian will be better than Charles eventually. Murray was just not a MUST get for Meyer because he then had Tebow, Brantley, and also Cameron Newton (who had not yet stolen a computer so he could play for Auburn). Meyer had no idea at the time that Cameron would become a campus thief of technology…which he has adequately paid the price for his stupidity and will have a great season (better than Murray but not as good as Brantley) at Auburn…my prediction only….now…begin your insults…..
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
5:30 pm
Again, Tampagator, you are always full of facts about how great the gators are and that if they don’t sign them then they didn’t want them…I’m not calling you arrogant, maybe you should reread my posts to get the point i’m trying to make…What i’m saying is you are showing arrogance by by the way you spin your posts against the dawgs, which is fine and fair game, but to make statements as you do more often than not that are just not accurate, and not really give the other programs or their coaches, and players their due just shows very little class..We all acknowledge that the gator program has been at the top for awhile, but to think that Meyer and the gators haven’t lost any players they really wanted, or to quote you “never personally targeted, just doesn’t hold water…I’m done with this and going to move on…We will see what happens in the next year or two as to where these programs are and the impact these recruits have…
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:35 pm
Lizard King…you are right…Mullen was heavily involved along with McCarney (SP??) in the recruitment of Murray…but McCarney was the one that visited him the most in the Tampa area and was at his HS the most because McCarney is in the Bay area a lot. Murray was not a priority recruit for Meyer that year….as you mentioned with Tebow, Brantley, and Newton already on campus at the time….and with Driskell already in Meyer’s eye.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:36 pm
Dawgster….I have completely come to the conclusion that you have absolutely no reading comprehension skills at all…and please just don’t read my posts if they offend you so. I will do the same….for a completely different reason.
TampaGator
June 30th, 2010
5:38 pm
Also…Dawgster…read Lizard King’s post. I must not be the only “arrogant” person that posts. So go get offended by Lizard King now.
Lizard King
June 30th, 2010
5:39 pm
Oh, forgot Matt Elam was also an big time Urban target last year. Also to answer a question by Alphare, Florida will occansionally pull a lower ranked player out of state sometimes because they get some inside info on them and then do their homework and THEN invite them into one of their camps. If their camp performance confirms the information and research by the coaching staff and if it is a need position, that player will very likely get a commitable offer. The coaching staff at Florida have proven to be excellent researchers and evaluators.
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
5:40 pm
Tampagator, i’m not throwing insults at you, just stating the obvious with your posts…if they don’t sign with the gators then Meyer didn’t really, really want them, or they could be backups..Give the other schools some respect,,,Is that too much to asks..Why don’t you read my posts a little better and understand what i’m saying…This is not a personal attack on you, i just think a little respect to all the schools and their efforts would be nice and you know maybe even say a little congratulations from time to time and wish the young man a good career, regardless of the school he picks…Give the young man some respect instead of trying to downplay the fact he didn’t sign with the gators, so he probably wouldn’t play anyway…
Dawggregg
June 30th, 2010
5:44 pm
How can Tennessee keep signing good recruits for the 2010 class?
They have signed a 2010 player the last 3 months. Isn’t there a limit?
—
Murray will be All SEC! Gators take a major step
back. Not at all sold on Brantley.
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
5:50 pm
TampaGator, don’t believe i said anything about your comprehension skills as you did mine, but yes i do read LizardKings posts and his do show alot of class and respect to other programs…
dawgster
June 30th, 2010
5:56 pm
Dawggregg, don’t know about Murray being All Sec, but i think he will be good, and will get better thru the season as he gets a better feel of the offense and the flow of the game..Agree with you about Branltey, not sold on him either, hasn’t proved anything yet, but he might be lights out, just think he’s kind of in the same boat as Murray, with maybe a little more experience, but time will tell.
Lizard King
June 30th, 2010
6:14 pm
dawgster…with all due respect, i would hardly put Brantley and Murray “in the same boat” experience wise. Brantley is a redshirt Junior (much like McElroy was for Alabama last year) who has been in the system 3 full years and has appeared in well over a dozen games. Murray is a redshirt Freshman who has never taken a college snap. Both were highly recruited high school players. Measurables also favor Brantley…a legitimate 6′3″ 220lbs vs a listed 6′1″ (Im trying to be nice here) 205-210 for Murray. Brantley would appear to have a stronger arm while it may be considered that Murray is more mobile.
Dawggregg
June 30th, 2010
7:55 pm
Murray is kind of on the small side. But so was a fine QB at Boston College years ago! IMO, no one in the east is set in stone at QB because
they are all brand new. We have some young ones who are not proven, Brantley was mop up duty at best, UT has a juco or a FR, and USC has
a QB who is good one day and horrible the next.
—
Then theres Vandy and Kentucky, can someone fill me in on their QB?
dawgfan
June 30th, 2010
9:04 pm
Since the season is yet to come, how does one know that Brantley will have a better season than Murray? Oh, that’s right. Brantley is a Gator and Murray is a Dawg therefore Gator logic is that Brantley will have the better year. I get it now. Hey CUM, how are those chest pains, er, um, esophageal spasms? Ever heard of OTC Prilosec? Hope all goes spasm-free this year CUM. I wish these recruits would wake up and see that CUM runs at the first sight of indigestion. When he has a bad year on the field, my gosh, that will kill him. You big Baby.
Tokyo jacket
June 30th, 2010
11:25 pm
We run this country, don’t be a tard dude. We have some decent commits now, but UGA is blowing us out of the water. I think we have a legit shot at one for sure, maybe two of those cats. We’ll talk about comparing what we could get to what UGA already has when we get them.
JRW7
July 1st, 2010
12:31 am
TAMPA GATOR, Why dont you take your UF crap to a UF blog. WE are tired of hearing about UF from you. GO DOGS!!!!!
76-Dawg
July 1st, 2010
2:00 am
Chip, Only 85 athletic scholarships can be on a college football team. Can a college give out 10 academic scholarships to football player which would make 95 on scholarship of some kind . How many total players can be on a team whether on scholarship or not and can you give a scholarship to someone to run track and they play as a walk on with the football team ?
#2 Bama Fan
July 1st, 2010
3:22 am
If you want the gator fans to get off the recruiting blog try beating them in November?
Bulldog59
July 1st, 2010
7:51 am
Final thought: This looks pretty “targeted” to me. From recruitingplanet.com after the Junior Day at UF (which Murray attended)
Meyer wanted Murray, targeted and talked to him personally, FIRST on Junior Day (see below.) Murray made it known as early as possible in the recruiting process that he was a Dawg….. Meyer missed his target, accepted it and moved on, and so should the UF fans. Face it, every kid doesn’t want to be a gator.
Quote from recruitingplanet.com:
And while Murray, his family and Plant coach Robert Weiner waited in Florida coach Urban Meyer’s office for the rest of the underclassmen to arrive, the Florida coaches got some business out of the way before the campus tour began. It was in that setting that the Gators extended a scholarship offer to Murray.
They brought Murray in FIRST because Meyer wasn’t really interested in him? Stop with the Bill Clinton “word games” children.
The next time Urban calls you to tell you who he REALLY wants, let us know. You guys are falling for the “spin control” that ALL football teams use. When they miss a highly touted prospect, they say stuff like, he wasn’t really targeted, or we already have depth at that position so this was insurance, etc……
By the way, in years reviewing Rivals, Scout, etc. I’ve seen that they always list an assistant coach as the contact. Please show me where Mark Richt, Urban Meyer, or any other head coach has been listed as the recruiting contact.
Bulldog59
July 1st, 2010
7:59 am
Sorry one more:
This just in…..Urban Meyer didn’t personally target the SEC Title last year, so he didn’t REALLY want it! Alabama fans should feel so empty inside.
Paddy
July 1st, 2010
7:59 am
Alphare….college head coaches don’t consult Rivals and Scout or count stars. They make up their minds and go for it. Those services you mention are just for fun and the enrichment of their owners pocketbook.
Berry29
July 1st, 2010
8:07 am
(59) the biggest thing about Dooley getting the #1 punter
is to note WHEN he got him. Derek continues to go all over the United States (California) this late…to address a need for this team for this season. Very impressive …maybe even for your negative UT buddy.
And again, CDD has an impressive staff of recruiters and we’ll continue to play the early playing time card which also helped Kiffin in his short time here.
Bulldog59
July 1st, 2010
8:09 am
Alphare….adding to Paddy’s comment and more background on the “star system”…….with a solid senior season, the players ratings will change during the course of the year. A huge number of solid athletes are lumped into the “3-star” category going into their senior year. It’s simply a safe bet for these services, who as Paddy says, are there to make a buck.
The rest of us
July 1st, 2010
8:13 am
I’m sure if a recruit gets away from Urban Meyer this year they too will also be a “non-critical” recruit to the University of Florida. Case in point James Wilder Jr. to become a “non-critical” recruit if he decides he wants to run the ball in a pro set offense and not run parallel to the line catching shuffle passes. I still laugh thinking about “non-critical” recruit Orson Charles breaking the Sears trophy in Hogtown while on a official visit.
Bulldog59
July 1st, 2010
8:14 am
Berry29, I’m curious, as a UT fan, what do you think of DD’s recent statement that UT will focus recruiting in a 300 mile radius of K-ville? Obviously they will work recruits further away that show a genuine interest in UT, but they are focusing on Tennessee and surrounding states. Good or bad, what do you think?
As a outsider, I think it’s a smart plan. A newcomer targeting talent-rich areas. Being the new/unproven guy, if you spread too thin, you may get beat at every turn and come up close to empty.
Berry29
July 1st, 2010
8:27 am
I think it’s a fine plan. He will focus first on TN and GA and then move
to the other states to fill his needs. It really seems that the state of GA is going to be his main priority along with FL. We also have coaches with lots of connections in LA, AL, and even TX now which could help. Denarious Moore is one heck of a WR from TX and under Fulmer and CLK…we never seemed to try to recruit TX very much. I can see that changing.
Should be fun to watch recruiting over the next few months. We have a long list OL and DL that is the main focus and the luckily Richardson, Kerbyson, and Crowder are from TN and like the Vols.
JB
July 1st, 2010
8:35 am
test….
JB
July 1st, 2010
8:36 am
Ok, I haven’t been banned……..Just lost a long comment….dang.
JB
July 1st, 2010
8:39 am
UT knows the players are plentiful in Georgia…..I look for them to sign 10 so from the Peach State every year, 4 or 5 of whom the Dawgs wanted………….
Bulldog59
July 1st, 2010
8:47 am
JB, agreed, UGA simply can’t get them all. We currently have 16 scholarships available for 2011 (15 out of eligibility/seniors and we are 1 under the 85 limit.) We will get another 6 or 7 through attrition (injuries, transfers, etc.)
DD should be able to land a few good players from Georgia, as well as UT’s home turf. He’s off to a bit of a slow start for 2011, but that is to be expected I guess.
dawgster
July 1st, 2010
8:49 am
Lizardking, don’t neccessary disagree with your comments regarding Brantley or Murray, time will tell on both of them, but for the most part Brantley was in mop up duty after the games were well in had…So will agree that being in the system longer and with the game experience he does have puts him somewhat ahead of Murray. I think both players have intangables that will enable them to succeed at this level…The supporting cast around them will make the difference on how successful they are..Bulldog59, again very good post regarding Murray and the gators….