Golden Recruiting Wire: Stefan McClure's stock rising

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July 28, 2010 | July 22, 2010 | July 15, 2010 | July 8, 2010

 

Tedford & Company

• Stefan McClure, CB Vista (Vista, CA) is heading to SDSU's practice then to Washington's first game of the season for an official visit [1].

  UCLA (whom McClure has visited four times) appears to be in a very strong position currently to land his signature, however. Washington (where McClure will take an official visit on September 11th) was also mentioned along with Boise St., Minnesota, Oregon St., and San Diego St. as teams McClure would be keeping a close eye on. However, then there are those East Coast schools jumping in the mix as well.
  
  "Florida started talking to me about a week before I headed to Gridiron Kings (which was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista). They would jump right in there (with an offer)," McClure explained of the recent developments that have arisen between himself and Florida.
  
  McClure noted that Florida was advised of his talents by former UF Director of Football Operations Troy Starr, who is currently working as the head coach at Helix High School in San Diego [2].

  Miami has offered McClure and has a very good chance to lead or be in his top 5 [3].

• Jordan Morgan, S Chandler (Chandler, AZ) named 10 players worth watching in AZ 5A football [4].

  Senior Jordan Morgan, a former Valley Christian standout and Republic Small Schools Player of the Year, has joined the ranks. Ewan was curious to see how Morgan would adapt to the speed of the 5A game since he was jumping all the way from 2A ball.
  
  "Ten, 15 minutes into his first practice with us he adjusted angles and everything, and he can run with our kids," Ewan said. "He's picking up what we're doing [5]."

  Morgan is withdrawing from Chandler High though. His pledge to Cal along w/ the scholarship offer still stands.

  Jordan Morgan lasted one week at Chandler High. He has withdrawn from classes and likely will play his final high school football season in the White Mountains, at either Show Low or Lakeside Blue Ridge.
  
  Bill Morgan, Jordan's father, said that it is an economic move and that Jordan is devastated that he has to leave behind close friends he made at Chandler.
  
  Bill's wife, Carla, unable to land a job with the Chandler school district, interviewed Monday for a job in the White Mountains, Bill said. Bill said they own property in the White Mountains and have support there. Their daughter will be a freshman in high school [6].

• Kasen Williams, WR Skyline (Sammamish, WA) named top 5 of Cal, Washington, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame [7]. He will make his final decision on August 27th.

  "That was a pretty hard list to make because I just came out with a list of 10 last month and now it was down to five pretty quick," Kasen Williams said. "It's kind of hard to be set with a good list of five but I think I have a good list ... Now you have a list of things you're looking for in schools in your top five, like who would be ahead of me at receiver and what quarterbacks are coming in. But I have no leader at this point [8]."

  "Those schools in the top five are schools that I liked the coaches a lot and I can see myself going there," Williams said. "Now it is more about what I want to major in -- business -- and what their business schools are like. Getting along with the players, if I can get a feel for that, what type of offense they run, what are their schemes and who are the quarterbacks and receivers in front of me [9]."

• Brendon Bigelow, RB Central East (Fresno, CA) and his Grizzlies are expected to compete w/ Cody Kessler's Centennial Golden Hawks in the upcoming football season.

  Bigelow made an early, nonbinding oral commitment to Washington, but don't take that one to the bank, Central coach Casey Quinn says.
  
  "Nothing against Washington, but he was green at the time he committed," Quinn says. "He's still exploring options, that's for sure."
  
  The list is long and impressive for one of the state's top sprinters in track and field -- Tennessee, Cal, Notre Dame, Oregon and USC.
  
  Says Quinn: "He's pretty dynamic, very athletic and explosive [10]."

  Bigelow has electric speed and probably the best lateral quickness in the state. He has an incredible array of juke moves, side steps and stutter steps and is able to momentarily freeze defenders in place then use his blazing speed to blow by them. Brendon does a great job of finding a running lane, even if it is only open for a moment, and attacking it. He is able to fit through lanes and spaces that most backs can't, as he adeptly uses his smaller frame and attacks defenses with reckless abandon.
  
  Brendon usually attacks a seam and looks for the first chance to break a run outside to the sideline. Once Brendon is able to get to the edge with space there is pretty much no stopping him as his breakaway speed is incredible. He runs with a nice, low center of gravity and keeps his shoulders square making him really hard to get a hold of and even harder to drag down to the ground. He has great vision and similar to Knowshon Moreno sees holes as they are developing, making it extremely difficult for defenses to react to the play [11].

• Ray Drew, DE Thomas County Central (Thomasville, GA) keeps the recruiting game going [12]. He also practiced w/ his Thomas County Central team for Midnight Madness until Sunday morning last weekend [13]. WCTV profiled Drew's Yellow Jackets [14].

  "A lot of people have been giving speculation about where I want to go. Some teams are still in it and some are not," Drew said. " I'll probably know before (Signing Day) but I just won't come out and say anything until then.
  
  "Coach asks me each week, 'Who's in your top five this week?' He says it changes every week. He asked me (Monday), 'Who's in your top five this week?' I said, 'All the west coast schools.'
  
  "It changes a good bit [15]."

• Devon Blackmon, ATH started as a Freshman QB and is now one of the highest sought-after recruits in the nation [16].

  USC coach Lane Kiffin and Washington coach Steve Sarkisian have both visited campus, and Blackmon hooked up for two hours on Skype with Alabama coach Nick Saban.
  
  "He's the best player in our league and in the San Bernardino area," Fontana Kaiser coach Phil Zelaya said. "When he has the ball in his hands, he can score no matter how many people you assign to cover him. He can truly change the game and that makes you worry about him and respect him."

  As a runner from the QB slot Devon is a bit of combination of Randle El and Vince Young. While Devon doesn't have VY's 6'5 frame he has a similar running style to the Titans quarterback. He runs with his shoulders square and looks for running lanes instead of just trying to get positive yardage. He possesses incredible lateral quickness and uses this quickness to bob and weave away from defenders and can change directions effortlessly. Like Young, Devon isn't afraid of a hit and doesn't shy away from contact. He can even break tackles.
  
  As a receiver Blackmon displays a great ability to get into his cuts. He is a very strong route runner who does a good job of getting separation from his man and getting into open space. Once in open space with the ball Blackmon simply finds holes. He is extremely elusive and never seems to slow down as he's running even when he is changing directions. Defenders often have trouble even getting a hand on Devon and once he fills out his frame more he will be an absolute beast in the open field [17].

• Cyrus Hobbi, OT Saguaro (Scottsdale, AZ) offered by USC [18]. Sounds like Kiffin dropped the ball w/ Hobbi [19]

• Jordan Rigsbee, OT Pleasant Valley (Chico, CA) interviewed at NFTC Stanford [20]. He wants to improve his pass-block skills.
  

• Amir Carlisle, RB The King's Academy (Sunnyvale, CA) scouting notes from Gridiron Kings. [21].

  He was poised for a monster tournament, before suffering a concussion late in the first game against the eventual champion Southeast squad. Carlisle went up high over two defenders to make a catch, but came crashing down on his head and was lost for the day. He had already caught a short curl route and burst down the sideline, outrunning three SE defenders for a 60-yard touchdown and his quickness, hands and route running out of the backfield were tops in the tournament [22].

• Miles Shuler, ATH Long Branch (Long Branch, NJ) possesses a 41.6" vertical leap from his NFTC Philly interview [23].

• DeAnthony Arnett, WR Saginaw (Saginaw, MI) recruited by Justice Hayes to commit to Brian Kelly and Notre Dame [24]. He has visited Iowa and Tenn and set up official visits to USC, Cal, Tenn [25].
  

• Colt Lyerla, ATH Hillsboro (Hillsboro, OR) profiled [26].

  Compared to the high school version of Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher when he was a senior at the University of New Mexico, Lyerla could escel at multiple spots on the field, although Every said he could use reps at tight end and defensive end to improve his mental part of the game.
  
  However, his ability to quickly change direction and solid set of hands and balance gives him a leg up on the competition. The fourth-ranked outside linebacker in the nation, according to Scout.com, has offers from 11 schools, including eight from the soon-to-be Pac-12.

• Brennan Scarlett, DE/TE Central Catholic (Portland, OR) visited Cal, USC, UCLA, Stanford unofficially.

  Of the schools he unofficially visited in California, Scarlett noted the "ridiculous" campus of Stanford as a plus along with the familylike atmosphere that Cal's football team offers and the winning tradition and competitiveness offered by USC [27].

  In May, Scarlett reportedly had 18 offers from some of the most prominent Division-I programs in the nation. On July 30, however, he returned from visits to Stanford, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley without narrowing down his list of possible destinations.
  
  Although Scarlett tore his ACL in the Rams' final game in 2009, a 50-14 loss to Grant High School in the second round of the 6A playoffs, he is cleared to return to action and ready for a breakout season [28].

• Todd Barr, DT Lakewood (Lakewood, CA) profiled [29].

  Barr is an incredibly sound fundamentally. He does a great job of squaring his shoulders and getting in perfect position before the ball is snapped and has a tremendous burst off the ball. He gets so low and is so balanced that he gets all his power and momentum behind him and steamrolls over his man trying to block him. Barr is excellent at determining in game what his man's weaknesses are and using different methods to exploit them.
  
  If his man is undersized Barr will attack him face on, overpowering him and using his arms to literally shove his guy aside. If Todd is matched up against a clearly slower man he uses his lateral quickness and agility to get around his man and has a great swim move. Even when Todd can't get into the backfield to disrupt a run he does a great job moving off his block and bringing a back down, preventing him from getting to the second level.

• (From left) James Grant, S, Viliama Moala, Shaquille Thompson, ATH {2012} Grant Union (Sacramento, CA) named to preseason All Sacramento-San Joaquin Section Football Team [30].

• (From left) Daniel Lasco, RB The Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX), Charles Jackson, CB Klein Collins (Spring, TX) named to preseason All-Greater Houston High School Football Team [31]

• Avery Walls, S Union Grove (McDonough, GA) transferred from Union Grove to Eagles Landing Christian Academy before the beginning of his Senior season [32].

  After a family move and the desire for a Christian-based education, Walls, a highly-recruited Division I safety, enrolled this summer at Eagle's Landing Christian Academy.

  Among those schools which still have a chance to land Walls are Stanford, Cal, UCLA, Virginia, Michigan and Michigan State [33].

• George Atkinson III, ATH Granada (Livermore, CA) was blown away by his visit to Tuscaloosa.

  George says that Alabama will be hard to top.
  
  "The visit helped Alabama's chances. Definitely, it helped," he says. "I don't know how this visit couldn't have helped. Of all the schools, I feel most comfortable at Alabama. I just love it here. It's cool.
  
  "Oregon, Tennessee, Cal, Notre Dame and some other schools are on my list, but after this visit, it's going to be hard to find a better school than Alabama. Coach Saban really impressed my dad. He was preaching about doing the right things and morals and things like that. My dad really liked what he was hearing. My dad thought everything was good [34]."

  From Josh -

  "Coach Saban taught me a lot at cornerback. He showed me all the coverages they use and how they prepare for the NFL. Most of their guys are in the NFL because they leave Alabama prepared to play in the pros. I was really impressed with that.
  
  "They said that they want to see how I do this season. They're definitely interested. They said they were very impressed with me at the camp. They just want to see me play."
  
  Josh says he'd like to play in college with his brother.
  
  "That's always a possibility," he says. "But we're going to choose our schools individually. We'll see what happens, but if Bama offers me, it'll be hard not to take it [35]."

• Mustafa Jalil, DT Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, CA) earns pre-season All-San Diego Section Team honors [36].

• Jesse Hayes, DE Moeller (Cincinnati, OH) has top 4 of Cincinnati, Florida State, Nebraska, Wisconsin [37]. Cal eliminated.

• Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE Gig Harbor (Gig Harbor, CA) down to Texas, Washington, Florida [38]. He will decide on Aug. 16th. Cal eliminated.

 

Montgomery's Crew

• Norvel Pelle, PF 6-8/180 Price (Compton, CA) compared to Amar'e Stoudemire.
  

  There are certain things a player does that are so impressive that even a writer schmo can't help but notice. That happened frequently while I watched Norvel Pelle, a 6-8 jumping jack from Los Angeles. Pelle plays for the Compton Magic and when he wasn't skywalking for ridiculous blocks he was finishing thunderously on the break. He looked to me like a young Amar'e Stoudemire. I had not been alerted about Pelle, and after a few exchanges I asked a prominent head coach who he was. "That's the biggest freak in the class," he said. Seems to me Pelle is better than the No. 55 overall ranking that Scout.com gave him, but we all know the rankings don't mean much anyway. [39].

  Pelle has not met the expectations that were bestowed upon him as a rising sophomore. Considering his immense physical abilities he should be one of the elite prospects around the country, but the effort level (desire) and skill development have been non-existent. In all fairness he hasn't really played consistently during the regular season since his sophomore season-had to sit out during junior season due to a transfer rule. However, despite the lack of fundamental and skill development, he is the most potent shot blocker on the west coast. He has remarkable timing and is the bounciest big man in the west. For him to be an impact recruit at the next level, he needs to show a glimmer of desire to be dominant and gain strength so he can at least rebound in traffic and finish as well. His upside is immense, but he will be one of the more intriguing prospects to watch this summer [40].

• Kyle Wiltjer, PF 6-9/225 Jesuit (Portland, OR) is considering Washington, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, Wake Forest and Texas [41]. He won't be narrowing down schools until after the Double Pump Best of the Summer Classic Tournament. Wiltjer is also representing Canada for the Nike Global Challenge Basketball Tournament this weekend at Liberty High in Portland [42]

  Another intriguing player on the Soldiers was Kyle Wiltjer, a baby-faced, 6-9 forward from Portland who is choosing between Kansas and Gonzaga, among others. Wiltjer is sneaky athletic, and from what I saw he can really stroke it. Rivals.com has him ranked 22nd in the senior class [43].

  Wiltjer is a skilled, mobile and active power forward. He runs well and has excellent hands. He could make a living as a face up post in pick and pop situations. Wiltjer can hit the open three off the catch and beat a less mobile post off the dribble. He has excellent touch and feel around the basket as well where he can finish with either hand. He is a good not great athlete and rebounds in his area with his great length on both ends of the floor. He has an excellent basketball IQ and makes good decision with the ball. Wiltjer strength is his ability to stretch the defense with his skill and he must be identified if a team dares to play zone. He must add strength in order to be more affective against big bodies but his upside is tremendous [44].

• Juan Anderson, SF 6-6/200 Castro Valley (Castro Valley, CA) generating interest from Western Kentucky. He's waiting until the last AAU Tournament to finish before narrowing down his list.

  "He's a very versatile player who (currently) plays anywhere from the one through the four," Young [Raymond, Anderson's AAU coach] told the Daily News earlier this week. "He can play either guard spot or on the wing, and for AAU basketball even the four.
  
  "The strong points in his games right now are driving to the basket, rebounding and finishing at the rim. One thing with him right now though is that he's starting to wear down after a lot of these games that we've played this summer, so he really will have to get into the weight room and get stronger. He'll have to work on his shot a little more as well, but he is a pretty strong jump shooter and really a great defender [45]."

• Jabari Brown, SG 6-3/205 Oakland (Oakland, CA) profiled [46]. Oregon offered Brown and he would like to play with his cousin Juan Anderson [47].

  Brown has everything you want in a shooting guard. Great size, strength, toughness and skill. He runs the outside lane in transition and can finish above the rim with flare or spot up and knock down the open three before the defense can recover. Brown is one of the top shooter/scorers in the 2011 class. He can hit deep jumpers from ball reversal or coming off screens. Brown can also get his own shot. His mid range pull up is smooth and he has great elevation. He is strong enough to score through contact as well. His first step is great and he blows by out of control closeouts with ease. He can rebound in a crowd and lead the break because of his ability to handle the ball in traffic. Brown can also defend both wing positions. Brown competes on both ends of the floor and is fun to watch go on a scoring flurry.

 

People's Park Stories

• Zach Kline, QB San Ramon Valley (Danville, CA) {2012} impressed recruitniks at Elite 11 Camp [48]

  In addition to the 12 incoming high school seniors who are the focus of the annual Elite 11 event, there also are normally four to six juniors who come to the camp each year to serve as ball boys.
  
  Possibly the best of that group and clearly stamping himself as one of the top junior quarterbacks in the nation was Zach Kline from San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.).
  
  Kline is a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder who rifled the ball on the 20-yard out patterns as well as anyone.
  
  "I think this is going to be great for me for this season," Kline said about being at the camp. "It will further my ability to find receivers. Also, if I can help get some scouts at some of the games, it won't help just me to get a scholarship but might help other guys achieve their dream of playing college football."
  
  Kline was a backup as a sophomore behind senior Chris Comes last season and figures to be the linchpin of a team that went 6-5 and hopes to get past the opening round of the CIF North Coast Section Div. I playoffs.
  
  "If we can cut down on penalties and execute, I feel we can play with anybody, even De La Salle," said Kline. "It's going to be a good year, going to be sweet."

• USC OLB Glen Stanley (JC Transfer) is transferring to Florida State [49].

• Rahim Cassell, LB Lakewood (Lakewood, CA) won't be committing to Florida [$50]. He holds a Cal scholarship offer.

  Cassell injured his foot at Florida's Friday Night Lights prior to Gridiron Kings and was never at full speed during the tournament. He's still a very aggressive and instinctual defender who plays with an edge to him. He's a tough kid and plays all out on every play with a lot of energy. When healthy, Cassell has excellent speed and plays sideline to sideline. Was a one time Florida commit but is now open and will likely play close to home.

• Josh Atkinson, CB Granada (Livermore, CA) compared himself to Nnamdi Asomugha at NFTC Stanford [51].

• James Wilder Jr., ATH Plant (Tampa, FL) profiled [52]. His recruiting saga continues, supposedly favoring Florida State over Florida. Wilder Jr. isn't declaring with his Plant teammates Phillip Ely and Tony Posada [53]. Is he serious about coming out West to visit Cal?

• Powerade Fab 50 ESPN RISE Football Rankings is available [54][55].

  4. Grant (Sacramento, Calif.)
  Last Season's Record: 12-1, CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II runner-up
  Top Players: OL-DL Viliami Moala (6-3, 335, Sr.); RB-DB Shaq Thompson (6-1, 175, Jr.); OL-LB Darryl Paulo (6-2, 240, Sr.)
  Outlook: Defensively, the Pacers have a chance to establish themselves as one of the best in California history. Nine starters are back from a unit that had 78 sacks and eight shutouts. Five of those players are major college prospects. The schedule will be tougher, however, so those defensive totals may not be duplicated.
  
  5. Butler (Matthews, N.C.)
  Last Season’s Record: 15-0, Class 4AA state champion
  Top Players: QB Christian LeMay (6-3, 195, Sr.); LB Kris Frost (6-2, 205, Sr.); RB Deion Walker (5-10, 190, Sr.).
  Outlook: LeMay’s status for the first few games due to a disciplinary situation was unknown at press time. He passed for 3,291 yards and 44 TDs last season and led the team to a perfect season. If he misses significant time, backup Riley Ferguson (6-1, 180, Soph.), who already has college offers, has the ability to step in. If the Bulldogs played a stronger schedule, they’d be more of a threat for a final No. 1 ranking.
  
  7. Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio)
  Last Season’s Record: 13-2, Division I state runner-up
  Top Players: QB Cardale Jones (6-5, 210, Sr.), WR/RB/KR Shane Wynn (5-6, 160, Sr.), OL Aundrey Walker (6-5, 340, Sr.) [Frank Clark, WR has a scholarship offer from Cal.]
  Outlook: Will this be the year that the Tarblooders capture a state title? Glenville returns a stable of talent from a team that came within a point of the 2009 brass ring. Linebacker Andre Sturdivant (6-3, 205, Sr.) is back on defense and is another major Division I recruit with Jones, Wynn and Walker. An early-season test against FAB 50 No. 14 Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) will be a good gauge to see if Glenville is ready to take the next step.
  
  34. Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
  Last Season’s Record: 15-0, CIF Division III state champion
  Top Players: WR George Farmer (6-2, 200, Sr.); QB Conner Preston (6-2, 185, Sr.); DB Marqise Lee (6-1, 180, Sr.)
  Outlook: Even with All-American Robert Woods now at USC, the Cavaliers could still be better than last year. Other teams in California, though, are playing tougher schedules.
  
  49. Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
  Last Season’s Record: 12-2, Class 4A state champion
  Top Players: WR Kasen Williams (6-1, 200, Sr.); DE Connor Cree (6-5, 225, Sr.); DB Michael Ford (5-8, 160, Sr.)
  Outlook: The Spartans have to be considered the team to beat in Washington until beaten. Although quarterback Jake Heaps is gone, they return the state's best player (Williams) and they have won three straight state titles.