CSNbbs

Commitment No. 6 is posted on Scout.com for anyone has has access to premium info on Scout. It's a nice pick up for the Rockets.

I was just about to post this. I think he's ranked second in his state.

RocketJeff Wrote:I was just about to post this. I think he's ranked second in his state.

By position, according to one recruiting site.(He plays two positions.)

I'm wondering how many scholarships we have to offer and if APR effects us this year.

We probably won't sign 25 players (total initials alloted each year), not because of the APR, but just because of only have 13 seniors on the 2007 team and having a good possibility of a couple of ineligible players from last year's recruiting class get eligible and be on scholarship next fall.

the 6'2 230lb TE with the 5.00 40? there must be something im missing here. nothing about that stands out to me, even if the kid switches to dline.

Maybe he NEVER drops a pass!!!

BTW - what's the deal with Jerome Jones? Will he ever play at UT?

MotoRocket Wrote:BTW - what's the deal with Jerome Jones? Will he ever play at UT?

Sure. Next fall.

RocketBandMan Wrote:the 6'2 230lb TE with the 5.00 40? there must be something im missing here. nothing about that stands out to me, even if the kid switches to dline.

The guy is more like 6'4" 230 lbs.He was All-Combine @the Scout Combine in Chicago.I seen him rated as the #2 TE in Michigan behind Hoover the #19 TE in the country.Most of his combine #'s were better than 3 star DE Rickey Spratt.The 5.0 /40 was a combine time that if you look at other times they were slow(probably accurate for a change). Rivals reports his time as 4.85/40,a 305 lbs bench,a good shuttle time.He also carries a 3.3 GPA.The guy has long levers and a frame that can carry more weight.He had a number of SEC schools interested in him.

MotoRocket Wrote:BTW - what's the deal with Jerome Jones? Will he ever play at UT?

The clearinghouse took a long time to finally clear him this fall. Since he had already missed several games, the staff decided to redshirt him. He will be a redshirt freshman for us next year and should see some decent playing time.

jerome jones could be lethal in the red zone if he is eligible.

RocketBandMan Wrote:jerome jones could be lethal in the red zone if he is eligible.

And therein lies the rub. Hopefully he is working hard at his studies. He appears to have a lot of potential, but academics have been an issue for him.

Well he was academically eligible this fall. It's just too bad it took half of the season for the clearinghouse to declare so.

rocketfootball Wrote:Well he was academically eligible this fall. It's just too bad it took half of the season for the clearinghouse to declare so.

right, but he has to STAY eligible.

at frist glance, this class is not looking too hot to me

tons of great talent in Ohio and western PA this year and we aren't getting much of it

as I look at other MAC schools right now in both committments and "pipeline" recruits with serious interest in their program, UT would be ranking near the bottom right now

The Blade should be happy; their lynch mod articles of half-truths coupled with the Rockets going 5-7 the past two years may cripple the recruiting process this year.

We are going after some great talent and some of them are still very seriously considering Toledo. There is a defensive player visiting Toledo in January that has offers from LSU, Miami Fl, and Mississippi State. There is an offensive player visiting Toledo in January that has several BCS offers and have or will visit Rutgers, Michigan State, and Mississippi State. These are just two examples. If we land a couple of these guys people will be saying "Wow! What a great class we got this year!"


There is still nearly 2 months till signing day. A lot can happen.

i agree with rocketfootball. the recruiting class this year is on par with those of recent years. we seem to be hitting michigan a little harder than usual.

Let me pose a question - if you were a high school senior and stud football player, would Tom Amstutz give you the necessary influence to head to UT vs. say, Ball State or CMU or WMU?? It's all about commitment and sacrifice in D-! football. And we have a coach whol just could not commit to losing some weight....How do you think the players look at that...?

Mark Mangino hasn't had any problems recruiting at Kansas and he is bigger than Amstutz.

Most kids we are recruiting probably don't even know that Amstutz was trying to lose weight a year and a half ago.


Me personally, I would look at things like 2 MAC Championships, 4 West Division Titles, 4 bowl appearances since 2001. I would also look at Chester Taylor, Nick Kaczur, Lance Moore, Bruce Gradkowski, and the attention that Brett Kern, Barry Church, and John Greco receive. Then I would look at things like the Savage Hall and new Athletics Complex, a new indoor practice facility for 2009, and new turf in the Glass Bowl for next fall. Finally I would look at this:

2008 at Arizona and at Michigan, vs Fresno State. 2009 vs Ohio State at CBS, vs Boise State, at Purdue and at Florida Int (trip to sunny Florida). 2010 vs Arizona, and at Purdue and Boise State. 2011 at Ohio State and Syracuse. I would think that's a heck of an OOC schedule for my four years.

Finally, I would be looking for a coach that is going to stand by me and help me in all aspects of life (not just football) if I start to go astray or need guidance.