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'05 OK G/C Craig Roark (Nebraska signee)

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sears3820

sears3820

Sitting around in my underwear....
According to Insiders Big 12 Recruiting Analyst Josh Clark, we have offered Ada, OK OL Craig Roark.

Roark is projected as one of the best center/guard prospects in the country.


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Coach's Comments: "Craig is just so wide that a lot of times in person he appears smaller than 6'3," said Head Coach Steve Dean. "Really, he is 6'3.5 and nearing 6'4 rapidly. He just such a thick butt and legs and is very lean at 290 pounds."

Scouting Report: A good guard/center prospect that has great mobility and reaches the second level effectively.

Currently has offers from SMU, Nebraska, Arizona, Baylor & Alabama along with ours. Other schools expressing interest include Missouri, Kansas State, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State & USC

He is already a full-qualifier too.
 
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http://scout.theinsiders.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&cfg=null&c=1&yr=2005&nid=1168590

http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=23914

good stuff- thanks for the update

here is something interesting I found in one of his updates- he was offered by USC and it looks like Petey is up to his old tricks

They said they want me as a center, and that they were likely going to play Jeff Byers at guard because of his ability to pull so well."
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I guess we can expect the jet next :biggrin:

a few other tidbits

bench press: 365 pounds
squat: 450 pound
vertical jump: 25-inch

CRAIGROARK3150.JPG
CRAIGROARK200.JPG
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Roark is definitely excited to learn more about us now as he and his family have already discussed taking an unofficial visit to Columbus this summer.

Bollman is very, very, very high on Roark judging from his comments on the newest Rivals update.

Nebraska looks to be our main competition with Roark right now.
 
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Rivals is reporting that LSU has now offered and Missouri has now surpassed Nebraska as his favorite. But as mentioned above he still plans on an unofficial to C-bus this summer. He hopes to have his list down to 5 by the end of the summer.

Max on Roark

The Craig Roark Story

March 30, 2004

OG Craig Roark (6-4, 285, 4.9) of Ada, Oklahoma joined the National Registry on March 17 and is one of the best offensive linemen that I have seen play this year. At least two major schools feel the same way, because they both have Roark rated near, if not at the top of their offensive guard recruiting boards.

He is simply one of the most dominating pulling linemen that I have seen this season or any other season. On film, he plays right guard and he pulls and knocks people down on both sides of the football field. He recorded an amazing 85 "Pancake Blocks" and graded-out with a 94% blocking grade as a junior, although he missed two games because of an illness.

I really like this kid on film and I have given him a Five Star Ranking, because I feel that he is one of the best pulling guards in the country and his upside potential is off of the recruiting scale. He really like Coach Bill Callahan and the Cornhuskers really like him. Oklahoma and Nebraska could be the early leaders.

Roark carries a great 3.85 GPA and he has scored a 23 on his ACT Test. He already has offers from Nebraska, Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M.
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Per latest Rivals Update....

When asked if he had a favorite, Roark said, “I’d probably say that Nebraska is still my favorite but I really liked Missouri as well when I went up there a couple of weekends ago.”

Nebraska is putting the full-court press on Roark as they sent hom 15-20 hand-written letters last week alone. He was very impressed they showed that level interest in the middle of their Spring practice week.

For some reason he's really enamored with Missouri calling them, "the total package." The Tigers are really trying to make Roark feel right home by having former Ada High and Missouri LB Barry Odom show him around campus.
 
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here some more info on the Nebraska "full court press" which will heat up this weekend- even Lemmonhead is helping out his buddy Callahan (nothing like remaining objective) :mad2:

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=38&u_sid=1067989

LINCOLN - High school football star Craig Roark is driving today from Ada, Okla., to Lincoln for Saturday's Nebraska spring game.

The 6-foot-3, 280-pound guard has received 11 scholarship offers, including one from the Huskers, who rank near the top of his favorites with Missouri and Oklahoma.

"One reason that I'm going to visit is because I get mail from them every day," Roark said. "Sometimes I get a pile of letters, and they're all from Nebraska - handwritten notes from all the coaches."

NU coaches invited many of their top targets to town this weekend for the Red-White game. About 70 to 100 are coming, said Tim Cassidy, NU's first-year associate athletic director for football.

All of the players are paying their own way. The NCAA does not permit schools to pay for recruiting trips until Sept. 1 of a prospect's senior year.

But while close to half the expected visitors attend Nebraska high schools, some visitors are traveling from as far as California and Florida.

The list of spring-game visitors to Lincoln is expected to include quarterbacks Kevin Lopina, the starter at national powerhouse De La Salle High of Concord, Calif., and top prospect Harrison Beck of Clearwater, Fla.

Some 50,000 fans and 80-degree temperatures are expected for the game, and Cassidy said the NU staff plans to make certain its recruits leave with a special impression of Nebraska.

"What an amazing opportunity we have," Cassidy said. "This is a chance for us to showcase what we believe to be the finest football venue in the country. And we're doing it in April."

Roark, the lineman from Oklahoma, has already met NU Head Coach Bill Callahan, Offensive Line Coach Dennis Wagner and Defensive Line Coach John Blake.

His itinerary Saturday includes a personal meeting with the coaches in the morning, followed by a prearranged interview with ESPN recruiting guru Tom Lemming and a postgame barbecue with some of the Huskers.

"I'm happy to look at a lot of schools early," Roark said, "but I may not make my decision until late. Then again, if I find the school I want, I'll go ahead and commit."

Nebraska has yet to receive a commitment for the class of 2005. Cassidy said the Huskers will also use this weekend to recruit participants for the football camps June 12 through 23. Historically, the NU camps produce a large number of commitments each year.

"We'd like it to stay that way," Cassidy said.

Despite the gamelike atmosphere expected Saturday, NU Recruiting Coordinator Scott Downing said the Huskers will treat the spring game setting with a bit less pressure than a recruiting weekend in the fall.

"The biggest thing is going to be the atmosphere around the game," Downing said. "You're going to be able to see a spring game that beats the energy of some other teams' real games. I hope they all look around and say, 'Wow, just imagine the enthusiasm in here in the fall.'

"There are a lot of young men out there saying to everybody that Nebraska's No. 1 on their lists. I guess we'll see this weekend if that's really the case."
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Lemming's interview

Craig Roark

One of the top offensive guard prospects in the nation is 6’3 290 pound Craig Roark from Ada, Oklahoma. Roark already has eleven offers including one that he just received from LSU. Craig is not gigantic in person, but he still seemed pretty large and also looked very athletic. On a side note, Roark came down with his brother Chad who is a sophomore in High school and will also be a big name prospect in a few years, Chad says eventually he wants to go wherever his brother goes so he has been taking some of the unofficial visits with him. It sounds like whoever gets Craig will be in good shape to land Chad as well. I had a chance to talk with Craig.

Q- Craig, you are considered one of the top guards in the nation in recruiting this year, what are your strengths that make you such a highly regarded prospect?

A- My biggest strengths are my quickness and my aggressiveness. With my quickness. I run a 4.5 shuttle, so I think that I am pretty quick for weighing 290.

Q-You just drove seven hours in the middle of the night to come up here for Nebraska’s spring game, what is it about Nebraska that has you so interested?

A-Probably the way the coaches have been treating me. I have been getting hand written letters from them every day. Along with that, the fact that Nebraska has such good tradition with Offensive Lineman makes it that much better for me.

Q- Where else are you looking out outside Nebraska?

A- Well I have 11 offers so far. Outside Nebraska, the schools that I am mainly looking and have offered are Missouri, Kansas State, Ohio State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Q- Wow! That’s a pretty impressive list. Growing up, who was your dream school?

A- I grew up an Oklahoma fan, but that is not necessarily where I want to go to college, I want to go wherever is the best fit for me and where I can make an impact. My real dream is to get to the NFL, so whatever school I think will help me get there is up there for me.

Q- What school has seemed like the best fit for you so far?

A- It’s really tough to say, right now, I would probably say that Nebraska seems like the best fit for me. But all those other schools I mentioned are in it too.

Tom Lemming’s Take:

Best Lineman in the state of Oklahoma and one of the better ones in the nation. Already has a ton of offers. Oklahoma is very close to offering him. Has most of the Big 10 and Big 12 chasing after him.
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Free Rivals article

FSU offers Roark

"I sent coach coach Lilly, the recruiting coordinator, my video and it had my e-mail address on it and he sent me an e-mail back saying that he was impressed with my video and that coach Heggins wanted me to call him," Roark said. "I called coach Heggins, the offensive line coach, and he offered me a scholarship. The next day coach Bowden called my head coach and told him that an offer is on the way."

With that phone call Florida State became the 13th school to offer the 6-foot-3, 280-pound guard a scholarship. Because that number will likely continue to grow, Roark plans on visiting several of his top schools this summer, including Florida State.

"I'm going there this summer for an unofficial," he said. "I'll check out the campus."

In addition to FSU, Roark plans on making several unofficial visits over the next few months including trips to LSU, Florida, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Roark is hopeful that his summer tour will help him narrow down his list. However, even at this early stage it appears that one team may lead the pack.

"I like Nebraska," Roark admitted. "They send me so much mail and gave so much attention that I like them a lot."

With over a dozen offers to his credit, and an impressive highlight video, you can bet that Roark will be one of the top rated guards when the position rankings come out this summer. In fact, one recruiting service already has him rated as the No. 1 guard in the country. So what is it about Roark that has college teams in hot pursuit?

"I'm consistent and I finish my blocks," Roark said. "Some people block pretty good for two or three yards, and then just stop, but I like finishing my blocks. I like getting them into the ground.... I play both ways but I like offense better than defense simply due to the fact that you can make somebody look stupid every play."

Roark is already qualified with a 3.8 GPA and a 23 on the ACT.
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"One reason that I'm going to visit is because I get mail from them every day," Roark said. "Sometimes I get a pile of letters, and they're all from Nebraska - handwritten notes from all the coaches."

Just wondering...has anyone ever heard this happening from the OSU staff? Sometimes I wonder if we are aggressive enough with these recruits.
 
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