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'06 OH WR/TE Jeff Cumberland (Illinois signee)

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This thread isn't going anywhere besides in post counts...locked until something develops at the end of the year.

Update 1/9

BN$

Jeff says he is being recruited by Illinois, Minnesota, USC, MSU, WVU, and LSU. He says he is not sure if tOSU is still recruiting him and his latest cumulative GPA is a 2.45. He is waiting on SAT scores.

My take: Nothing has changed here. A 2.45 cumulative is not going to get him qualified unless he scores exceptionally well on the SAT. With a 2.45 CORE GPA, Jeff needs an 840 on the SAT. If his cumulative is 2.45, his Core is even lower in all probability.
 
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Rivals $

1/16/06

From the WVU site...Cumberland and teammate Mark Jackon visited WVU last weekend...and they both plan on signing with the same school. Jackson states that they both will be qualified, despite the fact they are only looking at school that accept partial-qualifiers.

I still don't think either will be qualified and will most likely end up either going the JUCO route or playing in the MAC...
 
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Illini have strong combination at tight end
COMMENTARY BY MARK TUPPER, DECATUR HERALD & REVIEW

CHAMPAIGN - Once upon a time, when word trickled out that the fastest University of Illinois football player was a tight end, it was a harsh indictment on the rest of the team's speed.

Nowadays, with coach Ron Zook bringing aboard the most intriguing collection of talented freshmen in years, it's a reason to rejoice.

I don't know whether Zook's fast-paced upgrade of the talent level will have a dramatic impact on the win-loss record this season, but there seems little question that Illinois' head coach is on the brink of eradicating a culture of losing.

And when someone says that freshman tight end Jeff Cumberland just might be the fastest player on the squad, it doesn't mean that wide receivers, cornerbacks and tailbacks are slower than Mike Tyson at a spelling bee.

It means that Cumberland is a special athlete, a track sprinter in a body that measures 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. That well-sculpted frame includes just six percent body fat, which is roughly the same as a car bumper.

Unlike most freshman, there's no question Cumberland will play this season. There's no alternative. He and fellow freshman Michael Hoomanawanui of Bloomington are the only realistic options on a roster that was left vacant when Melvin Bryant and J.R. Kraemer left the program in the off-season.

And while it's a bit scary to find any position manned solely by two true freshmen, coaches Zook and Mike Locksley (the offensive coordinator) believe they have two distinctively capable athletes who can get the job done.

''From what we've seen of them, with their size, strength and speed, we'll be just fine,'' Locksley said. ''It's just a matter of how quickly they pick up the offense. Our job as coaches is to minimize the number of things we ask of them. We need to find out what they can do and let them do it.''

Simply put, Cumberland can run like the wind. And Hoomanawanui can block and catch anything in his area code.

Cumberland is almost freakish in his ability to run.

''If he's not the fastest guy on the team, he's in the top five,'' Zook said. ''People are going to have a hard time covering him.''

Cumberland has recorded a time of 10.58 seconds at 100 meters while finishing fourth in the Ohio state high school outdoor championships. ''I don't think a linebacker can cover him,'' said Brit Miller, himself an Illini linebacker.

''He's the truth. When I played against him this summer, I found myself just grabbing for his shorts.''

Cumberland hails from Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Ohio, which begs the question: If he's so talented, why isn't he at Ohio State?

Fair question. He always assumed he go to Ohio State, living just a seven-minute drive from the Horseshoe. But Cumberland was a late academic qualifier and he bounced around within a volatile family life in a neighborhood filled with crime, danger and bad influences trying to lure others to the dark side.

''There were a lot of wild things going on,'' Cumberland said. ''It was a pretty tough neighborhood.

''At first they were trying to get me involved in that. Then they realized I was involved in football and basketball. They were coming to the games and watching on the news and they could see that I as the only one who was trying to make it.

''So they let me be. They gave me respect for trying to make a career out of it.''

Mostly, he was raised by his grandmother, Rosaline Cumberland.

What everyone could see was a rare athletic talent, a prep senior who made 25 catches for 801 yards, an average of 32 yards per catch. As a power forward on the basketball team, he averaged 15.4 points and set a school record with 76 dunks his senior year.

Cumberland wasn't thinking much about Illinois, but as schools waited on his test scores, Illinois invited him for a visit and he accepted.

''When I visited everything seemed cool,'' he said. ''The coaches seemed pretty cool and the players made me feel part of the team already. And I knew I had a chance to play as a freshman rather than redshirting or sitting behind someone else.''

That convinced Cumberland to pick Illinois.

Meanwhile, another tight end had already committed. That was Hoomanawanui, the 6-5, 260-pounder with fly paper hands.

When he played at Bloomington Central Catholic, friends called him, ''Ho,'' simply because his Hawaiian surname is so difficult for most to pronounce. But when he arrived at Illinois, Locksley quickly dubbed him, ''Uh-oh,'' which is now his nickname and has become part of a tattoo on his bicep.

The nickname ''Uh-oh'' is lettered inside a raging shark, which is the family protector.

Hoomanawanui's father, Isy, played football at Illinois State and made sure his Hawaiian heritage was passed along to his children. No wonder, then, that Hoomanawanui's favorite college team growing up was the University of Hawaii, which ended up recruiting him.

''But it didn't work out because they don't use a tight end in their offense,'' he said. ''I would have had to play defensive end.''

Instead, he discovered an instant liking for Zook and, like Cumberland, quickly felt a part of the Illini football family.

Now, he's growing his hair (''It's what Polynesian players do,'' he said), wearing a Hawaiian hat made from palm leaves and occasionally giving his teammates a thrill by slipping into his ''lava-lava,'' a skirt-like wrap common in the islands.

''They kid me about it,'' he laughs. ''They say, 'Uh-oh's wearing his skirt again.'''

What no one is laughing about is the quality of talent at the tight end position, despite the lack of experience.

Cumberland (uniform No. 17) and Hoomanawanui (uniform No. 16) have become close friends. They study their play books religiously and have pledged to make Zook proud by sharing time and success at the position.

Hoomanawanui impresses by snatching balls out of the air from every angle. And Cumberland opens eyes with his startling speed.

''I recruited Vernon Davis to Maryland,'' said Locksley, referring to the tight end who was the sixth overall pick in this summer's NFL draft. ''It's too early to say if he has that kind of talent. But athletically, I can say he'll be as athletic as any tight end who has ever been here.''

No one seems willing to dispute that. Paired with his buddy ''Uh-oh,'' they hope to become an invincible combination.

Mark Tupper can be reached at [email protected]
Click to expand...

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2006/08/09/sports/doc44da41a4ddcd7922241066.txt

8/9/2006

Cumberland thinking about hoops, too
Filed under: General— Mark Tupper @ 1:09 pm
Freshman tight end Jeff Cumberland was also an accomplished basketball player at Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Ohio, averaging 15.4 points and whipping down a school-record 76 dunks as a senior.

“I’m not sure he couldn’t help coach Weber,” Zook said last week at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago.

Then on Sunday, at Illinois’ football media day, Cumberland said he had already been across the street to watch the basketball players work ou. “I thought about joining the team,” he said. “Before, coach Zook told me if I relly wanted to do it, he would look into it and talk to the basketball coach and try to get me a tryout. I plan to do it, but later on in the season. I might be worn out and not want to do it that much. I’m going to wait.”

Translation: Cumberland was a very good high school basketball player, a 6-5 power forward with great hops. He still loves basketball and wonders if he could compete at this level. But these things rarely work out. For one thing, he was a late academic qualifier and my advice would be to spend any extra time making sure you’re solid academically. If that works out, then give it a thought. But the football-basketball-academics triple crown would be incredibly demanding.

I don’t expect to see Jeff Cumberland in an Illini basketball uniform, but I never really expected to see Walter Young in an Illini basketball uniform, either, and that happened.

Cumberland’s value to Illinois athletics is as a football player. It sounds like he may have a special future as a college and pro player. Wait until you see him run. Both West Virginia and Marshall talked to him about losing a little weight and becoming a wide receiver. Marshall could see him as Randy Moss. Illinois wants him to slowly gain a little weight and be a tight end who gives defenses coverage fits.
Click to expand...

http://www.herald-review.com/blogs/marktupper/?p=246
 
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Freshman infusion on way for Illini

By JOHN SUPINIE
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
Published Thursday, August 10, 2006

RANTOUL - Had his grades and schoolwork not been a question mark, freshman tight end Jeff Cumberland might have ended up at Ohio State University.

He grew up in a tough Columbus neighborhood just minutes away from the OSU campus, but there never was a scholarship offer despite his size and speed - the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder ran the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds to place fourth in Ohio's high school state track meet.
"When a building program gets a guy like Jeff Cumberland, there are other factors early,"' admitted Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley.
Illini freshman tight end Mike Hoomanawanui graduated from Bloomington Central Catholic, but his favorite team while growing up was Hawaii. The son of a native Hawaiian, Hoomanawanui's wardrobe includes a hat made of palm leaves and a Lava-lava - a sarong worn by Polynesians as a kilt or skirt.
Hoomanawanui was recruited by Hawaii to play defensive end rather than tight end, since the Rainbows don't have a tight end in their offense. He also didn't want to leave his mother, Anne, who lives in Normal.
"I guess you could say it's fate," Hoomanawanui said. "I never thought I'd end up at Illinois."
Whether it's fate, an act of God or good recruiting, Illinois (2-9 last season) needed the infusion of talent. When the Illini open the season against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 2, Cumberland, Hoo- manawanui or both will start in a lineup sprinkled with players who, as coach Ron Zook says, were riding yellow school buses last year.
There's no returner at tight end with any experience.
"There's no question in my mind those freshmen are as talented as you can possibly have at that position," Zook said. "But they're freshmen. We have to see how fast they can handle things.
"Everyone is going to grow to love these guys."
When Cumberland signed in February, "We didn't think he was going to make (grades) at first," Zook said.
Thanks to extra supervision from a guidance counselor and the coaching staff, Cumberland performed well enough to meet NCAA academic requirements and avoid Illinois' bridge program for high-risk students.
Cumberland and Zook agreed that it was good for the star athlete to get away from home. Cumberland lived with his mother and father before settling with his grandmother, Rosline Cumberland.
He avoided much of the trouble in his rough neighborhood.
"A lot of wild things go on," Cumberland said. "Then they realized I was focused on playing football and basketball. They saw, 'He was trying to make it out of the 'hood.' They let me alone."
Cumberland set a basketball school record at Brookhaven High with 76 dunks as a power forward last season, he said. A four-year member of the varsity, Cumberland planned to talk with Illinois basketball coaching staff.
"I think he's good enough to help coach (Bruce) Weber," Zook said. Before basketball season, Cumberland's speed will make an immediate impact with the Illini football team.
"There ain't many linebackers who can run with him," said Zook.
West Virginia and Marshall recruited Cumberland to play wide receiver. Cumberland and true freshman wide receiver Joe Morgan just might be the fastest players on the team.
"He'll be as athletic as any tight end that ever played here or any tight end who is playing Division I football," Locksley said.
In sports terminology, Cumberland is a freak, combining size with amazing speed.
Hoomanawanui's appearance changed since he left button-down Bloomington Central Catholic. He kept his hair cut short in high school, but it's beginning to grow long.
"It's a thing that Polynesian players do," Hoomanawanui said. "In high school, we had to be nicely groomed. In college, I'm letting it go free."
His hairstyle won't be as wild as Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. Hoomanawanui doesn't want a defender grabbing a handful of hair on a tackle.
Hoomanawanui celebrates his Hawaiian heritage. His father, Izy, left the islands to play at Illinois State. Hoomanwanui skipped a trip to Hawaii this summer to remain on campus and continue the preseason workouts.
But his father brought him back a hat made from palm leaves that Hoomanawanui cherishes. Hoomanawanui, nicknamed "Uh-oh" by his Illini teammates, has a tattoo on his right bicep of a shark.
"In Hawaii, you have family protectors," he said. "Mine is a shark."
Then there's the Lava-lava.
"I don't go out with it," he said. "I'll wear it in the locker room or back at the apartment. The guys will say, 'Why are you wearing a skirt?' It's not a skirt. It's a Lava-lava."
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Hoomanawanui has the bulk and is likely a better blocker than Cumberland, but Hoomanawanui also enjoyed his share of circus catches in high school.

NOTES: Hoomanawanui and wide receiver Kyle Hudson didn't practice Wednesday because of hamstring strains.
John Supinie can be reached at 377-1977 or [email protected].

Freshmen of Influence Here's a look at the freshmen who are expected to make an immediate impact with the Illinois football team:
MELVIN ALAEZE, DE, 6-2, 265 Baltimore (Randallstown). Getting in shape might be only hurdle.
TRAVON BELLAMY, DB, 6-0, 195 Greenbelt, Md. (Eleanor Roosevelt H.S.). Speedy safety already in first-string nickel formation.
JEFF CUMBERLAND, TE, 6-5, 240 Columbus, Ohio (Brookhaven). Ranked the No. 66 recruit nationally by ESPN.com.
VONTAE DAVIS, DB, 6-0, 184 Washington, D.C. (Dunbar). Expected starter. Brother Vernon was the sixth pick overall in NFL draft and signed for $23 million with 49ers.
CHRIS DUVALT, DB, 5-11, 159 Lakeland, Fla. (Lake Gibson). Provides depth at cornerback.
MICHAEL HOOMANAWANUI, TE, 6-5, 255 Bloomington (Central Catholic). First-team all-stater whose birthday is July 4.
CHRIS JAMES, WR, 6-0, 177 Chicago (Morgan Park). Grabbed 51 passes for 977 yards and 19 touchdowns as prep senior.
RAHKEEM SMITH, LB, 6-1, 220 Lombard (Willowbrook/Hargrave Military Academy). An option at middle linebacker after year in prep school.
JUICE WILLIAMS, QB, 6-2, 226 Chicago (Vocational). Talented runner-passer who likely will see playing time in opener.
 
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