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Barron Collier quarterback Clements reinstated
By Jason A. Dixon (Contact)
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Barron Collier?s senior quarterback Matt Clements spent the majority of Wednesday?s practice on one knee watching as his teammates prepared for Friday?s game against Naples High.
Clements, who returned to practice with the Cougars for the first time since leaving the team on Sept. 25, never enjoyed being on the sidelines so much.
?Just to be out there and just smell the grass and be around the guys, it was a good feeling,? he said.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Clements started in Barron?s first five games of the season, throwing for 341 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He led the Cougars to a 3-2 record.
Barron (3-3, 1-1) lost to Cypress Lake last Friday, 29-20, a game in which Clements watched from the stands.
Cougars coach Billy Sparacio suspended Clements and teammate John Casselberry for last Monday?s practice after Clements left during school to talk Casselberry out of leaving the team.
Sparacio was told that both had a doctor?s appointment by Clements? mom. Clements and Casselberry, who hasn?t returned to the team, cleaned out their lockers later that day after Sparacio and Clements? mom ?exchanged words? when she tried to explain the situation.
Clements, Sparacio and Barron athletic director Joe Kemper met with one another earlier on Wednesday.
Photo by David Ahntholz / Daily News
Barron Collier High School quarterback Matt Clements runs on a quarterback keeper play during the first quarter of the game against Estero at Barron Collier High School on August 18.
Kemper declined to talk about what was discussed. He felt that the return of Clements to the team would?ve been unlikely without the meeting and said the decision was made with Clements? best interest in mind.
Clements said he wanted to have the meeting to show that he was dedicated to the team.
?If we didn?t have a meeting I would?ve tried to push to have one,? Clements said. ?I?m just thankful that we did and I got an opportunity to get out there and practice.?
About 20 minutes before Wednesday?s practice, Clements said he told the team he would be coming back and apologized for not being able to play against Cypress Lake.
Sparacio said he and Clements had an opportunity to communicate about the entire situation at the meeting, and hopes that Clements learned from everything that took place.
?Barron Collier football stands for helping boys become better men,? Sparacio said. ?People make mistakes and there?s a consequence. ... If that would be it, then a lot of kids who make mistakes would not be able to be a part of what?s going on. That?s what we want to be able to do, is help people.?
Even though the reception for Clements was a positive one, Sparacio feels like it will take time for things to get back to normal.
Sparacio is still undecided on whether or not Clements will play Friday at Naples, but he said that Clements will dress.
During Wednesday?s practice Clements was also seen lining up at receiver. He led the area with 50 catches for 726 yards and eight touchdowns in 2005 and is being recruited to play receiver in college.
Pittsburgh, West Virginia and South Carolina are currently the three top choices for Clements, whose heart is still in finishing his high school career at quarterback.
?I?m a natural leader,? he said, ?and I think that?s the position where you have to show the most leadership and I think I?m the right guy for that, but wherever Coach wants to put me or wherever I can best help the team, I?m willing to go.
?If that means going to wide receiver, then it means going to wide receiver. If it means playing nose guard, I?ll play nose guard.?
Barron Collier quarterback Clements reinstated
By Jason A. Dixon (Contact)
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Barron Collier?s senior quarterback Matt Clements spent the majority of Wednesday?s practice on one knee watching as his teammates prepared for Friday?s game against Naples High.
Clements, who returned to practice with the Cougars for the first time since leaving the team on Sept. 25, never enjoyed being on the sidelines so much.
?Just to be out there and just smell the grass and be around the guys, it was a good feeling,? he said.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Clements started in Barron?s first five games of the season, throwing for 341 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He led the Cougars to a 3-2 record.
Barron (3-3, 1-1) lost to Cypress Lake last Friday, 29-20, a game in which Clements watched from the stands.
Cougars coach Billy Sparacio suspended Clements and teammate John Casselberry for last Monday?s practice after Clements left during school to talk Casselberry out of leaving the team.
Sparacio was told that both had a doctor?s appointment by Clements? mom. Clements and Casselberry, who hasn?t returned to the team, cleaned out their lockers later that day after Sparacio and Clements? mom ?exchanged words? when she tried to explain the situation.
Clements, Sparacio and Barron athletic director Joe Kemper met with one another earlier on Wednesday.
Photo by David Ahntholz / Daily NewsBarron Collier High School quarterback Matt Clements runs on a quarterback keeper play during the first quarter of the game against Estero at Barron Collier High School on August 18.
Kemper declined to talk about what was discussed. He felt that the return of Clements to the team would?ve been unlikely without the meeting and said the decision was made with Clements? best interest in mind.
Clements said he wanted to have the meeting to show that he was dedicated to the team.
?If we didn?t have a meeting I would?ve tried to push to have one,? Clements said. ?I?m just thankful that we did and I got an opportunity to get out there and practice.?
About 20 minutes before Wednesday?s practice, Clements said he told the team he would be coming back and apologized for not being able to play against Cypress Lake.
Sparacio said he and Clements had an opportunity to communicate about the entire situation at the meeting, and hopes that Clements learned from everything that took place.
?Barron Collier football stands for helping boys become better men,? Sparacio said. ?People make mistakes and there?s a consequence. ... If that would be it, then a lot of kids who make mistakes would not be able to be a part of what?s going on. That?s what we want to be able to do, is help people.?
Even though the reception for Clements was a positive one, Sparacio feels like it will take time for things to get back to normal.
Sparacio is still undecided on whether or not Clements will play Friday at Naples, but he said that Clements will dress.
During Wednesday?s practice Clements was also seen lining up at receiver. He led the area with 50 catches for 726 yards and eight touchdowns in 2005 and is being recruited to play receiver in college.
Pittsburgh, West Virginia and South Carolina are currently the three top choices for Clements, whose heart is still in finishing his high school career at quarterback.
?I?m a natural leader,? he said, ?and I think that?s the position where you have to show the most leadership and I think I?m the right guy for that, but wherever Coach wants to put me or wherever I can best help the team, I?m willing to go.
?If that means going to wide receiver, then it means going to wide receiver. If it means playing nose guard, I?ll play nose guard.?
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GoUpState
October 17, 2006
Clements Set For USC Visit
By Phil Kornblut
WR Matt Clements (6-1 185) of Naples, FL is scheduled for his official visit to USC for the Tennessee game and he said Tuesday night that visit is a go. Clements made an official visit to Pittsburgh in early September and will set a date with West Virginia for January. He is down to those three. "They are all recruiting about the same," he said. "They are all saying they want me pretty bad. I don't have a favorite. I'll see how the visits go." Clements said he hears regularly from Gamecock recruiters Robert Gillespie and Steve Spurrier Jr. Clements played the first four games of the season at quarterback then missed the next two games after a dispute with his coach. He has played receiver since returning to the team.
October 17, 2006
Clements Set For USC Visit
By Phil Kornblut
WR Matt Clements (6-1 185) of Naples, FL is scheduled for his official visit to USC for the Tennessee game and he said Tuesday night that visit is a go. Clements made an official visit to Pittsburgh in early September and will set a date with West Virginia for January. He is down to those three. "They are all recruiting about the same," he said. "They are all saying they want me pretty bad. I don't have a favorite. I'll see how the visits go." Clements said he hears regularly from Gamecock recruiters Robert Gillespie and Steve Spurrier Jr. Clements played the first four games of the season at quarterback then missed the next two games after a dispute with his coach. He has played receiver since returning to the team.
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GoUpState
USC Visit Has Clements Thinking Verbal
By Phil Kornblut
WR Matt Clements (6-1 185) of Naples, FL returned home late Sunday night from his official visit to USC, and he says he could be a Gamecock commitment within a few days. "It's possible I could be committed by the end of this week," Clements said. "It's 50-50 I'll do something this week. That could change later on but right now it's 50-50. I can see myself playing there. I'll talk to my parents a little bit and see what they think. I liked everything that I saw. Everything went well. I talked to coach Spurrier on a couple of occassions. I met with him briefly Saturday and today I talked to him in his office. He told me a little about South Carolina football and the things he's trying to do." Clements also has visited Pittsburgh and has a visit scheduled to West Virginia January 13th. He said he probably wouldn't take that last visit if he commits to USC.
USC Visit Has Clements Thinking Verbal
By Phil Kornblut
WR Matt Clements (6-1 185) of Naples, FL returned home late Sunday night from his official visit to USC, and he says he could be a Gamecock commitment within a few days. "It's possible I could be committed by the end of this week," Clements said. "It's 50-50 I'll do something this week. That could change later on but right now it's 50-50. I can see myself playing there. I'll talk to my parents a little bit and see what they think. I liked everything that I saw. Everything went well. I talked to coach Spurrier on a couple of occassions. I met with him briefly Saturday and today I talked to him in his office. He told me a little about South Carolina football and the things he's trying to do." Clements also has visited Pittsburgh and has a visit scheduled to West Virginia January 13th. He said he probably wouldn't take that last visit if he commits to USC.
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BC's Clements says he'll play for Spurrier
By Jason A. Dixon (Contact)
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Barron Collier senior Matt Clements verbally committed to continue his football career at the University of South Carolina on Tuesday, according to Rivals.com.
Clements, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound receiver, is ranked No. 43 on the Rivals.com Top 100 Florida prospect list and No. 35 nationally at his position. He chose the Gamecocks over Auburn, Ohio State, Virginia and West Virginia, Rivals.com reported. During an interview last month, Clements said he was also considering the University of Pittsburgh.
"I just realized South Carolina was the right place for me," he said in an interview with Rivals.com, "and there was no sense in waiting any longer. I've felt that way for a long time, and the official visit just confirmed everything for me."
Clements could not be reached for comment by the Daily News.
After leading the area with 50 catches, 726 yards and six touchdowns in 2005, Clements was moved to quarterback this season. He led the Cougars to a 3-2 record in his first five starts, throwing for 349 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Clements missed the following week's game against Cypress Lake on Sept. 29, when he left the team after feeling "unwelcomed." Four days earlier, Clements and a teammate were suspended from practice when Barron head coach Billy Sparacio found out the two left school earlier in the day.
Clements returned to the team on Oct. 5, but did not play in the next game, a 24-17 loss to Naples. He finished the final three games at receiver, catching 13 passes for 92 yards and rushing for 164 yards. Barron ended the season at 5-5 and 3-2 in the district, following last week's loss to Lehigh. The loss eliminated the Cougars from playoff contention.
Sparacio said he found out Clements verbally committed to South Carolina from one of the students at school on Tuesday. Sparacio added that he didn't get a chance to see Clements at school to talk about the decision.
"I think that's awesome for Matt," Sparacio said. "That's a great situation to play college ball in the SEC. No what the circumstances or what the past was, I mean, I'm just happy for a kid to have a chance to do that."
J.C. Shurburtt, the National Recruiting Editor for Rivals.com, said Clements' speed, long frame and athleticism made him a target for South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.
Shurburtt is also the Southeastern Recruiting Analyst who compiles the list of high school football prospects for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and South Carolina. He said Clements will fit into Spurrier's Fun 'N' Gun offense.
"He's the type of receiver that can develop into a big-play threat," Shurbutt said. "I think what the goal is at South Carolina is to get guys like Matt and create mismatch situations with them. Once you develop a guy that kind of has that raw athletic talent ... and you put him up against a guy that has, maybe, less ability, it'll become kind of a match-up nightmare."
One of the reasons Shurburtt feels that Clements chose South Carolina is because of receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. and recruiter Robert Gillespie, who played at the University of Florida from 1998-2001 when Spurrier was the head coach. Both coaches joined the South Carolina staff when Spurrier took the job two years ago.
Shurburtt feels that it will take a while for Clements to make an impact. But Shurburtt said Spurrier Jr., who worked under Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops when the Sooners won the national championship in 2000, will be able to mold Clements.
"If you look at what he did at Oklahoma," Shurburtt said. "... When he got to Oklahoma, they didn't have very many receivers on campus and then he molded that unit into a national championship-caliber unit. When you look at the offer coming from Jr., I think that speaks a lot about Matt Clements and the ability they saw in him."
BC's Clements says he'll play for Spurrier
By Jason A. Dixon (Contact)
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Barron Collier senior Matt Clements verbally committed to continue his football career at the University of South Carolina on Tuesday, according to Rivals.com.
Clements, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound receiver, is ranked No. 43 on the Rivals.com Top 100 Florida prospect list and No. 35 nationally at his position. He chose the Gamecocks over Auburn, Ohio State, Virginia and West Virginia, Rivals.com reported. During an interview last month, Clements said he was also considering the University of Pittsburgh.
"I just realized South Carolina was the right place for me," he said in an interview with Rivals.com, "and there was no sense in waiting any longer. I've felt that way for a long time, and the official visit just confirmed everything for me."
Clements could not be reached for comment by the Daily News.
After leading the area with 50 catches, 726 yards and six touchdowns in 2005, Clements was moved to quarterback this season. He led the Cougars to a 3-2 record in his first five starts, throwing for 349 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Clements missed the following week's game against Cypress Lake on Sept. 29, when he left the team after feeling "unwelcomed." Four days earlier, Clements and a teammate were suspended from practice when Barron head coach Billy Sparacio found out the two left school earlier in the day.
Clements returned to the team on Oct. 5, but did not play in the next game, a 24-17 loss to Naples. He finished the final three games at receiver, catching 13 passes for 92 yards and rushing for 164 yards. Barron ended the season at 5-5 and 3-2 in the district, following last week's loss to Lehigh. The loss eliminated the Cougars from playoff contention.
Sparacio said he found out Clements verbally committed to South Carolina from one of the students at school on Tuesday. Sparacio added that he didn't get a chance to see Clements at school to talk about the decision.
"I think that's awesome for Matt," Sparacio said. "That's a great situation to play college ball in the SEC. No what the circumstances or what the past was, I mean, I'm just happy for a kid to have a chance to do that."
J.C. Shurburtt, the National Recruiting Editor for Rivals.com, said Clements' speed, long frame and athleticism made him a target for South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier.
Shurburtt is also the Southeastern Recruiting Analyst who compiles the list of high school football prospects for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and South Carolina. He said Clements will fit into Spurrier's Fun 'N' Gun offense.
"He's the type of receiver that can develop into a big-play threat," Shurbutt said. "I think what the goal is at South Carolina is to get guys like Matt and create mismatch situations with them. Once you develop a guy that kind of has that raw athletic talent ... and you put him up against a guy that has, maybe, less ability, it'll become kind of a match-up nightmare."
One of the reasons Shurburtt feels that Clements chose South Carolina is because of receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. and recruiter Robert Gillespie, who played at the University of Florida from 1998-2001 when Spurrier was the head coach. Both coaches joined the South Carolina staff when Spurrier took the job two years ago.
Shurburtt feels that it will take a while for Clements to make an impact. But Shurburtt said Spurrier Jr., who worked under Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops when the Sooners won the national championship in 2000, will be able to mold Clements.
"If you look at what he did at Oklahoma," Shurburtt said. "... When he got to Oklahoma, they didn't have very many receivers on campus and then he molded that unit into a national championship-caliber unit. When you look at the offer coming from Jr., I think that speaks a lot about Matt Clements and the ability they saw in him."
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