USC racking up commitments (Maurice Wells) - Tallahassee Democrat
USC racking up commitments
Compiled by Jim Henry
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
National-champion Southern Cal appears to be winning in recruiting, too.
The Trojans have 11 commitments, including a trio of five-star players in Californians Mark Sanchez (quarterback), Rey Maualuga (linebacker) and Averill Spicer (defensive end).
Sanchez, who helped lead the West over the East 35-3 in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday, threw for more than 4,300 yards and 45 touchdowns during his prep career. He also won the quarterback skills competition at the Bowl game.
Maualuga had 74 solo tackles his senior season, while Spicer, considered the nation's top defensive end, selected the Trojans over Florida State.
Also, Ashton White, the son of 1979 Heisman Trophy winner and USC standout Charles White, has enrolled at USC. White last played football in 2002, when suffered a knee injury. White, who played at Santa Margarita (Calif.) High - the same school FSU quarterback Chris Rix attended - had more than 3,000 career rushing yards.
Cameron Crazies
One of the nation's top quarterbacks is Greg Paulus. He also happens to be one of the nation's top prep basketball players as well and has committed to play hoops at Duke next season.
Paulus, who started for the East in the All-American Bowl, enjoyed a storybook career in football and basketball at Christian Brothers High School in Syracuse, N.Y. Paulus, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder, led his team to a state championship in football and finished with 11,760 career yards and 152 touchdown passes. Paulus is also averaging 26 points and 11 assists in basketball this season.
Solid effort
Lincoln receiver Fred Rouse caught six passes for 60 yards for the East in the All-American Bowl. Linebacker Derek Nicholson, the younger brother of FSU linebacker A.J. Nicholson, turned in a solid performance for the East as well. Nicholson finished with nine tackles, including two for loss. He also recovered two squib kicks on special teams. FSU commitment Michael Ray Garvin played both cornerback and receiver during the game.
More commitments
Jacksonville Sandalwood running back Maurice Wells, who finished withnearly 6,000 career rushing yards, committed to Ohio State during the All-American Bowl. The Florida Times-Union player of the year shattered the state's single-game rushing yard record with 429 yards. Also, receiver Noah Boateng, who missed his senior year after breaking his left ankle in the preseason, committed to Florida during the bowl game.
Myers-White commits to Tennessee (Maurice Wells) - Journal News
Myers-White commits to Tennessee
Hamilton High defensive back makes announcement during all-star game
By Kyle Nagel
Cox News Service
U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, which features many of the nation’s top high school seniors, has become a traditional place for many of those football players to commit to colleges during the nationally televised game.
Hamilton’s Adam Myers-White, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound defensive back, joined the tradition by declaring his commitment to the University of Tennessee during the third quarter.
Myers-White was named to the All-Butler County first team at defensive back last season and received All-Southwest Ohio District honorable mention. As a junior, he helped lead the Big Blue basketball team to the Division I state championship and was named Butler County Player of the Year, but has yet to play basketball during his senior season.
“That’s outstanding. Tennessee isn’t too far away, so we can all go down and watch him play,” Hamilton High basketball coach Larry Allen said. “He’s one of my all-time favorite guys.”
Now that he has made the decision, Myers-White could return to the basketball team, perhaps as early as Monday’s game.
“If we have him, that’s great,” Allen said. “If not, I’ll still feel the same way about him. He’s just a great kid.”
Myers-White was one of 18 players who committed to a university during the all-star event.
Ohio State was waiting on two top prospects and came away with one verbal commitment from the game. Maurice Wells, a running back from Sandalwood High in Jacksonville, Fla., chose Ohio State during his live announcement early in the contest. The 5-10, 185-pound Wells chose the Buckeyes over his other main suitor, national champion Southern California. Later in the game, linebacker Rico McCoy from Washington, D.C., picked Tennessee over Ohio State.
“When it’s all said and done, I’m going to be a Buckeye,” said Wells, who pulled an Ohio State hat from an athletic bag and placed it over his dreadlocks.
Wells, rated the No. 4 all-purpose running back in the country by Rivals.com, increased the Buckeyes’ number of commitments to 15. National Letter of Intent signing period for football begins Feb. 2, and verbal commitments are nonbinding.
Wells could be a boost to an Ohio State running game that averaged 145.4 yards last season, ranking seventh in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes failed to reach 100 yards rushing in five straight games last season.
“He blows the door open, and nobody can catch him,” Sandalwood coach Adam Geis told Rivals.com earlier this year. “He has a 4.35-second time in the 40 (yards) on a track, and he’s so fast it’s scary. He’s built like a rock and has the ability to run between the tackles and around everybody, too.”
Last season, Wells, who made his official visit to Ohio State for the Michigan game, rushed for 1,836 yards despite a hip-pointer injury. As a junior, he gained 3,079 yards and scored 31 touchdowns. On Oct. 9 of that season, Wells rushed for 429 yards — on 24 carries — in a game against Stanton Prep.
Wells gained nearly 6,000 yards in his career, which included two seasons as a starter.
It was speculated that the wait for Wells kept Ohio State from more vigorously pursuing Javon Ringer, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne High’s star running back. Ringer, who gained 6,136 yards and scored 78 touchdowns in his high school career, committed to Michigan State on Dec. 12.
Of the four players from Ohio in the all-star game, one has committed to OSU. Alex Boone, a 6-8, 310-pound offensive lineman from Lakewood St. Edward High, had declared before the game. He is ranked the third-best offensive tackle prospect nationally.
Trey Stross, a 6-3, 192-pound wide receiver from Avon Lake, had committed to Iowa, and Zoltan Mesko, a 6-4, 225-pound punter from Twinsburg, had committed to Michigan.
Buckeyes add a running back - Columbus Dispatch$ •FB
Buckeyes add a running back
Wells goes with OSU over Georgia Tech
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Maurice Wells finally let his secret out of the bag yesterday.
Actually, he reached into a bag, pulled out an Ohio State cap and put it on his head on national television yesterday just before the start of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
"When it’s all said and done, I’m going to be a Buckeye," he said.
But the running back from Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., said after the game that all he did was let everyone else in on his secret.
"I’ve been committed to Ohio State since November," said Wellswho picked OSU over Georgia Tech. "I just wanted to keep it secret until this game."
Linebacker Rico McCoy appeared to be leaning toward Ohio State until he visited Tennessee in December. Then he reached into the bag in the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game.
"My decision has come down to the University of Tennessee," McCoy said.
So it went for the Buckeyes, who now have 15 commitments in a class that might have as many as 20 by signing day Feb. 2. Ohio State wanted McCoy to add to three linebackers who have committed, but it needed Wells.
With only two running backs on scholarship returning from the 2004 team, freshmen Antonio Pittman and Erik Haw, Ohio State put a premium on gaining two in this class.
Wells became the first, and the Buckeyes picked up a back who led Florida in rushing in 2003 with 3,076 yards, and last season gained 1,908 yards in nine games.
Recruiting expert Tom Lemming considers Wells, 5 feet 10, 180 pounds, to be like Warrick Dunn of the Atlanta Falcons "because has really good speed and makes great cuts."
Wells didn’t get to show that yesterday. Despite being on an East team that had four other outstanding backs — including another who Ohio State is recruiting, Jason Gwaltney, of North Babylon, N.Y. — they saw little action running the ball. The coaches threw most of the time in a 42-3 loss to the West.
"That was just bad coaching all the way," Wells said. "We came here, we all worked very hard all week, and then they didn’t let us show it."
That game is history now, though, and Wells — who has several relatives in the Columbus area, including his grandmother — said his sights are set on OSU.
"With them bringing in only two running backs with this class, I think I’ve got a chance to come in and compete for the starting spot," Wells said.
That second back could be Gwaltney, who said last week he will make an announcement Wednesday. He will choose between Ohio State and Southern Cal.
"I know the Buckeyes are pulling for Jason," Wells said. "I’ve become friends with him this week, so that would be good."
