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Recruiting News - 01/15/05 - General - Part I

3yardsandacloud

Administrator Emeritus
<font color="#b90000">Saturday, January 15, 2005</font> Recruiting News - 01/15/05



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Biggers Due In For OSU Visit - Scout PREMIUM

Biggers Due In For OSU Visit
By Steve Helwagen Managing Editor
Date: Jan 14, 2005

North Miami Beach, Fla., defensive back E.J. Biggers is due in to Columbus for an official visit at Ohio State this weekend. We talk to his coach about this special two-way athlete. Click here for more.

North Miami Beach, Fla., defensive back E.J. Biggers is due in Columbus this weekend for an official visit to Ohio State.



Biggers (6-0, 175, 4.5) has made previous visits to Penn State and Kansas in December and saw Western Michigan last weekend. He will make his final visit to Iowa next weekend.

Kansas, Iowa and Western Michigan have offered, while PSU is out of the picture, according to North Miami Beach coach Jeff Bertani.

“Most schools are looking at him as a corner,” Bertani said. “He played quarterback and defensive back for us. He was a two-time all-county selection and came within three passes of the breaking the Dade County record.

“He is a tremendous athlete and schools would be looking at him at quarterback, but he is only 6-0. Most schools like quarterbacks who are 6-2 or 6-3 or taller. But he is an unbelievable athlete. He never came off the field. He played both sides of the ball for us.”

According to Bertani, Biggers had eight interceptions and 53 tackles as a senior. He is also qualified academically.

OSU assistant Mark Snyder is recruiting Biggers for Ohio State.

"I know Coach Synder from Ohio State real well, and he got tape on E.J. pretty late in the game,” Bertani said.

Biggers was to be joined at OSU this weekend by one other official visitor, Tucker, Ga., linebacker Tavares Kearney.



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On The Lighter Side - Scout PREMIUM

On The Lighter Side
By Gary Housteau
Date: Jan 14, 2005

January is a month that brings commitments, de-commitments, and all sorts of strange recruiting developments. You don't have to worry about anything but stability when it comes to Brian Hartline though. The Canton GlenOak receiver committed to OSU back in the summer and is heading down to San Antonio this weekend to check out his brother Mike in the junior combine, and he also hopes to talk about OSU to some uncommitted recruits while he's down there. Read more in today's "On The Lighter Side."

The one high school senior that I’ve probably spoken with the most this year is the one that would have been down in San Antonio this week preparing to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday if not for a season-ending injury back in week one.

Brian Hartline of Canton GlenOak is another Ohio State commitment that would have been in the prestigious national all-star game if he didn’t break both bones in his left leg in the season lid-lifter. But he’ll be in San Antonio this weekend anyway. He’s going down there to root on his brother Mike, who will participate in the combine on Saturday night and Sunday, and to do his part to help shore up the final recruiting push for Ohio State down the stretch.

Despite the cruel injury that abruptly ended his dreams for a productive senior season, Hartline has been OSU’s greatest ambassador this year among his fellow Buckeye recruits. From what I can tell, he’s talked-up Ohio State football to more prospects than anyone since he committed to Ohio State, and even before that, and he’ll continue with the effort when he’s down in Texas this weekend.

"I need to go down there and help close this class out," said Hartline, who will arrive in San Antonio with his brother Mike on Friday. "At least I want to help as much as I can."

Even the Kevin Bemoll de-commitment didn’t deter Hartline’s thinking in any way.

"I want the kids that want to be Buckeyes," he said. "If you’re ready to be a Buckeye and you’re ready to win some national championships, then you need to come with us."

Hartline has an amazing outlook for someone who was robbed of so much because of the injury, and it’s contagious. That’s probably why he’s healed up from his injury so well. He was literally a month and half ahead of schedule when he got the rod and screws taken out of his leg on the Wednesday before Christmas.

And now he’s practically healthy enough to play in the all-star game on Saturday. But obviously it’s way too soon.

"I might be able to take the contact, but I wouldn’t be able to handle it mentally," Hartline said. "There’s no way that I would feel comfortable taking hits and rolling over on my leg right now. I’d say it’s a little too early for sure. But I’m definitely going to be running track. So give me a month or two and then I’ll be okay."

But just weeks after having his surgery to remove the rod and screws, he’s training with the mentality that he’s playing in an all-star game.

"I’m already running routes and running period. Running ladders and all kinds of different drills," Hartline said. "Really the only thing that’s holding me up right now is a little bit of swelling in my knee from my incision to pull the rod out, but that goes down every week. Other than that, every once in a while the break line will be sore, but there’s not much holding me back."

Admittedly it doesn’t quite feel like a brand new leg just yet, but he believes that it will be even better than the old model.

"It’s getting there. I’m on my way back and it’s getting pretty close," he said. "It’s going good. The doctor said it’s all about pain-permitting now. In other words whatever you can do, you can do, and whatever you can’t, you just don’t do it."

Hartline actually toyed with the idea of graduating early and enrolling at Ohio State so he could rehab his knee under their care and supervision, but since he wouldn’t be able to fully participate in spring drills, he decided on staying in school and running track. And now he actually has his mind set on playing in an all-star game before he officially enrolls at OSU this summer.

Brian Hartline's brother Mike will be working out at the junior combine this weekend

"I was selected for the Big 33, so I’m probably going to play in that," Hartline said. "The (head) coach called my coach to see if I would even be able to play. I had to be approved before he went along and okayed me. In July, I’m going to 100 percent healed and it’s time to let it all out by then anyway. My local all-star game is the same week (as the Big 33) so I have to pick between the two."

And as far as his track season is concerned, Hartline intends to be full-go at the beginning of the season, but he will be more selective about the events and the meets that he runs in at first. Ultimately, he would like to make a return trip to Columbus in June to have a shot at a state title. He finished a disappointing second in the 300 hurdles last year.

"I might compete in bigger meets early on and not waste my time in smaller meets because I don’t want any injuries occurring while I’m trying to get back into the grove again," Hartline said. "But as far as competing later on in the season, it’s full go."

The hurdles might actually be his last obstacle that Hartline will try to hurdle.

"That definitely won’t come until later on in the season," he said. "I might run the open 400 to get ready for the 300s or the open 100 to get ready for the 110s. So I might not jump into the hurdles until the beginning of May."

Although track should pacify his competitive appetite once the weather breaks and he heads outdoors to train, Hartline wont be completely sated until he’s back performing again on the gridiron.

His time spent in San Antonio this weekend just might step up the healing process in his leg, and certainly in his mind, even more.

"It will be good just to see what kind of company that I’ll be in for the next four or five year and see Jamario (O’Neal) and Alex (Boone) and a bunch of those guys play," he said. "I’m really looking forward to it."

And more than anything, he’s looking forward to being a Buckeye. Hartline’s commitment to Ohio State never wavered throughout all the negative allegations heaved at Jim Tressel and the football program.

"It got to the point where I don’t care if we get sanctioned. I don’t care what happens, I just want to go Ohio State and play football and just leave it at that," Hartline said. "It didn’t matter what anybody said because I know who Tressel is and I think I know what the program is all about. So I’m not really even going to worry about it."

"I think everything is turning out how it’s supposed to turn out. Any individual player that needs punished, is fine but to punish the whole university for one booster is ridiculous."

Hartline thinks it’s time to get over it and move on. That’s basically the attitude that he’s had about his injury as well as all of the tired allegations that have been aimed at Ohio State.

"It’s an honor to be an Ohio State Buckeye," he said. "And it’s a privilege."

It’s guys like Brian Hartline that truly represent what Buckeye football is all about, whether he gets his younger brother to follow him to Ohio State or not.


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Four scorers chase trophy - New York Daily News

Four scorers chase trophy
BY JULIAN GARCIA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tyrone Battle ... Lamont Downing ... P.J. Hill ... and Kevin Ogletree are nominees for Daily News High School Player of the Year.

The championship trophies have been on display for weeks, but the most coveted hardware of the high school football season has yet to be handed out. It finally will be today, when the Daily News names its 2004 Player of the Year at an awards banquet in Manhattan.

The group of candidates includes three running backs and a wide receiver, and at least two very talented players who we are likely to hear from again even after they leave New York City for the world of major Division I college football.

Here are the candidates:

Tyrone Battle, senior RB/DB, South Shore: Rushing for 1,156 yards and 15 touchdowns wasn't the only way Battle contributed to the Vikings' surprising run to the PSAL championship game. He also led a stingy defense with five interceptions and took two of them back for touchdowns.

Battle also proved he is a big-game player by rushing for 314 rushing yards, two TDs and one conversion in the playoffs.

Lamont Downing, senior RB/DB/KR, Sheepshead Bay: Downing led the undefeated PSAL champion Sharks with 21 touchdowns, including six rushing TDs in the playoffs. Although he didn't score in Sheepshead Bay's 13-6 championship victory over South Shore, he was named the game's MVP, rushing for 91 yards on 16 carries.

He also was a force on returns, bringing two kickoffs and a punt back for touchdowns during the season. He finished with 1,426 rushing yards and 132 points.

P.J. Hill, senior RB/LB, Poly Prep: Hill rushed for 1,421 yards and 17 touchdowns despite starting the season with a variety of injuries.

Hill - who will play for Wisconsin next season - also had 40 tackles and three sacks on defense and finished his career with more than 4,000 rushing yards.

Kevin Ogletree, senior WR/DB, Holy Cross: The most feared offensive force in the city, Ogletree caught 61 passes for 1,170 yards and 19 touchdowns.

He also led the Knights to a CHSAA AA championship, scoring three touchdowns in the title game, including one on a 64-yard interception return. He'll play for Virginia next season.
Originally published on January 15, 2005



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ScoutTV: Jerrell Powe (Video) - Scout

ScoutTV: Jerrell Powe
By Miller Safrit East Coast Recruiting Analyst
Date: Jan 15, 2005

Waynesboro (Miss.) Wayne County defensive tackle Jerrell Powe announced his commitment to LSU during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl today, but it may be a bit early to write him in as a Tiger.


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Don't look now, future bright for NU - Scout

Don't look now, future bright for NU
By Steve Ryan Publisher
Date: Jan 15, 2005

Don’t look now, but you’ve got yourself some players coming to Nebraska. In a game where the elite face the elite, it was a group of future Huskers that added themselves to that list and answered any questions as to just what they could do.
You don’t ask much of kickers, but to make the ball every single time. Yeah, no pressure there and Jordan Congdon would hate it if you didn’t pressure him. He’s a kicker. That’s what he wants. “I guess if there’s no pressure, it doesn’t mean anything,” Congdon said. “Kickers are kind of strange I guess, but pressure if what you want. It makes you concentrate.” Condgon finished his part of the All-American bowl, perfect, hitting 5 extra points and he even scored a tackle on special teams.
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One player that didn’t need help concentrating was Craig Roark as he didn’t have to focus to see who was in front of him, the players ranging anywhere from 270 pound Joseph Paxon or 6 foot, 6 inch 330 pound Marques Slocum. Current and future teammate Rodney Picou didn’t have it any easier facing either 260 pound Ryan Bain or Melvin or equally stout Early Hyman.
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The west offensive line allowed zero sacks.
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“What can you say about that,” starting quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “Once we settled down, we were able to do almost what we wanted. The passing game really started to open up in the second half.”
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The running game opened up as well, both teams limited early, but the west got on a roll in the second half, Marlon Lucky of the west team scoring the only rushing touchdown of the game. “The hole was just there,” Lucky said of the opening that let him shoot up the hole and then maneuver his way back left for the TD. “I saw it, cut over and back over to the right and just hit the jets to the house.”
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“The passing game opened it up for us in the second half, so we had our shots and just had to take advantage of them.” *
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One player that will be highly anticipated to make his arrival in June will be running back Leon Jackson. Only, for this game and most of the week leading up to the 5th annual All-American Bowl, he’s been playing the other side.
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Jackson has been projected by most to be a safety and they got a chance to see him in action at that spot today. In somewhat limited action, Jackson put on a monster block on a punt return and exhibited much of what people expect to see after Leon has moved over to that position at Nebraska.
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Speaking of exhibitions, Phillip Dillard has been putting on one all week, wowing every one of us present with his ability to take people down the field. Unbelievably deceptive speed and quickness is what Dillard could say was his ‘bread ‘n butter’ for the week. “Most people don’t look at me and think I can run like that or that I can cover anyone that far down the field,” he said. “That’s good, though, because I can get an interception like I did today, because I’m not where they expect me to be.”
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This whole class isn’t where people would expect. Heck, this isn’t the class that Nebraskans would expect, so used to this time of year being the moment where the big boys fall off and the rest of the class shapes out, people asking ‘who’ much more than uttering ‘wow’.
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That’s over, at least for this year as Nebraska sent into the biggest prep football game of the year the biggest number of commits going in. And, to a man, they all gave everyone reason to hope for the very near future.
 
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