Adidas410s
01-03-2007, 02:37 PM
This was written after Brantley left so the first part is old news...but some interesting thoughts after that part.
Another QB jumps ship from Texasby: Craig Haubert
posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006 | Print Entry
filed under: Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Mississippi Rebels, USC Trojans
The Texas Longhorns and the Florida Gators seem to be building an unusual tie to each other when it comes to the recruitment of top quarterbacks. Last year, the Gators thought they had Stephenville, Texas prospect Jevan Snead locked up, but the nation's No. 3 quarterback switched his commitment and signed with in-state Texas.
Well, it's said what goes come around, and today Florida was able to return the favor in an eerily strange way. Texas thought they had Ocala, Fla. native John Brantley all locked up until yesterday, when he switched his commitment to in-state Florida.
Brantley, a senior at Trinity Catholic and Gatorade National Player of the Year, is the No. 3 quarterback in his class, just like Snead was. While these two schools have lured home their respective quarterback recruits, the common theme between the two situations seems to be distance and a lightly-recruited quarterback named Colt McCoy.
Snead moved closer to home when he switched to Texas last year, and it seems the distance from home was a major reason why Brantley decided to change. The other factor in this situation could be the emergence of Colt McCoy as Texas' starting quarterback of the future.
The red-shirt freshman was impressive in his first year, and his strong play and remaining eligibility may have scared off competition. Snead just recently decided to transfer to Mississippi. Brantley, likewise, may have seen a less-than-ideal situation to quickly get on the field at Texas. Although, the situation at Florida will present the talented passer with an equally tough challenge as the Gators have Tim Tebow on campus and ready to step into the full-time starter roll.
The reason why Brantley decided to switch ultimately is unimportant, and the bottom line is that Florida added another excellent prospect. You can never have enough quality quarterbacks on hand, and Urban Meyer has shown he is not afraid to use two quarterbacks and knows how to get results when he does it.
Texas, on the other hand, is in a tough spot after seeming like they had the makings of one of the best stable of quarterbacks in the country. Longhorns fans were wondering what they would do with McCoy, Snead, Brantley and even talented John Chiles. Well worrying how to keep all those quarterbacks happy is no longer an issue, as only McCoy is left of those three.
You can't underestimate the ability of Chiles as a quarterback, and the situation now will almost ensure he gets a shot at the position. As far as trying to replace Brantley, it will be tough for Texas as most of the top quarterback prospects are already committed, but luckily for Texas, if it comes calling, it will get some people to listen and will have a shot to lure someone away from another school.
The state of Texas has plenty of quality quarterback prospects that the Longhorns could target to try and steal away or could look at prospects in some unfavorable situations depth chart wise like Logan Gray (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge), who is committed to Georgia and will battle Matthew Stafford for the starting job, or Clint Brewster (Littleton, Colo./J.K. Mullen), who is committed to Illinois and will battle Isiah Williams.
If all Texas lands is Chiles in this class, then that is nothing to be upset about, but Texas will work to see if it can replace Brantley. Texas is not used to being active this late in the process.
USC keeps rolling
Another big named made a commitment Wednesday, and that is defensive end Everson Griffen. The Agua Fria Union senior out of Avondale High in Ariz. committed to USC in a move that was not very surprising. The addition of Griffen gives USC eight ESPN 150 players out of their 12 commitments.
Once again, USC is among the leaders in recruiting, and the addition of Griffen gives them an athletic big man. He is a prospect loaded with talent, and if Pete Carroll can get him to realize his ability, he could be a very good one at the college level.
Griffen fits the mold of athletes that USC recruits. Griffen could play defensive end or tackle and is also a talented H-Back type prospect. USC likes to get those prospects that are great athletes and then fill them in where they are needed.
Mississippi making late surge
In other news, Mississippi picked up a commitment from ESPN 150 wide receiver Roderick Davis. Davis, out of Wooddale High in Memphis, gives the Rebels a big-play receiver. You add that pick-up with the announcement that Jevan Snead is going to transfer in, and the Ole Miss offense of the future just got a whole lot better.
Another QB jumps ship from Texasby: Craig Haubert
posted: Thursday, December 21, 2006 | Print Entry
filed under: Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, Mississippi Rebels, USC Trojans
The Texas Longhorns and the Florida Gators seem to be building an unusual tie to each other when it comes to the recruitment of top quarterbacks. Last year, the Gators thought they had Stephenville, Texas prospect Jevan Snead locked up, but the nation's No. 3 quarterback switched his commitment and signed with in-state Texas.
Well, it's said what goes come around, and today Florida was able to return the favor in an eerily strange way. Texas thought they had Ocala, Fla. native John Brantley all locked up until yesterday, when he switched his commitment to in-state Florida.
Brantley, a senior at Trinity Catholic and Gatorade National Player of the Year, is the No. 3 quarterback in his class, just like Snead was. While these two schools have lured home their respective quarterback recruits, the common theme between the two situations seems to be distance and a lightly-recruited quarterback named Colt McCoy.
Snead moved closer to home when he switched to Texas last year, and it seems the distance from home was a major reason why Brantley decided to change. The other factor in this situation could be the emergence of Colt McCoy as Texas' starting quarterback of the future.
The red-shirt freshman was impressive in his first year, and his strong play and remaining eligibility may have scared off competition. Snead just recently decided to transfer to Mississippi. Brantley, likewise, may have seen a less-than-ideal situation to quickly get on the field at Texas. Although, the situation at Florida will present the talented passer with an equally tough challenge as the Gators have Tim Tebow on campus and ready to step into the full-time starter roll.
The reason why Brantley decided to switch ultimately is unimportant, and the bottom line is that Florida added another excellent prospect. You can never have enough quality quarterbacks on hand, and Urban Meyer has shown he is not afraid to use two quarterbacks and knows how to get results when he does it.
Texas, on the other hand, is in a tough spot after seeming like they had the makings of one of the best stable of quarterbacks in the country. Longhorns fans were wondering what they would do with McCoy, Snead, Brantley and even talented John Chiles. Well worrying how to keep all those quarterbacks happy is no longer an issue, as only McCoy is left of those three.
You can't underestimate the ability of Chiles as a quarterback, and the situation now will almost ensure he gets a shot at the position. As far as trying to replace Brantley, it will be tough for Texas as most of the top quarterback prospects are already committed, but luckily for Texas, if it comes calling, it will get some people to listen and will have a shot to lure someone away from another school.
The state of Texas has plenty of quality quarterback prospects that the Longhorns could target to try and steal away or could look at prospects in some unfavorable situations depth chart wise like Logan Gray (Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge), who is committed to Georgia and will battle Matthew Stafford for the starting job, or Clint Brewster (Littleton, Colo./J.K. Mullen), who is committed to Illinois and will battle Isiah Williams.
If all Texas lands is Chiles in this class, then that is nothing to be upset about, but Texas will work to see if it can replace Brantley. Texas is not used to being active this late in the process.
USC keeps rolling
Another big named made a commitment Wednesday, and that is defensive end Everson Griffen. The Agua Fria Union senior out of Avondale High in Ariz. committed to USC in a move that was not very surprising. The addition of Griffen gives USC eight ESPN 150 players out of their 12 commitments.
Once again, USC is among the leaders in recruiting, and the addition of Griffen gives them an athletic big man. He is a prospect loaded with talent, and if Pete Carroll can get him to realize his ability, he could be a very good one at the college level.
Griffen fits the mold of athletes that USC recruits. Griffen could play defensive end or tackle and is also a talented H-Back type prospect. USC likes to get those prospects that are great athletes and then fill them in where they are needed.
Mississippi making late surge
In other news, Mississippi picked up a commitment from ESPN 150 wide receiver Roderick Davis. Davis, out of Wooddale High in Memphis, gives the Rebels a big-play receiver. You add that pick-up with the announcement that Jevan Snead is going to transfer in, and the Ole Miss offense of the future just got a whole lot better.