 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
|
By Brian Nowicki National signing day is a big event in college football. Schools hold press conferences and recruiting class presentations to announce the new student-athletes that will become a part of the football program. Fans can't wait to hear about the next great player that is going to lead their school to the promise land. And now it's time to start analyzing how good the class is. Rating prospects and recruiting classes is not an exact science. No one really know how good a player or class will turn out to be when all is said and done, and no one really knows if all of the signed players will get eligible and enroll in the fall. But we as college football fans can't get enough of our favorite team and the players that they will likely see on the field in the coming years. And with that, here is my analysis of the University of Toledo's 2007 football recruiting class. Quarterback - Tom Amstutz and his coaching staff signed two very good quarterbacks in this class. DJ Lenehan (Easton, PA) is 6-3 and 190 pounds. He has good speed for a quarterback as he has been timed at 4.6 seconds in the forty yard dash. He attempted 340 passes this past year as a senior in high school, passing for 3,057 yards and 32 touchdowns. For his high school career he passed for 7,765 yards, 71 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,685 yards. He is rated three stars by both the Rivals and Scout recruiting services. Travaris Cadet is the star of this signing class in my opinion. Cadet (Miami, FL) is just 6-0 and 196 pounds, but he has a strong arm and some serious wheels. He has been timed at 4.4 seconds in the forty yard dash. Head Coach Tom Amstutz says that Cadet is an elite athlete and I believe it. He passed for 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also rushing for 460 yards on a team that was loaded on offense. Two running backs from his high school signed with Division I-A schools yesterday, Gordon Warner who signed with Toledo and Avionne Rolle who signed with Florida Atlantic. Two other players from their high school team signed with Middle Tennessee State and Boston College as well. He is rated three stars by both the Rivals and Scout recruiting services, and is ranked the #9 overall prospect in south Florida by Rivals. Cadet is going to get the opportunity to play quarterback at Toledo. He received offers from Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, South Florida, Baylor, and Toledo. He was committed to Minnesota and expected to sign with them, but early on signing day he decided to sign with Toledo instead. He is talented enough to play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and even in the defensive secondary as he is a true athlete in every sense of the word. Remember his name, because he is going to be a star at Toledo. Position Grade - A Running back - This is the most talented group of running backs to sign with Toledo in one class. Morgan Williams (Canton, OH) has the potential to be an absolute star. He rushed for 2,417 yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior at Canton McKinley and was named the Ohio Player of the Year for 2005. He started to get recruited by big-time programs like Ohio State, Michigan, and USC. However, academics began to play a part in his recruitment. He has had academic problems throughout his high school career and the big schools backed away. As a senior he rushed for 2,447 yards and 34 touchdowns and was again named Ohio Player of the Year for 2006. He is the all-time leading rusher and has scored more touchdowns than anyone else ever has at Canton McKinley. He received offers from Toledo, Akron, and Indiana; the only schools that seemed to want to take a chance on his academic status. He chose Toledo, but now it's all up to Morgan. If he gets his grades up and becomes eligible to play football at Toledo he could be one of the greatest backs to ever play at Toledo. Williams is rated a high three stars by both the Rivals and Scout recruiting services. Adonis Thomas (Newark, NJ) committed to Kansas State of the Big 12 Conference early in the recruiting process. However, he recently opened his recruitment back up and fell in love with Toledo when he visited. Thomas rushed for 1,999 yards, averaging 11.7 yards per rush, as a senior at Weeguahic High School in 2006. He also caught 13 passes for 350 yards. The 5-10 and 170 pound back has excellent 4.4 speed in the forty yard dash, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. A very good fit for the Rocket football program, rated two stars by both the Rivals and Scout recruiting services. Hosea Simpson (Cincinnati, OH) is a 5-9 and 196 pound running back that likes to run through people. He has been timed at 4.52 seconds in the forty yard dash so he has decent speed too. He rushed for 1,148 yards and 7 touchdowns as a senior at Winton Woods High School in 2006. Simpson is rated three stars by the Rivals recruiting service. The last back in the group is Gordon Warner (Miami, FL) from the same high school at quarterback signee Travaris Cadet. Warner, 5-11 and 185 pounds, is an absolute burner. He finished 2nd in the state of Florida in the 400 meter dash last year and is a state-ranked sprinter. Warner was 1st Team Class 6A (big schools) All-State in Florida for 2006 as he rushed for 1,542 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 395 yards and 2 touchdowns. Warner is going to come in as a running back and slot receiver for the Rockets, but may also return kicks and punts at some time in his career. He has great hands and would be perfect for the bubble screen. Warner is rated three stars by the Scout.com recruiting service. Position Grade - A Wide Receiver - After not signing any receivers last year and having a disappointing passing game in 2006, you might have expected a lot of signees at receiver this year. But Amstutz said they focused on quality rather than quantity, and the Rockets did find two very good players. Tim Cortazzo (Irwin, PA) is a 6-1 and 185 pound receiver with excellent speed. He has been timed at 4.39 seconds in the forty yard dash. Cortazzo has been named to the Big 33 squad and made the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Fab 22 Team. He was his high school team's MVP for three consecutive seasons. For his three year career in high school, he had 90 receptions for over 1,800 yards and 22 touchdowns. With his speed he could be returning kicks and punts for Toledo as well. He's a tough kid he also played hockey and baseball in high school. Kaunda Hancock (Birmingham, MI) is a 6-0 and 182 pound receiver with great hands. He won the "Hands Award" at the University of Michigan camp this past summer. There is film on him making several one-handed catches both as a receiver and in the secondary for interceptions. He was named 1st Team All-State as both a wide receiver and a defensive back in 2006. He had 32 receptions for 636 yards and 6 touchdowns this past season at Brother Rice High School. He is rated three stars by the Rivals recruiting service and they rank him the #76 receiver in the country and #29 overall on the Michigan Top 30 list. He will play in the East-West High School Coaches All-Star Game. He had offers from Toledo, Illinois, Indiana, Syracuse, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, and Buffalo. Position Grade - B Tight End - Toledo signed a couple of really nice tight ends. Jerome Jones (Youngstown, OH) is 6-7 and 220 pounds. He originally signed with Toledo last season, but went to Harmony Community Prep School because of academics. His academics are up and he chose Toledo over an offer from Kansas. Coming out of high school he was rated the #32 tight end prospect in the country by the Rivals recruiting service. He is also a pretty good defensive end and could switch to that position at some point in his career at Toledo if needed. Danny Noble (Elyria, OH) is a 6-5 and 220 pounder that can also play defensive end like Jerome Jones. In fact, he was named the Lorrain-Medina Couty Defensive Player of the Year by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for 2006. He is ranked the #55 overall prospect in the state of Ohio by Ohio High Magazine. He had 26 receptions for 506 yards and 9 touchdowns on offense in 2006 and 67 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, on defense. He has been selected to play in the North-South All-Star Game. Noble is a perfect fit for Toledo's offense and could play out wide at receiver in some sets. Position Grade - B Offensive Line - Toledo signed four offensive lineman in this class. Kevin Kowalski (Macedonia, OH) is ranked the #5 offensive lineman in the state of Ohio by the Rivals recruiting service, and the #28 center prospect in the country by the Scout recruiting service. He is also a good defensive lineman and was named the Summit-Portage County Defensive Player of the Year. He throws the shot put and discus on the track team, and bench presses 385 pounds. He has been named to the Big 33 All-Star squad. Kowalski chose Toledo over an early offer from Minnesota. Matt Bradbury (Elmhurst, IL) is a 6-5 and 272 pounder from York High School. He anchored the right side of a front five that paved the way for 2,884 yards rushing and 41 touchdowns on a team that went 11-2 and advanced to the state Class 8A semifinals in 2006. Mike VanDerMeulen (Marshall, MI) is a 6-7 and 290 pounder that made 1st Team All-Conference and honorable mention All-State as a senior in 2006. He also plays basketball in high school and leads his team in scoring and rebounding. He was a captain of the football team and is also a captain of the basketball team. Sean Berry (Irvington, NJ) is a 6-7 and 275 pounder that could be another star from this class. Berry received offers from Toledo, Temple, Syracuse, South Florida, and New Mexico State. He was named All-State as an offensive lineman and was credited with 42 "pancake" blocks. On defense he had 74 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 2006. He has been selected to play in the Governor's Bowl. Position Grade - B Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |