written by Jessica Lantz, edited by Jason Roberts
The Big 12 South is largely known at the better of the two halves of the conference, not only on the gridiron but in the world of recruiting as well. Here is an in-depth look at the incoming classes at these six schools and some fresh faces that many hope will keep the South atop the conference and national standings.
Baylor
Baylor football, thanks to head coach Art Briles, has begun the steep climb toward becoming serious contenders in the Big XII South. The 2008 campaign was Briles’ first season with the Bears, but everyone around the football program — and around the nation, for that fact – has already seen vast improvements from the Baylor teams of old. Expect that their 28 total new recruits will help keep the positive momentum going in 2009 and continue elevating the Baylor football program in one of the nation’s most-talented BCS conferences.
Who To Watch:
Glasco Martin (6’1”, 196 lb.) comes to Baylor from Round Rock, TX as a running back. His senior season stats of 1,613 yards and 25 touchdowns rushing, as well as 14 receptions for two touchdowns, show Martin’s ability to be an all-purpose player for the Bears. Besides his offensive skill sets, Martin is said to also have the ability to convert to the defensive side of the ball at safety as well, emphasizing his overall athleticism and versatility.
Mike Hicks (5’11”, 175 lb.) from China Spring, TX has been inked to OSU as a safety. In his senior campaign, Hicks earned recognition as an All-State selection at both receiver and kick returner, while ending up finishing his high school career with 4,327 yards and 41 touchdown and the distinction of being the second-leading pass catch in Texas state high school football history. Although his stats prove his offensive worth, Briles is opting to have him focus on defense based on his intensity, intelligence and ability.
Ivory Wade (6’5”, 306 lb.) is an All-American offensive lineman that should help protect star quarterback Robert Griffin in the upcoming season. He is an extremely athletic and relentless guard who should make an immediate impact on the offensive line. Wade, a native of Dickenson, Texas, right outside of Houston, switched his commitment from Texas A&M after a December visit to the Baylor campus. The Waco Tribune reports that Coach Briles feels that a “new facility helped tremendously, and it brought our recruiting to a whole different level. The reality is that we would have missed out on four to eight recruits without it,” with Wade a likely example.
Danny Watkins (6’5”, 290 lb.) is a junior college transfer already attending classes at Baylor and scheduled to participate in spring drills. The offensive tackle from Butte (CA) College did not start playing competitive football until 2007, but still has tremendous potential. He should fall in line immediately as a figurehead along the offensive line, and will fill a vital need considering the Bears lost two starting tackles after the 2008 season.
Analysis:
Coach Briles started his tenure out last year with some strong words of optimism . Art was very vocal on improving the Baylor football program. He said, “We’re going to get it back to where we start with respect and credibility. We’re going to get bowl-eligible, to win the South, and then we’re going to win the Big XII championship, and then we’ll take it from there. And y’all can read the newspaper. You know what happens after that.” This confidence, originally exhibited in November 2007, began to manifest itself in Briles inaugural season in 2008, and is expected to shine though once more in the form of an incoming class of players that figures to play a large part in fulfilling Coach Briles’ vision of the future for the Baylor Bears.
Oklahoma State
Mike Gundy’s recruiting class is freshly printed in the books for 2009, with all signs pointing to big gains on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma State landed a class of 23 incoming players, and, subseqeuently, garnered the 36th-best recruiting class in the nationa, as ranked by Rivals.com. This year’s group includes seven local players, the largest group of in-state signees since 2003. Even with the loss of three top staff members since the Cowboys’ Holiday Bowl appearance, Oklahoma State still looks poised to stay in contention in the highly competitive Big XII South. Here’s a more in depth look at some of those that will be suiting up for the Cowboys in the fall.
Who To Watch:
Daytawion Lowe (6’0”, 185 lb., 4.47 40 yd. dash) comes to the Pokes from Carl Albert High School in Midwest City. After playing offense, defense and special teams in high school, Lowe will be focusing on honing his collegiate abilities at the safety position. During his senior season at Carl Albert, Lowe racked up 127 tackles, 4 interceptions and a sack and earned Big All-City Defensive Player of the Year. Lowe’s physical nature, good speed and versatility should allow him to compete for playing time in 2009.
Brandon Webb (6’4”, 290 lb.) is an offensive lineman from Owasso. Webb has opted to don the orange and black, even though his father was an All-American at OU. Webb competed in the U.S. Army All-American Game this year, in which a selection committee member is quoted as saying, “I first saw Webb in a scrimmage before the start of his junior season and it was immediately clear that he had it. He moves around from left tackle to right tackle, traps, pulls, pass blocks, gets pancakes. He’s definitely one of the most complete blockers to come out of Oklahoma in quite some time.” Webb will be a complete package at lineman and is sure to make an impact early on in his collegiate career.
Clint Chelf (6’3”, 205 lb.) should be a redshirt quarterback for the 2009 season, but expect him to be strong competition in 2010 season. Chelf passed for 2,234 yards, rushed for 726 yards, scored 31 total touchdowns and earned Conference Player of the Year in his senior campaign at Enid High School. Chelf’s dual threat ability make him a good fit into Gundy’s offensive schemes and his athletic ability has already been compared by some to current Cowboy gunslinger, Zac Robinson.
Jeremy Smith (5’11”, 205 lb.) got a taste of what it will be like to line up as running back for the Cowboys when he played in Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater as a senior in the state championship game this past fall. He led Tulsa Union to the state title, running for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 28 total carries. Smith’s impressive senior year also included rushing for a collected 1,663 yards and 30 touchdowns. According to the Tulsa World, Smith said, “I just fell in love with them the first time I saw them on TV. I always knew I would be going to Oklahoma State.” With strong upperclassmen at tailback returning this upcomnig season, Smith is expected to redshirt in 2009, but will compete for carries in 2010 and beyond.
Dexter Pratt (6’2”, 225 lb., 4.48 40 yd. dash) proves that Gundy can get top-notch out-of-state recruits to come to Stillwater as well. Pratt, an All-American running back from Navasota, TX, comes to the Cowboys as an early enrollee. He committed to LSU during his junior year, but apparently decided that Oklahoma State, or ‘Tailback U’ as the fans call it, would be a better fit for him. His size and speed is expected to help him succeed as a power back when he hits the field for the Pokes.
Analysis:
Other incoming Cowboys include Tracy Moore of Tulsa Union, Michael Bowie from Sand Springs and Colton Richardson out of Ada. The class as a whole emboides a great amount of talent, and particular for those coming out of the state’s own high schools. Of this fact, Gundy commented in a press conference held to announce the members of the Class of 2009 to the local media, “We are excited about the large number of Oklahomans,” this according to OKState.com. “They all come from successful high school programs and know how to win,” he continues. “We felt this was an exceptional year in Oklahoma.”
Texas A&M
Head coach Mike Sherman did not dwell on his less-than-stellar first year effort at Texas A & M. Rather, he focused on recruiting speed on both sides of the ball, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “We really went after speed. I told our coaches at the onset of recruiting and evaluation, we’re going to make some mistakes, but we can’t make a mistake on their character and we can’t make a mistake on their speed and we can’t make a mistake on their desire to be at Texas A&M. I think we were able to hit on those fronts.” Although the Aggies’ coaching staff might not have raked in as many of the high-profile in-state talent as they’d have like, the 28 gentlemen who are headed to College Station in 2009 truly fit Coach Sherman’s vision of this year’s recruiting class.
Who To Watch:
Christine Michael (5’11”, 202 lb., 4.45 40 yd. dash) is a five-star prospect at running back from Beaumont, TX. Christine (pronounced ‘Christian’) produced solid numbers in his high school career, topping over 4,000 total yards and 80 total touchdowns in the span of three years as a starter. Michael also participated in the U.S. Army All-American game, with a selection committee member noting, “He runs with good pad level and does a good job finishing off his runs. He also shows an uncanny ability to read blocks, react and find the hole.” His hard working attitude, commitment and speed made him shine in the eyes of Coach Sherman and his staff, and makes him a fantastic addition to the A&M backfield.
Coryell Judie (5’11”, 185 lb., 4.4 40 yd. dash), a defensive back from Marlin, TX is the only junior college transfer to be joining the Aggies for 2009. In Judie’s two years at Fort Scott Community College, he made 82 tackles, averaged 26.8 yards per kickoff return and was named a Junior College All-American. With stats like these, it is easy to see why the Texas A&M coaches are hopeful that Judie can contribute early to increased speed and athleticism on both defense and special teams.
Jonathan Stewart (6’4”, 221 lb., 4.64 40 yd. dash) is a linebacker heading to College Station from Shreveport, LA. Stewart has great height advantage and an ability to cover the field that should translate well at the college level. Stewart notched over 100 tackles during his junior season, which made him a highly touted recruit sought after by programs such as Cal, Michigan, and Notre Dame.
Patrick Lewis (6’2”, 293 lb., 5.35 40 yd. dash) is another man who will be heading west from Louisiana. Lewis, an offensive lineman from LaPlace, was named to three-consecutive Louisiana Class 5A All-State teams. He is very athletic, has good speed off the ball, and is rarely challenged when stepping in to clear a lane for his tailbacks to run through. Lewis is also said to be a very hard worker who plays through the whistle. This can-do attitude, along with Lewis’ strength and ability, will make him a valuable addition to the Aggie O-line.
Analysis:
In closing his Signing Day press conference, Coach Sherman summed up the incoming class for Texas A&M in telling AggiesAthletics.com, “If there’s a common theme, obviously we are not taking guys that aren’t talented because they’re good guys. But it is nice to find talented players who come from great families. It’s so hard to instill character in a place where it’s vacant. But if they come with character we can build on that.” The 12th man and all the Aggie faithful hope that this character-building year will lead the drive to success both on and off the gridiron in 2009 and beyond.
Texas Tech
Mike Leach and the Texas Tech Red Raiders had a noticeable problem closing out big games against both Texas and Oklahoma in the 2008 season. Most have attributed these issues to defensive weaknesses, which Coach Leach worked to alleviate before Signing Day 2009. In attempting to achieve this goal, Leach told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he specifically told his staff to work on improving the defensive line and secondary, both positions at which, he expressed, “I feel we did an outstanding job in landing some tremendous talent.” Subsequently, the Texas Tech defense is likely to be regarded as the big winner thanks to the incoming recruiting class. Still, as seems the norm in Lubbock, there was plenty of talent signed to the offensive side of the ball as well, including a quarterback from Friendswood, Texas and a star receiver originally committed to Big XII South-rival, Oklahoma.
Who To Watch:
Jacob Karam (6’2”, 201 lb., 4.59 40 yd. dash) is a dual threat quarterback from Friendswood, TX that should feel at home in Coach Leach’s offensive schematics. In his senior season, he threw for 3,291 yards and 38 touchdowns. Some of Karam’s outstanding qualities include good pocket presence, accurate arm with solid mechanics and great overall athleticism and football knowledge. Such a complete quarterback package will be needed to execute the high flying Red Raider offense on Saturdays.
Eric Ward (5’11”, 190 lb. 4.50 40 yd. dash), a wide receiver from Wichita Falls, TX, originally committed to the University of Oklahoma, but soon after changed his destination of choice to Lubbock. He was so sure of his desire to play for the Red Raiders, in fact, that he even decided to enroll early at Tech to get some extra time on campus and in the locker room. Scouts note Ward is productive in traffic, but also has the speed to go deep down field. As a result, expect that Ward could also be an impact player on special teams for the Red Raiders.
Pearlie Graves (6’3”, 260 lb., 4.9 40 yd. dash) is yet another young man who had a change of heart when it came to choosing a college football program to which he would commit. A defensive tackle from Tulsa, OK, Graves changed his commitment from Michigan to Texas Tech on National Signing Day in what was regarded by many in the college football arena as a suprise move. According to the Tulsa World, Graves said, “I think anywhere I would go I’m the type of athlete that I know I can pursue and get anything I want because of my work ethic.” Texas Tech is anticipating that this same work ethic and desire to succeed, when coupled with his physicality, explosiveness and speed, will allow Graves to make a solid impact.
Brandon Mahoney (6’2”, 205 lb.), a linebacker from Keller, TX, was also an early commitment to the OU that decided against heading north to the Sooner State, this after he encountered eligibility issues and suffered what he viewed as a lack of communication on the part of the Sooners’ coaching staff. When talking about some of the factors influencing his decision to commit to Texas Tech, Mahoney told LubbockOnline.com, “I would have to say the coaches and the fact that I knew people there – it’ll be an easier transition for me than any other school. They’re starting to build a winning tradition back up again, and I just want to be part of it.” As a middle linebacker during his senior year in high school, Mahoney was able to get 77 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 2 sacks and an interception. But, due to his range, speed and pursuit ability, Tech is expected to utilize him as an outside linebacker.
Analysis:
With all of the decommitments from other schools seemingly migrating to Lubbock, it is apparent that Coach Leach and his staff were hard at work up to the last minute. During Signing Day, coach Mike Leach expressed to DoubleTNation.com, “Each year we keep improving with the classes we bring in. I’m excited about this group and getting them in here. Our coaching staff deserves the credit for staying with these guys and remaining committed to them through the process.”
University of Oklahoma
Unlike their in-state rivals, the University of Oklahoma Sooners did not focus on recruiting talent from the state of Oklahoma. Rather, Coach Bob Stoops was intent on obtaining elite talent from around the nation to fill his roster. In doing so, the Sooners took ten players from their largest neighboring state, Texas, but also were able to land top prospects from Kansas, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Coach Stoops is excited with his additions, telling NewsOK.com, “More than anything, it’s a class that addressed the needs of our football team.”
Who To Watch:
Jamarkus McFarland (6’3”, 280 lb., 4.85 40 yd. dash), an All-American defensive tackle from Lufkin, Texas, could be the most highly-touted prospect acquired by OU in 2009. McFarland madea very public decision after revealing controversial details of recruiting trips to USC and Texas. 53 tackles and four sacks were notched during his senior season. McFarland was also a participant in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was described by the selection committee, according to NBCSports.com, as the following: “Polished and talented, McFarland has it all: size, quickness and strength. He can beat you in any number of ways and he has the versatility to play all over the defensive interior.”
Justin Chaisson (6”5”, 252 lb., 4.7 40 yd. dash) also shares the distinct honor of being an All-American. He is a defensive end from Las Vegas, NV who was selected for the Under Armour High School All-American Game. Chaisson had 45 tackles and 10 sacks his senior season, but these numbers pale in comparison to the 103 tackles and 23 sacks compiled during a junior season that culminated in a state championship. Chaisson is expected to redshirt, which will allow him time to develop his already impressive skill set.
Demontre Hurst (5’11”, 170 lb., 4.5 40 yd. dash) was a Signing Day steal from the Sooners in-state rival, Oklahoma State. The cornerback from Lancaster, TX racked up 65 tackles and 5 interceptions, along with two kickoff returns for touchdowns, during his senior season. He has a tremendous ability to anticipate where the quarterback will throw on passing plays, but is also known an aggressive run defender. Hurst will have the possibility of serving as a backup or on special teams in the upcoming season.
Marcus Trice (5’8”, 167 lb.) played both cornerback and wide receiver during his Mesquite, TX high school career. Trice moved from a rough neighborhood in St. Louis before his 8th grade year and his football talents were evident even then. When his mother had to return to Missouri, a teammate’s adopted Trice in order to allow him to stay in the safer, more positive social environment of Mesquite. Trice’s tough upbringing has been a motivating factor to work hard and be aggressive on the football field, leading to 60 tackles and seven sacks in 2007 and 61 receptions for 791 yards in 2008. Coach Bob Stoops intends for Trice to focus on the defensive side of the ball, but Trice told HSGameTime.com, “I don’t mind playing both ways. That’s what I want to do in college, after I learn the defense. I know I’m primarily a defensive player, but I really want to play both ways.”
Analysis:
The one area that the Sooners might not have been quite as successful as they hoped is the position of wide receiver. Last year’s runner-up for the National Title will be without two very important offensive weapons in Manny Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias. Only time will tell if the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, will find as much success throwing the ball to fresh faces in 2009.
University of Texas
Coach Mack Brown and his staff have a knack for acquiring the cream of the prospect crop to play football for the Longhorns; and by this definition, the University of Texas 2009 recruiting class certainly seems to fit the bill. Noticeable as a trend this year is the fact that the Longhorns did not have to look far to find their top players, with only one of their incoming recruits not from the state of Texas.
Who To Watch:
Garrett Gilbert (6’4”, 195 lb.) will not have far to travel to get to campus, as he is a native of Austin, TX. The son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, Garrett appears poised to follow in his father’s footsteps, as he finished his high school career at Lake Travis with 12,534 yards and 136 touchdowns, a Texas state record. Gilbert’s strong suit is his accurate arm and his on-field presence, both ingredients which suggest success when he takes over the starting position under center once Colt McCoy departs for the NFL at the end of next season.
Mason Walters (6’7”, 285 lb.) played center in high school at Wolfforth, TX, but is expected to bulk up and transition to tackle in Mack Brown’s system. Walters plays with an obvious love of the game and uses his exceptional size and abilities to his distinct advantage. He enrolled early at the University of Texas and should be in a solid position to compete for a starting role on the Longhorns’ offensive line given his involvement in this year’s spring practices.
Alex Okafor (6’4”, 225 lb.) has already joined Walters and other teammates on the Austin campus as an early enrollee. Okafor excels at of defensive end and recorded 59 tackles and nine sacks during his senior season at Pflugerville, TX. He is currently described as a tall and wiry defender, but is expected to make the most of the spring on campus to bulk up and mature physically. His speed and ball pursuit allow him to get penetration into the backfield, providing him the opportunity to frequently disrupt the flow of the opposing offense.
Analysis:
Every incoming player on the Texas Longhorns roster has distinguished himself as an elite athlete capable of joining an already star-studded roster. With the race for first place in the Big XII South already well underway, Coach Mack Brown is optimistic that his current recruiting class is full of key role players that will impact his team in the immediate future. “It is obvious that today’s group is one of the best groups in the country based on who they are against high school competition. The true evaluation of this group will be how this class does over a four or five-year period and how much they improve and how they compete with the best college teams across the country,” Coach Brown tells TexasSports.com.
Published February 27, 2009
