Signing Day: Who's going where
Southwest Florida's top football stars are among those putting pen to paper today and making college choices official.
It's National Letter of Intent Day, the first day student-athletes can officially accept scholarship offers from colleges and universities. Commitments given prior to today were verbal, non-binding agreements.
Once official letters-of-intent are signed today, it commits a player to the college or university with rules and penalties enforced if the student-athlete transfers or backs out of the commitment without permission from the university. After official NCAA documents are signed today, they are faxed to the universities and announced by the schools.
It's not required for student-athletes to sign today, this is just the first day of the commitment period. It is common for some players to sign at a later date. College athletic programs will review today's commitments and can reopen recruitment of players who don't sign anywhere today in order to fill their allotment of scholarships.
Below is a list of area players signing today. Football is listed first, with commitments in other sports at the bottom.
FOOTBALL
BARRON COLLIER
Quin Thornton, RB - Appalachian State
Jake McKenzie - Weber State
Evan Goldzsak - Colgate
CAPE CORAL
Kenton Beal - Elon
CLEWISTON
Darris Hughes, RB - Georgia State
DUNBAR
Antavian Edison, RB - Purdue
Aramis Calloway, LB - South Dakota
Melvin German, QB - Pearl River CC
Javian Battle, WR - Pearl River CC
Devouris Means - Pearl River CC
FORT MYERS
Steven Plein, TE - Miami
John Kohlhauff, TE - Harvard
EAST LEE COUNTY
Ryan Gambill - Walsh
Kendoll Gibson - Walsh
IMMOKALEE
Patrick Bastien, TE/DE - Alabama-Birmingham
Sadath Jean-Pierre, DB - Citadel
NAPLES
Nick Alajajian, OL - Florida
Juno Prudhomm, QB - Middle Tennessee State
Carlos Hyde, RB - Ohio State
Greg Pratt, RB - Troy
Puma Nuredini, K - Univ. of Charleston (WV)
Cole Gordon - Georgia Southern
Mark Pearson - Concord University
George Davila - Univ. of Charleston (WV)
N FORT MYERS
Tommy Bohannon, RB - Wake Forest
PALMETTO RIDGE
Sean Smikle, TE - Massachusetts
Tommy Stevenson - Stonehill
SOUTH FORT MYERS
Brodrick Jenkins, WR/DB - West Virginia
Tronic Williams, WR - Western Michigan
ST JOHN NEUMANN
Jack Griffin, K - Florida International
(c) 2009 Microsoft
Holmes the Super Bowl's greatest Buckeye
Santonio Holmes is the 19th Ohio State player to play in and win a Super Bowl, the first Buckeye to be named Super Bowl MVP, and, in his third NFL season ... the greatest Super Bowl Buckeye ever.
Before Holmes, 20 other Buckeyes had won a total of 27 Super Bowl rings. Four-time Super Bowl participant and three-time winner Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots makes a compelling case with his Super Bowl resume.
But it's hard for it to get bigger for Ohio State than Holmes' game-winning catch on Sunday.
Not bad for a guy who was the second most-known receiver on the Buckeyes during 2005, his final year in Columbus, and, though he was the 26th player taken in the 2006 Draft, was the fourth of the five Ohio State players that went in the first round.
I only covered Holmes' final season at Ohio State, in 2005, but in my four years on the OSU beat, he might be at the top of the list of great players whose greatness was never completely appreciated at the time.
Holmes is fifth in OSU history with 140 career receptions and 2,295 yards and he's third with 25 touchdown catches.
His 131-yard game against Arizona was his fifth 100-yard receiving game in three NFL seasons. In his three seasons at Ohio State, he had six 100-yard games, including his final game, when he caught five passes for 124 yards against Notre Dame in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.
Feel free to suggest other great OSU moments in Super Bowl history - I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the complete history of Buckeyes in the Super Bowl.
But that catch in that spot - that's tough to beat. I imagine a photo of that play will find its way into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
What are your memories of Holmes as a Buckeye?
Santonio Holmes at Ohio State
2003 - 32 catches for 549 yards and 7 touchdowns
2004 - 55 catches for 769 yards and 7 touchdowns
2005 - 53 catches for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns
100-yard receiving games
2003
vs. Indiana - 6 catches for 153 yards
vs. Michigan - 10 catches for 121 yards
2004
vs. Marshall - 10 catches for 224 yards
2005
vs. Michigan State - 5 catches for 150 yards
vs. Indiana - 5 catches for 104 yards
vs. Notre Dame - 5 catches for 124 yards
(c)2009 Cleveland Live, Inc
Ducks hire Scott Frost as wide receivers coach
Oregon has hired Scott Frost as its wide receivers coach.
Frost, 34, comes to the Ducks from Northern Iowa, where he was co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach this past season.
The Lincoln, Neb., native and six-year NFL veteran previously served as the Panthers' linebackers coach in 2007. He also quarterbacked the University of Nebraska to the 1997 national championship and a 42-17 Orange Bowl win over Tennessee.
Frost replaces Robin Pflugrad, who had been the Ducks' wide receivers coach for the past three seasons.
(c)2009 Oregon Live LLC
Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky shines in Shrine Game
HOUSTON -- Marlon Lucky made the most of his rare moments in the spotlight in the East-West Shrine Game.
The Nebraska running back rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and the East defense stopped the West three times inside the 10-yard line to secure a 24-19 victory Saturday in the annual showcase for college all-stars hoping to make an impression on NFL scouts.
Lucky was the Cornhuskers' second-leading rusher this season, splitting carries with Roy Helu Jr. and Quentin Castille. By season's end, Lucky was third on the depth chart and needed a good performance Saturday to help his chances of playing in the pros.
"It was a big one for me," said Lucky, voted the game's offensive most valuable player. "I didn't have a strong year and to just come out and play my game and show what I can do, I seized the opportunity. Now it's back to training."
Javarris Williams of Tennessee State and Tyrell Sutton of Northwestern had touchdown runs for the East.
Tom Brandstater of Fresno State and Stephen McGee of Texas A&M threw touchdown passes for the West before a crowd of 15,387.
Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly completed 3 of 9 passes for 30 yards and was intercepted once for the West. Central tight end Jared Bronson caught one pass for 9 yards. Washington offensive lineman Juan Garcia was on the West roster.
Brandstater threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Mike Thomas of Arizona with 8:11 left in the third quarter to cut the East lead to 17-13.
The East was aided by a pass-interference penalty on its next series and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer of Michigan State threw a 20-yard pass to Penn State's Deon Butler to set up a first-and-goal situation. Sutton finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
McGee, who missed most of his last season because of a sprained shoulder, threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Jarett Dillard of Rice with 14:07 left.
Reilly replaced McGee for the West's final drive and moved his team inside the 10. Under a heavy pass rush on fourth down, Reilly's pass to Marko Mitchell of Nevada sailed out of bounds with 1:55 left.
East linebacker Michael Tauiliili of Duke made a game-high 13 tackles and was voted the defensive MVP.
Note
* Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, had surgery on his right shoulder Monday and his arm was in a sling when he walked onto the basketball court at halftime of the Arkansas-Florida game. Tebow, who passes left-handed, pulled off the sling at the end of a brief speech to fans.
"Don't worry about this. I'll be fine," he said.
Copyright (c) 2009 The Seattle Times Company
Rocker to return to Auburn as assistant coach
OXFORD, Miss. -- Former Auburn all-American defensive lineman Tracy Rocker is returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach.
Mississippi officials confirmed the defensive line coach's move Monday.
Rocker helped guide the No. 14 Rebels to an amazing turnaround from worst in the Southeastern Conference to a Cotton Bowl win over Texas Tech, driven in large part by outstanding play along the defensive line.
He was a two-time all-American and three-time all-SEC player while at Auburn, and played in the NFL for two years. He also has coached the line at Arkansas, Cincinnati, Troy State and West Alabama.
sunherald.com
Auburn adding Trooper Taylor to coaching staff
Trooper Taylor is joining Auburn's coaching staff, the fifth assistant to sign up with Gene Chizik and the second to come from Oklahoma State.
Taylor, according to reports, is joining former Oklahoma State coach Curtis Luper, who agreed to be Auburn's running backs coach on Friday. Luper and Taylor flew to Auburn together on Sunday.
Taylor was co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, but he's an SEC guy. He was Tennessee's receivers coach for four years. He was also the Vols' assistant head coach for player development.
Taylor grew up in a family of 16 in Cuero, Texas.
Taylor came to Knoxville after coaching receivers at Tulane from 1999-2003.
Taylor was recognized by Rivals.com as a Top 25 recruiter in 2005 and 2007.
Coaching Career
- Trooper Taylor coached one year at Oklahoma State and served as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach.
- Taylor came to Stillwater from Tennessee, where he was on staff from 2004-07 and was assistant head coach/player development and receivers coach for the Volunteers.
- Nationally-known for his prowess on the recruiting trail, Taylor was recognized by Rivals.com as a top-25 recruiter in 2005 and 2007.
- He has also been successful in the coaching ranks, helping lead the Vols to the 2005 Cotton Bowl, the 2007 Outback Bowl and the 2008 Outback Bowl.
- During his time in Knoxville, he coached future NFL wide receiver Robert Meachem to All-America honors in 2006 after mentoring Cedric Houston and Gerald Riggs Jr., who became Tennessee's only pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season in 2004.
- Taylor, who grew up in a family of 16 in Cuero, Texas, has ties to the OSU staff. He and Mike Gundy coached together at Baylor in 1996. Additionally, current OSU offensive line coach Joe Wickline worked alongside Taylor on the Bears' staff in 1997.
- In 2006, Taylor coached the Volunteer receiving trio of Jayson Swain, Bret Smith and Robert to a combined 159 receptions for 2,439 yards and 22 touchdowns. With all three players gone in 2007, Taylor took the new pass-catching trio of Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe under his wing, with the three combining for 175 catches for 2,130 yards and 14 touchdowns.
- Taylor accepted the appointment of assistant head coach for player development at Tennessee in 2005. In that capacity, he managed the academic and social direction and development of student-athletes in conjunction with their position coaches and the coordinators.
- Taylor came to Knoxville after coaching receivers at Tulane from 1999-2003. He coached four wideouts into the NFL during his tenure in New Orleans, including the nation's top receiving trio in 2001 of Adrian Burnette, Kerwin Cook and Terrell Harris. They combined to lead the country with 2,384 receiving yards on 185 catches.
- He spent two years as a graduate assistant before being named wide receivers coach in 1994. He then coached Baylor's secondary for two years before returning to the wide receivers for one year. Prior to signing on at Tulane, Taylor spent the 1998 season as running backs coach at New Mexico.
Personal
- Born Feb. 20, 1970 in Cuero, Texas and raised in a family of 16, Taylor is married to the former Evi Crosby of Harbor City, Calif. He and his wife, who was a track and field scholarship athlete at Baylor, were wed in 1993 on the football playing field at Floyd Casey Stadium. Taylor graduated from Baylor in 1992.
Playing Experience
- Taylor played defensive back at Baylor from 1988-91 and finished his playing career as the school's leader in kickoff returns (53) and return yardage (1,063). After helping the Bears to the 1991 Copper Bowl and completing his degree, Taylor joined the coaching staff at his alma mater for the 1992 season.
COACHING CAREER
2008 Oklahoma State Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2004-07 Tennessee Assistant Head Coach/Player Development/Wide Receivers
2004-05 Tennessee Running Backs
1999-2003 Tulane Wide Receivers
1998 New Mexico Running Backs
1997 Baylor Wide Receivers
1995-96 Baylor Secondary
1994 Baylor Wide Receivers
1992-93 Baylor Graduate Assistant
(c)2009 al.com
Penn State's Ganter returns to Rose Bowl
CARSON, Calif. (AP) -- Leaning back in a golf cart, Fran Ganter peered through a gate to catch glimpses of Penn State football practice.
Nearly five years after retiring as offensive coordinator, Ganter's thoughts one recent sunny afternoon returned to coaching as he watched a Penn State practice for the Rose Bowl.
After all, Ganter coached the offense the last time the Nittany Lions played at the Rose Bowl, in 1995. That Penn State team, which featured Kerry Collins and Ki-Jana Carter, has at times been compared to the dangerous spread HD attack of the 2008 squad.
But it's all the other stuff, except coaching, that no longer appeals to Ganter, now the associate athletic director for football administration.
"I'd like to do that, and that's all," said Ganter, gesturing at the current coaches tutoring the players on the practice field. "The recruiting, I wouldn't look forward to going back on the road recruiting."
"I never knew anything else," he said Saturday. "After I got into administration, to see how much time they put in, I feel guilty going home at night."
Ganter oversees duties like scheduling and finding practice sites for bowl games in his current position, a far more regular schedule.
"Football coaches for the most part are sick individuals, and they will not be outworked," Ganter said.
For all the accolades received by the 1995 Rose Bowl team, which capped an undefeated season with a win over Oregon, Ganter considers the 1986 season to be even more special. That squad won the national championship by beating favored Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
The 1995 Rose Bowl team "was so good, it wasn't much of a challenge. It was almost a case of we better not screw these guys up," Ganter said.
The 2008 Penn State offense features a plethora of playmakers, including receiver Derrick Williams and quarterback Daryll Clark. But by Ganter's analysis, this year's squad might compare most favorably to the 1995 team in terms of leadership - especially with the Nittany Lions staying out of trouble after a string of off-field incidents the past couple offseasons.
Ganter stepped away from coaching less than two years after his wife, Karen, died suddenly in June 2002. His four sons played college football, including Chris and Jason, who played for Penn State earlier this decade.
The youngest son, Ben, is a junior quarterback at Cornell, while the oldest, Jonathan, played football at Princeton.
They all appreciated growing up around the team, Jonathan Ganter said as he watched practice from the sideline.
"It really is unique. I wonder what it would have been like if one of us weren't naturally inclined to play football," he said.
(c)2008 The E.W. Scripps Co.
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