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For college football coaches, a moratorium on recruiting means a Saturday golf outing with alumni and boosters. They can't afford to play more than 18 holes and hoist a beer or two because they always fear that a conference rival will take advantage of the time to land a commitment.
In cast you haven't been keeping count, Ohio State already has 14 oral commitments, including seven top 100 players and defensive end Melvin Fellows, who originally pledged to Illinois.
Texas has 18 commitments, including three 5-star players and 11 4-star players. USC has 10 commitments, including five top 100 prospects and the nation's top-rated player, quarterback Matt Barkley. LSU has 12 commitments, Georgia and Oklahoma 11 each.
It isn't even June yet and Clemson has landed the two best defensive backs in the country, Miami (Fla.) has claimed the best running back, West Virginia has the best wide receiver, Georgia has the best defensive tackle and USC has the best linebacker. Is there anybody left for anyone else?
There is no reason to panic. For those who wonder if their alma maters will be able to catch up in the recruiting sweepstakes--Michigan has 8 commitments, Notre Dame 4, Florida 3, Illinois 2--it would be wise to note that most of the very best prospects usually don't commit until January or February.
Illinois coach Ron Zook and his staff are in the chase for some of the top 25 players in the country at their positions. The Illini have landed two outstanding line prospects, Leon Hill and Lendell Buckner of Chicago (Leo.)
Zook is pursuing five other in-state players--defensive end Craig Drummond of Chicago (Morgan Park), offensive linemen Chris Watt of Glenbard West and Pat Ward of Providence and wide receivers Kraig Appleton and Terry Hawthorne of East St. Louis.
Two quarterbacks are on Zook's list--Morgan Newton of Carmel, Ind., and Dolapo Mccarthy of Merrillville, Ind.
Defensive end and wide receiver are priorities. The list of defensive ends includes Drummond, Deonte Arnett of Forestville, Md., Tyrone Ezell of Munhall, Pa., Cornellius Carradine of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jonathan Newsome of Cleveland, Ohio.
Other wide receivers are Terdema Ussery of Dallas, Texas, Keenan Davis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Duwyce Wilson of Columbus, Ind.
Zook hopes to lure Marcus Hall of Cleveland, Ohio, one of the nation's premier offensive tackles, away from Ohio State. He also is recruiting offensive linemen Andrew Carter of Tallahassee, Fla., Adam Bellamy of Aurora, Ohio, and Steve Fiacable of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Other highly rated recruits are running backs David Oku of Oklahoma City, Okla, Ronnie Wingo of St. Louis, Mo., and Brandon Wegher of Sioux City, Iowa; linebackers Kerry Hyder of Austin, Texas, and Jordan Barnes of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and cornerback Justin Green of Louisville, Ky.
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THIS IS WHY ILLINI FOOTBALL WITH ZOOK AT THE HELM WILL
ALWAYS BE COMPETITIVE, THE MAN CAN FLAT OUT RECRUIT!
HE ISN'T AFRAID TO COMPETE FOR PLAYERS NATIONWIDE!
ALL INSTATE TALENT WILL BE RECRUITED WITH VIGOR, THE
FIGHTING ILLINI FANS WITH THE IMPROVED STADIUM WILL
ENJOY THE PRODUCT, ILLINIOS WAS SMART TO GIVE ZOOK HIS
EXTENSION! GO FIGHTING ILLINI!
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