I was in Hawaii for five days and interviewed 20 players. I drove around the island of Oahu. Two players flew over from Maui to meet me. Can you believe it? In all the time I was there, the sun never came out. It rained for three days. I got more of a sun tan in New Jersey in April.

Believe me, college coaches who go to Hawaii to sit on the beach and don't bother to evaluate the local talent are making a big mistake.

The most talked about player in 10 years is linebacker Mati Te'o, a 6-2, 225-pounder from Honolulu. He ranks with Jarvis Jones of Columbus, Georgia, as the two best linebackers in the country. Neither is committed. Te'o has been offered by Notre Dame--coach Charlie Weis made a personal visit in January--but he is leaning to USC. He also has been offered by 27 other schools, including Tennessee, LSU and Auburn. Brigham Young also is in the mix.

Te'o is a devout Mormon and plans to go on a two-year mission before enrolling in college. He was an all-stater as a junior. He is a difference-maker, good enough to rank among the top 20 players in the nation. I loved him on film. He dominates games.

Another standout is Te'o's teammate, 5-11, 190-pound running back Dalton Hilliard. He has nine offers, including Notre Dame, Stanford, Nebraska and Arizona. Michigan and Ohio State also are expressing interest.

The No. 2 player in Hawaii is 6-6, 330-pound offensive lineman Stan Hasiak of Kapolei, who has offers from most Pac-10 schools.

Other standouts are 6-5, 295-pound offensive lineman Kapua Saik of Honolulu, who has offers from Hawaii and Utah and will attract more; 6-2, 235-pound linebacker Chad Lopati of Kapolei, who would have 10-20 offers if he was playing in Chicago; and 6-1, 160-pound wide receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann of Honolulu, who averaged 20 yards per reception last season and has been offered by Washington State, Arizona and Hawaii.

Posted by Second Season at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Some of the top 100 lists leave something to be desired. Sometimes prospects are rated higher than they should be in order to promote combines and camps. I've always believed that players shyould be ranked on the basis of their performance on the football field rather than at combines.

For example, running back Bryce Brown of Wichita, Kan., who is committed to Miami (Fla.), is rated No. 9 in the country by Rivals, behind Notre Dame-bound Cierre Wood of Oxnard, Calif., who is rated No. 3. But Brown is rated as the No. 2 player in the nation by Scout.

I go with Brown. Both had good junior seasons but Brown played against better competition. Both are outstanding ball-carriers but I favor Brown because he has more speed. I haven't seen a better running back than Brown.

Wide receiver Logan Heastie of Chesapeake, Va., who is committed to West Virginia, is rated as the No. 3 player in the nation by Scout but only No. 32 by Rivals.

I believe Rivals is closer to the target on this one. Heastie is very good and has good size and hands. But he isn't a super threat. He is one of the top five wide receivers in the nation but not top three.

Offensive lineman Xavier Nixon of Fayetteville, N.C., is rated No. 4 by Scout and No. 27 by Rivals.

Scout is right. Nixon is the No. 1 offensive lineman in the nation among all seniors. But the best offensive lineman of all is junior Seantrel Henderson of St. Paul, Minn. Nixon looks thin at 275 pounds. He is the prototypical left tackle. He will grow to 310-320 pounds in college.

Defensive tackle Jamarkus McFarland of Luftin, Texas, is rated No. 2 in the nation by Rivals and No. 35 by Scout.

McFarland is somewhere between Nos. 10-20. I saw him in December. He has decent size for a defensive tackle but he isn't overly fast or big. He makes plays but he isn't a dominating player yet. He might be the best defensive tackle in the country but he doesn't have top 10 production yet.

Posted by Second Season at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Year in and year out, Los Angeles produces the most talented high school football players in the country. And this year is no exception. The area is loaded and USC is dominating the recruiting sweepstakes.

Coach Pete Carroll already has 10 commitments and is well on his way to signing the No. 1 class in the nation. It is headed by quarterback Matt Barkley of Santa Ana, the nation's top-rated player, and a host of gifted wide receivers.

On Sunday, I interviewed 40 of the top seniors and eight of the top juniors in the Los Angeles area at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It was the first time I have been to the Rose Bowl after conducting these interviews at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the last six years.

Barkley, a 6-3, 220-pounder, is as good as Notre Dame freshman Jimmy Clausen was coming out of high school last year, when he was rated as the No. 1 player in the country. Barkley never talks about himself and is quiet and unassuming. I think he will be an outstanding NFL quarterback.

Other USC commitments are 6-2, 227-pound linebacker Marquis Simmons of Compton, 6-4, 215-pound tight end Morrell Presley of Carson, 6-6, 300-pound offensive lineman Kevin Graf of Agoura Hills, 5-11, 175-pound wide receiver DeVon Flournoy of Lake Balboa, 5-11, 175-pound wide receiver Randall Carroll of Los Angeles, 6-1, 186-pound running back/strong safety Pat Hall of Los Angeles and 6-2, 195-pound safety Chris Metcalf of Compton.

Simmons is one of the leading linebackers in the nation. Presley looks and runs like a wide receiver. Graf is one of the best offensive linemen in the country. His father was an offensive lineman at USC and blocked for Anthony Davis and Sam Cunningham.

Flournoy averaged 21 yards per reception last season. Carroll is the fastest sprinter among the football players I have seen. Hall has been told that he must play strong safety in college. Metcalf is very physical, a hard hitter.

A big sleeper is 6-2, 205-pound wide receiver Jemari Roberts of Long Beach. He has been offered by every Pac-10 school except USC.

Marlon Bennett of Santiago, a 6-3, 220-pound tight end, has been offered by Minnesota. Notre Dame, Michigan and most West Coast powers have offered 6-1, 200-pound wide receiver Shaquelle Evans of Inglewood, who averaged 20 yards per catch last year and is one of the top three wide receivers in the nation.

Quarterback Allan Bridgeford, a 6-4, 215-pounder from Mission Viejo, is committed to California. He is coached by Bob Johnson, the most famous quarterback coach in the nation. Colorado and several Pac-10 schools have offered 6-6, 228-pound quarterback Clark Evans of Los Alamitos.

Marlon Pollard, a 6-1, 165-pound wide receiver/defensive back from San Bernardino and one of the state's best athletes, committed to UCLA over Notre Dame, Washington and Nebraska.

The top running back in California, 6-0, 208-pound Cierre Wood of Oxnard, recently committed to Notre Dame. A year ago, Wood was rated ahead of Colorado-bound Darrell Scott of Ventura, who was rated as the leading ball-carrier among all seniors in the nation.

Posted by Second Season at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

New Jersey is always one of the most underrated states for producing football talent. It is one of the top 10 in the country and Rutgers has recruited its share in recent years--but many top players don't have local allegiance and choose to leave the state.

Every school from USC to Florida recruits in the Garden State. I haven't seen Illinois but virtually everyone else, including Northwestern, is making its presence felt despite the fact that there isn't a single 5-star prospect in the state, not a single top 25 player.

In fact, there is no concensus about the No. 1 player. There are 10 to 12 who are big-time prospects. But who is the best still is to be determined.

Theo Riddick, a 5-11, 190-pound running back/cornerback from Somerville, has committed to Notre Dame over Penn State, Iowa and Rutgers. He is a 4-star player the best skilled player in the state. He is a two-time all-state selection.

Aaron Hayward, a 6-0, 190-pound wide receiver/running back/defensive back from Carneys Point, has been offered by Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia and Penn State. He has been timed in 10.6 seconds for 100 meters.

Shawney Kersey, a 6-2, 165-pounder from Woodbury, is the best wide receiver in the state. He has been timed in 10.4 seconds for 100 meters. Rutgers is said to have an edge over Boston College, West Virginia and Oklahoma.

Another talented wide receiver is Tyree Watkins, a 6-2, 185-pounder from Camden. He also plays free safety, quarterback and running back. Iowa and Michigan are in the mix.

The best tight end is 6-5, 285-pound Malcolm Bush of Hackensack. He also is a standout at defensive end. Florida and Clemson have offered.

The best offensive lineman is 6-4, 285-pound Khalil Wilkes of Jersey City. Northwestern has offered. He scored 1,520 on his SAT.

The two best defensive linemen are teammates at The Hun School, a private prep school in Princeton. They are 6-6, 260-pound Anthony LaLota, who has played only one year of organized football but already has landed 30 offers, including Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State, has has emerged as the most widely recruited player in New Jersey; and 6-1, 290-pound noseguard Tyler Stockton, who is committed to Notre Dame. Stockton is one of the top four nose tackles in the country.

The biggest sleeper is defensive lineman Mike Larrow, a 6-3, 250-pounder from Union. Not a lot of people are talking about him and only Rutgers and Syracuse have offered. I think he should have at least 20 offers at this time. He is that good.

Another noseguard to watch is 6-3, 295-pound Isaac Holmes of Hoboken, who has 15 offers, including Notre Dame, USC, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia.

The crop of linebackers is headed by 6-2, 225-pound Carlo Calabrese of Verona, who has been offered by Notre Dame, and 6-2, 225-pound Glen Carson, the state heavyweight wrestling champion, who has been offered by Iowa, Michigan State and several Eastern schools.

Posted by Second Season at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Craig Loston of Houston, Texas, my early choice as the No. 3 player in the nation and the leading free safety in the country, has committed to Clemson.

That's a shocker, a huge catch for Clemson. It is so unusual for any school to go into the Lone Star State and beat Texas, USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan or Florida State for homegrown talent, especially a top 10 prospect.

Posted by Second Season at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Talent-wise, New England--New York, Massachussets, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine--is the weakest region in the country. It is a highly populated area but there are only suspects, not a lot of blue chippers.

The top three players in the seven-state area are quarterback McCallum Foote of Dedham, Mass., tight end Arthur Fontaine of North Dartmouth, Mass., and wide receiver Josh Adams of Cambridge, Mass., who has transferred to a prep school in Chelsea, Connecticut.

Foote, who is 6-5 and weighs 200 pounds, is an Ivy League type.

Adams, a 6-4, 220-pounder, is committed to North Carolina. He is one of the best wide receivers in the nation.

Fontaine, a 6-5, 245-pounder, has great hands. He has been offered by Georgia, Florida and several Eastern powers.

Perhaps the best interior lineman is 6-6, 260-pound Brennan Williams of West Roxbury, Mass., whose father played in the NFL. He is one of the most recruited prospects in the state.

Other players in Massachusetts to watch are 6-4, 190-pound safety Jim Noel of Everett, and 6-4, 230-pound defensive end Darryl Bishop of Groton, whose father played football and basketball at Kentucky.

Top players in Connecticut are 6-4, 220-pound tight end Jake Golic of Hartford, son of former Notre Dame and NFL player Mike Golic, who has committed to Notre Dame; 6-3, 235-pound linebacker Forrest West of Salisbury; 6-5, 275-pound offensive lineman Tim O'Brien of Kent; 5-10, 185-pound running back Andre Lawrence of Hartford; and 6-1, 175-pound wide receiver Marcus Allen of Bristol.

Posted by Second Season at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)