Various Notes

[Captain Kangaroo]

Quick notes:

Balaam may/may not be a Zip. Iowa out-of-state tuition is $22,000, and Balaam probably doesn't have that much cash lying around...unless some Iowa booster "helps" him out. Odds of him being a Zip are better than 50/50...but not yet near 100%.

A Pitt recruit from this year's class didn't make grades, so Pitt dropped their offer. He'll prop 48 at Akron this year an be eligible next year. A big DL, but I didn't get a name.

A DL has transferred from Rutgers. He'll sit this year and be eligible in 2006. Again, no name.

Getsey #1, Jabari at WR. Done deal. Ferg. #2 QB. Two Fr. QB's will hopefully redshirt.

Height will prop 48.

Tuzze expected to be the starting FB, but most of this year's class is expected to redshirt.

Alex Allen looks great, per the RB coach. Kennedy looks good too, and will likely get carries on every 3rd series. (Biggs gets the first two).

Expect the Zips to be "ok" this year, good next year, and champs in 2007.

OL's were described as "more physical" than last year's group, but short on experience (obviously). Lots of work has been done over the spring to get them as game-ready as possible.

Coaching staff could not be any more esctatic about this year's recruiting class.

[RACER]

to bad about the dl from canton mc kinley. i think he could have gave us some much needed size ,and depth at dl. seems like were are real thin there now,and not very big. hopefully he ,and a few others we have can make the grades,and we might have some dl help for next year.

go akron.

[InTheZone]

That's good news on Balaam Cap'n. Back in May when I heard the news it was almost certain he wasn't going to be a Zip.

Also, I believe a couple of the other D-line signees didn't make their grades. JD sure signs a lot of talent, but this seems like it's becoming pretty common place in his first two recruiting classes.

[Buckzip]

It really doesn't matter how great he recruits if the guys never play.

This was a common problem with the last staff too.

[GP1]

It really doesn't matter how great he recruits if the guys never play.

This was a common problem with the last staff too.

You guys must be too young to remember the Faust years. The 27% graduation rate and the constant parade of guys flunking out (not to mention the criminal activity) was something to see. Owens had too many suburban kids on the team to give the Faust recruits any competition in the flunking out game.

If JD is going to turn things around, he is going to have to sign some marginal players. Marshall did it for years and still continues to do it. BUGS and Toledo have also experienced success in recent years doing the same thing. We may see more and more of this in the next few years.

I'm glad to see that the OL is going to be more physical this year. JD really wants to run the ball and needs a line like that. Biggs took some big hits last year on the line and he is our best hope this year. He needs to take less punishment from much bigger guys. After all, there isn't much of him.......

I'm more interested in the defense and who is going to be the #2 running back.

I'll say it again. I think this upcoming team is going to be better than many expect them to be.

[KentZip]

<A Pitt recruit from this year's class didn't make grades, so Pitt dropped their offer. He'll prop 48 at Akron this year an be eligible next year. A big DL, but I didn't get a name.>

By process of elimination on the Pitt site, it may be Marlon Terry from Buchtel. He is one of only two defensive linemen that had both Pitt and Akron listed as favorites. He was originally listed as a commit to Pitt but the site doesn't reflect that now. Good luck to him if this is the case. Local coaches will have a harder time criticizing the program if we are willing to take on someone who needs help with classwork.

[KentZip]

By the same logic, this may be the Rutgers transfer:

http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=183&p=8&c=1&nid=1308129

[Captain Kangaroo]

By the same logic, this may be the Rutgers transfer:

http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=183&p=8&c=1&nid=1308129

I think you're right about the Buchtel kid, but I don't think that's the Rutgers guy. From what I understand, the mystery Rutgers DL will have only 2-3 years of eligibility remaining. I looked around on the Rutgers site and a DL by the last name of Robinson had left the team. My guess is he's the one...but I don't know for certain.

[zff]

Thanks Capn' you just mad me SH*T my pants......If Nate Robinson is the guy from Rutgers the Zips have landed a STUD!!!!!!!!

Make sure you are sitting when you click the link!!!!!!

[Buckzip]

That guy wouldn't be coming to UA.

I don't understand why the #1 ranked DT that year would have chosen Rutgers.

Nothing against them, but I doubt we will ever see the #1 ranked anything ever commit to Akron.

[KentZip]

BuckZip, you are on the right track only the logic is slightly different. IF a stud player like that IS coming to Akron, there has to be a reason. This might be it>>>>>

Reply to My Critics

By William C. Dowling

Fourteen members of something called the Academic Oversight Committee for Intercollegiate Athletics last week professed themselves to be "horrified" by a Sports Illustrated article in which I supposedly called Rutgers football players morons. (Commentary, Daily Targum, Sept. 18)

I called no football player, on Rutgers or any other team, a moron.

My Sports Illustrated remark was about booster subculture. It's a disgraceful fact that boosters at Division IA schools care nothing about students at their universities who are brilliant at Greek or philosophy or physics. They invariably go into ecstasies, though, when some low-SAT recruit is enticed to their campus to perform on a team.

My remark is there in a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, in its original context, for anyone who wants to read it. It happens to be true. It is something I can back up in detail with tables of the SAT scores of football players at Div IA schools. I also have files overflowing with posts from Rutgers sports boards in which Scarlet R members go crazy over this or that low-SAT recruit who has mentioned the bare possibility of signing to play for Rutgers.

Luckily for me, an example occurred just when the Sports Illustrated article appeared. One Nate Robinson, a lineman highly ranked in SuperPrep, had earlier signed to play for the University of Miami. It turned out that he was unable to make even the dismally low 820 SAT score Miami requires for football players. So he came to Rutgers instead.

The boosters went into a frenzy of rejoicing. And so, presumably, did the members of the "Academic Oversight Committee": Robert Boikess, Roger Cohen, Emmet Dennis, Gus Friedrich, Jim Hughes, Arnold Hyndman, Harry Janes, Robert Jenkins, Carl Kirschner, Pat Mayer, Jeff Rubin, Tom Stephens, John Worobey, and Kathryn Uhrich.

Could we be serious for a second? Nate Robinson's combined SAT score was 800. A student with an 800 SAT might be able to do the work at Rutgers if he spent every available moment of his time on his course work. It would be hard. Even putting in 60 hours a week studying, it would be a tremendous struggle for such an individual to keep up with his better-prepared classmates.

Maybe, just maybe, it could be done. But it's brutally dishonest to pretend it can be done by an 800-SAT freshman who's made to put in 40-50 hours a week on developing his physical skills, and then go on frequent weekend trips away from campus. Even a top student who'd entered Rutgers with a 1400 SAT would have a hard enough time keeping up a decent GPA under that regimen.

Nate Robinson is not the miscreant here. He's just a pawn in the sleazy game of commercialized college athletics, viz.

[Buckzip]

LOL

[Captain Kangaroo]

Again...I have no idea if Nate Robinson is the Rutgers transfer or not (I'm working on it)...but it would make sense that Nate is the guy. From a Big East football web site:

******************************************************************

RUTGERS sophomore defensive tackle NATE ROBINSON, who was one of the nation's top high school prospects just a few years ago, and transferred back home to New Jersey after originally signing with the University of Miami, was released from the program for violating un-specified team rules... there has been no formal reason or explanation for his release, but it was clear last fall that he was not nearly the player that was seen on tape during his high school days... he seemed overweight, under-conditioned and hardly ever dominated at the point of attack... still there is a lot of un-tapped potential here, but his work ethic and level of responsibility for his actions must come around before he will ever be able to take advantage of his vast potential.

********************************************************************

BTW: I'm sure there's a major at U of A that an 800SAT kid can be successful at? I think that's double what Katzenmoyer's SAT was entering OSU?

[highzip]

it is for sure nate robinson. I will put money on it if anyone doesn't believe me. All you can do is trust me, but i guarantee that you'll see his name pop up. Our d-line is going to be outstanding next year if this guy and the other recruits play to their potential or if they even play at all.

[highzip]

also kurt shoemaker has left the program if you guys didn't know and I have a source for this one:kurt to uc

[Captain Kangaroo]

it is for sure nate robinson.  I will put money on it if anyone doesn't believe me. All you can do is trust me, but i guarantee that you'll see his name pop up.  Our d-line is going to be outstanding next year if this guy and the other recruits play to their potential or if they even play at all.   

If Robinson and Hight live up to their potential...holy hell will we have a defensive line! Thanks for the confirmation, HighZip.

BTW: Did you ever meet "Highfl@sh?" He a FA WR with the Browns now.

[Captain Kangaroo]

also kurt shoemaker has left the program if you guys didn't know and I have a source for this one:kurt to uc

If he couldn't beat out Ferguson for the #2 spot this year...he'll struggle to make Cinci's roster. I see him playing intramurals unless he transfers to D2 or D3.