TrojanNYC.com

Thoughts Before National Signing Day - Recruiting Gains & Losses

Tomorrow is the big day and there are a ton of sites out there covering who's going where and doing what, etc. so I'm not going to even fake like I have the inside track on the recruiting experts out there, so I'll leave the predictions up to them.  My information is piecemeal at best surrounded by a lot of educated reasoning and guessing, which surprisingly has been good for me in the past. Instead I'll focus on the biggest potential gains and losses for the uncommitted prospects remaining plus the recruiting hits and misses of the '09 class overall:

Biggest Potential Loss

- The biggest potential loss will clearly be Vontaze Burfict, which looks almost certain.  ASU is getting an excellent player.  Kid is special in terms of his tackling ability; watching him viciously close in on ball carriers while maintaining control is something to behold.  He has a lot of Rey with instincts to match.

Biggest Potential Gain

- The popular pick for biggest potential gain is clearly Manti Te'o and it is well-deserved considering his elite talent and ability to play all 3 LB positions; if he comes in, he will likely have the best chance to get PT early.

With that said, I'm going to go against the grain and trust my gut in choosing Frankie Telfort as the biggest potential gain.  Lot of recruiting analysts criticize him for being undersized, but the movement of weakside LBs seems to be heading towards the even smaller and faster.  And the discussion is likely moot considering SC will probably move him to SS.

Frankie is my favorite recruit in this class.  He's smart on and off the field, comes from the same school that produced Sean Taylor, has exceptional closing speed, and hits like a MLB.  I'm a proponent of the belief that the South produces the best safeties (word to Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins, etc.); I think we will have a great one out of the sunshine state. 

Biggest Miss of '09

- It really wasn't a true miss since academics was the deciding factor in the situation, but I believe the biggest miss of the recruiting season was Cliff Harris who is headed to Oregon.  It could have been a real recruiting coup for T.J. McDonald Jr., Cliff Harris, and Rolando Jefferson to head to SC as the big 3 out of Fresno Edison akin to 2001 with the near completion of the LB Poly 5 (Darnell Bing, Manuel Wright, Hershel Dennis, Winston Justice, and Marcedes Lewis).  

Cliff is a shutdown CB in the making.  He has great coverage skills, speed to stay with fast receivers, and long arms.  Only thing he needs to worry about is bulking up a bit, which shouldn't be a problem with his frame.  I think he'll get PT early and be a top defensive player in the Pac-10 real soon.  

Biggest Hit of '09

- The prize recruit of the class was Matt Barkley, but like I said when Matty B. committed to SC a year ago, he plays flat-footed and it still concerns me. Although Matt is without question an elite QB prospect, it's hard to label him the biggest hit when line play will be a major determinant in his success.  I can already hear all the rebuttals for that statement about line play dictating every QBs success or Leinart being flat-footed and the success he had at SC, and I'm not going to take time to argue against it, but I had more confidence in Mark Sanchez when he came out of HS.

So who do I think is the biggest hit?  I'm going with Patrick Hall.  He made a big jump in the rankings and then sorta cooled out, which was to a degree justified with a less-than-expected showing at AA Army game, but I believe this kid is a baller.  I think once Patrick makes the full transition back to FS from RB he will be a big-time player.  He's versatile, athletic, and just has the swagger factor.  

I'll have more thoughts after NSD, stay tuned.  

Scouts Inc.'s Craig Haubert Predicts Vontaze Burfict, Manti Te'o, and Xavier Su'a Filo to USC

From ESPN.com:

(On Manti Te'o and Xavier Su'a Filo)

I really think they get Te'o and I am feeling that they also get G Su'a Filo 

(On recent talk of Burfict going to ASU)

I know that seems to be the popular thought right now, but I think he stays in Troy. 

I'm not putting much stock into the predictions above - take it for what it's worth. I'm not exactly sure how Craig would predict Vontaze staying at SC unless he had insight into his academic situation.  It's been pretty well-documented that the ASU talks have risen directly from issues of eligibility and concerns over academic support.  Vontaze has been shouldering a heavy workload with classes at Centennial, BYU (online), and night school in an effort to gain eligibility. Without an understanding of where he stands in terms of academic progress, I think any prediction with VB is a shot in the dark... 

Vontaze Burfict Rated 5-Star In Newest Rivals 250

From Rivals.com:

There is no change at the top of the list, with Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley remaining at No. 1 overall. There also weren't too many dramatic changes near the top of the list, but the most noteworthy move came with Corona (Calif.) Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict moving to No. 15 overall and earning a fifth star.

"He's just a guy that hustles all over the field," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Barry Every said. "I saw him run 40 or 50 yards in the state title game to keep a kid out of the end zone. To run like that for a big kid is amazing. He also hits you, and you leave your feet. He's a natural at linebacker with killer instincts."

Vontaze is now the #15 prospect overall in the nation.

Scout's First 2009 Football Ranking

From Scout.com:

1.  Matt Barkley, QB - Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, CA)
29.  Vontaze Burfict, MLB - Centennial HS (Corona, CA)
40.  Patrick Hall, S/RB - St. Bonaventure HS (Ventura, CA)
50.  Kevin Graf, OT - Agoura HS (Agoura, CA)
71.  Devon Flournoy - Birmingham HS (Van Nuys, CA)
75.  Morrell Presley - Carson HS (Carson, CA)
87.  Marquis Simmons - Dominguez HS (Compton, CA)

198.  Randall Carroll - Cathedral HS (Los Angeles, CA)
204.  T.J. McDonald - Edison HS (Fresno, CA)

Rivals has Randall Carroll at 63 and T.J. McDonald at 97, so that's a pretty steep dip for those two players on Scout's ranking.  Nevertheless, we still have 7 players in the top 100 and it's only March, so pretty much Pete is killing it and that's all that matters. 

Vontaze Burfict Commits to USC

From USCFootball.com:

"Yeah, it's official now," laughed Burfict. "I got my offer and committed to USC - it's all done."

With his commitment being a matter of when, rather than if, the nation's No. 19 ranked player overall in the class of 2009 had plenty of time to think over his decision.

"I was supposed to make it down to campus last Wednesday, but my uncle had to work late," he explained. "I've been thinking about committing for a while - wondering how it would be to talk to (Pete) Carroll.

"I was kind of nervous, but they wanted me to come down a commit the right way."

Burfict, who had an astounding had 162 tackles as a junior, was sold on USC from early on in the recruiting process.

"I have a good relationship with coach (David) Watson, who recruited me," said Burfict of his Trojan recruiter. "He's been real with me, and I feel like we can talk about stuff besides football. Today he was just really excited to get me on campus.

"USC also has some great linebackers, and my position coach, Ken Norton, is cool. He loves my combination of size and speed. They want me to come in and be a starter for four-years because they lose a bunch of linebackers. They need guys to step in right away, and that's what I want to do."

No surprise here as Vontaze has been saying for several weeks now that he'll commit once he gets an offer.  He is currently rated the #19 player in the nation overall for the '09 class and the top linebacker in CA.  Here's a highlight/interview video of Vontaze, which includes some vicious hits.  With the commitment we are now up to 10 verbals for the class of '09. 

Name to Know: Vontaze Burfict

From SI.com:

Vontaze Burfict, OLB
Corona (Calif.) Centennial

This 6-2, 235-pound monster of the gridiron totaled nearly 140 tackles in his junior year after missing his entire sophomore season due to injury. His Centennial team came up just a little short in the CIF state championship game, but Burfict showcased his ability to make plays in the backfield as well as run with receivers deep downfield. He should be a very hot commodity on the camp and combine circuit this spring. What will make him a high priority for any college is the fact that he has the size and speed to play all three linebacker positions. Look for several Pac-10 schools to battle for his signature.

Hopefully PC offers him soon.  Vontaze looks like a big-time player.

Vontaze Burfict Interview/Highlight Video

Here's a short interview and highlight video of Vontaze Burfict.  Many believe Vontaze will commit when he receives an offer from SC, which appears to be in the next few weeks.  Based on the video and this picture, the kid looks like a nasty hitter.  Vontaze is currently ranked the #19 overall player in the nation on Rivals.com.  You can read up on him here.