Friday, July 31, 2009

Recruiting Starts Early

As the progression of college sports continues the amount of publicity and exposure kids get now a days is amazing. That being said the recruiting process starts that much sooner, in some situations freshman in high school and sometimes middle school players.

That being said the basketball class of 2011 is going to be top to bottom one of the best classes in a long time. One of the gems of the 2011 class ,that has not gotten as much publicity in terms of offers is Octavious Ellis. This power forward doesn't have the girth of most power forwards but reminds me a lot of a shorter Earl Clark. Octavious is a terror on the defensive end and brings shot blocking ability and long arms that make it difficult for most offensive foes to score against him.

With his continuing growth and improvement on the offensive side of the ball Octavious will definitely begin to see the fruits of his labor in terms of offers and increased exposure in summer camps as he gets ready for his Junior year. I expect a player of his potential to rise up the recruiting rankings.





Thursday, July 30, 2009

True Play Maker from the Midwest

It isn't often that you will see this blog talk about players outside the state of Georgia or Florida let alone the Southeast. But on rare occasions I will profile players from different regions. Today I want to profile an amazing athlete out of the state of Ohio by the name of Latwan Anderson.

The Ohio native who recently transferred from St. Edwards high school to the perennial powerhouse Glenville high school in Cleveland is ranked as the #2 safety in the country behind Georgia's Alec Ogletree. After watching film on both players I have come two to conclusions. First, Ogletree has the ability to develop into a better safety and possibly linebacker because of his body and unique size. The kid just walks off the bus looking like a college and possibly pro player. Anderson on the other hand just makes plays. He is what you call a ball hawk. The kid is always around the ball and does it all on a football field.

After doing some research and finding out that Anderson has admitted that he is only 5'8 3/4 instead of the 5'10 and 5'11 that most recruiting services have him listed at I see the speedy safety making the move to cornerback. He has the coverage ability to lock down most receivers and will be great in run coverage with his attacking style and ability to make the sure tackle. His 4.4 speed also translates well to the cornerback position. Additionally he can be used in the run game. If you doubt my observations let me know and check out Anderson's video.


Wednesday, July 29, 2009

GA Athlete Taking Skills North

Tennessee Coach Bruce Pearl knows an athlete when he sees one. It is safe to say, before the arrival of Coach Calipari down in Kentucky, the Vols were home to one the most athletically gifted teams in the SEC. That being said Coach Pearl is now adding to that tradition, with the signing of Jordan McRae.

The super athletic shooting guard out of Liberty County Georgia stands at 6'6 and 185 lbs. And what he may lack in size and bulk McRae makes up in smarts on the court. The first thing that stands out while watching this kid is his athleticism and his abilities on the defensive side of the ball. He possess great leaping ability, that combined with a wing-span of a 7-footer makes for a nightmare as an opposing offensive player. McRae, also for his size has great body control that allows him to make moves in traffic that are usually left to individuals under 6'0. His slashing ability matched with his ability to make the outside shot will fit perfectly into the explosive Tennessee offense.

Regardless of talent in the SEC Jordan McRae is going to be an instant impact player and will definitely will be a sore spot for Georgia coaches that let him get out of the state.....


Saturday, July 25, 2009

New Updates and Layout Coming Soon!!!

We will be adding a new display and updated stories soon.....


Look forward to it. Its gonna be another Great week here at Making the Jump.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Stones Unturned

Everybody that knows anything about the South knows that Football is king around these parts. Boys start out at Pop-Warner and work their way up through middle school then on to high school. The south is also known for the football year around from the long season, to the constant All-Star games, and even the 7 on 7 leagues that help young kids hone their skills.

No matter how much exposure and playing time kids get their are so many young athletes that get overlooked on a constant basis. Today I am going to take a look at Jacolby Moody. A rising senior wide receiver out of the state of Alabama. This 6'1 195lb receiver has not been recruited much at all, but once he gets his name out during his senior season coaches will be constantly calling. This well built kid has a nice frame and shows more speed and quickness than expected. Although only 6'1 he also has a unique ability to go up and make the difficult catches at the ball's highest point. Moody also has strong hands and uses his body well to fend off defenders. I think it is safe to say Moody has SEC talent and whether its film or the combine circuit schools will take notice of this hidden gem.


The Real Voice of Florida Football

As Victor Sweet said in Four Brothers, "Damn! I like the way you do bidnesss!" In all of my columns, I am going to try and search for the unknown players who truly 'handle their business'. We all know of the Jeff Luc's, The Matt Elam's, and The LaMarcus Joyner's of the world. Here, you are going to get some damn good football players, who are, for some reason or another, rated as a 1 star players by the major recruiting services. Just wait and see...these kids are going to end up being the best players in the class of 2010. In the end, how do you want to evaluate a player? By stars, or by true evaluation? Let's do the latter.

For the purpose of sanity, I am going to go down the road here in sequential order, starting with QB. Not gonna' lie, QB isn't the most heralded position in Florida this year. No doubt there are a couple interesting prospects, but no one really jumps out at me. HOWEVER, after a little research, take a look at Chuckie Looney from North Marion High School in Citrus, FL. First of all, Chuckie? Is their a better name in high school football?! At first when I was looking through some kids, I passed him up because of his measurements. 5'10 154 is stick and bones type skinny, but when I took a look at his film I came to the following conclusion: If the kid can make all the throws, why should he be punished for something he can't control (his size)? Not only does he play against quality competition (i.e. Nease, Gainesville, etc.), at a Scout.com combine he ran a 4.63 40. Couple that with his arm (which from what I can see is certainly above average), I think he is a steal for a small D1, maybe even a mid-major. Check out the film and tell me what you think. Am I off base?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

A Storms Brewin' Down in Georgia

Buford has had a history of excellent teams with equally talented players. The same can be said for their former running back Storm Johnson. The rising senior transferred from the perennial power Buford to Loganville high school.

The new Loganville running back is, in my mind, a better prospect than former Buford running back and current Texans running back Darius Walker. Storm combines a nice blend of power and strength with elusiveness and speed that sees him rarely caught from behind.

Currently Storm is being recruited by schools outside the state of Georgia. But it is in my mind that he is highly underrated especially as a pass catcher out of the backfield. He surely will be one of the biggest recruits to leave the state in the class of 2010. His one cut power style would fit in best with either OKLA or my favorite Auburn, but Storm has high hopes and if he gets an offer from USC (Southern Cal) I see him committing. Although he is immensely talented, I can see him getting lost in the stable of backs at USC much like Stefan Johnson (has the same running style as Storm) has at times.


Monday, July 20, 2009

The Spread Offense

Since the creation of the spread offense some 50 years ago, defenses have been searching for a solution. Well the funny thing is if you take a closer look at the offensive end of the ball there is your solution.

The spread offense uses multiple athletes in order to get as much speed in space on the field. The solution on defense is to get is much speed on the field to attack athletes in space. So no longer do we have the big lumbering linebackers. They have been replaced with nimble quick heavier versions of safeties. And now linebackers are making the move to Defensive Ends in order to get more push and speed on the edges. This transformation has lead to an increase in speed training and athletes, regardless of skill set, getting on to the field as soon as possible.

In a copy cat sport it will be interesting to see if Georgia Tech's spread offense (only difference is it's run from under center) catches on. I know most running backs in America would love to increase the opportunities for carries....

Sunday, July 12, 2009

FLA Looking for the New Tim Tebow

I'm sure everyone reading has heard of the often used phrase, "if it ain't broken don't fix it". Well it seems that the University of FLA is picking up on that by trying to recruit players in the model of current UF quarterback Tim Tebow.

The gators recently offered Jamius Gunsby, who is fairly unknown QB with a world of talent. The 6'4, 230 lbs. Gunsby has the arm strength and athleticism to compete and thrive in the UF spread offense. Gunsby (currently unranked on rivals) also has offers from Troy and University of Kentucky. After watching his film I am very surprised by his lack of recruitment and can only imagine how his stock rockets upward during his senior season. Check out his video below and look out this week for more hidden gems in the 2010 recruiting class.


Friday, July 10, 2009

Keeping your Nose Clean

The big thing that so many sure fire recruits fail to do once the make it to a big division one program, is keep their noses clean. From last summer when the University of Georgia had numerous player suspended to the cheating scandal at Florida State. So many super star athletes are held to a higher standard whether or not that is fair is debatable. The issue is so many college athletes get a bad rap for others mistakes. A case in point is the recent trouble that Sergio Kindle has gotten into (all though know charges have been filed).

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4294788

He fled the scene after he crashed his car into an apartment building. The issue I have is if you make a mistake own up to it. Luckily no one was hurt so this issue will most likely be brushed under the rug. Especially since he is a big time player, but what if he was the 3rd team punter. Likely he would have been suspended. But more an more big time players have been made examples of (Willie Williams).

Regardless, it is up to the responsibility of athletes today to make better decisions. Because it seems as though there is some correlation, with so many pro players getting in issues.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

FLA's Top Basketball Player

Ok hoop fans, I know you all have been waiting for your little installment. Well here it is.....Now if this installment featured any other current high school er from the class of 2010 it would be a travesty. Brandon Knight as most of you know is the top prospect out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Now this kid is no John Wall ( I guarantee Wall is as good as advertised....#1 player in next years NBA draft), but he is a pure score who can run the point. He reminds me a lot of Chris Paul. The kid can just score, and has a very refined shooting touch (especially from 3 point land) to be so young. So what ever school gets this player should be very pleased.

Check him out on the court.

A New Perspective


I just wanted to inform all my readers that I will be adding an additional writer soon in order to give a more diverse perspective of athletes, and to shed more light on the surplus of talent in the state of Florida. So watch out for his submissions to the blog.


Also, we will be coming up with a weekly theme to exam different aspects of football and basketball recruiting from undiscovered talent to the impact of recruiting on a football program. So stay update on all the athletes Making The Jump.

Taking a look at the local home town Dawgs

The recent success of UGA in both recuriting and on field showing has made the current recuriting success unsurprising. That being said I feel like the additions of Brent Benedict, Da'Rick Rogers, Michael Bennett, and Kendrum Malcome will lure the highly touted Mack Brown to UGA. That being said I feel that UGA's pro style running game better translate to the NFL and should be looked at more closely by recurits.

That being said my two sleepers in this class so far are Michael Bennett and Kendrum Malcome. Malcome I really like because of his downhill running style and one cut ability. HE really reminds me of Kreg Lumpkin. And Michael Bennett is a savy solid reciever that will help move the chains.....


Below is a link of Michael Bennett. I am still working on getting a quality link of Kendrum so show UGA fans what they are getting.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/AMP-Michael-Bennett-NUC-highlights-47936;_ylt=Ah6x11FFFShjW8LyYpN86uTOr69_%22%3E%3C/a

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Signing out for the Night

As I have done a lot of plugging for this new Blogg I gotta get some rest. But I will be up bright and early to add something for the morning addition. Check me out daily. I am gonna be uploading pictures, videos, and articles on the best from Georgia and the rest of the SoutEast region......

Jinx signing out....

Lets Start this Off Right......with an LB

As a former Linebacker I had to start my blogg out with arguably the best LB in the country right now. Jeff Luc, is from Port St. Lucie (Fla.) and is one of the most skilled and polished LB in the country(and the boy can flat out hit!!!). His film and recruiting stars speak for themselves. He is currently uncommitted, but if there is a harder hitter out there I am willing to display your video on here as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dT2TCrcMY&feature=related

Coming Soon: (working with youtube to get direct links for videos)

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