Class of 2008: Some Elite Wide Receivers (Part IV)
Marcus Sales WR/DB 6'2 185 4.50 Syracuse Christian Brothers Academy New York Sales is the top WR in New York and among the nations best……As a junior he caught 33 passes from All-American senior Mike Paulus for over 600 yards and 7 TDs despite missing two games. He was named First Team All-Conference at WR and Second Team at CB…….As a sophomore he caught 25 passes for 625 yards and 9 TDs………..Sales is a smooth runner with nice size, fine speed and excellent ball skills……Has picked up the game quickly as his sophomore season was his first year playing the game……Stars in basketball as well, averaging over 20 points per game…….Solid “B” student……As of early February he had offers from Miami, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia.
Darryl Stonum WR 6'2 185 4.39 Sugarland Fort Bend Dulles Texas Stonum is one of the top prospects in Texas and among the top receivers in the nation…….Earned First Tam District 23-5A honors as a junior after catching 47 passes for 1,053 yards and 14 TDs despite missing almost two games with an ankle sprain……..His coach says that he is the most talented receiver he has seen, and he’s been coaching for 30 years. He has nice size, great athleticism, blazing speed and good hands…….He can catch the long ball but is also very dangerous in the short routes and picking up huge yards after the catch……Two Class of 2007 teammates, Brandon Herron and Troy Woolfolk, signed with Michigan, and Stonum is considered to be a superior prospect to both..…….Runs track…….As of late January he had offers from Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Michigan.
Wes Kemp WR/DB 6'3 223 4.60 St. Louis DeSmet Missouri Kemp is the top receiver in Missouri and among the better receivers in the nation. He has been an impressive performer for a solid DeSmet program since his freshman season…………As a junior he was a First Team Class 6A All-State selection and St. Louis Post-Dispatch Third Team All-Metro honoree after catching 39 passes for 769 yards and 7 TDs………As a sophomore he was a Second Team All-Metro St. Louis selection and Second Team Class 6A All-State aftr leading his team to the 6A state title by hauling in a team-leading 46 balls for 1,062 yards (23.09 avg.) and 7 TDs…………A long-strider with good height who can really go up (34-inch vertical at a combine) and catch the ball. Has the size and strength (18 bench reps as a soph) to overpower overmatched DBs. Not as effective in gaining yardage after the catch. Lacks jets (4.70 soph combine forty, but was injured) and great quickness (4.62 shuttle) but should make a very fine possession receiver in college……… As of mid-January he had offers from such programs as Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Mississippi and Michigan State.
Laron Byrd WR/DB 6'4 210 4.40 Boutte Hahnville Louisiana It’s a deep year for wide receivers both nationally and in Louisiana, and Byrd ranks among the bets…….Has two things you can’t teach-size and speed……Will need to watch his grades……Also starts at CB…..Very athletic. He also stars in basketball……..Really exploded onto the scene as a sophomore……Has explosive leaping ability and does a great job of positioning himself to make the catch. Has the strength to stave off smaller defenders and the speed to run by most of them……Being heavily pursued by most of the SEC.
John Goodman WR/QB/ATH 6'4 185 4.60 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger Indiana Goodman is among the top receivers in the Midwest and top overall prospects in Indiana……….As a junior he was named to the Bloomington Herald Top 33 All-State team after catching 36 passes for 719 yards (19.9 avg.) and 9 TDs, carried 22 times for 141 yards (6.4), returned 4 kickoffs for 251 yards (62.7) and 2 TDs and returned 13 punts for 215 yards (16.5) and 2 TDs…….As a sophomore he was an Honorable Mention Class 4A All-State selection. He caught 24 passes for 660 yards (27.5 avg.) and 12 TDs and had 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception. Rushed for 3 TDs and passed for 1 TD. Returned 11 kick-offs for a 22.7 average and 1 TD. Blocked 2 field goals and returned 1 for a TD. He blocked 1 punt.…….He’s a tall and rangy WR who can really go up and catch the ball and shows surprising speed and quickness. Capable of making circus catches and not afraid to go across the middle. He has outstanding football instincts. Needs to fill out a bit.……Was very impressive at the 2006 U.S. army Combine……Bowling Green, Iowa, Michigan and Purdue were among his mid-February offers.
Class of 2008: Some Elite Offensive Linemen (Part IV)
Matt Hall OL 6'9 312 5.60 Dardanelle Arkansas Arkansas Hall is probably the top overall prospect in Arkansas and among the very best OT prospects in the nation. He’s also definitely at the top of the blue-chip list in terms of size…….Has vastly improved the past couple of years as he has grown into his body and started to put together his rare package of skills. His footwork is much improved and he has knocked off almost a half-second from his forty time………….Spending a lot of time in the weight room and is doing a great job of redistributing his weight……First made a name for himself with an impressive performance at the 2005 Arkansas summer camp and he followed that up with an outstanding performance at their 2006 summer camp, regularly beating up on opposing defenders in drills……Also impressed at 2006 LSU and Tulsa camps.…Born to be a OT in college……Has an unusually high ceiling vis-à-vis the other top linemen in the nation, but he is still a bit on the raw side. He still needs to get quicker and work on his technique…… He committed to Arkansas in September 2006.
Tyler Love OL 6'7 270 5.20 Birmingham Mountain Brook Alabama
Love is the top OL in Alabama and among the nation’s best...........Has the ideal skill set to become a big-time college OT: Great height and frame, quick feet and fine body control, and balance…….Could still add another 30 pounds to his frame…..Uses his hands well and sets up his feet effectively in pass blocking situations……His grandfather played football at Florida…….Looked good at the 2006 LSU camp…………As of mid-January he had offers from the likes of Clemson, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Mississippi, Washington and Alabama.
Gregory Shaw OL/DL 6'6 270 5.35 Miami Monsignor Pace Florida Shaw is another outstanding national-level offensive lineman out of Florida…….A First Team Class 3A All-Stater and Miami Herald First Team All-Dade County Small Schools selection as a junior after earning Honorable Mention All-Dade kudos as a sophomore……..Had 72 pancakes and allowed two sacks as a junior….Has grown from 6-2, 220 since the summer before his sophomore year……..Has remarkable quickness for a lineman (ran a 4.26 shuttle at one combine) and an impressive 105-inch wingspan…….Especially effective at pass blocking due to his quick feet, balance and ability to adjust in space…….Needs to fill out and get stronger, but he has the wide frame to get quite a bit bigger without losing his quickness…….Interesting bloodlines, as he is the younger brother of former Miami and now Louisville linebacker Willie Williams……Very impressive at the 2006 Florida State summer camp, the 2006 Down & Dirty lineman camp and the 2006 Miami summer camp (Won the top OL award)…….Will have a nice selection of schools to choose from when all is said and done.
Vaughn Dotsy OL 6'3 349 5.59 Ventura St. Bonaventure CaliforniaI first learned of Dotsy when he was a freshman at St. Bonnie, and he’s been near the top of my list of top Class of 2008 prospects ever since…….He plays for one of the most powerful programs in southern California as St. Bonaventure regularly turns out prep All-Americans (Michael Williams and .Blaine Irby in the Class of 2007, Dotsy and super transfer Darrell Scott in 2008 and watch out for Lorenzo Booker’s cousin, RB Patrick Hall, in 2009!)…………..His coach feels that he could be the nation’s top offensive lineman as a senior……A CalHiSports First Team Underclass and Sophomore selection the past two years and also named First Team All-County by the Ventura County Star both seasons……..A naturally big kid, was already 6-3, 300 as a freshman…..Very, very strong as he put up 31 bench reps as a sophomore at a combine, but he needs to improve a bit on his quickness (5.32 shuttle).……….A real mauler who really moves the pile and is a great finisher…….Will be a guard in college.....An honors student……Will be one of California’s most heavily recruited prospects.
Allen Carroll OL/DL 6'4 300 5.20 Oakland McClymonds California The best OL prospect in northern California and one of the nation’s best OL prospects………….McClymonds is Oakland’s top producer of talent. They had a great group in the Class of 2006, a couple of quality prospects in 2007, and now Carroll, who leads the was in the Class of 2008………….. San Francisco Chronicle First Team All-Metro selection and CalHiSports First Team Underclass All-State as a junior……Was a sophomore starter on a very powerful team…..Really passes the eyeball test, possessing a great frame and very little fat……….His coach calls him a special, special player and says that he will be the best lineman he has ever had, including former prep AA Derrick Hill…….A punishing prep OT who has the long arms to play LT but the pulling ability and height more suited for a move to guard in college…….Very physical with a nasty demeanor on the field……Very athletic. Also plays basketball…….Nebraska, which does an excellent job of evaluating prospects in California, was the first school to offer Carroll.
Class of 2008: Some Elite Defensive Linemen (Part IV)
Toby Jackson DL 6'4 244 5.05 Griffin GeorgiaJackson is one of the top DT prospects in the South……He’s a very athletic DT who has great takeoff, moves his feet well and has the frame to add quite a bit of additional weight without losing his quickness. Has very good lateral movement.………Especially effective at getting to the QB….…As a sophomore, he posted 56 tackles, 11 sacks and 9 TFL………..Looked very good on the 2006 combine circuit (4.91 forty, 4.94 shuttle, 16 bench reps, 25-inch vertical)….….By late 2006 he had already received offers from Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn.
Sean Cwynar DL/OL 6'4 280 Wodstock Marian Central Catholic Illinois
Cwymar has emerged as one of the Midwest’s elite two-way linemen and he has the potential to star in college on either side of the ball……He was named First Team IFCA Class 5A All-State and Special Mention Chicago Tribune All-State on the OL but many schools are recruiting him for defense………As a junior he registered 103 tackles and 17 sacks from his DE spot and started at OT in helping to lead his team to the state Class 5Am title game…….Sophomore starter……Looked very good at the 2006 Notre Dame summer camp…….A very versatile lineman with good size, great strength and excellent quickness. He is very effective playing in space…….From the same school that produced Class of 2007 standout lineman Bryan Bulaga (Iowa signee)…….Great 4.2 GPA and 27 ACT…..As of early February he had received offers from Notre Dame, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue.
Reggie Ellis DL/OL 6'3 285 5.10 Washington Dunbar D.C. Ellis is the top overall prospect in D.C. and among the nations better DL prospects……….Is very quick off the ball, showing an explosive first step, excellent strength and athleticism in his game films…….Runs very well and has solid technique for a young lineman……Very impressive at the 2007 U.S. Army Combine, earning First Team All-Combine honors…….….Not quite at the level of 2007 D.C. star DL Marvin Austin, but not too far behind……..Outgoing personality……As of late January he had early offers from Maryland, Virginia and Illinois.
Glenn Harbin DL 6'6 225 Mobile McGill-Toolen Alabama Harbin is among the top overall prospects in Alabama and among the top DLs in the South…..As a junior he received All-State and All-Metro honors after recording 72 tackles, 25 TFL and 11 sacks.........He was very impressive at the 2007 U.S. Army Combine, earning First Team All-Combine honors…………A tall and rangy DE prospect, he has a great frame with long arms and the potential to add a lot of weight without losing any of his surprising speed and explosiveness……..Overlooked a bit as a junior as he played at the opposite DE from LSU signee Sidell Corley…….Very athletic and explosive off the edge, he has a very high ceiling…….Also a standout with college potential in basketball and baseball, so he wil need to decide which sport to focus on at the next level……..Being heavily recruited by the best in the SEC.
Ethan Johnson DL/OL 6'5 253 5.16 Portland Lincoln Oregon Ethan is probably the top line prospect in Oregon and among the best linemen in the West…..As a junior he was named Second Team Class 6A All-State by the Oregonian as a DL………Stars on both sides of the ball in high school, but with his athleticism and quickness he projects on the DL in college……………Looked very good as a sophomore on the 2006 combine circuit, putting up some outstanding marks: 5.16 forty, 4.44 shuttle, 18 bench reps, 28-inch vertical……….Has the speed, athleticism and power to be a disruptive force in the backfield and helped make Lincoln one of the state’s premier defenses the past couple of years………..By the end of 206 he had already received offers from both Oregon and Oregon State.
