Here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is FIU's list so far, there are about 4 that are actually already on campus (CC and transfers)

Class of 2011 Known Commitments (22):

1. Ya'Keem Griner - 6-4/205 WR from Bradford HS in Starke, Florida
2. Clinton Taylor - 5-8/160 WR from Northwestern HS(6A)
3. Luis Rosado - 6-3/215 LB from Gainesville HS, Florida
4. Lyndon Edwards -6-1/195 LB from Northwestern HS(6A)
5. Shane Coleman - 5-8/180R RB from Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, FL Rivals 3-stars
6. Richie Reay - 6-5/260 OL from Robinson HS in Tampa, Florida.
7. Dylan Warner - 6-1/190 QB from MacArthur HS in Lawton, Oklahoma
8. Ezekiel Turner - 5-10/170 WR from Atlantic HS in Delray Beach Rivals 3-stars
9. Cody Horstmann - 6-3/231 DE from Vero Beach HS in Vero Beach Fl.
10. Aaron Nielsen - 6-5/230 DE from Freedom HS in Orlando, Fl.
11. T.J. Lowder - 5-11/165 WR/RB/DB from Bay HS in Panama City, Florida
12. Jordan Hunt - 6-2/225 LB from Copiah-Lincoln CC in Mississippi Rivals 3-stars
13. Tevin Blanchard - 6-0/170 DB from Itawamba CC in Mississippi
14. Dominique Rhymes - 6-4/205 WR/TE from Nortwestern HS Rivals 3-stars
15. Loranzo Hammonds - 6-2/205 QB from North Augusta HS, in North Augusta, South Carolina
16. Blaine Dalton - 6-1/190 QB transfer from Missouri via South HS in Blue Springs Missouri Scout 4-stars, rivals and ESPN 3-stars
17. Richard Leonard - 5-8/158 DB from Killian HS. Rivals and ESPN 3-stars
18. Derrick Thorpe -6-5/260 DL/OL from Fletcher HS in Neptune Beach FL. Rivals/Scout 3-stars
19. Elijah (George) Maxey -6-1/207 Athlete/Safety/RB from Raines HS in Jacksonville, FL Rivals 3-stars
20. Cedric Walker - 5-8/170 DB/RB from Miami Gulliver HS Rivals 3-stars
21. Denzell Perine - 6-3/215 DE from Davidson HS in Mobile, Alabama Rivals 3-stars
22. Prince Matt - 6-4/255 OL from Manatee HS in Bradenton

SCOUT
*** Deon Lee, #85 DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, #117 DE
*** Marty Stadom, DE
*** Tony Gillespie, DT
*** Brynden Trawick, S
** Dallas Tidwell, #141 QB
** Daron White, RB
** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tyler Roberts, LB
** Chandler Worthy, CB
** Corey Johnson, WR

RIVALS
*** Deon Lee, DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, DE
*** Corey Johnson, WR
*** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tony Gillespie, DT
** Dallas Tidwell, QB
** Daron White, RB
** Tyler Roberts, LB
Andrew Phillips, OT
Brynden Trawick, S
Cody Woodiel, TE
Chris Davis, DB
Jeremy Pierce, OL
Marty Stadom, DE
Michael Troutman, LB
Chandler Worthy, WR

former **** RB Montrell Conner is down to LaTech and Troy.

(01-25-2011 07:52 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  SCOUT
*** Deon Lee, #85 DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, #117 DE
*** Marty Stadom, DE
*** Tony Gillespie, DT
*** Brynden Trawick, S
** Dallas Tidwell, #141 QB
** Daron White, RB
** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tyler Roberts, LB
** Chandler Worthy, CB
** Corey Johnson, WR

RIVALS
*** Deon Lee, DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, DE
*** Corey Johnson, WR
*** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tony Gillespie, DT
** Dallas Tidwell, QB
** Daron White, RB
** Tyler Roberts, LB
Andrew Phillips, OT
Brynden Trawick, S
Cody Woodiel, TE
Chris Davis, DB
Jeremy Pierce, OL
Marty Stadom, DE
Michael Troutman, LB
Chandler Worthy, WR

former **** RB Montrell Conner is down to LaTech and Troy.

Montrell Conner did not return to junior college to finish his associate degree. Could somone please explain how prestigious universities such as Troy and Louisiana Tech are going to accpet his incomplete transcripts?

(01-25-2011 08:25 PM)CajunT Wrote:  

(01-25-2011 07:52 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  SCOUT
*** Deon Lee, #85 DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, #117 DE
*** Marty Stadom, DE
*** Tony Gillespie, DT
*** Brynden Trawick, S
** Dallas Tidwell, #141 QB
** Daron White, RB
** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tyler Roberts, LB
** Chandler Worthy, CB
** Corey Johnson, WR

RIVALS
*** Deon Lee, DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, DE
*** Corey Johnson, WR
*** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tony Gillespie, DT
** Dallas Tidwell, QB
** Daron White, RB
** Tyler Roberts, LB
Andrew Phillips, OT
Brynden Trawick, S
Cody Woodiel, TE
Chris Davis, DB
Jeremy Pierce, OL
Marty Stadom, DE
Michael Troutman, LB
Chandler Worthy, WR

former **** RB Montrell Conner is down to LaTech and Troy.

Montrell Conner did not return to junior college to finish his associate degree. Could somone please explain how prestigious universities such as Troy and Louisiana Tech are going to accpet his imcomplete transcripts?

I think you answered your own question... It's Troy...

I read that too, but scout.com and a couple other sites act like he's eligible. so i don't know what the deal is.

I have a general question about star rankings. Does everybody get one? Are kids put into quintiles for example like below? Or is something completely different?

top 20% - *****
next 20% - ****
next 20% - ***
next 20% - **
bottom 20% - *

(01-25-2011 08:33 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  I read that too, but scout.com and a couple other sites act like he's eligible. so i don't know what the deal is.

Who on Scout.com, the Louisiana Tech site? He was set to commit to UL on Jan. 14th, until his head coach called and told Hudspeth he had informed them that he would not be returning to Mississippi to complete his degree this semester.

He was told that if he did not return to junior college to complete his degree, UL would not be interested in him or his incomplete transcripts.

Conner Sets Date to Visit Cajuns

By BJ Thompson
Cajun Redzone Publisher
Posted Dec 28, 2010

Former Mississippi State signee Montrell Conner has set a visit to Louisiana's Ragin'Cajuns in January.

New Ragin’Cajun Head Coach Mark Hudspeth has wasted little time in lining up top talent to visit his program in January. The latest athlete to add his name to the visit list is former Ouachita high and Mississippi State running back Montrell Conner. The “6-2”, 225-pound Louisiana native was rated as Scout.com’s #31 running back in the country, rushing for 1,961 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior and participating in the Under Armour All-America Bowl in Orlando, Fla. Carter told the Cajun Redzone Tuesday night that he has set a visit with Coach Hudspeth in January.

“I’ve scheduled a visit to come down and visit with ULL on January 14th,” said Conner. “Coach Hudspeth called me and asked that I come down and visit with him to take a look at the program. We have a good relationship from my time at Mississippi State and I was excited to hear from him.”

Conner spent this fall at Copiah-Lincoln junior college in Mississippi after transferring out from Mississippi State before the start of the 2010 season. He is currently holding offers from Oregon, Colorado, Cincinnati and Louisiana Tech, but decided to add UL to his visits after the call from Coach Hudspeth.

“Coach Hudspeth told me that he needed a big back for his offense,” Montrell stated. “He said that the other backs were smaller and he also had one that was out right now recovering from a serious knee injury. We talked about the offense he wanted to run, in the spread formations and pro-formations as well. He said that I would have a great opportunity to come in and play right away in the fall.”

Conner spent one year at Mississippi State before rushing for over 500 yards as a redshirt freshman at Copiah Lincoln Community College. He took an unofficial visit to Louisiana Tech on December 17th, but hasn’t set any other visits until hearing from Coach Hudspeth.

“I visited Louisiana Tech earlier this month, but I haven’t set up an official visit,” said Conner. Oregon and Colorado are too far from home, so I don’t plan on visiting either program. At this point, ULL is my only official scheduled for January.”

Montrell Conner transferred all his credits from Mississippi State to Copiah-Lincoln after redshirting his freshman season.

“I transferred all my credits from Mississippi State,” Montrell stated. “I will graduate in May and have three years of eligibility left to play college football. So that helps me in getting offers from other colleges and the opportunity to play for Coach Hudspeth intrigues me right now.”

Conner knows a little about the Lafayette area, playing a playoff game against St. Thomas More and attending the Top 28 Basketball Tournament at the Cajun Dome.

“I’ve been down to Lafayette several times,” admitted Conner. “We played a playoff game at St. Thomas More High in 2008 and I’ve also traveled down to several of the Top 28 Basketball Tournaments at the Cajun Dome. We didn’t have the opportunity to see much of the town, but I was able to enjoy my short time while visiting.”

(01-25-2011 09:07 PM)topper1296 Wrote:  I have a general question about star rankings. Does everybody get one? Are kids put into quintiles for example like below? Or is something completely different?

top 20% - *****
next 20% - ****
next 20% - ***
next 20% - **
bottom 20% - *

The whole system is bogus.

We have a recruit QB Colton Kane who gave his Verbal last weekend. He had no stars when I looked him up. Now all of a sudden today he has 3? His offers havent changed, nor have his visits. They are all exactly the same as they were last week, but now this recurit is a 3*?

I would say that the 4 and 5 star guys are legit. They have been tracked and followed. Anyone at 3 stars or less they just have no real clue about, yet everyone (fans, media) judges there teams performance by this "system"

Also BTW anyone who gets a FBS offer and signs a LOI becomes a 2*.

(01-25-2011 09:42 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  Also BTW anyone who gets a FBS offer and signs a LOI becomes a 2*.

so I was a 1* player back in the day and I didn't even play... better than no stars I guess!

Explain how so many three- and four-star guys have dropped a star or two - after commiting to a Sun Belt team? That's the most bogus part.

(01-25-2011 09:42 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(01-25-2011 09:07 PM)topper1296 Wrote:  I have a general question about star rankings. Does everybody get one? Are kids put into quintiles for example like below? Or is something completely different?

top 20% - *****
next 20% - ****
next 20% - ***
next 20% - **
bottom 20% - *

The whole system is bogus.

We have a recruit QB Colton Kane who gave his Verbal last weekend. He had no stars when I looked him up. Now all of a sudden today he has 3? His offers havent changed, nor have his visits. They are all exactly the same as they were last week, but now this recurit is a 3*?

I would say that the 4 and 5 star guys are legit. They have been tracked and followed. Anyone at 3 stars or less they just have no real clue about, yet everyone (fans, media) judges there teams performance by this "system"

Also BTW anyone who gets a FBS offer and signs a LOI becomes a 2*.

Stars represent how highly touted someone is. Usually 5 star guys have schools like USC, UF, Miami, OSU, Etc. going after them. However, the star system is ****. There are plenty of great football players that don't even get one star. However, it is the only way that people like you and I who don't have the time, money nor resources to scout every single high school player can evaluate the caliber of most athletes. As a result, we need to give some weight to the star system.

If I were you, I would base your judgement on the hight, 40 time, stats and who the competition that that player is going up against. In my experience, that can be the most telling thing about how good someone will be.

Oh, and one last thing...GO FIU!

(01-25-2011 10:14 PM)NCowl Wrote:  

(01-25-2011 09:42 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  Also BTW anyone who gets a FBS offer and signs a LOI becomes a 2*.

so I was a 1* player back in the day and I didn't even play... better than no stars I guess!

My wife gives me 10 stars! **********

IMO, the 3-star and higher players are usually as good as advertised. The 2-star or unrated players can be busts or turn out to be great players. Troy's Leodis McKelvin, Sherrod Martin, and Cameron Sheffield were 2-star players, and wound up being drafted in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Rounds of the NFL Draft. So there could be a 2-star All-American waiting to come out on any of our teams IMO.

(01-25-2011 07:52 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  SCOUT
*** Deon Lee, #85 DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, #117 DE
*** Marty Stadom, DE
*** Tony Gillespie, DT
*** Brynden Trawick, S
** Dallas Tidwell, #141 QB
** Daron White, RB
** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tyler Roberts, LB
** Chandler Worthy, CB
** Corey Johnson, WR

RIVALS
*** Deon Lee, DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, DE
*** Corey Johnson, WR
*** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tony Gillespie, DT
** Dallas Tidwell, QB
** Daron White, RB
** Tyler Roberts, LB
Andrew Phillips, OT
Brynden Trawick, S
Cody Woodiel, TE
Chris Davis, DB
Jeremy Pierce, OL
Marty Stadom, DE
Michael Troutman, LB
Chandler Worthy, WR

former **** RB Montrell Conner is down to LaTech and Troy.

Where's the other half ?

(01-25-2011 07:52 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  SCOUT
*** Deon Lee, #85 DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, #117 DE
*** Marty Stadom, DE
*** Tony Gillespie, DT
*** Brynden Trawick, S
** Dallas Tidwell, #141 QB
** Daron White, RB
** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tyler Roberts, LB
** Chandler Worthy, CB
** Corey Johnson, WR

RIVALS
*** Deon Lee, DE
*** Dre'shon McGaster, DE
*** Corey Johnson, WR
*** Zach Johnson, OT
** Tony Gillespie, DT
** Dallas Tidwell, QB
** Daron White, RB
** Tyler Roberts, LB
Andrew Phillips, OT
Brynden Trawick, S
Cody Woodiel, TE
Chris Davis, DB
Jeremy Pierce, OL
Marty Stadom, DE
Michael Troutman, LB
Chandler Worthy, WR

former **** RB Montrell Conner is down to LaTech and Troy.

Where's the other half ?

When a player has no stars it means that the recruiting website has not updated and/or analyzed the kid. From what I get, if they really never get to watch and analyze a kid and he commits/signs with a FBS team, they automatically assign him with 2 stars. If they grade the kid with more than 2 stars, it means they actually have some information/analysis that the player is worthy of that ranking.

(01-25-2011 09:07 PM)topper1296 Wrote:  I have a general question about star rankings. Does everybody get one? Are kids put into quintiles for example like below? Or is something completely different?

top 20% - *****
next 20% - ****
next 20% - ***
next 20% - **
bottom 20% - *

From friends working for these sites, 4 and 5 star players are nationally recruited and individual sites don't mess with those. Some 3 star players are set as such during their evaluation (maybe they could have been a 4 star, but weren't).

2 and 3 star players are often set by the local recruiting sites and often based on reported stats and a look at their highlight reel. If a school is recruiting a player that isn't rated on a recruiting site, the managers of the individual site will rank them.

Like what others have said, 4 and 5 star players are legit, some 3 stars are, and the rest don't get enough attention to get a genuine ranking (and its hard to rank these kids anyways).

(01-25-2011 11:20 PM)Raider_ATO Wrote:  

(01-25-2011 09:07 PM)topper1296 Wrote:  I have a general question about star rankings. Does everybody get one? Are kids put into quintiles for example like below? Or is something completely different?

top 20% - *****
next 20% - ****
next 20% - ***
next 20% - **
bottom 20% - *

From friends working for these sites, 4 and 5 star players are nationally recruited and individual sites don't mess with those. Some 3 star players are set as such during their evaluation (maybe they could have been a 4 star, but weren't).

2 and 3 star players are often set by the local recruiting sites and often based on reported stats and a look at their highlight reel. If a school is recruiting a player that isn't rated on a recruiting site, the managers of the individual site will rank them.

Actually, this is not correct. Individual sites or publishers do not have any say in rankings for Scout.com, Rivals or Scout Inc. Regional directors and national evaluators (usually ex-high school or college coaches and former college athletes) rank athletes based upon teams recruiting, video, season and camp performances.

Like what others have said, 4 and 5 star players are legit, some 3 stars are, and the rest don't get enough attention to get a genuine ranking (and its hard to rank these kids anyways).

In many cases, kids that don't have the money to travel or attend the top football camps, play in lower classifications, on losing teams or have grade problems garner very little attenton.

You can find just as many 2*star athletes that are just as good of a physical talent as 4* or 5* stars, but maybe not as polished. A perfect example is a "6-4" 195 pound athlete that runs a 4.4 forty and is all-state, but is a 2* star, and another athlete with the same attributes is a 3*star? The diffrence in one case was the 2*star athlete played HS football only his senior year and the 3*star started two years. Put them side-by-side and they are the same athlete, the difference being football experience or polish.

Scout.com and Rivals rate all athletes 2-stars eventually once they sign with FBS programs, if they are not previously ranked.

Neither are perfect systems and for the most part have some accuracy to them. But far too many athletes fall to the crack because they are not being noticed by BCS programs.

The Cajuns have the commitment of Miss.Mr. Football RB Qyen Griffin. Rivals has him listed on their HS All-American Team, but has him rated as a 3*star and Scout.com didn't rank him at all because he has grade concerns and, Miss. St, Tenn. and Ole Miss were trying to place him in JC. His bother plays at Alabama and stated that Sabin would have taken him if he would have been closer on his grades during the fall and attended his camp.

I can't remember specifically but i believe it's scout that has and does true rankings rivals is a joke. I read this in an online edition of an Alabama newspaper can't recall which one it was though but had seen this star evaulation thing on another thread on another website.