Washington kid the next Tony Gonzalez?
Middleton can dominate game at tight end, and also on defense
Mid Atlantic
Kinston, N.C., defensive end Quinton Coples will be playing his senior year of football at Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy. Coples, a 6-foot-7, 245-pounder with offers from Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee, North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson and others, is hoping to get his academic standing in order to qualify for college.
Coples will play on Hargrave’s post-grad team despite being technically a senior. The big defensive end said he hopes to take all of his official visits before making a decision, but Hargrave has a grueling schedule. He is ranked as the No. 8 player in the state of North Carolina.
Green makes his choice: Washington (D.C.) Ballou wide receiver Ronald Green, a 5-foot-8, 153-pounder, has made his college choice.
"I think I made a decision that would be best for me. I committed to Hofstra," he said. "It was a full ride. I took a visit out there for camp and it just felt like they wanted me. They made me feel at home.
"I like that they run the same style of offense we do at my school. In addition, the coaches there are great. They interact with the players and the head coach gets involved with everything."
Hofstra has recruited Green as a wideout, and he expects to redshirt his first year.
Green hauled in 19 receptions for 448 yards and five touchdowns last season. He added 29 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
Midwest
Don’t chalk up the Big Ten recruiting title to Ohio State or Michigan just yet.
Before everything is said and done, Penn State could be the team that finishes No. 1 in the conference.
If the Nittany Lions continue the hot streak they’re on, there’s no telling how high this class could rank come February.
After landing blue-chip, Rivals100 running back Brandon Beachum recently, Penn State added another four-star standout rusher in Michael Shaw out of Trotwood (Ohio) Madison. The 6-foot, 185-pounder picked Penn State over offers from Tennessee, Virginia, Clemson, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and numerous others.
To make things even better, Penn State picked up a big beefy blocker to help open holes for Beachum and Shaw in the future. Three-star offensive tackle Deon’tae Pannell picked Penn State over offers from Purdue, Wisconsin, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Michigan and Michigan State.
Many thought Pannell was heading to East Lansing, Mich., to play for the Spartans, but he decided Happy Valley was the place for him.
"I got a chance to be around a lot of the players," said Pannell. "They didn't just talk about football. It was interesting that the players, not just the coaches, are interested in more than just football."
Southeast
Florida State added another big piece to their 2008 recruiting puzzle with a commitment from Gainesville, Ga., defensive end Keith Wells. Wells, a 6-foot-5, 211-pounder, is ranked as the No. 5 weakside defensive end in the country and is No. 143 in the country in the new Rivals.com 250.
“Florida State just felt like the best all-around school for me,” Wells said. “When I went down to Florida State (for Seminole Showtime) … they were doing everything possible to make me and my mom feel comfortable,” he said. “They showed a genuine interest. I have been to a lot of places and been to a lot of colleges over the spring and the summer and the feeling I got at Florida State – I didn't get anywhere else. As soon as I left Florida State I knew that was the school I wanted to go to.”
Still looking: In the last few weeks, 6-foot-6, 208-pound wide receiver DeAndre Brown took two more unofficial visits. Next up for the Ocean Springs, Miss., standout? Official visits.
"After my visit to Auburn, I went to Ole Miss and LSU," he said. "They were both good.
"It was my first time up at Ole Miss. I toured the campus and really liked it. LSU was the same as always. It was intense there and I liked the camp they were holding."
Did either visit stick out to Brown following the trip?
"Both of them did," he said. "I like the fact I felt more at home at Ole Miss than some other places. I just felt comfortable at LSU."
With summer visits behind him, the Rivals100 prospect plans to schedule officials.
"I'm planning to take all five officials," he said. "I haven't scheduled any yet. My coach and I are working on that sometime during the season."
At this time, Brown maintains he still hasn't narrowed his list either.
"I'm planning to cut it down before officials," he said. "I don't know who's going to be in that list.
Tigers land commit: Clemson added a big commitment when Loris, S.C., linebacker Jonathan Willard committed to the Tigers last week over offers from Florida, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee and others.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder has always been a big Clemson fan and earned the nickname “Tig” from his older brother Jimmy. Willard is the 14th player to commit to Clemson for 2008.
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More newsChris Graythen / Getty Images Brian Johnson, who led Utah to an upset of Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, is ready for his first season as the Utes' offensive coordinator. At 25, the ex-QB will be the youngest with that job at the FBS level.
