Recruiting: National Notebook

The UCLA Bruins headlined the national recruiting recap last week because of the energy and deep involvement of head coach Rick Neuheisel in the recruiting game. In his brief time in Westwood, the quarterback guru has proven that the Bruins will be a force on the recruiting trail. He has shown no fear when battling Pete Carroll and the rival Trojans for local Los Angeles talent. It is no surprise that UCLA is winning those key recruiting battle now.

Across the country in Tallahassee, the exact opposite is taking place. Fans of the Florida State Seminoles have not only been displeased with the product on the field this season (2-4, 0-3) but are starting to realize what a lame-duck, uninvolved head coach can do for recruiting. Head coach Bobby Bowden is clearly not as involved in the recruiting process as he has been in the past and it is starting to show. 

The list of prospects that are starting to sour on the Noles is pretty ridiculous. Top-10 Athlon Consensus 100 names like LaMarcus Joyner and Jeff Luc have cooled on Florida State. Joyner, at one point, was a Florida State silent commit with Ohio State being the only other team in the mix. It appears now that FSU and Ohio State will be joined by Florida and Notre Dame in the fight for the top corner in the nation. Luc has long been rumored to stay in state. Florida and Florida State have always been atop his list but the Tennessee Vols appear to making a strong push. He has been incredibly private about the process so this one is still wide open. In both cases, it does not appear that Florida State will be holding the Golden Ticket.

AC100 defensive end Corey Miller has already switched his commitment from the Noles to the Vols. AC100 athlete Christian Green was once a Florida State lean but is now considered a Georgia-Florida battle. Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes offensive lineman Ed Christian recently switched his commitment from FSU to Auburn. Others like the committed Tavaris Barnes, a defensive tackle from Jacksonville, corner Terrence Mitchell and linebacker Christian Jones are wavering or no longer interested. 

Bowden and the Seminoles have made a living out of closing incredibly well on National Signing Day. This season, however, it might take a miracle to keep a top-10 recruiting class together in Tallahassee. Paging Brian Kelly?

Cyclone Storm

Iowa State has had a great week on the recruiting trail with a flurry of recent commitments. Since October 13th (last Tuesday), the Cyclones have added five new members to the class of 2010. A pair of offensive lineman Shaban Dika (San Antonio, Texas) and Bob Graham (Jenks, Okla.) both check in at 6-foot-5 and around 290 pounds. Graham is the higher rated of the two.

Next up was the passing game. Tight end Pierce Richardson from Encino (Calif.) Crespi is a 6-foot-4, 230 pounder who boasts 4.7 speed. The same day that Richardson announced, Houston-Klein Forest defensive back Adrian Bennett also boarded the Cyclone ship. Bennett is a 6-foot-2, 205 pound prospect who projects as a safety. Last but not least is wide receiver Jarvis West. The smallish (5-foot-7, 165 pounds) West hails from St. Petersburg (Fla.) Gibbs and sported a prominent offer sheet. He picked Iowa State over Nebraska, Ole Miss, Syracuse, Tulsa and Toledo.

Athlon National Player of the Year Update

The criteria for consideration for national player of the year is team success, personal production, collegiate talent and being a senior. Just past the halfway point of the season, there is no clear-cut favorite. A couple of Cali running backs appear to be atop the list but many others will have something to say about this award before its all said and done.

1. Malcolm Jones, RB, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Rushed for 113 yards and three scores on only eight carries in a 65-6 win over Bishop Diego pushing OC to 6-0. Jones is committed to UCLA and is the No. 30-rated player in the AC100. Season Stats: 1,067 yds, 14 TDs, 79 rec yds, 2 TDs, 38 tkls, sack, INT, TD

2. Dillon Baxter, QB/RB, Mission Bay (San Diego, Calif.)
Posted 300 yards of offense and six touchdowns in a 49-27 win over Point Loma this weekend. Mission Bay is also undefeated (6-0) on the year. Baxter is headed to USC and is the No. 51-rated player in the country. Season Stats: 2,000-plus yards of total offense, 33 total touchdowns

3. Marcus Lattimore, RB, Brynes (Duncan, S.C.)
BHS did not need Lattimore much for its 42-9 win over Hillcrest this weekend. He rushed for 64 yards, scored on a 25-yard reception and blocked a punt. Duncan is still undefeated in-state and is 7-1 overall. He is the No. 3 player in the nation and the country's top running back recruit. Season stats: 907 yds, 14 TDs, 29 rec, 351 yds, 3 TDs

4. Phillip Sims, QB, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.)
Sims kept the OSHS winning streak intact pushing it to 28 straight wins by throwing for 232 yards and four touchdowns. The Alabama-bound passer is the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the nation and checks in at No. 54 overall. Should finish this season as the state of Virginia's all-time leading passer in yards and touchdowns. Season Stats: 1,640 yds, 16 TDs, 4 INT

5. Robert Woods Jr., ATH, Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Woods has led the Cavaliers to a perfect 6-0 record and has been an impact player all over the field. He is committed to USC and is the No. 28-rated player in the nation. Season Stats: 28 rec, 452 yds, 7 TDs, 32 tkls, 5 INTs

Best of the Rest:

6. Marcus Coker, RB, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
7. Barry Brunetti, QB, University School (Memphis, Tenn.)
8. LaMarcus Joyner, DB, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)
9. Aaron Benson, LB, Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill, Texas)
10. Chas Dodd, QB, Byrnes (Duncan. S.C.)

Airing It Out

The state of Utah is home to two of the best non-major programs in the country in BYU and Utah. But its not just the Cougars who are posting some big time passing statistics. Sandy (Utah) Jordan quarterback Alex Hart entered Friday's action leading the nation in passing yards and touchdowns. He might have put his numbers out of reach after a 54-6 rout of Taylorsville — and he only needed one half. All 54 of the Beetdiggers' points were scored in the first half of play. Hart complete 22 of his 25 passes for 404 yards and eight touchdowns in only 30 minutes of play. Those eight scoring tosses tied a National High School record with two others for one half of play.

The 6-foot-2, 175 pound passer has thrown for 3,399 yards and 38 touchdowns thus far. He has added 464 yards rushing and four more touchdowns on the ground. He has not received any offers so far in the recruiting process but according to his head coach, Eric Kjar, he is getting "a lot of interest." With numbers like that, someone will give him a chance.

Hart was not the only Utah passer to post a huge game last weekend. West Jordan quarterback Adam Boelter (5-foot-9, 145 pounds) accounted for all 10 touchdowns (7 pass, 3 rush) in a 67-34 win over Payson High School. Those 10 TDs tied a state record set in 1919. Boelter, who finished with 476 yards, at his size, is not a collegiate prospect.

Quick Hitters

— Travis Williams, a linebacker from Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor has announced he is heading to Miami. The 6-foot-2, 200 pounder posted 15 sacks last season.

— The Wisconsin Badgers continue to dip into the Northeast. A second player from Maryland committed this week as lineman Robby Havenstein (Frederick-Linganore) announced he is headed to Madison. He is a massive 6-foot-8, 340 pounds.

— Khamerone Kolb, an offensive lineman from Burke (Va.) Lake Braddock, announced this week he is headed to Penn State. He is listed at 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds. PSU is pushing for the top class in the nation.

— Wichita (Kan.) Southeast running back Joseph Randle committed to Oklahoma State over Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Miami and Missouri. He is listed at 6-foot, 190 pounds. The Pokes also added its first two 2011 commitments. Plano (Texas) West OL Travis Cross and Glenpool (Okla.) defensive back Isaac Maselera have both announced they want to be Cowboys.

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