Stockstill Making Recruiting Rounds in Florida |
CLEMSON -- Travel agents say May is a good time to travel to Florida - the kids aren't
out of school yet and the weather isn't too bad. Travel agents don't know much about football. Otherwise, they'd tell travelers to watch out for the influx of recruiters into Florida this time of year. Tuesday was the beginning of spring practice in Florida. Schools can practice 20 times and can spend one day at a jamboree playing other teams. Recruiters have two chances to see any one player. A school can use four weeks to send coaches out to evaluate players in the spring. That means that a coach like Clemson's Rick Stockstill will be on the road non-stop for all of the four weeks. You could find Stockstill travelling the northern part of Jacksonville on Wednesday. He hit at least five high schools checking on rising seniors, finding out about rising juniors and sometimes just stopping by to make sure the coach at that school doesn't forget about Clemson. "Stockstill comes and sees me whether we have kids or not," said Andrew Jackson coach Kevin Sullivan. "He always recruits our area." Make no mistake, Sullivan has a player this year that Stockstill is pursuing - Leon Washington. Washington is an all-purpose player who plays some running back, wide receiver and cornerback. His coach isn't sure which position he'll play in college, but there's no doubt he'll play. He's received offers from Michigan to Miami. He averaged 21.5 yards a catch as a receiver and 12.4 yards a rush. He also had 71 tackles and seven interceptions. "He's one of the top-five athletes in the state of Florida," said Sullivan. Clemson hasn't offered him a scholarship yet. "I don't think that will hurt Clemson, but it's nice to come in and say, 'Coach, we're going to offer the kid,' so I can say, 'listen, they're going to offer you.' The kids like to hear that." Washington ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at a combine last week. "The first time he did it in 4.32 and then he got out of the blocks like a rabbit," said Sullivan. Washington also benches over 300 pounds and squats 500 pounds. Stockstill stayed around and talked to Sullivan for about 20 minutes before he headed off to schools like Raines, Ribault and Paxon. At Paxon he checked out a rising junior named Chris Brown, who will be a target of many schools over the next two seasons. "They're setting the tone for next year," said Paxon coach Adam Geis of Stockstill's visit there. "He's the kind of player that will start as a freshman in college." Brown is 6-4 and 215 and runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. More impressive are the three quarterbacks that he knocked out last season. "Maryland saw film on him and their coach wrote him a long personal letter," said Geis. "We blitz him on the inside and it's lights out. He hits like an NFL player. All of them like him. Joe Kines from FSU was in here wanting film." Geis, the son of Dallas Cowboys assistant Buddy Geis, is in his first year at the school. He'll likely see plenty of Stockstill over the next season. "He was in here along with Troy State and Arkansas," he said. Geis couldn't remember Stockstill's name at first. If he stays at Paxon for any length of time, he'll get to know Stockstill and the others that pour into Florida this time of year. Florida High School All-Stars *Look for profiles of these seniors in the next issue of Tiger Insider* RB Tre Smith Has been getting attention since he was a sophomore and rushed for 1,048 yards on just 119 carries – an 8.8 average per carry. Rushed for 1,854 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior. Rushed for 182 yards in the 5A state championship game. ATH Jemalle Cornelius Cornelius is well-rounded on the football field and in the classroom. He carries a 3.8 GPA and does just about everything on the field. He caught 53 passes for 1,201 yards as a junior. He also had a 97-yard touchdown run. He also kills the opposition with interceptions – he had seven last season. He’s also the backup quarterback and return kicks. DL Raymond McCollough Had 70 tackles as a junior along with five sacks. He played both defensive tackle and end. DL Elvis Dumervil All state as a junior. FS Cardan Alexander His father played in the NFL and CFL. He led his team into the playoffs in 2000 with 87 tackles and nine interceptions. LB Torrean Charles Had over 100 tackles as a junior along with 16 sacks. He’s known as a quick and aggressive presence on the field. LB William Beckford Had 100 tackles, including 15 for loss, as a junior. Led a defense that allowed only 6.1 points a game. Had 13 sacks last season. Came into his own quickly at a school that has never been short on talent. A quiet person off the field, he’s a play-maker on the field. OL John Miller All state as a junior. OL Mark Burgess All state as a junior. Led his team to the state quarterfinals. OT Ryan Carter Regarded as an overpowering lineman that has a mean streak on the field. Academics are not a problem – he already has a qualifying test score. Had reconstructive knee surgery in 1999, but made a quick comeback. QB Gavin Dickey An option QB that is being courted as a possible defensive back by some schools. However, he’s determined to play QB in college – and he has the credentials. Passed for 1,400 yards and rushed for over 1,000 as a junior. This spring he heard from schools across the country. Nebraska flew in to check him out. ATH Leon Washington Rushed for 700 yards on 53 carries, had 30 catches for 500 yards and scored 22 touchdowns as a junior. Also had 71 tackles and seven interceptions. He never comes off the field. Also plays some quarterback and punts. LB James Buster Davis Had 167 total tackles last season. Had 28 tackles for loss and six sacks as a linebacker. Caused seven fumbles and had two interceptions. S Pat Watkins Watkins is regarded by many as the top defensive back in the nation. He had 126 tackles, 5 interceptions and blocked three kicks as a junior. Has great field vision, according to his coach. TB Ciatric Fason Has rushed for 5,420 yards in three years as a starter. Has committed to Florida, but that won’t likely deter many from pursuing possibly the top running back in the country. He has rushed for 76 touchdowns. TE Lonnie Davis He was a devastating blocker on a run-oriented team. He will likely move to defensive end this year. WR Santonio Holmes WR Ryan Moore Moore is one of the top receivers in the nation. Was all 6A as a junior.
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