Recruiting Coordinator Kurt Van Valkenburgh has announced FAU is done with there recruiting class for now. The staff finished with 12, and only missed out on one signing day battle.
However, that battle was over DT Sean Watson, who i had rated as number 1 on my big board for FAU. Baylor came calling last night and the Panama City product made the decision to go play out in Waco, Texas.
Onto this year's class. FAU had limited scholarship numbers to start off with after over signing a big class from last year. With an estimated 14-15 scholarships available Valkenburgh managed to find the talent he could with the numbers he had.
The first thing i like about this class is that they managed to land prospects outside the state of Florida, which i think is extremely important. Head coach Howard Schnellenberger usually doesn't like to go out of the talent rich area of south Florida to find prospects, but he managed to land two in this haul of signees.
Along with recruiting out of state, the staff managed to recruit kids from winning programs which i believe is highly valuable. 3-years ago a head coach by the name of Urban Meyer stated that you have to bring "championship" players into your program that have the mentality of winning. (Florida has went on to win 2 national championships since then) FAU did that in a big way, as many of the prospects come from high schools that compete regularly for state championships. Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga, Lincoln High School in Tallahasse, Sumter High School in Sumter, Sc, and Lakeland Kathleen High School, churn out division-1 prospects every year and most of the time make instant impact at the next level.
Here is how i rank the 12 signees:
1. LB Mike Copeland 6' 211 Lowndes HS Valdosta, GA- Copeland can make plays and hits all over the field. Look for him to have an opportunity much like LB David Hinds had as a freshman this year.
2. DE Cory Henry 6'3" 235 Hines City HS Miami, FL- Henry was a signee from last year but had academic problems and has now enrolled in the spring term for this year. Will participate in spring practice and could instantly find a rotation in a pass rush that struggled last season.
3. DT Jerome McClain 6'1" 280 Pensacola HS Pensacola, FL- McClain was the anchor of a Pensacola High School team that mad a run for the state championship. Has a nice burst up the middle and should have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation.
4. QB Stephen Curtis 6'3" 205 Sumter HS Sumter, FL- Curtis would be the prize of the recruiting class, but he will most likley be redshirted next year. A dual-threat QB that doesn't fit the normal stereo type or size of other QB's Howard recruits, Curtis accounted for 56 TD's (16 rush)his senior season and knows how to find the endzone.
5. WR Marcus Cunningham 6'1" 180 Kathleen Hs Lakeland, FL- Cunningham (pictured above) is a tall lanky receiver that has nice size and adequate speed. Shows nice footwork and has nice downfield blocking which is needed in FAU's system. On film he can make catches and run after the catch.
6. RB Tony Moore 5'11" 225 Lincoln HS Tallahassee, FL- Moore comes from a program that had produced 19 D-1 products since 2005. Has nice size and can catch out of the back field. Same body type as current FAU RB Alfred Morris. Moore could be special when his time comes.
7. DT Willie Huggins 6'2" 285 Clewiston HS Clewiston FL - Huggins is another monster defensive tackle that the Owls are bringing in. Like stated with McClain, Huggins should have the ability to come in and fight for a spot in the rotation just based off of his size.
8. LB David Lozinador 5'10" 185 Miami North HS Miami, FL- Lozinador is my sleeper in the class. Before his junior year Lozinador was named linebacker MVP for a National Underclassmen Combine in South Florida. There Lozinador ran a sub 4.4 40 yard dash and runs the 100, 200 and 4x4 100 relay in high school. His speed should instantly help him make plays at the next level.
9. QB Nick Bracewell 6'3" 210 Lafayette HS Mayo, FL- Braceweel is the typical FAU type QB that they recruit. Nice size and make most of the throws, but needs to speed up his delivery. Should redshirt and compete with Curtis in the years to come.
10. FS Cortez Ash 6'2" 180 Sebastian River HS Sebastian, FL-Ash comes into a defensive backfield that was staring only 1 scholarship player in the secondary by the last game of last season. Ash was productive in high school and made a lot of special teams plays. He has an opportunity to make a special teams unit and play his freshman year.
11. OL Blake Parrish 6'4" 285 Bartram Trail HS Jacksonville, FL- Parrish moved down to Florida in hopes of gaining a scholarship and FAU gave him one with an opportunity to play. Has nice size and looks to be a solid run blocker. Should take time to develop.
12. TE/WR Alex Deleon 6'4" 195 Belleview HS, Belleview FL- Deleon was the Owls first commit back in the fall and comes into a program that likes to throw the ball to its TE's. For a TE he appears a bit undersized and will need to add bulk to at least get to a size similar to former FAU TE Jamari Grant.
Overall i think the class has a chance to be productive.
Be back later with more..
- A Ivins
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