Recruiting Hotbeds

Discussion in 'Recruiting' started by Vol Horn 4 Life, Mar 18, 2018.

  1. Vol Horn 4 Life

    Vol Horn 4 Life Good Bye To All The Rest!

    Texas has three counties out of the top 9 in the entire country who produce the most ESPN top 100 recruits. Harris, Dallas & Tarrant counties.

    http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22312871/college-football-recruiting-true-battlegrounds



    Broward County, FL38
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    Population: 1.89 million
    Top high schools
    1. Saint Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale) 10
    2. American Heritage (Plantation) 9
    3. Plantation (Plantation) 3
    4. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes) 2
    5. Flanagan (Pembroke Pines) 2
    Top recruiters
    Miami 7, Florida State 5, Ohio State 5, Alabama 4, Auburn 3
    Notable names
    CB Lamarcus Joyner (2009), Florida State
    LB Ryan Shazier (2011), Ohio State
    DE Joey Bosa (2013), Ohio State
    RB Sony Michel (2014), Georgia
    CB Tavarus McFadden (2015), Florida State
    Why it's a hot spot: South Florida is the most heavily recruited area in the country. Among Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties, it's Broward that has produced the most top-100 players among those three. The South Florida region is a target of teams throughout the SEC and ACC and other national programs reaching into the area.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Alabama WR Calvin Ridley. In the last 10 years, the region has produced 10 players who have been on teams that played for national titles. Ridley, from Coconut Creek, is the best example of that. He has played a part on Alabama teams that have been in the last three CFP title games and was the Tide's leading receiver in all three seasons.

    Harris County, TX26
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    Population: 4.54 million
    Top high schools
    1. North Shore (Houston) 4
    2. Westfield (Houston) 4
    3. Episcopal (Houston) 3
    4. Lamar (Houston) 3
    5. Cy-Fair (Cypress) 2
    Top recruiters
    Texas 10, LSU 5, Texas A&M 3, Houston 1, Florida State 1
    Notable names
    ATH Russell Shepard (2009), LSU
    DT Desmond Jackson (2011), Texas
    WR Tyrie Cleveland (2016), Florida
    DT Marvin Wilson (2017), Florida State
    OT Walker Little (2017), Stanford
    Why it's a hot spot: The county covers Houston and is the most populous in Texas. Houston has long been a battleground for recruiters, and the area has only grown in that regard with Alabama, LSU and Florida State joining the Texas powerhouses that recruit the area.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Houston DT Ed Oliver. The Cougars sophomore made history as the first five-star prospect in ESPN's rankings to choose a Group of 5 school. He is one of five players from the region ranked in the top five overall in the ESPN 300. In two seasons, Oliver hasn't disappointed winning the Outland Trophy and twice earning All-American honors.

    Gwinnett County, GA24
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    Population: 895,823
    Top high schools
    1. Norcross (Norcross) 4
    2. Buford (Buford) 3
    3. Grayson (Loganville) 3
    4. Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross) 3
    5. North Gwinnett (Suwanee) 3
    Top recruiters
    Georgia 4, Alabama 4, Auburn 2, Clemson 2, South Carolina 2
    Notable names
    LB Adrian Hubbard (2010), Alabama
    DT Robert Nkemdiche (2013), Ole Miss
    RB Alvin Kamara (2013), Alabama
    OT Mitch Hyatt (2015), Clemson
    CB Jaymest Williams (2017), South Carolina
    Why it's a hot spot: North of Atlanta, Gwinnett is the second-smallest county to produce this level of talent. It doesn't have the sheer numbers of other counties but consistently produces. It has had seven top-25 players in the last 10 years.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Georgia LB Lorenzo Carter. The county is teeming with SEC and ACC recruits, but Carter is important. Georgia hasn't always garnered its home-state's best but got Carter in the Class of 2014. This season, Carter was a defensive star in Georgia's SEC title-winning season.

    Dallas County, TX23
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    Population: 2.55 million
    Top high schools
    1. Skyline (Dallas) 6
    2. DeSoto (DeSoto) 4
    3. Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill) 2
    4. Bishop Dunne (Dallas) 1
    5. Coppell (Coppell) 1
    Top recruiters
    Texas 11, Ohio State 2, Oklahoma 2, Texas A&M 2, Boise State 1
    Notable names
    WR Mike Davis (2010), Texas
    LB Corey Nelson (2010), Oklahoma
    ATH Dontre Wilson (2013), Ohio State
    DE Solomon Thomas (2014), Stanford
    LB Malik Jefferson (2015), Texas
    Why it's a hot spot: With Dallas at its center and covering more than 900 square miles, the county is core to recruiting for the Big 12 and the Texas programs. The numbers have tailed off since 2013, but its central location for Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others make it the Big 12's most important area.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Ohio State DB Jeffrey Okudah. Dallas County has been dominated by Oklahoma and Texas in the last 10 years. That being said, Okudah's recruitment by Ohio State signals an interesting pattern for those recruiting the state. Ohio State has made inroads to Dallas County and North Texas, also landing J.T. Barrett from Wichita Falls. Okudah, a five-star in the 2017 class, is just the latest from pipelines Urban Meyer has opened.

    Miami-Dade County, FL23
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    Population: 2.69 million
    Top high schools
    1. Central (Miami) 6
    2. Northwestern (Miami) 4
    3. Booker T. Washington (Miami) 2
    4. Gulliver Prep (Miami) 2
    5. Christopher Columbus (Miami) 1
    Top recruiters
    Miami 6, Florida State 5, Auburn 2, Louisville 2, USC 2
    Notable names
    WR Amari Cooper (2012), Alabama
    LB Matthew Thomas (2012), Florida State
    CB Artie Burns (2013), Miami
    DE Chad Thomas (2014), Miami
    RB James Cook (2018), Georgia
    Why it's a hot spot: This is where the "State of Miami" legend began. It has produced countless stars, especially for the hometown Hurricanes, but Florida State and Florida as well. The pure numbers have gone down, but Miami-Dade will always be a hotly contested region.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Florida State RB Dalvin Cook. He is a picture of recruiting in the region. His high school, Central, produced the most talent in the region. Cook, mentored by Hurricanes fan Luther Campbell was once committed to the Gators before flipping to the Seminoles. After leaving the 305 he broke nearly every FSU rushing record.

    Manatee County, FL21
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    Population: 363,369
    Top high schools
    1. IMG Academy (Bradenton) 17
    2. Southeast (Bradenton) 2
    3. Manatee (Bradenton) 1
    4. Palmetto (Palmetto) 1
    Top recruiters
    Alabama 2, Clemson 2, Florida 2, Ohio State 2, LSU 2
    Notable names
    TE Isaac Nauta (2016), Georgia
    QB Shea Patterson (2016), Ole Miss
    LB Dylan Moses (2017), Alabama
    OL Cesar Ruiz (2017), Michigan
    QB Kellen Mond (2017), Texas A&M
    Why it's a hot spot: It's simple. Since IMG Academy fielded its first football team in 2013, the number of recruits in the area has exploded. The school attracts players from all over the country. It's the smallest county represented among the top counties, and were it not for IMG, which produced four top-100 players in the 2018 class alone, Manatee would not make the list.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Clemson DE signee Xavier Thomas. The five-star defensive end from South Carolina played his final season at IMG. Thomas left the Tigers' backyard for Bradenton and opened him up to recruiting pitches from the elite recruiters who are regulars at IMG. Thomas never wavered on his commitment and will be another five-star talent on Clemson's defense.

    Hillsborough County, FL20
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    Population: 1.35 million
    Top high schools
    1. Armwood (Seffner) 4
    2. Catholic (Tampa) 3
    3. Plant (Tampa) 3
    4. Alonso (Tampa) 2
    5. Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 2
    Top recruiters
    Florida State 3, Florida 3, Auburn 2, Clemson 2, Miami 2
    Notable names
    QB Aaron Murray (2009), Georgia
    ATH James Wilder Jr. (2011), Florida State
    WR Nelson Agholor (2012), USC
    DE Byron Cowart (2015), Auburn
    WR Deon Cain (2015), Clemson
    Why it's a hot spot: The I-4 corridor, running from Daytona Beach through Orlando and ending in Tampa is crucial to many programs in the southeast. Hillsborough County, which incorporates Tampa, has a wide array of recruiters with a presence there. Florida and Florida State have taken the most out of the area, but schools as far away as USC recruit Hillsborough.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves III. The former five-star recruit is Hillsborough through and through. He played at Wharton High School in Tampa and became the center of a heated recruiting battle before going to Florida and returning to be a first-round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

    Duval County, FL15
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    Population: 913,010
    Top high schools
    1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 5
    2. First Coast (Jacksonville) 3
    3. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) 3
    4. Bartram Trail (Jacksonville) 1
    5. The Bolles School (Jacksonville) 1
    Top recruiters
    Florida 3, Florida State 2, Alabama 1, Auburn 1, Georgia 1
    Notable names
    DT Louis Nix (2010), Notre Dame
    DE DeMarcus Walker (2013), Florida State
    OT David Sharpe (2014), Florida
    CB Kevin Toliver II (2015), LSU
    QB Joey Gatewood (2018), Auburn
    Why it's a hot spot: Like other counties in Florida, Duval attracts recruiters from all over. Jacksonville is the largest city in the county and is close to the North Florida schools as well as Georgia, South Carolina and Clemson.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Auburn LB Jeff Holland. Auburn pulled Holland away from the Florida schools to make him a centerpiece of the Tigers' resurgent defense in 2017. Holland was an all-SEC player and one of several high-profile, heavily recruited defensive linemen from Duval County.


    Tarrant County, TX15
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    Population: 1.98 million
    Top high schools
    1. Martin (Arlington) 3
    2. All Saints Episcopal (For Worth) 1
    3. Arlington (Arlington)1
    4. Dunbar (Fort Worth) 1
    5. Haltom (Haltom City) 1
    Top recruiters
    Texas 2, Texas A&M 2, LSU 2, Baylor 1, Nebraska 1
    Notable names
    OT Luke Joeckel (2010), Texas A&M
    DE Devonte Fields (2012), TCU
    OL Maea Teuhema (2015), LSU
    LB Baron Browning (2017), Ohio State
    WR Tylan Wallace (2017), Oklahoma State
    Why it's a hot spot: With the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex divided over several counties it breaks up the area's population. Tarrant, which encompasses Arlington and Fort Worth, is another North Texas area vital to the Big 12. It's also important to Nebraska, which has recruited the area since its time in the Big 12.
    [​IMG] Prized recruit: Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett. Of all the counties represented, Tarrant is the only one to produce a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick. Garrett was the top-ranked player in Texas in the Class of 2014. He was a huge recruiting victory for Texas A&M and accounted for 31 sacks for the Aggies before being drafted by the Browns.
     
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    Last edited: Mar 18, 2018
  2. caryhorn

    caryhorn 5,000+ Posts

    The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's recruiting update in today's edition ranked DFW's top 50 2019 recruits. Only one is leaning toward signing with UT now. WTF?! OU is cleaning up, as is atm.
     
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  3. X Misn Tx

    X Misn Tx 2,500+ Posts

    i've said my piece on that. We don't recruit very well in that market.
     
  4. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    I have said that it appears that Herman has written off North Texas and is devoting that energy to out of state guys. The problem is ou and aggy don't have to expend resources in North Texas and thus have more resources to attack Texas elsewhere in Texas - aggy owns East Texas and is gaining in Central and SE Texas; and ou has their pick of North Texas and usually can get who they want from East Texas. Texas has Houston and a fighting chance for Central Texas.
    The bigger problem is not really aggy, but the $EC teams come in battling aggy for the talent. Herman has made strides battling LSU, but none of the remaining $EC teams resulting in a net loss to the $EC.
     
  5. X Misn Tx

    X Misn Tx 2,500+ Posts

    I'm not certain, but I thought going back over the past few years that aTm and OU did better in North Texas than UT. Add in the real SEC teams...

    You're right that if you don't make those guys wowrk for it in North Texas, it makes it easier for them to focus in additional markets.

    I'd be interested in seeing a zip code heat map of the ESPN250 the last 5 years then compare to UT's commits.
     
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  6. caryhorn

    caryhorn 5,000+ Posts

    If this^^^is true then I am baffled. Why in the world would the head coach of UT football write off the area of the state with the 2nd largest UT graduate base in the state.
    Over 6 million population and growing like crazy. Texas could work this area and do well. Aledo, Dallas ISD, South Lake Carrol, Desoto, the Arlington schools, Mansfield, etc. We have many ex football players from this area that would be recruiting assets. Herman would be a fool to write DFW off. And I don't think he is a fool.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2018
  7. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    :arrow-up: Beats me Cary, but ou and aggy own this area now (with Tech and TCU close behind), and Herman hasn't shown any effort to correct. TCU takes 3-stars from N. Texas and has owned Texas on the field for several seasons. The Tech deal might be a scholastic/grades issue, and ou and aggy constantly are pushing the legal limits. However, as you indicated this area has produced a large number in the past. Even Strong put an effort into the area and came away with what was thought at the time to be very good players.
    He either has the wrong recruiter assigned to N. Texas or, as I concluded, feels he can use that energy to get superior out of state guys to what he can find in N. Texas.
     

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