MaxWire National Blog

Covering High School Sports in America

Category: Football

  • As the saying goes, go big or go home.
    Photo by Tom Lemming

    Ethan Pocic



    LSU certainly is living large Tuesday after scoring one of the country's top offensive lineman in Lemont (Ill.) standout Ethan Pocic.

    The mammoth 6-foot-7, 280-pound Pocic announced via Twitter that he committed to the Tigers.

    "Just committed to LSU! Go tigers," Pocic tweeted earlier today.

    Pocic, who is ranked No. 46 overall by MaxPreps in the Class of 2013, is the first Top 100 recruit for LSU. He chose the SEC school over Ohio State, among others.
  • Josh Floyd, one of the finest young football coaches in the country, announced late last week that he has been diagnosed with early stages of multiple sclerosis.

    Photo by Richey Miller

    Josh Floyd, Shiloh Christian

    The 32-year-old coach has compiled an 89-19 record at his alma mater, Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.), with four state championships in eight years. He also serves as athletic director for the Saints, who will be moving up a notch to Class 5A this coming fall.

    Floyd told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he felt a tingling in his left arm and leg early in the week and underwent an MRI, at which time MS was diagnosed.

    Though he will seek a second opinion, Floyd related, "The doctor said I'm going to get to live a long, normal life and still coach, exercise, play with my kids and all those things."
  • Absolutely horrific news out of Orlando, Fla., where an Alabama high school football coach and his 10-year-old son were killed in a car accident on Florida Highway 520.

    Photo courtesy of Carroll Ozark Eagles

    Stacey Watters and his sons.

    Carroll (Ozark, Ala.) coach Stacey Watters, 38, and his son Quentin were pronounced dead this morning when an ice cream truck collided into the driver's side door of Watters' 2007 Chevrolet Impala. According to several sources, the Watters family was returning home from a cruise ship. A second child, Watters' younger son Jai, 9, was in the vehicle and is in serious condition.

    According to the Dothan Eagle, Carroll High students gathered at school at lunch and were greeted with counselors and community leaders. Graduation is tonight.

    Senior Kevin White told the website that Watters was a father figure.

    "He was amazing in all ways," White said.

    Assistant Carroll principal Juli Parrish told the Southeast Sun: "I've worked with a lot of coaches and I've never seen one that cared about the kids or had the relationship with his students that this one did. They loved him.

    “He was the guy who was up here at 6 in the morning running the stadium with kids who didn’t even play for him any more. He took them home. He fed them. He did anything for them."

    Waters took over the 1-9 Carroll program in 2010 and it not only improved to 3-7 and barely missing the playoffs, but the program increased from 29 players to 100. He has spent seven previous seasons at Sumter County High School in Ga.

    "Coach Watters was an energetic young coach who was making a difference in young people's lives," Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Steve Savarese said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, his team, Carroll and Southern Choctaw schools and we pray God will sustain them all during this difficult time."

    Our hearts too and deepest condolences go out to the Watters family and the entire Carroll High School community.
  • File photo by Todd Shurtleff

    Bishop Gorman quarterback Anu Solomon verbally committed to play for Arizona. Solomon is the most prolific 11-Man passer in Nevada state history.

    Three top high school quarterbacks announced this weekend where they intend to play their college football.

    Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) standout Jarrett "Anu" Solomon, who will be a four-year starter for the Gaels, verbally committed to Arizona, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

    The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is the leading passer in state history, having accumulated more than 7,200 yards and 100 TDs. Last season he threw for 2,770 yards and 41 TDs. According to the report, Solomon also was being recruited by Arizona State, UCLA, Utah and hometown UNLV.

    "I feel like Arizona is the right place for me," Solomon told the newspaper. "I am comfortable with (committing early)."

    * Auburn secured a local standout when Jeremy Johnson of Carver (Montgomery, Ala.) committed to play for the Tigers. As reported by AL.com, Johnson chose Auburn over offers from Houston, Louisiana State, Mississippi and Mississippi State. According to AL.com, Johnson (6-5, 214 pounds) has passed for nearly 5,100 yards and 48 TDs the past two seasons.

    * Also, Mentor (Ohio) senior-to-be Mitch Trubisky committed to North Carolina after a weekend visit. As reported by The Plain Dealer, the versatile Trubisky had narrowed his list to national champion Alabama, Michigan State, Ohio State and Tennessee. He was sold on the Tar Heels after his visit.

    "I took it all in on my visit, I loved the campus, everything about Chapel Hill, and felt the most comfortable there than all the other colleges I visited," Trubisky told the paper.

    The 6-3, 200-pounder accumulated more than 4,440 yards of offense and 55 total touchdowns last season. He passed for 3,854 yards (42 TDs) and added 598 yards and 13 TDs on the ground.
  • Photo by Clarence Thomas

    Jonathan Allen, Stone Bridge

    Jonathan Allen, a defensive end from Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.), has committed to Alabama.

    Allen is the nation's No. 35 overall recruit, and he chose Alabama over Florida.

    "Newest Alabama commit # roll tide," Allen tweeted this morning.

    After transferring from Oscar Smith before his freshman season, Allen burst onto the scene as a sophomore, registering 20 sacks and earning U.S. Air Force Sophomore All-American honors.

    Allen's teammate, quarterback Ryan Burns, is already committed to Stanford.

    With a commitment from Allen, Alabama head coach Nick Saban continues to load up on elite defensive players.

    The Crimson Tide already has commitments from linebacker Reuben Foster (No. 3) and athlete O.J. Howard (No. 12), and has a great shot to end up with the nation's No. 1 overall recruit Robert Nkemdiche of Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
  • Photo by Sam Soliday

    Braden Smith, Olathe South

    Notre Dame is the latest school to offer fast-rising 2014 offensive lineman Braden Smith.

    Texas A&M and Virginia also offered recently, according to Smith's father, Dave.

    The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Smith, whose first offer came from Missouri, also has offers from Oklahoma, South Carolina, Stanford, Michigan and others.

    Smith has yet to narrow his focus, as new offers continue to roll in.

    His stock has risen significantly after a sophomore season in which he helped lead South (Olathe, Kan.) to a Kansas Class 6A state title and earned U.S. Air Force Sophomore All-American honors in the process.
  • Dunbar (Baltimore, Md.) has won eight state football championships without the benefit of a suitable home field. The Poets have played only their homecoming game on their current field each year and the rest of their "home" games have been at another city school.

    Photo by Jim Stout

    William Crest, Dunbar

    All of that is going to change this summer, however, according to a story in the Baltimore Sun, because Under Armour is going to build the school an outstanding new field complete with lights.

    Under Armour also will add refined computer labs.

    Construction will begin soon and the field should be ready for the 2012 season. It will be built on the same site of its current field and is expected to be one of the best facilities in the state.

    First-year Dunbar principal Kristina Kyles told the Sun, "I don't have words (to describe the excitement). It still hasn't hit me how excited I'll be to tell our kids."

    Coach Lawrence Smith added, "This basically puts us in that next phase where what we're trying to do is become a national powerhouse."

    *Elsewhere, legendary football coach Bill Redell is back in the saddle. He had been retired only since March following a stellar career at Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.). However, late last week he accepted the position of head coach at his alma mater, Occidental College.

    As a high school coach, he compiled an outstanding 233-65-3 record and once had a 48-game winning streak.

    Redell, who said the timing never had been right previously, told the Los Angeles Daily News, "It was the only job I wanted a shot to get. I did not think at 71, I would get it. I thought it was all over."

    *Celina (Texas) football coach Butch Ford, age 60, has retired after compiling a 122-16 record with two state titles during the past 10 years.
  • Photo by Dan Wozniak

    Cody Thomas, Heritage

    Cody Thomas has verbally committed to Oklahoma, according to multiple reports.

    The 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback from Heritage (Colleyville, Texas) selected the Sooners over dozens of other offers from around the country.

    Thomas' stock soared after a junior season in which he completed 229 of 377 passes for 3,057 yards and 32 touchdowns, helping lead Heritage to a 9-2 record.

    He is a great pick-up for Oklahoma, which narrowly missed out on the nation's top quarterback, Max Browne, who chose USC.

    Given the success that the Sooners have had at developing players at that position recently, they were selective with which quarterbacks they pursued in this recruiting cycle.

    Thomas, the No. 4 signal caller in the class of 2013, fits Oklahoma's offense perfectly and gives Bob Stoops another future star at the position.

    He joins a class that features running backs Keith Ford and Greg Bryant, as well as defensive end D.J. Ward.

    Only four Top 100 quarterbacks remain uncommitted, led by Kevin Olsen, the nation's No. 5 quarterback, who is considering Miami, Auburn and Michigan State among others.
  • Photo by Mark Bahrenfuss

    Justin Davis, Lincoln

    Justin Davis, the top running back from the state of California, has verbally committed to USC.

    The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Justin Davis stand out selected the Trojans over California and Washington.

    Davis enjoyed a monstrous season as a junior year in helping to lead Lincoln to an 11-2 record. He carried the ball 274 times, amassing 2,380 yards and 36 touchdowns.

    He earned All-Sac-Joaquin Section and All-state honors and will likely be a Top 100 recruit before long.

    Davis joins a recruiting class that features Max Browne, Kenny Bigelow, and Ty Isaac, another star running back who committed to the Trojans this week.

    Sanctions have not affected USC's recruiting in the slightest, as Lane Kiffin has been able to continue to attract elite recruits seemingly at will.Image for MaxPreps Video.
  • Photo by Mike Braca

    Jonathan Hilliman, St. Peter's Prep

    Under Urban Meyer, that Ohio State is taking a more national scope to its recruiting is not surprising.

    For Miami, to pursue a 2014 running back outside of its backyard when the talent pool nearby is incredibly deep speaks to the skills of St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) standout Jonathan Hilliman.

    Both the Buckeyes and the Hurricanes offered the 6-foot-1, 200-pound running back Tuesday, joining a host of other schools that have already extended verbal, unofficial offers. Hilliman has also heard from Rutgers, Penn State, Michigan and Nebraska, among others.

    He was productive in limited reps as a sophomore, averaging more than 7 yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns. He will be the team's featured back as a junior.