By Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
As the wake from National Signing Day begins to settle, college coaches and recruiting fans alike are directing their focus on the class of 2010.
Current junior prospects are getting long looks, especially as the spring combine circuit begins to heat up.
One name already familiar to people around the Sunshine State is that of Louis Nix. The Raines (Jacksonville, Fla.) two-way lineman verbaled to Miami last month, giving the Hurricanes another massive commitment to go along with Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) defensive tackle Todd Chandler.
MaxPreps’ Tom Lemming recently visited the Jacksonville area and broke down film on Nix. Lemming believes he may be better suited to play offense even though he prefers the defensive side of the ball.
Despite the commitment to Miami, Lemming reports that Nix will take another look at in-state powers Florida and Florida State.
Like most players in his class, Nix’s recruitment appears far from over.
Jacksonville, Tampa Breakdown
Lemming recently completely the northern Florida leg of his annual trip around the country scouting top high school talent.
It appears to be a tremendous year for defensive backs in Florida.
“There are so many good defensive backs this year,” Lemming said. “They may have as many as the rest of the country.”
From the greater Jacksonville area alone, Lemming likes Lowell Wood (Apopka), Marvin Robinson (Eagle Lake), Nickell Robey (Frostproof), Derek Owens (Jackson) and Rashad Knight (Trinity Christian).
According to Lemming, Wood is an extremely fast cornerback who also excels at returning punts. Meanwhile, Robinson may be the top safety in Florida, while Robey is outstanding in pass coverage.
Owens has been lost in the shuffle of top cornerbacks, but is extremely talented, Lemming said. He has been mentioned in the discussion for all-state honors each of the last two years. Knight owns a 40-inch vertical jump, has a 4.1 second shuttle time, and comes from a great program.
Moving south, other names to know include Ian Silberman, an offensive lineman from Fleming Island. Silberman stands at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, and still looks thin. According to Lemming, if he fills out and develops, he could be one of the nation’s best linemen.
Down in Orlando, Dr. Phillips teammates Ricardo Miller and Kenny Shaw make up one of the top wide receiving duos around. Miller has already committed to Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines.
Lemming raved about Trinity Catholic wide receiver Kadron Boone. The 6-1 Boone is sure-handed and could find himself playing in the Army All-American game next winter.
Christian Green from Tampa Catholic is another prospect drawing rave reviews. He had over 2,000 yards passing as a junior. Though some people prefer to see him line up on the outside as a receiver, Lemming believes he will pay big dividends behind center.
Chaz Green, also of Tampa Catholic but unrelated to Christian, is a punishing defensive lineman. At 6-5, he dominated the line of scrimmage last season.
Lake Howell linebacker Christian Jones and Gibbs defensive end Tim Jackson are two other players who loom large on the recruiting scene.
Never-Ending Saga
The recruitment of Bryce Brown, David Oku and Orson Charles continues to drag on weeks after national signing day.
My predictions have Brown sticking with Miami, Oku heading to Nebraska and Charles going to Georgia. Don’t be surprised, however, if Tennessee lands one or more members of this indecisive trio. Lane Kiffin’s staff has really hit the ground running on the recruiting front.
Florida ‘Backer Running Wilder
Back to Tampa for a minute as the region is blessed with one of the nation’s top sophomores, James Wilder Jr.
Wilder was a MaxPreps Sophomore All-American as well as a Florida 5A second team All-State choice. He played defensive end for Chamberlain and registered 15 sacks to go along with 145 tackles. Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina have already offered.
Interestingly, one of the area’s notable freshmen will suit up for Chamberlain next year.
Greg Windham, who started at quarterback for Middleton this year until his season was cut short due to injury, recently switched schools and is now attending Chamberlain. It’s expected that he will for the starting job next season as a sophomore.
