LSU's huge 9-6 overtime victory against Southeastern Conference rival Alabama last Saturday will influence junior football players more than seniors, according to CBS/MaxPreps recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
The game, matching the nation's No. 1 and 2 teams, drew many of the top recruits in the country, as well as 20 million viewers on CBS television. CBS officials had to go back 22 years to the 1989 game between Miami and Notre Dame to find a similar audience. The
CBSSports.com live stream of the game was viewed by a record digital audience of 214,560 college football fans.
Lemming pointed out, "A good number of the top kids (seniors) from the South were there and a lot of the top juniors. It has more of an effect on juniors, because they haven't yet set up any official visits. It will make an impression (on seniors) because it was an electric kind of thing."
Junior Robert Nkemdich of Grayson.
Photo by Dennis Carter
He further explained why the game didn't seem to produce a bunch of commitments. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, among those who attended was one of the stars of the Class of 2013, defensive end
Robert Nkemdiche of
Grayson, GA., who is said to be considering both schools.
"The big names are at the stage now where they won't do anything until they start taking their official visits in November and December," Lemming said.
"They are the ones in the driver's seat. The love the Internet, the tweets and Facebook. They are media savvy and want to get a maximum amount of exposure. They don't want it to end. They like to string it out. They are part of the new age and love the attention. Some really don't know where they are going and are getting attention they had not gotten before."
* The kicking game proved crucial in what may turn out to be the biggest match of the year. LSU won on a 25-yard field goal, while Alabama missed four field goals.
Many major Division I colleges don't value kickers as highly because they don't play a regular position, so they often just recruit a kicker once every four years. Lemming believes that is a mistake.
"There are a lot of walk-ons who get scholarships after they prove themselves," he noted. "The schools with less talent can get them (good kickers), because the big schools aren't looking for them. Special teams are more important to them, so they have to have a good kicking and punting game."
* Staying in the tough SEC, Lemming believes that University of Mississippi coach Houston Nutt was fired this week for one reason.
"He didn't recruit," Lemming said simply. "In that conference you have to recruit and stay on top of it 24/7. It's the most aggressive, talented and highest-paid conference in the country. Their athletic director is going to have to go out and hire a guy who is equally good at recruiting and coaching."
The Rebels are 2-7 this year and are winless in six SEC games.
Nutt conceded at a Monday press conference, "The thing about the SEC that I know, they pay you to win."
* Having followed high school football closely since 1978, Lemming commented on recent performances by
Rushel Shell of
Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.),
Maty Mauk of
Kenton (Ohio) and
Kelvin Taylor of
Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.).
Rushel Shell of Hopewell.
Photo By Jim Stout
Shell tied the national record last week by rushing for at least 100 yards for the 38th consecutive game. Lemming praised, "That's a big accomplishment, because he's playing against great competition every week. He has strength, power and is super consistent."
Mauk now holds all the major national career passing records.
"He's in a very highly productive offense," Lemming said. "What I like is that he can improvise. He's very confident and he can run. No doubt that he'll be a star at (the University of) Missouri."
Taylor, the son of pro star Fred Taylor, is approaching Emmitt Smith's coveted Florida career rushing record.
"His competition level is suspect, but he has good bloodlines," Lemming said. "He has size and is productive. He'll be a national name by next year."
* This week's Lemming Report (Friday at 7 p.m., EST) on the CBS Sports Network will be filmed in Nashville, Tenn. Lemming will discuss and show videos of his Top 10 tight ends. His special guest will be first-year Vanderbilt University football coach James Franklin. Last year Lemming named him the top assistant coach in the country and this year he is making a major impact in recruiting despite battling all the tough SEC powerhouses.
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