Huge recruiting weekend
Justin Rowland[/B]
EagleAction.com Recruiting Analyst
The Eagles picked up their first Class of 2016 commitment this week. This weekend they look to continue their momentum with a monster junior day.
There won't be a ton of players at the Heights this weekend but that's by design. Those in the program have found that smaller, more intimate, more select junior days - the invite-only kind - produce better results. They allow for more time with the coaches, and those players that make the trip are made to feel like real priorities. That's because the only players visiting this weekend really are priorities, or they could become major targets if they aren't already.
EagleAction.com[/B] has spoken with sources familiar with the plans for the weekend and we've got a good idea of what and who to expect.
For starters, there won't be anything out of the ordinary on the schedule of events. The basketball game against Notre Dame should be a good event on campus and that will form a big part of the plans on Saturday. Beyond that there will be plenty of time with position coaches, coordinators and Steve Addazio. There will be a campus tour, facility tours, and lots of information passed along.
Two arrive today[/B]
EagleAction.com[/B] has learned that two players from Virginia will arrive at BC later today. They will spend the night at BC and their trip will last into tomorrow.
One of those overnight visitors is four-star cornerback [db]Patrice Rene[/db], an elite 6-foot-1 prospect from Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal. Rene is as built as any defensive back in the nation and he's ranked the No. 14 corner in the '16 class. He's the No. 4 overall prospect in Virginia. That's saying something.
BC, Duke, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have all offered. He's one of the Mid-Atlantic's most coveted prospects. He's also a kid that likes the idea of a prestigious degree.
Rene is originally from Canada, transferring down to Episcopal before the start of his senior year. He toldEagleAction[/B] in mid-September that BC's offer was a surprise. He spoke with Addazio, who is apparently good friends with the coach at Episcopal. That's a connection that's likely to help, as Rene doesn't have as many relationships on the prep football scene as some other players from the states.
Rene's teammate, Jesse Meyler[/B], is a 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior offensive tackle, and he'll be making the overnight visit as well. Both, again, arrive today. According to sources close to the BC program the Eagles have not offered Meyler, but we're hearing some others - notably Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Pitt - may have. And apparently Meyler has already camped at BC once before.
Joseph Goff[/B] will not be visiting, however. The Massachusetts native attends Episcopal, a boarding school, with Rene and Meyler. But he's going to be visiting BC during spring break while the two players mentioned above are flying up this weekend.
Most arrive Saturday[/B]
Three-star athlete [db]Tyree Rodgers[/db] of Camden Catholic in New Jersey will be visiting. He's the most well-regarded junior at the school, ranked the No. 53 athlete in the nation and No. 15 overall in New Jersey. Temple has offered.
Though Rodgers plays behind center in high school that's out of necessity and due to his athleticism. He's likely a skill player in college and probably on offense. He's a really good, smooth natural athlete.
Another Jersey receiver visiting is [db]Anthony Mague[/db], a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior from Medford (N.J.) Shawnee. Regional analyst Adam Friedman watched him last fall and praised his versatility. He's that big receiver, hybrid tight end 'tweener.
Though four-star Timber Creek receiver Cameron Chambers[/B] has already committed to Michigan State two of his 2016 classmates are still prized recruits and on BC's radar. Linebacker [db]Tyreek Williams[/db] and receiver [db]Noah Ellison[/db] are both visiting the Heights on Saturday.
Williams is that undersized but fast linebacker BC has valued in recent years at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and both Temple and Stony Brook have offered. Rivals.com has him pegged at No. 27 overall in New Jersey's '16 class. Ellison, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver, is No. 35 in the Garden State, with offers from Temple and ODU. Ellison will need to polish his game but from a pure athleticism standpoint he's very good.
Connecticut will be well-represented with three-star athlete [db]Isaiah Wright[/db] making the trip. The versatile 6-foot-2, 218-pound Wright has been to BC multiple times and he's one of the Eagles' top local targets, hailing from Kingswood Oxford. [db]Jacob Morgenstern[/db], [db]Jay Rose[/db] and [db]Scooter Harrington[/db] are players from Connecticut that we've reported on extensively in the past. Expect them to show up, too.
[db]Sean Ragan[/db] and [db]Sean McKeon[/db] are the top uncommitted in-state recruits that will be making the short trip over to Chestnut Hill for Saturday's festivities. McKeon was recently offered by UMass and may be next in line for an offer among in-state recruits, if another goes out. Ragan is a BC legacy and has an offer already.
Finally, expect Missouri City (Tex.) Ridge Point kicker/punter Grant Carlson[/B] to make the long trip from the Lone Star State. According to Kohl's Kicking was second team all-state in Texas by the Associated Press, and the Houston Chronical had him tabbed as the first team punter for the Greater Houston area.
Of Carlson, Kohl wrote: "Carlson is an explosive punter/kicker. His ability punt is special. Carlson does not have a big frame but does have a very fast leg. He does swipe at the ball slightly but is 2-3 years ahead of his time as a punter. Carlson does have more than enough "pop" to be a D1 scholarship punter. If coaches are looking for a competitive performer Carlson can deliver as a kicker or punter. He needs to improve KO's slightly to become an elite kicker. Carlson's punting timing and tempo are special."
We spoke with a source close to the program and we were told BC will be taking a scholarship specialist this year[/B]. With just 15 overall spots, that's significant. That means priority will be given to all-around specialists that can compete for all kicking duties.
Misc. Notes[/B]
We can confirm that Steve Addazio, Coleman Hutzler and Kevin Lempa did in fact make a west coast swing a couple of weeks back during the evaluation period. They stopped off at some top talent-producing high schools in California to expand their recruiting profile in the area.
We asked sources whether there's anything significant behind all the California and Texas offers going out. California is a place where BC has been laying the groundwork for more work for a couple of years now. Perhaps emboldened by Ray Smith's[/B] commitment and signing, there's a belief that the Eagles can realistically hope for a couple of players out west in each class.
In Texas, we're told it's just a matter of Hutzler being a bulldog as a recruiter. "He's basically an Al Washington clone," we were told, which means he simply will not be outworked as a recruiter. He has tackled the job with enormous energy and that's behind all the Texas offers.
We can also confirm the offer to California quarterback Matt Fink[/B].
Sources told us Todd Fitch[/B] will be looking for the same kind of quarterback that Ryan Day[/B] was looking for. Fitch should be a smooth transition coaching the quarterbacks because of his previous experience doing that.
Justin Rowland[/B]
EagleAction.com Recruiting Analyst
The Eagles picked up their first Class of 2016 commitment this week. This weekend they look to continue their momentum with a monster junior day.
There won't be a ton of players at the Heights this weekend but that's by design. Those in the program have found that smaller, more intimate, more select junior days - the invite-only kind - produce better results. They allow for more time with the coaches, and those players that make the trip are made to feel like real priorities. That's because the only players visiting this weekend really are priorities, or they could become major targets if they aren't already.
EagleAction.com[/B] has spoken with sources familiar with the plans for the weekend and we've got a good idea of what and who to expect.
For starters, there won't be anything out of the ordinary on the schedule of events. The basketball game against Notre Dame should be a good event on campus and that will form a big part of the plans on Saturday. Beyond that there will be plenty of time with position coaches, coordinators and Steve Addazio. There will be a campus tour, facility tours, and lots of information passed along.
Two arrive today[/B]
EagleAction.com[/B] has learned that two players from Virginia will arrive at BC later today. They will spend the night at BC and their trip will last into tomorrow.
One of those overnight visitors is four-star cornerback [db]Patrice Rene[/db], an elite 6-foot-1 prospect from Alexandria (Va.) Episcopal. Rene is as built as any defensive back in the nation and he's ranked the No. 14 corner in the '16 class. He's the No. 4 overall prospect in Virginia. That's saying something.
BC, Duke, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have all offered. He's one of the Mid-Atlantic's most coveted prospects. He's also a kid that likes the idea of a prestigious degree.
Rene is originally from Canada, transferring down to Episcopal before the start of his senior year. He toldEagleAction[/B] in mid-September that BC's offer was a surprise. He spoke with Addazio, who is apparently good friends with the coach at Episcopal. That's a connection that's likely to help, as Rene doesn't have as many relationships on the prep football scene as some other players from the states.
Rene's teammate, Jesse Meyler[/B], is a 6-foot-5, 280-pound junior offensive tackle, and he'll be making the overnight visit as well. Both, again, arrive today. According to sources close to the BC program the Eagles have not offered Meyler, but we're hearing some others - notably Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Pitt - may have. And apparently Meyler has already camped at BC once before.
Joseph Goff[/B] will not be visiting, however. The Massachusetts native attends Episcopal, a boarding school, with Rene and Meyler. But he's going to be visiting BC during spring break while the two players mentioned above are flying up this weekend.
Most arrive Saturday[/B]
Three-star athlete [db]Tyree Rodgers[/db] of Camden Catholic in New Jersey will be visiting. He's the most well-regarded junior at the school, ranked the No. 53 athlete in the nation and No. 15 overall in New Jersey. Temple has offered.
Though Rodgers plays behind center in high school that's out of necessity and due to his athleticism. He's likely a skill player in college and probably on offense. He's a really good, smooth natural athlete.
Another Jersey receiver visiting is [db]Anthony Mague[/db], a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior from Medford (N.J.) Shawnee. Regional analyst Adam Friedman watched him last fall and praised his versatility. He's that big receiver, hybrid tight end 'tweener.
Though four-star Timber Creek receiver Cameron Chambers[/B] has already committed to Michigan State two of his 2016 classmates are still prized recruits and on BC's radar. Linebacker [db]Tyreek Williams[/db] and receiver [db]Noah Ellison[/db] are both visiting the Heights on Saturday.
Williams is that undersized but fast linebacker BC has valued in recent years at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and both Temple and Stony Brook have offered. Rivals.com has him pegged at No. 27 overall in New Jersey's '16 class. Ellison, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver, is No. 35 in the Garden State, with offers from Temple and ODU. Ellison will need to polish his game but from a pure athleticism standpoint he's very good.
Connecticut will be well-represented with three-star athlete [db]Isaiah Wright[/db] making the trip. The versatile 6-foot-2, 218-pound Wright has been to BC multiple times and he's one of the Eagles' top local targets, hailing from Kingswood Oxford. [db]Jacob Morgenstern[/db], [db]Jay Rose[/db] and [db]Scooter Harrington[/db] are players from Connecticut that we've reported on extensively in the past. Expect them to show up, too.
[db]Sean Ragan[/db] and [db]Sean McKeon[/db] are the top uncommitted in-state recruits that will be making the short trip over to Chestnut Hill for Saturday's festivities. McKeon was recently offered by UMass and may be next in line for an offer among in-state recruits, if another goes out. Ragan is a BC legacy and has an offer already.
Finally, expect Missouri City (Tex.) Ridge Point kicker/punter Grant Carlson[/B] to make the long trip from the Lone Star State. According to Kohl's Kicking was second team all-state in Texas by the Associated Press, and the Houston Chronical had him tabbed as the first team punter for the Greater Houston area.
Of Carlson, Kohl wrote: "Carlson is an explosive punter/kicker. His ability punt is special. Carlson does not have a big frame but does have a very fast leg. He does swipe at the ball slightly but is 2-3 years ahead of his time as a punter. Carlson does have more than enough "pop" to be a D1 scholarship punter. If coaches are looking for a competitive performer Carlson can deliver as a kicker or punter. He needs to improve KO's slightly to become an elite kicker. Carlson's punting timing and tempo are special."
We spoke with a source close to the program and we were told BC will be taking a scholarship specialist this year[/B]. With just 15 overall spots, that's significant. That means priority will be given to all-around specialists that can compete for all kicking duties.
Misc. Notes[/B]
We can confirm that Steve Addazio, Coleman Hutzler and Kevin Lempa did in fact make a west coast swing a couple of weeks back during the evaluation period. They stopped off at some top talent-producing high schools in California to expand their recruiting profile in the area.
We asked sources whether there's anything significant behind all the California and Texas offers going out. California is a place where BC has been laying the groundwork for more work for a couple of years now. Perhaps emboldened by Ray Smith's[/B] commitment and signing, there's a belief that the Eagles can realistically hope for a couple of players out west in each class.
In Texas, we're told it's just a matter of Hutzler being a bulldog as a recruiter. "He's basically an Al Washington clone," we were told, which means he simply will not be outworked as a recruiter. He has tackled the job with enormous energy and that's behind all the Texas offers.
We can also confirm the offer to California quarterback Matt Fink[/B].
Sources told us Todd Fitch[/B] will be looking for the same kind of quarterback that Ryan Day[/B] was looking for. Fitch should be a smooth transition coaching the quarterbacks because of his previous experience doing that.
