Tar Heels steal DB from Minnesota Gophers

Pompano Beach (Fla.) Ely CB Jabari Price, an early commitment to Minnesota, has switched his allegiance to North Carolina, two sources reported today.

Price, who is 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, also had offers from Purdue, Louisville, Rutgers and Toledo, among others.

He's ranked No.14 on the Sun-Sentinel's Broward County Top 25 Prospects list for 2010.

Price visited UNC over the weekend, and apparently had a good enough trip to dump the Gophers in favor of the Heels. He had said in the past that he was a “soft” commitment to Minnesota and would continue to take visits.

We’re trying to catch up with his prep coach for more information--Where's Waldo was easier to find.

--Stan Olson

More of the above, for the S.C. Shrine Bowl team

The South Carolina Shrine Bowl coaches took 14 members of our S.C. Top 25 prospects list, a total similar to the 13 taken by their N.C. brethren.

And again, it was a matter of who is a great high school player now—and, according to head coach Lewis Lineberger, who had a strong senior year.

“Some kids who didn’t make it will be great college players in two or three years,” he said today. “But we don’t have two or three years to wait. We have one week.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise absence from the S.C. roster was Calhoun County offensive guard Eric Mack, a 6-foot-3, 325-pound behemoth already committed to South Carolina.

Lineberger would not comment on kids who didn’t make it, but a source close to the selection process said it was primarily because the coaches were looking for smaller, quicker linemen.

Lineberger did say, “We worked awfully hard on our selection process. If a player wasn’t chosen, it wasn’t because we didn’t look at them.”
N.C. coach Jim Oddo felt the same way.

“We probably looked at more than 900 kids, at the combines and on film,” he said.

Finally, each coaching staff narrowed their lists to 44.

Meaning a whole lot of players had to be left off, and possibly ticked off as well.

--Stan Olson

N.C. Shrine team takes 13 of The Observer’s Top 25 Prospects; why don't more make the team?

In each case, there are reasons, and the primary one is that our list is a ranking of kids in the state with the highest potential to be great college football players. The North Carolina Shrine Bowl coaches want great high school players, and sometimes there’s a difference between the two.

For example, Butler S/WR Nate Charest hasn’t been offered by a BCS school to this point, despite the fact that he’s a marvelous prep player, always around the football and making plays. That wasn’t lost on Shrine head coach Jim Oddo and his assistants. What wasn’t lost on the BCS big boys is that Charest is, listed generously, at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, with good but not great speed.

Oddo took Charest because he thinks he can help N.C. win. The big boys aren’t so sure he can do that for them.

There are other reasons that truly talented members of our Top 25 haven’t been “enshrined.” Former No.1 guy Gabe King moved to Oregon. No. 4 Fre’Shad Hunter of Cary has been suspended for much of the season. Ardrey Kell LB Prince Shembo hasn’t had a good senior season because of lingering injuries.

“And there are some kids who are very talented but just don’t fit in with what we want to do,” Oddo said.

We'll look at the S.C. squad shortly.

--Stan Olson

Duke Blue Devils add Georgia linebacker

Duke has picked up its 16^th commitment in Clerance France, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker at Carver High in Columbus, Ga.

France, who has 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash, was also offered scholarships by Western Kentucky and Troy.

He was a bit under the radar because this was his first year at linebacker. France had been playing offensive line but was shifted this season because Carver coach Dell McGee thought he’d have a better shot at college, given his size.

“He's got a big upside for college,” McGee said. “He's new at the position.”

McGee had no current stats on France, but said he was a key to the team’s current 8-1 record.

Duke recruited France as a linebacker, so that switch worked out well.

--Stan Olson

Independence QB Anthony Carrothers just wins

Anthony Carrothers was named to the North Carolina Shrine Bowl last week, and I can’t think of a more fitting honor for a kid whose height will keep him from playing quarterback at the BCS level.

Carrothers has led the Patriots through a dramatic and undefeated senior season so far, but he’s 5-foot-8, and there are no 5-foot-8 BCS quarterbacks. So despite almost 2,000 passing yards and 17 TDs this season, Florida or South Carolina won’t come calling.

But at the prep level, Carrothers can play.

“I’m watching the TV highlights every Friday night and he’s saving their bacon,” Shrine Bowl head coach Jim Oddo with a laugh a few minutes ago. “I had no qualms about picking him; he’s an athlete. I had no qualms at all.”

The more Oddo saw of Carrothers, the more he liked.

“He reads pressure well, and when they break the pocket he scrambles so well that he can break a long one on you. He just plays the game well.”

Winston-Salem State has offered Carrothers and a lot of recruiters have looked at him, but there’s that height.

Don’t tell that to Oddo. He’s seen the kid play.

--Stan Olson

Expect huge strides from Charlotte Latin QB

Junior Sam Spence has done a decent job in his first year as a starter for Latin, piloting the Hawks to a share of their conference championship. In ten games, he completed 107 of 213 passes for 1,586 yards, with 16 TDs and eight interceptions.

But if form holds, that’s nothing compared with what’s to come.

“Most of my quarterbacks have made huge leaps from their junior to their senior seasons,” said Latin coach Larry McNulty this afternoon. “They get so much better in understanding our offense, in reading defenses and in making good decisions. That year brings big improvements.”

The reason I’m writing about Spence is that the raw material is there for him to develop into a big-time prospect at QB next year. He has the physical tools; he’s 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds with a strong arm. He’s not a burner, but runs capably (estimated 4.85 speed) and in a hard-nosed fashion.

“He’s getting some attention because of camps and combines he attended,” McNulty said. “But he’s got work to do. If he works hard, he has a chance to be a college player.”

McNulty wants Spence to spend the offseason working on things like his feet and mechanics, along with understanding the offense.

Spence is getting letters from a number of schools now, McNulty said, but there have been no early offers, as teams wait and see what kind of strides he will make by next fall.

We’ll be watching with them.

--Stan Olson
Know of any recruiting offers, visits or commitments. Email me at solson@charlotteobserver.co

SEC dominating football recruiting--so far

We’ve given you periodic updates on ACC recruiting rankings of the Class of 2010, courtesy of Scout.com. Here’s a quick check of where SEC schools stand—and I know there’s plenty of interest in college football’s best league, because I hear from its supporters all the time.

While Oklahoma, Texas and Penn State (good for Joe Pa) hold the top three spots, the SEC claims Nos. 4 through 8, giving it—duh—five of the top eight classes so far. The schools are LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, or almost half of the 12-team league.

No ACC team is currently among the Top 15, with Miami highest at No. 16.

And where is the rest of the SEC?

Auburn’s class is 24^th, followed by surprising Vanderbilt—normally a league cupcake—at 26, and South Carolina at 29. Then come Arkansas (48), Mississippi St. (50), Ole Miss (56) and Kentucky (61).

Every school in the league could finish with a top 50 class if things break right.

Scout ranks the SEC as the No.1 league by a wide margin, followed by the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-10. The ACC is fifth. More telling, perhaps, is that the SEC has already landed 19 of Scout’s top 100 prospects. The ACC has four.

--Stan Olson