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Sunday, January 14, 2001

A Roll of the Dice
Despite what experts say, banking on the future of a prep prospect is risky business
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times

Cormier

Those so-called recruiting experts scored some solid hits when judging the high school football recruiting class of 1997.
   Among the consensus selections as the top players in the state that year were linebacker Roylin Bradley, who excelled as a three-year starter at Texas A&M, and Leonard Davis, the Texas offensive lineman likely to become a top 10 selection in this April's NFL draft. And the nation's top quarterback was Randy Fasani who ... well, who has struggled at Stanford.
   But for a Roylin Bradley there is a Cedric Cormier. For a Leonard Davis there is an Eric Tasby. For every Randy Fasani there's a Drew Brees.
   Cormier, regarded by SuperPrep in 1997 as the premier player in the state, has found himself slowed by injuries and position changes at Colorado. Tasby, who had a strong career at Carroll High School, was considered one of the top running backs in the state, but couldn't find his niche at Texas. Class of 97': Where are they now?

Player Pos. College Comment

Roylin Bradley LB Texas A&M Tremendous three-year starter and defensive terror for Aggies

Cedric Cormier WR Colorado Returning for fifth year. Trying to claim starting role and shake injuries

Leonard Davis OL Texas Big tackle had stellar senior season and will be making much pro $$$

Grant Irons LB Notre Dame Irish captain was hit hard by injuries, when healthy, was formidable

Daryl Jones WR Miami Occassional starter stood out as sub for Santana Moss in Sugar Bowl

Hodges Mitchell RB Texas Dependable two-year starter will be hurt by size (5-7, 185) in NFL draft

John Norman DB Texas Tech Four-year letter winner was star as versatile linebacker for Red Raiders

Joe Walker DB Texas Went from full-time starter as sophomore to spot starter

David Warren DL FSU First season as a full-time starter. Played role on 1999 national-title team

Robert Williams WR Miami Plagued by injuries and position switches, junior can't find niche

   And, while Fasani was the big quarterback in recruiting circles, Brees couldn't find his way on most recruiting service's lists, only to have a brilliant college career.
   There are hundreds of high school seniors being wooed by colleges this time of year. All told they will be "the man" in college, that they are the very best at what they do. And, within four years, there will be hundreds that, like Cormier, Fasani and Tasby, won't reach the level assigned them by the recruiting prognosticators.
   "When you look at it like that and say this guy didn't do a thing," said Tasby, who transferred to Southwest Missouri State. "Maybe people wonder why guys didn't perform. Well, they must think about injuries, personal problems, not fitting into a system, position changes. There's a lot of pressure, especially on a young kid."
   Still, Tasby said the recruiting process is an integral part of college football.
   "The fun part is finding out how good you are and how many people want you," he said. "It initiates you into college football. They have all these girls that take you out and everybody is shaking your hand. But when you get there, there are no girls taking you out, and nobody is shaking your hand. It's 'We've got you now, buddy.' Really, it's something you need to go through. Everything has its good sides and its bad sides."
   Cormier and Tasby agree the bad side is the pressure that accompanies being labeled a top recruit. As soon as a service lists a player as a star, the expectations are raised to an incredible level. But those that do the actual recruiting have a blasé attitude toward services and their rankings.
   "First, look at who rates them," said Tim Cassidy, the recruiting coordinator for Texas A&M. "Look at the recruiting experts and gurus. Who ranks them? I would be interested - and I'm not singling out anyone - in what they do for a living. We don't put a lot of weight into (what they say). We weigh it on academics, athletics, coaches' recommendations. It's not all-district or all-state. If he doesn't make a recruiting service and turns out to be a player we want, we'll still go after him."
   But there are many players the recruiters and the recruiting services agreed on as bona fide future stars. Aside from Bradley and Davis, 1997 featured Hodges Mitchell, who was a steady back for the Longhorns. There was David Warren, who anchored Florida State's defense, and, his college teammate, safety Derrick Gibson, one of the top defensive backs coming out of high school and now one of the highest-rated safeties in the approaching NFL draft.
   While those are the hits, Fasani, through no fault of his own, has yet to achieve stardom. After redshirting his first year, he was shuffled between linebacker and tight end. He finally won the starting quarterback job at Stanford this season but, injured and knocked out of the game, was shown up by reserve Chris Lewis, who rallied the Cardinal past Texas early in the season.
   Fasani will battle Lewis for the starting job this fall.
   While Fasani earned honors as the quarterback everyone wanted in 1997, Brees was virtually unnoticed in recruiting circles despite passing Austin Westlake to a state title. As a high school senior, he wasn't even regarded as one of the top recruits in Texas, not cracking the Caller-Times Top 100 list in 1997. As a quarterback, Brees was even ranked behind Regan George, who is splitting time at Southwest Texas State.
   Of course, Brees closed his college career as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, leading Purdue to the Big 10 title and its first Rose Bowl appearance since 1967.
   Then there's Cormier, who as a quarterback at Houston North Shore, became one of those players that get slotted into the "athlete" category. Despite not having played receiver at the high school level, SuperPrep rated him as the No. 1 receiver in the nation and the No. 4 player overall.
   Cormier can even recall a high school all-star game where Brees and another Heisman finalist, Texas Christian's LaDainian Tomlinson, were hardly catching the eyes of the recruiters.
   "I sometimes think it's better that way," Cormier said of the lack of attention. "You can develop and the pressure isn't on you. I remember Drew was worried about just making the traveling squad. Now look at him."
   At the time, recruiters were envious when Cormier picked Colorado. But, once there, things turned sour for Cormier.
   He suffered a severe knee injury and was redshirted. Once recovered, Cormier struggled to pick up the nuances of playing receiver, and later tore a knee ligament. Then coach Rick Neuheisel left to take the head-coaching job at Washington following the 1998 season.
   "I would tell a recruit not to choose a school because of the coach," said Cormier, who will be a fifth-year senior for Colorado. "That played a major role when I was recruited. Look at the players you will be surrounded by and look at the school, period. Know that's the place you want to be."
   Tasby was sure Austin was where he wanted to be when he opted to become a Longhorn in 1997. But after the 1998 season, Tasby entered his second recruiting phase - that of a transfer.
   While fans may see a star recruit has committed to their school, that player may not always fit into the system. According to Tasby, that was the case at Texas. Even worse, the Longhorns had Ricky Williams in the backfield and had a good recruiting haul at running back, landing Mitchell among others.
   "Timing is everything," Tasby said. "We had a lot of great running backs coming out of the state that year. When you go to a school, you need to make sure they don't have a surplus of players at your position."
   There was talk of moving Tasby to defensive back, but he didn't feel comfortable with the switch. So, the transfer happened, and, shaking off a hip pointer injury this past season, Tasby is angling for a starting job with Southwest Missouri State in the fall.
   Still, Tasby learned from the process. His advice to future recruits includes not allowing themselves to be pressured into committing ("If they really want you, they'll hold that scholarship for you," he said.), confiding in coaches or parents, and, most importantly, taking all five official campus visits allotted by the NCAA. After Tasby committed to Texas, he canceled his next visit, which was Purdue.
   "The program wanted me and it was close to home," Tasby said. "I probably should've played it out and seen where my heart would've taken me.
   "Could you imagine that? I could've been teammates with Drew Brees."



Staff writer Lee Goddard can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at goddardl@caller.com

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