Vernon ready & other burning recruiting questions

With only three weeks left before National Signing Day, the recruiting rumor wire is going bananas.

Bryce Brown talk is at a fever pitch. Is Rivals.com's new No. 1 national player sticking with the Canes or heading elsewhere?

Does Miami have a chance at getting receiver Reuben Randle, the country's No. 2 overall recruit? Or will he stick with those SEC schools in his backyard?

Are the Canes going to lose any other recruits now that tight end Billy Sanders (UCLA) was the first one to jump ship? Will Kayvon Webster, Luther Robinson, or [gasp] will Brown be next?

All of those are nice burning questions for you recruiting junkies. Here's one at least that looks like it will finally be resolved: Defensive end Olivier Vernon told me he's made a final decision and will announce it Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at his school. Vernon, a 6-3, 240-pound defensive end at American High in Miami, was one of the first players to commit to Randy Shannon's 2009 signing class last August. But he's been flirting with Alabama and Florida State ever since. While UM expects Vernon to begin taking classes Jan. 20, I was told by someone last night Vernon still hasn't given the Canes his final notice he's really coming.

I finally got down to chatting with Olivier last night -- two weeks after he told me he had planned to make a decision. Why was he holding out? To allow Bama's Nick Saban, FSU's Chuck Amato and Shannon to make in-home visits. Each made a different pitch. Vernon said Saban talked about how 'Bama could use him as a hybrid linebacker/defensive end; Amato talked about FSU's tradition and academics; Shannon didn't even talk about football, preferring to stick to life. Now, Vernon says he's ready.

"I already know where I'm going, I'm just got to let everybody else know on Thursday," Vernon said. "I just wanted to decide on the best school. All I really care about is going to the school where I think I have the best chance at winning a national championship at."

> Much the same way Vernon needed some extra time before making his final decision, Bryce Brown needs some time, too. According to reports from Canestime and Canesport, Brown is waiting to see who UM hires as its next offensive coordinator and waiting to plan his final recruiting visit for either Jan. 23 or 30th so he can meet and greet the new coordinator. The good news? Now, you can follow this saga all on your own. According to Canesport, Brown's mentor, Brian Butler is building a webpage at www.potentialplayers.com so fans can track Brown's latest thoughts. Amazing how far we've come in recruiting isn't it?

> Defensive back Prince Kent, who was supposed to graduating early, is holding off on enrolling at UM until the summer time. I spoke with his mother Bernetta Walker this afternoon who told me Prince needed some extra time to pass an online trigonometry class and fell behind because of football (the Under Armour All-American game). Kent, who grew up following his mother who was in the U.S. Army, has spent most of his life trying to rally his academics after falling a bit behind when his mother was stationed in Hawaii. But, he's been working with UM's academic department throughout the recruiting process to make sure his academics are in order. Prince is retaking the SAT soon to try and score higher than 1,000. "Our plan is to have all our paperwork in hand by the time we head down there for signing day," Walker said.

> Scratch Michigan standout and tight end Dion Sims off the Canes' list of potential recruits. Sims, rated Rivals.com's 7th best recruit, committed to Michigan State Tuesday. He was supposed to be visiting the Canes on Jan. 23, but those plans now look nixed. Sims picked Michigan State in part because he also hopes to play basketball. You can't blame the Canes for not trying to sell both sports. I spoke with Frank Haith Monday, who told me he and Shannon have spoken in the past and present about potential recruits playing in both sports. "We definitely work together when we've had to," Haith said. "[Assistant] Jorge [Fernandez] has made calls to kids when he's had to and I definitely know the kids they were looking at recently were good enough to play basketball for us, too, if they wanted."

Comments

[ATXcane]

407, who do you think is going to lead the D if Glenn Cook isn't there?

Thought so.

No doubt he wasn't the best LB we had, but he was the most veteran player out there, and the best one to be a leader for the young guys.

[jowarge]

Hey 407, there's no Craig Cooper on the roster. You love the Canes so much, you don't even know their names. BTW, Frank Gore was drafted in '05.

[407]

CaneRock, r u ok. What do yo mean by Proscheme??? Last time I checked I thought Rocky played defense??? What do you mean by "Pro Scheme"

[Jerry]

vernon is a gonner.
We are not winning a NC anywhere soon. And much less with the garbage OC's Shannon is interviewing.

[407]

For every Frank Gore you name I will throw out a Tyrone Moss, Charlie Jones. Frank Gore only stayed at Miami that late because of injuries so I don’t consider him a 2005 pick. Tyrone Moss destroyed Broward County but declined with each year at the U. Charlie Jones just got worse with each season. May if I brought up Derron Thomas you will prefer that name. Another 5-Star recruit who got wasted in Miami.

[Canesjunkie]

Bryce Brown...still not sold on this kid. He has good speed, hands, and vision, but he doesn't jump off of the screen in his highlights. I wonder how he would do against Florida kids. My opinion, Lamar Miller is going to be a better back.

Randy Shannon needs to open practice up to the public!!!! I'd like to see what's up with Arthur Brown, he lays people out on special teams. Put Arthur Brown on the field!!!

[407]

ATXcane, how was Glen leading the D??? If you mean in missed tackles then fine, he was leading the defense.

[Canesjunkie]

Why would anyone believe anything that Nick Saban has to say??? Vernon would be crazy to go anywhere else, he's almost guaranteed to see the field here.

[ATXcane]

407, I'm guessing you've never played a down in your life. You've probably watched a couple games on TV though. Now, you've seen Peyton Manning step up to the line, read the D, call audibles and direct blocks.

Next time you watch a game, pay attention to what is going on with the defense. You'll notice a linebacker do a similar thing. He'll line up, read the offense, and direct traffic. Maybe he's telling the strong-side linebacker to read the C-gap; maybe he's directing a lineman to edge over and open a blitzing lane...

You need a veteran on D to pick up on those things and direct the younger guys. Why do you think veteran linebackers are so valuable in the NFL?

[Canesjunkie]

Kenny Phillips was also MIA while he was here...look how well he's doing on the Giants. It's like he's a totally new player. Makes we wonder about what the hell we are doing in our practices.

[Big Sonny]

Of all the recruits that are still pending, the U's biggest concern still remains the offensive line.

Keep in mind that there are some wild cards, as some of the DT's we're recruiting played just as well on the OL.

I think Shannon is pretty smart when you look into the chess moves so far... With the Bryce Brown situation, Shannon could have rested, but he has 2 other big RB's that can fill the void if dude walks...

To coach's credit, Shannon has also gone after OL, just havent been able to land them, leading us to depend on out own local limeman.

I personally think OL from Miami aren't worth it. Im from miami and played within the county so i'll explain:

#1 Our youth legues are designed by weight class, so our local big guys loose the chance to would need to learn the position, and develop the footwork and coordination; placing them behind the eightball as far as knowing thier position like a skilled player would.

#2 with that being the case, its just not a skilled position that South Florida is know for, because you now have guys that may have the size because of genetics, but half of them were never involved in sports until they were tugged on to play football in high school.

Therefore, in general, our schools mostly focus on just getting the ball to our athletes... You'll see allot of pitches, swing passes, open space stuff, or simple i formation for the teams with a good weight program; nothing sensational witht he OL here, gotta admit that.

Gotta get our OL from outta town Shannon...

[Big Sonny]

Of all the recruits that are still pending, the U's biggest concern still remains the offensive line.

Keep in mind that there are some wild cards, as some of the DT's we're recruiting played just as well on the OL.

I think Shannon is pretty smart when you look into the chess moves so far... With the Bryce Brown situation, Shannon could have rested, but he has 2 other big RB's that can fill the void if dude walks...

To coach's credit, Shannon has also gone after OL, just havent been able to land them, leading us to depend on our own local limeman.

I personally think OL from Miami aren't worth it. Im from miami and played within the county so i'll explain:

#1 Our youth legues are designed by weight class, so our local big guys loose the chance to learn the position, and develop the footwork and coordination; placing them behind the eightball for several years, as far as knowing thier position like a skilled player would.

#2 with that being the case, its just not a position that South Florida is know for, because you now have guys, that may have the size because of genetics, of which were never involved in sports until they were tugged on to play football in high school.

Therefore, in general, our schools mostly focus on just getting the ball to our athletes... You'll see allot of pitches, swing passes, open space stuff, or simple i formation for the teams with a good weight program; nothing sensational witht he OL here, gotta admit that.

Gotta get our OL from outta town Shannon...

[jay_zoe2]

407,

Are you a Canes fans? I ask becasue it seems as though you know nothing about the Canes. As UM coaches have stated numerous times, "Arthur was raw as hell last year." He came from a system were they didn't stress fundamentals. He just played off of his superb athletisism. At the college level you need to have your fundamantals in tact. A prime example of this is Sean Spence. On a size, strenght, athletisim level, Spence is no where near Brown's level. But, Spence came from a system were he had to make reads, and make line calls. This made him prepared to be able to come in and play right away

I think in the end, Spence will be a Vilma type, and be a top 25 pick. On the other hand, if Brown gets on board fundamentally, he has the parts to make him a top 10 pick.

Also, you don't tailor you defense just so one guy can see the field. That is the reason why you see all these players look invincible in college, but once they get to the league -- they can't cut it. Of course a super athletic LB will make plays in defense were he has no responsibilities except to track down ball carriers, but once he get to the NFL he will get exposed for not being able to read offenses, cover, and drop in coverage. We play a pro style offense and a pro style defense, none of this gimmicky spread or hybrid defenses.

[Anthony]

They hardly ever threw Phillip's way when he was at the U. Everybody knew what kind of talent he was so it's no shocker he succeeded in the NFL. McIntosh, from what I remember, was a solid linebacker at the U so I don't what you guys are talking about.

[manny]

dude manny, you should stop getting the same information from rivals, and come out with yours truly. i Mean quit slacking, and make some new stories that are not cover. For instance like irterviewing bryce brown and asking him what sup with his decision and why the hell he is playing around with everybody mind. Manny you could cover more solid news than that......

[jay_zoe2]

For every Frank Gore you name I will throw out a Tyrone Moss, Charlie Jones. Frank Gore only stayed at Miami that late because of injuries so I don’t consider him a 2005 pick. Tyrone Moss destroyed Broward County but declined with each year at the U. Charlie Jones just got worse with each season. May if I brought up Derron Thomas you will prefer that name. Another 5-Star recruit who got wasted in Miami.

Posted by: 407 | January 14, 2009 at 06:18 PM

Again, are you a Canes fan? Moss destroyed people in High School, operative word "HIGH SCHOOL." At the college level he just proved to be a big back who lacked speed. Also, Moss was a 4 star player.

The amount of stars a player is rated will not always translate into dominance at the college level Look at Travis Minor from FSU a few years back. He was rated the best player in the country coming out of High School, but he amounted to nothing at the college level.

[5Titles]

"On a size, strenght, athletisim level, Spence is no where near Brown's level"

You are high, Jay!

[ATXcane]

Stars are kinda silly. Ed Reed was a 2-star athlete. He has become the most feared safety in the NFL.

The good reason to hype up on B. Brown is b/c he is rivals NUMBER ONE. Someone posted the past few #1s a couple days back. He is in the company of Vince Young, Adrian Peterson, Terrelle Pryor, Percy Harvin, etc. That's a pretty good clique to belong to.

[Bounty]

One player can't make a team...lol? I think the Gators might disagree with you. You think they have this type of run with Cam Newton taking the snaps?

[ATXcane]

jay_zoe2: I wouldn't sweat 407's opinion too much. He/she apparently thinks a true frosh would be more useful than a 5th (6th?) year senior, that a DC should tailor their defense to one player, and that defenses don't need a player acting as a field general. Hate to call them out, but in short, he/she doesn't know squat.

[miamiboisince85]

Your coach suspends players for foolish reasons. He keeps guys buried on the depth chart for crazy reasons. He might be trying to create an atmosphere of competition but he is going about it the wrong way.
407

If U are a real um fan then he is are coach. As to your question on why glenn cook over arthur brown, Now i well admit that glen is not the most athletic guy in the world but he was the smartest player on defense that we had this year. the middle linebacker is the qb of the defense and anybody that knows football knows that.

[Power_Sweep_Right]

Big Sonny, great analysis. Good work.

I've been pounding the OLine theme for a while now.

With Jimmy Johnson's(JJ)love of the U and as Randy Shannon's(RS) daily mentor, you've seen a concerted effort to re-build our OLine.

Last yr when RS went into Omaha,NE and stole Harland Gunn is a good example. Having a farm out there I get the Lincoln, NE paper and "they were shocked Randy Shannon of UM was able to steel this kid from them, outta their own backyard."

This process is a "work in progress" and the goal of getting back to:

Power sweep right - Power sweep left - Bust'em Up the Middle and then Kill'em with Play Action Passing!

Is well on it's way to being re-built.

Go Canes

[Canes1]

Coaching is Miami's biggest problem and has been for years.... The U gets top talent year in and year out, but their coaches do not make these kids better. This year's senior class in probably the worst since the probation era, but the Canes had overall better talent than NC State yet they can't beat them...why? Coaching! Why get all bent out of shape over some 18 year old kid deciding to go elsewhere, worry about who the new OC wlll be cause that will be a better indicator of whether the Canes will start winning again. Shannon has silly rules and closing practices is his way of controlling things, he is a control freak and needs to worry more about coaching than about all of the archaic rules.... next year will be another 5-7 season...look at the schedule and then what?

[jaime]

Sam Bradford is coming back- The U boys have theirwork cut out. It's basically the same OU team again next year,sinc Demarco Murray is coming backa s well. Gonna be a long night 09/12. Boys from the Gables got to step up and prove to themselves, to thefans and to the U, that the U is back.

[jay_zoe2]

"On a size, strenght, athletisim level, Spence is no where near Brown's level"

You are high, Jay!

Posted by: 5Titles | January 14, 2009 at 07:30 PM

I am quite sober when I say that. Brown is faster, stronger, and more athletic. It's just that in terms of football IQ, and having a feel for the game; Spence is years ahead of Brown.

A prime example is former Dolphin Zach Thomas. He was the smallest, slowest, and least athletic LB drafted in his class, look how he turned out!

Ed Reed, isn't the fastest, strongest, or most athletic safety in the league, but he is the best. What he lacks in those department he more than make up for it in football IQ, and knowing his position.

Like I said before, once Coach Armstead gets Arthur right, this kid is going to be nasty.

[Anthony]

Yes bounty, one player cannot make a team. Tebow may be their leader, but without Harvin, Spikes, Rainey, Demps, Murphy, Hernandez, and countless other players, they would not be in the position they are in.

[ATXcane]

Heh, just in case nobody caught this: Hazelton (WR) from USC is transferring. His release from the Trojans prevented him from going to any Pac-10 school or Notre Dame. Anyone wonder when the media uproar will begin?

"What is Pete Carroll afraid of? It's vile that he can't play in the PAC-10. Pete Carroll is afraid he's going to come back and beat him b/c he sucks as a coach."

"Pete Carroll is a lying scumbag. To prevent him from going to Notre Dame is just vindictive."

"USC and Pete Carroll are completely classless."

...*crickets*...

[CaneRock]

I don't know, but this 407 guy (or gal) sounds strange to me, as if Miami is the only school where these 4 or 5* guys don't pan out for whatever reason. 407, you ever heard of Lorenzo Booker, wasn't He the top player in his class coming out of HS, wasn't He the next coming of Reggie Bush...not so much eh? But you don't see anybody tryin' to run "Ole' Bubba" outta town do you...

[MorehouseCane]

407 derron thomas was never a 5 star recruit. 3 star actually and he wasn't even one the top ten miami commits in 04.

[Canesjunkie]

I wonder how much Jimmy Johnson does mentor Randy Shannon...would be an interesting story Manny.

[No OC at the U]

While were talking talent here, what's up with Lee Chambers, #32. I never head of him until the Emerald Bowl and he showed some flashes of brilliance in the second half. I see his states for the year were 18 carries for 116 yards ((6.4 per carry). Seems like this guy needs to get more touches, if they can fit him in between Coop, Baby James, Lamar Miller and Bryce Brown (?). From what little I saw of him, he looks like a baller.

[Power_Sweep_Right]

Canesjunkie, Jimmy was on 560-WQAM "Mad Dog's" show a few weeks ago and a few of his, many, statements about the U and Randy were:

1) The U is "my school now." I love it here. I not going anywhere, this is it!

2) "I speak with Randy daily." Randy, was my choice, great recruiter. He got the local coaches on board his first week. I really pushed for him hard. He's going to do great here, just you watch.

3) It's funny how depth and talent has a way of improving "your game-day coaching."

[Arocks]

Vernon will re-up with the U. The argument that he would not have a press conference if he was not changing his status doesn't hold up because he would just decommit and commit to Bama or somewhere else like Sanders and others at other schools have done. I think he's just trying to infuse some good news and make the recruiting boat at the U pick up some steam to try to nab some of the big time recruits that are left.

[Power_Sweep_Right]

No OC at the U, what's up with Lee Chambers, #32. I never head of him until the Emerald Bowl and he showed some flashes of brilliance in the second half.

Well, I see you saw his season stats. He got hurt early on, nothing serious.

He is going to be a monster next yr. He's part of the reason I feel we're really loaded at RB next season.

Brown will still be a great "get" primarily for his receiving. Immediate impact. He's a "big time" deep threat. Especially with, any of, our many WR studs. He'll kill any LB trying to cover him.

[No OC at the U]

Power_Sweep_Right....it seems you saw what I saw regarding Lee Chambers. I was wondering why we did not see more of him throughout the year but if he was hurt that would explain it.

The big FB Patrick Hill also made some clutch plays in the last couple of games. The guy is a fireplug, 5-9, weights about 250. I saw him run over quite a number of people to convert 3rd down this yer. And, correct me if I am wrong, neither of these guys were 5 or even 4 star recruits. Both are Freshman.

The talent level is coming back people. Just show a little patience.

[No OC at the U]

Excuse me, Patrick Hill is a JUCO transfer, was a Jr. this year My bad.

[Power_Sweep_Right]

Here's some great research by;

Dade County

On Mitch Browning, a potential Offensive Coorinator for the U.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umiami/2009/01/vernon-ready-ot.html#comment-145077386

Good stuff. Couple of things in common with Shannon, Frank Broyles Award winner and 4 year starter at Linebacker.

This guy knows how to run an Offense. Take a look!

[PeteRoc]

Some of you guys are afraid of playing OU next year, but I'm not...especially since we get them early.

Quick tangent...sorry to post another site's link here Manny, but check out the critique of coach Stoops, now that he's lost so many BCS games. These are articles just confirm that fans like 407 are common everywhere, but like family, I guess you just gotta deal with them.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/ncfnation/0-5-271/Whatever-happened-to-Stoops--big-game-coaching-magic-.html

Back to my point...4 of their 5 starting OL were seniors this year. They also lose their #1 receiver (Juaquin Iglesias)...although their good looking TE (Jermaine Gresham) announced he'll be back. Anyway, I say we get them at the best possible time, with/without Bradford (who by the way should have left given the OL departures).

[Power_Sweep_Right]

No OC at the U, yea Ur right about Hill. He was Kane Farquasons (WR) recruit. They played at the same JC.

Now Chambers, yes he was a freshman.

25 yrds on 5 carries against Char. Southern
31 yrds on 4 carries against UCF
60 yrds on 9 carries in the Emerald Bowl

Was a 5.7 on Rivals. This probably ='s 3 0r 4 stars. But, he had shoulder surgery after is SR yr in HS. He was Rivals 9th best at RB.

They say he wants to prove something. He has a slight "chip on his shoulder."

Not much better than a mad and mean RB, with size, speed (a fast 4.4) and youth.

[Power_Sweep_Right]

I'm with U, PeteRoc.

Ur OLine loss is a good point as well as their #1 receiver (Juaquin Iglesias). But he's 1 of 4 WR that are gone.

So, bring'em on.

[Andymiles]

Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp reminisce about their days at The U. Taken from a recent clip on the NFL Network. Future recruits, pay attention to how things are done down south.

U Family. It's a bond that stands the test of time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jWKCZ_sYM&feature=related

[AtlCane]

Don't forget Nic Harris-SS, Lendy Holmes-FS will be gone.

It would be huge if UM can upset OU in it's second game. Do you think that would get us into the rankings?

[Blert_GatorFan]

Blert . . . "Gator Fan."

Saz:

You quyes r goig too get yer buttz kikt nxt yr.

Co Gators

[pay attention to the U]

atlcane: if that wouldn't get us into the ranks then the the sports nation would be fearing us once more but who knows it may or may not get us back in the ranks

[pay attention to the U]

gator fan get your horrible smelling a** of our blog

[Power_Sweep_Right]

Yes, AtlCane they've got a shot. This will this class's '79 Penn St victory.

OU will be ranked in the top 5. The U will be "lucky" to be ranked above 30th. But a victory here will open some eye's and maybe a jump into the top 25 would be possible.

Now, with Jacory on ESPN's QB's to be watched show - mentioned along side Bradford, McCoy and Tebow as the best QB's - plus our experienced Sophomores - maybe we get a better look. Maybe we get a better pre-season ranking.

I don't know.

But I will go out on a limb and say we beat OU, FSU and GT, among others, in '09. And we will be known as the "Super Soph's."

[No OC at the U]

Andymiles,

Thanks for posting that video of Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis. All recruits and current players need to watch that video to find out what it is all about at The U.

[Power_Sweep_Right]

Note to Linda Robertson and the rest of the unfair national media:

Read below post.

Posted by: ATXcane | January 14, 2009 at 08:15 PM

Heh, just in case nobody caught this: Hazelton (WR) from USC is transferring. His release from the Trojans prevented him from going to any Pac-10 school or Notre Dame. Anyone wonder when the media uproar will begin?

"What is Pete Carroll afraid of? It's vile that he can't play in the PAC-10. Pete Carroll is afraid he's going to come back and beat him b/c he sucks as a coach."

"Pete Carroll is a lying scumbag. To prevent him from going to Notre Dame is just vindictive."

"USC and Pete Carroll are completely classless."

...*crickets*...

Posted by: ATXcane | January 14, 2009 at 08:15 PM

[Power_Sweep_Right]

GREAT COME BACK BY THE "U" BASKETBALL TEAM!

17 POINT COMEBACK!

GREAT VICTORY OVER MARYLAND.

GO CANES

[5Titles]

The truth is, Arthur Brown was simply overrated. Does he have talent? Yes! He just needs time to develop like DJ Williams did.

Sean Spence is simply Special. AB can only hope to be on SS's level across the board! I expect AB to work his A** off to be much improved for next year!

Jordan Futch is ahead of AB now too!

I expect Colin M. to move to middle and Spence and Futch to be starters ouside!

As for Bryce Brown, that Diva can haul A**!

Lamar Miller is tried and true and Mike James is just as good as the Diva!