WR Jake Maulhardt "Diamond In The Ruff"

This kid has the body control of an athlete and the hands that deserve insurance coverage. He has a staggering 6'6" 200lbs frame that is probably due to grow at least a little more over the next few yrs. I watched film on him and immediately felt the need to write a review on him. As our followers and readers know, we don't do articles on high school athletes unless we feel they can cut the mustard so to speak. So it should come as no surprise that this one can play. He is a baller! You know I am always amazed at kids that are outstanding athletes that have not been offered yet. I really don't get it sometimes (really I do but that is subject for another day and article all together) why kids that have all the tangibles and the stats to match sort of go unnoticed going into their Sr. season. He has the size that most programs are always looking for. It is a rare find to see a kid 6'6" that is a burner, so no need to expect that here either. But he does have descent speed and body control that makes him a great red zone threat and possession guy. Jake also plays aggressive and does not give up on run plays. He is seen running down field on long runs to support his fellow running backs and receivers when alot of kids would have simply let off the gas.
Camarillo (Adolfo) had an 8-4 record in 2010-11 season and managed to put out an All State Underclassmen WR in Maulhardt. I expect him to have an even better season this yr, even if defenses key in on him. He is the type that creates an obvious mismatch with DB's on this level. He hauled in over 90 receptions last season and racked up over 1100yrds. I definitely know is FCS quality at this point and want to track his progress and development this season to see if he becomes a hot recruit mid season. Redzone Recruits wishes Jake a productive season and successful recruitment! We will continue to update Jake as we feel he is a Diamond in The Ruff and can't wait to see him get his shine on. Check out his Highlight and please leave a comment below. We appreciate all the support.

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Brandon Phillips Scores Major Cool Points!!!

Brandon Phillips shocks Twitter follower by showing up at his game

By 'Duk When it comes to youth baseball, players are sometimes responsible for bringing postgame drinks and snacks for the team.

Connor Echols, however, recently put a new spin on the tradition and brought an All-Star from his local Major League Baseball team, instead.

In what may well represent the pinnacle of modern technological achievement, the 14-year-old Cincinnati Flames third baseman (@cecholzz) was able to lure Cincinnati Redssecond baseman Brandon Phillips(notes)(@datdudebp) to his U-14 select team game last week by issuing a simple suggestion over Twitter ...

"@DatDudeBP should really come watch the 14u Cincy flames in West Chester tonight"

... and then by providing some directions after Phillips showed some initial interest (he had been eating at a nearby restaurant when he received Echols' tweet).

A few hours and many autographs later, Echols was the most popular kid in the eighth grade and Phillips had increased his reputation around Cincinnati as one of the fan-friendliest players in the bigs.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

It was about 5:45 p.m. when Phillips received Echols' invitation on his off day, the only one he and the Reds will have until June 2. Phillips said he was wondering what he was going to do with the rest of his day.

"I said, 'Let me think about this,' " Phillips said. "His game was at 6:15. When I got finished eating, it was like 6:10 and I thought, well shoot, I'm going to go to his game. I had nothing else to do. I thought, 'Let me go out and support the little man.' I went out there and he had a great game. I met all his teammates. I met everybody in the park. It was fun. I had a great time."

What makes this story even better is the fact that Echols had a great performance in front of one of his heroes, going 3 for 5 at the plate.  "I don't really get nervous a lot, but that's the most I ever had butterflies in my stomach in my life," Echols told the Dayton Daily News. "I just didn't want to embarrass myself."

Man, if only it had been that easy to contact Ryne Sandberg when I was in Little League ...

But what goes unsaid here, of course, is that many of today's athletes get hundreds of requests via Twitter every day. It takes someone like Brandon Phillips — whose dedication to fans has been personally witnessed by BLS — to actually take it to the next level and do something that will forever leave a positive impression on those who buy tickets or spend their time watching the game on television.

It's a sign of appreciation from Phillips that even a St. Louis Cardinals fan has to love.

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Little Man Tate Forcier In Eminent Danger

After the latest bizarre turn in the saga of Tate Forcier, he’d better pull things together fast because he’s in danger of throwing away a once-promising career. – Jim Weber

There were red flags from the day Tate Forcier stepped onto the University of Michigan campus in 2009 that he would be a problem child with an over-inflated ego.

You can start with his nickname, “Tate,” which Forcier got from the child prodigy in the 1990s movie, “Little Man Tate.”

Then there was his over-bearing father, Mike, whom College Football Talk compared to a “psychotic pageant mom” that had Forcier start training when he was five years-old and work for years with personal trainer Marv Marinovich in Southern California.

Yes, that Marv Marinovich, the infamous father of Todd Marinovich who literally trained his son from the crib to be an NFL quarterback and was once ranked the second worst sports father by ESPN.com. Todd Marinovich was a first-round pick in the NFL draft who lasted all of two seasons in the league until bombing out with massive off-the-field problems.

There was Forcier’s bizarre high school career. After starting at St. Augustine H.S., Forcier transferred to Scripps Ranch H.S. and then planned to transfer once again to Carlsbad H.S. before backing out because of his bond with the team and, “I don’t need to prove anything else.”

And then there was Forcier’s self-serving website, QBForce.com, that highlighted the three Forcier brothers – all quarterbacks – and included Tate’s stats, resume, video highlights and scanned copies of offers the four-star recruit had received from 23 schools.

But those red flags were ignored when  Forcier instantly became a star for the Wolverines.

When asked about his first game at the Big House, Forcier proclaimed he didn’t get nervous. In his second game, Forcier was awesome, breaking an Irish defender’s ankles on a fourth down touchdown run and throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with 11 second remaining.

Forcier was so electrifying that the normally reserved Sean McDonough proclaimed, “A star has been born in college football.” That week, Forcier even ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated (OK, it was in the corner).

Forcier was instantly tabbed the next great Michigan quarterback, the kid who would lead the Wolverines back to greatness under Rich Rodriguez and an overnight celebrity on campus. There were signs in the stands reading “Let the Forcier be with you” and students dressing up as Darth Vader and Storm Troopers to stick with the “Star Wars” theme.

But then a funny thing happened; Forcier regressed over the course of the season and infuriated fans with his penchant for turnovers. His first game against Ohio State was a disaster, as Forcier turned the ball over five times.

That offseason the quarterback job was opened up between him and Denard Robinson and the writing was on the wall when a teammate criticized Forcier’s attendance at workouts.

In the first game of the season, while Robinson was busy lighting up Connecticut on the field, Forcier sat on the bench with a towel over his head and proclaimed after the game, “All you need to know is, I’m out.” Not exactly the classiest move.

When Forcier actually got into games last year for the oft-injured Robinson, he showed he could still play – most notably during Michigan’s overtime win over Illinois.

But the headaches weren’t over, as Forcier was ruled ineligible for the team’s bowl game due to academics.

Once the season mercifully ended, no one could blame Forcier for transferring since he is the same year as Robinson and appeared destined to be Robinson’s back-up for the rest of his career at Michigan. But following in his brother’s footsteps, Forcier exited the program in extremely bizarre fashion.

On January 20, Forcier took to Twitter with an extremely curious series of tweets highlighted by, “I really wanted to stay. I was not giving up on Michigan, but in the end, it was made clear they had given up on me.”

Then came the whole Miami transfer that lasted a whole two months before Forcier backed out for “personal reasons.”

Whether there were actually personal reasons, a change of heart or it was the fact Forcier didn’t want to compete with Memphis transfer Ryan Williams for the job, it doesn’t really matter anymore as Forcier is once again without a team.

So what should Forcier do now?

There’s always the FCS route which could lead him to Montana (where he originally considered transferring) or hometown University of San Diego. But if Forcier does that, he’ll only have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining after this fall to play at an FBS program, where he should be playing considering his talent level.

The key to finding another FBS program is finding one that’s a better fit for Forcier, who is perfectly suited to run the spread offense, and one where he will have a great chance at becoming the starter for 2012.

My recommendation would be looking at schools in the offense-happy Conference USA and WAC, which are loaded with different variations of the spread offense – like Southern Miss, Rice, Nevada and Hawaii – and would love to have a quarterback of Forcier’s caliber at their programs.

If he landed with the Owls in Houston, Forcier could even reunite with former Michigan running back Sam McGuffie, now the starting running back for Rice.

And make no mistake, there are definitely programs still willing to take a chance on a talented quarterback with two years of eligibility.

But Forcier better get this decision right and make sure he won’t have a change of heart a couple months later because it appears he’s on his last chance to play major college football as there are plenty of questions hovering over him.

Will he actually stick around a full year while sitting out and get his work done in the classroom to stay eligible? Will he put in the work to be the star player everyone still thinks he could be? And will he leave his ego at the door and all the drama behind him?

If the answer to any one of those questions is “No,” you may have seen the last of Forcier on the football field and be witnessing one of the most spectacular flame-outs from football since – you guessed it – Todd Marinovich.

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UNDER THE RADAR TALENT BLAZE ESPN NIKE COMBINE OAKLAND

Deer Valley's Matt Smith, Patterson's Pio Vatuvei both soar past 100-point barrier with Smith's total going to No. 3 on the national rankings for the year

Pio Vatuvei of Patterson (Patterson, Calif.) gets low as he competes in 20-yard shuttle run at Oakland Nike SPARQ Combine.	Photo By: Danny Moloshok

 Combine homepage | Combine action photo gallery | Headshot gallery 

Cold weather and overcast clouds rolled into Oakland on Saturday for the 15th Nike SPARQ Combine of the spring season at Laney College.

Close to 1,100 athletes attended the Northern California stop of the national tour and if there was a theme it was the high number of players who played primarily as backups last season that could become major standouts this fall.

Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) running back Matt Smith captured that theme perhaps more than anyone else, as he posted the top mark of the day with a 128.46 SPARQ rating. Smith’s effort was strong enough that it ranks third-highest among all combines in the nation this spring.

Top Rising Senior

Chris Solomon, ATH, West Covina (West Covina, Calif.)

Solomon increased his rating 28 points from last year and continues to build his reputation as a national recruit. After missing the Long Beach Nike SPARQ Combine due to another obligation, he trekked to the Bay Area and nailed a 106.17 SPARQ Rating. He blazed to a 4.58 time in the 40 to go with a 3.97 shuttle.

The 6-foot, 185-pound athlete isn’t just a workout warrior, as he produced on the field last year, earning Cal-Hi Sports junior all-state honors and he was the San Gabriel Valley Tribune Player of the Year. He rushed for 1,958 yards with 23 touchdowns plus eight interceptions, 90 tackles and four fumble recoveries on defense.

Rising Senior Honorable Mentions

Pio Vatuvei, DL, Patterson (Patterson, Calif.)

Last year, the small San Joaquin Valley town of Escalon was known for winning the CIF Division III state title. This year, the small San Joaquin Valley town of Patterson may be known for having Vatuvei, an emerging national-level Division I college prospect.

At 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, he displayed excellent athleticism by registering a 4.31 shuttle and 29-inch vertical jump. His 110.91 SPARQ Rating was the second highest of the day. He racked up 72 tackles and 12.5 sacks as a junior.

Tavita Taito, OL, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 

This sturdy guard prospect, who is getting serious attention from Oregon,  plays tackle for the Wolverines and has been on the radar of Northern California fans since he was chosen to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Sophomore Team two seasons ago.

On Saturday afternoon, Taito he flashed great lateral quickness for a player his size with a 4.62 shuttle. His 41-foot, 5-inch foot powerball also was tied for the best throw of the day.

Michael Martens, WR, Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.)

He had the benefit of catching balls last season from quarterback Cody Kessler, who was among the nation’s top signal callers and is now at USC. Martens snagged 24 receptions for 507 yards and three scores during his junior campaign.

At Laney College on Saturday, the pass-catching threat posted a 35.5-inch vertical leap and ran a 4.74 in the 40. He is receiving recruiting mail from Colorado State and San Jose State.

Matt Smith, RB, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 

The under-the-radar rusher earned the highest SPARQ Rating of the day with a 128.46, which also puts him among the top-three in the nation and makes him a contender for the SPARQ Rating national championship.

The major marks that helped Smith score so high included a 4.51 in the 40 and a 3.90 in the shuttle. He played mostly as a backup as a junior, but made the most of his opportunity at the combine. Smith said he is interested in Iowa and has received a few letters from the Hawkeyes.

Valentino Miles, Jr., RB, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco, Calif.)

Despite missing a couple of starts with an ankle injury, Miles still managed to rush for 1,225 yards in seven games and scored 17 touchdowns this past season. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Miles notched a 95.67 SPARQ Rating in Oakland after finishing with a 70.83 at the Long Beach combine in April. Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah are showing interest.

Shedric Allen, FB, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.)

You have to wonder if one of the reasons why Pleasant Grove’s Mark Jenkins rushed for 2,700 yards last season was due to Allen playing the fullback position. The 5-foo-9, 225-pounder shined at Laney College with a 98.31 SPARQ Rating. His best single test probably was the 40; he clocked a 4.72, impressive for his weight. 

Andrew Fink, LB, Foothill (Tustin, Calif.)

Fink is a testament to the value of a reaching 100 points or higher for a SPARQ Rating. He recently reached 97 at the Long Beach combine and made a special effort to get to Oakland on Saturday. The effort paid off; Fink ended up with a mark of 105.33, the fourth-highest of the day. The second team all-leaguer played primarily as a defensive end as a junior and says he’ll play outside linebacker this season.

Top underclassman

Brandon Monroe, RB, Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.)

The Del Oro product is a multi-sport star who runs track in the off-season. Monroe flashed excellent speed and quickness with a 4.64 in the 40 and 4.15 in the shuttle. He tallied 27 TDs at the JV level last fall, but was moved up to the varsity for the playoffs. With the type of offense the Golden Eagles run and the competition they play, Monroe could be a breakout performer this fall. He likes Oregon, USC and Oregon State and deemed USC as his dream school.

Underclassmen honorable mentions

Rasean Jones, RB, Central (Fresno, Calif.)

Great looking underclass product who is hoping to get his name on the map among several other seniors at Central this fall. Jones actually played last year at San Joaquin Memorial, but was behind running back Chris Brown (now a senior and a legit Div. I prospect himself). At Central, Jones may have a better opportunity. 

At the combine, Jones earned a 91.65 SPARQ Rating, and should see his name on the radar come next year if he cracks the starting lineup. He had a solid 40 of 4.67, and exploded with a 36.6-inch vertical leap.

Wayne Thomas, WR, Rodriguez (Fairfield, Calif.)

He had a stellar sophomore year with 41 receptions and double-digit TDs as a receiver at the JV level. Thomas has the speed to be a great vertical threat with a 4.64 in the 40 and ultra-quick 4.24 in the shuttle. If Thomas can compete at a high level on varsity next year, then his name should surface on some college recruiting lists.

Kevin Palma, TE, Mission Oak (Tulare, Calif.)

This All-Tulare County selection as a sophomore also was nearly picked to the all-state sophomore team. He tallied 33 receptions for 410 yards and four scores. On Saturday, Palma tossed the powerball 40-feet to go along with a 31-inch vertical, showing off his lower-body power. He also is planning to attend the Palo Alto Nike Camp this weekend.

Warren Long, RB, James Logan (Union City, Calif.)

Long has the size at 191 pounds to be a power back with solid linear speed. During the combine, he had a solid shuttle time of 4.40 and a vertical leap of 32.9 inches. He is staying busy on the off-season trail and will compete at the Nike Camp at Stanford on Sunday afternoon.

Lamar Bible, RB, Rio Linda (Rio Linda, Calif.)

The book on Bible is that he’s a speedy rusher who clocked a 4.77 in the 40 and a blistering 4.09 in the shuttle. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder needs to add some muscle to his frame, but looks like an effective back. His 92.49 rating was third best among the underclass group.

Marcelis Logan, RB, Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.)

Logan is the son of former NFL running back Marc Logan and will only be a sophomore this fall. He came to Oakland due to his father having previously played for the San Francisco 49ers and did very well. Despite turning 15 just a few days ago, Logan clocked one of the top-25 times in the 40-yard dash and had a promising 63.69 SPARQ Rating. In one game last year for the varsity, Logan scored on an 82-yard run.

Oakland Nike SPARQ Combine Top Fives

SPARQ Rating
1. Matt Smith, RB, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 128.46
2. Pio Vatuvei, DL, Patterson (Patterson, Calif.) 110.91
3. Chris Solomon, ATH, West Covina (West Covina, Calif.) 106.17
4. Andrew Fink, LB, Foothill (Tustin, Calif.) 105.33
5. Alex Fong, DB, North Valleys (Reno, Nev.) 100.17

40-yard dash
1. Matt Smith, RB, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 4.51
2. Jonathan Hong, RB, Vanden (Travis AFB, Calif.) 4.54
3. Josh Miguel, RB, Escalon (Escalon, Calif.) 4.57
4. Christopher Solomon, ATH, West Covina (West Covina, Calif.) 4.58
5. (Tie) Kevin Ezebuiro, LB, California (San Ramon, Calif.) 4.61

20-yard shuttle1. Connor Graves, RB, Whitney (Rocklin, Calif.) 3.81
2. Matt Smith, RB, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 3.90
3. (Tie) Alex Fong, DB, North Valley (Reno, Nev.) 3.91
3. (Tie) Andrew Ho, WR, San Mateo (San Mateo, Calif.), 3.91
4. Josh Hadley, RB, Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 3.93

Kneeling Power Ball
1. (Tie) Pio Vatuvei, DL, Patterson (Patterson, Calif.) 41.5
1. (Tie) Tavita Taito, OL, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 41.5
1. (Tie) Shedric Allen, LB, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) 41.5
1. (Tie) Chase Eldredge, OL, Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes, Calif.) 41.5
2. JoJo Bones, QB, Lincoln (Stockton, Calif.) 41.0

Vertical Jump
1. Kam Brenn Heatley, RB, Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.) 38.1
2. Rasean Jones (’13), RB, Central (Fresno, Calif.) 36.6
3. Matt Smith, RB, Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) 36.5
4. Manuel Conde, RB, Clovis East (Clovis, Calif.) 36.4
5. Carter Blaise (’13), WR, Heritage (Brentwood, Calif.) 35.7

Stay tuned in to Redzone Recruits for more combine breaking news.

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LB Michael Barton Commits to Cal

Cal continued to deepen its footprint on the East Bay's 2012 football recruiting class, as De La Salle High linebacker Michael Barton gave an oral commitment on Friday to play for the Golden Bears.The 6-foot-1, 200-pound inside linebacker said he informed defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast and defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi, a De La Salle grad himself, of his decision on Friday morning. He also said linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson and assistant linebackers coach Tag McCurdy played a big part in his decision.

"I was always interested in Cal, and when they offered I started developing a really good relationship with Coach Thompson, Coach Pendergast and Coach Lupoi," said Barton, who has excellent speed and expects to play linebacker at Cal. "It's a big family circle because Coach (Mike) Blasquez is the strength and conditioning coach there, and he started at De La Salle."

Rated a four-star prospect by several recruiting services, Barton held offers from Arizona State, Colorado, LSU, Oregon State, SMU, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

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WR Lance Ray Cuts Ties with Arkansas

Wide receiver Lance Ray will not return to Arkansas next season.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino confirmed through a university spokesperson Monday afternoon the sophomore has been granted a release from his scholarship. It’s not a big surprise the two sides have parted ways after Ray was arrested for possession of marijuana in January and was not permitted to participate in spring practices.

Ray caught one pass for six yards as a redshirt freshman last season, turning in his biggest contributions on special teams after running back Dennis Johnson went down with a season-ending injury. Ray stepped in as Arkansas’ kick returner and led the team in kickoff returns (23), kickoff return yards (518) and kickoff return average (22.5).

The Havana, Fla., native’s departure isn’t expected to hurt the Razorbacks at receiver because of the abundance of options. Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Cobi Hamilton return as the top four targets. Arkansas also has viable options in Julian Horton, Maudrecus Humphrey, Javontee Herndon, Marquel Wade and Quinta Funderburk.

It’s not immediately known where Ray intends to transfer, although I believe he will and should get a second chance. Let this be a lesson to future athletes that it is very easy to get into trouble but so hard to get out of it!

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Garcia Reaches Football Milestone 1000th TD

GARCIA REACHES FOOTBALL MILESTONE WITH 1,000th TOUCHDOWN He's done it in Phoenix, New Jersey, Iowa, Long Island and Jacksonville. He's done it with Rattlers, Coyotes, Red Dogs, Barnstormers, Dragons and Sharks. He's done it against the likes of Gladiators, Pharaohs, Desperados and VooDoo. And on Saturday night, Aaron Garcia did it for the 1,000th time. Garcia, the former Sacramento State quarterback, became the first person to throw 1,000 career touchdown passes as he helped lead the Jacksonville Sharks to a 76-55 win over Orlando. His latest accomplishment was not missed by those in the football world as the game ball and Garcia's jersey are en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Garcia's football journey has been a long one. A prep phenom at Sacramento's Grant High School, Garcia broke California high school records that were held by John Elway. He began his collegiate career at Washington State and despite leading the Pac-10 in passing efficiency, Garcia lost his job to freshman Drew Bledsoe and opted to return home to play for the Hornets. His two seasons with the Green & Gold came as Sacramento State transitioned from Div. II to Div. I-AA. In that time, he threw for 2,468 yards and 19 touchdowns. Garcia's professional career began in 1995 with the Arizona Rattlers of the young Arena Football League. Seventeen years, five teams and one work stoppage later, Garcia is still one of the top passers in the league and has established himself as the most prolific passer in football history. To put his 1,003 career touchdowns in perspective, Garcia is now just three passing TDs shy of Brett Favre and Dan Marino combined. He has also thrown for 46,916 career yards — the most in AFL history. For Garcia, who still resides in Sacramento in the offseason with his three children, there is one thing missing from his successful career. "What's missing is a championship," he recently told the The Florida Times-Union. "I have to get back to work. I'm glad to have 1,000 touchdown (passes), but I want a championship." Garcia has led the Sharks to a 6-1 record and the team is currently in first place in the AFL's South Division.

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