College Football 120 Ranking 2011 Season

Redzone Recruits College Football Top 120

1. LSU

2. Oklahoma

3. Alabama

OL Barrett Jones: “We appreciate it, but we are concerned with where we are ranked at the end of the season. Our only goal right now is to develop into the best team we can be, and things like rankings will take care of themselves.”

4. Stanford

5. Oregon

OL Mark Asper: “Preseason rankings are like dialogue on Baywatch—you need them to keep the show going, but they don’t mean anything to anyone except nerds.”

6. Boise State

7. Florida State

8 Oklahoma State

QB Brandon Weeden: “It’s a good place to start. Hopefully, we can move up from there as the season goes on.”

9. Nebraska

10 Wisconsin

Coach Bret Bielema: “Excited to be in the top 10! It’s a great recognition of what we’ve accomplished in the past and what our team expects and is working to achieve in the future.”

11. Arkansas

12 Texas A&M

Coach Mike Sherman: “The number 12 is very important to Texas A&M, as our fans are the 12th Man. We are honored to be considered, but we understand the ranking is based upon last season’s results and the number of players returning this year. The 2011 football team understands it is the work already put in during the offseason, the spring drills and now during the summer that will determine how prepared we are for the upcoming season.”

13 Virginia Tech

Coach Frank Beamer: “I think we have a lot of unproven players at critical positions to be ranked that high. I sure hope they know what they are talking about.”

14. Michigan State

15. Notre Dame

16. South Carolina

17. Ohio State

18. Auburn

19. TCU

20. Mississippi State

21. Utah

Coach Kyle Whittingham: “I think we’re in the same ballpark as the teams we’ve had that have had success. There are so many things that have to line up. You have to stay healthy; you have to have team chemistry. But we like what we have coming back.”

22. West Virginia

DL Julian Miller: “It’s almost like mixed feelings. It’s definitely an honor to be called the best team in the Big East. But we play a lot better when we’re in an underdog situation, when we’re not picked to do something.”

23. Arizona State

WR Aaron Pflugrad: “We definitely have enough talent. But we had the talent last year and didn’t finish games. What I’ve been seeing as far as us coming together as a group, we’re definitely a top 25 team.”

24. Penn State

25. USC

QB Matt Barkley: “We’re going to be ranked less than usual because of the circumstances with the NCAA and because we don’t have as many so-called stud players. But I feel like we’ll be able to do better than in past years. We’re ready to attack this year and show people we’re really a different team than last year and a lot different team from two years ago.”

26. Missouri

27. Miami

28. Iowa

WR Marvin McNutt: “I don’t know how people make predictions about us because we play so many close games. What it comes down to as much as anything is executing at the end of games. It’s not so much about what the experts say but the way the team executes over the year that will make us deserve the rankings we get.”

29. BYU

30. Florida

31. Houston

32. South Florida

33. Georgia

QB Aaron Murray: “We’ve got a little chip on our shoulder and a lot of doubters. Nobody is talking about Georgia. It’s making us hungry to get back into the conversation of who can win the SEC East and get to Atlanta and go play for the national championship.”

34. Northern Illinois

35. Maryland

36. Pitt

DB Jarred Holley: “I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. I mean, of course you take a peek at the magazines. But you can’t get caught up in the predictions. I just think we can accomplish all the goals we have for this season.”

37. Tennessee

38. San Diego State

39. Northwestern

Coach Pat Fitzgerald: “You tell everybody all summer how great all these teams are going to be. You look at the magazines, blog about it. It’s all a big waste of time. I’m off my soapbox now.”

40. Michigan

41. North Carolina

42. Texas

43. Boston College

44. Louisville

QB Will Stein: “We really don’t get caught up in rankings too much, but it’s good to be in the top 50. We know we have a lot of work to do to reach our goals. We have a lot of momentum after winning our bowl game last season. However, we know these rankings won’t mean much if we don’t take care of business this summer and the start of fall practice.”

45. Purdue

K Carson Wiggs: “The Boilermakers are healthy and hungry this year, and we are going to eat!”

46. UCF

Coach George O’Leary: “Obviously we jumped one spot from last year so I guess it shows improvement, but I look at our season more than I do the rankings.”

47. Clemson

48. Oregon State

49. Arizona

Coach Mike Stoops: “We play six of this top 25—three of the top eight in September. We’ll see.”

50. Air Force

51. Georgia Tech

Former coach Bobby Ross: “My philosophy is what’s up front is what matters, and they have probably the best offensive line (coach) Paul (Johnson) has had. The defensive line is very, very solid. Reviewing their situation this coming year, I think they need to be ranked higher.”

52. Kentucky

53. Temple

54. N.C. State

Coach Tom O’Brien: “I always tell our team it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish that matters. Last year, our finish was in the top 25, and we return many key players from that team, so we hope to build on that. We’re working hard to make sure that we’re better than last year.”

55. Southern Miss

56. Texas Tech

QB Seth Doege: “Preseason polls give people something to talk about. Postseason rankings are where the players have done all the talking.”

57. Washington

58. Baylor

59. Illinois

OL Jack Cornell: “I think Illinois ended the 2010 season better than many teams ahead of us in this poll, and a lot of teams who ranked higher in the poll ended theirs with worse records than many teams below them. Most people think we are going to be rebuilding after losing four players in the draft, but the experience returning should rank us higher than 59. I know our team’s expectations are much higher.”

60. Cincinnati

Coach Butch Jones: “Preseason rankings are great for generating excitement moving into 2011. Right now, we’re looking forward to moving into the next phase of our preparation, which is summer strength and conditioning and then going into training camp in August where the identity of this year’s Bearcats will be formed.”

61. Hawaii

62, Virginia

Former RB Frank Quayle: “I have to believe you are not far off and might be right on target. They will be better than a year ago. The strengths should be their defense and the offensive line. The quarterback spot is still a very big question mark, and I don’t have to tell you how critical that position is these days. I do believe coach (Mike) London has done everything right since his arrival, and I am hopeful that UVa football is headed in the right direction.”

63. Syracuse

64. Connecticut

65. Western Michigan

66. California

67. Fresno State

68. Tulsa

69. SMU

70. Navy

71. Duke

72. Colorado

Former QB Joel Klatt: “It is such a huge advantage to have an experienced QB, and that is a luxury that CU has with Tyler Hansen. They may have to play 13 straight weeks without a bye, and they might very well struggle to earn a bowl berth, but with (former Buffs) Jon Embree and Eric Bieniemy back in Boulder (as coach and offensive coordinator) this is a team that will be much tougher than we have seen the last five years. Emphasis on the running game and improved schemes will allow the Buffs to win two to three games that they shouldn’t.”

73. Ole Miss

74. Florida International

76. Kansas State75. Toledo

77. Minnesota

Former LB Karl Mecklenburg: “I love the number 77, but I think you’ve ranked the Gophers too low. Coach (Jerry) Kill will have Minnesota competing every week. This year will be the start of a steady climb back to national prominence for the maroon and gold.”

78. Ohio

79. Rutgers

80. Miami (Ohio)

81. Nevada

82. Colorado State

QB Pete Thomas: “We’re a lot better than 82, but no one knows it just yet. We have a lot to prove, and now that we’ve got a lot more experience, we’re out to make some serious noise. Keep your eyes on Colorado State this year.”

83. Troy

84. UCLA

85. Wake Forest

86. UAB

87. Iowa State

88. Wyoming

89. Marshall

90. Indiana

91. Vanderbilt

Former LB Hunter Hillenmeyer: “Vandy is always fighting an uphill battle. Stiff academic standards and a smaller student body than the rest of the toughest conference in football makes competing in the SEC a dogfight. In meeting coach (James) Franklin, he seems to have the right stuff to keep Vanderbilt headed in the right direction.”

92. Kansas

93. Washington State

Coach Paul Wulff: “I feel like we are a team on the rise. We might start at 93, which is too low in my opinion, but I’m confident we will finish way above that ranking.”

94. Louisiana Tech

95. Army

96. Louisiana-Monroe

97. East Carolina

Coach Ruffin McNeill: “We live in a great country where everyone is entitled to an opinion, but we’ll stick to the thought that it’s more important where you finish than where you start.”

98. North Texas

99. Akron

100. Middle Tennessee State

Coach Rick Stockstill: “Our University is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, so it is fitting we are an even 100. Basically, I really do not get into any of the preseason stuff because nothing matters until the end of the year.”

101. Rice

102. Central Michigan

103. New Mexico

104. Tulane

105. UTEP

106. Utah State

107. Florida Atlantic

108. Idaho

109. Buffalo

110. Kent State

Coach Darrell Hazell: “We feel like we’re in a very good position as a team to start the year, and we’re looking forward to the many challenges this season will bring.”

111. UNLV

112. New Mexico State

113. Bowling Green

114. Eastern Michigan

Coach Ron English: “It is a preseason poll only—the thing that matters will be our results on the field.”

115. Arkansas State

QB Ryan Aplin: “Being ranked 115th is not something we are proud of, but it only makes us hungry to work harder than ever before.”

116. San Jose State

117. Memphis

118. Western Kentucky

Coach Willie Taggart: “It is not where you start but where you finish that matters.. Our program is on the rise, and we look forward to meeting the challenges ahead.”

119. Ball State

Coach Pete Lembo: “There’s a reason why we are here. If everything was perfect, we would still be (coaching Elon) in North Carolina. We have inherited a hard-working group of kids, and we are building trust and chemistry every day. It will be a process, but we are looking forward to tackling the challenges that lie ahead.”

120. Louisiana-Lafayette

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WR Cody Tuttle "Man Handles" B2G UCLA Competion

You already know what time it is! I had to post this one after this weekends B2G competition at UCLA. Westlake WR Cody Tuttle "didit on em". The footage is here to confirm the story. B2G Elite Competition comprised of some of the best talent in next years recruit class took place this past weekend and featured some fierce comp to say the least. Cody came out to play with the big boys and wrecked shop. Tuttle has a few offers under his belt and has already committed to Nevada, but it is clear that his stock is rising and he will definitely have some tough decisions ahead of him if you know what I mean. If you don't know what I mean, than I can't really say more  than read between the lines.....Take a look at the video and get back to me if you feel I'm on some over hyped type ish. And please do yourself a favor and watch it all the way through, the finale is off the chain and worth the two minute wait! The title of the post kind of gives it away. As always you get the hot and heavy at Redzone Recruits

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RB Nick Tompkins Commits To Michigan State

The star running back on the high school football team that won last year’s state championship in Georgia’s largest classification committed to Michigan State on Sunday night.

Nick Tompkins picked Michigan State over Illinois, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin and Maryland, among his 20 early scholarship offers.

“Michigan State felt like the perfect place for me, it was the complete package,” Tompkins said. “I gave it a lot of thought. I got that gut feeling about Michigan State and went with it. I knew they were only going to take one running back and I wanted it to be me.”

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Tompkins will be following two of his teammates from Brookwood High School’s 2010 GHSA Class AAAAA state championship team to Michigan State. DB Andre Sims Jr. signed with Michigan State last February, while kickerErick Yang will walk-on with the Spartans. Tompkins has one more season remaining at Brookwood.

Tompkins passed on the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps to play college football at another Big Ten school. Reggie Tompkins starred at Towers High School and later played wide receiver at Wisconsin.

“Nick felt like he wanted to play in the Big Ten,” the elder Tompkins said. “He likes the SEC, too. Georgia didn’t offer him. Florida came to see him but they obviously have a couple of commits. He liked Vanderbilt. He got offers from Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and that kind of thing.

“If Georgia Tech had offered him earlier, he would’ve probably committed to Georgia Tech back in February. When he didn’t get an early offer, he still really liked them. In fact, I thought it was going to be between Georgia Tech and Maryland. But the more time he spent with the Big Ten schools, the more he wanted to play in that conference.

RB Nick Tompkins (No. 32) will be following two Brookwood teammates to Michigan State (AJC photo)

“Michigan State said they were only going to take one running back for sure. They’ve offered some pretty good running backs, some of the top in the country. He wanted to make sure he would get that spot. He has been going back and forth the last 2-3 days talking with the Michigan State coaches. Nick is excited to be playing for the co-Big Ten champions. They have great fan support and he will get a great education.”

Tompkins has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.38 seconds. Last year as a junior, Tompkins rushed for 1,890 yards and 22 TDs on 229 carries for 14-1 Brookwood.

“There are some people with questions: Is he big enough to play running back at the highest level of college football?” his father said. “They don’t question his speed and they don’t question his heart. But by the time he gets on campus at Michigan State, he’ll be at 190 pounds. He’s a young man and has time to develop. Nick likes challenges. He believes he can play running back for a big-time school in a big-time conference, and Michigan State provided that opportunity.”

I Still believe that he should have given Cal a solid look, but we do wish him the best in his future endeavors and a prosperous career at Michigan State. If you followed my earlier post on him you know that Redzone Recruits believes in our hearts he is an excellent ball player and very skillful back regardless of his size. As they say "you can't hit what you can't catch"!

Tompkins said he has a 3.2 GPA and will study business or engineering.

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WR Cody Tuttle Lands 2nd WAC Offer

The WAC conference has its eyes on Tuttle it seems. After committing to Nevada WR Cody Tuttle receives offer from New Mexico St (6/20/11). I think it is a matter of time before the majority of the WAC comes on board and offers as well. We believe that Nevada is a very good fit for his style of play and he really can't go wrong with Nevada but he still hasn't landed that PAC12 offer and I have a pretty good feeling that a few schools have him on their radar and will be ready to pull the trigger after the first few games of the season. I have some sources that tell me ASU and UCLA have him pretty high on their list of recruits not offered yet.
 Subsequently Arizona State has really poured on the juice with early commits for the class of 2012. They seem to have a prettry good formula in getting some outstanding Under The Radar talent this yr. I think that Tuttle is one of those such prospects that will have even more schools on his line after the first few games of his SR. season at Westlake.
Tuttle just has to remain focused and maintain the tenacity that brought attention to him from his JR season. With that being said I believe that he will have many more offers awaiting him before the end of the season. He currently holds offers from Western Michigan, Princeton, Harvard, New Mexico State, and Nevada. B2G just listed Cody on their Impact Players list for this summers Elite Camp at UCLA. You know how we do at Redzone Recruits so stay engaged with us as we follow and update you on Cody Tuttle!

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Redzone Recruits Goes Mobile

Live off the wire. Redzone Recruits is now mobile and has the ability to post info on the fly. We will now give up to date info on athletes direct from the field. This gives us the ability to keep our readers engaged with the latest information. Thank you for following Redzone Recruits!

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It's OK To Tell The Truth

Year after year high school athletes participate in football around the country. Hopes and aspirations fill the minds of student athletes and their parents about competing on the next level. I'm sure we have all come across or even been involved in conversations regarding an athletes capabilities. So this is why I decided to write this article. O.k. , lets keep it real! How come people are afraid to tell the truth about an athletes capabilities when it comes to football. I don't really know of any other sport (well maybe hoop) where people are so dishonest about things like height, weight, speed etc. It's like this, 40yrd dash times are always lied about, and usually height and weight are too. So much emphasis is placed on kids 40 times and size that many people are getting away from the truth and live in a bizarre fantasy about their capabilities, that hype is common place in the game. Truth of the matter is when I hear people say "My kid runs a 4.3 (40) ", I usually want to slap the taste out of the persons mouth that says it! True there are kids that perform at that level and I for one have personally seen electronic times that fast. But to keep it one hundred that is so far and few between it should be a crime to try and pass that type of time off on kids. I usually respond sort of sarcastically to statements such as blazing forty times. I will tell parents, HS coaches and athletes that they would be one of the fastest participants at the NFL combine, and that being in HS would mean obvious improvement in time and strength over the next 4-5yrs making that 4.3 runner look more like 4.1 or 3.9 in the future (absurd). And it burns my britches when I hear crap like that. The bottom line is at skill positions 4.5-4.7 is damn good speed for an HS football player. 4.4 and below means a kid usually can do what they want to when they want to. I have seen that type of speed and you know it when you see it. It looks scary!

 Next, is the height and weight issue. Now I know HS kids can seemingly grow a lot almost over night but come on! I do evaluations everyday and I'll get info on a kid that on paper is 6'2" 195lbs WR for example, only to pull tape (measuring) on the kid and find out he is really on 6'0 180lbs. I'm not sure if people put out these particular tall tales hoping they will magically grow into the frame they have painted on paper or not. In reality is it only hurts the prospect in the end to be dishonest. What's worse is it doesn't just stop at the HS level, it is continued at the Collegiate level as well. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE most of the athletes' profiles are false on height and weight.

I had a conversation with a parent recently and he said that he felt his son needed to get bigger. His son is a sophomore varsity CB that is a true 5'10" 160lbs. I asked him did his son ever look out of place or as if he didn't belong on the football field. He naturally responded "NO". So I then asked him what does that tell him about his sons size. He didn't have the answer I was looking for, so I answered for him. I said "The reason your son does not look out of place on the field is because everyone else is around his same size". This also means that most everyone else is lying about how much other athletes weigh etc.

In the end I think that this puts unnecessary stress on kids to be something that they are not. It takes away from the fundamental development of the game. When you are in HS its ok to be a HS player's size. Let's put it into perspective though. I am not saying that you should be unrealistic about your potential to play at the college level, for example: If you are 5'6" 150 don't expect to be on a college radar at WR. It's best to know what size is common place at the college level for position, but also realize that it's OK TO TELL THE TRUTH. And no matter what, always play big and that will separate the men from the boys! We keep it real at REDZONE RECRUITS and so should you

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