Monday Recruitin'

Update 8/27: Moved PA HB Christian Wilson to committed. Removed OK S Kye Staley (Okie State), TX DE Kapron Lewis-Moore (A&M). Linked to articles on MI OL commit Dann O'Neill (another), NJ LB Chris Pantale, video feature on PA HB commit Christian Wilson, more articles on MN WR Michael Floyd, AZ CB Marc Anthony, CA RB Darrell Scott, CO LB Jon Major, PA HB Christian Wilson, PA DE Shayne Hale.

FWIW: internets scuttlebutt on NJ LB JB Fitzgerald. And Varsity Blue took in an OLSM-Cass Tech game, reporting back on Cissoko and '09 commit Will Campbell plus '09 WR/TE Dion Sims. Also: an article on elusive PA CB Jarred Holley that may have an incorrect list for him.

Editorial Opinion: Not much movement. Everyone who was planning to commit by the time their football season got in swing already has; those waiting for official visits haven't started taking them yet.

Varsity Blue took it upon themselves to go check out a Cass Tech-OLSM game featuring Michigan commits Boubacar Cissoko and William Campbell plus high profile '09 WR/TE Dion Sims:

In my previous experiences with Cissoko, I had been under the impression that his listed height was greater than the 5-7 he is typically reported to be. However, seeing Cissoko in action, it was obvious he was a tiny guy. As just a high school senior, it is possible that he is still growing.

On defense, Cissoko was not afraid to get physical with much bigger players, and he was frequently matched up against Dion Sims. Despite giving Sims almost a foot in height and close to 100 pounds, Cissoko showed no fear in jamming Sims off the line and downfield. Cissoko did get burned once deep, as he got his head around too late on a long pass, and due to his height, was unable to compensate. He did, however, make the tackle a couple yards shy of the endzone. As a tackler, Cissoko tends to focus on the hit, rather than wrapping up the ballcarrier. However, on the occasion that Cissoko wasn't able to get a clean shot on the carrier, he wisely used his arms to take out the legs. Cissoko chased down two sweep plays in the backfield, one of them on a shoestring tackle.

There is more: Campbell is very large, Sims might be destined for TE, and more pictures.

NJ LB Chris Pantale is a tight end to most schools, but Michigan is recruiting him as an enormous linebacker. At 6'6", 235 pounds, he's Crable-sized. Michigan has a good shot:

"My favorites would probably be Boston College, Virginia and Michigan," he said.

Pantale just returned from a trip to Michigan and Michigan State with his father, Bill. ... At Michigan, Pantale walked into the legendary Schembechler Hall and immediately felt the rich football tradition. He met with head coach Lloyd Carr and linebacker coach Steve Szabo, who said he sees Pantale as a strong side linebacker.

"Then I got a tour of the Big House, 107,000 seats," Pantale said. "It was unbelievable. The trip was really good for me to be able to help narrow my choices."

It's still Cal, Michigan, and Nebraska for AZ CB Marc Anthony:

"I have two official visits set up. I am going to Nebraska on September 14th for the USC game and September 21st for the Penn State game at Michigan."

"I think I will take an official before that. We are working to try and get that one set up for an official to Cal in September. It's not confirmed yet, though."

Cal is at Oregon on the 29th, so Michigan will get the last visit. Given his report of a Michigan lead after camp, other articles in which he's admitted that Nebraska trails Cal and Michigan, and the visit pattern I think Anthony is a very good bet to be the second corner in the class. Anthony just picked up a fourth star from Rivals; Scout still has him at three.

The rest of the above articles are fluffy profiles without much in the way of news.

One final note: you can file this under "specious internet rumors," but RecruitingPlanet's thread on JB Fitzgerald recently acquired a post from a man who claims a connection:

I have a close friend who coaches at WWPB (his HS). Says it looks *VERY* good for Blue. Also said he is a great kid and very smart.

This is the conventional wisdom on Fitzgerald; it's nice to have it reinforced. He is also visiting for Penn State; no other visits are set yet.

Someone managed to track down elusive PA CB Jarred Holley and get a distressing list:

The number of offers he received from Division I schools skyrocketed, and now the 5-11, 178-pound Holley has defending national champion Florida recruiting him heavily, in addition to Penn State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Stanford, and Rutgers -- just to name the schools on his final list for consideration.

State is highlighted because dollars to donuts that's supposed to be just "Michigan." A guy from Pennsylvania does not have Florida, Virginia, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Michigan State on one list. (Also the previous articles, vague as they were, implied Michigan was a factor while offering no mention of State.) Think this is a reporter error. Holley's still a long way from making a decision.