Recruiting Board Updated. Yes, Finally.

Update 1/7: Wholesale board revamp.

Removed: IL QB John Wienke (decommitted to Iowa), CO LB Jon Major (CU), NJ LB Chris Pantale (BC), AZ RB Ray Polk (committed somewhere, I forget where), WRs Deion Walker, Michael Floyd, and Jonathan Baldwin (ND, ND, Pitt), NC CB Spencer Adams (Clemson), OH LB Zebrie Sanders, CA S Vaughn Telemaque, AZ TE Dion Jordan, PA TE Hubie Graham (Pitt), PA TE Mark Wedderburn, CT LB Jonathan Meyers (dropped us), and like a bunch of other marginal guys.

Added: PA QB Terrelle Pryor, OH WR DJ Woods.

Moved: NJ S Brandon Smith to committed. NJ LB Marcus Witherspoon from committed.

Other stuff: extensive highlights of MI DT Mike Martin. We're still in it for JT Floyd.

Right. Pryor. This is Terrelle Pryor.




Army Bowl highlights:



As mentioned in the video, Pryor was the game's MVP. He's a perfect fit for the Rodriguez spread, but is a rough passer. "Better than Vince Young!" at this point, but since Young improved 1000% more than the average collegian -- seemingly all of that during the Rose Bowl -- that's no guarantee.

Other guys who are likely to commit. OH WR/DB DJ Woods and TX S Keanon Cooper are expected to commit sometime soon. Woods is a shortish darting type who had committed to WVU as a wide receiver, then decommitted in the wake of Rodriguez's departure. Prior to that he was a Nebraska commit at cornerback. Think Darius Reynaud here.

Cooper's a three-star safety Michigan was already pursuing; he's sort of a SS/LB tweener who would be a decent pickup.

Update: Uh... nevermind on Cooper.

Potential defections. Two recruits are visiting elsewhere: Marcus Witherspoon is taking a trip to Tennessee and Mike Martin is taking one to Notre Dame.

Martin, by the way, has an extensive highlight reel up on youtube:



Either could go, with Witherspoon being more likely than Martin.

Other known targets: are really, really thin on the ground. SC CB JT Floyd is still down to Tennessee and Michigan ($, info in article header). CA uberback Darrell Scott is listing Michigan but is widely expected to go to Texas or Colorado. PA WR Vaughn Carraway and VA WR AJ Price are still listing Michigan; Carraway was also being recruited by WVU. MI DE Nick Perry has Michigan in his final four along with MSU, Miami, and USC; most observers expect him to stay in-state.

The upshot: Rodriguez is going to take 25 kids this year. He's currently got 22 open spots, 17 commits, two of whom have scheduled visits to other schools, and not enough names on the board to fill out the rest of the scholarships. Even in the best-case realistic scenario where Rodriguez keeps the existing class intact and picks up Pryor, Woods, Cooper, Floyd, Carraway, and Perry he's still two guys short. The middle of the bell curve is more like four or five guys short.

Expect at least a couple sleeper types and possibly a JUCO or two. (I've been told that Rodriguez is talking with the admissions department about a couple of JUCO quarterbacks.) I also expect Rodriguez to pursue already-committed recruits in the Midwest corridor he picked up most of his Mountaineers in: meh dual-threat QB Dominick Britt, a Cinci commit, virtually anyone in the Pittsburgh area he thinks can help out, and IN QB Marqueis Gray, who committed to freakin' Minnesota at the AA game.