College Football Talk

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Hot spots for hot shots

(from Sporting News) California, Florida and Texas have been college football's elite recruiting states for several years. That won't change with the signing class of 2009, which is already full of players from those three states. The pecking order among them may change from year to year, but there is rarely a debate that this trio deserves to be on top together. This year's top recruiting states, with the five best players from each:

1. CALIFORNIA

1. Matt Barkley, Mater Dei (Santa Ana), QB, 6-3/226, Southern Cal
Barkley, the nation's consensus No. 1 player, has thrown for 3,560 yards the past two seasons, with 35 touchdowns. He's a pure dropback passer with a cannon for an arm.

2. Cierre Wood, Santa Clara (Oxnard), RB, 6-0/ 192, Notre Dame
3. Vontaze Burfict, Centennial (Corona), LB, 6-2/244, Southern Cal
4. Michael Philipp, Arroyo Valley (San Bernardino), OL, 6-3/320, uncommitted
Matt Barkley: future Trojans QB
5. Randall Carroll, Cathedral (Los Angeles), WR, 5-11/175, Southern Cal

2. TEXAS

1. Russell Shepard, Cypress Ridge (Houston), QB, 6-1/179, LSU
Not only is Shepard fleet of foot, but he also has spent much of his summer trying -- with success -- to persuade other recruits to join him at LSU.

2. Jamarkus McFarland, Lufkin, DL, 6-3/280, uncommitted
3. Garrett Gilbert, Lake Travis (Austin), QB, 6-4/205, Texas
4. Craig Loston, Eisenhower (Aldine), DB, 6-2/193, Clemson
5. Mason Walters, Frenship (Wolfforth), OL, 6-6/290, Texas

3. FLORIDA

1. Jacobbi McDaniel, Madison (Greenville), DL, 6-0/267, Florida State
2. Jaamal Berry, Palmetto (Miami), RB, 5-11/185, uncommitted

3. Andre Debose, Seminole (Sanford), WR, 6-0/170, uncommitted
Debose is one of three players from his high school listed among the nation's top 200. He caught passes, threw the ball and ran it last year on offense.

4. Aaron Murray, Plant (Tampa), QB, 6-1/198, Georgia
5. Nick Alajajian, Naples, OL, 6-4/280, Florida

4. OHIO

1. Melvin Fellows, Garfield Heights, DL, 6-5/245, Ohio State

2. Marcus Hall, Glenville Academic Campus (Cleveland), OL, 6-5/290, uncommitted
Hall has attended camps at several schools this summer and seems to like Michigan, Ohio State, Southern Cal and Illinois equally. He'll be a huge addition -- literally and figuratively -- to any line.

3. John Simon, Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown), DL, 6-3/274, Ohio State

4. Jamie Wood, Pickerington Central, DB, 6-2/190, Ohio State

5. C.J. Barnett, Northmont (Clayton), DB, 6-1/181, Ohio State

5. LOUISIANA

1. Rueben Randle, Bastrop, WR, 6-3/195, uncommitted
It's still early, and Randle, an impressive athlete, hasn't weeded out any of his pile of scholarship offers. There's no timetable for his final decision.

2. Chris Davenport, Mansfield, DL, 6-4/318, LSU
3. Janzen Jackson, Barbe (Lake Charles), DB, 6-0/174, LSU
4. Eddie Lacy, Dutchtown (Geismar), RB, 5-11/200, uncommitted
5. Michael Ford, Leesville, RB, 5-10/200 LSU

6. GEORGIA

1. Jarvis Jones, Carver (Columbus), LB, 6-3/226, uncommitted
A beast of a linebacker, Jones had 157 tackles last year. He's the ultimate playmaker: He had 17 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions -- and it was his first year on defense.

2. Abry Jones, Northside (Warner Robins), DL, 6-3/250, Georgia
3. Branden Smith, Washington (Atlanta), DB, 5-11/171, uncommitted
4. Washaun Ealey, Emanuel County Institute (Twin City), RB, 5-11/205, Georgia
5. Darren Myles, Carver (Atlanta), DB, 6-1/175, uncommitted

7. PENNSYLVANIA

1. Dorian Bell, Gateway (Monroeville), LB, 6-0/226, Ohio State
Bell is by far Pennsylvania's top recruit this year, and he made his decision to leave his home state way back in April.

2. Eric Shrive, Scranton West, OL, 6-7/285, Penn State
3. Je'Ron Stokes, Northeast (Philadelphia), WR, 6-1/178, Tennessee
4. Corey Brown, Gateway (Monroeville), ATH, 6-1/180, Ohio State
5. Tom Savage, Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield), QB, 6-4/217, Rutgers

8. NORTH CAROLINA

1. Donte Moss, Northside (Jacksonville), DL, 6-4/235, North Carolina
2. Xavier Nixon, Jack Britt (Fayetteville), OL, 6-6/263, uncommitted
3. Justin Dixon, Smithfield-Selma, LB, 6-1/228, North Carolina

4. Jheranie Boyd, Ashbrook (Gastonia), WR, 6-2/184, uncommitted
Boyd plans to come up with a top 10 list pretty soon, with schools like Clemson and Florida leading the charge. He has entertained the thought of waiting until signing day to make his decision.

5. Desmond Scott, Hillside (Durham), RB, 5-9/185, Rutgers

9. ALABAMA

1. Dre Kirkpatrick, Gadsden City (Gadsden), DB, 6-2/180, uncommitted
A tall cover cornerback, Kirkpatrick is a college coach's dream. With 11 interceptions the past two seasons, he has proved he can be a playmaker.

2. Nico Johnson, Andalusia, LB, 6-3/226, uncommitted
3. Tana Patrick, North Jackson (Stevenson), LB, 6-3/215 uncommitted
4. Kendall Kelly, Gadsden City (Gadsden), WR, 6-4/210, uncommitted
5. AJ McCarron, St. Paul's (Mobile), QB, 6-4/189, Alabama

10. SOUTH CAROLINA

1. DeVonte Holloman, South Pointe (Rock Hill), DB, 6-2/214, Clemson
2. Malliciah Goodman, West Florence, DL, 6-4/255, Clemson

3. Sam Montgomery, Greenwood, DL, 6-4/ 230, Uncommitted
Montgomery, also a college basketball prospect, had 65 tackles last year, 20 for loss, and 15 sacks.

4. Damario Jeffery, Columbia, ATH, 6-3/215, uncommitted
5. Chris Bonds, Richland Northeast (Columbia), DL, 6-4/262, uncommitted

ATH -- athlete; no specific position yet