fitzgerald toussaint

Update 8/26: Linked to articles on NV DE Keenan Graham, AR CB Darius Winston, IN OL Kyle Koehne, PA WR Todd Thomas (second), GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore, IN LB Jordan Barnes (blurb), NJ DE Will Hill, NC OL Travis Bond, SC DE Chris Bond.

Added OH DE Tank Carradine, NC LB Hawatha Bell, NJ WR Nyshier Oliver.

Moved VA QB Kevin Newsome from committed.

Roundup article from ESPN with mention of MN WR Bryce McNeal, free board scouting report on the two Liberty kids, who smoked a poor opponent to open their season. More on Newsome and TX K commit Anthony Fera.

As always, some links from Varsity Blue.

Editorial Opinion: Recruiting board lives here.

Default *#$& about quarterbacks, yes yes, but I made this prediction in June and I’m sticking with it:

IMO, a Newsome decommit will either be preceded or quickly followed by a Forcier commit.

Forcier’s coming in on Saturday for the Utah game.

Guys named Bond(s) from one of the Carolinas will feature heavily at a couple of spots Michigan has an obvious need. SC DE Chris Bonds plans on visiting and sounds like he has a top five:

Bonds said right now USC, Alabama and Southern Cal are tied for the top spot with him because he's visited each. "I still waiting to see Notre Dame and Michigan," he said before moving forward with his decision.

Tennessee is also on the table but obviously has a lot of catching up to do. Bonds is from the same school as junior Adam Patterson; the general opinion is that he’ll be a tough get but get them on campus and there’s a chance and etc etc etc.

Meanwhile, NC OL Travis Bond has one official visit set up and it’s to Michigan. He’s trying to set up some others. Some time ago a helpful reader sent this in:

I would probably slightly upgrade Travis Bond's interest in Michigan. Talked to a friend who knows his coach last night. Bond is visiting Michigan in October. He likes Michigan, South Carolina and UNC ahead of the others.

I think you listed Bond as being from VA, he is actually from Windsor, NC in Bertie County (sparsely populated place over on the Albemarle Sound). He's the second-best tackle in NC this year, behind Xavier Nixon.

There's nothing in Bertie County other than farms, marshland, a few thousand people and several billion mosquitos. But they turn out some good football talent.

South Carolina is not amongst the other teams Bond’s trying to set up visits with, but that could be a proximity issue. Often players will eschew visits to nearby schools since they can hop in a car and be there in two hours.

OH DE Cornelius “Tank” Carradine is a top-ten Ohio player at a position of crying need who claims offers from much of the Big Ten, but no one is talking about him. I just put him on the board because it wasn’t clear how much of a prospect he was or whether any of his offers were legit. FWIW:

Martin said Carradine has scholarship offers from colleges such as Cincinnati, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee and Miami University, but the player has remained quiet on his plans and wants to visit a few more schools.

"He's not even telling me," said Martin. "I think he has an idea - he's just not saying right now."

There are rumors of “personal issues,” which may be part of the holdup.

ESPN scouted some wide receivers, mentioning Michigan commit Bryce McNeal:

Normally Bryce McNeal (Minneapolis/Breck School) would be in the size/speed category for this piece, but he is so rail thin it negates his height. So he's in the speed category because he really does run extremely well, has a second gear and is very smooth. We are concerned about the level of competition he faces each week, but the Michigan commit will fit in very nicely in the spread and is faster than J.R. Hemingway and Darryl Stonum, two highly-regarded Michigan signees of the last two classes.

McNeal + Barwis == unstoppable lol.

Meanwhile, linebacker commit Jordan Barnes came in for some fluffery from the local paper. This has been in the whispers on premium boards for a bit:

“At the beginning of the year, he was a little underrated. But by the end of the year, a lot of the conference coaches knew who he was, and he got better and better as the season went on,” Homestead coach Chad Zolman said. “His athleticism got better over the offseason. His dad took him to some speed and agility stuff in Florida. He did a combine down there, and at that point, things started happening for him on a national level. After that, he got a lot of notice.”

This is where the guarded optimism Barnes might acquire another star comes from. Also, like, whoops:

Jordan Barnes, a Detroit native, had always wanted to play football for Michigan. So he sent a highlight tape to the coaching staff.

But because of the change in coaching from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez, it got lost.

“I wanted to go to Michigan really badly, so I sent them another tape when things got settled down,” he said. “Then they got back to me in a week, and they told me to come up for a visit. After that, they said they would get back to me, and a couple days later, they offered.”

Possible explanation for Michigan’s early difficulties with the 2009 class right there.

You can take this scouting report on Michigan’s two commits at Liberty High from Some Guy On The Internet with as much of a grain of salt as you like, but it is further confirmation Isaiah Bell is probably an outside linebacker in college. All “Isiah” mentions are [sic]:

Isiah Bell almost killed somebody.  He cut this guy off running down the sideline and knocked him headfirst into some foldout chairs and injured the guy.  Bell is really big he reminds me of Prescott Burgess--which is why it seems he will play OLB for UM.  Isiah played receiver and scored a TD on a quick pass out to him and he faked out the defender and scored.  Isiah was the only safety and he played pretty deep in the middle of the field so he wasn't involved in too many tackles, but when they get to him he really hits hard.

Fitzgerald Touissant was awesome.  He is really fast and could not be stopped in the open field.  He took a checkdown pass in the flat and ended up cutting it all the way across the field for about a 50 yard score.  He showed really good patience and vision especially on the stretch play which he runs very well.  He is a very tough kid too it usually took multiple guys to bring him down.  Bell and Touissant were back to return kicks but they squibbed it every time and I can't say that I blame them.

Overall they were both really impressive.  Isiah Bell could be a big Ernest Shazor type safety but I suspect they will put him at linebacker because he could be a beast there with his size and speed and he is a big hitter.

FWIW.

Etc.: UCLA leads for NV DE Keenan Graham; he does say some positive things and if we get an official there’s a chance. IN OL Kyle Kohene is still waiting on offers from ND, M, and Florida. GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore seems to be favoring Oklahoma State. PA WR Todd Thomas’s rumored grade issues make the PPG.

Update 8/11: Linked to items on AZ DE Craig Roh, NJ DE Anthony LaLota, MD RB Tavon Austin, FL S DeAngelo Hadley, video of TX QB commit Shavodrick Beaver, SC DE Chris Bonds, TX WR Josh Gordon, GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore, OH S Isaiah Bell, PA WR Todd Thomas.

Removed LA LB Jonathan Stewart (A&M), GA WR Jamal Patterson (dropped us), LA WR Kenny Bell (dropped us), FL LB Frankie Telfort (dropped us), OK RB David Oku (dropped us), TX CB Demontre Hurst (don't think we ever offered).

The ESPN 150 is out. It's weird. Will Campbell isn't on it. Varsity Blue lists M targets and commits from it. Free Press article on the Cass Tech duo (trio?). Fitzgerald Toussaint's dad, also named Fitzgerald Toussaint, got in a knife fight.

Editorial Opinion: Recruiting board lives here.

Nothing really happened this week save David Oku dropping Michigan and Illinois because he doesn't want to play in a spread, so we may as well go to the controversy du jour: the exclusion of OMG shirtless DT recruit Will Campbell from the ESPN 150. Here's ESPN's justification:

William Campbell (Detroit/ Cass Tech) was the subject of much debate. We recognize he has plenty of talent, but he fell short of a 150 grade at this time. We also feel he is not a defensive lineman at the college level -- he will be a better fit on offense. He reminds us of former Cass Tech prospect Joseph Barksdale, a defensive tackle prospect who will be playing offensive tackle this year for LSU. Campbell may enter college as a defensive tackle, but we think, much like Barksdale, he will end up on offense. Campbell is a big, but raw prospect who needs to keep developing his game. It is easy to become enamored with his measurables, which garnered attention among recruiting fans, but he is a kid we will keep an eye this season.

This is stupid:

• Many colleges thought the same thing about Barksdale and told him as much. This was a major source of the rift between him and Michigan.
• Barksdale committed to LSU and got moved to the offensive line... where he played as a freshman and is now slated to start as a true sophomore.
• It's recruiting high school kids. You should become enamored of measurables because technique can be coached up.
• No, it's not ironic that Barksdale is playing on the offensive line.

Everyone who follows recruiting thought ESPN was stupid for excluding Barksdale, and they were right. He's in line to be a three-year starter at LSU. If I was Scouts, Inc. I wouldn't bring his name up voluntarily.

So I guess it's nice that the overwrought scouting report on Isaiah Bell was actually indicative of where ESPN would rank him -- Bell came in at #91 -- but I don't necessarily put much stock in it. FWIW:

Though he may not be from the largest school in Ohio, safety Isaiah Bell (Youngstown, Ohio/Liberty) stands out in a traditionally strong football area of the state. Impressive now, but the No. 91-ranked player has a ton of upside projected to the next level, both physically and athletically.

Not only does he excel on defense with his great burst and ball skills, but this long and lean athlete displays abilities as a returner on special teams. His biggest recruiting dilemma, and perhaps the major root of his national obscurity, may be trying to figure out what position to play him. He rules the secondary as a free safety but is built more like an outside linebacker. His continued physical development should dictate eventual position and success. His great instincts and competitive nature will make him a valuable football player at the college level, regardless of position. Bell is the definition of a late bloomer.

Meanwhile, Bell's teammate and RB commit Fitzgerald Toussaint did not get in a knife fight. But his dad, also named Fitzgerald Toussaint, did:

Toussaint, who has a son playing for Liberty, showed up at the game, and eventually got into a verbal argument with his ex-wife, who also attended the scrimmage. As the exchange between the two escalated, the ex-wife's boyfriend, Darnell Harris, 45, of Rosewell Street, Akron, came over to see what was going on, the chief said.

Tisone said the two men then began to argue, and knives were pulled. The chief said at some point, Toussaint stabbed Harris in the chest. Harris was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where a hospital spokeswoman said he released later today after treatment. Toussaint had come to see his son, also named Fitzgerald Toussaint.

The elder Toussaint has been charged with felonious assault. Obviously. He stabbed a guy at a football scrimmage.

A couple of defensive ends have officially chopped their lists down. AZ DE Craig Roh is down to UCLA, USC, Arizona State, Nebraska and M with a few schools hovering on the periphery. NJ DE Anthony LaLota has Michigan in his top seven; I'm still doubtful on him.

Mysterious TX WR Josh Gordon is still claiming that he wants a Michigan offer badly:

As a youngster, Gordon followed Michigan and he says the Wolverines are still his top choice now although they haven't offered him yet. "If Michigan offered me I'll go ahead and commit," he said. "It would be a great choice for me and I really want to go there."

A Michigan offer at this point, however, seems like a longshot. "Michigan came to my school during the spring, but I really haven't been in too much contact with them since then," he said. "They still send mail though and hopefully they'll come out to see one of my games."

Gordon's being pursued by A&M, Nebraska, Missouri, and some smaller schools but has fallen precipitously since the Army All American combine, where he and Bryce McNeal were widely hailed as the two best receivers. This landed McNeal in everyone's top 100; Gordon has two stars and is Scout's #200 wide receiver. He reports qualifying test scores but Michigan hasn't even given him a sniff. Weird. I've downgraded him to gray.

Similarly mysterious PA WR Todd Thomas now says Pitt leads:

Thomas, the all-state senior from Beaver Falls, is considering scholarship offers from a roster of schools that includes, tentatively in the top five slots, Pitt, Penn State, Boston College, Michigan and Ohio State.




"Pitt's been coming on strong lately. I'd say Pitt's at the top of the list right now."

There is no freakin' way Thomas has an Ohio State offer, and given his shift from being very enthusiastic about Michigan to being lukewarm on them I think they might not be recruiting him that hard, either.

Etc.: GA LB DeDe Lattimore still mentioning M; I think Hawthorne is taking his scholarship and M will "get dropped" soonish. FL S Angelo Hadley has M in his top seven. He's a teammate of FL CB Mywan Jackson; MD RB Tavon Austin will visit Michigan officially.