TomVH: An Interview With Dwayne Stanford
Taft WR Dwayne Stanford has been at the top of the conversation when it comes to wide receiver prospects. It doesn't hurt that his teammate, DE Adolphus Washington, is a top recruit also being courted by Michigan. Stanford and Washington had previously been unable to make their visit to Michigan and Stanford finally rescheduled his trip for this weekend. Here's what he had to say about the upcoming visit and where he's at.
TOM: You and Adolphus are making your way up to Michigan this weekend?
DWAYNE: No, Adolphus can't make it this weekend but I am going. He's going to Kentucky on Friday and I'm going to Michigan on Saturday.
TOM: Don't you guys usually travel together? Is this the first visit you'll take without him?
DWAYNE: I visited Tennessee during a football game and he didn't go, but other than that yeah we've been together. This will really be one of the first unofficial visits not to a game that I've taken besides camps or anything.
TOM: With this visit what are you looking to learn from Michigan? Do you have any questions you want answered, or coaches you want to meet?
DWAYNE: I just want to go up there and talk to some of the players and the coaches. I want to find out exactly how they want to use me. I'm really just going up there with open eyes. I'd like to get to know the wide receivers coach better. I had misplaced his number so I have some questions for him about how they'll use me. I basically want to put a name to the face and develop that relationship.
TOM: I know I spoke with you briefly when the Ohio State allegations came out. What were you and your family thinking when it happened?
DWAYNE: We were all in shock. I didn't think that Coach Tressel would resign or get fired, I thought he would stick it out. Fickell is the head coach now and he'll do what he can to win them a Big Ten Championship and if the NCAA lets them, go to a bowl game. Ohio State is bigger than one coach, the tradition they have. At first it did hurt their chances with me, but I talked to the wide receivers coach and he's brought everything up for me. I don't want to say they're at the top but they're up there.
TOM: What about Michigan, where do they stand right now?
DWAYNE: Michigan, they're not at the very top either but they're up there on my list because of how persistent they've been to get me up there. They have a great tradition, won championships, won Big Ten titles. They're in a rebuilding stage which is even better because I could help Michigan get back on top. They've been at the top parts of my list for awhile now.
TOM: I know you go to some of the same camps as Michigan commits, and they have some Ohio kids. Do you ever talk to any of them?
DWAYNE: Yeah, I was at a 7 on 7 with Joe Bolden and he was trying to recruit me. I've been talking to the quarterback Shane Morris, too, I've been talking to him a lot. He's going to be up there this weekend I think, and he was saying we need to show the coaches the future and all that. I'm also good friends with AJ Williams, too. He's always in my ear.
TOM: What's next? I know you've said you want to wait to make your decision, is the timeline still the same?
DWAYNE: I'll have my official top five out in September. My top eight right now is Michigan, Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, Miami, Florida State, North Carolina, and Tennessee. I'm going to go out to Tennessee, North Carolina, and obviously Michigan this summer. As far as a timeline it'll probably be towards the end of the season. It's really whenever I feel comfortable with the school and with my parents. I'm just projecting that it will be at the end of the school year.
I confirmed with Adolphus Washington that he will not be on this visit.
while Kentucky isn't on Dwayne's list...
I had a feeling that if an actual package deal were to work out it would be these two guys. It remains to be seen, but the saying that "package deals never work out" seems to true.
Dee Hart and Clinton-Dix seemed to work out. For Bama. Package deals work out all the time.
SEC package...
Lewan and Roh ring a bell?
How about Ross, Jenkins-Stone, and Richardson?
Now that's a package.
That is most definitely a package, but was never a "package deal". Neither was Roh and Lewan. Roh commitment eventually led to us extending Lewan an offer. They never came out and said that they were a package deal.
What constitutes as a package deal? There have been whispers of Ross, Jenkins-Stone, and Richardson wanting to play together since last year. Making that happen seems like a package deal to me.
Clinton-Dix and Hart said countless times that they wanted to play together.
The FHH trio is a little different. They have admitted to wanting to play together but said one wont make the decision just because another did.
Edit: I went and did some searches and came up with some additional stuff to put the point across that package deals rarely work out.
Although they did say that they wanted to play together, I don't really see them as a package deal because they also said that each of them would make the decision that is the best for them. Luckily for us the best decisions for all of them is Michigan.
“When we were little, we wanted to play together, but we know how difficult that may be,” said Ross. “If it works out, it does and that would be great, but we probably won’t make our decisions based off what somebody else does.”
I think in the beginning lots of recruits say that they are a package deal or want to play together, but when the recruitment moves along things change and "package deals" seem to dissolve. A good example of this for this recruiting cycle is Wes Brown and Stefon Diggs. Very early on they were considered to be a package deal, but now it seems like they want to play together, but will choose the school that fits them the best. As strange as it may sound Wes Brown visited New Mexico without Stefon Diggs because Wes Brown has a brother(?) who will be enrolling in the fall.
Another example is Jarrod Wilson and Corey Smith who for a very long time said that they wanted to play together in college. In this case the problem was that Smith was not going to qualify and would have to go the prep/juco route.
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/tvh-weekly-trey-keenan-will-hines-wyatt-shal… Look through the comments in the link above. Magnus explains his take on some of the package deal thing.
You're right. All valid points. If anyone comes as a package deal though, it will be these two.
Well, I hope so.
I think even if Washington doesn't visit personally this weekend it is still a big weekend in terms of his recruitment. If Stanford is blown away in Ann Arbor that will not only have the obvious positive impact on his recruiting but will also help out when he gushes about Michigan to his buddy.
Thanks, Tom. Great interview, but not very optimistic. Seems like he still wants to wait a while, and he's still pretty high on OSU. We'll see what happens this weekend!
I didn't necessarily take it that way. If he feels comfortable somewhere then I think he'd be fine with making his decision.
Any idea who IS actually at "the top" of his list? He wouldn't say either ohio or UM sit there, so out of the other 6 schools, who would hold that spot right now?
I didn't take it as there was a different school at the top, just that he didn't want to openly say who was at the top right now. My impression right now, at least for Stanford, is that it would be a Michigan OSU battle.
Some of the best highlight music I've heard. Sounds like something out of Sonic the Hedgehog.
For some reason you get the most honest interviews out of kids. Other interviews from others sites always have nothing but glowing reports, but here it sounds like we have some ground to make up and hopefully this weekend is the start.
Great stuff.
I don't understand how anyone could be comfortable with OSU at this point. Yeah, okay, the program is bigger than any one coach or player (although TP would probably disagree) but if there are certain things you want out of your college football experience (B1G championship games, bowl games, etc) you are probably not going to get those due to the sanctions. Plus, there's always the chance that your coach could be fired when they find out he knew about the violations.
It's the same principle as applied to USC: You're a big fan, you really want to go there, a coach is in your ear whispering "All is well. All is well..." And eventually you convince yourself every thing will work out for the best. That's how USC gets a massive class to sign on the sole promise that their appeal will work out.
You're probably right, but I'm trying to recall if I was that gullible in high school (long time ago). The OSU coaches don't know the severity of the upcoming NCAA sanctions or whether they will even have a job at the end of the season....but all is well. Unbelievable.
that his video spells his name "Dewayne." Everywhere else it's spelled Dwayne (including recruiting sites). A typo on his own video or is everybody else wrong?
Man only if washington could of made it out to AA.That would of made me happier about stanford visit.
"of" is not a substitute for "have"
That's for the english lesson.
You meant "Thanks," right?
Gee whiz.
Sure
But "would've" and "would of" sound so similar.
You mean "too" right? or you can just use the interwebs own language "2"
To be fair its a reasonably articulate comment if he is indeed a wolf and not a human.
Man it didn't seem like it would of worked out. I would of really enjoyed that as well. He probably would of really liked his visit. That would of made me happier about standord visit two.
please repost your previous comment regarding "of" and "have".
Don't be alarmed, I was Joe King back there..
But seriously...I don't speak caveman.
He looks like a monster in those highlights. Plus, I can't remember the last time we had a solid receiver of his size. Even without Washington, I think we'd be in great shape if this kid committed.
Adolphus would be an amazing bonus if he came aboard as a result of a commitment from Stanford, but I don't think we fail if we were to just get Stanford (obviously assuming they don't stick to the package deal).
If I had a choice between Stanford (alone, no Washington package) and Burbridge, I'd take Burbridge. I also like Stanford's size, but Burbridge is explosive and at 6'1 he's not exactly a slot ninja. I hope he has the grades to become eligible and joins his fellow classmates in Ann Arbor.
I tend to agree, but call me greedy; I want both. They seem like a great complement to each other. While perhaps a little more of a project, Stanford has the size and body control that's hard to get. Burbridge seems a bit more explosive/quick and polished as of now.
I'm greedy too, so I want both. 6'5" WR are hard to come by and he creates an automatic mismatch when he is on the field. According to Rivals he is the 3rd tallest WR in this years class.
Don't know if I like the sound of that interview. No Washington to me seems to mean not so interested. But then again, these two will take a long commitment to land. I would love to have Stanford even without Washington. So if UM nor OSU leads, then who does? An SEC school? Blah. I hate those schools.
The passage I didn't like was when he said," I'd like to get to know the wide receivers coach better. I had misplaced his number so I have some questions for him about how they'll use me. I basically want to put a name to the face and develop that relationship.
Yes, the rest of it sounds good. But can't the wide receivers coach call him? There are esoteric restrictions as to when and how often. But it sounds like he's been itching to speak with him...
There are recruiting "dead periods" where coaches can't call recruits, but recruits can initiate communication with coaches. I dunno the dates, but we're in one. So the coach can't call him, but he could have called the coaches
Would we take Stanford, Washington, and Wormley? My gut says no, but its possible. If Wormley commits (and I think he will announce soon), would that hurt our chances with Washington and Stanford?
We might take them all if the coaches wanted them.It might hurt our chances if they still wanted to be a package deal.
Many people think Wormley will/can grow into a 3 tech DT. Same with Godin. So yes, we could take all of them. It would be awesome.
I echo ryebreadboy's argument about the Ohio State. There are rumblings that even more is coming out in the near future, and that the AD will be gone soon (replaced by Archie Griffin), and former OSU football players are pushing hard for a 100 percent clean slate. Who would want to come to this train wreck knowing you won't play on New Year's day or possibly not on TV at all?
I would love a big wide receiver. I still think (having officiated one of his games as the back judge) that Devin Funchess could play wide out in lieu of a tight end. But having Stafford would really place a great deal of pressure on any opposing Defense.
"the AD will be gone soon (replaced by Archie Griffin), and former OSU football players are pushing hard for a 100 percent clean slate"
umm. what? where did you hear this?
I wish ron thompson would have commited so we can could use him as a big receiver or receiving tight end
But having Stafford would really place a great deal of pressure on any opposing Defense.I agree; too bad he's NCAA ineligible after signing with the Lions.
Hahaha
Doug Karsch on the Karsch and Anderson show. He mentioned that the same source who told him a week before Tressel resigned that ... Tressel would be out soon, mentioned the upcoming changes at OSU.
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