Several schools picked up commitments from talented players in the last week. Here are seven worth noting. And as always, enjoy the fine musical selections to which the highlights are set.
Commitments Roundup: West Virginia, Arkansas Add To 2012 Classes
If it’s Monday, it’s time to look back at the week’s college football recruiting commitments. It’s Monday!
West Virginia continues with its pipeline from Miramar High School, as Devonte Mathis committed to Mountaineers on Monday. The Miramar star was at Carol City High School as a sophomore, but has made himself into a star for the Patriots.
Mathis is a strong kid at 6'1" and 205 pounds, but isn't fast. Still, he always finds a way to get open for his loaded Miramar squad and could play inside or out for Dana Holgerson's wide-open offense. Mathis also considered UCLA, UCF, Ohio State and Louisville. Former Miramar star Ivan McCartney is now a dependable sophomore for West Virginia, with 40-plus catches and 500-plus yards. Mathis is rated three stars by all four major services.
Charlie Strong was happy on Monday with the pickup of Abraham “Nacho” Garcia from the University school in South Florida. Here are some highlights of Garcia.
The Carolina Tar Heels snagged a linebacker from the loaded Buford (GA) program in Nathan Staub. Staub plays linebacker and fullback for Buford, and will play linebacker for the Tar Heels:
"They recruited him as a linebacker all along, which was very important to him. I think Nathan feels very good about the stability there and the education at North Carolina speaks for itself. It seems like overall it was a very good fit." -AJC
Most of the services have Staub as a three-star player, but there is a chance that he is underrated, as most list him at fullback, suggesting that he wasn’t evaluated strictly as a linebacker. And UNC does have a history of taking players from other positions and making them into great linebackers. He also held an offer from Virginia.
Staub stands out as a well-built high school player at 6’2” and 225 pounds. His video doesn’t show much because of all the special effects. But I can tell you that he does not run a 4.50 40. Those academic credentials, however, are likely real and definitely impressive.
Meanwhile, a teammate of Staub, Kurt Freitag, will decide between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators next month. The talented tight end holds multiple BCS offers.
The UCLA Bruins grabbed Lacy Westbrook. The 6'5" 300 pound tackle also holds offers from Utah, Auburn and Washintgon.
The Arkansas Razorbacks landed a commitment from Jonathan Williams out of Allen, Texas. Williams has a nice build (5'11" 205) and runs hard with good burst. You would like to see him run a bit lower, though. He was highly coveted by many Big 12 teams and is considered a four-star by most of the major services.
North Carolina State secured a commitment from Shadrach Thornton of Liberty County HS (GA). He has surprising short-area quickness for a tall back (6’1”). Thornton also has an offer from Georgia Tech.
Oregon had a great get with running back Byron Marshall out of Valley Christian School in San Jose, California. Marshall is a bit bigger than the typical Duck runner. This is a tough runner whose excellent balance helps him not go down on first contact. And since he’s going to Oregon, you know he has that speed.
And despite declining a bowl bid and losing linebacker recruit Keith Brown to Illinois, the Miami Hurricanes still had a good week because Malcolm Lewis committed to them. Lewis is an explosive receiver out of Miramar HS in South Florida. He's widely seen as one of the top-30 receiver recruits in the country, and also held offers from Ohio State, West Virginia and Nebraska.
