recruiting update: one last week

One week to go. Time to get down and dirty. Both the 2009 and 2010 recruiting boards are updated for your viewing pleasure.

2009

With just one week before NLOID, there are only four prospects left to watch:

- The biggest fish of all, Morgan Moses, is as quiet as ever. At this point, it's basically down to UVA or North Carolina, with Ohio State and possibly Virginia Tech hanging around in the background. Moses might not decide until after NLOID. Moses doesn't want to redshirt and the chance to jump right into Eugene Monroe's shoes, as well as the short drive to Grounds, are two huge hurdles the other two schools will have to overcome. Ohio State has room in their class with four early enrollees, but they're also hard after Marcus Hall and Moses is probably essentially a backup plan for them in case Hall pulls a surprise and doesn't go to Columbus. UNC has friggin' 29 commits (27 minus the earlies) and is still pushing hard for more - how they cram them all into the 25-limit will be interesting.

- Nolan MacMillan and Lanford Collins both went on officials this past weekend - to Boston College and VT, respectively. The fact that they came back without committing is a good sign. Collins is deciding between UVA, VT, and Penn State - MacMillan between BC, UVA, Iowa, and Georgia Tech. BC and UVA are "said" to lead but these are also his two most recent visits, so they make the biggest impression. I wouldn't bat an eye if he didn't choose either.

- Bobby Smith committed to Delaware, but being that we might be his only shot to play D-IA football, he'd take a hard look if we offered. If we do offer and if he switches from Delaware, he'd go in the 2010 category due to prep school.

I tweaked a couple things on the "committed" list. Tyree Watkins, obviously, is gone** - off to Durham - so he is accordingly delisted. Javanti Sparrow takes his place at WR, moving from S, and Quintin Hunter is now listed with the quarterbacks - which, if he does work with that group, would make a redshirt year for him a near-total lock.

You'll also note that there is a new "decommits" section on the bottom, and they get their own special hideous color set. I figured it might be worth tracking four years down the road.

2010

- Our offers to RB Kevin Parks and QB Philip Sims are now reflected - both occurred just today. Sims lists some big-name offers and will probably rack up at least 15 more. Ordinarily that would put him in the red, but I'll call it yellow for now, just because he's instate and has two teammates already headed our way. But he's going to get a lot of attention.

**Can we please refrain from using phrases like "good riddance" when referring to Watkins? It is always annoying when a recruit backs off on his word, yes. But, these are 17- and 18- year old kids with 20 different adults in their ear offering their opinion on what they should do with the next four years of their life. I still haven't figured out what I would have done had I gotten the thin letter from the UVA admissions office and I didn't have 10 coaches calling me up badmouthing each other and 10 more "role models" pushing me in different directions, and I didn't have to look someone in the eye who'd been working for a year to build a relationship and tell him I was going to his rival's school. (Apparently Watkins didn't either, but that's not the point.) Yes, decommits are kind of crummy things to do usually, and rarely handled well, and many are in fact acrimonious and stupid, but I'd like to think UVA grads and fans can behave better on the Internet than to anonymously throw rocks at a 17-year-old kid who's only crime might just be that he's not very good at making decisions. Considering the joyride I took when I got the big fat envelope in the mail from UVA, I wasn't either.