USC Transfer Defensive End/ Linebacker Glen Stanley Chooses Florida State Seminoles
Released from his letter of intent to USC, defensive end/ linebacker Glen Stanley has chosen Florida State. The top-15 JUCO recruit is eligible to play immediately. Joe Schad is confirming what most following the situation have felt all along.
Glen Stanley said: ""My heart is at Florida State. I have a great connection with all the coaches."
Stanley said: "It was tough to leave USC because I liked the coaching staff but I want to play for a championship and play in a bowl game."
We first broke the Stanley news here and you can read all about his saga and view his highlights at the link. This is a big pickup for the 'Noles and Stanley will help provide extra defensive depth at defensive end and rush linebacker.
James Wilder Jr. Done Taking Visits
Normally, I wouldn't post a fanshot of a recruit's travel plans. This, however, is potentially very big news. James WIlder Junior is a consensus top-3 player in the country. He had long been thought to be a Gator, but recently skipped UF's camp to spend an extended weekend in Tallahassee.
Now comes news that he is done taking visits. He's been to Gainesville plenty of times, so don't read into it as if he is passing on a visit to Gainesville. However, he will not take a planned visit to UGA this weekend.
Whether FSU leads for Wilder is debatable. What is not debatable, no matter where Wilder ends up, is that Lawrence Dawsey and Eddie Gran have done an incredible job getting a kid like Wilder to seriously consider the FSU program after a very rough 5-year stretch. Though the offense has been on a meteoric rise over the last 3 years.
And it is the offense that really matters here. Wilder is intent on playing running back, though most think he would be the consensus #2 player in the country if he was committed to playing outside linebacker. Like his father, however, he is one heck of a running back. And he has to seriously question whether UF will let him stick at running back, and whether that offense is suited for his skills.
Seminole Rising: WR Rodney Smith
The subject this week is sophomore receiver Rodney Smith. Many of us have high hopes for Smith in the coming years and 2010 will be his first opportunity to establish himself as a legitimate threat on the field.
Its pointed out in the article but should be reiterated. Smith's physical development is a huge plus for the Seminoles. At 226 lbs he will be far more effective in blocking and in using his body to go up for the ball. Also, it won't be any fun for DB's trying to wrestle him to the ground by themselves.
The FSU receiving corps has been built to be a blend of smaller quick receivers and taller, very athletic players. A nice combination of options for CP7.
Checking in on some of FSU's opponents
NC State lost cornerback Rashard Smith for the season. That's a fairly big loss because State's secondary isn't all that talented to begin with and because he was one of their few experienced players.
- The weed possession charges against the three NC State players were dropped (search warrant no good). That's a bit of good news for what has been a cursed program as far as injuries are concerned.
- Miami has moved Joel Figueroa from guard to tackle. I am not sure what to make of this. Miami fans seem to think he'll be very good at run blocking but not as good in pass protection.
- Miami agreed to play a home-and-home with Toledo in 2015. Yes. A road game at Toledo. That program isn't lacking funding...
- Wake has a talented running back and coddled him last year for fear of injury. Not this year.
- A very rough timeline on suspensions for UNC, if they happen, has the players missing the first 4 games. That doesn't help FSU at all.
Defensive End/ Linebacker Glen Stanley To FSU Done Deal?
[Note by Bud Elliott, 07/29/10 6:05 PM EDT ] Bumped to the top. This will be the official Glen Stanley-story stream.
We spoke to a source with knowledge of the situation and while this is not a done deal, the source does feel good about Glen Stanley becoming a Seminole. This is the same source who fed us the information to originally break the story. He is down to FSU and USF, but our source feels that Stanley's plan the entire time was to attend FSU, provided FSU wants him, which it does. I am sure that FSU wowed Stanley on his recent visit. And the chance to show his versatility as a pass-rusher both with his hand down and from a two-point stance could be difficult to pass up. I would expect an announcement very soon as the team reports for Fall camp on the 5th.
If you are unfamiliar with the Stanley situation, please click "continue reading" to familiarize yourself with the recruit and his situation. There are many inaccurate reports out there right now, which are disappointing. Stick with us and we'll keep you apprised.
Linebacker Recruit Tony Steward Says 'Noles Back On Top With Clemson
Update: Justin Hopkins of ESPN now says FSU is back on top for Steward. Many expected this would happen once he visited.
Original Article:
Tony Steward is perhaps the best linebacker FSU has recruited since Ernie Sims. He recently named Clemson as his leader. The reasons for that include his like of the small town feel, and a chance to play for the coach who coached Ernie Sims. Perhaps most important however, is the chance to start from day one at Clemson as the Tigers have almost nothing at the linebacker position. And that playing time here is something FSU cannot promise, as it has an embarrassment of riches at the linebacker position.
But Steward took a trip to Tally this week, and it seems FSU has pulled even with Clemson.
"I’m in Tallahassee on an unofficial visit to Florida State right now [Wednesday night]. I can tell you FSU is back on top with Clemson. Before I thought I could sign with Clemson if signing day was tomorrow, but now I don’t have that decisiveness.
I’ll be here until Friday morning, and I’m looking forward to establishing a better relationship with the coaches and hanging out with the players.
I’ll probably wait until close to signing day to make a final decision. I want to be 100 percent about my choice. FSU and Clemson have separated themselves a bit from the other schools on my list.
I didn’t end up going to Florida’s Friday Night Lights (a camp). I went last year and figured it would be the same deal, so I stayed back and spent some time with my family."
Truenole's 2010 Position Outlook: Quarterbacks
Here's my outlook on the QB's. I think we'll be pretty good at this position. Call it a hunch.
I included video of EJ because well, Ponder gets his fair shine. Remember, EJ was playing much injured in 2009 as well. This was unknown by fans at the time.
PreSnapRead.com on BYU
"In B.Y.U.’s favor: wonderful coaching; a terrific offensive line; depth at the receiver corps; and talent in the secondary. These factors alone should prevent the Cougars from losing more than four games.
What are the concerns? The Cougars are sure to lose a significant amount of production at the quarterback position, at least in the passing game; perhaps Nelson, if he’s the starter, can offset that decline with his legs. Losing Unga also hurts, even if the Cougars don’t lack for depth in the backfield. No one player is going to replace his talents, however, with B.Y.U. instead going with a by-committee approach. The defensive line will break in a pair of new starters at end, with the linebacker corps breaking in three new starters. So all is not perfect. Nevertheless, there remains far more good than bad. Begin with Mendenhall, one of the nation’s finest non-B.C.S. conference coaches. Even with the lost talent, B.Y.U. has a better, deeper, more athletic roster than all but two teams in the Mountain West; those two teams, of course, are T.C.U. and Utah."
FSU draws BYU in late September in Tallahassee after winning last year in Provo. I have no doubts that FSU is the better team. However, I do think some 'Nole fans are starting to confuse "overrated" with "bad". BYU is far from a bad football team and they are capable of winning in Tally. It's just not likely.
Excellent preview from Paul Myerberg and I highly recommend it.


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