 | Lloyd Carr added another blue chip prospect to his program when he got a verbal commitment from Cy-Fair's Sam McGuffie. Shelly Castellano/ Icon SMI |
By Jon Mahoney, Special to SI.com, RISE
It was a busy weekend for top football commitments, but none was bigger than Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas) senior running back Sam McGuffie pledging to Michigan over the likes of Texas A&M and USC.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder is considered one of the nation's top overall recruits in the Class of 2008 and with good reason. With a combination of tremendous athleticism, speed and agility, McGuffie is a human-highlight film each time he touches the ball.
If you don't believe us, check out the YouTube clip of him literally hurdling a defender in a game last year. As a junior, McGuffie was named Houston Chronicle Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 3,121 yards and scoring 43 touchdowns to help lead Cy-Fair the regional finals.
Goebel to Ohio State
Montini Catholic (Lombard, Ill.) defensive lineman Garrett Goebel committed to Ohio State over Michigan. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder is tremendously strong and was a Class AA state wrestling champion as a junior. On the gridiron, he tallied nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss and was named an All-State special mention by the Chicago Tribune.
Two more from Cardinal Mooney commit
Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown, Ohio) senior linebacker Brandon Beachum committed to Penn State, while his teammate, senior defensive end Taylor Hill, chose Oklahoma. Beachum is considered one of the nation's top overall recruits and along with Hill helped lead the Cardinals to the Division IV state title last year. They're the latest Mooney standouts who've made their college decisions, joining senior safety Dan McCarthy (Notre Dame) and senior linebacker Mike Zordich (Penn State).
Crimson Tide snag talented pair
New Alabama head coach Nick Saban is already making a huge impact in terms of recruiting, especially this past weekend when Mountain Brook (Ala.) offensive lineman Tyler Love and North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.) wide receiver Melvin Ray committed to the Crimson Tide. Love is Alabama's top offensive lineman in the Class of 2008 and one of the best in the nation overall. He shows tremendous potential at tackle. Meanwhile, Ray is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder transferred to North Florida Christian from Chiles (Tallahassee, Fla.), where he caught five touchdown passes and returned two punts and one kickoff for scores as a junior.
