Double bonus

Texas teammates commit to OU after Red River Shootout

Oklahoma won two big battles over Texas this past weekend. Not only did the Sooners win the big game on Saturday, they also won the recruiting war for two defensive prospects, Tony Cade and Demario Pleasant.

Cade, the No. 1 safety in America according to TheInsiders.com, finally convinced his teammate to commit with him to Oklahoma.

"I have been waiting a while to commit," said Cade. "I have known for a while and just wanted to make sure. DeMario finally told me he was ready so I got him and coach [Bob] Stoops on a three-way phone call and we both committed."

Here is what Pleasant had to say about the commitment: "We have been kind of waiting on each other. I told Tony that I wanted to commit to Oklahoma, so we did it."

Both players cited Oklahoma's big Saturday victory as the catalyst, but there were other reasons that made them want to become Sooners.

"First of all, Oklahoma has a great football atmosphere and everyone is family there," said Cade. "They treat you great. I have known for a while that that is where I wanted to go.

Pleasant agreed and added, “I love the coaching the staff. They push you hard and that brings out the best in everyone. Plus, I think I fit their system very well."

Cade and Pleasant are teammates at Lewisville High School in Texas. Pleasant is a linebacker and committed to the Sooners over Texas, Texas A&M, Florida, UCLA and Colorado. Cade, who is originally from Tulsa, committed to Oklahoma over Texas, UCLA, Florida and Miami. Cade missed a few games earlier this season with a separated shoulder but now is playing again.

Derek Morris sets two visits

Derek Morris Jr. has now set up official visits with two schools, while fielding phone calls from some others. Morris, an All-American offensive line prospect from last season, signed with Ohio State in February but was recently released from his letter of intent with the Buckeyes.

"Derek will visit Miami [on Dec. 6] and Florida [on Dec. 12-13]," Derek Morris Sr. said. "We are also talking with Georgia and NC State. We will also be looking at some other schools like Minnesota, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Wisconsin."

Late last week, Morris was on the campus of NC State, watching practice and working out. Morris and his family recently moved back from Columbus, Ohio to Durham, North Carolina.

-- Jamie Newberg, TheInsiders.com

USC lands L.A. fullback Adelwale

Adewale, at 5-11, 210 pounds, is one of the top fullback prospects in the West region, arguably the No. 2 fullback behind Stanford-bound Emeka Nnoli in the state. He had a huge junior season rushing for 1,660 yards and 25 touchdowns to earn 1st team All-League and All-City honors.

Adewale is having an even bigger senior season prompting the Trojans to offer the fullback over the weekend.

"He committed on the spot," Sunday Adewale, Jody's father said. "It's been a dream of his to go to USC ever since he was a kid and to be honest, it was a dream of mine and my wife's as well.

Adewale had a solid showing at the SoCal Nike Camp running a 4.68 in the 40, 4.53 in the shuttle and did 19 reps on the bench. He'll need to put on about 20 pounds or so to make the transition from tailback to fullback in college but has the frame to do so easily. The commitment is the eighth of the year for the Trojans thus far.

-- Greg Biggins, PacWestFootball.com

5-star DB favoring Miami

At 6 feet, 185 pounds, Jacksonville (Fla.) Ed White standout Dee Webb has led his team to a 5-1 start this season after being moved to quarterback. He doubles as a free safety.

"We're starting to put it all together," he said. "But we're still not there yet. We still haven't put two good halves together. We beat ourselves against Ribault [the team's only loss].

We'll get tested this week because Jefferson's really good. Their quarterback, [Andre] Caldwell, is one of the best players we'll face all year."

In six games, Webb has 510 yards rushing and 5 rushing touchdowns. He's also thrown for over 300 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, he has returned an interception for a score and had a fumble recovery. On special teams, Webb has returned two punts for scores.

Webb, who took the SAT this past Saturday, said things are starting to take shape in recruiting. "I'm trying to stay in-state," he said. "It's probably going to be out of the top three here -- Miami, Florida State, and Florida. I'm going to Miami on Dec. 20 and Florida State on Jan. 10. I haven't set up the Florida one yet. I may also take visits to Tennessee and Clemson."

Webb is being recruited as a free safety by Miami and Florida State while Florida is recruiting him as a cornerback. He said all five schools have offered him a scholarship. He said the Hurricanes are his favorite because, "I am a diehard Hurricanes fan. I've always loved Miami. That's my team. I was always told that I shouldn't let that get in the way of the recruiting process but the way I see it is I can play just as early at Miami as I can Florida State or Florida, so why not go play at the place I've always dreamed of playing?"

The talented safety said another reason Miami's the favorite is because of his relationship with UM's Vernon Hargreaves. "He's awesome," he said. "We've built a relationship. When he first started recruiting me, we talked about the recruiting stuff. But ever since, we pretty much just talk about anything. We talk about whatever's on our minds at the time and that's why I like about him."

-- Mike Bakas, TheInsiders.com

Top RB names Irish as leader

“Coach [Tyrone] Willingham is doing a great job at Notre Dame,” Travis Thomas said.

“I have three official visits set up right now. I’m going to Purdue [on Oct. 19], Notre Dame [Nov. 2] and Iowa [Nov. 22]. My favorites are Notre Dame, Iowa, Purdue, Boston College, West Virginia and Northwestern.”

Thomas, a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, from Washington, Penn., has rushed for 890 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2002.

-- Chris Pool, PoolRecruiting.com

4-Star Cornerback Names Leaders

Adrian Griffin is a 4-star corner prospect by TheInsiders.com and a member of the BorderWars.com 101 Team for the SEC/ACC region. He's not the biggest or the fastest prospect at corner, but he plays the hardest. He has good technique in pass coverage, and he supports the run like a safety. The attributes have garnered him offers from some of the top schools in the region, and he visited one of them this weekend.

"I went to North Carolina this weekend," said Griffin. "I had a great time up there. I just loved everything about it. I really liked the coaching staff and the facilities. I almost wanted to commit while I was up there. That was my first official visit."

Griffin's highly-touted teammate at quarterback, Blake Mitchell, is a commitment to South Carolina, and that is weighing heavily on the mind of Griffin as well. "When Blake committed to South Carolina, I was ready to commit to South Carolina as well. Now that I've been up to North Carolina, I'm looking forward to taking my trip to South Carolina so I can compare the 2 schools. I like their coaching staffs about even right now, and that's my favorite part about both schools. I'm also looking hard at Maryland. Those are my top 3 schools right now."

While Maryland is in the hunt, this one sounds like it's going to come down to a South Carolina/North Carolina border war before it's all said and done.

-- Scott Kennedy, BorderWars.com

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