What will Chris Leak decide?

In the recruiting circles, one of the hottest topics of discussion is quarterback Chris Leak from Charlotte (N.C.) Independence High School.

Leak is a five-star talent and currently rated the No. 2 quarterback in the country by TheInsiders.com, just behind Miami-bound Kyle Wright.

Leak has had a story-book high school career, winning three straight state championships, and passing for 15,593 yards and a national-record 185 touchdowns during his stay at Charlotte. Now the big question is where will Chris Leak sign to play college football?

Several months ago, it was a foregone conclusion that he was headed to the University of Tennessee. After all, his older brother C.J. Leak had transferred there from Wake Forest and he has been backing up starting quarterback Casey Clausen. But this season, James Banks, a true freshman, has taken over the reigns as Clausen’s back up.

That didn’t sit well with the Leaks and Chris has since dropped the Volunteers.

Tennessee’s loss is everyone’s gain. Leak now has taken four official visits to Florida, Texas, Florida State and Southern Cal. He hopes to try and squeeze in a visit to Iowa this weekend. There is a time constraint because Leak wants to announce his decision at halftime of the All-American Bowl in Texas on January 5.

This begs the question, where will he end up?

The University of Florida already has a committed quarterback in Justin Midgett, but they wanted to bring in two signal callers all along. They would love to sign Leak. Head coach Ron Zook and Florida offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher flew to Charlotte to attend one of Leak’s playoff games a few weeks ago.

The Leaks were impressed that Florida has shown so much interest. A few weeks ago, Leak’s father, Curtis, went to Gainesville to check out the university and watch practice. It appears that the Gators are in good shape to land him.

But there is tough competition. Texas loses Chris Simms to graduation and the NFL. Mack Brown has turned Texas into a national power and the Longhorns are a very attractive team to Leak. Red-shirt junior Chance Mock and red-shirt freshman phenom Vincent Young will battle for the job next year.

Florida State has had their share of quarterback problems this season. Chris Rix has struggled and gave way to Adrian McPherson. McPherson now is dismissed from the team and Florida State is looking for a quarterback.

Fabian Walker and Wyatt Sexton are two quarterbacks that return to Tallahassee and you know the Seminoles would love to sign Leak.

Then there is Southern Cal. How hot are the Trojans right now? They are sizzling both on and off the field. Quarterback Carson Palmer just won the Heisman Trophy and offensive coordinator Norm Chow is one of the best in the business. Leak says distance won’t play a factor in his decision, but this will certainly not help USC. The Leak family is a tight-knit group.

This weekend, the top prospects from North Carolina take on the top prospects from South Carolina in the annual Shrine Bowl on Saturday. Leak is playing in this game and is trying to set up a one-day official visit to Iowa, leaving Saturday from game. Leak wants to see Iowa and you know the Hawkeye coaches want their shot.

Either way, Leak is set on announcing on January 5 That’s why Iowa really wants him to visit this weekend. Where will he end up? My guess is Florida but I think Southern Cal is right there. If USC was closer, I think it would be a toss up at this point.

But remember one thing: recruiting is unpredictable and the Leak has not tipped his hand. Early on Tennessee was his leader and Florida sat at number two. Over the past two months, Leak has contended time and time again that he was open. He had great official visits to all four schools. I am sure he will like Iowa, given the chance he visits. Let’s face it, all of these schools have their pros and cons.

Another thing to consider is what happened with his brother when he was in Chris’s shoes several years ago. We all thought C.J. Leak, who was one of the top high school quarterback prospects in America, was ready to sign with Notre Dame on National Signing Day. In one of the biggest Signing Day surprises in recent memory, he inked with Wake Forest.

Anything can happen in recruiting and on January 5, the Chris Leak recruiting story will come to an end.

LB commits to ’Canes

At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas standout linebacker Tavares Gooden has made his decision public. "I've been liking Miami for a long time now and it just felt like the right time to go ahead and make a commitment," he said.

Gooden received a visit at school last Monday from linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves. "He stopped by and we talked, but it's not like it was sealing the deal or anything," he said. "I kind of knew in the back of my mind that Miami's where I wanted to go."

Gooden said Hargreaves and UM defensive coordinator Randy Shannon had a lot to do with his decision. "They were able to convince me that Miami's the best place for me," he said. "I have a chance to go in and play linebacker for them and hopefully make an impact."

The standout linebacker said he likes what he sees on the UM depth chart. "They're losing a lot of guys the next two years so I'll probably have a good chance to go in and play right away after that," he said. "I just have to go in and work hard, that's all."

Gooden, who will make his official visit to UM on Jan. 17, picked the Hurricanes over Ohio State. "They have a great program," he said of the Buckeyes. "But Miami's Miami. It's hard to tell them no. I think it's a perfect fit for me."

-- Mike Bakas, TheInsiders.com

Big Florida tackle pulls trigger

Georgia fans have been lamenting the situation at offensive tackle for the near future, and it looks like the Bulldogs have filled a big need with a big man. Offensive tackle Carleton Medder, 6-foot-6 and 320, has committed to Georgia.

"Yeah, I went ahead and committed to Georgia," said Medder. "It basically came down to Georgia and Florida State, and Georgia just did a better job of making me feel at home. I got along with the players better there, and it was just a place I can see myself for the next four years. I may take one more visit to Florida, but I don't know; that may be a waste of time. I'm pretty solid with Georgia."

Medder is not quite academically qualified, but he feels confident that he will have the necessary scores by graduation.

-- Scott Kennedy, BorderWars.com

Returns from Oregon

Brian Soi, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman from Provo (Utah) Timpview took his second official visit of the year this past weekend to Oregon. With just one trip left, the all-state lineman said it's a three-horse race at this time.

Soi said he loved his visit to Eugene and added the Ducks are his current leader at this point.

“It was sweet, so sweet," Soi said. "I loved the players and how tight they are. The facilities are the best in the nation and it was great kicking it with Haloti Ngata and all the d-linemen. They’re all Polys (Polynesians). We stayed up until 5:00 am playing Madden 2003.”

Soi has already visited USC and will take his last trip to BYU (Jan. 17). He has canceled trips to Nebraska and Tennessee.

“The trips are wearing me out,” Soi said. "I've already had home visits with Tennessee, Oregon, Colorado, USC, BYU, Texas and Washington. ASU will be coming over tomorrow (Tues.) and Oregon, including head coach Mike Belloti, will be coming on Thursday."

Soi, who was named first team all-state for the third year in a row, said he'll likely make his decision shortly after his trip to BYU.

"Oregon is my favorite right now, but I won't commit anywhere until I visit BYU," Soi said. “USC is still in to too. That was a sweet visit as well, and I liked the players there a lot, but I’m not crazy about the environment. Plus, the nightlife there is kind of crazy.”

As for the Cougars: "It depends on my trip," Soi said. "The visit will determine if they can beat out Oregon or not. The Ducks are up there but they don't lead by that much over BYU, they have a shot."

-- Greg Biggins, PacWestFootball.com

Mississippi State picks up commit

When we spoke with Donovan Davis, he sounded like a man tired of the recruiting process. Tired enough that he decided to end it today.

"I committed to Mississippi State today," said Davis. "I really like their computer engineering program, and the team itself has a lot of potential over the next couple of years. I felt like it was the right place to me since I stepped on campus. I'm probably not going to take any more visits."

When asked what made him pull the trigger today, Davis said he had been thinking about it all day. When asked if sitting at home with the phone ringing off the hook had anything to do with it, Davis just laughed. "Yeah, that was part of it."

Davis is a big pick up for Mississippi State. He is a member of the BorderWars 101 Team as one of the top offensive linemen in the region.

-- Scott Kennedy, BorderWars.com

Offensive lineman pledges to Badgers

After committing to the Badgers, offensive lineman Luke Knauf said, "The players at Wisconsin were very friendly and they answered all my questions."

"I asked a lot of questions to the players about coach Huber and I got the answers I was looking for.

"I committed to [head] coach [Barry] Alvarez this morning. He's a great coach and I wanted to play for him.

"Jake Wood was my host."

Knauf, a 6-foot-4, 295-pounder, from Stratford, Wisconsin picked the Badgers over Iowa.

-- Chris Pool of PoolRecruiting.com

Talented DE back from Austin

Alonzo Dotson, the three-star defensive end, sounded rather tired. “It was a nice trip, real nice," he said after returning from Texas. "… Tony Hills and I came in together. My guest host was [former teammate] Roderick Wright."

"I really enjoyed the banquet on Friday night, especially when they got to the football part of it," he continued. "And I was also shown around Sixth Street."

Dotson was asked about next week's plans.

"I'll still be going to Colorado this coming weekend," he said. "And am still considering Texas A&M and Arkansas for my January visits."

He has Oklahoma scheduled for January 17th.

-- David Garvin, HeartlandRecruiting.com

 

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