Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Jags' latest batch of BC guys

Last season was officially Jags' first recruiting class. Rushed together, the group consisted of guys he found and guys who committed to TOB. This is his first full class...and it's a big one. 29 recruits in all. You can read all their bios here. Do yourself a favor and listen to Jags' press conference off of bceagles.com (listed on the right side under Eagles All-Access Videos).

I don't think much of the recruiting rankings, but for a future frame of reference Rivals ranked BC 33rd. Scout thought more of the class and named BC its 22nd ranked class.

Instead of getting emotional or pretend anyone can accurately forecast how each individual will do, I'll just tell you what I like about this group of guys.

Jersey Boys
Once a pipeline for talent, the Garden State turned barren in TOB's final years. Jags made a point to get back in the minds of the best Jersey players and coaches. The emphasis paid off. Five commits are from New Jersey and it appears like we will be a factor next year too. With that much talent less than five hours away, it just makes sense for BC to focus on New Jersey.

Athletes
Jags mentioned this in his press conference. He feels that it is important to bring in guys that have some versatility and isn't overly concerned about position. Some of these supposed DBs may end up as LBs. A DT may be an O-Lineman. You just never know. The important thing is that kids are talented, hard working and open to a position change.

Emphasis on good students
If you read the bios, you'll see that plenty of these guys have won various student athlete awards. Not everyone is a scholar. I am sure a few will have a tough time at BC. But knowing that the majority of your class comes in with a good academic foundation is the first step towards developing these kids over the next four years.

I'll link to more of the news stories on these kids as they come out over the next few days.

4 comments:

Lally said...

Didn't know until I read the bios that Greg Toal is coaching at Bosco. That's a great in for us.

Big Jack Krack said...

I really have no expertise in sizing up our new players against other teams. My first thoughts are positive, and I'm rooting for them to succeed, of course.

Does anyone know Billy Bennett's status? Ryan Quigley, K, 6-3, 175, Little River, SC/North Myrtle Beach - this guy looks pretty good, but maybe will concentrate exclusively on punting. (as a senior, averaged 46 yards per punt to lead the state of South Carolina). He could really help us adjust after the loss of Johnny Ayers.

Great news about Greg Toal - great continuing pipeline possibilities.

Bosco2BC said...

i just wanted to quickly point out that the greg toal (head coach) referenced to in the bio section is greg toal SR., not greg toal JR. (who was a fullback at the heights several years ago). it looks like the younger greg toal was incorrectly linked. nevertheless, greg toal Sr. and Jr. are the father and brother, respectively, of current BC linebacker brian toal. brian went to don bosco, where his dad has been coach since '98. over the years, don bosco has put forth some of the best football teams in the country, which is rare for a northeast school. greg toal sr. is one hell of a coach. it has been nice to see some don bosco kids come to BC and excel (ie, Brian and Greg Toal, Mike Fassell, etc).

Big Jack Krack said...

I took a couple of minutes to look back - and I find it interesting how far we are reaching to land our recruits.

MA - 3
NY - 1
NJ - 5
MD - 3
PA - 3
IL - 2
WV - 1
OH - 1
SC - 1
GA - 1
TX - 3
FL - 4
CA - 1

I think this is a good sign, but I don't know. What does everyone else think?