Badin vs. Fredericktown
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MIAMI SIGNING DAY
RedHawks welcome class of 18 recruits
COMMENT: Who has the better recruiting class, Miami or UC?
CINCINNATI: Bearcats ink class of 24
Thursday, February 07, 2008
OXFORD — In order to get his Miami University football program back to the national spotlight, head coach Shane Montgomery has been looking for a particular kind of player.
"For us to get back into the national scene, we're going to need some difference makers," Montgomery said.
Extras
On Wednesday, he announced that he has found them.
Montgomery announced the signing of 18 high school recruits, including a highly regarded quarterback and two of the finest from Lakota West High School, in addition to a transfer running back from the Big Ten Conference.
Overall, Miami signed 11 recruits on offense, six on defense and one kicker.
That doesn't count Quincy Landingham, a 6-foot, 205-pound tailback who rushed five times 19 yards as a true freshman for the University of Wisconsin last fall. He will sit out the 2008 season as a red-shirt and then have three seasons of eligibility remaining, Montgomery said.
"With what he did in high school, his size, and being in the Big 10 as a freshman, we think he can be a difference maker," Montgomery said of Landingham, who rushed for 1,246 yards and 21 touchdowns and also intercepted four passes as a senior at Bloomfield Hills in Michigan.
One of the top freshmen prospects will be Zac Dysert, a quarterback from Ada who was named by the Ohio Coaches Association as the Art Teynor Award winner as the state's all-division player of the year, the same award won by Ben Roethlisberger. His 11,174 career passing yards ranks second in Ohio high school history.
"We are excited about getting Zac Dysert. We feel over the last two years we've gotten the top two quarterbacks in the state of Ohio," Montgomery said, also referring to Miami redshirt freshman Clay Belton.
"He is a multi-dimensional athlete," Montgomery said of Dysert, adding that he is a talented basketball player who also excelled in hockey.
The RedHawks helped themselves on both offense and defense with the signing Lakota West offensive lineman Andrew Phelan and defensive back D.J. Brown.
Phelan is an excellent pass blocker, Montgomery said, who will get a chance to play early due to his size (6-4, 285 pounds) and strength.
Brown is a cornerback who came up with a Lakota West record five interceptions in 2007.
"He's a tall defensive back who uses his long arms to his advantage," Montgomery said.
Among the other players signed by Miami is running back Dan Green, "a very fast, elusive back with tremendous cutting ability" who will be able to participate in spring practice, Montgomery said.
Comments
By Mark
February 8, 2008 10:43 PM | Link to this
In response to what Fred Sofen said in his comment on this article (see first post) I just want to say one thing. Brian Kelly never said he doesn’t recruit “MAC” players. First off you are not a “MAC” player until you start going to a “MAC” school. Now, what Brian Kelly meant was that once UC was looked at as a little non-existent college program. Then they moved into the BCS affiliated Big East Conference and they hired Brian Kelly. Brian Kelly is trying to sell this program to the city of Cincinnati (and of course the areas surrounding it as well) that this is not the constant losing program that we once saw in the C-USA football conference but a team that will actively compete with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and so on. Sorry to tell you but MAC (the conference Miami is in) and the C-USA (UC’s old conference) are not big time conferences. What Brian Kelly said was exactly: “The kids that we’re recruiting, we’re not competing against MAC schools, not against Conference USA,” Kelly said. “We’re competing against the Big Ten, for the most part, and the ACC. That’s a positive sign.”. Meaning he’s now recruiting big time players, something smaller conferences like the MAC aren’t. So in a last statement on Fred Sofen’s comments: Get your facts straight.
By cowboy
February 7, 2008 8:00 PM | Link to this
go buckeys
By Fred Sofen
February 7, 2008 4:44 PM | Link to this
Brian Kelly—“We don’t recruit MAC players.” Well, Brian, you offered Andy Cruse, Zac Dysert, Evan Klepac, and Dan Green. And Zac Dysert was the Ohio coaches POY for ALL CLASSES in Ohio. Dan Green was rated the #59 RB.Trevor Behmke is rated the #54 TE in the country. Nick Kemper is rated the #15 C in the country. Harrel was offered by BC, Mich State. Clarke by Miss., Colo. State. Sutherland by IU. Miami’s class IS pretty good. AND LANDINGHAM! Joe—Miami’s class IS pretty good.
By Marko
February 7, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Miami’s jewel for class of 2011 will be an immediate impact player and the recievers will help. Unfortunately, UC’s class far outweighs Miami’s. The talent gap between these two great programs has never been greater. The Big East offers the chance for UC to consistently land three-star recruits along with an energetic coaching staff playing exciting football. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miami end up with a better record than UC next season! UC has a brutal schedule in 2008.
By Joe Schwartz
February 7, 2008 10:23 AM | Link to this
UC’s class is tremendous… Miami’s isn’t so good.