Chat with Scouts Inc.'s Bill Conley
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Send in your questions now and and join Conley at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday!
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Bill Conley (3:01 PM)
High school players commit earlier than ever before; as a matter of fact over two thirds of our top 150 have already verbaled to a college or university. Even at that there is still a lot of recruiting drama to go. Let's chat!
Brad (Gadsden,Alabama)
Bill, What do you think of DJ Fluker will he replace Andre Smith if he leaves and start right away?
Bill Conley (3:03 PM)
Fluker has great size at 6'7" and 300+ pounds. He is having a good year and moves well for his size. He dominates opposing defensive linemen once he locks on in the run game and is also a very solid pass protector.
Bill Conley (3:03 PM)
The Tide has some very talented young lineman so I'm not sure he could step in and start as a freshman but he is the best of their 5 offensive line commits for 2009.
ken
Bill, how strong has the Gator class just become with their recent adds? How many more spots do they have avail with 14 commits, will they be top 5?
Bill Conley (3:05 PM)
The Gators do not have a lot of senior starters. They took 27 players in 07 and 22 in this years class so it looks like they can offer around 20 but that number can increase once the staff knows what juniors will go out early.
Bill Conley (3:06 PM)
The Gators are currently in the lower half of the top ten for 2009 but look for them to move up if they keep landing talented players like defensive end Nick Kasa.
Bill Conley (3:07 PM)
The next two questions deal with Jelani Jenkins:
Shaun (Baltimore, Md)
Bill, What's the latest with Jelani Jenkins? Who's left on his list? Who leads? I know his decision is far off, but this kid is a big time talent. Thanks.
Eddie (Hoboken, NJ)
Hiya Bill, are there any updates on Jelani Jenkins? Is Penn State still in the mix? Thanks!
Bill Conley (3:09 PM)
Jenkins is really keeping it close to the vest but if I had to pick the top four of his fifteen at this point in no particular order it would be PSU, Notre Dame, USC and LSU.
Bill Conley (3:10 PM)
I know education is extremely important and he is a 4.0 student.
Jason(Dallas, Texas)
Hey Bill, Mantei Te'O is officially visiting ND this weekend. Is this a courtesy visit or is there some real interest in the Irish? What are the odds of landing him?
Bill Conley (3:11 PM)
I think it is more than a courtesy visit but I still think he's a long shot for the Irish. There are no players from Hawaii on the Notre Dame roster while schools like UCLA and BYU have players from the Islands. I still think he'll stay on the west coast or go to BYU.
Jeff (Philly, PA)
Hey Bill - It looks like Penn State has two big time receivers coming for the MSU game in Justin Brown and Bryce McNeal. What are their chance with both? How much would they help with Kevin Newsome? Thanks.
Bill Conley (3:14 PM)
These two receivers are extremely talented. Brown is a tall target with great hands and speed. McNeal is also fast and is a real vertical threat. Any quarterback would love to have these guys to throw to at the next level.
Bill Conley (3:17 PM)
Brown may be an easier get than McNeal for PSU but both have already been on campus and it's a huge statement that they are coming back.
Bill Conley (3:17 PM)
Watch out for Oregon or Oklahoma on McNeal.
Jason (Indiana)
Seems to me as a Michigan fan they really need a QB that knows how to run the spread offense, Is this Michigan's #1 goal in recruiting?
Bill Conley (3:21 PM)
No doubt about it, you have to have a trigger man. They obviouly think Beaver and Forcier fit the bill.
Jason (Indiana)
Please tell me as a Michigan fan that Rich Rodriguez is doing a good job recruiting people for his spread offense formation? I can't take another year of this kind of football in Michigan. It's Brutal.
Bill Conley (3:22 PM)
It has been tough but the staff is doing a good job even though there has been some decommits.
Bill Conley (3:24 PM)
They don't have a top ten class at this point but they are going national to find players that will fit into the system.
Brett (Atlanta)
With the struggles of Jarrett Lee and the fact that Russell Shepherd will be able to go through a full spring, do you feel Shepherd will be at QB for LSU next year?
Bill Conley (3:28 PM)
I think he will get every opportunity to be the guy; he's a gifted athlete.
Kevin (ATL)
How is Tennessee's coaching situation affecting recruiting?
Bill Conley (3:28 PM)
It obviously has hurt. Several big names have decommitted.
Bill Conley (3:30 PM)
The longer the process takes to find a new head coach, the tougher it gets. Fortunately, Tennessee has a great tradition so they can weather the storm better than some other schools.
Jeff (rochester ny)
top 5 most underrated recruiters?
Bill Conley (3:31 PM)
This is a great question. As a matter of fact I'll have an article up tomorrow on five of the best head coaches in terms of recruiting.
Bill Conley (3:33 PM)
Let me mention a few schools that have done well recently; BYU, South Carolina, South Florida, North Carolina, Stanford and BC.
Burr (FXE)
Hi Bill. Big weekend for ND with Te'o and Seantrel Henderson being in town. Rumor has it, there are going to be a few other big names, have you heard who they are?
Bill Conley (3:35 PM)
The only other I know of at this point is fullback Tyler Gaffney.
Bill Conley (3:36 PM)
Thanks for all the great questions, see you in the endzone.
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