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Miami Wins ACC Home Opener Against Clemson

Your Miami Hurricanes beat the Clemson Tigers at the BankUnited Center on a beautiful South Florida Winter evening in lovely Coral Gables on Wednesday night by the score of 76-73. 

It was the conference home opener for Miami, a team that really needed a big win after posting an 0-2 road record in the ACC early this season.

A balanced scoring attack propelled the 'Canes to victory over a stubborn and tenacious Clemson squad that trailed most of the game but refused to quit.

Malcolm "General" Grant led the Canes by scoring 16 points and made the game-clinching interception with less than 5 seconds left Wednesday to help the Hurricanes beat the Tigers.

But it was UM freshman Shane "Son Of A Barry" Larkin sank both ends of a one-and-one for the game's final points with 5.4 seconds to go to seal the deal for Miami.

Miami (10-6, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the first time in six games against Clemson since February 2008. The Tigers (9-9, 1-3) are on the verge of falling below .500 for the first time this season.

The dependable Kenny Kadji added 14 points for the Hurricanes. Their point total was a season high against Clemson, who came into the contest ranked 19th in the nation in scoring defense at 58.6 points per game.

UM head coach Jim Larranaga had this to say about Miami's big home win:

UM players Trey McKinney-Jones and Malcolm Grant were interviewed after the game at the post game presser with the media and had these comments:

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Five Star Follies: Part I

The well known and frequently followed college recruiting service Rivals.com recently published an article in which they revealed the names of players that made the Rivals five star football recruiting lists over the last five years.

The story was written by the talented Steve Megargee, one of the National feature writers for Rivals who researched the football recruiting classes from 2007 to 2011 and gave a brief analysis of each players success or failure at the college level and in some cases also provided their NFLU draft status.

We thought it would be interesting to do a more in depth statistical analysis on his reporting so that we could try to get a "big picture" overview of just how good a predictor the five-star high school recruit designation was at predicting which players would be successful at the college level.

So we start off this series of five articles by framing the big picture around the lists of players that received the coveted five star label over the last five years. In the coming days we will examine each class more closely in our series of consecutive articles.

Here is what our initial summary analysis found:

• Between 2007 and 2011 a small and select group of only 144 players received the five star rating from Rivals.com.
• The 2009 class was the largest with 33 players making the five star list.
• The 2010 and 2011 classes were the smallest with only 26 players on the list.
• In 2008 there were 30 players that received the five star label while in 2007 there were 29.

So out of the 100,000 or so high school football players in the U.S. in any given year only around 28 players (144 / 5) earned the five star designation on average over the five year period.

Based on this fact alone one would assume that almost every player receiving the prestigious five star designation by one of the top recruiting services in the Country would be considered a "can't miss prospect" that was soon going to win national awards and National Championships, right?

And, as usual, you would assume wrong. In fact, you would be very, very wrong. Which is why it is usually foolish and at times even dangerous to make assumptions based on opinions instead of analyzing the facts.

Which is why we are here to debunk the myths and to provide you the facts. Here are some of the initial facts we found by studying the Rivals.com five star recruiting lists over five years (and we hope that you are sitting down as you read this!):

• Out of the 144 players designated as five star studs only 36 players or about about 25% went on to becomes what most people would consider to be stars or impact players at the college level.
• That means that approximately 108 players or about 75% of the five star recruits over the five year period were just solid, decent or average players who did not have a major impact on their teams success for various reasons.
• As of last count at least 19 players (13%) transferred from the original school they signed a LOI with on National Signing Day.
• From the list we determined that about 18 players (13%) suffered major injuries that had a significant negative impact on their careers.

So what that tells us is that only 1 out of every 4 five star recruits will go on to even bigger things in college or beyond that in the NFLU.

It also shows us that 2 out of every 10 five star players will either transfer to another school or suffer a serious injury that impacts their college career.

So before you go counting all of your five star recruits before or after National Signing Day you should be cautious not to go predicting their individual success or their team's potential accomplishments.

Simply put, counting on five star recruits to be difference makers has been shown to not be such a good predictor of a team's success after all.

Epic Fail!

You are a legitimate and certified five star high school football recruit.

Rivals, Scout and ESPN have reviewed your film, talked to your coaches and all have decided to rate you among the top 150 players (out of 100,000 HS players) in the entire United States of America.

Letters have been arriving daily from Alabama, USC, Notre Dame, Oregon, FSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio State, LSU, Miami and many other prominent national college football programs.

Head coaches from some of the most prestigious programs have visited your house and met with your parents and practically begged you to attend their institution of higher education.

You are almost certainly going to be an incredible success story and can't wait for the huge crowds to embrace you, the national awards to surround you and the National Championships to fall into your lap. In fact you have heard that the Heisman Trophy is desperately waiting to be yours!

Stop the media hype machine and ask yourself one simple question: "Why is it that so many five star players wind up as an epic fail?"

Well let me give you just some of the reasons that these talented players fail:

Academics: A, B, C, D...Uh, what comes after D? Some players never get accepted and others flame out quickly when it comes to the main reason they are in college in the first place: getting an advanced education. It usually goes like this: "Coach when you said I would actually have to go to class and study and pass a test I thought you were just kidding dawg! You see in high school the teachers, well you know, they just looked the other way and gave me the grade. And that kid I had take the SAT for me well he was cool with the $250 I gave him so I could make the millions later on."

Drugs: Puff, puff, pass. Too often too many college athletes get caught up in the sordid underworld of drug use. While alcohol, steroids, amphetamines, cocaine, pain killers and other prescription and over the counter drugs are often abused by young adults nothing takes the place of the king: marijuana. When you fall asleep in the drive through of a McDonald's not once but twice while waiting for your food then you know you got the buzz working for you. Or is it against you, I forget? Who cares, just...puff, puff, pass.

Sense of Entitlement: You were a total stud in high school. You rated five stars, fast cars, loose standards and faster and looser women and all that. You wore #1, you got preferential treatment everywhere you went in your home town. So you walk into the college head football coach's office after seeing the depth chart that was just released today and you say: "Uh, Coach there must be some mistake here, you see I am a starter at (Name your position). I wear #1, I am a five star stud and just what the hell is going on here?" The Head Coach says: "Son, sit down here and let's talk about your attitude and lack of commitment to the...as Johnny five star walks out, transfers and heads to Memphis or Marshall or some other school like that.

Coaching Changes: Bobby five star was recruited by Head Coach A to play position X in a spread offense or position Y a 4-3 defense. That all sounds well and good until Coach A gets fired in your second season and then Coach K comes in and decides that you should play position G in a pro-set offense or position Z in a 3-4 defense. Bobby five star realizes he is totally screwed, figuratively and literally and goes into a major sulk or just transfers.

Lost sense of Ego: When you were in high school in Louisiana you were the big man on campus (BMOC). Everybody knew you from the name on your jersey since you were in Pop Warner football. The high school chicks dug you, the guys wanted to be you and the adults all respected you. Then, you go to college. Nobody knows you. The chicks are like: "Who is this freaky guy with the crawfish?" and the fans are all saying: "Show me what you got home boy from the Bayou!"

Can you think of any other reasons why so many extremely talented, highly rated, five star athletes fail at the college level?

Why do so many five star recruits fail? Let us count the ways...

Star Wars: Return Of The Recruits

Every year right around this time a lot of college football fans all across the Country make a lot of fuss about the desperately sought after, much heralded and precious few "must have" recruits for their teams.

Many of these fans rely heavily if not solely on the "star ranking system" used by the major recruiting services that supposedly evaluates and separates the 100,000 or so high school football players into the well known various groupings of talent based on the number of stars a player receives.

Some fans become so obsessed with the four and five star recruits that can make ar break an entire recruiting class that they lose sleep, get into arguments and even throw major tantrums when a players chooses any other school than their own.

Seeing as how recruiting is literally the life-blood of any major football program it is not hard to understand how a few fans go so far (maybe too far?) as to take the recruiting process as a life and death situation.

This year is no different than any other as the recruiting process revs into high gear and the waiting, worrying, prognosticating and hand-wringing began in earnest in early January leading up to National Signing Day on the first Wednesday in February.

This year that day happens to fall on February 1, 2012. And as usual, the State's "Big Three" (FSU, UF and UM), are once again are ranked near the top of the heap when it comes to this years talent haul of high school players.

But can anyone fully trust and really have faith in these recuiting services and their star rankings? And just how accurate are they when evaluated over time? If you believe they are accurate then OK let's try a little test shall we?

Quick name the last four players who were five-star recruits for the University of Miami?

If you answered LB Arthur Brown, DL Marcus Forston, DB Ray Ray Armstrong and OL Seantrel Henderson then U are correct!

But at the last check, how did those recruits work out at The U?

Arthur Brown never started and then transferred, Forston was often injured an only average, the verdict on Armstrong is still out and the future of Henderson remains to be seen after his next season at UM.

Now try to name the positions that these five star recruits played and whether or not they made an impact on their college teams and/or were drafted by the NFLU:

• Terrance Toliver (LSU)
• Will Hill (UF)
• Gary Brown (FSU)
• Chris Davenport (LSU)
• Darrell Scott (CO)
• Matt Patchan (UF)

After you do that then let me know what % of high school five stars make the NFLU?

The Science Of Strength: Part II

This is the second part of our two-part interview with Jeremy Herring, MS, CSCS, the owner and head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Power Sports Academy in Davie, Florida.

Herring's philosophy has been developed over 10 years of extensive research and also throughout his lifetime obsession with strength.  He earned a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology from FIU , is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Certified USA Track and Field Coach and a club level USA Weightlifting Coach.

 

He is also the American Powerlifting Association State record holder with a 585 pound bench press and was named the 2001 South Florida Strongest Man in the heavyweight division.

 

His philosophy is a simple one: "Train hard, train smart, and put the body under greater stress in training than it could ever face in competition. Competitions should be fun, the training up to the competition is where the work is done."

In this part of the interview Jeremy covers more ground on several different areas of a professional and successful S&C program.

Q: Diet and nutrition play an important role in the physical development and conditioning of athletes. Can you give us some more specific details of how a strength and conditioning coach could build diet and nutrition program and incorporate the use of nutritional and/or body building supplements that could be designed or tailored to specific athletes at different positions in football? Are the any specific dietary requirements (e.g. grams of protein) or restrictions (e.g. grams of fat or sodium) that would be part of that program?

A: Yes, we give nutritional guidance to all of our athletes. We don't go crazy counting calories or weighing our food, by any means. But when working with large groups with varying needs, we have some basic guidelines. We try to get .5g - 1g of protein per pound of body weight. We also try to limit sodium to less than 1000mg per day. During the season we suggest no added salt to any meals.

Our leaner athletes looking to gain weight, we suggest only 3 large meals, made of quality protein, at least 1 cup of a starch, and 2 servings of fruit or vegetables. We also suggest a high calorie protein based weight gainer, to follow each meal. So that's 3 shakes and 3 meals. These should be
consumed at the same time as to not further speed up an already fast metabolism.

For our bigger athletes looking to loose body fat we go with a low calorie protein shake only twice a day, and aim for 4-6 small meals made up of 1serving of lean protein and no starch. We try to get all of our carbohydrates from an unlimited supply of fruit and vegetables.

Q: What role does a strength and conditioning program play in the role of injury prevention? We often see shoulder, hamstring, ankle and knee injuries in football and the ever present "cramping". Can some injuries and more specifically cramping in general be prevented in athletes, and if so, how?

A: Yes, a huge role! A couple of specific things we do is we train the hamstrings hard all year. I haven't had one of my athletes pull a hamstring in 10 years. This is partly because we warm up thoroughly everyday, stress stretching and flexibility, but mainly because all of our athletes are freaking strong, especially in the hips and hamstrings.

Another thing we do is we train hard in-season. Lifting cannot be priority number 1 in-season, but we take care of that by programming short, dense, intense sessions in-season. Exercise selection is huge. We pick big movements, to get the most bang for our buck, then 1 or 2 accessory exercises, then we send them home. It’s easier to get a guy to lift hard in-season when he knows he isn't looking at a marathon session.

Also with exercise selection, we pick exercises that aren't going to aggravate already irritated areas. For example, we never straight bar squat in-season, ever. We use a safety squat bar. This takes a ton of stress off the shoulders, as they don't have to reach back and hold the bar. We also never do cleans or front squats in-season. Also because of the abuse the shoulders already take on the field. I think these things play just as big a role in preventing injury as the preventative exercise we prescribe.

But that being said, we use band traction for the shoulders and elbows twice a week in-season, strengthen the rotator cuff through a variety of exercises during our upper body warm-up, and use broom stick stretching. For the back and lower body, warm-up, stretching, foam rolling, maximal strength exercise, and many other preventative exercises reduce the likely hood of injury in the hamstrings, knees, and ankles.

Cramping should never occur with a fit player. The only time I can understand a player cramping is if they had an off-season injury that prevented them from properly preparing themselves for the season. A healthy player, following the same hydration requirements and dietary guidelines as everyone else shouldn't cramp. Ever. Period.

Q: I saw on your web site that you worked with current UM OL Jon Feliciano before he arrived at Miami. What can you tell us about Jon and how your work with him may have helped him see some serious playing time as a true freshman at UM in 2011?

A: Early on I realized that Jon was very athletic for his size. But he was weak. We started off addressing proper technique in the bench, squat, and dead-lift. He really liked dead-lifting and got pretty strong at them pretty fast. His squat lagged behind, but he was a deep squatter naturally, which I was pleased with, especially for a fairly tall guy. I continued to hammer him on his technique on all our big lifts and his pulling strength transferred into an elite high school power clean. By his junior year he was STRONG!!! He would run D-lineman off the screen on game films.

He continued to work with his position coach on his on field technique, which was at a high level by this time as well. Jon was also on the basketball team, which replaced most of his conditioning in the winter and early spring. Jon had a great summer going into his senior year. He showed up in great shape, sharp technique, and super strong. He was a dominate player that year.

Then he was off to The University of Miami. After a red shirt year, he sent me a text and told me he was going to start at right tackle against Ohio State. I was very excited for him and proud of him. He had worked very hard for this. The first offensive play was a run off tackle to Jon's side. Jon pancaked his man, and dominated all game.

All season long Jon impressed me most by never looking like a redshirt freshman. He looked and played stronger than all his opponents. I like to think my relationship with him had something to do with that. But I know his development is far from over, he will continue to improve every year.

Q: Tell us more about Power Sports Academy and what you do there that helps athletes in various sports prepare for their events? Are there any specific theories or philosophies that you follow in your work as a strength and conditioning coach?

A: To be blunt, we try to avoid the gimmicks and concentrate on tried and true training. We train hard, but more importantly we train smart. People come to us in pretty bad shape sometimes, and while there is always a time frame we emphasize that it cannot happen in one session. When people try to over do it, we must step in and keep them healthy. Otherwise they push to hard to soon and then we won't see them for a week or two.

Sports specific training has gone too far, people spend too much time trying to mimic their sport with weights attached to them. Instead they should focus on building true strength in areas important for their sport/position/event and develop fitness according to the energy system their sport falls under. That is what we do.

People always ask about speed training and camps, but we push them towards our strength and conditioning program. Like I said before, it concentrates on running/sprint mechanics, strength development, explosive power and endurance, mobility, flexibility, agility, and speed training each and every workout.

We all have been running our whole lives, running only makes you so fast. Louie Simmons calls it "The Speed Barrier". At some point you have to increase horse power. You do that in the gym.

Q: What type of specific services and supports do you provide to athletes at Power Sports Academy?

A: We offer professional strength and conditioning. We are experts in this area. We try to focus on our expertise.

If you are an athlete living in South Florida and want to reach your true potential then contact Jeremy Herring, MS, CSCS, at: www.PowerSports-Academy.com or 954-829-4144.

The Science Of Strength

Recently Miami Hurricane fans have expressed some strong feelings about the UM football Strength and Conditioning program and have been wondering out loud about who is to blame for the apparent sloth and gluttony that seems to have invaded the Hecht Athletic Center over the last several years.

It is pretty obvious that there are some glaring issues here when Miami head coach Al Golden made "getting stronger and mentally tougher" the number one priority for the team going into next year.

I recently had the chance to interview a highly respected strength and conditioning coach from South Florida: Jeremy Herring of Power Sports Academy in Davie, Florida. Herring has worked with numerous high school, college and Olympic athletes including UM offensive tackle Jon Feliciano prior to his arrival at UM last year.

Herring, who grew up a Miami Hurricanes fan, had some seriously in-depth responses to my questions that I found to be very interesting, insightful, motivational and in some ways even inspiring.

Here is strength and conditioning coach Jeremy Herring in his own words in Part I of our two part interview...

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your athletic background? How did you get involved in competitive power lifting?

A: I am the owner and head strength and conditioning coach at Power Sports Academy. I have been married to my wife Gaudy for 10 years and we have 2 beautiful daughters, Morgan and Alayna.

As far as my athletic background goes, I have been obsessed with strength as long as I can remember. I was naturally big as a kid and felt that if you're going to be big, you have to be strong. This led me to doing things like lifting cinder blocks and tires and things for fun as a little kid. I threw the discus
and shot put on field day in elementary school and fell in love with that. Basketball, football, and wrestling were big for me through middle school too. In high school it was just football and track. I injured my back my junior year and wasn't able to play football my senior year. I did this in the weight room and really think that this changed my life.

I ended up taking a scholarship to throw the shot at F.I.U. I threw for 5 years. All during this time I changed how I trained, found the best coaches and really devoted myself to learning to be a master of technique and continued to try to get stronger. After college I began coaching, but needed to continue to compete. I found power-lifting through one of the resources I used for training information, called Elite Fitness Systems. Power-lifting was a perfect fit for me.

Q: Who were your personal coaches and mentors and are there any pioneers or gurus in the field that you had direct contact with or read about that had an influence on you and your career now as a strength and conditioning coach?

A: Well, like I said, I began training with weights pretty young, around 14. None of my coaches really knew how to lift properly back then, so I learned from books and magazines. I made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot from them. When I injured my back it ended a dream of mine, but motivated me to become stronger. I knew I had to find the right way on my own. It also helped me a ton to know what I wanted to do early on. I knew I wanted to be a strength and conditioning coach as soon as I learned such a position existed, probably around 16 years old. This gave me tunnel vision and a great focus to become the best I could.

I found Louie Simmons in a Powerlifting USA Magazine I found at my gym as a teenager. Louie owns and trains at the strongest gym in the world: Westside Barbell in Ohio. I read this magazine over and over again. It was on using bands and chains back in 1994 and I was just 16. After that I ordered videos, read every article he wrote, and then eventually met him at a seminar.

Louie had a wide reach and some of his disciples had moved on and started their own thing. Dave Tate is one. Dave owns Elite Fitness Systems, also in Ohio. EFS is an educational and strength training internet store. I read their Q&A, followed their articles, and exercise index everyday. Through Elite Fitness I came to know Jim Wendler and J.L. Holdsworth. Jim I met at seminars, but mainly know him through his writing and YouTube video. His ideas and sense of humor have had an effect on my coaching and training for 10years. I would always make sure to check out Jim and JL's training log on the site. I follow them because #1, I liked how they trained, and #2 because they were two very strong men and they reminded me of myself. I eventually met JL at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH. Since then I consider him a good friend, whom I speak with weekly about everything from business and training to family life.

Q: Tell us about why you started Power Sports Academy? When did you first begin providing Strength and Conditioning coaching to athletes there and where are you located?

A: Throughout my college years I always connected being a strength coach with some organization, whether it was a school or team. So after graduation, I took a job coaching and teaching high school. It has always been in my blood to push to the next level, and always strive for something better.

So, next I took a job at Florida International University. It was my job to organize the training of the track and field throwers. I think being a track and field coach has had the biggest impact on making me the coach I am today. Nothing can compare to the explosive power and complex techniques of throwing at a high level. I had an amazing time during the six years I was at F.I.U. We broke every record in the book and I made great relationships there, but after my 6th year I decided to resign. My family missed me too much when we would travel most of the spring.

So I decided to start my own thing. This would allow me to do what I loved, and leave an open door for my family to be with me. I started my business in 2008. In the beginning I would use parks, fields, and travel out to train. That first year I started my annual youth strength, speed, and agility summer camp. I have many clients still with me from that first camp. In April of 2010 I opened the doors of The Factory, Power Sports Academy's home in Davie, FL.

Q: Are there any S&C coaches or teams in college and/or the NFLU that are widely recognized or accepted as some of the best of the best in the area of Strength and Conditioning?

A: LSU's Tommy Moffitt and Pitt's Buddy Morris are two highly respected college S&C coaches. Most of the NFL and NFLU guys have someone like myself. Joe Defranco and Pete Bommarito come from the same school of thought as myself, both also have influences from Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell.

Q: I understand that power-lifting training and football conditioning are distinct and different but are there areas that cross over between the two sports?

A: Yes, there are many. First I'd like to say that too many strength and conditioning coaches these days forget about the strength part. Bands, cones, and ladders are fine. But a football player is made of squats, pulls, and presses. Power-lifters only need enough mobility, endurance, and speed to lift nine heavy lifts a couple times a year in competition.

From an injury prevention and absolute strength standpoint a football player should train just like a power-lifter. Strength is also the king of all athletic attributes. As strength increases so does speed, coordination, explosive power, and balance - to a certain extent. That being said, a football player needs quick feet, 4th quarter explosive endurance, far greater mobility, agility, and sprint mechanics than that of a power-lifter.

Q: In addition to building strength, power and muscle mass, a football S&C program must also consider endurance, stamina, agility and flexibility. How do those aspects get incorporated into an overall football S&C program?

A: I believe that every training session should be all inclusive. We do more athletic development than event prep. Meaning we focus more on making our clients better at their sport for the long term. At PSA we ask our athletes to be 15 minutes early for their session to foam / PVC / lacrosse ball roll to
loosen up soft tissue and static stretch. This increases flexibility. Then we do an active /dynamic warm-up. This increases mobility and activates the muscles and nervous system for the days work.

Some days we will follow this with plyometric jumping or throwing, agility drills, or just go right into the main lift or exercise for the day. I believe that anyone can (and should) be in ELITE physical fitness. It takes zero talent to be in shape, and if you are not it's because you don't care enough. We care a lot, and push the pace on all exercises throughout all sessions.

I also believe that you don't need to separate strength from the fitness or endurance component. Training is training. It is all conditioning. Strength can be trained on the track just like speed and endurance can be trained in the weight room. So when we design our programs we focus on mobility and flexibility, strength and explosive speed, endurance and change of direction, to some extent every session. That being said each session must have an area of emphasis.

Q: Speaking in very general terms what are the universally accepted targeted goals for athletes in competitive sports such as power lifting and football?

A: Yes, but the specific individualization of the athletes needs is more important. As for beginning goals though, I think that in general to be considered strong one should be able to squat and dead-lift twice their body weight and bench press 1.5 times their body weight.

That’s right, I said it: All lineman should be able to squat and dead-lift 600 and bench 450.

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add that we haven't covered so far in this interview?

A: As a lifelong Miami Hurricanes fan I want to thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. I look forward to seeing UM return to dominance. Something we say around PSA all the time is: “Only those who possess strength appreciate its value!”

If you are an athlete living in South Florida and want to reach your true potential then contact Jeremy Herring, MS, CSCS, at: www.PowerSports-Academy.com or 954-829-4144.

The Mother Load

When we first thought about what the University of Miami football team and second year head coach Al Golden needed in the critical 2012 recruiting class the term first came to mind.

Then when we met UM offensive line coach Art Kehoe at the FHSAA championship game at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando a few weeks ago he used the term to describe this year's haul of high school players.

When we watched the U.S. Army All-Star Game yesterday and all of the highly talented high school football recruits commit to Miami we thought about the term once again.

The term that will be used for the 2012 UM class is: "The Mother Load".

That is exactly what the University of Miami football team and talented coaching staff are getting this year in Coral Gables.  The latest star-studded names to join the 2012 recruiting class at Miami are:

DB Deon Bush

DL Tyriq McCord

WR Robert Lockhart

These players are only part of what we will come to know as "The Mother Load" when people refer to the 2012 class of Miami Hurricanes.

So stay seated and do not get your knickers all in a wad UM fans, the 2012 recruiting class is just going to get better and better by the minute.

Trust me on this!

Under Armour All-America Game: A Sideline View

Long-time Canespacer and well known blogger "Six" filed this report from the sidelines at the 2012 Under Armour game from St. Petersburg...

Got to the UnderArmour game around 4pm. Lots of people there. Here’s my story from the sidelines:

Talked with: Herm Edwards, Mooch (Mariucci), Cam Newton, Prime Time, Chris Weinke, Ron Zook, Ty Detmer, Preston Dewey, Duke Johnson, Dante Fowler and Nelson Agholor for a bit.

Hung out with: Chick, Daddy Chick and Leon McQuay III (again, remember the name b/c he was already the top rated Junior in the nation at his position – he will most likely be top 3 in the nation this upcoming year at his position) during the game.

When talking with Mooch, he came up and saw my “U” hat on – he asked me if I was from the “U”, I said no but I’ve been a die hard fan since I was a kid. He said that he knows all about the “U” b/c he works with Sapp and Irvin, he then paused, looked at me with wide eyes for a bit and then said .. “they’re …. intense .. about their school”, then exhaled his breath and shook his head a little. Funny ass guy, real good guy as well.

I asked Herm Edwards how his life was going so far, if he loves doing TV more than coaching – of course he does. TV is a hell of a lot easier, the money is good and he gets to spend more time with family. He then said that his neighbor back at home in Cali was pretty cool .. I asked him who it was .. he said “Clint Eastwood”.

That must be nice. Herm said Clint has a 27,000 square foot house he chills in. That must be nice as well. Herm was cool as hell when he was a coach with the Bucs back with Dungy – he hasn’t changed, cool cool cat.

Cam Newton is large.

Talked with Preston Dewey, he was standing next to Ty Detmer for basically the entire game. He and Ty would talk to each other after each snap, do a little pointing – must be nice to have a Ty Detmer as your high school head coach and also QB coach. Preston told me he wasn’t playing, said his hammy was acting up. Kid throws a nice ball during warm ups. He was throwing with Chad Kelly – that kid likes to run. When I say likes to run, I mean like he’s a squirrel that got loose on the field type of likes to run.

Eddie Goldman is a man already. Big, big kid.

Nelson Agholor had Duke, Chick, Dewey & Jean-Louis in his ear all night. Agholor is a great kid, real personable, smart. When his team was getting blown out and it was almost over, some big ass OLineman came up to him, Duke and some other players who were sitting on the bench and said “it’s not over, it’s not over, remember that we’re All-Americans and we’re going out like All-Americans” – he was slapping hands with Agholor, Duke, etc. and then walked off. Agholor then turns to these 3 kids who were standing behind the bench and said “now look kids, I’m not saying you should ever quit, ever, and I don’t know why he came over and was trying to tell us that it’s not over (their team was down by 30+ with 2 mins left in the game) -but- there’s something called reality and he hasn’t grasped it yet b/c ya, this game is over” .. and then Agholor pointed to the scoreboard.

When the #1 Safety committed to ‘Bama on the air, I was standing with Agholor and Duke – they both said “damn, ‘Bama getting another player? They’re gonna have the #1 class”

Chick is great. I hung with him for about half a quarter. I talked to him about how everything is going down there. Asked him about him being seen on crutches, he said that he just had to get some bone spurs taken out, nothing big at all. Kid is big and he’s gonna fill out even more. I asked him what he thought of Duke Johnson .. Chick said one word .. “beast”. When Duke’s team was waiting for a kickoff, Chick was standing about 30 feet behind him, yelling at him, “Dukeee. Dukeee. Dukeee”. Duke turned around, nodded, had the ball come to him – then Duke did his thing and almost housed the kickoff. Chick said he was talking with Dante Fowler all night, that’s his boy, he’s trying to do everything he can to flip him.

Chick then took off into the stands to go hang with Josh Grady (Armwood QB that is a Frosh at Vandy). That’s when Leon McQuay III walked up and I hung with him for a while. Real real quiet kid, shy, big ass smile though, insanely humble it seems. Chick is friends with him as well, you know Chick is in his ear about heading to Miami.

Talked with Daddy Chick. Guy has hands the size of catcher’s mitts. He had some interesting takes on the Canes D. Also had some interesting takes on the players that left early. Said he was beyond impressed with DZP and told Chick that he needs to hang with him as much as possible, learn how to tackle from him as well. Daddy Chick also told me that when they first got down to Miami, he told Golden that Chick was better than any of the DLineman they had presently – including #35 (who he thought should’ve stayed another year because he might play OLB in a 3-4).

One more thing, my co-worker is good friends with Avery Young's coach. Had a nice long convo with the coach at the game tonight - he said that he talked to Saban a couple of days ago and had to tell him that Avery wasn't thinking about 'Bama anymore.

We Talking About Practice?

Allen Iverson may go all ballistic on us but yes indeed today we are talking about practice and nothing but practice. Football practice to be more exact.

On an absolutely delicious Winter Day in Central Florida the Under Armour All-America Game practices concluded today at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

If you live in Florida or have been to Disney World and have never been to this beautiful facility then you need to get there and get there soon.

It is a magnificent and expansive maze of soccer, football and baseball fields for high school, college and other amateur sports competitions.

The site also serves as the official Spring training facility of the Atlanta Braves and as a result plays host to some of major league baseball's most famous and talented athletes each year.

Each year the Wide World of Sports complex hosts a week of practice leading up to the Under Armour All-America game for some of the Nation's most talented and highly recruited high school football players.

And when you go there you always have a good time but you never know who you are going to meet.

I met current Miami Hurricane DE Anthony Chickillo and his famous former Hurricane father who told me...well, due to confidentiality clauses I signed I can't really tell you what they told me, but trust me it was all good!

The actual game is not played at the Disney Complex in Orlando but at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, in St. Petersburg near Tampa.

This year's contest is scheduled for tomorrow night, January 5th at 7 PM.

University of Miami recruits and verbal commits RB Randy "Duke" Johnson (seen above in kick return formation) and WR Angelo Jean-Louis were on hand to participate in the drills led by former NFL head coaches Steve Mariucci and Herm Edwards.

On the practice fields the coaches were a contrast in styles. Mariucci was all business and talking techniques with his offensive players while Edwards was all about his defense and yelling out loud to motivate his players.

At one point Edwards, who was working with former NFL WR Keyshawn Johnson to coach Team Blur (black), could be heard yelling across the field:

"Don't follow the eyes (of the QB). The eyes are trying to look you off of the real target. Play your area of the zone and follow the QB's shoulders. When you see the shoulders start to turn or the top hand come off the football that's when he is gonna let it go and then you break on the ball."

Later he was in a joking mood with Keyshawn and his team when he teased them out loud:

"Sure, you say you wanna be a star but can you get it done when the lights come on? Can you get it done in crunch time? Don't come out here if you are afraid. If you're afraid just go buy a poodle and put a pink bow on it and stay home."

On the other practice field Mariucci the technician was seen in the offensive backfield working with the QB's of Team Highlight (white). He could be heard coaching up UM verbal commit Duke Johnson and saying:

"You have use the play fake to decoy into the line and be patient; pause and then pop out to the left side to set up the screen properly. That will help set up your blockers for a big gain."

Marucci had his team work specific down-and-distance situations, player substitutions, nickle and dime packages on defense, the "Hail Mary" play and then spent an incredible amount of time for an All-Star game working on special teams.

Team Blur practiced kickoff coverage, punt returns, field goals from the center of the field, the left and right hash marks and even ran several on-side kicks. They also learned and how to cover of a fake field goal by their opponent where players and coaches yelled "FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!"

After the practices ended the media (and me) had the opportunity to interview some of the players who were made available.  Unfortunately, Duke Johnson was not among them.

But WR Angelo Jean-Louis was. He is an impressive and out-going young man who is articulate, out-spoken and a lot of fun to be around.

I wrote down every word he said on my notepad during a lengthy interview and when I got home and translated my notes here is what he really said:

I'm just saying!

Under Armour All-America Game

The 2012 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game presented by American Family Insurance is slated for Jan. 5, 2012, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be televised on ESPN.

The fifth-annual Under Armour All-America Game presented by American Family Insurance is a competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors. The 2011 NFL Draft was the first time Under Armour All-America alumni who competed in the inaugural 2008 game were eligible to be drafted.

Selections included two first-round NFL picks Julio Jones and A.J. Green, as well as second-round selections Da’Quan Bowers and Brandon Harris. Additional notable alumni include current college standouts USC’s Matt Barkley, Auburn’s Michael Dyer, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and Alabama’s Trent Richardson.

Former NFL head coaches Herm Edwards and Steve Mariucci will lead the nation’s top high school seniors in the 2012 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game.

Edwards will serve as head coach of Team Blur (White Team), while Mariucci will coach Team Highlight (Black Team). Both coaching staffs, selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc., will consist of former NFL coaches acting as offensive and defensive coordinators. The rosters will feature the nation’s top high school football prospects, according to the ESPNU 150 player rankings.

Currently an NFL analyst for ESPN, Edwards served as head coach of the New York Jets (2001-05) and Kansas City Chiefs (2006-08). Edwards led the Jets to three playoff appearances (2001-02, 2004) and one division title (2002) before leading the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2006. In his 10-year playing career, Edwards spent nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, highlighted by an appearance in Super Bowl XV. His 33 interceptions in an Eagles uniform leave him one shy of the franchise record.

“It’s truly an honor to be coaching in the Under Armour All-America Game,” Edwards said. “I can’t wait to get to Orlando and begin working with all of these great young players.”

Mariucci is the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers (1997-2002) and the Detroit Lions (2003-05). In Mariucci’s six years with the 49ers, he led them to four playoff appearances, two first-place finishes in the NFC West and in 1997, his team marched all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Mariucci finished his coaching career with a record of 72-67.

“After coaching the game last year, I cannot tell you how impressed I was with the quality of the players. It is a thrill to be invited back!” Mariucci said. “To me, this game is one of the highlights of this football season at any level – high school, college or professional.”

Of the more than 90 players selected by ESPN Scouts, Inc. to participate in the Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, 10 are ranked among the Top 15 of the ESPNU 150, including: No. 1 Mario Edwards (Denton Ryan HS, Texas); No. 2 Eddie Goldman (Collegiate Academy, Washington D.C.); No. 4 Noah Spence (Bishop McDevitt HS, Pa.); No. 5 Johnathan Gray (Aledo HS, Texas.); No. 6 Keith Marshall (Millbrook HS, N.C.); No. 7 Landon Collins (Dutchtown HS, La.); No. 9 Eddie Williams (Arnold HS, Fla.); No. 11 Jameis Winston (Hueytown HS, Ala.); No. 13 Chris Casher (Davidson HS, Ala.); and No. 14 Malcom Brown (Brenham HS, Texas).