Offensive Line

[simurgh]

... who cares, let him go

sounds like a fan at the army game

[Guest HowieP1]

Haupt was on ESPN today.  They were asking him how the firing of Zook effected the recruiting.  He sounded awfully excited when talking about spurrie being rehired.  I would say if UF hires Steve then we lose out on this guy.

With Spurrier withdrawing his name from consideration at Florida, it's now really going to get interesting with Haupt who plans on enrolling early as a pre-med student.

In the last few days, according to one article, Florida coaches have been calling Haupt trying to keep him on board.

This was a story written before it was known that spurrier had made a decision:

Posted: Nov 3, 2004

RECRUITING: Who benefits from Zook's dismissal?

By Jamie Newberg

Scout.com

Ron Zook may have made his mistakes at Florida, but one thing you have to admire about him and his staff was their ability to recruit. Over the past two seasons they did it just as well as anyone in the country -- and they did it facing adversity all along the way. Despite Florida's mounting losses this season, it may have potentially had its best recruiting class ever this year.  

Zook's staff was that good when it came to recruiting -- and whoever inherits this Gator club could potentially play for championships next season and beyond.

So who benefits from Zook's dismissal on the recruiting front? Almost everyone the Gators compete against in the recruiting battles. Over the past three recruiting seasons Florida has more than held its own against in-state rivals Miami and Florida State. The Gators beat the 'Canes for cornerback Dee Webb, linebacker Earl Everett and wide receiver Andre Caldwell. They turned FSU commitment Marcus Thomas to Gainesville. Florida didn't win all the battles -- no one does -- but they won their share.

The bottom line is that 'Noles and 'Canes are dominant recruiting powers and things could become slightly easier for them, especially this season. Florida also goes head-to-head with teams like Georgia and Tennessee for top-notch prospects. And we have already seen one Florida commitment, cornerback Demetrice Morley, back off his Gator pledge. As of today, Morley is headed to Knoxville. So maybe the Dawgs, Vols and others will capitalize, at least initially, until Florida gets its new coaching regime in place.

Any new staff at any college football program in the nation always faces an uphill battle to begin with in their first recruiting campaign. It was tough for Pete Carroll at Southern Cal, Nick Saban at LSU, Bill Callahan at Nebraska and Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State. And for whoever takes over in Gainesville, whether it's Steve Spurrier or someone else, things won't be so easy right away. The pattern, more times than not, no matter who you are or where you are, is that the first recruiting class is a challenge.

Why?

It's simple. Recruiting is about building relationships with these prospects, their coaches and families. Instead of having months and sometimes years to recruit players, new staffs have just weeks, as Signing Day looms.

What does this mean for the Gators? First things first, they need to hire a coach and they need to do this as quickly as possible. More importantly, they need to find the guy who's the right fit for the Florida program. That coach then has to bring in a staff and they need to evaluate the existing team. Then, they need to identify the recruiting needs and go get some recruits. Again, the new UF staff will have weeks rather than months and years to do this. It will be tough.

Zook was putting together another great class before his firing. One of the Gators' elite recruits is now headed to Tennessee rather than Florida. Some committed players, like quarterback Jonathan Garner, want to go to the University of Florida no matter what.

Others, like defensive back Avery Atkins, will wait it out, take visits and see what happens.

The Gators were in line to potentially land the nation's most sought-after recruit in wide receiver Derrick Williams. He graduates in December and plans to enroll at the school of his choice in January. What will he do now? What about in-state talent like offensive linemen Eddie Haupt and Ronnie Wilson, linebacker Spencer Atkins, running back Paul O'Hara, wide receiver O.J. Murdock, and cornerback Bryan Evans? These in-state prospects loved Zook and his staff.

What will Florida's new staff do? What will these recruits do? It'll be interesting, to say the least, for all parties involved. And that includes the Gators, Seminoles, Hurricanes and everyone outside the Sunshine State.

http://florida.scout.com/2/314089.html

[bulls96go]

hop our coachs are hitting all UF recruits hard... go bulls steal a few!

think Ingram is regreting his decision?

[simurgh]

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS1117DISTRICTFOOTBALL.htm

"Merritt Island offensive tackle Eddie Haupt has been voted Player of the Year by Florida Athletic Coaches Association District 11 football coaches."

[mattegunz]

Good news for Haupt.  Hopefully he diecides to come to USF where he will have a shot at immediate playing time.  I also heard he is grauating in December and would be in camp for Spring Ball.  This would help his chances of immediate playing time immensely.

[Guest HowieP1]

Antuan Lewis looks to be getting his grades in order. I know he said he wouldn't mind playing for USF, but at the time we hadn't contacted him:

Some mind-sets never change

Jefferson's Antuan Lewis never lost the aggressive nature of a defender when he moved to the offensive side of the ball.

By KEITH NIEBUHR, Times Staff Writer

Published November 5, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA - What separates Jefferson senior Antuan Lewis from other offensive linemen is something mental, not physical.

Frame wise, he looks like many who play his position, but upstairs he has the killer instinct usually possesed by someone on the other side of the ball.

"His attitude," said Dragons running back Alex Suber, "is that the person in front of him is nothing."

Lewis, a standout right tackle, plays like a defender largely because it's in his blood. As a sophomore, he started on the defensive front for a Jefferson team that reached the state final, and to this day still plays there from time to time.

Taking advantage of this controlled aggression, the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Lewis has become one of the state's best players, and programs from Clemson to Oklahoma have offered him a scholarship. The Orlando Sentinel's Bill Buchalter, a noted recruiting analyst, rated him the state's 93rd-best prospect in the summer.

"He's obviously got all the God-given skills," offensive line coach Bob Henriquez said. "He has great size, but he's also very athletic for his size. And he's an incredibly aggressive player. He's very nimble on his feet and the most important thing for an offensive lineman is his feet."

On the field, Lewis was a quick study. From the start, his pass-blocking skills were advanced. And in time he became a consistent run-blocker.

"It looked hard when I was on the other side, but when I moved to offense it was easy," Lewis said. "It's just learning the schemes and technique."

Not everything was that smooth.

Early on in high school Lewis dug himself a tremendous hole in the classroom. His grades, he said, weren't terrible, but they certainly weren't great either. After a freshman fumble with the books, his GPA sat at the 2.0 line.

"I've got it situated now," he said. "I didn't have any focus. But now, I do."

Lewis turned his grades around by going to night school and summer school. Today, he carries a 2.6 GPA and will meet NCAA qualifying standards if he does well on the SAT.

"We really had to stay on him," Henriquez said. "But he got it together."

With Lewis' help, Jefferson has assembled one of the county's most balanced, and potent, offenses. Suber is a 1,000-yard rusher, and more often than not quarterback Steven Garcia has plenty of time to find his receivers. Once again, Jefferson is headed to the playoffs.

"Antuan's playing like an All-American," Jefferson coach Mike Simmonds said. "He's having a great season."

[Last modified November 5, 2004, 01:55:39]

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/05/Sports/Some_mind_sets_never_.shtml

[bulls96go]

hope we are talking to him and this guy stays home