| 1996 | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 1998 | Jan | Feb | March |
04/30/98 - Beginning tomorrow college coaches can begin evaluating prospects. From May 1st through May 31st, each school is allowed 20 days to evaluate players. An authorized recruiter may visit a particular educational institution only one time during this evaluation period. In other words, if, for example, Coach Sherrill visits Simmons HS to evaluate Lincoln Smith, that is the only time, during that 20-day period, a coach from Miss State is allowed to visit that school to evaluate prospects.
04/28/98 - De La Salle wide receiver James White and quarterback Brandon Butler have made a qualifying score on their lastest ACT test.
There is no additional qualifying news on high school signees Mario Haggan, Justin Griffith, Julius Griffith, C.J. Sirmones, and Marco Minor. As I find out, I will let you know.
04/27/98 - I confirmed that Co-Lin All-State juco lineman Joey Hydrick will be walking on at MSU this upcoming football season. Joey, who was a two year starter at center, is also being used as a middle reliever in baseball at Co-Lin this spring.
04/25/98 - MSU signee Kevin Sijansky has been selected to the prestigious Texas/California Shrine All-Star game. This game pits the top players from Texas against the top players from California.
04/25/98 - According to a Clarion-Ledger article in Friday's paper, Clinton HS running back Dontae Walker (a player MSU is recruiting) could be one of recruiting analyst Tom Lemming's choices as one of the top 25 players in the country this coming high school football season.
Here is the exact quote from Lemming: "He's probably going to make my Top 25. He's got all the tools. All the coaches I've talked to raved about him, too."
04/25/98 - I haven't confirmed this, but I have heard that 2nd Team All-State juco lineman Joey Hydrick will be walking-on at MSU next season. Joey is a 6-2, 270-lb center from Co-Lin CC. If anyone can confirm this, please contact me by email at swindoll@ebicom.net.
04/25/98 - Since there has been a lot of talk about the Clarion-Ledger on my message board, I thought I would post a list of the members of the Clarion-Ledger staff who cover sports in one form or another. I also have listed the sports they cover as well as where they graduated and where they are originally from:
Mark Alexander, copy editor who covers some high school events, Miss. State
graduate from Jackson, MS.
Lee Baker, covers small colleges, road racing, track and field. Millsaps
graduate, originally from Missouri.
Carolyn Bryant, covers Jackson State and other SWAC schools; UCLA graduate
from Los Angeles.
Mike Christensen, copy editor, features writer, columnist, Jackson Generals;
Georgia graduate, originally from Augusta, Ga.
Bobby Cleveland, copy editor, outdoors editor; USM graduate, grew up in
Hattiesburg.
Rick Cleveland, sports columnist, USM graduate, grew up in Hattiesburg.
Joe Culpepper, assistant sports editor, USM graduate from Philadelphia (MS).
Robert Falkoff, covers Ole Miss and Jackson Generals; Missouri graduate from Missouri.
Rusty Hampton, covers Miss. State and golf; graduated from Pacific University
in Oregon, raised in Salem, Ore.
Todd Kelly, covers high schools, Central Washington and Jackson State
graduate, originally from Seattle area.
Mike Knobler, sports editor; Harvard graduate from Los Angeles.
Kathy Lumpkin, assistant sports editor; Alabama graduate from Birmingham.
Joe Powell, copy editor; Ole Miss graduate from Arkansas.
Sekou Smith, high school writer; Jackson State graduate from Michigan.
Bill Spencer, high school writer; Ole Miss graduate from Jackson, MS.
Scott Waller, copy editor; Miss. State graduate from Mississippi.
Robert Wilson, covers USM and tennis; Ole Miss graduate from Jackson, MS.
04/23/98 - Don't forget: MSU On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator David Wilson is always willing to speak at your club meeting. He also plays golf if any of you golf enthusiasts are looking to talk Bulldog Football while on a golf outing (needs to be within a 60 mile distance from Starkville). Email David Wilson at DWilson@Academics.Athletics.MsState.Edu if you are interested.
04/23/98 - Check out my Miss High School Skuttle-Butt Section for info on a junior-to-be football player Miss State should look at next season. If you don't check my Miss HS Skuttle-Butt section, you need to. I have a lot of great info on players from freshmen to seniors. You get the chance to find out about players before they become household names.
04/23/98 - Don't forget to check out my Bulldog Events Section. Start Super Bulldog Weekend early by going to one of the two events going on tonight. There is always something exciting going on in Bulldog Land.
04/21/98 - Some of you have asked me who is State seriously looking at at this point in the recruiting process. There are a few players that State is serious about, but, for the most part, the true evaluation process will begin May 4th, the first day football coaches can go out and evaluate players. They can't personally talk to the players, but they can go to practices and spring games of the various schools once during the upcoming 20-day spring recruiting process.
04/21/98 - Did you know some of our football coaches, including Joe Lee Dunn, are visiting various colleges and pro teams so that they can finetune the defense?
04/21/98 - A very important recruiting event is occuring this week. Fifty-seven young ladies are vying for the twenty available Bulldog Belles slots. They will be interviewed Monday through Wednesday with Friday the selection day.
The Bulldog Belles, as you know if you have read my page for quite awhile, are the young ladies that host the football recruits when they visit our campus. If you personally know a Belle, let her know you really appreciate her efforts. Each and every one of these MSU students are extremely important to the recruiting efforts of our coaching staff.
04/20/98 - Here is the latest update on MSU's football signees:
All of the other signees have got the test and core grades or are very, very close and are very likely to qualify.
04/20/98 - Miss State football signee Nick Floyd won the 1A-2A-3A State Powerlifting Championship in the 220-classification with combined lifts of 1,485. The winner in the 4A-5A division lifted 1,370 pounds, 115 pounds less than Nick. Congrats to Nick.
04/19/98 - If you are interested in how our Bulldogs fared in the NFL Draft yesterday and today, click here. If you want to know how the SEC did overall, click here. This info is supplied by ESPN's DraftCentral 98.
04/19/98 - I saw this quotation in Friday's Clarion-Ledger and thought some of you would be interested in it. It has to do with Coach Jackie Sherrill's ability to evaluate talent. It is a quote from Dallas Cowboys personnel director Gil Brandt:
"Coach Jackie Sherrill is a good evaluator. His opinion is highly respected, and he has this guy (Robert Hicks) rated as a superstar."
I also noticed in The Clarion-Ledger that MSU football player Reggie Kelly was selected to the third team of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Athlete football team. Reggie carries a 3.22 GPA in industrial technology.
04/18/98 - Here are the 1997 stats on possible walk-on WR Davey Crawley: 50 catches for 945 yards (18.9 average) and 13 TDs.
04/18/98 - The word is Rome (GA) HS junior defensive end Chris Hewitt (6-4, 240) is interested in Miss State. Chris was All-State his sophomore and junior years. Chris is a great athlete who has good quickness. He is also a pretty good basketball player as evidenced by his being selected as an Honorable Mention All-State choice this past basketball season. Look for Chris to be recruited by a lot of top colleges.
04/17/98 - Miss State On-Campus Recruiting Coordinator David Wilson had a great visit, Wednesday, with Ken Harris, the general manager of Metro Ford in Tupelo, Miss., and Mike Armour, of the Peoples Bank of Tupelo. Ken supplies David with his courtesy car. Thanks for helping our coaches out, Ken.
While I am talking about auto dealers who supply our Bulldog coaches with cars, another super Bulldog fan who does this is Mike Colbert, co-owner of Colbert Auto World in Houston, Miss. I know Mike and can say without hesitation he is a great guy and an outstanding Bulldog fan! Accolades go out to Mike for supporting our coaches.
04/17/98 - I haven't been able to confirm this, but the rumor is Winston Academy wide receiver Davey Crawley will be walking on at Miss State this coming season. Crawley was one of the top 2 or 3 wide receivers in the academy ranks this past season. He performed very well in the academy all-star game, catching three TDs.
04/17/98 - Here is a nice Mobile Register article about Miss State running back James Johnson:
Mississippi State running back James Johnson loves his mother's cooking. He doesn't need much prodding to mention how she ``grills those thick pork chops, she loves to barbecue.''
And Johnson, a former star running back at Davidson High, loves to eat. Which is why he said he likely won't come home to Mobile this summer, instead subjecting himself to the boot camp boredom of Starkville, Miss.
``I've got to stay up here in Starkville and keep in shape,'' Johnson said by phone recently. ``I'm down to 226 pounds and six-percent body fat. Last year, I was 240 pounds and 10-percent body fat. I was still pretty cut with stomach definition, but my friends looked at me and said, `Man, you blowed up.''
' Johnson still wasn't heavy enough to tip an interstate trucking scale. At 6-2, he carried the weight well, and he figured he needed the muscle to be the power back that State required. He finished fourth in the Southeastern Conference and 25th nationally in rushing with 1,292 yards (97.2 per game) and 12 TDs with a 4.9 yards per carry average.
That's impressive for a team with no offensive balance since State was 10th in the league in passing. Defenses stacked to stop the run, and Johnson still averaged almost 100 yards per game.
``James came in thinking he had to be a big back, and he didn't need to be,'' State coach Jackie Sherrill said. ``But even with the weight, there still wasn't anybody that caught him very often. He just ran through a lot of folks.''
When the season was over and State faded to 7-4 with losses in its last two games to Arkansas and Ole Miss (the latter loss knocking the Bulldogs out of a bowl), Johnson per formed a self assessment. The bottom line: Lose weight, gain speed.
``I'm my own worst critic,'' Johnson said. ``Somebody can look at a film and see just two or three things I did wrong, and it seems like I see 100 things wrong when I look at film of me.
``I remember a play from the LSU game last year. I had swept around an end and I was 10 yards downfield from the line of scrimmage. No one was near me. And the momentum of my body weight making the cut downfield just carried me out of bounds. If it hadn't happened, I would have been in the end zone.''
So without prodding from anybody, he changed his diet. Greasy foods were out. Vegetables and rice and beans were in. The weight vanished. And Johnson has been an absolute terror this spring.
``James had an outstanding spring,'' Sherrill said. ``For one, he's the strongest player on our team. He can bench press four sets of 10 repetitions at 275 pounds, and nobody else on the team can do that. And when we've given him the ball in scrimmages -- we don't want to get him hurt -- he's broken several runs 20 yards or better.''
Johnson had to carry the burden a year ago of replacing star running back Keffer McGee, who died late last summer in a drowning accident. No one was more liked on the State team than McGee, and his death hit everyone hard.
If Johnson has a big season, his size and speed should make him an NFL draft choice. Sherrill has coached his share of top backs throughout his college career, such as John ny Hector at Texas A&M.
``I coached (South Carolina Heisman Trophy winner) George Rogers in the Hula Bowl one year, and James reminds me of a George Rogers who's more physical with better hands,'' Sherrill said.
04/16/98 - Here is the defensive side of my spring football wrap-up:
Since we lost so many defensive linemen last year, who came out of spring practice in the lead on the defensive line? - The D-linemen that lead the pack after spring practice are Kenwoynne Smith, John Hilliard, Kevin Sluder and Ellis Wyms. They will be a faster and quicker D-line than last year's D-line. Hilliard has the ability to vie for All-SEC honors. Sluder has that kind of talent but may be a year away. D-lineman with 4.65 speed, which Sluder has, are very, very rare. Senior Ed Smith, one of the strongest players on the team, was running 2nd team at DE at the end of spring practice and will play a lot next season. Redshirt juco lineman Garth Henry will also figure in the picture as will signees Alvin McKinley and Conner Stephens (both great talents).
I'm a little concerned about our linebacker corps. Did they prove they are ready for the SEC? Although only Barrin Simpson (now more consistent) started most of last year last year, Bert Keys, who played quite a bit during the latter part of last season, has become more consistent and will make more plays this coming season. It took him a while to learn the Joe Lee Dunn system, but he now has a grasp for it and will be a quality linebacker. He has big-play ability. During the spring, Jamaal Dinkins really showed what kind of talent he is because of his great quickness and strength. Edward Yeates, who continues to recover from his injury, will play as he regains his speed and quickness. Also look for newcomer Bobby Presley to add depth this fall.
How did newcomer Ashley Cooper do during spring practice? - Ashley (defensive back) prove during the spring that he is a talented player who has the ability to be an All-SEC candidate. He will anchor, along with Tim Nelson (another potential All-SEC talent), the defensive backfield.
How did our kickers do? - Jeff Walker and Brian Hazelwood have the ability to be pre-season All-SEC candidates. The kicking game will definitely be a strength next season.
Last year Gene mentioned a player by the name of Julio Izquierdo. How did this guy do during the spring? - Walk-on Julio earned himself a spot on the special teams and will add depth in the defensive backfield as a free safety.
Which Bulldog players have All-SEC potential? - Although some of the young players have that kind of ability, I will only list juniors and seniors: OL Randy Thomas, OL Craig Moore, OL Eric Allen, TE Reggie Kelly, RB James Johnson, WR Kevin Prentiss, DL John Hilliard, DB Ashley Cooper, DB Tim Nelson, P Jeff Walker, PK Brian Hazelwood.
04/15/98 - Here is my football spring wrap-up, after talking to a well-placed source, for the offensive side of the field. I will review the defense tomorrow.
04/15/98 - Take time out to visit my Bulldog Club and Alumni Association Events Page. There are a lot of events planned over the next few months and we need to support our local chapters by attending their events.
04/15/98 - Miss State is looking at Hutchinson CC running back Jamieson Parker. Sophomore-to-be Jamieson, supposedly, has 4.37 speed in the 40-yard dash. Nebraska is also looking at him. My source didn't mention anything about Parker's background as a high schooler. I will check him out and see if I can come with his high school background.
04/14/98 - I'll have my spring wrap-up Wednesday morning according to reports I have received from various sources. It will not go into great detail but should be interesting reading nonetheless.
04/14/98 - While walking among the outfield fans this past weekend, I came upon several of our coaches enjoying one of the baseball games. Click here to see a picture of Glenn Davis, Jerry Fremin, John Hendricks and Phil Silva. I apologize for not getting the name of the 5th person. I also took a picture of several of the MSU football players. Click here to see a picture of Ed Smith, Dennis McKinley and Julio Izquierdo.
I also got a great picture of four of the football coaches' wives, Click here to see a picture of Betty Grant, Fran Fremin, Minta Davis and Mari Helen Boyd.
04/14/98 - If you are a member of a club such as the Rotary or a club similar to that, call MSU On-Campus Recuiting Coordinator David Wilson and ask him to come to one of your meetings to speak about Miss State football. I have heard the man speak and he is very good. Call him at (601) 325-2534.
04/11/98 - MSU football graduate assistant coach James Brown is looking for a high school coaching job, preferably as an offensive coordinator. If any of you high school coaches who check my page need an offensive coordinator, call James at the MSU football office at (601) 325-2534.
04/11/98 - Former Bulldog football player Dwayne Curry is working in Memphis. I'm not sure what kind of work he does. I have heard he is interested in getting into high school coaching in the state of Mississippi.
04/09/98 - Former Miss State All-American football player D.D. Lewis spoke to the MSU football team yesterday. From what I was told, the players were very receptive to him. He spoke about leading a principled life.
04/09/98 - Walk-on John Hatcher was moved to TE during the just concluded spring practice and from what I was told did very well. Look for him to, possibly, play a few downs at TE next season and to play a great deal on the special teams. Just goes to show what a walk-on can achieve at Miss State if he puts forth the effort. Congrats on a great job, John.
04/07/98 - I was wondering how long it would take before the Edward "Pig" Prather incident would be mentioned on the internet. There was something mentioned on one of the Ole Miss message boards, although it was far from being accurate. What really happened was as follows: Pig and a friend of his were in a car when they passed several guys, one or more of whom yelled out racial slurs. Pig and his friend took offense to this and came back later with Bradley Prather, Rico McDonald and several of their friends to find out why the guy yelled out the racial slurs. Bradley and the guy discussed the matter and it seems the discussion got a little heated and they began fighting. When several of the guy's friends got involved in the fight, Pig and several others came to the defense of Bradley. To make a long story short, an ambulance was called and one of the guys who yelled out the racial slurs was taken to the hospital. He was treated and released the same night. According to someone who talked to the EMT who was in the ambulance that took the guy to the hospital, the only thing hurt was the guy's feelings. Despite this, the guy decided to file aggravated assault charges against Pig, Bradley and several others. It seems the guy claims brass knuckles were involved, although there was no evidence to back up his claim. One of my sources told me that counter charges have been filed against the guy who filed the charges against Pig, Bradley and the others. My sources say, it is very, very likely all the people involved in the fight will either be charged with simple assualt (a misdemeanor which carries a $50 fine) or the charges will be dropped completely. Basically, all this was was a bunch of young men letting their tempers get out of control.
Before some of you began wondering if Pig Prather is a troublemaker, a source of mine talked to the Falkner HS Principal (an Ole Miss fan) about Pig and he said Pig is a great kid who never gets into fights. What is sounds like to me is Pig was baited by these guys and fell for it hook, line and sinker. From what I was told, he, and all the others are extremely embarrassed about the entire incident and will not let it happen again.
04/04/98 - Miss State had approximately 125-150 coaches during the two day coaching clinic. The word is they had a great time.
04/04/98 - Here is a little more info on walk-on freshman punter Todd Stanton. Todd, who didn't play football his junior and senior years, had a 4.0 gpa and a 31 on his ACT. His freshman year in high school, he had a 39.7 punting average for Oakhurst Jr. High. His sophomore year he played for Lee Academy, which had an undefeated regular season record that year.
04/03/98 - Tidbits of news from yesterday's scrimmage:
04/02/98 - Don't forget the 4:30 open football practice today. It will be on the practice fields next to the track.
04/02/98 - As all of you know by now, Northeast Jones HS All-State linebacker Jerry Bolton is walking on at State this coming fall. Something you may not know about him is he has a 4.0 gpa and is valedictorian of his class, according to the Laurel Leader Call newspaper. This is just another example of the caliber of athlete Miss State attracted this year. His coach, Larry Ishee, was quoted as saying "he's dedicated, talented and he excels on both sides of the ball. He's also a team player and a model student."
04/01/98 - According to The G&W Recruiting Report, Miss State's recruiting class was the 16th best nationally and 6th best in the SEC. Georgia (4th), Alabama (5th), Florida (7th), LSU (8th), Tenn (9th) were ahead of MSU. Other SEC schools were ranked as follows: South Carolina (29th), Ole Miss (31st), Kentucky (44th), Arkansas (51st). Vanderbilt and Auburn were not rated in the top 55 which is as far as G&W rated.
G&W said, next to Georgia, Miss State was the suprise of the SEC. They also mentioned that this was Jackie Sherrill's best recruiting class while at Miss State.
