Return from my hiatus

Let me start off, again, by apologizing. It has been too long since all of you had something new to read from me. Well, midterms and other obligations prevented me from giving this blog much time to get anything done. For those of you that haven't been watching the major news networks over the past several days, the rumors are true. I am currently quarantined with the dreaded H1N1 virus, the 'swine flu'. Really, I am not sure if it is as bad as it sounds. The first day was pretty bad, but honestly, I can walk, talk, and I et that I could drive in a pinch. Whatever.

What I am most frustrated about is the reality that I am probably going to miss Halloween this year. Here at U of A, and most likely at all college, Halloween might just be the greatest day of the year. Last year, I dressed up as the bachelor. I'm sorry, but that is a brilliant costume. Unfortunately for me, I go to Arizona, and it seems none of the sorostitutes quite figured out why the guy in a blazer was walking around with roses. This year, my Billy Mays costume was sure to win them over. I had even planned on picking up some putty or oxyclean to drive it home. If your scoring at home (and I know you are), that is ten days of not shaving gone completely to waste. Thanks, god. A real travesty, indeed.

Today I want to talk about football recruiting. Back in august I gave you a list of guys that I wanted to see end up at Arizona. While the majority of that list is unchanged, I wanted to highlight a few more guys that I would like Arizona to pick up. Note that most of Arizona's defensive back prospects are still undecided, we have our quarterback in the class, the offensive line is filled up, and we have two linebackers. We are only recruiting one running back, Jordon James, and he is down to Arizona, UCLA and Notre Dame. So I am mostly focusing on receivers and defensive linemen.

NOTE: This is by no means official, these are just guys that I think Arizona has at least some chance landing.

Victor Dean. Big Vic is 6'6, 190 pounds, and runs a 4.4 40. Perhaps more impressive is the 18 touchdown catches he has, basically playing in 2 quarters a game. Dean hails from Lincoln High School in San Diego, California. Lincoln was one of the traditional powers in the San Diego section for years until it closed in 2004, and reopened several years ago. With Oceanside's JJ Whittaker already headed here, coach Stoops would have pipelines open to the two prevailing powers in San Diego. Also notable about Dean is that he does his damage out of a wing-T formation, which employs 3 backs and not much passing. Dean's coach is my former coach, Ron Hamamoto, who has sent a few players to Tucson in the past, including the late Bill Wacholz.
NOTE: As far as I know, Victor is not related to Delashaun Dean.

De'Shawn Beck. This guy is reported to be the fastest player in Southern California, running a 4.22 in the 40. With Garic Wharton already on board, landing Beck would mean that Arizona has the two fastest kids on the west coast enrolling in 2010. Take a look at our current crop of receivers. Only Bug Wright is really a burner. (although Criner has established himself as a threat downfield) Getting Beck and Garic on board means stretching the field vertically, which opens up the middle of the field for our outstanding intermediate guys.

Tyler Slavin. Okay, so this guy is kinda goofy looking. I don't care. He is tall (6'3) and smooth as hell. Slavin looks exactly like Terrell Turner, and I would argue is further along as a senior than Terrell was back in '05. This guy looks built for the spread, and honestly, out of all our receiver targets, I put money on him ending up the best. Slavin is physical, beats man coverage, and knows how to attack the football, which means he would be the perfect red zone receiver when Dela and Turner are gone.

Kyle Benson. A big, fast linebacker out of Tempe. I would love stealing some kids out of the Scumdevils backyard, and the 220 pound Benson would be an ideal place to start. Arizona is going to sign several more linebackers this year, and with two junior college guys on board, expect to see an emphasis on high school kids from here on out. Benson's teammate, safety Ramon Abreu, is an extreme long shot, but he is another kid I really like, and it will break my heart when he inevitably signs with Arizona State.

Fred Thompson. Thompson is 6'4, and a lean 260 pounds. A defensive tackle out of Oakland, he visited Tucson last week and by all accounts loved it. This is a guy I see blowing up late, and it wouldn't shock me to see the Cals and Oregons of the world try and steal this guy.

Brandon Mosley. Brandon is a junior college guy, playing ball in Coffeyville, Kansas. This is notable, and extremely important to all of you, because I have a ton of extended family in Coffeyville. That also happens to be a JC powerhouse. The last guy we recruited from that part of the country was Jason Pierre-Paul, an end who can do a standing back flip and is in the process of turning the Big (L)East upside down for South Florida. Mosley has great size, and with 3 defensive ends scheduled to be seniors next season, we need an instant contributor. Out of all of these guys, none of whom are guarantees to attend Arizona, Mosley is perhaps the biggest long shot.

Here is the list, which will include guys mentioned in my previous blog, of recruits I want.
1) Jordon James, RB
2) Victor Dean, WR
3) Marquis Flowers, Athlete
4) Tyler Slavin, WR
5) Josh Robbins, Athlete
6) Jourdan Grandon, DB
7) De'Shawn Beck, Athlete
8) Demetrius Wright, CB
9) Cecil Whiteside, LB (committed to Cal)
10) Andrew Hudson, DE
11) Ronald Powell, DE
12) Brandon Mosley, DE
13) Fred Thompson, DT
14) Kyle Benson, LB
15) Shaydon Acuna, LB
16) Bruce Gaston, DT





Hope you enjoyed the return of the mack. (get it, hehehe) Due to my quarantine, I will have more posts coming soon!