Lots of stuff today. My basketball game story is here, my notebook is here, a must-read column by David Ramsey is here and my BYU wrap is in the post below this one. The Provo Daily Herald’s take on the game is here.

Also, check out my story on Air Force’s recruiting class here. It includes a list of recruits The Gazette has confirmed will attend the academy or its prep school next fall. For more on Air Force’s recruiting and some of the recruits, check out the extensive notes below. …

More About the Recruits

In talking to the high school coaches of Air Force’s recruits the last few days, a couple things stood out that signal Troy Calhoun and his assistants have landed another great class:

-Almost invariably, the high school coaches talked about how hard their player played – how they never took off a snap.

-I also heard a lot of “he’s just a great kid, in addition to being a great player,” comments.

-Most of the recruits played for traditionally strong and winning high school programs in highly competitive areas – something Jeremy Crabtree, the national recruiting editor at Rivals.com, said is “one of the most overlooked factors when fans talk about the recruiting process.”

“Everyone wants to talk about kids who have fast 40-yard dash times, but they overlook the biggest thing, which is if the kid’s a winner,” Crabtree said. “Especially if you are recruiting positions of leadership like quarterback and linebacker, you want kids that are competitors and hate losing. There’s no doubt that Air Force has made that a priority.”

-As noted in my story that appeared in today’s edition of The Gazette, Air Force is going with smaller recruiting classes – quality over quantity. Crabtree said he thinks kids “appreciate that it’s more selective to have an Air Force offer. To get one truly means you’re going to be a difference-maker. And, like it or not, kids want to hear that they’ll get a chance to play early.”

Here is more on some of the players …

-DT Nathan Badger, Norman, OK (Norman North)

Badger, who will enter the academy directly, chose Air Force over Navy. Badger’s coach, Lance Manning said, “The Naval Academy is sick they didn’t get” Badger. Crabtree labeled Badger “a steal.”

Manning said Badger, who is 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, should end up being about 275 pounds.

“In the three years I’ve known him, we’ve corrected some mistakes,” Manning said. “But none has ever been because of taking a down off.”

-DB Loyd Bradley, Arlington, TX (Mansfield Summit)  

Kyle Geller, Bradley’s coach at Mansfield Summit, said the 5-9, 170-pound Bradley “displayed all the leadership qualities you’d expect out of an Air Force recruit.”

Bradley (whose nickname is “Hollywood”) said his father retired from the Army as a Sergeant Major. “So I guess I got a lot of insight on the way of life and the way I will be living in the near future,” Bradley said.

-MLB James Chambers, Wichita Falls, TX (Rider)

Chambers’ coach listed him at 6-0, 215, but he’s listed at 5-10 and 5-11 by some recruiting web sites.

That, Crabtree said, could have scared away some schools.

But what Chambers lacks in size he makes up for with football smarts, intensity and athleticism (he has a 37-inch vertical leap).

-K/P Daniel Compton, Phoenix, AZ (Paradise Valley)

According to Paradise Valley coach Donnie Yantis, Compton was more than just a specialist.

“He wasn’t one of those kickers who isolated himself,” Yantis said. “He was part of the team and was one of the leaders of our program. He never missed a workout, never missed a running session. He was one of the hardest workers in the weight room and on the football field.”

Compton played fullback and linebacker early in his career and scored a touchdown as a backup fullback in his sophomore year. But he was limited to kicking and punting later in his career because he was too valuable in those roles, Yantis said.

Compton, who handled kicking duties for three years, made a school record 19 field goals in 30 career attempts. His long was 48 yards. He put 85 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks and as a senior dropped nine punts inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. He was the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in the 4A Desert Sky Region – as a kicker.

“He might be the best kicker to come out of the state in 10 years,” his coach said. “That kid could be kicking on Sundays. He’s got that potential.”

-LB Brian Corcoran, Klein, TX (Klein Oak)

Corcoran moved from linebacker to rush end for his senior season because Klein Oak needed help up front. He made 116 tackles (41 for losses), recovered three fumbles and deflected a pass that was picked off and returned for a score.

“He was awesome,” Klein Oak coach David Smith said. “He has a great passion for what he does.”

The 6-0, 220-pound Corcoran likely will play outside linebacker at Air Force and certainly seems to have the athleticism to do it. He runs the 110- and 300-meter hurdles for the Klein Oak track team.

-OL Nick Jackson, Kennesaw, GA (Harrison) 

According to Harrison coach David Hines, Jackson has been “the heart of our offensive line” the last three seasons. Jackson started at center in all  34 of Harrison’s games the last three seasons and helped a running back rush for more than 3,000 yards in the last two seasons.

“He’s one of those kids that’s the reason you get into coaching – to be associated with kids like him,” Hines said. “He’s a hard worker, very much a company man, a team player and willing to help everyone else.”

Harrison ran some shotgun, so Jackson is experienced snapping the ball out of that formation and when the quarterback is under center. And while he is big (6-4, 291), he can move, Hines said. “As far as him getting up on the second and third levels, he’s very good at that,” Hines said.

-LB Brett Johnson, North Augusta, SC (North Augusta)

North Augusta coach Dan Pippen called 6-1, 210-pound Johnson “the kind of guy you want on your side.”

Here’s an example of why.

“We played a scrimmage on a Saturday (before the 2008 season), and he did well, but when he got home he hit his foot on something and broke a bone,” Pippen said. “He had the bone removed on that Monday, and then he played in our first game two weeks later. So he’s a tough, tough kid.”

Pippen said North Augusta used Johnson as an inside and outside linebacker. He said Johnson does a good job of going side to side and “makes a lot of hustle plays.”

-TE Colin King, Victoria, MN (Holy Family Catholic)

In his senior year, the 6-4, 232-pounder caught 32 passes for 664 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 305 yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries (Holy Family Catholic ran a tight end reverse) and returned 17 kickoffs for 488 yards and two scores.

A team captain, King helped lead Holy Family Catholic to the state semifinals at the Metrodome. According to the school’s sports information director, King bench presses 300 pounds and dead lifts 460; runs a 4.73-second 40-yard dash; and has a 30-inch vertical leap.

-RB Brent Michaels, Lake Havasu City, AZ (Lake Havasu)

A workhorse.

Michaels rushed for 4,165 yards and 55 touchdowns on 570 carries the last three seasons, including 1,506 yards and 25 touchdowns on 211 carries as a senior.

According to his coach, Karl Thompson, Michaels set an Arizona record for rushing yards in a game with 470.

Michaels stands 6-1, 230, but he also is in the top 10 in the state in the 100-meter dash.

“His straight-ahead speed is phenomenal once he gets going,” Thompson said. “He’s not afraid to mix it up and hit, but if he can get the edge or corner, he’ll do it.”

One of Michaels’ older brothers is in the Air Force, Thompson said.

-OL Jake Morin, Overland Park, KS (St. Thomas Aquinas)  

Crabtree saw the 6-5, 287-pound Morin several times in person this season. He said Morin has “a big, great-looking frame,” “moves really well” and has “great feet.”

St. Thomas Aquinas coach Kevin Kopecky said Morin “is probably the only three-year starter on the offensive line I can remember here in a long time – and I’ve been here 12 years.”

Morin started at left tackle for a team that ran a spread offense out of the shotgun.

-QB Desi Rodriguez, Saugus, CA (Saugus)

Saugus coach Jason Bornn called Rodriguez “a natural born leader, just extremely competitive and gifted athletically.” Bornn said Rodriguez “had the ability to influence people to follow him and to lead by example.” Rodriguez guided Saugus to a 9-4 record.

The 6-0, 185-pound Rodriguez was true dual-threat, rushing for 1,783 yards and 20 touchdowns on 243 carries and completing 111-of-186 passes (59.7 percent) for 1,655 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He appears to be a good fit for the Air Force offense.

“I’ve been running the triple-option out of the spread and shotgun, so I think it suits me really well,” Rodriguez said. “I know they have (quarterback) Tim Jefferson, and it’s going to be good for me to learn from him. I’m excited about where coach Calhoun is taking the program, excited about the offense and the defense and I just imagine in a couple years we’ll be a great team.”

Rodriguez said he’d attend the prep school prior to the academy.

-LB Richard Stevens, Dallas, TX (Bishop Lynch)

According to coach Bill Persinger, Stevens was recruited by Tulsa, Rice, SMU, Louisiana Tech, Villanova, Georgetown and Pittsburgh.

Air Force “really got a gem right here,” Persinger said.

Stevens is 6-2 and 215 pounds, but “can run like a deer,” Persinger said. Stevens was the Texas Association of Parochial and Private Schools 100-meter dash champion with a time of 10.75 seconds and runs about a 4.4-yard 40-yard dash. He also punted for Bishop Lynch, which last year contributed lineman Evan Epstein to the Falcons.

According to Persinger, Stevens wants to be an aeronautical engineer.

-DE Drew Swartz, Gilbert, AZ (Gilbert) 

Swartz played both ways for Gilbert, which was “for us, a little bit unusual,” said his coach, Jesse Parker.

Swartz first was recruited by Mike Thiessen, who is charge of Arizona. Swartz then came out in the summer for a tour and was back in January for an official visit. He was so convinced the academy was the place for him that he cancelled an official visit to Navy.

“The main thing I liked about the coaching staff is a lot of them went to the academy, and that’s big to me,” Swartz said. “Coach Calhoun’s real down to earth, he doesn’t hold himself in high esteem above the other coaches. Other head coaches I met really didn’t act like that. … Coach Calhoun came over and talked to me, wanted to know about me and was interested in me – I wasn’t just another player.”

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.