National Signing Day 2007

[SteveB]

Last Wednesday, high school football recruits from around the country signed their Letters of Intent for the University of their choice. After going through the recruit lists for all of the Division 1A schools, below is a list of all of the schools that recruited white athletes at the "white prohibited" positions of running back (no FBs included), defensive back, and wide receiver. I also included players listed as "Athletes" as they generally will play one of these positions.

One of the positions that has continually shut out whites is the running back position. It has been suggested on this site that many talented white RBs are switched to Safety when entering college. In doing my research, this trend was very prevalent. You will see many safeties on this list. There is a large percentage of those players who were star running backs in high school. I made notations on a few who were extreme standouts at the RB position.

The players are listed by name, projected college position, height, weight, and 40 yd time (if available).

1. Air Force
- Chris Boruff, WR, 6-1, 190
- Peter DuBois, S, 5-10, 185
- Brandon Gouin, Ath, 6-2, 200
- Wes Kimmel, Ath, 6-2, 200
- Justin Salum, Ath, 6-0, 189, 4.5
- Aaron Springer (possibly more Native American than white), Ath, 5-10, 175, 4.48, was one of the top RBs in New Mexico.
- Matt Yarab, S, 5-11, 220, 4.5
- Kyle Halderman, WR, 6-0, 175, 4.39
- Frankie Lugo, RB

2. BYU
- Tyler Beck, S, 6-2, 198, 4.7
- J.J. DiLuigi, RB, 5-9, 175, 4.5

- Ryan Kessman, WR, 5-10, 192, 4.6
- Marcus Matthews, WR, 6-4, 180, 4.65
- Gary Nagy, S, 6-1, 175, 4.6
- Jordan Pendleton, WR, 6-2, 190
- Steven Thomas, S, 5-11, 180
- Jordan Smith, WR, 6-4, 200, 4.51
3. Boise St
- Mitch Burroughs, RB, 5-9, 180, 4.51

- Cedric Febis, CB, 6-3, 188

- Matt Kiserman, RB, 5-11, 190, 4.5

- Aaron Tevis, Ath, 6-4, 200, 4.6
- Hunter White, WR, 5-10, 197, 4.59

These schools signed 4 white players to the position of WR, DB, or RB

Penn St
- Drew Astorino, Ath, 5-11, 175, 4.44
- Jon Ditto, WR, 6-3, 221, 4.55
- Joe Suhey, WR, 6-2, 190
- Nick Sukay, S, 6-3, 200, 4.5
Purdue
- Dan Dierking, RB, 5-9, 178

- Tyler Haston, Ath, 6-3, 202, 4.5
- Joe Holland, Ath, 6-2, 195, 4.5
- Nick Mondek, Ath, 6-6, 224, 4.72
Army
- Mark Allen, WR, 5-11
- Cody Buck, S, 6-3, 215
- Drew Ezell, WR, 5-11, 176
- Josh Kornmann, WR, 6-2, 180, 4.5
Colorado St
- Zach Donaldson, S, 6-1, 195, 4.55
- Jarrad McKay, S, 6-0, 185, 4.55
- Matt Yemm, Ath, 5-11, 175, 4.5
- Phillip Morelli, RB, 5-11, 185, 4.5

These schools signed 3 white players to the position of WR, DB, or RB

New Mexico
- Bubba Forrest, S, 6-0, 190
- Carmen Messina, RB, 6-1, 197

- Mica Williams, S, 6-2, 195
Minnesota
- Shane Potter, S, 6-1, 195, 4.6
- Kyle Theret, S, 5-11, 185, 4.6
- Jimmy Thompson, WR, 6-1, 180
San Jose St
- Chris Assily, S, 6-1, 215
- Kyle Flinn, WR, 6-2, 205
- Josh Harrison, CB, 5-9, 167, 4.5

Utah St
- Kyle Gallagher, Ath, 6-0, 179
- Curtis Marsh, RB, 6-1, 190

- Mark Watterson, WR, 6-0, 165

These schools signed 2 white players to the position of WR, DB, or RB

Miami, OH
- Fitzgerald Bobo,WR, 6-4, 190, 4.55
- Anthony Kokal, S, 6-0, 180, 4.58
Ohio U
- Riley Dunlop, WR, 6-1, 166, 4.5
- Jay Edwards, Ath, 6-0, 198, 4.59
North Texas
- Sam Dibrell, WR, 6-2, 198
- Micah Mosley, RB, 6-1, 205, 4.53

Troy
- Richie Henderson, WR, 6-1, 176, 4.76
- Stanley Jones, WR, 6-0, 175, 4.47
Ball St
- Sean Baker S, 6-0, 186, 4.53
- Daniel Ifft, WR, 6-2, 169
Central Michigan
- Nick Bellore, Ath, 6-1, 225
- Brandin Friske, WR, 6-3, 205, 4.67
Rice
- Michael Fuda, WR, 6-0, 175, 4.4
- Wil Norris, Ath, 6-1, 210, 4.56
Tulane
- Chandler Davis, WR, 6-0, 160
- Taylor Echols, WR, 6-3, 180, 4.45
Fresno St
- Zak Hill, CB, 6-2, 175

- Matt Lindsey, WR, 6-2, 180
Nevada
- Shane Anderson, WR, 6-0, 207, 4.46, 41" vert

- Jonathan Ott, S, 6-1, 180, 4.46
Texas Tech
- Bront Bird, S, 6-4, 201, 4.8
- Taylor Charbonnet, CB, 5-9, 164, 4.4

Florida
- Steve Wilks, S, 6-2, 195
- Paul Wilson, WR, 6-1, 175, 4.45
Boston College
- Dominic Magazu, WR, 6-2, 190, 4.6
- Dan Mulrooney, WR/S, 6-2, 190, 4.41

Safety?
Iowa
- Colin Sandeman, WR, 6-1, 188, 4.53
- Tyler Sash, Ath, 6-1, 190, 4.57
Northwestern
- Scott Concannon, RB, 5-10, 185, 4.49

- Brian Peters, S, 6-3, 194, 4.61
Ohio St
- Rocco Pentello, S, 6-0, 188, 4.45
- Dane Sanzenbacher, WR, 5-11, 174, 4.64
San Diego St
- Vince Camarda, S, 6-2, 190, 4.51
- Logan Ketchum, S, 6-3, 195, 4.6
Wyoming
- Brian Kuhtz, S, 6-3, 190 (was the Offensive MVP in Wisconsin at RB)
- David Leonard, S, 63, 195
Notre Dame
- Steve Paskorz, Ath, 6-1, 215, 4.6
- Harrison Smith, Ath, 6-2, 201, 4.38

Wake Forest
- Cameron Ford, WR, 6-4, 215, 4.65
- John Stamper, Ath, 5-11, 182, 4.5
Syracuse
- Chaz Cervino, WR, 5-10, 175, 4.47
- Max Suter, S, 5-11, 185, 4.41

Safety?
California
- Chris Conte, S, 6-3, 180
- Alex Lageman, WR, 6-0, 205, 4.53
Oregon
- Jeff Maehl, CB, 6-1, 185

- Aaron Pflugrad, WR, 5-9, 159
Stanford
- Taylor Skaufel, S, 6-0, 190
- Sean Wiser, WR, 6-2, 190, 4.55

All of the rest

TCU - Tank Carder, Ath, 6-2, 200, 4.6
Utah - Mike Honeycutt, S, 6-0, 165
Arkansas St - Derek Lawson, RB, 5-11, 210

North Carolina - Matt Merletti, RB, 5-11, 185, 4.48

Virginia Tech - Danny Coale, WR, 6-0, 195, 4.42
Cincinnati - Drew Frey, WR, 6-3, 195
Connecticut - Robbie Frey, RB, 6-0, 184, 4.52

Pittsburgh - Dom DeCicco, WR, 6-2, 196, 4.59
Rutgers - Joe Martinek, RB, 6-0, 192, 4.49

Washington St - Eric Block, S, 5-11, 167
Oklahoma St - Josh Cooper, WR, 6-0, 175
Texas A&M - Roger Holland, WR, 5-11, 178, 4.38
Arkansas - Crosby Tuck, WR, 6-1, 185, 4.43
Miss St - Zach Smith, S, 6-0, 164, 4.61
Ole Miss - Colby Arceneaux, S/CB, 5-10, 195
Indiana - Matt Ernest, WR, 6-3, 170, 4.5
Baylor - V.J. McElroy, S, 6-1, 180, 4.4 (son of former Oakland Raider, Van McElroy)
Iowa St - Alex Sandvig, WR, 6-0, 168, 4.64
Marshall - George Carpenter, RB, 6-0, 210, 4.64

(son of former NFL RB, Rob Carpenter)
Idaho - Eric Greenwood, WR, 6-6, 200, 4.7
Eastern Michigan - Kevin Long, S, 6-1, 195
Kent St - Alan Vanderink, Ath, 5-8, 167, 4.54
Toledo - Tim Cortazzo, WR, 6-1, 185, 4.4
Florida Atl - Austin Jones, S, 6-1, 190
Louisiana Lafayette - Lance Kelley, WR, 6-2, 190, 4.48

The following schools did not recruit one white kid to RB, DB, or WR:
UNLV, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tenn, Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Northern Ill., Temple, Western Mich, Duke, Florida St, Ga Tech, Maryland, Miami Fl, NC State, Virginia, Louisville, South Florida, West Va, Arizona, AZ State, Oregon St., USC, UCLA, Washington, East Carolina, Houston, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan St, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas St, Missouri, Nebraska

, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Clemson, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico St, SMU, Southern Miss, UTEP, Tulsa, UAB, UCF.

I may have missed one or two guys, so let me know if you know of one that I missed. Here is the list of our future white college stars. Enjoy.

Edited by: SteveB

 

[white lightning]

Thanks for all of the hard work SteveB.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Great stuff, Steve B. I wasn't sure about Colby Arceneaux, but I'm glad he's white. Ole Miss looked to have another very black class this year. Arkansas State signed a player that Jimmy Chitwood knows to WR. His name escapes me right now.

 

[KG2422]

Thanks SteveB.

 

[ocaamikedm11]

Great list. I think overall, the best class was Penn St. for me. I can't remember the exact numbers, but they were probably the best of the upper tier programs in terms of recruiting whites. Thankfully JoePa has gone back to the roots that made him a national power, and now the athletes that caused the demise of the program about 5 years ago.

 

[sunshine]

Well done steveB. A few caught me by surprise especially Coale for Virginia tech. I just assumed he was black or forgot he was white.
A few OLB's who run 4.4 : Andrew Gahkar--Mizzou
Tyler Nielsen--Iowa
Kevin Rohleder--Kansas State

 

[sunshine]

One more fast LB that I couldn't come up with until I remembered he plays for Jenks HS. Tim Dial--4.4 speed will play at Arkansas.

 

[SteveB]

Scout.com profile for Colby Arceneaux with pics
Colby Arceneaux
Scout.com profile for Danny Coale with pics
Danny Coale

 

[Don Wassall]

Great work, Steve! If it's ok with you I'd like to run it on the homepage like we did last year.

 

[SteveB]

Great work, Steve!  If it's ok with you I'd like to run it on the homepage like we did last year. 

Absolutely!

 

[Sark6354201]

Very nice compilation.

 

[BrianLeonard23]

if this is Diluigi, then.....

 

[voice]

Great Job SteveB!

 

[SteveB]

if this is Diluigi, then.....

He is Italian or Sicilian. Look at his surname. It seems we have this same discussion everytime an Italian, Spanish, or Greek athlete is the topic. They are of European decent and their cultures have contributed heavily to Western European culture as we know it.

If you doubt his ethnicity, just look at his stats, 4,000 yds rushing in two years, led his team to the CIF Championship and won MVP honors in the playoffs. Yet with all of those accolades, nobody in the Pac-10 recruited him. Hmmmm.Edited by: SteveB

 

[KG2422]

If he's already Italian and he tans.....Edited by: KG2422

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I'm glad I'm not the only one getting tired of the endless debate over who is 100% white and who isn't.

 

[SteveB]

I just updated my list, moving Air Force into the number 1 slot. I was looking to find out where some of the local players from my area signed and found out that Kyle Halderman and Frankie Lugo signed with Air Force.

I don't know much about Lugo other than he had 1060 rushing yds and 15 TDs, but Halderman is an All-State receiver. Halderman had 1078 yds receiving for 7 TDs and an incredible 27 ypc. He set the national record for the longest reception at 99 yds and he did it TWICE this past season. He didn't get a lot of recruiting attention because he is also a very good basketball player and opted not to play football his sophomore and junior seasons.

Funny how these kids never made it on the Rivals.com or Scout.com committment lists. Good luck to them at Air Force.

Katy ISD Players Given the Cold ShoulderEdited by: SteveB

 

[devans]

Steve B - great work.


I think the list of the all the Colleges that have not recruited a single white kid to RB, WR or DB is the most informative, and most damning. They might claim that the talent isn't there, but this site always lists scores of great High School athletes that are available at these positions and get passed over.

 

[backrow]

I'm glad I'm not the only one getting tired of the endless debate over who is 100% white and who isn't.

no you're not bro, not you're not

 

[SteveB]

If you compare this year's list to last year's, there are 124 white athletes recruited in 2007 compared to 94 in 2006. A 32% improvement.

 

[ocaamikedm11]

Awesome stat, SteveB. Hopefully it will continue to increase, but that hinges on the success of these players who are getting a chance!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I am guessing that since BYU only went after 1 RB, they plan to have whites running the ball with increasing frequency over the next 4-5 years. As of today, including Diluigi, there are 8 RBs returning on BYU's team. That includes fullbacks too, BYUs FBs get a fair amount of carries. Out of the 8, 4 are white, 3 are polynesian, and 1 is black. The whites include a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior. The polynesians include a sophomore and 2 juniors, and the lone black is a junior.

If Bronco recruits a couple more white backs over the next year or so, they will have a mostly white stable to run with over the next several years. Not bad at all, especially when you are in the stands cheering them on!

I am REALLY looking forward to the Colorado State game this year. Could it be Kyle Bell vs. Mike Hague? We'll see!

 

[White Mike]

Marshall - George Carpenter, RB, 6-0, 210, 4.64

(son of former NFL RB, Rob Carpenter)

Marshall gets a good amount of national coverage, and Carpenter is a good NFL pedigree. Hopefuuly he can get his speed up. Thanks for the list Steve.

 

[ocaamikedm11]

The MAC in a general has become a breeding ground of NFL prospects, so you are right if he can get that speed up he may just have a chance..

 

[white tornado]

George Carpenter, Bobby Carpenter the line backer from Ohio nstates brother.