Leak may be leaning toward Gators

Quarterback Chris Leak is the nation’s second-rated signal caller. Leak, from Charlotte (N.C.) Independence High School, had quite a big weekend. On Friday, they beat North Mecklenburg 77-6. In that game, Leak passed for 585 yards and 8 touchdowns in three quarters. He also rushed for a score. Then, Florida sent their private jet to pick Leak up and take him back to Gainesville for his official visit.

"That was my first ever game in the Swamp," said Leak. "It was great... the crowd was great. Man that place is so loud. Florida is big time football. Coach [Ron} Zook thinks I can play as a true freshman. He said it would be up to me and the coaches. My father wants me to red-shirt. I know Florida has Justin [Midgett] coming in. That's OK because the competition makes you better."

Leak spent a lot of time with the coaching staff, in particular Coach Ed Zaunbrecher, Florida's offensive coordinator. He also got to speak with Rex Grossman.

"I watched Auburn film with Coach Z and then Rex and I broke down the Auburn blitz schemes while watching film,” Leak said. “Their offense is very similar to ours and the terminology is close as well. "Florida made up a ton of ground on Tennessee and that's all I want to say right now."

Tennessee and Florida have always been Leak's top two choices with the Vols holding the advantage for months. Until now. Things are quickly changing. Leak says he plans on taking all of his other visits and making a decision on Jan. 5. Leak also likes Florida State, North Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame.

Right now, Independence is 8-0 and ranked number one in the state and number four in the country. Leak has 152 career touchdown passes and has thrown for over 13,000 yards.

Leak is a five star quarterback and currently ranked number two in the nation by TheInsiders.com.

Four-star OL commits to Georgia

Georgia's good work on the field is continuing to pay dividends off the field. Zeb McKinzey is a four-star player and member of the BorderWars.com 101 Team and TheInsiders.com 101 Team. He has committed to Georgia.

"I was going to commit last weekend," said McKinzey, "but I got real sick and didn't go up.

So I called coach Bobo back and told him I was coming up today. I committed today. I just love the direction the program is heading, and I love the coaching staff."

McKinzey is a drive blocking offensive lineman that is ranked the No. 4 player overall in the state of Georgia by BorderWars.

-- Scott Kennedy, BorderWars.com

Dominic Lee commits to 'Bama

With 12 players already in the fold, Alabama has only the last third of this year’s recruiting class still undecided. And tonight’s commitment from Dominic Lee provides one more huge piece of the puzzle.

Lee, is 6-3, 295 and runs a 5.00 forty. One of the top defensive tackles in the nation, Lee combines an excellent first step with tremendous power. Lee is rated the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in the South, by Borderwars.com. Lee bench presses 405 pounds and has been clocked as low as 4.90 in the 40-yard dash.

“I think my strengths are my quickness and my power,” Lee told BamaMag.com. “Plus, my experience on offense has helped me know what the offensive lineman are thinking and it has helped me learn to defeat double teams.”

Alabama Defensive Line Coach Stan Eggen has been recruiting Lee very hard, but the Tide’s head coach also factored into the big lineman’s decision.

"The main reason I committed was that I got to talk with Coach Fran every week," Lee said. "Most coaches you get to speak to them maybe once, but Coach Fran was available to me each week during my recruitment.

“Plus Coach Stan Eggen recruits my area and he is going to be my coach. He and I have talked a lot and we have had time to bond and get to know each other.”

-- Freddie Kirby, BamaMag.com

Narrows It To Five

HR asked Brown if he would visit Notre Dame on the December 6th weekend with his cousin, Mesquite's Alex Woodley.

"I've been talking about it with my family," Brown said Monday night. "There's a strong possibility that I will."

Since Tarell has already visited Ohio State and has Texas A&M scheduled for November 8th, he was asked about the other two.

"I'll definitely visit Texas and Florida State," he said. "So if I make the Notre Dame trip, that will be my five."

Brown was also asked about Friday's weather conditions in the Stallions' 16-12 win over rival Mesquite.

"The worst that I've ever played in," he said. "After awhile, you get used to it, but it was still bad."

-- David Garvin, HeartlandRecruiting.com

OL Injures Knee

One of the top offensive line prospects from the state of Florida is Donnie Woods from Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson. Woods, 6-5 and 290 pounds, is going to graduate from high school in December and enroll in college in January. Last week, Woods had a bad break in practice. He tore his ACL.

"It happened last Wednesday," said Woods. "My leg locked and my cleats stuck in the grass. I had an MRI later that day and the doctors said I tore the ACL. I am hoping to have surgery on Wednesday."

This will slightly side track his official visit schedule. Woods was scheduled to visit Tennessee this weekend but he had to cancel the trip. In early November, he is scheduled to visit Oklahoma (11-2) but he may have to cancel that trip as well. Right now, his top four are North Carolina, Florida State, Tennessee and Oklahoma. His has taken one official visit so far.

"I took a trip to UNC. It was a great visit. Their facilities are awesome. They have everything I am looking for. North Carolina has set the bar and now I have something to compare everyone too."

But first things first. Woods has to have surgery and begin the rehab process.

"You never really think an injury like that can happy to you. At first I was like 'Oh my God... this can't be happening.' I was depressed. But I will work hard in rehab and get it better for spring practice. All the schools have told me they will still recruit me and they have been very cool about it."

-- Jamie Newberg, TheInsidersRecruiting.com

QB Makes His Decision

"He just committed to ASU," Donnette Affelck, Michael's mother said. "He's doing the chains for a JV game but wanted you all to know. It was a very tough decision for him but he's excited about it and we think it was a good move by him as well.

"For one, he kept talking about the offense at ASU and just loves how wide open it is. We all really liked Dirk Koeter (Head Coach) not just as a coach but as a person. He's someone we feel we can really trust Michael with. The city itself is very nice and Michael loves the warm weather there.

"He really loved USC too. It was an incredibly tough decision for him and I just hope he doesn't have any regrets. ASU has been recruiting him so long and then he loved his official visit so much, he was going to commit to them last week and that day he was going to do it, USC called and offered. He wanted to go to USC really bad in the summer and he loves Coach Chow and everyone there. I think he just felt ASU was a better overall fit for him and so he went and committed."

Affleck was also offered by Utah, Colorado and Arizona.

He shone at both the Nike Camps in Boulder and Palo Alto so much so that we invited him to the Student Sports Elite 11 where he had a great camp. Affleck is big and strong with a great arm and is much more athletic than he looks. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Walter looks like a future star but Affleck will be a solid backup until it's his time to run the show.

-- Greg Biggins, PacWestFootball.com

More Recruiting Hot News from TheInsiders.com

 

Related information

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video