Today I had a nice interview with Jamon Brown (2011-DT Recruit) who clarified a few things for me. There have been some reports which stated Brown had committed to Louisville and then opened his recruitment back up. Brown told me, "I did give my verbal commitment to Charlie Strong, but I'm keeping my options open". Jamon really feels coach Strong can help him because he is a defensive coach who has coached the defensive line before. However, he likes the staff at UK, including Coach Turner (who is handling his recruitment) and the SEC.
I asked him how often he was hearing from both programs and he told me, "I call them both 2-3 times per week." Jamon told me playing time and proximity to home were his two biggest factors. He said, "I want to make an impact as soon as possible".
The prep star plans on attending the Nike Camp on May 1st in Columbus, Ohio. Right now, that is the only camp he has planned. He plans on taking his visits and deciding close to signing day. He has already visited both schools unofficially and expects to take other visits as other schools are getting involved.
His teammates, Jerrell Moore and Jalen Harrington, hold offers from UK and U of L as well. When asked if they were considering playing together in college he said, "Yes Sir." Jamon is being recruited to play defensive tackle and is currently 6'4" tall and weighs 300lbs. He has taken his ACT, but waiting on the results. Because he grew up in the Louisville area, he has always been a Cardinal fan.
This is an educated guess. Because they are verbally committed to UL, I think Jamon Brown and Jerrell Moore will lean publicly toward UL while continuing to talk with UK's staff privately. There may be local pressure on them to attend UL. This will take months to play out and, meanwhile, Joker will be working on filling his limited number of 2011 scholarships.
ReplyDeleteBottom line, I tend to doubt Brown or Moore ends up at UK unless they are willing to change their commitments this summer. And maybe they will. But that really depends on where they want to play in their hearts. They verballed to UL, and that tells me a lot. I still remember the Mario Urrutia story, and it has been a long time since a Fern Creek HS grad played football at UK.
My best early guess is that Joker will sign Jon Davis, Darrian Miller, and Lamar Dawson out of the Commonwealth in 2011. UK might end up signing Zach West too, but the current focus is on OL prospects Kiaro Holts and Nick Martin who appear to be early UK leans. Currently, the staff appears to be very active in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and the Indianapolis and Cincinnati areas. Of course, a lot can (and probably will) change between now and next winter.
My guess is that all three kids end up at Louisville. However, you can never count out Joker Phillips. Brown cleary wants to keep his options open, but I think all three will play together.
ReplyDeleteI think the Cats land Lamar Dawson, Jon Davis, Darrian Miller, Zach West (if they offer) and Nick Martin. I think Kiaro and doesn't end up at UK. Also, I think Kal Prince could end up at UK.