MARSALIS TEAGUE – TENNESSEE
It may not seem surprising that Marsalis Teague, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound four-star athlete from Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn., decided to stay in-state and sign with the Tennessee. But considering that about a month before signing day Teague was committed to Florida, the Vols pulled off quite a coup.
“It was a real hectic month,” Teague explained. “I figured once I committed I could relax, but it wasn’t until after my commitment that things got even crazier. I was still open-minded though and the more I talked to other coaches the more I realized that I should at least take some other visits just to be sure.”
How did coach Urban Meyer handle the news that Teague still wanted to look around? “He said that they weren’t taking any other corners and that they would still recruit me hard,” he said. “They came after me like I wasn’t even committed.”
Teague ended up visiting Alabama and Tennessee in January and says that in the end it was really between the Vols and Tide – with the Gators a distant third.
“Alabama was definitely right in there,” he said. “I was seriously thinking about them, too. I felt like I’d be a better fit at either Alabama or Tennessee than Florida. I thought I’d be able to play earlier, too, and make a bigger impact.”
But in the end Tennessee got Teague’s signature.
“When I committed to Florida (in December) I felt like they really wanted me the most,” he said. “They were recruiting me hard the whole time and I had a great relationship with (cornerbacks) coach Vance Bedford. They seemed to have the most to offer me.
“But that’s when Tennessee really turned it on,” he said. “Coach Lane Kiffin said he was going to continue to recruit me. He was respectful, but said that he wasn’t going to stop until I was wearing orange on Signing Day.”
So what made Kiffin’s approach different from that of Urban Meyer and Nick Saban?
“It was just his energy,” he said. “It was at a whole other level. He was a lot more hands-on, too. I was always talking directly to him and he made sure to personally talk to me as much as he could. Even during the trip the energy at Tennessee was better than anywhere else. You could just sense the excitement there.”
That excitement continued through Signing Day as the Vols nabbed several top recruits.
“The fact they signed such a great class definitely helps,” Teague said. “You always talk to guys during the process about how great it would be to play together and the things you could do. There’s always those conversations that go, ‘Man, if you went there and I went there and we got this guy...’ That happens a lot.”
So with whom did Teague have that conversation? “Well, (four-star wide receiver) Nu’Keese Richardson (Scout.com’s No. 6 wide receiver in the country) and I are pretty good friends,” he admitted. “We talked quite a bit, so I pretty much knew he was going to sign with Tennessee, too. That wasn’t a real surprise to me.
“I also had a feeling about (four-star safety) Darren Myles (Scout.com’s No. 8 safety) because the coaches were pretty confident about him,” he said.
But when exactly did Teague himself know he was going to ink with the Vols? “It really wasn’t until the Monday (Feb. 2) before Signing Day,” he said. “I had a great visit to Tennessee (Jan. 23) but didn’t want to make a decision at that point.
“It was a real hard decision,” Teague said. “But my family had really been rooting for Tennessee and I liked the idea of going to help the home team. I think we’re really gonna have something going. It’s gonna be a whole new era at Tennessee.”
In fact, it already is a whole new era at Tennessee as displayed by some of the recent publicity that new head coach Kiffin has been getting. “I really like his style,” he said. “Not everybody does. He’s just a ball of energy and that’s good for Tennessee. He’s a crazy guy, but I like it.”
Although Teague is ranked as the No. 18 cornerback in the country by Scout.com, he says that the Vols also want him at wide receiver. “During my visit, Coach Lane Kiffin said he likes me at slot receiver,” he said. “But his dad, (defensive coordinator) Monte Kiffin, said he wants me for corner so I got a chance to meet with both offensive and defensive coaches.
“Either way they said that they’d get me involved early,” he said.
Teague will be moving to Knoxville on June 1.
Pat Muldoon described the Madison, Wisc., atmosphere as “insane” |
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PAT MULDOON – WISCONSIN
As he went through the early stages of the recruiting process, defensive lineman Patrick Muldoon used a number of unofficial visits (he estimates he took 15 to 20 of them) as barometers of which school might best fit him. And the winner turned out to be Wisconsin.
"Just the whole package kind of sealed the deal for me," said the 6-4, 240-pound Muldoon, who played at St. Xavier High in Cincinnati. "It's a really fun town. There's always something going on there."
Muldoon, who might bulk up from defensive end to defensive tackle, picked the Badgers over Virginia, Cincinnati, Duke and Boston College. He’s is a firm believer in young Badgers coach Brett Bielema.
"I feel like he really knows what he's doing and has the program going in the right direction," said the Scout.com three-star defensive end.
Ohio State offered Muldoon in late spring, but it wasn't until Dec. 20 that Muldoon picked Wisconsin.
As a prep, Muldoon played against some big-time competition. "I think that will definitely prepare me," he said. As a sophomore, he lined up against the Pouncey twins -- Mike and Maurkice -- who currently anchor the interior of the offensive line at national champ Florida. "It was an experience," said Muldoon, who believes he had 1 1/2 sacks in the game. "It was crazy going against those two play after play. They were just pounding on me."
While the unofficial visits were beneficial, it was Muldoon's official to Wisconsin that helped seal the deal. "The atmosphere was insane," he said. "I wouldn't say it was a determining factor at all, but kind of like icing on the cake."
"I do what I've got to do to protect the QB," said super large Chris Freeman. "I'm pretty nasty."
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CHRIS FREEMAN – MISSOURI
Even though he's only been playing football for two years, offensive lineman Chris Freeman, from Trotwood-Madison High School, in Trotwood, Ohio, already has learned his top priority in his job description. "I do what I've got to do to protect the QB," said the 6-foot-9, 320-pound Freeman. "I just do whatever I've got to do to protect him from getting hit."
Freeman selected Missouri from a list of schools that included Wisconsin, Colorado and Tennessee, after visiting the Tigers on Jan. 23. "I can't really explain it,” he said. “I went on my official and everything about it was cool. The program, it might be one of the best programs in the country. I'm ready to get over there and start working."
Despite the losses of standout signal caller Chase Daniel and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, Freeman believes Gary Pinkel has the program headed further north, after consecutive 10-win seasons. "We still have some other good players," Freeman said.
The Scout.com three-star offensive tackle switched from basketball to football prior to his junior season but believes that the time in the gymnasium helped his footwork, which has already been described as great. Freeman's build may lend itself better to the football field rather than the basketball court, where a certain amount of pushing and shoving is allowed, but there is this little thing called a foul.
"Just getting down and getting dirty," he said. "I'm pretty nasty."
Justin Green will get a chance to run the ball with the Fighting Illini |
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JUSTIN GREEN – ILLINOIS
Fairly late in the recruiting process, Louisville Male (Ky.) standout Justin Green said it would take something "really great" to change his commitment from Ohio State. Something great turned out to be an opportunity to play running back and that opportunity came at Illinois.
The four-star 5-foot-11, 180-pounder had been committed to the Buckeyes since June, visited Illinois in late January, and announced on Signing Day that he had flipped to Ron Zook's program. Green was likely ticketed for cornerback in Columbus. In Champaign, Scout.com’s No. 23 cornerback will have the opportunity to carry the ball. "It's definitely what I would like to start off playing," Green said.
Green, who missed three games his senior season because of injury, carried 86 times for 510 yards and eight touchdowns. He knows that early playing time, where he landed, is no given. "I knew anywhere I go I'm going to have to compete to play right away," he said.
Ultimately, Green visited Ohio State, Kentucky and Clemson, but it was that late trip to Champaign on Jan. 23 that tipped him from one Big Ten school to another. "Basically I just felt right at home with all the staff and I felt like I clicked really good with all the players," Green said. "I knew right after my visit. Now I'm just ready to get to work."
Green says his strengths are his speed and the ability to hit a hole fast. "And get to where I need to be going," he said.
That turned out to be Illinois instead of Ohio State.