(Sorry about the change in format this week -- on the road.)
CHAPPELL WORKING AROUND SCHEDULE
Canadian (Texas) offensive lineman Taylor Chappell is a hot commodity in the state of Texas and beyond, but has yet to make plans to visit any programs due to a busy spring schedule.
"I haven't set anything definite with anyone right now, it all just kinds of depends on my schedule with basketball and track," he said.
Chappell already has offers from two Big 12 programs in Texas Tech and Missouri, and has received interest from others in and outside of the conference.
"I've been in contact with Wake Forest a little bit. I've also had some contact with Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State."
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect did not attend Texas Tech's junior day last weekend and is still looking to attend his first overall.
"I haven't attended any yet, at this point," Chappell said. "I haven't been able to fit them in with my schedule yet."
As a two-time state champion at Canadian, Chappell is looking for a place that gives him an opportunity to continue that success. "I want a nice stable coaching situation," he said.
"I want to go somewhere that wins and has a chance for a BCS Bowl, and possibly a national championship," he said.
Distance will not likely play a factor in his decision.
"I'm willing to go anywhere right now," he said. "Distance isn't really a big factor for me at this point."
Chappell has had contact with the Red Raiders' inside receivers coach Sonny Cumbie as well as offensive line coach Matt Moore, and is looking to have a decision made by the time the fall rolls around.
"I'm wanting to make a decision sometime before next football season," he said. "I'd like to make the decision then and be able to concentrate fully on the season when it comes."
ZOUZALIK HELPED WITH STEVENSON
During our conversation with Klein (Texas) Oak tight end Max Stevenson earlier this week, he mentioned that he spent a lot of time during his junior day visit hanging out with sophomore receiver Austin Zouzalik.
"He, kind of like me, hasn't really known the coaches very long," Stevenson said. "He's starting to get to know them. All he could tell me was that he really likes them, he thinks they're a good group of guys. He gets along with the strength and conditioning coach.
"It sounds like, to me, that he's getting a good feel for the coaches and that makes me feel like I could to. He explained that Texas Tech is a pretty cool place and then he described it as a lot of people, pretty girls, it's a really fun place to be. That was cool. It was good to hear that from a player."
PREMIUM Q&A: JAMAR WALL
What is your typical day like? Are you just working out
right now?
JW: "That is pretty much all I do. We work out six days a
week. Some days are harder than others."
You are training for the
combine right now, where are you training at before you go to Indianapolis?
JW: "I’m in Orlando, Florida right now"
When do you go to the
combine? Take us through the schedule that you have planned.
JW:
"We
(Defensive backs) usually go last. We arrive on (February) 27th. As soon as I
get off the plane I have to go to a doctor who examines your body to check on
any injuries we have had. Then we have interviews. The next day I am not sure
about but after that the next two days is more interviews. Then on the last day
is when we do our running and all of our drills."
Have you been able
to talk to former teammates who have gone through the combine?
JW:
"I
talked to Darcel (McBath) all the time. I also talk to B-Will (Brandon
Williams). They said that no matter how well you do you are going to be stressed
about it because you have every scout, coach and GM watching you. Just try your
best to relax and go out there and perform because you are not doing anything
that you haven’t done before. "
Have you talked to any teams yet?
JW: "When I played in the shrine game I was talking to about thirteen
different teams."
Talk about the experience at the Shrine Game.
JW: "It was a lot more up-tempo. You are playing against all guys who scouts
think are going to play in the NFL. Going against Eddie (Barnes, NCAA reception
leader from Bowling Green) is tough. He is a really good receiver. He had great
hands and reminded me of (Michael) Crabtree because he caught everything. Going against
the best on every play reminds you that you have to continue to work to get
better. That is how guys stay in the league for 11 years."
What are
you specifically working on in Orlando?
JW: "I work on everything. You can
never stop working on something. The main thing I am focusing on is my speed,
which is a big part of my position, running a good 40 would definitely help me.
I am also trying to keep good mechanics. I still practice ball drills because at
the end of the day you are still a football player and you are going have to be
on the field and are expected to perform. We have two sessions a day, the
morning session is training for all the things we will be doing at the combine,
the second session is all cornerback drills."
Do you know any of the
people you are training with down in Orlando?
JW: "No, some guys are from
Florida, Florida State, Boise State, and the quarterback from Appalachian State
(Armanti Edwards). They are all down-to-earth guys and I will probably keep up
with in the future."
LYON WILL VISIT IN MARCH
Pencil in Boyd (Texas) linebacker Colton Lyon as
attending Texas Tech's big junior day in March.
"I have a visit to Tech’s
junior day on the 27th," he said. "Right now I am just keeping my options open
until I can get up there for that visit and see all of their facilities and meet
with all of the coaches.
"I just want to see what they have to offer since I have already seen SMU and to
see how I fit in with the coaches there and all of that stuff."
Lyon has
received varying levels of interest from Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Miami,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Though he is still waiting
for his first offer, he does not have any preset favorite.
"I don’t have
a preference for any of the schools right now since it’s early and I want to
keep my options open until some of the schools start offering," he said, "then I
will be able to narrow down those schools a little bit."
As for when
Lyon might make a decision?
"Once I start to get some offers from these
different schools I will most likely take all of my visits before I make a
decision."
QUICK HITS
* While Austin (Texas) Lake
Travis quarterback Michael Brewer has shut things down from a
media standpoint, one would think that, almost by default, the Red Raiders are
in a pretty good position with the 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect. Most of the
schools in the Big 12 South already have a 2011 quarterback committed (Texas,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State) and Texas A&M just signed three 2010 signal callers
two weeks ago.
* DeSoto (Texas) wide receiver Cameron White
is currently committed to TCU but the general consensus within recruiting
circles is that he will not end up there.
* Klein (Texas) Oak tight end
Max Stevenson picked up an offer from Baylor on Thursday.
* Brenham (Texas) wide receiver Derek Edwards has indicated
that he is currently receiving the most attention from and being recruited the
hardest by Texas Tech. He will be visiting the South Plains for the program's
big junior day, March 27th.
* Abilene (Texas) running back
Herschel Sims is expected to receive an offer from Texas next week.
This post was edited on 2/26 1:29 AM by A. Dickens
CHAPPELL WORKING AROUND SCHEDULE
Canadian (Texas) offensive lineman Taylor Chappell is a hot commodity in the state of Texas and beyond, but has yet to make plans to visit any programs due to a busy spring schedule.
"I haven't set anything definite with anyone right now, it all just kinds of depends on my schedule with basketball and track," he said.
Chappell already has offers from two Big 12 programs in Texas Tech and Missouri, and has received interest from others in and outside of the conference.
"I've been in contact with Wake Forest a little bit. I've also had some contact with Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State."
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect did not attend Texas Tech's junior day last weekend and is still looking to attend his first overall.
"I haven't attended any yet, at this point," Chappell said. "I haven't been able to fit them in with my schedule yet."
As a two-time state champion at Canadian, Chappell is looking for a place that gives him an opportunity to continue that success. "I want a nice stable coaching situation," he said.
"I want to go somewhere that wins and has a chance for a BCS Bowl, and possibly a national championship," he said.
Distance will not likely play a factor in his decision.
"I'm willing to go anywhere right now," he said. "Distance isn't really a big factor for me at this point."
Chappell has had contact with the Red Raiders' inside receivers coach Sonny Cumbie as well as offensive line coach Matt Moore, and is looking to have a decision made by the time the fall rolls around.
"I'm wanting to make a decision sometime before next football season," he said. "I'd like to make the decision then and be able to concentrate fully on the season when it comes."
ZOUZALIK HELPED WITH STEVENSON
During our conversation with Klein (Texas) Oak tight end Max Stevenson earlier this week, he mentioned that he spent a lot of time during his junior day visit hanging out with sophomore receiver Austin Zouzalik.
"He, kind of like me, hasn't really known the coaches very long," Stevenson said. "He's starting to get to know them. All he could tell me was that he really likes them, he thinks they're a good group of guys. He gets along with the strength and conditioning coach.
"It sounds like, to me, that he's getting a good feel for the coaches and that makes me feel like I could to. He explained that Texas Tech is a pretty cool place and then he described it as a lot of people, pretty girls, it's a really fun place to be. That was cool. It was good to hear that from a player."
PREMIUM Q&A: JAMAR WALL
What is your typical day like? Are you just working out
right now?
JW: "That is pretty much all I do. We work out six days a
week. Some days are harder than others."
You are training for the
combine right now, where are you training at before you go to Indianapolis?
JW: "I’m in Orlando, Florida right now"
When do you go to the
combine? Take us through the schedule that you have planned.
JW:
"We
(Defensive backs) usually go last. We arrive on (February) 27th. As soon as I
get off the plane I have to go to a doctor who examines your body to check on
any injuries we have had. Then we have interviews. The next day I am not sure
about but after that the next two days is more interviews. Then on the last day
is when we do our running and all of our drills."
Have you been able
to talk to former teammates who have gone through the combine?
JW:
"I
talked to Darcel (McBath) all the time. I also talk to B-Will (Brandon
Williams). They said that no matter how well you do you are going to be stressed
about it because you have every scout, coach and GM watching you. Just try your
best to relax and go out there and perform because you are not doing anything
that you haven’t done before. "
Have you talked to any teams yet?
JW: "When I played in the shrine game I was talking to about thirteen
different teams."
Talk about the experience at the Shrine Game.
JW: "It was a lot more up-tempo. You are playing against all guys who scouts
think are going to play in the NFL. Going against Eddie (Barnes, NCAA reception
leader from Bowling Green) is tough. He is a really good receiver. He had great
hands and reminded me of (Michael) Crabtree because he caught everything. Going against
the best on every play reminds you that you have to continue to work to get
better. That is how guys stay in the league for 11 years."
What are
you specifically working on in Orlando?
JW: "I work on everything. You can
never stop working on something. The main thing I am focusing on is my speed,
which is a big part of my position, running a good 40 would definitely help me.
I am also trying to keep good mechanics. I still practice ball drills because at
the end of the day you are still a football player and you are going have to be
on the field and are expected to perform. We have two sessions a day, the
morning session is training for all the things we will be doing at the combine,
the second session is all cornerback drills."
Do you know any of the
people you are training with down in Orlando?
JW: "No, some guys are from
Florida, Florida State, Boise State, and the quarterback from Appalachian State
(Armanti Edwards). They are all down-to-earth guys and I will probably keep up
with in the future."
LYON WILL VISIT IN MARCH
Pencil in Boyd (Texas) linebacker Colton Lyon as
attending Texas Tech's big junior day in March.
"I have a visit to Tech’s
junior day on the 27th," he said. "Right now I am just keeping my options open
until I can get up there for that visit and see all of their facilities and meet
with all of the coaches.
"I just want to see what they have to offer since I have already seen SMU and to
see how I fit in with the coaches there and all of that stuff."
Lyon has
received varying levels of interest from Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Miami,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Though he is still waiting
for his first offer, he does not have any preset favorite.
"I don’t have
a preference for any of the schools right now since it’s early and I want to
keep my options open until some of the schools start offering," he said, "then I
will be able to narrow down those schools a little bit."
As for when
Lyon might make a decision?
"Once I start to get some offers from these
different schools I will most likely take all of my visits before I make a
decision."
QUICK HITS
* While Austin (Texas) Lake
Travis quarterback Michael Brewer has shut things down from a
media standpoint, one would think that, almost by default, the Red Raiders are
in a pretty good position with the 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect. Most of the
schools in the Big 12 South already have a 2011 quarterback committed (Texas,
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State) and Texas A&M just signed three 2010 signal callers
two weeks ago.
* DeSoto (Texas) wide receiver Cameron White
is currently committed to TCU but the general consensus within recruiting
circles is that he will not end up there.
* Klein (Texas) Oak tight end
Max Stevenson picked up an offer from Baylor on Thursday.
* Brenham (Texas) wide receiver Derek Edwards has indicated
that he is currently receiving the most attention from and being recruited the
hardest by Texas Tech. He will be visiting the South Plains for the program's
big junior day, March 27th.
* Abilene (Texas) running back
Herschel Sims is expected to receive an offer from Texas next week.
This post was edited on 2/26 1:29 AM by A. Dickens
