Bearcats Stay Hot on the Recruiting Trail

Things have certainly been hot on the recruiting trail over the past few months for Coach Tommy Tuberville and staff. To date, there are a total of 16 commitments for the class of 2015. Just for comparison, at this time last year, the Bearcats had 10 commitments so things are definitely moving more quickly this year. While it is good to have the recruiting class come together as early as possible, it also means the the staff has to be selective about who they take since only 10 or so scholarships remain for this class.

The Bad

• On July 14th, cornerback commit Antonio Howard decommitted from the Bearcats while he was at an Alabama camp. It was known that Howard’s commitment was seen as light at best so the decommitment was not really a surprise. Howard originally committed to Florida International back in March, then switched to the Bearcats in May. Many fans were excited about his pure speed as he recorded the fastest 40 yard dash times at several camps that he attended. This was a prospect that I would bet the staff knew in advance that their chances of holding on to him were slim.
• A few days after the Antonio Howard decommitment Quintin Hampton decided to flip his commitment to UCF after a unofficial visit there. One of his former teammates committed to UCF last year and apparently Hampton was close friends with this player. He could have been a big time prospect for the Bearcats since he had the single season sack record last year for his district. It sometimes stings when a player decommits but it adds a little extra sting when the player flips to a team within the AAC.

The Good

• The Bearcats hosted their final camp of the summer on July 18th and there were several prospects in attendance that could have been put on commitment watch. On the 19th, running back Joshuwa Holloman pledged to the Bearcats. According to several recruiting analysts, Holloman is a very underrated recruit and is a solid pickup for the Bearcats. He has clocked a 4.26 40 yard dash time which is one of the fastest in the country and also has the 10th highest Nike SPARQ rating out of 21,000 prospects. This is a player that will add some much needed speed and can complement current commit Taylor Boose who is more of a power back.

Where To Go From Here?

The main focus for this staff has now turned to the offensive line. Five offensive linemen will be graduating after this year and with only 3 juniors on the squad the offensive line will be extremely young heading into next year. In the best case scenario, the staff will pull in 2-3 high school prospects and 1-2 JUCO players who can have an immediate impact next year. Currently, the class of 2015 has no offensive line commitments so the staff has plenty of work to do in this area.

With the commitment of Joshuwa Holloman, long time target LeVante Bellamy may not have a committable offer at this point. Since there is no immediate need for the running back position in the next 2 years, the staff has received commitments from a speed back (Holloman) and a between the tackles power back (Boose) which leaves no room for Bellamy. Things may change in the future but it seems that the class is full at the running back position.

Names to Watch

Athlete Abu Daramy

Safety Dior Johnson

Offensive Lineman Evan Mallory

Outside Linebacker Bruce Davis

Defensive Lineman Ben Cooper

Offensive Lineman Brandon Pertile