Grading the 2008 Football Recruiting Class

The University of Toledo brought in 23 young men as part of the 2008 football recruiting class. This class filled many needs in the football program. How did the class stack up postion by position?

The University of Toledo brought in 23 young men as part of the 2008 football recruiting class.

A state breakdown of the 23 recruits has eight (8) players from the state of Ohio, four (4) from Florida, (3) from Michigan, two (2) from Pennsylvania, two (2) from Illinois, one (1) from New Jersey, one (1) from New York, one (1) from Indiana, and one (1) from California.

Below is a breakdown by position with a grade for each position.


Quarterback

Grade = A-

Toledo signed two quality quarterbacks in the class. Alex Pettee is a JUCO transfer from Pierce College in California. The 6-2 and 200 pounder has decent speed and a strong arm. He threw for 2,196 yards and 21 TD's, while rushing for 405 yards as a freshman at Pierce in 2007. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

David Pasquale is a 6-2 and 215 pound quarterback with good speed. He threw for 1,847 yards and 14 TD's, while also runing for 629 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground in 2007. Pasquale reminds me a lot of former Rocket QB Tavares Bolden.


Running Back

Grade = C

Toledo signed one running back in this class. Darius Reeves is a 6-1 and 180 pounder from Columbus, OH. He rushed for nearly 4,000 yards and 55 touchdowns in his high school career.

The Rockets wanted another running back in Carlton "Ty" Jones from Tampa, FL. However, Jones signed with Florida State despite having committed to Toledo in January.

The Rockets have some quality running backs already in the program, but you can never have too many running backs.


Wide Receiver

Grade = A+

Toledo signed three receivers in this class, all with excellent abilities. The Rockets really did an excellent job at this position this year.

Kenny Stafford is a 6-4 and 185 pound receiver from Columbus, OH. He has 4.4 speed and played in the National All-Star Game in Florida. He narrowed his choices to Toledo and Nebraska, before choosing Toledo. This was a great recruiting war victory for Toledo against one of the greatest football programs in the history of college football.

Sam Gaymon is a 6-3 and 200 pound receiver from Detroit, MI. He played at a school that ran a lot, but he still managed to garner heavy recruiting interest.

Leroy Houston is a 5-11 and 180 pound receiver from Daytona Beach, FL. Houston is expected to play the slot position at Toledo, and may also return kicks.

All three receivers are good enough to see the field right away this fall and could all be very good players in their careers at Toledo.


Offensive Line

Grade = A-

Toledo brought in four offensive lineman in this recruiting class. Phillip Manley (Hamilton, OH), Fadi Farha (Ypsilanti, MI), Danny Farr (Evanston, IL), and John Morookian (New Berlin, NY) make up a very solid class of offensive lineman for Toledo.

All four players have great size and frames that can add even more size once in the Rocket weight program. Offensive line coach Stan Clayton has to be really happy about these four individuals.


Defensive Line

Grade = B

Toledo needed to bring in some immediate help on the defensive line and they did just that with Albertson Alexandre (Miami, FL), Hank Keighley (Dayton, OH), John Lamb (Southfield, MI), and Malcolm Riley (Fort Wayne, IN).

Alexandre played one year of Junior College ball at Foothill CC in California. The 6-5 and 240 pounder is already enrolled at Toledo and working out with the football team in winter conditioning. He is expected to make an immediate impact this fall.

Keighley (6-4, 230) and John Lamb (6-4, 250) are quality players. Lamb has very good size. Keighley could use some time in the weight room, but he is very quick off his feet and a good pass rusher.

The lone defensive tackle in the group is Malcolm Riley. Riley is 6-5 and 250 pounds. He needs to put on more pounds if he is going to play defensive tackle at Toledo, but he has the frame to do it.

My only beef about the defensive line is that I would have liked to see one more defensive tackle in this class.


Linebacker

Grade = B-

Damien McIntosh (Hamilton, OH) is a very good inside linebacker. At 6-3 and 215 pounds he needs to put on some weight to play inside, but a year in the Rocket's weight program should do the trick.

Darius Quinn (Collinsville, IL) is a 6-1 and 220 pound linebacker with two years of eligibility left. He should be able to come in and make an impact right away this fall, which is what the Rockets need.

Finally is outside linebacker Terrell Anderson (Penn Hills, PA). The 6-1 and 204 pounder seems like a fit for the rover position at Toledo. He's a quick player that knows how to tackle, and the Rockets can use a guy that can tackle well.


Defensive Back

Grade = A

Toledo brought in six defensive backs in this class, and filled a major need on the team. Jermaine Robinson (Pittsburgh, PA) is a very highly regarded player that could play safety or defensive back for Toledo. He originally committed to West Virginia and has star potential written all over him. He should make a big impact this fall.

Kenny Veal (Hamilton, OH) is an athlete in every sense of the word. The kid can play running back, wide receiver, defensive back, and return kicks. Toledo needs him the most at defensive back and he has the potential to play at cornerback right away this fall. He is a huge pickup for the Rockets secondary.

Isaiah Ballard (Toledo, OH) is a local kid that should turn some heads at Toledo over the next few years. At 5-11 and 190 pounds he should be a safety or rover for Toledo.

Andreas Ashwood (Hillsborough, FL) and Anthony Washington (Fairborn, OH) could play defensive back or safety for Toledo. Mark Singer (Cinnaminson, NJ) is expected to be a free safety at Toledo. He has a nose for the ball, as evident with his 18 career interceptions.

Toledo got the depth they needed in the secondary.


Kicker

Grade = N/A

Toledo has not signed a punter yet, a necessity with Brett Kern having graduated. They are looking for a JUCO punter to come in right away and play this fall, so expect a late signee at the punter position. Therefore there is no current grade to this position.


Overall

Grade = B+

Toledo did a great job of filling their needs in this class. The two quarterbacks were essential with Travaris Cadet leaving school and the apparent retirement of Clint Cochran. The three wide receivers can all be stars at Toledo in the future and finally give the Rockets some depth at the position.

The offensive line is solid. The defensive line recruits are very good, but again I would have loved to see another defensive tackle.

Linebacker did good and the defensive backs are excellent. All together the Toledo coaching staff did a great job of bringing in some great athletes that fit the needs of the football team.