Northwest's Klatt commits to Michigan State
Posted July 17th, 2008 by mrasor
Football
Local four-star offensive lineman Nate Klatt recently committed to Michigan State.
Akron offered the nation's No. 4 center a scholarship, but the Canal Fulton resident's decision came down to Michigan State, Northwestern, Indiana and Kansas.
- However, Akron did extent another scholarship offer…
Javon Cornley, defensive end, Columbus
Offers: Akron, Indiana, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) and Marshall
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 215
Speed: 4.68
Notes: Rivals.com also mentioned Cornley among the state's 10 best tight ends. Considering Akron's 3-3-5 defense and Cornley's thin frame, he is probably pegged for that position.
Men's basketball
Pardon me for breaking the silence, but isn't anyone concerned about Zeke Marshall decommitting?
Marshall's quotes show excitement for playing at Akron. However, my inferiority complex in regards to my fanhood of Akron tells me not to pencil him in the lineup just yet.
Marshall has verbally committed, and that should have forced most coaches to back off. Still, the nightmare of seeing an adverse story on Rivals.com (or the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) irks me.
Am I alone? Is this topic taboo?
July 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Mike,
First, keep up the good recruiting info. It's great to read your blog and always have the most recent scholarship offer, fo those of us who don't have the time or are just too lazy to see if anything has changed on Scout's or Rivals' lists.
Second, It's natural to feel paranoid about Zeke. You live in Northeast Ohio as a sports fan, and we've all been burned around here too many times to count. I've been seeing all the right signs about this, however. He's said all the right things in interviews, and everything I have seen points to him thinking of himself as a Zip already. If we want Akron to progress as a team, getting recruits like Marshall is essential.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Mike, there is an unwritten code among college basketball coaches to not tamper with verbally committed recruits. Just the opposite occurs in men's football. There are a few coaches that do not honor the code. For the most part who they are is well known in the coaching community. Basically, Zeke is probably 95% or better locked into Akron.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Sure anything can happen, but when his parents are posting on the Zips fan site regularly, I would be surprised not to see him sign. Either way, Kent Fears the Roo!
July 18th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Frenchy said on his TV show on Monday that he wouldn't be surprised if other coaches Sean Miller at Xavier continue to try to pry Zeke away, especially as Zeke's stock continues to rise.
GET YOUR MEAT HOOKS OFF - ZEKE IS OURS!
July 18th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Cornley is an excellent offer in my opinion. I have seen him play on a number of occasions as my alma mater is a Columbus City League school and he seems to have the intangibles and that "special something" that will drive him to succeed. he's not the strongest nor the quickest but he is a solid football player at a position where Akron could use more depth in the long term.
About Marshall…no Mike you are not alone…but yes the subject may be taboo. He seems like an upstanding kid though and probably would not decommit unless something very negative happened within the basketball program between now and signing day.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am
GoZips, good info. I didn't know that.
Zach, I think you're right about this being a NE Ohio thing. I probably wouldn't feel this way if it were not for Thome, Ramirez, possibly LeBron.
DSmith,
Amen, brother.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
What Zeke needs to realize is, Akron has been thisclose to winning the MAC and advancing to the NCAA's, having won 20+ games for years and years under Dambrot. Marshall is the key ingredient we've missed–a powerful inside presence–and his addition will likely put the Zips in March Madness for his entire career here. He will be the "rock star" on campus and in the community, whereas he'd be just another small fish in a big pond elsewhere. Akron is a great place to live, work, attend school and play sports. There's so much excitement happening on campus with the stadium and other construction. Zeke made a very wise choice that he'll never regret in committing to UA.