By Mike Loveday

Several Maryland high school football players have been selected to participate in inaugural Champion Gridiron Kings hosted by ESPN RISE Games, scheduled for July 23-25 at Disney's Wild World of Sports in Orlando (Fla.)

City College's Adrian Coxson, Good Counsel's Louis Young, Thomas Johnson's Nick Forbes.

According to the press release, Champion Gridiron Kings is an elite high school football event that features 64 of the best players in the game's seven skill positions – quarterback, running back, tight end, wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback and safety.

Skill position players selected to participate in the Champion® Gridiron Kings event will receive intensive on-the-field and off-the-field coaching from an outstanding list of former football players during the three day event:  Stacey Bailey (retired NFL wide receiver and San Jose State University alum); Donnell Bennett (retired NFL running back and University of Miami alum); Jeff Blake (retired NFL quarterback and Eastern Carolina University alum); Michael Fletcher (Retired CFL linebacker and University of Oregon alum); Chris Gizzi (retired NFL linebacker and Air Force Academy alum); Brandon Hancock (Full back/University of Southern California); Eugene Jackson (Defensive back/University of Oregon Alum); Lonnie Marts (retired NFL linebacker and Tulane University alum); Terance Mathis (retired NFL wide receiver and University of New Mexico alum); Browning Nagle (retired NFL quarterback and University of Louisville alum);Hardy Nickerson (retired NFL linebacker and University of California-Berkeley alum); Louis Oliver (retired NFL safety and University of Florida alum); Carl Pickens (retired NFL wide receiver and University of Tennessee alum); Lamar Thomas (retired NFL wide receiver and University of Miami alum).

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Good Counsel's Frank Tamakloe committed to Wisconsin around 10 p.m. Monday evening.

Tamakloe committed to the Badgers as a strong safety.

Tamakloe took time Monday evening to call coaches at the others schools who had offered him and let them know of his decision.

"I just wanted to really thank the other schools that offered me. I didn't want them to find out over the internet. That's why I did it [committed] so late,” Tamakloe said. "It was a close decision. It was just a blessing for all the coaches that offered me. The Northwestern coaches and Maryland coaches are all great people.”

Tamakloe said his decision came down to three schools: Wisconsin, Northwestern and Maryland.

"They were all 1A (Wisconsin), 1B (Northwestern) and 1C (Maryland),” Tamakloe said. "I just felt right at Wisconsin. I have a good relationship with my recruiting coordinator and I just like Madison.”

"There were a couple other schools that were close to offering, but basically when I looked at my list they wanted me the most,” Tamakloe added. "They weren't waiting for anyone else. I felt like those were the schools that wanted me the most.”

Badgers defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks recruited the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Tamakloe.

At the time of his commitment, Tamakloe held 10 offers many of the major Football Bowl Championship Series schools, including Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Tamakloe is the third Good Counsel athlete to commit to a college from this rising senior class.

Athlete E.J. Scott committed to Virginia two weeks ago and defensive back Louis Young committed to Stanford last season.

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

I just checked out the ESPNU site and they are reporting that Good Counsel's E.J. Scott has committed to the University of Virginia.

Scott held 11 offers at the time of his commitment, but saw the Cavaliers as the perfect fit, whichever side of the ball he winds up playing.

"I felt it was the best fit for me. They brought me in as an athlete so it gives me the option to play offensive side of the ball or the defensive side of the ball,” Scott said. "I kind of knew for a while [that Virginia was his choice] – it was always my top. I looked at other schools like Wake Forest and Rutgers, but UVA really stood out. The academics played a really big part.”

Scott, who plays receiver and defensive back for Good Counsel added that he likes that Virginia runs the spread offense. 

Scott is the second Good Counsel athlete in the class of 2010 to choose a college. Teammate defensive back Louis Young, committed to Stanford last year. 

Editors Note: Updated Sunday: The 2010 Verbal Commit list for Maryland athletes is now updated with Scott's commitment.

Also, with Urbana's new head coach now in place, I have updated the 2009 Coaching Changes list. 

ESPNRise encourages comments from its users. Leave a comment below. Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

It looks as though the competition between DeMatha and Good Counsel is extending to off the field. Between these two WCAC rivals, 13 athletes already hold Division I-A scholarship offers. I'm not sure of the exact number but these 13 athletes have, combined, over 50 official offers.

The latest crop from Good Counsel started last week when the University of Florida extended a verbal offer to sophomore Vincent Croce.

Safety, Frank Tamakloe picked up his eighth official offer today. The University of Maryland offered the Good Counsel junior. The offer brings Tamakloe up to eight offers, including UNC, NC State, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Fellow junior, E.J. Scott added up offers from Wake Forest and East Carolina while Thomas Kokolas has been getting interest from Virginia, Towson and Rutgers.

ESPNU 150 To Watch defensive back Louis Young added Rutgers, UConn, Illinois and Wake Forest to his ever growing stable of offers.

Troy Gloster, another member of ESPNU's 150 To Watch added Michigan State and NC State to his list that includes Boston College, Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

There is growing college interest in defensive lineman A.J. Bowman. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior is getting interest from Delaware and Liberty.

DeMatha has seven athletes with at least one college offer. With the excitement off the field this active, just imagine what the on-the-field action will be like this season.

Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

The University of Wisconsin extended a verbal offer to Good Counsel rising junior Vincent Croce. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Croce also holds verbal offers from Maryland, West Virginia and N.C. State. The offers are expected to become official written offers on Sept. 1 when colleges are allowed to make formal scholarship offers to juniors.

6-foot-3, 189-pound junior, Frank Tamakloe holds offers from Wisconsin, North Carolina and N.C. State. Tamakloe maintains a GPA of 3.7.

Junior Louis Young who had committed to Stanford in October, but decided to reopen his recruiting, holds offers from Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

Receiver E.J. Scott received an offer from Rutgers, Virginia and Wisconsin while defensive end Troy Gloster holds offers from Boston College, Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

Update Sunday March 1: The University of North Carolina just made a verbal offer to Croce.

Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Tuscarora Titans receiver Jakarie Jackson has made his college choice. The 6-foot, 195-pound athlete verbally committed to play for James Madison on Thursday Jan. 8, according to assistant coach Mike O'Brien.

Jackson played multiple positions for Tuscarora this season. The No. 3 receiver on MDVarsity.com's top uncommitted list  played receiver, defensive back, running back and took snaps from under center.

Jackson is the second Titan to commit to a Division I school this year. Defensive back Dominic Clarke committed to play for Ohio State before the season.

Update - It's been a crazy 24 hours as several Maryland athletes have made verbal commitments to colleges. The latest is Loyola receiver Brandon Floyd. The No. 1 uncommitted receiver on our list picked Georgetown University today.

Floyd is the third recruit to make his college choice in the last 24 hours. Gwynn Park's Raynard Randolph and DeMatha's Jeremiah Mathis both made their college decisions Sunday night.

Other recruiting news and notes

Good Counsel defensive back Mike Wallace will take an official visit to Penn State this weekend and will head to New Mexico next weekend, according to assistant coach Kevin McFadden. New Mexico is the latest school to make an official offer to Scouts Inc. No. 82 defensive back in the country.

Staying in the Good Counsel secondary, junior prospect Louis Young has decided to open up his recruiting. The ESPNU 150 player committed to Stanford back in October and he has not officially decommited from the Cardinal, but has opted to look at other colleges. 

Dunbar running back Davon Muse has offers from Central Michigan and Toledo. The senior captain will take an official visit to Toledo in the next week, according to head coach Lawrence Smith. 

Mike Loveday covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com. Mike can be reached at Michael.Loveday@espn.com

By Mike Loveday

Good Counsel rising junior, Louis Young received his fourth offer over the weekend. This time it came all the way from the West coast as Stanford came calling.

The offer came in during Good Counsel's practice on Saturday, according to Young.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Young already holds offers from Boston College, Virginia Tech and Maryland.

Young played on Good Counsel's varsity football team as a sophomore and totaled 48 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks. In addition to his football skills, Young is also a highly recruited basketball prospect.

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	Photo by: Mike Loveday
	Good Counsel straps on the pads for the first week of practice in search of a WCAC title.

By Mike Loveday

Last Season: 11-2, WCAC runner-up

Key Losses: The offensive line graduated five of its top six players, including Bryan Murray (Boston College) and Corey Boatman (Syracuse).

Key Returnees: Jelani Jenkins (LB), Mike Wallace (DB), Caleb Porzel (RB) and Tyler Campbell (QB), Durrell Miller (LB).

Impact Newcomer: Louis Young (DB). Young is technically not a newcomer to the varsity as he played as a sophomore, but head coach Bob Milloy said he is one of the most improved players in the offseason and expects him to have an outstanding season

Most Improved: While Young is one of the most improved, Milloy said Most Improved goes to Devon Gordon-Hamm (OL). Gordon-Hamm is the lone returner to the offensive line and Milloy said the senior lineman has looked impressive in the offseason, improving his footwork and quickness.

Names to look for: Patrick Walsh, Stephen Snyder, and Mike Nittoli. These three sophomores could be the majority of starting offensive line this year, according to Milloy.

My Take: The losses at the offensive line have the potential to hurt the Falcons, but if youth at that position can come at a good time, its now. With seniors like Jenkins and Porzel running the ball along with senior quarterback Tyler Campbell, Good Counsel has plenty of experience that know how to win. That leadership should help keep the offense moving until the young line can come together.

Jenkins is a stud at linebacker and Porzel has been clocked at a 4.4 40-yard dash and worked hard on his hands over the summer. That duo will provide leadership along with Wallace who has offers from Army, Monmouth, Towson and Stanford. Miller gives the Falcons another stud at linebacker and with young players like Young, E.J. Scott and Troy Gloster this could be the first time in Milloy's tenure at Good Counsel they end the season with a win.

Quick Fact: According to Milloy, if Good Counsel starts three sophomores on the offensive line it will be the first time in his 40-year coaching career that has happened.

EDITORS NOTE: If you want more information on this team and the upcoming season e-mail me to find out more about the 2008 Preseason Magazine.

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By Mike Loveday

Oloveday5@yahoo.com

Two rising juniors, St. John Catholic Prep's J.R. Ferguson and Good Counsel's Louis Young, received good news yesterday when both received offers from colleges.

Young received an offer from Boston College around 4 p.m. on Monday, July 28. Boston College assistant coach Ryan Day extended the offer to Young, who now holds three offers. The University of Maryland and Virginia Tech also have offers on the table for Young.

SJCP defensive lineman, J.R. Ferguson, has racked up offers at almost one a week now. Tennessee is the latest school to jump into the mix, as the Volunteers made their offer on Monday, according to SJCP head coach Jimmy Ward.

Ferguson holds seven offers now with Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Clemson.

Young and Ferguson were impact players as sophomores on their respective teams, with Young recording 48 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks and Ferguson totaling 106 tackles and 18 sacks, helping lead the Vikings to a 7-4 record and a share of the MIAA C conference title.

UPDATE: Another Good Counsel athlete received an offer this week. I just got off the phone with defensive line coach Kevin McFadden and he told me that defensive back Mike Wallace received an offer from Stanford this afternoon.

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The wealth of talent at the defensive back position in Maryland is not reserved to the class of 2009. Good Counsel's Louis Young, a 2010 defensive back prospect, received his second offer this weekend.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Young attended the Virginia Tech one-day camp on Saturday, July 12 and came away with an offer from the Hokies, according to Good Counsel head coach Bob Milloy.

"I impressed the coaches with the defensive back drills and especially when we did the one-on-ones against the wide receivers," Young said via e-mail. "After my sixth repetition out of my total of 16 reps during the one-on-ones, the defensive back coach told me that they want to go ahead an offer me a scholarship. After we were done with the day camp I went with the coaches and head coach Frank Beamer and they offered me my second football scholarship which adds to my list with the Maryland University offer."

The University of Maryland's Chris Cosh and Virginia Tech's Billy Hite are recruiting Young. In addition to the Terrapins and Hokies, Young is receiving recruiting interest from Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia and Penn State.

"This is overwhelming. With the interest from the schools, my football coaches and family are telling me the best is yet to come and to stay hungry, aggressive and to always be humble," Young said.

Young totaled 48 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks as a sophomore and is also a highly recruited basketball prospect.

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