BLUE TIGER
January 12th, 2007, 10:06 AM
There's a pretty decent chance that Carthage football standout O'Neal Wilder will never set foot on a Division I-AA campus to play football.
A 6-foot-5 wide receiver who was a second-team All-State pick by The Clarion-Ledger, he's a coveted prospect who - according to his high school coach - has Division I-A schools Houston, Miami, Mississippi State and Southern Miss beckoning for his services.
But that hasn't stopped Jackson State from sticking its nose in the fray. The sight of an SEC or Conference USA school won't scare it to the sidelines.
"The Jackson State coaches have stopped by, we've talked and (O'Neal) knows they're interested," Carthage coach Pete Lucovich said. "(JSU has) been right in here with everybody else who's asking about him."
In Jackson State's second year of recruiting under coach Rick Comegy, the Tigers are taking a distinctly different approach.
Last year, the Tigers brought in a 53-member class despite having just two months to recruit after Comegy accepted the job in December 2005. With very little time to evaluate talent and establish contacts, JSU coaches admit they were quite liberal with scholarship offers.
This time, they plan on being more selective.
"We're not going to settle for anybody," Comegy said. "We'll keep our sights high and get as many as we can. Jackson State is a great place to play football and we think we can sell that. Recruiting's a funny game and we think we'll be able to come away with some great talent."
Jackson State has about 15 recruits scheduled for an official visit this weekend. Comegy said his main goal for the recruiting season is to improve the defense, specifically the secondary and defensive line. The Tigers gave up more than 30 points in each of their five losses last year.
Some help is already on campus. That 53-person class is the gift that keeps giving even into its second year. Jackson State recruiting coordinator Greg Ruffin said defensive linemen Ernest Brocks (Provine), Desmond Carson (Warren Central) and Brandon McCoy (Greenville Weston), all of whom where recruited last year, should be academically eligible next fall after sitting out last season as true freshmen.
But more help is needed, and Comegy said the coaching staff is willing to wait to make sure they get the personnel they want. That means chasing the big-name prospects and occasionally getting shot down.
"As a Division I-AA school, you have to use your brain and you can't be afraid," Comegy said. "You can't just give away all your scholarships and then realize that some great transfers are knocking at your door and you have nothing to give them. We'll win some and lose some with the big-name guys, but we'll always be out there looking."
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pb...701120344/1073
A 6-foot-5 wide receiver who was a second-team All-State pick by The Clarion-Ledger, he's a coveted prospect who - according to his high school coach - has Division I-A schools Houston, Miami, Mississippi State and Southern Miss beckoning for his services.
But that hasn't stopped Jackson State from sticking its nose in the fray. The sight of an SEC or Conference USA school won't scare it to the sidelines.
"The Jackson State coaches have stopped by, we've talked and (O'Neal) knows they're interested," Carthage coach Pete Lucovich said. "(JSU has) been right in here with everybody else who's asking about him."
In Jackson State's second year of recruiting under coach Rick Comegy, the Tigers are taking a distinctly different approach.
Last year, the Tigers brought in a 53-member class despite having just two months to recruit after Comegy accepted the job in December 2005. With very little time to evaluate talent and establish contacts, JSU coaches admit they were quite liberal with scholarship offers.
This time, they plan on being more selective.
"We're not going to settle for anybody," Comegy said. "We'll keep our sights high and get as many as we can. Jackson State is a great place to play football and we think we can sell that. Recruiting's a funny game and we think we'll be able to come away with some great talent."
Jackson State has about 15 recruits scheduled for an official visit this weekend. Comegy said his main goal for the recruiting season is to improve the defense, specifically the secondary and defensive line. The Tigers gave up more than 30 points in each of their five losses last year.
Some help is already on campus. That 53-person class is the gift that keeps giving even into its second year. Jackson State recruiting coordinator Greg Ruffin said defensive linemen Ernest Brocks (Provine), Desmond Carson (Warren Central) and Brandon McCoy (Greenville Weston), all of whom where recruited last year, should be academically eligible next fall after sitting out last season as true freshmen.
But more help is needed, and Comegy said the coaching staff is willing to wait to make sure they get the personnel they want. That means chasing the big-name prospects and occasionally getting shot down.
"As a Division I-AA school, you have to use your brain and you can't be afraid," Comegy said. "You can't just give away all your scholarships and then realize that some great transfers are knocking at your door and you have nothing to give them. We'll win some and lose some with the big-name guys, but we'll always be out there looking."
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pb...701120344/1073