Notre Dame Recruiting

CLASS OF 2011 INTRO: QUENTIN GAUSE

From time to time you come across a student-athlete that seems to ‘get it’ at a young age. When getting to know Rochester (NY) Bishop Kearney HS football player Quentin Gause, you find just such a young man.

Gause, a 6-foor-2, 215-lb junior (2011), does a little bit of everything for coach Eddie Long’s Kings. Those traits have brought plenty of recruiting attention his way as colleges are recruiting Gause as an athlete, with some liking him as a wide receiver, some as a running back and some as a linebacker on the defensive side of the ball.

“Schools currently recruiting me are Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, Old Dominon, NC State, UNC, UCLA, Stanford, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Florida Gators, FSU, Duke, Virginia , VA Tech, Boston College, Maryland, Nebraska, Pitt, Louisville Cardinals, Rutgers, Alabama, Tennessee and USC,” Gause told NBE over the weekend. “The offers I have received are from University of Syracuse and Akron University.”

The Kings moved to 4-0 with an exciting 24-23 win over Canisius HS of Buffalo (NY) this past weekend.

“When we fell behind 23-18, but we kept our poise and fought hard with a great defensive stand,” said Guase of the win. “To win the game 24-23. I caught a 82-yard touchdown pass from Jake Meek to seal the victory. This has been the highlight of my season so far.”

Gause knows hard work remains and he has gone out of the box to learn more about the game and the dedication it takes to play at the highest levels of the sport. He has set lofty goals for himself as a player and understands success as a team will be most important in helping him reach individual goals as the top student-athlete in New York State and a highly rated player nationally in his class.

“I understand what it takes to have success from your hard work,” Gause said. “I have talked to mentors like Roscoe Parrish, Cecil Martin, Roland Williams, Anothoy Jordan and Tony Collins, all former NFL players. These mentors shared and helped create impact in my life on and off the football field.”

Gause has taken the time to check out potential colleges, making unofficial visits to Rutgers, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State and Syracuse. More will come, but not until after the season as there is more work to be done on the field this fall.

“Our team mission is to lead by example, pushing each other to act like champions, play like champions and be champions,” he said. “By using this formula we can reach our team goal of winning a state championship.”

For fans of the Big East and college football, keep an eye on Quentin Gause in the recruiting process in the next year. He is a player that ‘gets it’ and will bring a tremendous lift on, and off, the field wherever he ends up.

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: OH DE/TE CHRIS ROCK HAS OFFERS; MORE NOTES

St. Francis DeSales of Columbus (OH) is a perennial football power in the gridiron crazed Buckeye state. Their 2009 team is once again poised to be among the top teams in the state and DE/TE Chris Rock is a big reason why.

Rock, a 6-foot-5, 245-lb junior (class of 2011) started off the season with a bang in the Stallions’ opening weekend 38-0 win over Gahanna (OH) Lincoln. Scouting reports from the game listed Rock as ‘unblockable’ as he anchors one of the best defensive units in the state.

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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: CONNOR WUJCIAK HAS OFFERS; DONTREWELL KELLEY & DONTAE JOHNSON UPDATES

New Jersey is a a hotbed for football talent and the current class of 2011 in the Garden State is widely regarded to have a bumper crop of high-major Division 1-A prospects that Big East fans will be learning more and more about. One of the members of the class of 2011 is Seton Hall Prep’s Connor Wujciak, a defensive end prospect.

Recruitniks might recognize the name Wujciak as Connor’s older brother, Alex was a standout linebacker for SHP before moving onto the University of Maryland on a full scholarship. It comes as no surprise that the Terrapins are among those active early in Connor’s recruitment.

“I have no favorites although Boston College, Maryland, and Rutgers have offered me and Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh have been in touch,” said Wujciak of his recruitment.

While a college decision is well off in the future for this standout, preparing for his junior season with lofty expecations is foremost on his mind.

“The expectations for our team this year are very high,”Wujciak told NBE Sports. “Our goal is to win the conference and state championship. We have a lot of talent on this team and the team chemistry is very good so I think our goals are very realistic.”

The quest to accomplish those goals will begin on the road on September 12th with the season opener at Morristown. Wujciak will also line up as an H-back on offense for the SHP attack and see some time on the interior defensive line as well. Big East and college football fans along the east coast should keep an eye on this 6′3, 250-lb prospect as he is likely to develop into one of the most coveted prospects in the loaded New Jersey high school class of 2011.

Dontrewell Kelley Update

Suitland (MD) running back Dontrewell Kelley is gearing up for the season opener this weekend versus Largo High School and is seeing several schools interested in keeping an eye on his progress this season. The 5-foot-10, 175-lb RB/DB has set a personal goal for the season of gaining 1,500 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns while hoping to deliver a state title for Suitland HS.

“Temple, Maryland, UNC and Syracuse,” replied Kelley when inquired which colleges he is currently considering in the recruiting process.

At last check, Syracuse had extended Kelley a scholarship offer and other programs are looking to see him in action in his senior season to monitor his progress on the field.

Dontae Johnson Narrowing List

Pennington (NJ) School athlete Dontae Johnson has been a familiar name among those following east coast recruiting. As a well-rounded student athlete, Johnson has seen his share of suitors. The 6-foot-3, 185-lb safety prospect has the size in the secondary college coaches love. He is looking for a strong end to his high school career.

“This year i expect my team to be more consistent with everything we do,” said Johnson. “I would like to be looked upon as a leader for my team and be the best player that I can be”.

At one time, Johnson had a long list of schools he was considering, but at this point, with his senior season opening in eight days on September 11th against Lower Merion (PA), Johnson looks to have narrowed things down.

“NC State, Stanford and Maryland,” Johnson stated to NBE when asked what schools he was currently considering.

BIG EAST RECRUITING NOTES (8/10/2009)

According to Phil Kornblut’s weekly Recruitng Notebook (The State.com), many players from the South have an eye on Big East programs. Here are the Big East mentions from his Monday recruiting notebook:

- Beaufort (SC) linebacker Justin Parker (6-2, 225) made an unofficial visit to Clemson over the weekend, his first visit to the school. The Tigers and South Carolina are in a battle for Parker and are currently at the top of his list. Parker also has offers from Maryland, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Central Florida, N.C. State, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Colorado and South Florida.

- Wide receiver Kadron Boone (6-1, 185) of Ocala, Fla., has his list down to South Carolina, Clemson, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Cincinnati, Miami and Notre Dame.

- South Carolina is showing some interest in wide receiver Dominique Roberts (6-0, 203) of Daytona Beach, Fla. He has been offered by Connecticut, Florida International, Western Kentucky, Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman.

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL RECRUITING NOTES (8/6/2009)

Here is a round-up of BiG East football recruiting notes found on the web the past few days…

According to Phil Kornblut, in a special for the Post & Courier in South Carolina, here are the Big East mentions from his Monday recruiting notebook:

- Ego Ferguson Jr. (6-3, 260) of Hargrave Prep, Va. Clemson was one of the seven schools he cut. Also making the list were Miami, Oklahoma, LSU, Notre Dame, North Carolina, UCLA, California, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee and Maryland. Notre Dame, Oklahoma and LSU will get three of his official visits. Ferguson plans to get his list to 10 before leaving for schools Aug. 17.

- Darrell Givens (6-1, 172) of Indian Head, Md., is a DB that signed with Penn State last February, but last week was denied admission by the university despite being NCAA qualified.

Givens’ transcripts are to be reviewed by South Carolina’s admissions committee. If accepted, sources indicate there’s a good chance he will join the Gamecocks this week. Givens and his coach were in regular contact with members of South Carolina’s staff last week. North Carolina and Rutgers are the two other schools Givens is considering.

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