Scout.com released its updated Scout 300 on Monday, and offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson remains the site's top high school prospect. Two other offensive lineman were rated among the country's top 22 players, including tackle James Hurst of Indiana.
In fact, Hurst just might be the most heavily-recruited offensive lineman ever from the Hoosier state, which should put a smile on the face of North Carolina coach Butch Davis. Hurst is one of three verbal commitments for the Tar Heels.
"I ran out of good things to say about James a long time ago," Brian Woodard, Hurst's high school coach in Plainfield, Ind., outside of Indianapolis, told FanHouse.
The ACC championship game has seen diminishing attendance from the 70,000 plus in the first game in 2005 down to a dismal sub-28,000 in 2008. The problem, it seems, has not been the fact that the ACC has been a collective morass of mediocrity that makes it less attractive for fans to want to make last-minute travel plans to the game. It has nothing to do with teams with smaller alumni bases like Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Boston College making appearances.
How about the fact that they have been held in Florida and only once has Florida State or Miami appear? Good luck getting the ACC to admit that was the expectation when they set it up for the first four games to be in Florida.
The game was actually part of an 'organized team activity'. With this coach Butch Davis has almost certainly nixed entertaining thoughts of further Frisbee-related gatherings. We suggest he kill any Nerf basketball thoughts as well, that's a killer. Underwater basket weaving's out. Perhaps even speed dating.
Ahmad Brooks. Michael Johnson. Um, Peter Lalich. Do Virginia fans really miss all those days when Al Groh was still that heat in the streets and VIrginia could crack the top 20's of most recruiting rankings? Well, it sure made Signing Day much more fun, as the past couple of years have seen UVA bank solid, if not unexciting classes filled with linemen on both ends and likely a solid tight end prospect.
2009 has been, well, not too much different, however, over the past couple of weeks there had been speculation that mountainous man Morgan Moses, a 6'7", 343 lb. masher from Richmond could be a key pickup for Virginia. On the one hand, you have UVA's reputation as an OL factory, with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Branden Albert and most likely Eugene Monroe becoming top-15 NFL picks over the past few years. On the other, you have concerns that Moses may not qualify academically for Virginia (especially after the decommittal of Alex Owah, who qualified under NCAA standards, but not UVA's) and a head-to-head competition with the ascendant UNC program.
After last year's oversigning kerfuffle it's gotten to the point where people are emailing me the various malfeasances of coaches in search of hot young things with the expectation head will asplode to the entertainment of all. Doctor Saturday might end up a little disappointed with this post, then, as he forwards along this shockingly frank admission from new New Mexico State coach DeWayne Walker:
North Carolina has a rather solid reputation as a so-called "Public Ivy," and I suppose Hakeem Nicks did his part to reinforce that reputation by doing the smart, if not painfully obvious thing that would make him wealthy in the manner a proud alum would expect- not taking that up north trip for an i-banking job, but making sure a 217-yard, 3 TD performance in a game on national TV (but a loss! Selfish!) would be the last time NFL scouts would see him in a Tar Heels uniform.
Given a 2nd-round projection by the draft committee, Hicks leaves UNC as the single-season record holder for receiving yards (1,222) and touchdowns. Overall, he holds 14 total records, but then again, Damien Durant has more and is arguably the most productive Tar Heel WR of the past couple of years with an even worse QB in his college years.
It's a double-edged sword for Butch Davis, though, who totes understood Hakeem's point of view- UNC's been an increased player in recruiting wars, but on the flipside, that might mean you lose more people in the manner of Nicks. He's part of what's looking to be a pretty big outflux in the receiver corps, but knowing Davis, I'm sure he'll be able to restock.
FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
The bonus of making an amazing catch at the end of 2008 is that you are fresh as mess in the minds the meaningless people who vote on meaningless postseason awards. But timing might not matter much for Hakeem Nicks, because this is the best catch of 2008, bar none.
Now, granted, I feel like I've said this before this year, and certainly David Tyree's Super Bowl grab will give him a run for the money, but come on, man -- did you see what he did there? Ridiculous.
FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
Pat White will go out pretty high up in West Virginia football history -- h'es somehow the only player in the history of the NCAA to win four bowl games, and in his final outing as a Mountaineer, he set a career high for passing yards (328) and tacked on three touchdowns to boot.
Hakeem Nicks -- who became a star wide receiver at North Carolina after Brandon Tate was injured -- picked up a hat trick too, registering three touchdowns and a ridiculous 217 yards, the 20th player to cross the 200 yard plateau in NCAA history.
Naturally, his blowup was aided by the absence of West Virginia cornerback Brandon Hogan, who was absent for "personal reasons" (it appears as if someone in his family is sick, because he's not suspended and there are "thoughts and prayers" being tossed around).
The game itself was equal parts insanity (i.e. offensive firepower) and poor decisions; two fourth down attempts -- the Tarheels near the goal line and the 'Neers on a fourth and one late in the fourth quarter -- encompass the latter. The former was more or less made up by the first quarter, which ended with West Virginia up 21-14 on the 'Heels. It's only insane, point totals aside, because it seemed like it happened on exactly five plays: Nicks with two huge touchdown catches and White throwing darts all over the field.
FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.
Hakeem Nicks has a monster yards-per-catch average in the fourth quarter. That's the good news for North Carolina. The bad news is that this is probably his last game as a Tarheel.
There have been rumors floating about his departure to the NFL leading up to the Meineke Car Care Bowl and then, well, he absolutely blew the hell up today. With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Nicks is sitting at a cool eight catches, 215 yards and three touchdowns.
Granted, the first of the touchdowns was a 73 yarder that should have been intercepted after T.J. Yates threw a wounded goose straight up in the air, but still -- the kid has been nothing short of exceptional all season (Carolina's first ever 1,000 yard receiver) and topped it all off by smashing records left and right en route to a career high in yardage.
Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, there are rumors that Matt Millen is still running things in the front office. And there's no chance he can pass on a wide receiver this talented in the first round.
Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, North Carolina), which pits North Carolina against West Virginia.
Overview / Matchup: The Meineke Car Care Bowl is another post-season showdown that features two teams who don't have to travel far. Butch Davis' North Carolina Tarheels -- whose season was shattered by Russell Wilson and the Wolfpack just a few weeks ago -- are primed for a letdown game, following their inability to give themselves a shot an ACC crown. Meanwhile, West Virginia somehow managed to finish roughly top 30 in the country, despite losses to ECU and Pitt.
Hotels: Ballantyne Resort is the finest accommodation in Charlotte, but unfortunately it's 20 minutes from the stadium. If you want true luxury accommodation (or really love golf) it's well worth the commute. Otherwise try The Westin Charlotte or the Courtyard by Marriott City Center, both are reasonably priced (although the Courtyard is easier on the wallet) and centrally located.
Restaurants: The Capital Grille is arguably the best restaurant in town, popular with financial players and offering great dry-aged steaks. Zink New American Kitchenfeatures new twists on classics dishes like sloppy Joes. Formerly a transmission shop and car wash, Mac's Speed Shop is just outside the city center and has some of the best pulled-pork barbecue in town.
Nightlife: Therapy Marketplace and Café will appeal to those looking for calmer nightlife. Therapy offers indoor and outdoor seating and a wide variety of coffees and martinis. Ri-Ra The Irish Pub is the place for bar games and entertainment in downtown Charlotte. Activities range from trivia games to karaoke and free tango lessons.
NCAA Football 
Scout.com released its updated Scout 300 on Monday, and offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson remains the site's top high school prospect. Two other offensive lineman were rated among the country's top 22 players, including tackle James Hurst of Indiana. 
The ACC championship game has seen diminishing attendance from the 70,000 plus in the first game in 2005 down to a dismal sub-28,000 in 2008. The problem, it seems, has not been the fact that the ACC has been a collective morass of mediocrity that makes it less attractive for fans to want to make last-minute travel plans to the game. It has nothing to do with teams with smaller alumni bases like 
North Carolina 
Ahmad Brooks. Michael Johnson. Um, Peter Lalich. Do Virginia fans really miss all those days when Al Groh was still that heat in the streets and VIrginia could crack the top 20's of most recruiting rankings? Well, it sure made Signing Day much more fun, as the past couple of years have seen UVA bank solid, if not unexciting classes filled with linemen on both ends and likely a solid tight end prospect.
After last year's 
North Carolina has a rather solid reputation as a so-called "Public Ivy," and I suppose 
