Tag: visits

NCAA Extends Recruiting Dead Period

It’s not a surprise by any means but the NCAA announced on Thursday afternoon that the recruiting dead period has been extended.

It’s not a surprise by any means but the NCAA announced on Thursday afternoon that the recruiting dead period has been extended.

From the NCAA offices:

It’s not a surprise as early on Thursday we saw Florida implement stay-home guidelines and just days ago President Trump extended the command to continue to socially-distance until the end of May.

What Does It Mean for Recruits/Coaches?

Pretty much that they just can’t meet in person.  The stories we’ve heard about running game coordinator Lance Taylor showing up in North Carolina regularly to see coveted Will Shipley will continue to be paused.

However, coaches can still reach out to recruits by phone call, text message, Facetime/Skype calls or if they’re really feeling good about themselves, by sliding into their DM’s.

April is a wash for this and at this point, May appears iffy at very best in terms of visits occurring.  My best guess is that we’ll see a one-time rule change for visits to be made under these extreme circumstances.

NFL delays offseason activities indefinitely due to coronavirus threat

The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to indefinitely delay a number of 2020 offseason activities in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

While the National Football League has elected to go forward with free agency and the start of the new league year, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to suspend a number of activities in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Below is the opening of the official press release, announcing offseason activities will be delayed indefinitely and access to club facilities will be restricted for the near future to ensure player and staff safety.

“The NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today announced that, following discussions with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and consultations between the medical teams for the NFL and NFLPA, and based on coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance from public health officials, NFL clubs will delay indefinitely the start of their off-season programs.  In addition, special procedures will be in place for the start of the new League Year until further notice.”

The first phase of organized team activities (OTAs) was set to kick off on April 6 for teams with new head coaches and April 20 for all other clubs.

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Which players will be most impacted by NFL’s coronavirus policies?

In an effort to maintain safety among teams and draft prospects, the NFL has canceled all pre-draft visits to team facilities and colleges.

The President of the United States has declared a national emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Countless sporting events have been put on hold or canceled. NFL teams, including the Detroit Lions, have suspended travel for coaches and personnel staff.

And now, in an effort to continue safety efforts among teams and draft prospects, the NFL has canceled all pre-draft visits to team facilities and colleges.

While the league is being proactive in limiting physical interactions in the name of safety, their decision to not alter the current 2020 NFL calendar, could have a different type of negative impact.

On Wednesday of next week, the existing plan is to open the league’s new year and free agency period. This would also keep the 2020 NFL Draft schedule in place as well as the spring mini-camps and summer plans.

While maintaining this current schedule and safety standards appears workable on the surface — teams/agents can negotiate contracts over the phone — travel is still an essential part of free agency, as NFL contracts require medical checks to be completed.

Teams can, and probably will send private transportation to gather top-tier players in order to get their contracts done. But, will they be inclined to pay for private transportation for second and third-tier players? What about the fourth tier? At some point, teams will have tough spending decisions to make and it could cost these players opportunities.

Additionally, by maintaining the current schedule/safety plan prohibiting teams and prospects from interacting at pro days and facility visits, the second, third, and fourth-tier prospects will once again be the ones who feel the biggest impact.

These visits are where teams cultivate relationships and are often the difference between an undrafted player getting a shot in the NFL or potentially needing to look for a new line of work.

At the end of the day, the safety of individuals needs to continue to be a priority and to their credit, the NFL and their organizations are taking measures to ensure that it is. But if things continue down this path and the NFL schedule begins on time, there will be a significant amount of non-high profile players that will be a severe disadvantage.

Saints to meet with small-school quarterback prospect before 2020 draft

The New Orleans Saints are one of a few teams set to meet with Florida International’s James Morgan, a rising prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft

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All three quarterbacks who played for the New Orleans Saints last year are on track to test free agency, but it’s a safe bet that two of them will return. Team executives have made a contract extension with Drew Brees an offseason priority, while Taysom Hill can be retained on a restricted free agent tender. But that still leaves the door open for another passer to join them, especially if the plan is for Hill to remain heavily involved on special teams and in the receiver rotation.

One name to keep an eye on might be James Morgan, a draft prospect out of Florida International. Morgan has been on the rise after he turned in a solid week of practices at the East-West Shrine Bowl, which he followed up with by interviewing well at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported that the Saints are one of three teams planning to touch base with Morgan in the weeks ahead, along with the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders.

However, Wilson did not include the Saints in the list of teams most interested in Morgan’s NFL potential. That may be due to their lack of familiarity with Morgan as his actual prospects of success, with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein characterizing him as a “tough guy with a big arm” who lacks some nuance to his game, struggling to throw with consistent accuracy. Morgan figures to be picked on the third day of the draft in rounds four through seven, if at all.

But who is he? Morgan grew up near the Green Bay Packers, and was a self-professed Brett Favre fan. He played 42 games in four years as a starter (initially at Bowling Green before transferring to Florida International as a junior), peaking in 2018 with a 65.3 completion percentage with 26 touchdowns thrown against 7 interceptions.

The Saints have kept developmental passers like Morgan around before. J.T. Barrett bounced on and off of the practice squad maybe a hundred times before the Pittsburgh Steelers gave him an opportunity, a role which Tulane legend Ryan Griffin once played. While they whiffed on picking Garrett Grayson as a third-round pick, he’s also worth mentioning in the rundown of past Saints backups. We shouldn’t be shocked if Morgan joins them.

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Texas Longhorns Having Busy Day Of Offers To Recruits

The Texas Longhorns and head coach Tom Herman were busy on Saturday as the Longhorns offered scholarships to five potential signees.

The Texas Longhorns staff had quite the day with recruiting. On top of their offer to 2022 cornerback Jay Guilbeau of Port Arthur, Texas the Longhorns handed out a few more offers to potential signees for future classes.

Coach Tom Herman and the staff handed out offers to the following players who made their announcements on Twitter.

  • Destyn Pazon, 2021 four-star wide receiver from Edna Karr in New Orleans, LA
  • Morice Blackwell, 2021 unrated linebacker from Martin in Arlington, TX
  • Elijah Arroyo, 2021 unrated tight end from Independence in Frisco, TX
  • Landen King, 2021 three-star tight end from Atascocita in Humble, TX
  • Martrell Harris Jr, 2020 unrated linebacker from The Woodlands, TX

The recruiting event on the Forty Acres seemed to be a hit among the prospective Longhorns who were able to attend. Texas is looking to build momentum towards another top 10 recruiting class and with a big day on Wednesday their 2020 class could also be in the top 10 for every year under Tom Herman.

Texas offers 2022 Cornerback

Hosting recruiting this weekend, UT has had players on the 40 Acres. The latest prospect to receive an offer is 2022 CB Jaylon Guilbeau.

Hosting recruiting this weekend, Texas has had players from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 class on the 40 Acres. Giving out a few offers, the Longhorns have now begun to look past the 2020 class and focus on the upcoming years.

The latest prospect to receive an offer from Head Coach Tom Herman is 2022 cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau. Out of Port Arthur, Texas, Guilbeau attends Memorial High School and is currently unranked by 247Sports.

Despite not being ranked, he still has offers from some of the best programs in the country, with Texas being his seventh offer. Oklahoma State is the only other Big 12 school to offer Guilbeau, but Arkansas, LSU, and Texas A&M from the SEC have also offered him.

Guilbeau is the fourth cornerback the Longhorns have offered in the 2022 class. Four players are from inside the state of Texas and five-star Domani Jackson out of Mater Dei High School in California is the only out of state cornerback offered.

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