Recruiting Insider | Trinity's James Quick sees Petrino as good fit at Kentucky football (Courier Journal)

All-America Trinity wide receiver James Quick said Friday that Bobby Petrino would be a good candidate for the University of Kentucky’s football coaching vacancy, and hiring him could help the Cats’ chances of landing him.

The Cats need some help to have a chance at the Mr. Football front-runner, who reaffirmed Friday that the University of Louisville football team remains atop his recruiting list, with Ohio State and Oregon close behind.

UK, now looking for a coach after Joker Phillips was fired a week ago, is in fourth place — and it would seem to be a distant fourth — for Quick, but he said the Wildcats will get one of his five official visits and “who they bring in will definitely impact what I do with Kentucky.”

A high-profile name that’s been mentioned as a possible candidate for UK is Petrino, the former U of L and Arkansas coach, who recruited Quick before he was fired from the Razorbacks.

Asked generally about potential candidates, Quick — who on Friday was formally selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January — said he’d not heard any names mentioned for the UK opening that particularly intrigued him.

Asked specifically about his thoughts on Petrino as a possible replacement, Quick said: “I think he would fit the job because he’s a great guy and a great coach. As far as him going to Kentucky, that would be a good fit for me if he was there.”

Quick’s interest in U of L, where his father played and where he’s visited for nearly every home game this season, has been a consistent leader for months, and he reaffirmed that strong interest Friday.

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CLASS 3 FOOTBALL: Elliott takes out frustration, leads Burroughs past Park Hills Central in quarterfinal (stl today)

PARK HILLS • Ezekiel Elliott was frustrated.

One of the area’s leading rushers, the John Burroughs standout was held to just four yards on two carries in the first half of the Bombers' Class 3 quarterfinal at Park Hills Central on Saturday. Making matters worse, Central’s keep-away offense had held the ball for all but five of the game’s first 24 minutes.

But Burroughs unleashed the beast in the second half.

Elliott was a one-man wrecking crew, rushing for 171 yards and three touchdowns in the game’s final two quarters and leading Burroughs to a 24-0 win.

The No. 1 team in the STLhighschoolsports small-schools rankings, Burroughs will play Monett in the semifinals next Saturday.

“They (Central) are good at controlling the ball,” said Elliott, an Ohio State recruit. “I’m not used to not having the ball. We came out and our line did a great job.”

Burroughs took control with a 51-yard drive to open the second half. Elliott ran the ball on all 11 plays and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Burroughs a 10-0 lead.

Burroughs forced Central on a three and out and got the ball right back. Three plays later, Elliott broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run to make it 17-0 late in the third.

“They over-pursue,” Elliott said. “So we ran the counter play and the hole was big enough to drive a truck through. It was a great call by our coach.”

The scores broke open the game and forced Central out of its conservative mindset, which played into the Burroughs defense’s hand. Xavier Bledsoe ruined Central’s first two drives of the second half with sacks as the Bombers allowed just 5 total yards in the second half.

“This is the first time we’ve faced real adversity this season,” Bledsoe said. “That’s one heck of a team. They are strong up front, and at halftime we knew we had to pick it up.”

Elliott added to his day with a 1-yard run late in the fourth. Behind a strong effort from its offensive line, Burroughs totaled 194 yards from scrimmage in the second half, after amassing just 45 yards in the first two quarters.

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There is no doubt Devin Smith will have plenty to tell Urban Meyer at practice this week. On hand Saturday to watch his alma mater Massillon (Ohio) Washington played Canton McKinley in a Division I, Region 2 semifinal, the Ohio State wide receiver saw plenty in the 123rd meeting between the two longtime rivals in a game loaded with Buckeyes targets.

While all aren’t sure-fire possible pledges, Ohio State has some interest in McKinley quarterback Eric Glover-Williams and linebacker Jamal Davis as well as the Massillon quartet of cornerback Gareon Conley, offensive tackle Chase Lash, wide receiver Marcus Whitfield and offensive guard Nathaniel Devers.

What Smith saw even more was his Tigers one-up the Bulldogs 28-19 in a game that wasn’t that close. Massillon had 413 total yards of offense and held Glover-Williams to 30 yards rushing. Conley snared four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.

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Visits to other schools and Gareon Conley (Massillon, Ohio/Washington) appear to be getting closer to reality as the Michigan commit has not backed off talk about doing the one thing Wolverines coach Brady Hoke considers taboo.

The feeling in Ann Arbor, Mich., is if a commit takes a visit elsewhere, he’s no longer a Michigan man.

Two weeks ago, Conley said he might take visits to Ohio State and Oregon. The Buckeyes are recruiting the ESPN 150 cornerback as an athlete. The Ducks have shown serious interest.

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Deddrick Thomas is starting to lay out some visit plans.

The sophomore athlete from Memphis (Tenn.) Central will visit UCLA and USC in January, Ohio State in the summer and, eventually, Ole Miss, according to Central coach Bryan Williams. The Rebels, who are about a 90-minute drive from Memphis, have been the most aggressive.

"Right now, Ole Miss is the strongest on him right now," Williams said of the sophomore.

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A visit from Derrell Scott should only reinforce the Gamecocks' position as an early leader for his services. It once seemed shaky. Now, not so much.

After saying this summer that South Carolina was the school that impressed him the most, Scott named a top three last month. The Gamecocks were part of the trio. So were Ohio State and Florida State, which would make one wonder if the competition was creeping up on South Carolina.

Based on his visits this fall, that doesn't seem to be the case. The ESPN Watch List prospect made only one visit this fall and has no plans to make anymore. The one trip was to South Carolina for the Gamecocks' 35-7 win over Georgia in Columbia. Worth noting is that he's been to Columbia multiple times.

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Michael’s Sunday Recruiting Rundown (The Ozone)

The Buckeyes may have a bye week this week but recruiting has certainly experienced no rest. Coaches have been canvassing the country visiting schools of potential recruits. Practices have been conducted this week with a less than full load of coaches due to their recruiting travels.

Urban Meyer and staff continue to push the recruiting envelope beyond reason. They recently convinced the nations No. 1 rated prospect for 2014 – defensive end Da’Shawn Hand – to visit for the OSU-Michigan game later this month. With such a bountiful recruiting class of defensive linemen for 2012 and 2013, it is a coup to get a prospect like Hand to even consider Ohio State.

Offensive tackle Dorian Johnson continues to call Pitt his leader, but he has already scheduled two more visits to Ohio State. This looks really good for the Buckeyes, as it is clear Johnson has high interest in Ohio State and is going to give Meyer and his staff every chance to woo him. This five-star offensive line recruit is a must get for the Bucks. Here is the rest of this weeks recruiting rundown.

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