Welcome to Tulane

For universities all around the country, yesterday was a day of great hope and promise. It was National Signing Day! A day where young men around the country- quick-of-foot, with marvelous size, and capable of a violent mentality for three hours every Saturday between the white lines- commit to play football in the nation’s spectator palaces.

For the most part. The next group, the not-so-quick, the bulky rather than massive... well, they get to go to Tulane.

The entire class is here and immediately below. The overall quality is what we're used to at Tulane. Way too many kids who had mostly offers from I-AA schools- or Louisiana-Monroe & places like that. And seriously, way too many who had considered Temple? There are like ten! What is that about?

Still, there are two upsides. One, if you don’t get quality- get quantity and get quantity that can stay in school for five years. Chris Scelfo is bringing a ton of bodies in here- and hopefully some will pan out. Tulane can’t afford to lose the players that do pan out to circumstances that can be controlled. And academics are first on that list. Accordingly, this is a big class- and seems packed with kids who seem to be able to handle the work required in the classroom.

Second, one of the two true blue chip recruits is a quarterback. I’ve gone on about Kevin Moore before- but by all accounts he attracted sniffs from better football places than Tulane: Arizona, UTEP. So, by all accounts he is a quality prospect. Due to the tremendous demands placed on quarterbacks at Tulane running this offense, and the corresponding huge upside & downside associated with each quarterback selection, you have to give any recruiting class at Tulane with a solid quarterback prospect at least a “C”.

Lastly, Andre Anderson seems to have the pedigree to be able to play a little too- and stealing him away from UCF is a nice plus.

The Class (from the Times-Picayune):

QB Kevin Moore, Marcus, Flower Mound, Texas, 6-5, 220 -- A three-year starter at the Class 5A school. Completed 183 of 304 passes for 2,007 yards (61.9 percent), with 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions as a senior. An early commitment who picked Tulane last April instead of Wyoming, Arizona and UTEP. Has a 3.0 GPA and 4.9 speed.

QB D'Metres Hill, Cedar Grove, Ellenwood, Ga., 6-1, 175 -- Elusive player with 4.4 speed. Visited Alabama A&M and had interest from Kansas State and Temple. Played wide receiver as a junior before switching to quarterback. As a senior, he completed 88 of 155 passes (57 percent) in 10 games for 1,468 yards and eight touchdowns with three interceptions. He rushed for 688 yards on 90 carries and scored four touchdowns. Runs the 200 and 400 meters in track. Academically qualified.

RB Andre Anderson, Stephenson, Stone Mountain, Ga., 6-0, 195 -- Rushed for 1,26 yards and 15 touchdowns on 272 carries, an average of 6.7 yards per carry and 130.4 yards per game. All-county selection. Previously committed to Central Florida; he also visited Georgia Tech and considered Stanford, Memphis and Louisville. He was rated among the state's Top 75 in the preseason by Rivals. An honor student.

RB Kevin Ivey, Crescent City, 5-10, 170 -- All-Metro and All-State selection who played running back, defensive back and also returned kicks. In five regular-season games, he rushed for 741 yards and nine touchdowns on 28 carries, an average of 26.5 yards per carry. Caught 23 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns, an average of 18.6 yards per reception. He had 68 tackles and three interceptions. Also considered Louisiana-Monroe and Southeastern Louisiana. Academically qualified.

WR Alan Mitchell, Cedar Grove, Ellenwood, Ga., 6-4, 175 -- A three-year starter with 4.5 speed. Had 38 receptions for 667 yards and four touchdowns as a senior, averaging 17.5 yards per reception. Had interest from Western Michigan, Temple and East Carolina. High jumps 6 feet 5 inches and runs 48.0 for 400 meters at the Class 4A school. All-county selection. Plays basketball. Academically qualified.

WR Casey Robottom, St. Charles, 5-10, 175 -- Played wide receiver and returned kicks for the Class 2A finalists. Was selected All-State as a return specialist after amassing more than 2,100 all-purpose yards. Visited Princeton and also considered Brown, Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State. All-State in baseball and all-district in basketball. Caught 41 passes in 14 games for 645 yards and seven touchdowns, an average of 15.7 yards per reception. A straight-A student with a 26 on the ACT.

OT Peter Hendrickson, Jesuit, Tampa, Fla., 6-8, 265 -- Played one year of football at the Class 3A school that was 9-2 this past season. Visited Louisville, and Delaware and had interest from James Madison and South Florida. An honor student.

OT Nick Landry, Westbrook, Beaumont, Texas, 6-5, 265 -- Two-year starter. Visited Louisiana Tech and Tulane and had some interest from Oklahoma State. All-district selection. Played for Coach Craig Stump, a Tulane assistant coach from 1989 to '91. Plays basketball. Class 5A team was 8-2 and reached the third round of the state playoffs. Has 5.0 speed and a 3.0 GPA.

DE Markus James, Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, 6-3, 235 - Had 120 tackles, 15 sacks and two interceptions. Also played tight end. He is from Bethel High in Hampton, Va., the alma mater of Allen Iverson. Considered Kansas State, Temple and Rhode Island. Has 4.61 speed and a 3.0 GPA.

DT Oscar Ponce de Leon, John Curtis, 6-3, 295 -- Class 4A All-State and an All-Metro selection who had 91 tackles and 12 sacks in 12 games for the Class 2A state champion. Has 5.0 speed. Visited Louisiana-Monroe and canceled visits to Louisiana Tech, Ohio and Southern Illinois. First Curtis player to sign with Tulane since 1999. Academically qualified.

LB Logan Kelly, Cypress Creek, Houston, 6-2, 235 -- Was a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year award. All-district defensive end as a sophomore. Three-year starter. As a senior, he had 116 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions and two blocked punts for an 8-4 Class 5A team. Considered Northwestern and Air Force. Starts at first base in baseball. Has 4.6 speed and a 4.0 GPA.

LB Adam Kwentua, University, Baton Rouge, 6-3, 235 -- All-Metro Baton Rouge selection as a senior. Had 42 solo tackles, 43 assists, 12 tackles for losses and four sacks; caught 10 passes as a tight end. Is a converted defensive tackle who once weighed 260 pounds. Visited Air Force, Navy and Louisiana Tech. Academically qualified.

LB Jeremy McKinney, Clear Lake, Houston, 6-1, 215 -- Had 105 tackles, 17 tackles for losses, two interceptions and he caused four turnovers as a senior. Two-year letterman. Played three game at fullback as a junior. Clear Lake was a state finalist his junior season. All-district as a senior. Academically qualified.

LB Josh Mitzel, Keller, Texas, 6-0, 240 -- Stocky and strong. Had 118 tackles as a senior and 120 tackles as a junior at the Class 5A school outside of Fort Worth. Picked Tulane instead of Washington State, Texas State and Stephen F. Austin. All-district and academic All-State. An honor student.

LB Cody Sparks, Bridge City, Texas, 6-4, 215 -- A four-sport athlete who will wind up with 12 letters. Starter in basketball and baseball and a hurdler in track. Played linebacker, defensive end and wide receiver. Also considered Air Force, Arkansas State and Stephen F. Austin. As a senior at the Class 3A school that was 9-2, he had 88 tackles, 4 sacks and three interceptions. Has 4.6 speed and a 4.0 GPA.

LB Troy Wilson, Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, 6-3, 235 -- Had 55 tackles, six sacks and two interceptions in 11 games at the Virginia prep school that had 12 linebackers on its roster. Fork Union played junior-varsity college teams such as Virginia Tech and West Virginia. He is from Glouster, Va. Considered South Dakota State and Norfolk State. Has 4.68 speed and a 2.7 GPA.

CB Shannon Davis, Benjamin Mays, Atlanta, 6-0, 170 -- Had 46 tackles and six interceptions as a senior. Was second in the state track meet in the 400 meters. Returned kicks and also played wide receiver. Averaged 42 yards on four kickoff returns, including one for a touchdown. Had a scoring run, a scoring reception and a punt return score. Academically qualified.

CB Alex Wacha, Clements, Sugarland, Texas, 5-11, 180 -- Had 80 tackles and five interceptions for the Class 5A team that was 7-4 and reached the postseason for the first time since 1999. A three-year starter, he visited SMU, Louisiana Tech and Utah and had interest from Stephen F. Austin. All-district selection as a senior. As a running back, wide receiver and kick returner, he scored 16 touchdowns. Has 4.4 speed and a 4.0 GPA.

DB Travis Burks, McDonough, Union Grove, Ga., 6-0, 190 -- Has 4.58 speed. Visited Ball State and Middle Tennessee State and had interest from Maryland and Southern Mississippi. Three-year starter at wide receiver and cornerback. Had five interceptions, returning three for touchdowns. McDonough is a Class 5A school south of Atlanta that was 9-3. Academically qualified.

DB Chinoso Echebelem, Duncanville, Texas, 6-1, 190 -- A safety who started for two seasons and also played as a sophomore. Has 4.5 speed for the Class 5A school located south of Dallas. Also considered Duke, Vanderbilt and Texas-El Paso. Has a 3.86 GPA.

P-PK Ross Thevenot, St. Louis, Lake Charles, 5-11, 170 -- All-State at both positions. Made seven of nine field-goal attempts, including a long of 42 yards. Hit all 17 extra-point attempts and put 25 of 27 kickoffs into the end zone. Punted for an average of 47.1 yards. Picked the Wave instead of SMU. Also received interest from Texas-El Paso, Colorado and Michigan State. Named to an All-American soccer team. Academically qualified.