Sports

Tampa Bay's top talents

By Times Staff
Published August 21, 2005

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JERREL YOUNG

SCHOOL: Gibbs

POSITION/SIZE: RB, FS; 6-1, 195

PAST PERFORMANCE: Young had a breakthrough year in 2004, leading the Gladiators to the playoffs. He rushed for a team-high 858 yards in the regular season and went over 1,000 including the playoffs, and was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. He averaged 11.1 yards a carry and scored 10 times. Young was ninth in Pinellas County in rushing, but had 20 fewer carries than anyone else in the top 10. He is also one of the area's top defensive backs.

ACADEMICS: 2.7 GPA, 850 SAT

OTHER SPORTS: Track.

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Florida, Florida State, USF and Florida have all offered Young, and Miami and Boston College are among those interested.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Man, he looks excellent. He's probably in the best shape he's ever been. He picked up seven pounds over the summer, got a little muscle. I'm not bragging, but he's top 3 in the whole area. Alot of colleges like him as a free safety, but he's a helluva running back." - Offensive coordinator Anthony Givins

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "Keep an eye on Gibbs this year. It's going to be a big year. People don't realize how much talent we have."

CAZ PIUROWSKI

SCHOOL: Land O'Lakes

POSITION/SIZE: TE/DE, 6-7, 245

PAST PERFORMANCE: Offense, defense, special teams - Piurowski has done it all. He had 410 receivng yards and six touchdowns last season, including the lone score in the Gators' 39-6 playoff loss to Lake Gibson. He had six sacks last season and shifts from linebacker to end. Before following in his father's footsteps - Paul Piurowski was an All-American linebacker at Florida State - Caz is focused on trying to lead Land O'Lakes to a state championship.

ACADEMICS: 3.36 GPA as a junior.

OTHER SPORTS: Baseball, basketball.

FAVORITE COLLEGE: Orally committed to Florida State.

COACH'S COMMENT: "He's one of our two captains. He's a two-way starter and he's our punter. He's the guy who's got to make us go. It would be hard to win without him." - John Benedetto.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I am going to bust my butt ever game, because my first priority is here in high school. I want to win a state championship."

KEVIN YOUNG

SCHOOL: Clearwater Central Catholic (left above)

POSITION/SIZE: OL, 6-5, 315

PAST PERFORMANCE: Young uses his strength to open holes but he also has the quickness to keep pass rushers at bay. Last season, he was a guard and tackle on offense and also played on the defense line, registering 50 tackles and 13 pressures. This summer, Young, attended Nike-sponsored camps at Florida State and Miami. He bench-pressed 185 pounds 33 times and ran the 40-yard dash in 5.3 seconds at both camps.

ACADEMICS: 3.1 GPA, 1,050 SAT

OTHER SPORT: Baseball.

FAVORITE COLLEGES: UF, FSU, Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, South Carolina.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Kevin developed physically, moves extremely well for his size and is technically sound. He's a kid who can dominate, whether it's on the offensive line or defensive line." - Mike Jalazo.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I attended a camp at South Carolina and really liked it. But I probably won't decide anything on where I'm going until late fall."

A.J. JONES

SCHOOL: Middleton

POSITION/SIZE: OLB/RB, 6-2, 192

PAST PERFORMANCE: The athletic Jones was his team's defensive leader last fall and earned second-team Class 4A all-state honors. With his size and nose for the ball, he has become among the state's most prized recruits.

ACADEMICS: 2.9 GPA, 1260 SAT.

OTHER SPORTS: Baseball, track

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Southern California, Tennessee.

COACH'S COMMENT: "He's an athlete. He plays the game with the intensity and the speed it should be played with, and he enjoys playing." - Harry Hubbard

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I like defense better because you get to hit somebody instead of getting hit. You have the ability to hit someone at any given time. I count on my speed a lot, but I got a lot stronger during the offseason and that should help."

JARRED FAYSON

SCHOOL: Hillsborough

POSITION/SIZE: Quarterback, 6-2, 195

PAST PERFORMANCE: Fayson had more than 1,600 yards in total offense last season and was named second team all-state. He was named the outstanding camper at the Nike Select camp in Miami this summer. Electronically timed at 4.32 in the 40. Rated the 16th best player in the Southeast by Sporting News High School Football .

ACADEMICS: 2.78 GPA

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Florida, Miami, Iowa, Oklahoma, West Virginia.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Jarred has a tremendous work ethic with a burning desire to excel on and off of the field. He is the best pure athlete I have ever coached and a pleasure to be around as a young man." - Earl Garcia

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I know everyone has high expectations after our 11-1 season last year. As captain, my job is to lead by example and that's what I am going to do. If we could win a state championship, we would all want to win it for coach Garcia, a great coach."

RILEY COOPER

SCHOOL: Clearwater Central Catholic (right above)

POSITION/SIZE: WR/DB, 6-4, 205.

PAST PERFORMANCE: Rivals.com rates Cooper the sixth-best athlete. Auburn and Notre Dame have him as the top receiver on their boards. Florida State wants him as a free safety. He has a 40-inch vertical leap, helping him to 32 catches and 987 yards last season, plus 15 interceptions the past two seasons. But Cooper might be the most dangerous as a returner. He led the state at 37 yards per punt return and 34 yards per kickoff return.

ACADEMICS: 2.8 GPA, 970 SAT

OTHER SPORT: Baseball

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Auburn, UF, FSU, Georgia, Miami, OSU, Texas, Tennessee.

COACH'S COMMENT: "He's a phenominal athlete who can contribute just about anywhere - offense, defense, special teams." - Mike Jalazo.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I think we can definitely do better than last year. Our linemen are stronger and faster. ... We've got a lot of weapons."

JIM BARRIE

SCHOOL: Berkeley Prep

POSITION/SIZE: OT, 6-5, 310

PAST PERFORMANCE: The senior is an aggressive run blocker and outstanding pass blocker. He blocks from whistle to whistle and possesses good strength and solid hands while manning left tackle. A key element of the Buccaneers' offensive resurgence in recent seasons, Barrie already has 35 college scholarship offers.

ACADEMICS: 3.6 GPA and qualifying scores on SAT and ACT.

OTHER SPORTS: none.

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Florida State, Oklahoma and Michigan.

COACH'S COMMENT: "He's a big kid and he's an intelligent kid. He continues to get better and better. He only 17 and he's only going to get bigger. He's an outstanding player and a leader on this team and he leads on and off the field." - Frank Sullivan

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "On the line, it's all about effort. I try to give it all on every play. I like to think I'm aggressive and tenacious. At least I try to give that type of effort on every down."

LESLIE STIRRUPS

SCHOOL: Hillsborough

POSITION/SIZE: DL/FB, 6-2, 275

PAST PERFORMANCE: A three-year starter for the Terriers, Stirrups combines athletic ability with a tough-guy attitude and plays sideline to sideline. The Sporting News rates Stirrups as the 70th best player in the Southeast.

ACADEMICS: 2.34 GPA

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Florida, Miami, Florida State, Iowa State.

COACH'S COMMENT: "He is the most talented defensive lineman I have coached in my 32 years. He can dunk a basketball and kick off into the end zone. He can go as far as he chooses to go." - Earl Garcia

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I play hard and I play physical. My job is to contain the quarterback and make as many tackles as I can. That's what I've got to do."

BRYAN THOMAS

SCHOOL: Zephyrhills

POSITION/SIZE: WR/DB, 6-3, 195

PAST PERFORMANCE: Thomas has developed into a versatile threat after three seasons with the Bulldogs. He can play defensive back, wide receiver, running back, quarterback, kick returner and punter. In 2004, Thomas gained 1,027 total yards, scored 10 touchdowns and logged 93 tackles.

ACADEMICS: Thomas has qualified academically and holds a 3.71 GPA, cumulative 3.6.

OTHER SPORTS: Basketball, track and field.

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Thomas is undecided though he lists Florida, Ohio State and Tennessee as his top three choices. All three have made offers as have at least a dozen others.

COACH'S COMMENT: "He plays with class. He's a hard worker. He's a good student. He's the full package. I think that's why he's so sought after. There's a lot of talent out there. A lot of colleges take chances on kids because of their talent. Bryan's a sure bet." - Tom Fisher.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I'll play wherever Coach (Fisher) asks me to play."

DARON ROSE

SCHOOL: Jefferson

POSITION/SIZE: OT, 6-6, 325

PAST PERFORMANCE: Rose anchored a dominating offensive line last fall while helping lead the Dragons to the Class 3A final. He was among the county's top performers, largely because he is equally skilled at pass and run blocking. Most recruiting services rank him among the top 100 prospects in the country.

ACADEMICS: 3.2 GPA, 920 SAT

OTHER SPORT: Basketball.

FAVORITE COLLEGES: Duke, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Southern California, USF.

COACH'S COMMENT: "For his size, Daron really has great feet and good technique. A lot of times, you don't see that from a guy in high school. But he's very agile for a big man and that's essential. He's also the type of kid that always works hard to improve." - Mike Simmonds.

IN HIS OWN WORDS: "I'm just trying to focus on lifting and running, working on my technique and my overall game."

- Compiled by Times staff writers John C. Cotey, Steve Lee, Bob Putnam, Keith Niebuhr and Frank Pastor and correspondents Jim Reese and Rod Gipson

[Last modified August 21, 2005, 09:05:38]

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