Review of 2008 Recruiting: Cornerback

THE ROSTER

• Doug Dutch (RS Sr.)
• Morgan Trent (RS Sr.)
• Donovan Warren (So.)
• Troy Woolfolk (So.)

THE RECRUITS

Boubacar Cissoko
High school: Detroit (MI) Cass Tech
Ratings: 4-star, #13 CB, #137 overall
College: Michigan
Scoop: Cissoko made 31 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception during 1.5 seasons in Ann Arbor, but legal troubles cut his career short. He spent some time incarcerated and ended up playing in the Arena Football League and overseas.

J.T. Floyd
High school: Greenville (SC) J.L. Mann
Ratings: 3-star, #64 CB, #815 overall
College: Michigan
Scoop: For a discussion of Floyd’s career, you can check out this old senior profile from the end of Floyd’s career (LINK). He was not drafted in 2013 and did not play in the NFL.

Hit the jump for more.

THE TARGETS

Marc Anthony
High school: Chandler (AZ) Chandler
Ratings: 3-star, #27 CB, #359 overall
College: California
Scoop: Anthony redshirted in 2008 and then became a backup in 2009. He spent the next three years as a starter. He finished his career with 137 tackles, 13 sacks, 5 interceptions (for 96 yards and 1 TD), and 20 pass breakups. He was taken by the Baltimore Ravens in the 7th round (#247 overall) of the 2013 NFL draft, but he never played in the NFL.

Robert Blanton
High school: Matthews (NC) Butler
Ratings: 4-star, #22 CB, #271 overall
College: Notre Dame
Scoop: Blanton, who attended the same high school as Channing Stribling, contributed immediately at Notre Dame. He began as a backup and was consistent with 2 interceptions in all four years of his college career; he finished with 194 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 8 interceptions (returned for 128 yards and 1 TD), and 10 pass breakups. He was a 5th round pick (#139 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. He played four years with the Vikings and two with the Bills, totaling 250 tackles, 1 interception, and 5 pass breakups.

Adrian Bushell
High school: DeSoto (TX) DeSoto
Ratings: 4-star, #20 CB, #220 overall
College: Florida Louisville
Scoop: Bushell redshirted in 2008 and then made 14 tackles and 1 interception for the Florida Gators in 2009. After that he transferred and sat out the 2010 season at Louisville. He made 111 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 16 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions during the 2011 and 2012 campaigns with the Cardinals. He was not drafted in 2013 and he did not play in the NFL afterward.

Kardell Dunning
High school: Belle Glade (FL) Glades Central
Ratings: N/A
College: Louisville
Scoop: Dunning redshirted in 2008 and then made 2 tackles during the 2009 season. I can’t find any evidence that Dunning played anywhere after 2009.

Robby Green
High school: River Ridge (LA) John Curtis
Ratings: 4-star, #24 CB, #281 overall
College: Alabama Cal-Penn
Scoop: Green played a bit in 2008 and then was a key factor on the 2009 team, making 33 tackles and 1 interception from the safety position. However, he kept breaking team rules and got kicked off the team in 2010. He made 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack at the University of California in Pennsylvania, a DII school. His career was finished after that.

Jarred Holley
High school: Easton (PA) Easton
Ratings: 3-star, #55 CB, #729 overall
College: Pitt
Scoop: Holley redshirted as a freshman before showing solid skills over the next four years at Pitt. He started for two years total, and he finished his career with 244 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 11 interceptions. He was named 1st Team All-Big East in 2010 and 2nd Team in 2011. He is now a coach at the University of Albany.

Leonard Johnson
High school: Largo (FL) Largo
Ratings: 3-star, #50 ATH, #776 overall
College: Iowa State
Scoop: Johnson became an immediate contributor for the Cyclones, making 41 tackles and 2 interceptions as a freshman. He finished his four-year career in Ames with 241 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries, and 15 pass breakups. In a seven-year career after being undrafted, Johnson made 247 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions (for 2 touchdowns), and 32 pass breakups for the Bucs, Panthers, Patriots, Bills, and Cardinals.

CONCLUSIONS

Biggest miss: Leonard Johnson. Johnson was the lowest rated guy (outside of Kardell Dunning, whose rankings I couldn’t find), but he ended up with a solid college career and the longest NFL career of the bunch.

Biggest bust: Boubacar Cissoko. Ranked as the #137 player overall in his class, much was expected of Cissoko. Even after he wasn’t very productive, I still go back and watch his highlights and see some excellent potential. Some guys come to college and just look total overmatched, but I feel like he could have been a very good player by his third year in college, or if he had a different coaching staff. If you put him with Mike Zordich and Don Brown, he would have been a lockdown corner. But there’s no accounting for off-the-field decisions and influences…

Best in class: The #1 corner in the 2008 class was Patrick Peterson (well, back then his last name was “Johnson”), and that still holds true. Peterson was a 5-star and the #6 player overall. He went to LSU and became the #5 overall pick for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011. His college career included 135 tackles, 7 interceptions, and a Jim Thorpe Award. His NFL career consists of eight Pro Bowls, 428 tackles, 25 interceptions, and 81 pass breakups. He had FOUR punt return touchdowns during the 2011 season alone. The Cardinals even tried to make him an offensive weapon for a few years; he’s the rare NFL corner with 7 career rushing attempts, 10 receptions, and 1 passing attempt.

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