He looks like a fantastic athlete who will have a nice upside with a high ceiling. Great height and obviously has good hands too. Love that he's a star Hoopster and a 3.5 GPA. Even though I've been saying we need like 5 WR's, we really need 2 tight ends this class. I'd really like to see the Buffs get this kid as well.
BTW, what's the story with McGhee's kid who committed to Minn. He only took one visit? What's up with that?
He looks like a fantastic athlete who will have a nice upside with a high ceiling. Great height and obviously has good hands too. Love that he's a star Hoopster and a 3.5 GPA. Even though I've been saying we need like 5 WR's, we really need 2 tight ends this class. I'd really like to see the Buffs get this kid as well.
Evaluation
Thornton is a two-way player at the high school level. He looks to be best suited for the tight end position in college as opposed to outside linebacker. He will need to get into a college weight program and add some serious bulk to his frame. He has good height, but is a little too lean for the tight end position at this point. As a receiver he will go over the middle and take a hit to try and make a grab. He displays decent hands. Displays solid straight line speed. He is an adequate blocker who needs to keep improving his technique. Will flash the ability to make good initial contact and work to stay with a block. Displays a bad habit of hopping out his stance and needs to work on his initial footwork. Gets solid hand placement, but needs to be more consistent. Needs to improve his pad level and play lower and move his feet to help him create some push off the ball in the run game. Would like to see him generate more power from his lower body and not get overextended. He displays an adequate motor as a blocker. Thornton is kid with a solid frame, but will need added size to help him as an in-line player. Needs to keep developing his game and continue physically maturing.
He has good height and weight, but we need Tracy Moore before we need this kid. He is not getting much love nationally and there has to be a reason for that.
DaVaughn sounds like another Kory Sperry
DaVaughn sounds like another Kory Sperry
He has good height and weight, but we need Tracy Moore before we need this kid. He is not getting much love nationally and there has to be a reason for that.
The reason he's not getting much love is he's been a basketball player and only started playing football his Jr. year. He's a great HS B-ball player (PF I believe) and has the athletic talent to be a great TE or maybe even a DE (although I'm not sure he could put enough weight on)
Thornton?
Read some of the interviews with his teammates where they said things in November like, "my coach just mailed my tapes out"... I just think DPS city schools don't know how to push their player recruitment like the 'burbs do.
These kids are under the radar because they haven't told anyone they exist until last month, IMO. Which could mean CU will pick up a few low-star steals because nobody's heard of them.
"My coach just sent out my tape a few days ago so I'm waiting for the colleges to get back to me and tell me what they thought," said Hildreth. "Right now I am just focused on the basketball season. I am hoping to take some official visits in January."
I went back and found the quote:
Dec. 20 (!) 2008
Quentin Hildreth, Denver East.
They sent tape out at the end of December? Now it makes sense why Thornton was and is virtually unknown. As well as Hildreth (who is one heck of an RB, but getting no notice either.)
Help me out, but isn't Louis Wright the coach at East? He should know better. Am I wrong on this? Is it another ex-bronco? Something is telling me that East has an ex-bronco as it's head coach. If so, there's absolutely no excuse for the coach to just be sending out tapes in December. None whatsoever.
Help me out, but isn't Louis Wright the coach at East? He should know better. Am I wrong on this? Is it another ex-bronco? Something is telling me that East has an ex-bronco as it's head coach. If so, there's absolutely no excuse for the coach to just be sending out tapes in December. None whatsoever.
East's head coach is Ronnie Woolfork, who played on CU's NC team in the early 90s. Good coach for the boys, but just learning the recruiting game, since when he was recruited from inner-city Detroit to come to Boulder, the internet didn't exist, DVDs and CDs didn't exist, Scout and Rivals didn't exist... you get the idea. He probably doesn't know where to start when the occasional D1 calibre player ends up on his team -- not recruiting saavy yet. (East had precisely one player get a D1 scholly last year, and he went to CSU.)
He's been there maybe 3 years? Thornton and Grossnickle are the first two East players he's coached who got CU offers, word is he's tickled pink. Or gold, I should say.
"He holds offers from CU, CSU, Wyoming and SDSU. "I don't want to play in the Mountain West," Thornton admitted. "[There is] nothing wrong with the Mountain West, but I feel like I can play on the big stage - Pac-10 or Big 12."
DaVaughn Thornton
"He holds offers from CU, CSU, Wyoming and SDSU. "I don't want to play in the Mountain West," Thornton admitted. "[There is] nothing wrong with the Mountain West, but I feel like I can play on the big stage - Pac-10 or Big 12."
DaVaughn Thornton
:smile2:
That quote got a bunch of lammies up in arms. They said they were "Big time". I couldn't help but :lol: