The McNabb Report: Marcus coach passes on Permian

Tech has Denton Ryan connection Texas Tech is always looking to re-charge its high-octane passing and the Red Raiders have targeted Denton Ryan's record-setting passing duo. Ryan quarterback Scotty Young committed to Tech this week for the Class of 2010 while the Red Raiders have also offered Young's favorite touchdown target - wide receiver Bud Sasser. And, of course, the Red Raiders get plenty of good pub at Ryan, whose receivers coach is Zac Harrell, the older brother of Tech starting quarterback Graham Harrell and the sons of Ennis coach Sam Harrell. The Harrells were all interested - for a variety of reasons - as Young threw for 65 touchdowns last season which was two away from the state record Graham set at Ennis in 2003 In his first full year as a starter, Young threw for 4,995 yards. As a 6-2, 185-pound receiver, Sasser caught a team-high 24 touchdowns He was the second-leading receiver with 64 catches for 1,250 yards. While Young has experience in running a pass-happy, spread formation offense under Ryan coach Joey Florence, Sasser is a physical, athletic receiver similar to Tech's recent receiving star Michael Crabtree (6-1, 200). Like Crabtree was at Carter, Sasser is a basketball star at Ryan as well. And like Crabtree, Sasser uses more strength, body position and intensity to make catches rather than blowing past defenders with blazing speed. Sasser already has offers from Tech, Arizona, Kansas Missouri and Tulsa. Depending on how commitments fall, Sasser also could get a later offer from Oklahoma. At Texas Tech, the Raiders like the possibility of having the strong-armed Young throwing to a familiar target. In fact, Tech's starting quarterback for 2009 likely will be Taylor Potts and his favorite target likely will be his Abilene high school teammate Lyle Leong at receiver. While Young is a solid Tech commit, Sasser likely won't commit until later this summer or later. "I'm just going to wait and see what happens until summer time or next year," Sasser said. "I want to see when my offers stop coming so I can narrow them down and see where I want to go and why I want to go to that school." Marcus RB setting visits Now that Marcus knows that coach Bryan Erwin won't be lured away by Odessa Permian, the Marauders are gearing up for a strong 2009 season. Erwin visited Odessa last Friday and Saturday before withdrawing from consideration to remain at Marcus. Another big reason for Marcus' future optimism is running back Stephen Hopkins, who'll return for his third year as a starter. The 6-0, 220-pound Hopkins is starting his recruiting process for the Class of 2010 this spring. "I'm going down to Texas A&M on April 4th and then to Michigan the following week," Hopkins said. "If I feel like it's the school for me, I'll go ahead and commit." An important factor for Hopkins is to see how he'll be used offensively. He has offers from A&M, Michigan, Kansas, Stanford and SMU. All project him as a versatile who can fill many roles but Hopkins likely doesn't have the speed to be used as a featured back. "I want to see how I'll be used in the offense. I want to know if I'll be used as a situational running back or an every down back. I also want to look at where the program is headed," Hopkins said. Skyline update Highly rated wide receiver prospects Mike Davis and Joe Powell have committed to LSU and Oklahoma, respectively, and linebacker Dominique Patterson to Texas A&M. But that doesn't mean Skyline is any less popular a destination for college recruiters. Linebacker Corey Nelson already was highly rated but he popped off some great measurables in a recent combine. Nelson ran a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, had a 33 ½ vertical jump and 9-4 broad jump. Oklahoma, Texas and A&M already were vigorously recruiting Nelson, but now there is a lot more company. "Michigan, San Diego State, Miami, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Kentucky and Iowa are just a few I can think of that have come in recently," Nelson said. "Auburn is another one. Most of them, they came in after the combine." VYPE columnist David McNabb writes on Dallas-Ft. Worth area recruiting and high school sports every Wednesday on VYPE.com/DFW.