Bulldogs eyeing linemen, corners
With less than a month remaining before the Feb. 4 national signing day, Citadel football coach Kevin Higgins is aiming to sign a class of about 16 scholarship players, with an emphasis on offensive linemen and cornerbacks.
The Bulldogs plan to add about 25 new players in all, including walk-ons, in Higgins' fourth recruiting class.
But when the 2009 season rolls around, The Citadel won't be quite as dependent on freshmen as it has been in recent seasons, Higgins said.
"The rising senior class we have now was our first recruiting class," he said Monday. "So our depth is much better in most positions than it has been. I don't know if there is a position where we absolutely have to have a freshman step in and play.
"Some of these guys will be backups and No. 2 players, especially on the offensive line, and perhaps a (freshman) tight end will be a No. 2 guy. But last year we were able to redshirt a handful of freshmen, and I hope we can do the same this year."
Higgins was reluctant to discuss specific numbers — "Everybody reads everything these days," he said, referring to rival schools — but said offensive linemen and cornerbacks are top priorities.
"If you are talking about emphasis, we're talking about offensive linemen, cornerbacks and a couple of tight ends," he said. "After that, it's defensive linemen, a safety or two, a couple of linebackers and a wide receiver."
With starting quarterback Bart Blanchard entering his redshirt junior season and Miguel Starks coming off his redshirt freshman year, QB is not a high priority in this class. Nor, apparently, is running back, with Asheton Jordan coming off a standout freshman year and Terrell Dallas and Cody Wilson also set to return.
After a 4-8 season in 2008, Citadel coaches are not in the same position they were in recruiting last year, when they could brag about a 7-4 record and a tie for third in the Southern Conference.
But Higgins said the progress the military school has made in facilities — including the new-look Johnson Hagood Stadium, new practice field, learning center and locker room and refurbished football offices — is making a difference.
"There are so many things we've done with the infrastructure of the football program, and the Citadel Football Association has really kept that going," he said. "All these things are impressive to the guys we have coming in on visits."
Higgins said about 50 prospects visited The Citadel for each home game last season, and that about 12 prospects will make official visits for each of three straight weekends beginning Jan. 16.
"Our players come back on Jan. 11, and we want the prospects to get the full flavor of life on campus when all the students are here," he said.
Thus far, The Citadel has one known verbal commitment, from linebacker/running back Bay Amrhein from Bishop England High School. Amrhein, 6-3 and 230 pounds, had 105 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 10 sacks for the Bishops last season. He also ran for more than 500 yards and two touchdowns as a fullback and was named first-team All-Lowcountry by The Post and Courier.
Notes
Presbyterian College appears a likely candidate to fill out The Citadel's 2009 schedule, according to a Bulldogs source. The Citadel has not played the Blue Hose since 1991, and has won 10 straight over PC.
The Blue Hose finished the 2008 season with a 4-8 overall record and a 1-4 mark in the Big South, including a 31-28 win over Big South champ Liberty.
The addition of PC to the schedule would give the Bulldogs an 11-game slate, including five at home and six on the road. Unofficially, the road games would include trips to North Carolina, Princeton, Western Carolina, Elon, Georgia Southern and Chattanooga. The five home games would be Presbyterian, Appalachian State, Furman, Samford and Wofford.
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