Offseason Report… Anything But Quiet

Now that the 2012 football season is here, it’s time to remember what got got here. The 2011-2012 offseason was anything but quiet. As New Jersey high school football gets closer and closer to becoming one of the premier states, the quest for a state championship will be even more desirable, but with a twist.

The NJSIAA has approved a new proposal that will make what used to be 4 groups into 5. This comes after the NJSIAA executive committee passed the proposal by a 21-5 margin. The new layout will open up 32 more playoff spots and 4 more. This new alignment will bring each of the schools that were at the top of their conferences (population wise) last year up to another conference this year.

Teams to look out for this year:

– Old Tappan- The Golden Knights will be in a new conference this year with high expectations after turning their season around last year and making a state championship run. Surprisingly, the team will not to rebuild as much due to their young offensive line and defense. Many will count them out after the loss of Devin Fuller and no one really knows what his younger brother is capable of. Needless to say, it will be an interesting year for them.

– Piscataway- Coming off another state championship last year, the Chiefs will look to repeat again behind quarterback Nadir Barnwell. The public powerhouse of central NJ will be in North II, Group V.

The players:

-Alquadin Muhammad- Bosco will rely on Muhammad’s slick passrushing skills to anchor their defense this year. While he definitely was not their go to guy on defense last year, he certainly dis no go unnoticed. He currently hosts offers from Tennessee, South Carolina and Notre Dame among others.

-Kevin Olsen- Has won a state championship the past 2 years as Wayne Hills’ quarterback. Olsen will be part of the 2013 freshman class at University of Miami. He has all the tools to be elite at the next level that include size, arm-strength, vision, and pocket presence.

-Kyle Quiero- The Bergen Catholic wide receiver and safety had an impressive year that included . He committed to Northwestern where he will join former Bergen Catholic Standout Cameron Dickerson.

-Eli Woodward, Ranked the 6th best cornerback by scout.com. The product from Vorhees, New Jersey will be heading to Ohio State in 2013. Woodward gained national attention by many when he starred in “The Opening” on espn earlier in July. He is a hard hitting corner and has the speed for the next level.

-Tre Bell- The St. Peters Prep cornerback withdrew his commitment from the University of Florida and is headed to another SEC school. Bell chose Vanderbilt his second time around.

-Jumauri Bogan (Union)- Bogan, who went virtually un-noticed by many during his sophomore year, was the New Jersey State Gatorade Player of the year. He ran for more than 2,000 yards last year at Union High. Bogan currently hosts offers from Temple, UMass, Toledo, and Georgia Tech. The talented running back will receive more offers by the start High School, New Jersey Gatorade Player of the year

-Jabrill Peppers- Max Preps 2014 player of the year (second year in a row), transferred to Paramus Catholic. Peppers has attracted offers from many schools including Alanama, Florida, and Michigan. This year, he will try and help PC gain prominence in NJ as well as the tri-state.