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Sports

Recruits not five-star, but show potential

by RONNIE TURNER
The Daily Cougar

Any good college football coach knows to recruit the type of players that are needed, and UH football head coach Art Briles made that his top priority heading into this year's recruiting season. 

The Cougars needed depth at the running back and defensive lineman positions, and part of that necessity was met with the 2006 UH recruiting class of 30 players, which included five defensive linemen and three running backs. Don't get too optimistic -- this group won't scare any of the other schools in Conference USA, not even not crosstown rival Rice, who statistically had a better class. Rivals.com has the Cougars' class tied for No. 92 out of 119 Division I-A programs, but the ranking doesn't faze Briles.

Gregory Bohuslav/The Daily Cougar

"We really feel good about the guys we signed today," Briles said. "The recruits we landed (should) fill the needs of defensive linemen and running back. We'll see how (things go) through the next few years and see if they turn out the way we thought they'd be."

In order to bolster up the defensive line for a more effective 3-4 defense, the Cougars added junior-college transfer Kendall Mouton, a 6-foot-1-inch, 310-pound nose guard who suited up for Dodge City Community College in Kansas. Joining him in that group will be freshmen Raymond Alake (Arlington Timberview HS), Jared Lindsey (Alto HS), Xavier Richard (Cy Falls HS) and Isaiah Thompson (Tatum HS). The three running backs picked up by UH include Randall Antoine from New Iberia Westgate High School (Louisiana), Dallas Hillcrest's Tommy Bryant and Hitchcock's Marquis Lowe.

"Tommy Bryant is sort of a slasher-type guy, a straight downhill runner who we think is going to really bode well for us out of the backfield," Briles said. "Marquis Lowe is more of a straight-up athletic type guy who (can run) outside the tackles. Randall Antoine is kind of a combination of the other two."

The Cougars picked up only one recruit from inner-city Houston, safety Josh Lee from Reagan High School. One of their biggest catches, however, came at the quarterback position. L.J. Castille of La Marque HS, listed as a three-star recruit (out of five) by most scouting services, will join the Cougars after a stellar high school career. Castille led his team to a 13-1 record and a regional championship his senior year while throwing for 1,155 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Cougars also signed Case Keenum from Abilene Wylie High School. Both players could be successors to Kevin Kolb, who has one year of eligibility left.

"We like to have a mobile quarterback, so we feel real good about both guys," Briles said. "L.J. certainly fits what we're looking for. He's tall, he's lean, he can jump, he can run, he can throw; he can do all things."

UH's spring practices begin on March 8, and the annual Red-White game is scheduled for April 8.
 

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