Campus Watch

Depew offensive lineman John Kling’s commitment is the first of what should be many in the upcoming months for UB football. They recently offered scholarships to several prospects with an emphasis on the secondary which loses safety Davonte Shannon and cornerback Domonic Cook, a pair of four-year starters in 2011. Some of the 2011 prospects include:

Cornerback Jared Boyd and center Tarik Cook from Stone Mountain, Ga.; cornerbacks Darius Hillary from Cincinnati and Corey Tindal from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; wide receiver Reggie McKnight from Hollywood, Fla. and Jake Duzey from Troy, Mich.; safety Neville Hewitt from Conyers, Ga.; middle linebacker Jake Lindsay from Cincinnati; and tailback Tristin Boykin from Centerville, Ohio.

---Speaking of recruiting, Scout.com's Allen Wallace put together his best and worst recruiing stories from the last decade.

---Just like he did at UB, Turner Gill places a heavy emphasis on recruiting at Kansas.

---In its College Gridiron 360 series, the Orlando Sentinel is up to No. 106: Ball State.

---A few weeks ago, Jerry Sullivan wrote about Erie Community College's athletic cutbacks. Now Buffalo Sports Daily's Patrick Moran writes how the ECC golf program attempted to raise funds to keep its program going but were informed by administrators to shut it down.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

St. Bonaventure just announced that junior Lewis Leonard is transferring from the school, a decision that was long anticipated.

St. Bonaventure was in dire need of scoring when Leonard committed to the school from San Bernardino Valley (Calif.) College. Leonard scored more than 1,000 points as a freshman and sophomore at the junior college and led the state in scoring with a 25.2 points per game average as a sophomore.

But Leonard has been a major disappointment since coming to Bona. His deficiencies on defense limited his playing time as he appeared in only nine games last season and averaged just 3.6 minutes of playing time.

In April, Leonard, along with junior Malcolm Eleby, sophomore Da'Quan Cook and freshman Brett Roseboro were charged with harassment and disorderly conduct as a result of a March 21 fight with two Jamestown Community College-Olean basketball players. The players are expected to appear in court on Monday.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Most observers figured Syracuse would suffer without Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf, but the Orange are ranked No. 7 at 8-0 and even picked up a first-place vote in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Flynn, now the starting point guard with the Minnesota Timberwolves, said he knew Syracuse would be just as good if not better than last season.

“When people said that they wouldn’t be good without me, Paul and Eric the players who are still there took that as a knock on them like they aren’t good enough,’’ Flynn said. “They went into the gym over the summer and worked hard and they came into the season with a big nugget on their shoulders. That’s why they’re playing well right now.’’

Flynn said he follows the team as much as he can.

“I bleed Orange, so you know I’ve been following the ‘Cuse,’’ he said.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Milton Chavis, the 6-foot-5 swingman who signed with the University at Buffalo last fall, did not meet NCAA academic requirements and will not attend UB this season, UB coach Reggie Witherspoon said. Chavis is now enrolled at Kilgore Junior College in Texas, a school that has sent scores of players to Division I programs.

This leaves UB with an incoming freshman class of two players: Mike Clifford, a 6-7, 240-pound forward from Danvers, Mass and point guard Tony Watson from Palm Beach, Fla. The Bulls are still recruiting Chavis with the hope of re-signing him after two seasons of junior college.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

College sports fans: You can cheer and rant as loud as you like, but don't use social websites like Facebook and MySpace to woo recruits to your beloved school. According to the NCAA, that's a violation and an attempt to influence the college choice of a recruit.

So watch your back, the NCAA is watching.

---Rodney McKissic

---Tomorrow, the future of UB's football program will be officially unveiled on National Signing Day. While coaches like UB's Turner Gill thrive in the recruiting game, many are hoping for an early signing period similar to the one for college basketball. A proposal for a mid-December signing period was recently voted down by conference commissioners, but the issue is not going away and many college coaches will campaign for such a change until it happens.

---Here's a story about new UB assistant Jared Dodson who was named cornerbacks coach last week.

---Former UB coach Jim Hofher will be given full rein as offensive coordinator at Delaware.

---Rodney McKissic

Central Florida Community College won the Mid-Florida Conference championship, took their third-straight trip to the state tournament but doesn't have a single player returning from last season. So newcomers like former Niagara Falls guard Rahshon Tabb are part of the rebuilding process.

---Rodney McKissic