College football fans have a keen interest in the recruiting ofhigh school athletes. There is an assortment of web sites, chatrooms, recruiting magazines and recruiting tabloids, not to mentionwhat you read in the newspaper and hear on the radio andtelevision. Don’t forget the coffee shop and restaurant gossip,too.

“If we can sign Bubba Plowboyski, the national championship willbe a cinch next year,” predicted an avid alumnus. “We can build ourwhole offense around him.”

Truth of the matter is Bubba might never qualify to playDivision I football. He may wind up back on the farm, plowing deepand narrow rows for the spring planting if he doesn’t get theproper ACT score and maintain a better GPA.

For sure, the recruiting side of football can be fun to followif you take it with a grain of salt. Who knows, Bubba might quitfootball after his freshman year in college and pursue a career ineither scientific research or interior design.

On the local scene, Ken Bournes of Monticello and Copiah-LincolnCommunity College has grabbed the headlines. A powerful linebacker,Bournes has made a recruiting visit to Mississippi State. He isscheduled to visit Ole Miss this weekend and South Carolina wantshim to visit, too.

Bournes has indicated he will make a verbal commitment to signwith Ole Miss this weekend. However, verbal commitments won’t evenbuy you a cup of coffee. Young men are often swayed by persuasivecoaches and relatives.

When Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe flew into Brookhavenlast month for a recruiting tour, Bournes was a top priority on hiswish list. Cutcliffe visited with Ken’s parents and was favorablyimpressed.

Bournes could become the first-ever Lawrence County High Schoolgraduate to play for Ole Miss. He still has to achieve the requirednumber of hours at Co-Lin this semester to be eligible nextseason.

Bournes and Lawrence County senior tailback/linebacker WayneHardy toured the Mississippi State campus last weekend on anofficial visit. According to Lawrence County head coach TrentHammond, Hardy remains true to his early verbal commitment to signwith the USM Golden Eagles. The big signing date is Feb. 5.

Another Lawrence County product, cornerback Aaron Pitts, hasvaulted from Co-Lin to Middle Tennessee State University after twoseasons in Wesson. Pitts already is enrolled and on theMurfreesboro campus which is home for nearly 20,000 students.

Aaron’s brother, Ernest Pitts, was a standout tailback forCo-Lin and rushed for over 1,000 yards two years ago. He playedpart of a season at Marshall University before coming backhome.

Lawrence County tailback/cornerback Jason Snell is scheduled tovisit Delta State and Middle Tennessee in the next few weeks. Hecould wind up at Co-Lin, depending on the results of his nextACT.

Another Co-Lin product, defensive end Ronald May of Monticello,has an opportunity to sign with Illinois State.

Two Co-Lin standouts, linebacker Daniel Gawronski and freesafety Sidney Wiley have signed with New Mexico State University.They already are on the Las Cruces campus.

At Bogue Chitto, head coach Carl Cole has been busy answeringthe telephone. Offensive tackle Ernie Johnston is the main topic ofconversation. Johnston has an official campus visit at theUniversity of Kentucky later this month. Johnston also has beencontacted by Delta State University.

Tailback Dominick Addison of Bogue Chitto has received somestrong inquires from Arkansas State. An ASU coach is expected tovisit Addison and Johnston next week.

At Loyd Star, there could be a group signing with Co-Lin. Headfootball coach Anthony Hart said defensive end Adam Speeg,defensive tackle Beau Morrison and linebacker Cody Covington couldwind up playing for the Wolves next fall. Tailback Derrick Johnsonis another Co-Lin prospect.

It was good to hear that former Loyd Star tailback MarcusShannon has returned to Co-Lin. He was a wide receiver as afreshman at Co-Lin but elected to drop out of school and get a realjob. After a year in the workaday world, Shannon decided footballand a college education could be valuable assets later in life. Heoriginally signed with the University of Southern Mississippi.

Speaking of signees, Pearl River Community College quarterbackCharlie Reeve has plotted a future with the Southwest Texas StateBobcats, a Division I-AA university located in San Marcos. Reevehails from Frisco, Texas.

In one season at PRCC, Reeve earned NJCAA All-America First Teamhonors. He was chosen the MACJC’s Most Valuable Offensive Back inthe South Division.

Reeve led the state and nation in passing. He completed 216 of354 passes for 2,553 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns.Remarkably, he only had seven passes intercepted.

Catch the coaching merry-go-round. Former LSU head coach GerryDinardo has been hired to lead the Indiana Hoosiers. At Florida,John Zook has left his defensive coordinator position with the NewOrleans Saints to lead the Gators.

Steve Spurrier surprised the college football world by leavingFlorida last weekend in favor of a job opportunity in the NFL.Expect Spurrier to land the Carolina or Indianapolis job. Jim Moradidn’t win enough at Indianapolis and felt the ax. So did GeorgeSeifert at Carolina.