For real, like we didn't see that coming. I believe the reasoning behind it is because he is being recruited as a RB to AU, not a LB. Sounds like bullshit to me.
Per Rivals
The final Rivals100 has been released and a record number of 12 new five-star prospects have been added following a whirlwind two-month evaluation period of all-star games and senior film evaluation.
While the five-star additions will get plenty of attention it is the subtractions that will always get most of the attention, especially the drop of Russellville, Ala., linebacker Brent Calloway. Either way, the final Rivals100 for the class of 2011 will bring with it plenty of excitement, controversy and reaction from fan bases.
While these articles usually begin with the additions to the elite five-star group, the Calloway situation can't be ignored for many reasons. First, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder was one of the first five-star prospects of the year, checking in most recently at No. 12 in the country after beginning at No. 9 back in June. However, after competing in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic in December and then in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January, it became clear to numerous Rivals.com analysts that Calloway just wasn't in the same rarified air as the other five-star studs.
There have been many opportunities to evaluate Brent Calloway.
"Calloway is clearly rusty playing the linebacker position," said Rivals.com national analyst Barry Every, who was at both events that Calloway attended. "As a linebacker he is fairly lean and he must add at least 20 pounds of muscle mass to become an adequate tackler at the next level while improving tackling angles and learning to wrap up while driving through the ball carrier. He is not polished as a linebacker whatsoever. That being said he is very athletic for an outside linebacker with the ability to cover running backs in the flat."
Rivals.com Florida analyst Chris Nee, who was at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic with Every covering the action, agrees.
"While Calloway is a versatile athlete who can contribute at running back or outside linebacker, it is tough to make a case for him being amongst the elite five-star prospects at either position," Nee said. "At the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, he had a good week of practice - working at linebacker - but showed some rust at the position and didn't compare to other prospects at the position seen over the last few months that moved ahead of him."
Calloway is such a controversial figure because his flip from Alabama to Auburn has Tigers fans feeling there is a bias against their favorite team and that the drop in stars was a result in his decision to switch schools. They also feel Calloway should be evaluated and ranked as a running back, the position he has been told he would play at Auburn and the main reason he flipped to the Tigers. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell talked on both points.
"First off, we don't care where a prospect is going to school," Farrell said. "Two of our analysts came away thinking he wasn't in the same league as some other linebackers around the country after the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic but obviously the final decision would come after the Army Bowl. There we had even more analysts and we all came away with the same opinion, Brent is a very good player, a very good athlete but not big enough or special enough for five-star status at the linebacker position.
"Then it goes back to running back, so we go back and look at the film and we have someone who has seen him play both live. At this point we decided that his best position in college is still linebacker, that's where he projects the best and that even if we flipped him to running back he would fall well short of five-star status. This isn't a James Wilder Jr. situation here where he has an NFL body, long arms or off-the-charts physical skills. Brent is a very good player which is why he's still ranked in the top 40 in the nation, but he's just not in the five-star league in our opinion and Alabama, Auburn, Florida, USC, Ohio State or wherever he was going wouldn't change that."
Rivals.com Senior AMP Producer/Reporter/Analyst Gregg Peterson saw Calloway more than anyone this year and saw him at running back and linebacker.
Lawrence Thomas is the other prospect dropping from five to four stars.
"As a running back, Calloway is a big back that hits the hole hard and uses his tremendous leg drive to break tackles. He is not afraid to lower his shoulders and initiate contact and he runs with deceptive speed and quickness for a big back, but runs a bit too upright. He has great field vision and has the ability to make defenders miss in the open field, makes nice cuts, but like I said runs high. He is a guy that you must wrap up at the waist or he is going to run right through you. He is not a five-star running back because he hasn't shown the ball skills to be considered a three-down back. To me, he just doesn't look natural catching the ball, he kind of fights it and I'm not sure he can maintain his speed and quickness as he adds weight to his frame in the SEC.
Calloway falls from No. 12 to No. 38, a tumble of only 26 spots but also a loss of a coveted fifth star and a major controversy because of the rabid hatred between Auburn and Alabama fans. Just weeks ago 'Bama fans were in love with the highly-rated 'backer from the small Alabama town and Auburn fans couldn't stand him. Now the roles are reversed and he has become the story of the rankings just as he was the story of the U.S. Army All American Bowl with his decision to flip between rivals.
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