The (somewhat) definitive Connecticut Class of 2012 recruiting list

Masuk quarterback Casey Cochran is widely considered the top recruit in Connecticut for the class of 2012.

With some fanfare, top college recruiting website Rivals.com unveiled its state-by-state recruit rankings a couple of weeks ago. So we here at Connecticut Football HQ thought it would be nice to take those and compile a comprehensive list of the state’s top recruits heading into the 2011 season.

This is purely a list based on website reports. None of it has come from actual reporting on our end. This list designed to give fans a comprehensive look at our state’s prospects in the eyes of the recruiting world. And what you see on those sites is what you’ll get here.

Also, this is just for the Class of 2012. So you won’t be seeing any reports on Brookfield QB Boeing Brown, or Sacred Heart WR David Coggins, etc. or Masuk’s Shawn Flynn, etc. (Brain freeze on Flynn. He’s a part of this mix.)

We’ve added links to each players’ junior year profile page on MaxPreps.com.

If we could find them (and we usually did), we added recruiting videos below each profile.

Here are the actual Connecticut recruiting pages: Rivals.com | Scout.com

REGIONAL CIAC RECRUITS

Casey Cochran

CASEY COCHRAN, QB, Masuk
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 1) – Boston College*, UConn, Harvard, Princeton, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Yale
Scout – Alabama, Boston College, Connecticut, Duke, Harvard, LSU, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia, Yale
ESPN – Boston College, Michigan State, Duke, UConn, North Carolina State
Highlight Video

Mike Money

MIKE MONEY, OT, Fairfield Warde – 6-4, 275
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 5) – No schools listed.

TAREK BRUCE, LB, Stamford
Reported Interest
Scout: UConn, Maryland, Rutgers
Note: Scout.com lists Bruce as A) a quarterback; B) from Westhill. Maybe I missed something? He has no listing on Rivals.

Shane Nastahowski

SHANE NASTAHOWSKI, LB, Greenwich – 6-2, 210
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 9): No schools listed

AUSTIN CALITRO, LB, Danbury – 6-2, 220 | COMMITTED: Villanova
Rivals.com CT No. 3
Highlight Video

AMIHR BESS, RB, Notre Dame-WH – 5-9, 165
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 10): No schools listed
Highlight Video

ELIOTT CHUDWICK, QB, Ansonia – 6-1, 200
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed
Highlight Video

: Brandon Williams

BRANDON WILLIAMS, DE, Bassick – 6-2, 220
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed
Scout: Maryland
Highlight Video

DAVID CAMILLE, CB, Bunnell – 5-9, 166
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed
Highlight Video

JAKE TOMCZAK, WR, Derby – 6-1, 200
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed

JAWAD CHISHOLM, CB, Bunnell – 6-1, 175
Reported Interest
Scout: Penn State
Highlight Video

ARDIAN SAHINOVIC, P/K, New Fairfield – 6-5, 190
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed
Highlight Video

CIAC STATEWIDE RECRUITS

AARON BERARDINO, WR, Windsor – 5-10, 180
Reported Interest
Rivals: Boston College, UConn, Duke, Penn State, UCLA
Highlight Video

TAYLOR WRICE, ATH, Bristol Eastern – 5-9, 165
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 8 ) – Boston College, Cincinnati, UConn, Northwestern, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple
Scout: Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, West Virginia
Highlight Video

RYAN MURPHY, TE, Xavier – 6-3, 215
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 9) – No schools listed
Highlight Video

TOMMY UNDERCUFFLER, DB, Berlin – 6-1, 185
Reported Interest
Rivals: Boston College, UConn
Highlight Video

JONATHAN SNYDER, ATH, Newington – 5-10, 175
Reported Interest
Rivals: UConn
Scout: UConn
Highlight Video

NICOLAS VITALE, WR, Hand (Madison) – 5-9, 183
Reported Interest – No schools listed
Highlight Video

JOVAN SANTOS-KNOX, OLB, Xavier – 6-2, 220
Reported Interest
Rivals.com – No schools listed
Highlight Video

KELLY DOBBINS, WR, Putnam – 6-1, 175
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools reported
Highlight Video

CHRIS RECKMEYER, DE, Conard – 6-3, 220
Reported Interest
Scout: No schools listed
Highlight Video

BOBBY SOLECKI, WR, Glastonbury — 5-10, 180
Reported Interest
Scout: UConn, Maryland, Massachusetts, Yale
Highlight Video

NON-CIAC RECRUITS

DONQUATE ROBINSON, WR, Brunswick (Greenwich) – 6-2, 210
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT No. 4) – Boston College, UConn, Duke, Temple
Highlight Video

HAKI DENNIS, DB, Canterbury (New Milford)
Rivals: No schools listed
Highlight Video

JONATHAN PIETERSE, QB, Salisbury School
Reported Interest
Rivals: Buffalo, Montana
Highlight Video

MALIK GOLDEN, ATH, Cheshire Academy (Newington) — 6-1, 185
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 2) – Akron, Boston College, Bryant, UConn, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Stony Brook, Syracuse, Towson, Tulane.
Scout: Akron, Boston College, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Central Michigan, Connecticut, Iowa, Penn State, Rutgers, Stony Brook, Syracuse, Towson, Tulane
Highlight Video

KESHAUDAS SPENCE, Taft School (Watertown)
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed
Highlight Video

BUNTU BIYANA, DT, Canterbury School – 6-2, 285
Reported Interest
Rivals: Boston College, UConn, Temple
Scout: Bucknell, Cornell, Fordham, Georgia Tech, UCLA
Highlight Video

MICHAEL GRADY, LB, Canterbury School – 6-1, 220
Reported Interest
Scout – Boston College, Bucknell, Colgate, UConn, Holy Cross, Villanova, Wake Forest
Highlight Video

CURTIS ANTRUM, RB, Hamden Hall – 5-11, 175
Reported Interest
Rivals (CT Rank No. 6) – No schools listed.
Highlight Video

TEVAUN SMITH, WR, Kent School – 6-0, 185
Reported Interest
Scout: Boston College, Connecticut, North Carolina State, Syracuse, Temple
Highlight Video

ROMAINE NICHOLSON, DT, Forman School – 6-1, 340
Reported Interest
Rivals: No schools listed

ESPN.com’s RECRUITING LIST

ESPN’s recruiting site is decidedly more liberal than any of the two big recruiting sites. Lots of names, little substance and somewhat inaccurate. Danbury’s Austin Calitro, for example, is listed as undeclared. Who knows how this list is compiled and curated.

Still, it adds a lot more names. So take these as just an expansive list of other prospects/good players who may or may not end up playing in college.

Again, by no means is this an all-encompassing list, just what the internet bots at ESPN have collated for our fair state.

Players in bold are not found on either Rivals.com or Scout.com rankings. We’ve thrown in a few recruiting video links for local players.

Update: We’re going to cheat a bit and add players we know are being recruited, but not on the ESPN recruiting site to this list. They’ll be given an asterisk. We’ll post info as necessary. (I’ve changed this. See below.)

CIAC PLAYERS

Casey Cochran, QB, Masuk (ranked 38 in QBs)
Demetrius Bailey, CB, Torrington – 5-9, 174
Adedayo Bakre, DE, Glastonbury – 6-0, 194
Shawn Baldez, QB, Fitch – 5-11, 150
Amihr Bess, RB, Notre Dame-WH – 5-8, 151
Frederick Burgos, CB, Newington – 5-6, 124
Brandon Caires, LB, Newington – 5-11, 183
Michael Campbell, QB, Bloomfield – 5-11, 161
Austin Calitro, ILB, Danbury — 6-2, 220 [COMMITTED: Villanova]
Don Cherry, FB, Trumbull — 6-2, 200
Kobey Coburn, LB, Waterford – 6-0, 195
Jonavan Colon, WR, New Britain — 5-8, 152
Pat D’Amato, QB, Xavier — 6-1, 187
Joe Desandre, RB, Lyman Hall — 5-10, 182
Brett Director, WR, Cromwell – 5-8, 166
Aaron Dixon, S, Danbury — 6-0, 179
Matt Duignan, LB, Masuk — 5-9, 209
Michael English, WR, Farmington — 6-3, 188
Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn, S, Valley Regional — 5-9, 165
Patrick Farrell, LB, Manchester — 5-11, 193
Louis Fennarolli, RB, Newtown – 5-9, 206
Myles Gaines, RB, Fairfield Prep — 5-4, 129
Larry Garcia, QB, New Britain — 5-10, 165
Leaon Gordon, RB, Brookfield — 5-10, 173
Ryan Jacobucci, CB, Xavier — 5-10, 166
Chris Jerome, RB, McMahon — 5-11, 184
Ryan Lumpkin, WR, Windsor — 5-7, 141
Jay’len Mahan, WR, Wilby – 5-10, 150
Davante Mallard, LB, Notre Dame — 5-9, 173
Sean Marinan, G, Xavier — 5-10, 229
Jonathan Marks, QB, Platt — 5-11, 185
Carlos Martinez, LB, Stamford — 5-10, 165
Mike Mastroianni, RB, Xavier — 5-8, 169
Mike Money, OT, Fairfield Warde – 6-4, 280
Shane Nashtahowski, OLB, Greenwich – 6-0, 190
Ryan Nobile, DT, Notre Dame-WH — 5-11, 306
Adrian Sahinovic, K, New Fairfield –
Nick Salza, OT, Bunnell – 6-4, 306
Mike Sineiro, LB, Fitch — 5-8, 175
Bobby Solecki, WR, Glastonbury — 5-8, 159
Isaiah Thomasson, ILB, Maloney – 5-10, 208
Jake Tomczak, WR, Derby – 6-0, 196
Tommy Undercuffler, S, Berlin – 6-0, 185
Nick Vitale, ATH, Hand – 5-9, 185
Giovanni Viven, LB, New Britain — 5-10, 206
Andrew Vollaro, RB, Haddam-Killingworth — 5-8, 162
Zachary Voytek, DT, Trumbull – 6-5, 295
Derek Ward, QB, Griswold – 5-10, 178
Jonathan Ware, DE, Fitch – 6-2, 217
Shaquille Watkin, DE, Stamford — 6-0, 212
Brandon Williams, DE, Bassick
David Wolff, LB, Fairfield Warde — 5-8, 200
Taylor Wrice, ATH, Bristol Eastern – 5-8, 165

NON-CIAC

Malik Golden, ATH, Cheshire Academy — 6-1, 185
Bunta Biyana, DT, Canterbury — 6-2, 285
Kevin Carey, DT, Taft — 6-0, 181
Darnell Davis, LB, Avon Old Farms — 6-2, 228
Herbie May, QB, Salisbury — 6-0, 190
Kevin Peabody, QB, King — 6-1, 180
Bryce Peters, WR, Avon Old Farms — 6-0, 200
Keshaudas Spence, FB, Taft — 5-10, 230
Billy Weyrauch, LB, Cheshire Academy — 5-9, 194

BRAND NEW!
THE RECRUITING WRITE-IN PAGE

OK, since everyone’s anxious to add their favorite player (or son ;) on the list, I’m creating the write-in section below. Players who did not appear on any of the big recruiting lists (as of July 21) will appear here. I’ve added a few of my one from the previous list.