Spiders add to August commitment list with Collegiate QB McGee

Maybe he will be a college quarterback. Maybe he will play some other position. But Collegiate's Jake McGee will be doing it at the University of Richmond.

The 6-5 210-pounder, a Times-Dispatch second-team All-Metro pick in 2008 as a quarterback, committed orally to the Spiders yesterday. McGee is the third area player from the Class of 2010 who has orally committed to Richmond, which won the 2008 Football Championship Subdivision title. Also committed are Henrico High defensive back DreQuan Hoskey and Highland Springs High defensive back DeShawn Holmes.

No oral commitments are binding because prospects can't sign letters-of-intent until February.

Richmond has 10 oral commitments from the Class of 2010, among them 6-5 quarterback Montel White (Surry County High). UR coach Mike London, who received about five oral commitments last August, said he projected that his program would get a significant recruiting boost from the national championship with the Class of 2010.

NCAA rules prohibit college coaches from commenting on recruits until schools receive letters-of-intent. But earlier this week, London spoke about recruiting in general, and Richmond's unusual situation of having most of its recruiting for the year done before classes start. The scholarship limit for FCS programs is 63. UR signed 14 players in February.

"The process has been accelerated so much, in terms of [evaluating juniors] and players going to [on-campus summer] camps," said London, who noted that many BCS schools already have more than a dozen commitments.

"If you've already offered [scholarships to prospects], you like them, you've had them in camp, you've checked off all of the boxes, and you would take them anyway -- early or later -- then you might as well take them early," London said.

The NCAA continues to study the pros and cons of an early-signing period for football. Basketball has one, in November. Football coaches generally are in favor of the early-signing concept so they don't have to keep recruiting prospects who have orally committed. But an August signing period in football wouldn't allow prospects to visit campuses while school is in session, or give recruiters a feel for senior-year academic performance.

London noted that reception of 10 oral commitments before September doesn't necessary translate into a banner recruiting year.

"You never know until they come and start playing," he said. "You'd like to think you've got a pretty good idea of whether they can play or not. That's part of the recruiting process. But when they get here and you get them lined up and doing the drills and competing against one another, then you really say 'Ah, that's good.'"

Other FCS programs wait and analyze the pool after recruits who believe they are going to a Football Bowl Subdivision program perhaps do not receive the FBS attention they anticipated.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or .