Where Are They Now: Class of 2002
A former Robinson Ram and Virginia Tech standout, Mike Imoh had a brief stint with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League from 2007-08.
Photo By: DayLife.com
A highly regarded defensive back prospect coming out of Centreville, Marcus Hamilton went on to star at Virginia, setting a new school record for interceptions with 15. Currently, Hamilton is playing for the Chicago Bears.
Photo By: thesabre.com
When looking back this decade, is there really a better class than the one of 2002? Just even from a high school prospect standout, the talent in this class was top-notch. Consider it for a second. This class had the area's only five-star prospect to date, three four star players and then five three star players. That's nuts. In comparison, this year's recruiting class of 2010 has only seven scholarship players to date.
And yes, we know star systems can be a bunch of phony-baloney, but a lot of these guys projected quite well. Currently, four of the 15 commits from this class are currently in the NFL. Again, put this in perspective here. Ask yourself what returning seniors this year have a chance at the NFL? The answer is likely zero. So seeing as FOUR players from one class made it to the "the show" is just insane.
Then of course are all the non-NFLers from this class who became significant contributors in college. Among them are Chris Royal, Mike Imoh, Antwan Stewart and Robert Armstrong.
Simply put, this class was on a level all its own and we're not sure if a class this good will ever be assembled again. But whatever happened to all of the class of 2002? Well, we researched each player from that year and here's what we found:
AHMAD BROOKS
Linebacker, Hylton
5 Stars, Virginia
Ahmad Brooks. What else needs to be said? In high school, the kid was a freak. There have always been great linebackers to come out of Northern Virginia, but none will likely compare to Brooks. The case can even be made for Brooks being the outright best linebacker, or maybe defensive player, to ever emerge from the likes of Northern Virginia.
With two state championships to his credit, Brooks has the hardware, but his stats are just mind-boggling. Registering an incomprehensible 207 tackles his senior year, 144 of which were solo and 34 for loss, it's tough to think of a more dominating defensive performance. Named as USA Today's National Defensive Player of the Year, Brooks also had the honor of being ranked by numerous recruiting sites as being the best linebacker prospect in the country. To this day, since the startup of recruiting sites began, Brooks is the only five-star prospect to have emerged from Northern Virginia. Electing to stay closer to home and receive a first-class education, Brooks committed to UVA.
Yet before Brooks's UVA career could start, he had to do a year of prep school, and chose to attend football powerhouse Hargrave Military Acadamey in Chatham, Virginia. After a year at Hargrave, Brooks's much anticipated Cavalier debut was set to begin. After all the hype, Brooks did not disappoint. As a true freshman for UVA, he recorded an astonishing 117 tackles. On the map in a big way, Brooks's encore may have been even better. With a team-leading 90 tackles, Brooks was one of three players named as a Butkus finalist, which is awarded to the nation's top linebacker. Despite not winning the award, Brooks was named as a first-team All-American in 2004.
Already there being talks of Brooks being a first-round draft pick after just two seasons, the local standout ran into an injury-plagued year in 2005 and only played in just six games. But what was more damaging was the off-field problems Brooks kept having. He was finally dismissed from the team after a positive drug test.
Brooks would enter the NFL supplemental draft in 2006, and despite the injuries and off-field problems, went in the third-round to the Cincinnati Bengals. After playing in 11 games during his rookie season, he fell victim to the injury bug in 2007, this time tearing his groin muscle. Placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season, 2008 wasn't any kinder to Brooks. In the offseason, he ran into more off-field issues after allegedly punching a woman in the face. Brooks was charged with misdemeanor assault but settled for mediation. The Bengals eventually parted ways with the Dale City native during their final cuts later that year. Following his release from the Bengals, Brooks caught a break as the San Francisco 49ers offered him a contract which is where he is set to play in 2009.
THOMAS CLAYTON
Running back, Mount Vernon
4 Stars, Florida State commit (Kansas State transfer)
Given the nickname "Hollywood," Clayton was as big and bad as they came in high school. Back when Mount Vernon was a major force in the Northern Region, no one wanted any part of Clayton. They'd run the ball down right down your throat and make defenses look soft in the process. Yet aside from running between the tackles, what was special about Clayton was his blinding speed. You could even make a case for Clayton as being one of the fastest area players in this decade. It's quite a claim, but when you factor in his 4.32 speed and national ranking in the 55m, then you can add some legitimacy to his case. After leading Mount Vernon to the state championship game in 2000, his senior stats in 2001 were just silly as he easily rushed for over 2,000 yards. In one game against Stuart, Clayton recorded six touchdowns on, yes, just six carries. Ranked as the eighth-best running back in the country, just about every school in the country wanted Clayton, and who could blame them.
After a much-publicized recruiting process, Clayton ended up committing to Florida State, a program that the year before won a national title. Playing in four games for FSU as a true freshman in the 2002 season, he then transferred to Kansas State after originally stating he would be transferring to Northwestern. After sitting out the 2003 season per NCAA transfer guidelines, Clayton received little playing time as a sophomore in 2004 but would explode the next year. As the team's featured back, he led KSU in rushing for the 2005 season, but his senior year was cut short, as he appeared in just five games. In his collegiate career, Clayton appeared in a total of 28 games while rushing for 1,075 yards and seven touchdowns.
Entering the NFL draft in 2007, Clayton was drafted in the sixth round by the 49ers, but that was far from his biggest achievement. That preseason, in fighting for his lifelong dream of a roster spot in the NFL, Clayton led the entire NFL in rushing yards. Such a spectacular preseason performance landed Clayton a spot on the 49ers' practice squad. Finally in 2008, Clayton was signed to San Francisco's 53-man roster and is hoping to progress even more as the 2009 season progresses.
MARCUS HAMILTON
Defensive back, Centreville
4 Stars, Virginia
As highlighted with Kenneth Tynes, Centreville was big and bad during the late 1990's on through the early to middle part of this decade. Coming off a state championship, three straight Northern Region titles and four straight Concorde titles as well, Centreville's 2001 team was just as feared as those before. In addition to having Tynes on their roster (along with other stars on that team), there was Marcus Hamilton. A big reason why Centreville's defense shut out the entire Concorde District in 2000 was because of Hamilton. Attempting to throw on him was a tall order and seemingly out of the question much of the time because of his lock-on capabilities. College coaches knew all about the Centreville product's talents and were in a hurry to attain his services. After his recruiting ballooned, Hamilton settled in on Virginia.
Despite Hamilton having to redshirt his first year in Charlottesville, the move would prove to pay off. For his freshman season in 2003, he was able to earn a starting spot and wouldn't relinquish his position the rest of the time he was at UVA. As a four-year starter, Hamilton put up several nice statistics, the most impressive of which were his interception total. Tallying 15 interceptions, Hamilton became the all-time leader in interceptions at UVA.
After graduating in 2007, Hamilton entered the NFL draft and managed to be picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round as the 10th-to-last player chosen overall (245th). Yet despite 244 players being chosen ahead of Hamilton, he was able latch on with the Bucs for the 2007 season, but was eventually released in 2008. That same year, the Chicago Bears made an offer to Hamilton, to which he signed on. Making the most of his second-chance, Hamilton worked his way onto the field last year and was able to play in eight games, registering six total tackles. Hamilton is still on the Bears roster.
KEENAN CARTER
Defensive tackle, Potomac
4 Stars, Virginia
Carter was your typical highly regarded defensive line prospect coming out of high school. He was big (6-foot-3, 315 pounds), athletic and super talented. Just that combination of talent, size and athleticism lured loads of coaches over to Dumfries to catch a peek at Carter and they loved what they saw. Regarded as one of the top 50 defensive line prospects in the country, Carter finally settled in on committing to the Cavaliers.
Receiving limited playing time as a true freshman, Carter broke through his next three years in Charlottesville where he became a regular in the lineup. Playing in 33 games for the Cavaliers in three years, Carter entered the NFL Draft in 2007 after his senior season.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as well as Carter hoped and ended up not being drafted. Eventually signing on with the Manchester Wolves of Arena Football League 2 (af2), Carter currently is not playing professionally but has publicly stated he's looking to continue playing if given the opportunity.
MIKE IMOH
Running back, Robinson
3 Stars, Virginia Tech commit
Just like fellow prospect Thomas Clayton, Robinson running back Mike Imoh was a can't-miss guy. Named the AAA Player of the Year during his senior season in 2001, he was the main centerpiece to his team as they won the state championship that year. Running for 5,820 yards during his career at Robinson, he managed to set an astonishing 20 school records, which is not easy to do at one of the most storied programs in the area. Committing to play for Virginia Tech, Imoh was set to make an impact down in Blacksburg and that he did.
Despite playing just a very limited role as a true freshman in 2002, Imoh showed early flashes of brilliance in 2003 during his sophomore year after becoming a return specialist as he was third nationally in return yards. Slated to start as a junior in 2004, Imoh ran into an infamous off-field incident with Marcus Vick when he was charged with serving alcohol to underage females. Suspended for the first three games of the year, Imoh came back with a vengeance. In his first collegiate start, he totaled over 200 all-purpose yards and set what was then the Virginia Tech record for rushing yards in a game with 243. His senior year in 2005 didn't involve as much fanfare as his junior season did, but still managed to collect 419 yards through nine games.
Despite not getting drafted by any team in 2006, Imoh signed on with the Redskins as an undrafted free agent but was ultimately cut. Still with a desire to play, Imoh signed on with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2007 and the subsequent year became a valuable contributor to the Quebec-based franchise. Later, Imoh was unfortunately released and is currently not an a CFL roster.
BRANDON GORE
Offensive Line, Liberty
3 Stars, Virginia Tech
Gore was a pretty big deal coming out of high school, literally. At 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds, Gore was huge. Better yet, he was strong and a talented blocker. Ranked as the number 18 offensive lineman by Tom Lemming's Football Report, not to mention an All-American and All-Met performer, Gore has been one of the many very talented offensive line prospects to come through Northern Virginia. With a whole host of schools clamoring for the 6-foot-5 prospect, Gore finally settled in on Virginia Tech.
After redshirting his first year in 2002, Gore spent the next two years receiving time on the PAT and field goal units. His luck didn't change much in 2005 either, in fact it got worse. He missed significant time with a broken right ankle, which set him back for most of the year. It wasn't until his senior year in 2006 where he caught his big break. After being able to start thanks to an injury to starting lineman Ryan Shuman, he helped pave the way for sophomore running back Brandon Ore and maintain the Hokies' mid-season resurgence.
CARY WADE
Defensive back, Robinson
3 Stars, Virginia Tech
Cary Wade is quite an interesting story. Playing alongside Mike Imoh at Robinson, Wade also was also regarded as a fairly decent prospect. Ranked by Super-Prep as the 10th-best defensive back in the Atlantic Coast, there was plenty of attention going Wade's way as well. As a three-year starter for Mark Bendorf's Rams, Wade helped his team through an undefeated year in 2001 and win a state title. Maybe equally impressive was Wade's record as a starter. In games he started, Robinson went 33-3, which is an alarming win rate. Wade was a proven winner and when the time came to finally commit to a school, he wound up following Imoh to Tech.
From there, Imoh and Wade went fairly separate paths. Wade was able to start as a true freshman, but only on the special teams unit. Now, while being on the special teams unit at Virginia Tech is a much bigger deal than most other schools, it wasn't the same route Imoh had taken. By Imoh's sophomore year in 2003, he was off and running, literally. Yet by Wade's sophomore year, he had been redshirted and forced to switch positions to rover.
Wade, for the next two years, stayed a big special teams contributor. Yet when his senior year rolled around, he was suddenly pushing star defensive back Aaron Rouse for time. After Rouse became injured, Wade took his spot and never relinquished it, even after Rouse returned back from injury.
The breakthrough year for Wade was pretty special, but probably made even better after seeing Rouse suddenly receive playing time in the NFL.
Currently, Wade is not playing professionally.
ANTWAN STEWART
Defensive back, Potomac
3 Stars, Tennessee
A two-way threat for Potomac, Stewart was regarded as a fairly decent prospect coming out of Potomac. After pulling the trigger to go and deciding to commit to UVA, Stewart suddenly did a complete backtrack after one visit to Knoxville. Wowed by the football culture at Tennessee, Stewart de-committed from UVA and instead decided he would attend Tennessee. Stewart would be the second area player from the 2002 class to de-commit from UVA, joining Robert Armstrong.
Coming to Tennessee with a lot of attention, Stewart was slated to start during his redshirt freshman season in 2003. That he did, as he recorded 47 tackles, but a completely unexpected misfortune would tamper with his future plans. In the offseason, following his first year as a starter, Stewart was falsely accused of sexual assault. Stewart didn't receive any playing time later that year, but would make up for it when he would start once again in 2005 and then during his senior year in 2006.
Stewart agreed to sign on with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent but was later released. Currently, Antwan Stewart plays for the Arena Football League 2 (af2) Manchester Wolves in New Hampshire.
KENNETH TYNES
Running back, Centreville
3 Stars, Virginia
Here's another running back that players could never seem to catch. Tynes and Centreville were a dynamic force back in 2001 that had no problem paving through defenses, or in Tynes's case, running around defenses. Playing at a time back when Centreville ruled the Northern Region, everyone had seemingly feared the Wildcats in the early part of the decade. After capturing the state title in 2000 and winning three straight Northern Region titles from 1998-2000, not to mention their unprecedented four straight Concorde titles (1997-2000), they were the standard to which teams set themselves to. And aiding in that domination was Tynes. A big reason for their state title was the speedy back out of Centreville who had was clocked in with a time of 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. With a high talent level and tremendous speed, Tynes garnered a fairly decent amount of attention from college coaches and would finally commit to UVA following his senior season.
Upon arriving in Charlottesville in 2002, Tynes played in nine games as a true freshman, but only in a limited role. After appearing in six games for his sophomore season, Tynes would find himself in off-field problems and decided to leave the team on his terms.
CHRIS ROYAL
Wide Receiver, South Lakes
2 Stars, Marshall
Chris Royal. Hmmm, name sound familiar? Well it should. Most area football fans are familiar with the name Eddie Royal, the former Westfield standout and current Denver Broncos receiver, but most don't know that before there was Eddie, there was Chris. A standout at South Lakes, not Westfield, Royal had it all. Athleticism, pure talent, soft hands, everything. One big thing, however, that separated the two brothers was the talent surrounding each respective player. At the time, Chris spent his senior year on a team that went 1-9 while Eddie won a state title as a senior on an undefeated team. Yet despite playing on a team with nearly no fanfare, Royal did quite well for himself. An electric dual-threat quarterback for the Seahawks, Royal made his mark playing on defense, as he led the state with interceptions in 2001.
Accepting an offer to play for Marshall, Royal became a four-year starter at the Huntington, West Virginia school as both a return specialist and defensive back. As was the case at South Lakes, Royal made a big impact during his time in the secondary. As a junior in 2004, Royal was fourth in the country in interceptions with six and would finish up his career with nine while playing in 46 games through four years.
After graduating from Marshall, Royal would go on to play in Arena Football League 2's (af2) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in 2007. Viewed as a minor league proving ground for the Arena Football League (AFL), Royal sure proved a whole lot during his time at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. As a rookie, Royal was named to the af2's all-defensive team and earned af2 Rookie of the Year honors. As expected, Royal was signed to an AFL contract in 2008, deciding to play for the Philadelphia Soul. Unfortunately, the AFL suspended both its 2008 and 2009 seasons in what the league says is an effort to restructure its business model to attract more revenue.
KEVIN DARLING
Wide Receiver, West Springfield
2 Stars, Penn State
Before the days of Peter Lalich and Bryn Renner, when West Springfield would sling the ball all over the place, there was Kevin Darling, operating in a much more restricted offense. Yet despite maybe hitting the scene a few years too late, Darling was a standout during his time at West Springfield. As is the case with most players on this list, speed is what attracted college coaches to Darling, who at 6-foot-3 was able to run a sub-4.5.
Deciding on playing for legendary coach Joe Paterno at Penn State, Darling was switched over to tight end in hopes of filling a more immediate need. Redshirted for his freshman season in 2002, Darling didn't get the chance to become a regular playing time until his senior year in 2006 when he appeared in nine games, but only in a limited role.
The West Springfield native attempted to make the Redskins lineup in 2007 but was ultimately cut.
THOMAS WINGENBACH
Offensive line, Handley
2 Stars, East Carolina
As an all-state performer for Handley in 2001, Wingenbach dominated the front lines during his time with the Judges. Spearheading his team's punishing running game in 2000, he helped spearhead an effort that led his team to the Region II Division 3 title game.
Committing to play for East Carolina for the 2002 season, he was redshirted upon arriving on campus. Wingenbach was able to see a little bit of time during his sophomore and junior seasons, but it was only his senior year in 2006 where he broke through the starting rotation.
ROBERT ARMSTRONG
Defensive Line, Washington-Lee
2 Stars, Maryland
Through the earlier part of the decade, Washington-Lee wasn't known for being a strong program, but at that point, they were developing solid football players. One of them at the time was Armstrong, a massive lineman out of central Arlington. A first-team all-district selection for the Generals, he was one very brightspot on an otherwise downtrodden program.
Armstrong had committed to UVA but found out he needed a year of prep school in order to qualify. After spending a year at Fork Union Military Academy (FUMA), Armstrong changed his mind and de-committed from UVA and instead decided to further his playing days at Maryland. While at College Park, Armstrong exploded in a way not too many envisioned. As a true freshman and sophomore, the Arlington native started all but one game. Yet what seemed such a promising career soon took a turn for the worse when Armstrong started developing back injuries. He redshirted his junior season, but never really recovered after that.
Just recently, Armstrong signed on to play for Arena Football League 2's Central Valley Coyotes, who play in Fresno, California.
JAMAR ATKINSON
Linebacker, Gar-Field
2 Stars, Syracuse
It took awhile for Atkinson to make his way to Syracuse, but he was going to get there one way or another. A standout linebacker for Gar-Field, he decided to spend two years at State University of New York-Morrisville (SUNY-Morrisville), a junior college located in upstate New York, in order to qualify.
During his time at SUNY-Morrisville, Atkinson was a man among boys. A two-time Junior College All-American, Atkinson helped lead his team to a conference title in 2003.
Able to arrive in Syracuse for the 2004 season, he again had to wait for his time after the coaching staff decided to redshirt him, but in 2005 Atkinson finally made his way onto the Carrier Dome field after a three year wait. In his two years at Syracuse, Atkinson played in a total of 20 games.
In an attempt to play in the NFL, Atkinson entered the NFL Draft following his senior year, but was never selected. He eventually was signed as an undrafted free agent for the Ravens in 2007, but was eventually let go. In 2009, Atkinson decided to sign and play for the Maryland Maniacs of the Indoor Football League, a 19-team league primarily based in the Midwest.
JEREMY KAPINOS
Kicker/Punter, West Springfield
2 Stars, Penn State
Joining teammate Kevin Darling in deciding to play for Penn State was Kapinos. One of many outstanding West Springfield kickers and punters, Kapinos was one of the best in the business at booting the ball, and maybe best in the D.C. area coming out of high school as he was chosen as a first-team All-Met selection.
At Penn State, Kapinos's duties were reduced to just having to punt the ball. The move seemingly afforded Kapinos plenty of success as he started for all of his four years at PSU. During his senior season, he was named to the AP third-team All-American list and was also a finalist for the Ray Guy award, which is given annually to the nation's best punter. Also to Kapinos's credit, he graduated Penn State as the school's all-time leader in punting yards.
In 2007, Kapinos was signed on to play for the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent. He appeared in one game before being released by the Jets the next year. In 2008, he signed on with the Green Bay Packers. Appearing in four games last year for the Packers, Kapinos expects to be the team's starting punter this year. What of course if ironic is how Bill Renner, West Springfield and Kapinos's head coach, was a former punter for Green Bay.
Contact me, Derek LeComte, with any questions or comments regarding Northern Virginia recruiting or football at GamedayRecruits@aol.com
