It is once again that great time to be an American as we head to the polls and elect our next president. On Nov. 4, millions of people just like you will head out and vote for either Barack Obama or John McCain to be our next president. In this wonderful democracy that we live in we ultimately have the choice of deciding who our next leader will be.
In the spirit of the election, we thought it would be great to give you the recruiting and college football fans of America a chance to cast your vote. As you probably know, we just made some big changes to the ESPNU 150, which included a new No.1 overall player.
Athlete Russell Shepard (Houston, Texas / Cypress Ridge) moved up from the No. 2 spot to overtake quarterback Matt Barkley (Santa Ana, Calif. / Mater Dei) who slid down into Shepard's old spot. In addition, the top 10 featured three new entries, including running back Trent Richardson (Pensacola, Fla. / Escambia) who moved from just outside the top 10 into the No. 5 slot.
We have done a lot research evaluating these players on film, at camps and in game action and used those resources in conjunction with our coaching backgrounds to assemble the ESPNU 150. Although we feel very good about the current state of the ESPNU 150, we would still like to hear what you have to say about it.
Do think Shepard is the No. 1 player in the country? Are you upset that Barkley was knocked from the top spot? Did Richardson make enough of a jump for your liking? Or do you think the defensive prospects -- Dre Kirkpatrick (Gadsden, Ala.) and Manti Te'o (Honolulu, Hawaii / Punahou) -- are getting short changed.
Vote and tell us; we are curious who you think is the best player in the land. You have read the evaluations, seen film of them on their player pages, read the articles and maybe even seen them play live or on one of the ESPN networks. Do not let our great democratic system go to waste, take a few seconds to vote for who you think is the best player in the land. Below is a quick campaign push for each candidate. So take a look, maybe do a little research on your on before you cast your vote.
Russell Shepard
Athlete, No. 1 player in ESPNU 150
Party Affiliation: LSU commit
Shepard
Shepard hails from the great state of Texas and is currently America's No. 1 rated prospect. He is high school quarterback hitting the campaign trail to show Americans that he can be a college quarterback. Shepard is a superb athlete, who can make big things happen with the ball in his hands. There is really no doubt he could excel at the college level at numerous skill positions. He recently got a chance to showcase his skills on ESPNU and had an impressive showing. Despite his lack of ideal height, he made a great case for his abilities as a quarterback. Shepard's athletic skills along with his rising stock as a quarterback prospect make a very compelling case for him to be No. 1.
Matt Barkley
Quarterback, No 2 player in ESPNU 150
Party Affiliation: USC commit
Barkley
Barkley held the No. 1 spot in the ESPNU 150 for several months, so he definitely is qualified to hold that position. Despite his minor drop, he is still an outstanding prospect. He has ideal size to go along with his excellent mechanics and footwork. This is a young man who works hard at his craft and has all the tools to be an excellent college quarterback. He already is well decorated having won the Gatorade National Player of the year award as a junior. He has tossed 18 touchdown passes so far this season, but he has also thrown 11 interceptions and is completing just over 50 percent of his passes. He is shouldering much of the load for his team, and despite some less then stellar numbers, Barkley is showing a lot as a competitor. In a nationally televised game, Barkley showed a lot of determination and leadership overcoming some mistakes to throw six touchdown passes and lead his team to a win in triple overtime. The former No. 1 prospect had a successful campaign stop last weekend in San Juan Capistrano California where he threw four touchdowns and completed 73.3 percent of his passes the win.
Dre Kirkpatrick
Cornerback, No 3 player in ESPNU 150
Party Affiliation: Independent (undecided); considering Alabama, USC, LSU, Texas, Clemson, Auburn and Florida
Kirkpatrick
The highest-rated defensive player in the land is now Kirkpatick. He is a wonderful athlete who could be an excellent college wide receiver -- if he weren't such a talented DB. Whether on film or in person on the camp circuit this past offseason, the Alabama native has really never failed to impress us. He has great size for a corner with long limbs and smooth hips. In this era in which wide receivers seem to be getting bigger and bigger (see; Dez Bryant, Michael Crabtree, Julio Jones) a big corner with shut down ability is a huge asset. This uncommitted prospect has the all the ability to be the ESPNU 150's third defensive player to finish No. 1 overall. Great size and skills at a tough position give Kirkpatrick a great case.
Manti Te'o
Outside linebacker, No 4 player in ESPNU 150
Party Affiliation: Independent; considering USC, BYU, UCLA, Notre Dame, Stanford
Te'o
With a resident from Alaska running for vice president of the United States, it seems fitting that a prospect from Hawaii would be vying for the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The last two states in the union are well represented in this years voting process. Te'o may not be the governor of his state or be a source of material for Saturday Night Live skits, but this kid is clearly the best prospect in Hawaii and has caused a lot of attention to be paid to the Islands. He is an excellent athlete who has the size and ability to project as an inside or outside linebacker at the college level. He is an intense and physical player with excellent speed. He has the range to play the run from sideline-to-sideline and the skills to wreck havoc on quarterbacks when he blitzes. His abilities have earned him the nickname "Baby Seau" among our staff. Usually when you campaign you hit the trail and sell yourself, but Te'o's skills have interested parties coming to him. The No. 1 rated linebacker's skills have warranted trips to Hawaii from USC head coach Pete Carroll and Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis to take a look see.
Trent Richardson
Running Back, No 5 player in ESPNU 150
Party Affiliation: Alabama commit
Richardson
Usually people will look at pair of running backs and nickname the tandem "thunder and lightening" when one of the backs is a speedy home run threat and the other is a physical and punishing back. Richardson, who ranks fifth in the sunshine state in his weight class in power lifting as well as fifth in the 100-meter dash, is thunder and lightening wrapped up in one package. He is a muscular kid who can pound out yards between the tackles, but he is also speedy enough to make defenses pay if he gets to the perimeter. Richardson impressed us from the get-go, but he also continued to make a case for why he is a top prospect during his senior season. He has rushed for more than 1,400 yards and nearly 20 touchdowns. He has put up some big rushing totals including a 419 yard performance in mid-September. Richardson is one of those candidates who is posting numbers voters can't ignore.
Well these are the platforms for each candidate and why they could be No. 1. We still have time before national signing day and we are still evaluating talent, so more changes are still to come.