Super 11 Biographies

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001 | 10:17 a.m.

Sun sportswriter Steve Guiremand polled five Division I college coaches who recruit the Western United States (California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming) as well as talent scout Tom Lemming of ESPN.com and asked them to list the top 15 prospects (regardless of position) in order. A player listed No. 1 would get 15 points, No. 2 would get 14 points, etc. The maximum number of points is 90.

Biographies of the 2001 version of the Las Vegas Sun's Super 11:

Shaun Cody

6-5, 255, DE, Hacienda Heights, Calif./Los Altos (83 points)

Amassed a phenomenal 57 sacks and 255 tackles over the past two years in leading the Conquistadores to back-to-back CIF Southern Section titles. Extremely explosive off the corner. "He's just a dominating guy who plays with a good motor all the time," said one longtime Pac-10 assistant. "He has great acceleration to the ball." Cody also starred at tight end on offense, catching 49 passes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns. Selected as USA Today's national prep Defensive Player of the Year.

College: Notre Dame, USC, UCLA or Washington.

Michael Craven

6-2, 220, LB, La Quinta (Calif.) High School (72 points)

Perhaps the best of a standout group of linebackers in California this year. Earned a unanimous 10 votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's Best in the West poll of college coaches. "He can dominate a game sideline to sideline," said one coach. "And he's the total package off the field, too." Owns a 4.0 GPA and 1,300 SAT score. Had 191 tackles and four interceptions as a senior. Also stars in baseball.

College: Stanford, UCLA, Miami, Florida State or Ohio State.

Reggie Williams

6-4, 215, WR/DB, Tacoma (Wash.)/Lakes (63 points)

"He's a lot like Keyshawn Johnson," said one Pac-10 coach. "He's a dominating wide receiver and return man. And he could be a Kenny Easley-like safety if he wanted to play defense." Mixes excellent size with sprinter's speed. Caught 45 passes for 811 yards and scored 25 touchdowns as a senior. Also intercepted eight passes.

College: Committed to Washington.

Matt Ware

6-3, 200, DB/WR, Los Angeles/Loyola (48 points)

Almost single-handedly led the Cubs to the CIF Southern Section Division I title game where Loyola narrowly lost to powerful Long Beach Poly in overtime. Has been compared to former USC and Denver Broncos star Dennis Smith as a safety prospect. "Just a wonderful athlete," said one coach. "If we were an option team, he could be a quarterback who could play right away. He's a great leader."

College: Committed to UCLA.

Bob Cleary

6-7, 280, OL, Lake Elsinore (Calif.)/Temescal Canyon (45 points)

An athletic big man who also is very advanced in technique. "He does a very good job in pass protection," said one coach. "He could play center, guard or tackle in college." Also is a starter on the basketball team and owns a solid 3.86 GPA.

College: Committed to UCLA.

Dwayne Wright

6-0, 190, RB, San Diego/Lincoln (43 points)

Wright is the latest in a long line of premier running backs to come out of Lincoln, following in the footsteps of Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis. Led the Hornets to the San Diego Section Division III title game for the first time since 1989 by rushing for 2,260 yards and scoring 26 touchdowns. Also has excellent hands as evidenced by several highlight-reel grabs in the title game.

College: Committed to Washington State.

Matt Leinart

6-5, 210, QB, Santa Ana (Calif.)/Mater Dei (35 points)

A bigger, stronger Josh Huepel. Completed 192 of 309 passes for 2,847 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Threw for 411 yards and four touchdowns in narrow loss to mythical prep national champ Concord De La Salle. "He's very accurate and throws a very catchable ball," said one coach. Showed great poise as a junior in helping lead Monarchs to a share of the CIF Southern Section Division I title against Long Beach Poly.

College: Committed to USC.

Marvin Simmons

6-0, 220, LB, Long Beach (Calif.)/Poly (31 points)

"He's like a heat-seeking missile going to the ball," one coach said. "He could be the best linebacker in the state." Was timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at one summer combine and benches 400 pounds. Spearheaded a Poly defense that was arguably the finest in the school's storied history. Blocked two punts, including one in the CIF title game against Loyola that started the Jackrabbits' comeback.

College: USC or UNLV.

Kevin Simon

5-11, 218, LB, Concord (Calif.)/De La Salle (31 points)

Took over the spotlight from last year's Super 11 top vote-getter, D.J. Williams, and didn't miss a beat. "He runs and guns," said one college coach. "I thought he was a dominant guy." Was a key reason De La Salle won the mythical national prep title and extended its record winning streak to 113 games. However, suffered a major knee injury in an all-star game in Texas last month and could be sidelined next fall.

College: Committed to Tennessee.

Derek Anderson

6-6, 220, QB, Scappoose (Ore.) (30 points)

Two-sport star who led Scappoose to its first state football title last fall. "He kind of put Scappoose on the map," his head coach, Sean McNab, told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Has a strong arm, is smart and is very accurate. Also athletic enough to be ranked as one of the state's top basketball prospects.

College: Committed to Oregon State.

Michael Bell

6-2, 195, RB, Phoenix/Tolleson (30 points)

The Arizona Republic's State Player of the Year after rushing for 2,484 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior. Also surpassed the 2,000-yard mark as a junior. "He's tough, durable and has good vision," said one Pac-10 coach. "He's a very good running back. His only drawback is that he doesn't possess breakaway speed." Still, most coaches rate Bell the best running back on the West Coast this year.

College: Committed to Arizona.