Alabama quarterback transferring to Toledo
5/30/2013The University of Toledo has acquired a quarterback who has enjoyed a whole lot of winning.
Phillip Ely, who spent the last two seasons at Alabama following a ballyhooed prep career, plans to transfer to the Rockets. Ely on Wednesday informed CBSSports.com of his decision and said he chose Toledo over Vanderbilt, Illinois, and South Florida.
Ely, originally of Tampa, will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out a year. He figures to compete for the starting spot in 2014 as UT looks to replace Terrance Owens.
Ely, third on the depth chart at Alabama, played little for two national championship squads. He redshirted in 2011 and appeared in six games last year completing 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. His playing time was not expected to increase in 2013, as the Tide returns their top two quarterbacks — AJ McCarron and Blake Sims.
Obtaining an upperclassman quarterback is key for Toledo, which struggled to land viable talent at the position after the 2009 class that delivered Owens and Austin Dantin. Players signed in 2010 (Dwight Macon) and 2012 (Brian Blackburn) have changed positions — though Macon is capable of stepping in if needed — and the 2011 class lacked a quarterback.
Ely, who led Florida powerhouse Plant High School to two state titles and one runner-up finish, was tabbed the nation’s No. 20 quarterback in 2011 by Rivals.com. Scout.com ranked him No. 41. Once eligible, he will be expected to compete against 2013 recruits Logan Woodside and Michael Julian.
RECORD GPA: For the first time ever the Rockets achieved a 3.0 team grade-point average in a semester. The actual mark for the spring term was 3.027. Four players earned President’s List honors with perfect 4.0 GPAs: kicker Jeremiah Detmer, linebacker Alvin Fletcher, running back David Pasquale, and defensive end Ben Pike. Overall, UT student athletes earned a 3.210 for the second highest GPA in school history. Of the 15 sports, 13 earned a 3.0. The other two sported a 2.9.
BASKETBALL CAMP: Rockets basketball camps will be held the next two months for boys entering third through eighth grades. The first camp is June 17-20 followed by another July 15-18. A brand-new Shooting and Offense Improvement camp will debut this year and will be held July 1-3. Children in kindergarten through second grade can also attend the July 15-18 camp for a half-day.
The fee for the camp is $200. A $20 discount will be given to those who attend more than one camp, have two or more family members attend a camp, or sign up with a group of five or more kids.
For information, contact the men’s basketball office via phone at 419-530-4796 or email mensbasketball@utoledo.edu.
Contact Ryan Autullo at:
rautullo@theblade.com,
419-724-6160 or on
Twitter @AutulloBlade.