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With the biggest day of the recruiting calendar coming up just around the corner this Wednesday, why not talk more about college football recruiting? Let's break down the top 10 classes in this year's recruiting war thus far and talk about where some of the still-uncommited top prospects may end up at.
First, the top classes:
{mosimage}1. Notre Dame:
Unfortunately, for us that despise Charlie Weis (oops), Notre Dame has yet again put up another top-of-the-line class. The class is loaded with top talent at virtually every position. It includes three 5* players and just three total commits are even below the 4* level. The Irish can go anywhere in the country and recruit with anyone. The class is talent-heavy with great prospects at the linebacker and defensive back positions, especially. It is most definitely the best group of linebackers from any individual class this year. The only weak area, if you can even say that, would be at quarterback. I don't like Jimmy Clausen all that much and they probably could've gone out and got another decent quarterback in the class just to be safe. Kyle Rudolph will be the next great Notre Dame tight end and Steven Filer, Robert Blanton, and Jamoris Slaughter might all play in the NFL someday. Superb class.
Best of the Bunch: Kyle Rudolph (TE - Cincinnati, OH)
Just Missed Out On: NO ONE!
2. Florida:
The Gators, despite having a bit of a down year, has surged up the recruiting rankings of late and are sure to end another year in the top 5 in recruiting rankings. Athletes from all over the country were looking to play for the Gators and they were able to pick up four 5* players including Carl Moore, the nation's top JUCO receiver out of California. Urban Meyer did a fantastic job of solidifying his defensive backfield with this class as last year's unit struggled at times. Will Hill, Ramon Buchanan, and Dee Finley should all be seeing significant playing time sooner rather than later and lightning quick Jeffrey Demps will be yet another great weapon for Meyer's spread attack. Florida did not get a true defensive end in the class, but Earl Okine will more than make up for it with his size and quickness off of the edge.
Best of the Bunch: Will Hill (ATH - Jersey City, NJ) Dee Finley (S - Auburn, AL)
Just Missed Out On: DeAndre Brown (WR - Ocean Springs, MS)
3. Georgia:
The Bulldogs almost always sign at least 25 players and this year is no different. They really used their late season run to help out on the recruiting trail and it seems to have worked. The Bulldogs will find help on offense and in the passing game immediately with two blue-chip prospects in athlete Richard Samuel and wide receiver A.J. Green. Certainly no one believes that the Dawgs will need help on defense, but it will be there when needed with two stud ends in Toby Jackson and Cornelius Washington. They could be the key in creating a newer version of the Pollack, Johnson combo. The sleepers of the class may be Tavarres King who is an explosive receiver out of Georgia and one of the fastest players of 2008 along with Dwayne Allen, an elite tight end prospect. The superstar athletes are all littered all over this class.
Best of the Bunch: A.J. Green (WR - Summerville, SC)
Just Missed Out On: Omar Hunter (DT - Buford, GA)
4. Alabama:
So this is what Nick Saban was brought to Alabama for?! WOW....the sheer volume of the size of this class is enough to get you a top 10 nod. Anyone who actually thought that the loss to Louisiana-Monroe might effect this recruiting class was overwhelmingly off base. This has to be the best Crimson Tide class in the last 15 years. The class is riddled with ultimate prospects, including two 5* recruits in offensive lineman Tyler Love and athlete Burton Scott who both hail from the state. If anyone out there can find an area which Saban didn't touch on, let me know, please. Mark Barron, Chris Jordan, and Burton Scott are as good as any other athletes you'll find in the country and Ivan Matchett just might be my pick for the running back sleeper of the year award (RBSOY). The offensive line is probably the best in the country with prospects like Love, Barrett Jones, and John Michael Boswell. Don'ta Hightower is a one-man wrecking crew at linebacker and Devonta Bolton runs a 4.45 at 6'4" and 220 lbs. I look for this team in a BCS bowl game within the next couple of years as long as they can find a quarterback with the cool demeanor to push them to that level.
Best of the Bunch: Alonzo Lawrence (DB - Lucedale, MS) Star Jackson (QB - Lake Worth, FL)
Just Missed Out On: No one
{mosimage}5. Miami, FL:
The Hurricanes certainly continued to do what they do best and recruit the cream of the crop from their home state. 19 of their 27 total commits hail from Florida. However, their best recruit may have come from an obscure state....Kansas. I'm talking about Arthur Brown who showed everyone why he is the 2nd ranked linebacker in the country at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He is a tackling machine, simply put. Most of the strength of this class is at the linebacker and defensive back spots as one might figure. Brown, along with fellow linebacker Jordan Futch will be a force on the outside in upcoming years and the defensive backfield will be coated with capable prospects such as C.J. Holton and Davon Johnson. Marcus Forston was a huge pickup and will be the captain of the Canes defense in the coming years. The only issue that the Canes did not address is at the running back spot where they definitely need some help. They only managed one commitment at this position out of 2* JUCO running back Patrick Hill.
Best of the Bunch: Arthur Brown (LB - Wichita, KS)
Just Missed Out On: Patrick Johnson (DB - Pompano Beach, FL)
{mosimage}6. Michigan:
I must admit that this is based off of the assumption that Pryor will be headed to the Wolverines. Either way, however, Michigan has a really solid class and Rich Rodriguez has managed to do a good job of hanging onto recruits despite all of the coaching changes taking place in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have managed to get a slew of offensive talents with this class which addresses a definite area of need for the team considering the departures of Mike Hart, Mario Manningham, and Adrian Arrington, and Chad Henne for the NFL. If Pryor comes in, which I believe he will, then that pretty much takes care of the QB situation. Michigan managed to bring in three really good running backs in this class in Sam McGuffie, Mike Cox, and Terrence Robinson. Robinson and McGuffie both hail from the Houston, Texas area. They also managed to bring in a solid receiver out of Texas with Daryl Stonum. Stonum has good size and gets down the field in a hurry, a perfect recruit for the type of offense that Rodriguez wants to run. Also perfect for this offensive system are the two outstanding tight ends that Michigan is getting in Kevin Koger and Brandon Moore. Moore just might be my favorite tight end of the entire 2008 class along with Dwayne Allen and Kyle Rudolph. Despite not addressing the defensive line needs, the Wolverines still managed a pretty solid defensive class including standouts Kenny Demens, Brandon Smith, Mike Martin, and J.B. Fitzgerald.
Best of the Bunch: Brandon Moore (TE - Trotwood, OH) Boubacar Cissoko (DB - Detroit, MI)
Just Missed Out On: Ryan Mallett (I realize that he isn't a recruit, but it was a big loss)
7. LSU:
Patrick Johnson and the core of LSU defensive backs in this class alone is enough to put them this high. Not only is Johnson the #1 ranked cornerback in the entire 2008 class, but he will have plenty of talent around to help him too. Guys like Karnell Hatcher, Jhyryn Taylor, Brandon Taylor and Rockey Duplessis will all be right there to help ease the pressure on Johnson game in and game out. Not only is this class loaded at defensive back, but at the wide receiver spots as well. Deangelo Benton and Deangelo Peterson will be there to ease the pain of losing Early Doucet to the NFL Draft and Chris Tolliver has the speed to beat anyone in college football for the deep ball. LSU did a great job at keeping a lot of the talent in-state and it should pay dividends down the line. The one big failure in the class is the lack of a playmaker at running back which LSU could really use after Jacob Hester leaves.
Best of the Bunch: Patrick Johnson (DB - Pompano Beach, FL) Chase Clement (DE - Thibodaux, LA)
Just Missed Out On: Robby Green (DB - River Ridge, LA)
8. Clemson:
More than any other non-Florida team in the country, Clemson does a great job at going into the Sunshine state and stealing players from the grips of the three big Florida schools. This year was no different as the Tigers managed to pull out 8 commitments from the state alone. They obviously also do well on their own grounds nabbing another 10 players from South Carolina. The most impressive player on the list has to be DaQuan Bowers, the #1 player at defensive end, who should be as good or better than Gaines Adams was a couple of years ago. Clemson nabbed Bowers from other schools such as Georgia, Ohio State, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech. Clemson did best with their recruiting on the defensive side of the ball by getting 11 recruits on defense, only one of which was below the 3* level. Somehow the Tigers found a sleeping giant in 4* 6'6" Jarrett Crittenton out of the state of North Dakota (go figure?). Brandon Thompson and DaQuan Bowers will be chasing the quarterback all game from the defensive line. Andre Ellington and Marquan Jones will be almost unstoppable in space. Willy Korn better be watching his back as Kyle Parker is a very solid signal-caller out of Jacksonville, Florida. The class ranking will be even more justified if punishing running back Jamie Harper decides that the leading Tigers are the right fit for him by signing day.
Best of the Bunch: Spencer Adams (S - Matthews, NC)
Just Missed Out On: Dwayne Allen (TE - Fayetteville, NC)
9. Florida State:
The Seminoles once again have another great looking class. Let's hope that this time they all live up to the hype. In recent years, the Seminoles have had really solid classes, yet the talent hasn't quite translated into wins on the field yet. In sticking with Florida State tradition, this class is very defensively heavy. The crop of linebackers is just behind Notre Dame's for the best in the country in my view with players such as Nigel Bradham, Nigel Carr, Vincent Williams, and Nick Moody all ready to make their names felt in the Florida State records. Carr might just be, pound for pound, the strongest player in the whole country. They will also have talent rushing the passer on the ends with Everett Dawkins and Markus White. White is rated as the #3 JUCO prospect in the country. As for the offense, Jimbo Fisher will be getting two really good playmakers in Avis Commack and Corey Surrency, both of whom are in the mold of Greg Carr (6'4" and 6'5", respectively). As for running back Jermaine Thomas, he could be a real dynamite sleeper down the road as he has good size for the position (6'1" and 190 lbs.). The only area where Florida State really needs improvement is in their recruitment of quarterbacks. They need to find a guy that can lead this team to contend for a BCS title game because the talent is all around except for that crucial position. So far they just haven't been able to do that and I honestly don't believe that E.J. Manuel is the quarterback that's going to address that need.
Best of the Bunch: Nigel Bradham (LB - Crawfordville, FL)
Just Missed Out On: Lerentee McCray (LB - Dunnellon, FL) Keith Wells (DE - Gainesville, GA)
10. Ohio State:
One might figure that Ohio State gets the majority of it's talent from inside state lines. This is usually the case, however, this year the Buckeyes have proven otherwise. They have really shown how they can branch out all over the country similar to other midwestern teams like Notre Dame and Michigan. Ohio State's 2008 recruiting class is all about quality, not quantity. They have just 17 commits thus far, but three of them are 5*'s and none are less than the 3* level. Coach Tressel knows that he needs to be tough down in the trenches for the type of teams that the Buckeyes play against in the Big Ten so that's what he went for. Two of the three offensive linemen in this year's class, Mike Adams and Michael Brewster, are 5*, blue-chip prospects. The Bucks also managed a big commitments from 4* defensive tackle Garrett Goebel out of Lombard, Illinois as well as stealing former Florida State commit Keith Wells out of Georgia. J.B. Shugarts is a mammoth offensive lineman out of Texas, Willie Mobley is a good 4* end out of Minnesota, and Etienne Sabino is one of the more athletic linebackers in the country, hailing from Miami, Florida. Jermil Martin, a fullback out of Cleveland, Ohio could be a sleeper at the college level too.
Best of the Bunch: DeVier Posey (WR - Cincinnati, OH) Mike Adams (OL - Dublin, OH)
Just Missed Out On: Brendan Beal (LB - Bethlehem, PA)
2008 Most Surprising Recruiting Class: UCLA - The real surprise regarding the UCLA class is not how well they did necessarily, but how they kept almost everyone despite the firing of Karl Dorrell in the process. I think that this really proves how good of a coach Rick Neuheisel is and how much players do respect him. He did a really good job to keep a hold of the players in this special class. The class includes some special players, the most impressive being the incredible four-headed monster of defensive backs Rahim Moore, E.J. Woods, Aaron Hester, and Anthony Dye. Dye and Moore are truly special and should make immediate impacts in the City of Angels. Along with them are many other talented players including receivers Nelson Rosario, Antwon Moutra, Kevan Walker, and rising superstar athlete Johnathan Franklin out of the famed Dorsey High School in LA. Kevin Craft is a sleeper JUCO QB out of California who has good size while Datone Jones is a terror off the edge. UCLA will still need to put up a fight in order to keep Jones from heading to Oregon, but they did do a good job keeping running back Aundre Dean as a Bruin......for now.
Having ranked my top 10 classes, here are a few commitment predictions for the upcoming Signing Day 2008:
Where will guys like Jones, Quinn, and Scott end up playing in 2008?
Terrelle Pryor (QB - Jeannette, PA): Michigan over Oregon and Ohio State.
Julio Jones (WR - Foley, AL): Alabama in a close race over Oklahoma.
Enrique Davis (RB - Chatham, VA): Oregon over Tennessee and Maryland.
Darrell Scott (RB - Ventura, CA): Colorado over Texas
T.J. Bryant (DB - Tallahassee, FL): Florida State over Alabama and LSU.
Jamie Harper (RB - Jacksonville, FL): Miami, FL in a close one over Clemson.
Jerrell Harris (LB - Gadsden, AL): Auburn over Alabama and USC.
Mark Ingram (ATH - Flint, MI): Alabama over Michigan State.
Josh Jenkins (OG - Vienna, WV): Florida State over Ohio State.
T.J. Lawrence (WR - Lakeland, FL): Virginia Tech over Michigan and South Carolina.
Charles Mitchell (S - Clarksdale, MS): Southern Miss. over Mississippi State.
Nick Perry (DE - Detroit, MI): Michigan over USC and Michigan State.
Robert Quinn (DE - North Charleston, SC): Auburn over North Carolina and Alabama.
E.J. Abrams-Ward (ATH - Thomasville, NC): North Carolina in a close one over Tenn.
Tommy Streeter (WR - Miami, FL): South Carolina over Miami, FL and Oregon.
Aaron Boyd (WR - Lexington, KY): Oregon over Kentucky.
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Hey thanks for bumping this back up. I complet...
