{mosimage} I'm immediately veering away from the TP subject.

This year's national signing day, more than most, brought a flurry of surprises. The most surprising part was that there were guys making switches between teams like Florida and Miami, etc. I figured that if guys were going to wait until the last minute to surprise us, then they could at least surprise us by going to some smaller named school, but that's not even worth the surprise itself. I mean, in most people's eyes switching between Florida and Miami is like switching from a Honda to a Toyota. It's pretty much the same thing. At least make it exciting for crying out loud. Either way, it was a fun day to watch for everyone rooting on their Tigers, Bulldogs, Trojans, Wildcats, whatever.

As usual, my picks were also almost entirely wrong. I think I managed to get Julio Jones, Darrell Scott, and Mark Ingram correctly, and that's about all she wrote. Not to mention guys like Dwayne Allen who just on Monday put on a Georgia Bulldogs hat and said that he called coach Richt and told him not to worry, that he was still a Dawg, and then somehow had a change of heart and spurrned the Dawgs for the Clemson Tigers just 48 hours later. Thanks Dwayne, for making me look like I know nothing about the sport that I take the most pride in actually having some sort of knowledge about! Geez.

One thing that I really must mention is that I think I may have discovered my new favorite nickname for a player in yesterday's coverage. I am, of course, referring to the one, the only, Ramon "Cookie" Buchanan who pulled the ole' switch-aroo from the Gators back to the Hurricanes, who he had already been previously committed to. In addition to new nicknames I also re-discovered why Nick Saban is a college football God. That guy pulled in maybe the most ridiculous Alabama class ever. He got something like 32 guys to commit to the Tide. If you have read my previous article of the Alabama vs. Arkansas recap from this past season in the "My Thoughts" section then you will know when I made my first discovery that Saban is a college football God.

Here are my top 10 classes Post-Signing Day:

{mosimage}1. Alabama - Just read the paragraph above and you will understand.

Ones to Watch: Julio Jones (WR), Robert Lester (DB), Ivan Matchett (RB), Don'ta Hightower (LB), and Alonzo Lawrence (DB)

2. Notre Dame - Despite how much I dislike Charlie Weis, he is good when it comes to hitting the road and convincing players that Notre Dame will be back to their old ways with their help. This was my #1 ranked class all year long until the Crimson Tide pulled a ridiculous come-from-behind slap in the face.

Ones to Watch: Robert Blanton (DB), Jamoris Slaughter (DB), Kyle Rudolph (TE), and Steven Filer (LB)

3. Clemson - Yet another come-from-behind effort. Clemson recruited the heck out of the state of Florida and caught a break from the schemester himself, Dwayne Allen.

Ones to Watch - DaQuan Bowers (DE), Spencer Adams (DB), Dwayne Allen (TE), Andre Ellington (RB), and Jamie Harper (RB)

4. Georgia - The class may not be a #1 class, but don't underestimate Mark Richt. The guy is smart, savvy, and knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to recruiting players and putting them in the right situations. Half these guys will probably see the field in ‘08.

Ones to Watch: A.J. Green (WR), Dontavious Jackson (RB), Tavarres King (WR), Toby Jackson (DE), and Nick Williams (LB)

5. Miami - Randy Shannon did a phenomenal job in his first official class. He presents the unique ability to relate to players. Most importantly, he kept the southern Florida guys from bolting to other locations.

Ones to Watch: Arthur Brown (LB), Jordan Futch (LB), C.J. Holton (DB), Marcus Forston (DT), Marcus Robinson (LB)

6. Florida - The highlight of this Gator class is the defensive backs. Despite the spurning of "Cookie" to the Canes, I still believe that this DB class is one of the best, if not the best in the entire country. Urban Meyer really used his recruiting to his advantage and focused on needs, first and foremost.

Ones to Watch: Dee Finley (DB), Will Hill (DB), Jeffrey Demps (ATH), Adrian Bushell (ATH), Earl Okine (DE)

7. LSU - Les Miles may not have pulled in as many recruits as he would've liked, but hey, wouldn't you rather have the national championship. I think so.

Ones to Watch: Patrick Johnson (DB), DeAngelo Peterson (WR), Chris Tolliver (WR), and Chase Clement (DE)

WR Darryl Stonum

8. Michigan - As I said a couple of days ago, Michigan really needed to step up the recruiting on the offensive side of the ball and they certainly did that, getting 14 new offensive weapons. The Wolverines did get a little bit of a scare when RB Sam McGuffie almost had a last minute change of heart for Cal, but the drama was short-lived and he ended up sticking with Michigan in the end. I was also impressed that the Wolverines managed to pull super quick RB Michael Shaw away from Penn State right at the end. Shaw is truly one of the quickest backs in the country and is venemous in the open field.

Ones to Watch: Darryl Stonum (WR), Michael Shaw (RB), Boubacar Cissoko (DB), Brandon Moore (TE), Kenny Demens (LB)

9. Florida State - The Seminoles also toyed around with the 30 commitment level. They really issued depth with this class. That's a good sign considering that depth has been a huge issue in recent years. Sadly, I myself still am not sold on E.J. Manuel and think that they still need a QB that is a true leader and can deliver them a chance at the national title, but we shall see.

Ones to Watch: A.J. Alexander (ATH), Nigel Bradham (LB), Nigel Carr (LB), Corey Surrency (WR), Jermaine Thomas (RB), Nick Moody (LB)

10. Ohio State - The Buckeyes, in true Ohio State fashion, recruited heavily down in the trenches at both offensive and defensive line. The Big Ten conference requires this kind of recruiting. Coach Tressel maintained his focus on quality, not quantity.

Ones to Watch: Mike Adams (OL), Willie Mobley (DE), DeVier Posey (WR), Jermil Martin (FB), and Lamaar Thomas (ATH)

Top Unsigned Players:

Devoe Torrence - Torrence was committed to Ohio State, however, recent aligations of a sex scandal involving himself and some very, very young girls caused the Buckeyes to remove his scholarship offer. He is still considering Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Michigan, and Purdue.

Jordan Fields - No one is too clear on why Fields hasn't yet committed to a program. The Texas native currently holds offers from Baylor, Nebraska, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Tulsa, and Purdue among others.

Dominick Britt - Britt, out of Trotwood Madison high school in Ohio was long committed to the Cincinnati Bearcats, even up until about a month ago. Just this past weekend, Britt made an unexpected trip to Michigan with his good friend and teammate Michael Shaw, however, did not sign a letter of intent and may not have been formally offered one yet from the Wolverines. A dual threat quarterback with good size, Britt currently holds offers from Jackson State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Akron, Eastern Michigan, and Hampton among others, but may still be waiting for an official offer from the Wolverines.

Mr. Pryor - We all know the story of Terrelle Pryor so I won't tell it again. Personally, I think the best fit for him would be Michigan or Oregon, but word is that his dad wants him to stay close and go to Penn State. To be fair to Pryor, despite all of the drama he is doing the right thing. He's been extremely busy with basketball and wants to make a fair, clean-headed decision. It's a smart move on his part and this may be just a glimpse of the kind of character and poise that we may see from him later on down the line.

SLEEPER WATCH: (NOTE: you can only be a true sleeper if you are a 3-star or less)

1. Devin Thomas (RB, San Antonio, TX) - Committed to Ole Miss. Thomas was being looked at by a lot of schools at one point, but a bum ankle throughout this season hurt his stock. I saw him down at the Army game in person and he's got a solid head on his shoulder and his legs are built like cannons. He has good size and a quick initial burst. He also played against some really good competition in Texas. Look for him to help the Rebels behind Enrique Davis.

2. Daniel Andrews (DB, Jacksonville, FL) - Committed to Clemson. Andrews is just a 2-star, but has great measureables at the safety position at 6'0", 192 lbs, and 4.5 speed. He has a 39-inch vertical leap and was on other teams radars such as Miami, Florida, and South Carolina.

3. Justin Staples (LB, Lakewood, OH) - Committed to Illinois. Staples comes out of a great high school in the Cleveland area, St. Edwards. His build would indicate a sort of hybrid player who could end up at either linebacker or defensive end at Illinois. He was recruited by virtually every school in the Big Ten, among others.

4. Jim Youngblood (QB, Camden, AR) - Committed to Arkansas. The Razorbacks brought in a very good QB in Tyler Wilson, however, the second one they brought in isn't bad either. Youngblood could be used as a change of pace type quarterback behind Mallett and Wilson. He's strong and runs well with 4.57 speed. Youngblood chose the Razorbacks over offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Tulsa, among others.

5. Glenn Winston (ATH, Detroit, MI) - Committed to Michigan State. Winston makes nice moves with his hips between the tackles and can break tackles with more than one guy on him with his 212-pound frame.

T.J. Pridemore

6. T.J. Pridemore (LB, Buford, GA) - Committed to Florida. Despite the hype of all the other Gators in this year's class, Pridemore could end up being one of the better linebackers. He is super strong, maxing out at a 485-pound squat and has great speed to the ball.

7. Zavier Gooden (DB, Pflugerville, TX) and Kenji Jackson (DB, Mansfield, TX) - Committed to Missouri. Missouri and coach Gary Pinkel are beginning to show that they are truly capable of producing some great defensive back prospects. This year they had an outstanding pair of safeties in Cornelius "Pig" Brown and William Moore and their recruiting has produced two more that are capable of the same kind of play in Gooden and Jackson. Gooden has great size at 6'2" and should be really good at the safety spot once he puts on the extra weight. Jackson isn't quite as tall, but seems to have already filled out and uses his great closing speed very well on run plays. He's also got good coverage skills down the field.

Most Surprising Classes:

In terms of most surprising classes, it is a three-way tie between UCLA, Minnesota, and Arkansas. Bobby Petrino's name stood tall in Fayetteville and got some guys to switch their commits toward the Razorbacks. Most notably Joe Adams who had previously been committed to USC. For Tim Brewster at Minnesota, he really showed his capabilities as a recruiter and inked a really solid class despite the horrendous season that the Gophers endured. He solidified needs at all defensive spots. Finally, for Rick Neuheisal and UCLA it was all about keeping the class that Karl Dorrell had already put together in Westwood. The addition of Norm Chow certainly didn't hurt and Neuheisal did a good job as almost everyone stayed true.

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ItOffishul77 said:

	good use of the word venomous I just might steal that phrase haha
	report abuse vote down vote up

February 09, 2008
Votes: +0

wpeery said:

	great article Brian! Your stuff keeps getting better and better!
	report abuse vote down vote up

February 10, 2008
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