The Gators are looking like they will be very hard to catch come Wednesday. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/football/ncaa/recruiting.top25/index.html I don't see how anyone can catch them unless UF loses a couple of studs without gaining any more pick-ups. Dang....I'm starting to see everything in orange and blue!!
I agree Gators are a lock to be #1, most likely by every service. There will be some jockeying for the spots behind them. If Texas gets James Mouton that might bump us to consensus #2, Irish will be some place between 3-6 depending.... But then even Zook could bring in Top 5 classes, did he get a #1 the year he got Leake? Terry
In terms of quality you'd have to agree though that USC is #1. They only have 16 recruits and yet have more 5*'s than the Gators and more top 100, they don't even have a recruit ranked as low as a 3*. Truly impressive.
SC is indeed impressive in quality. If they had 26 recruits like that they would definitely surpass UF as the #1 class.
I would say anytime you are listed in the top 10, you have done well. Ironically the top classes do not always work out on the field. Sometime people like A J Hawk, who was a three star, turn out to be the best players.
No doubt it's not an exact science, you still have to coach them once they get on campus. That is of course why Mack Brown has gotten so much criticism over the years, he's a great recruiter but until last year he didn't have conference championships and national championships on his resume, a bucket load of wins didn't seem to cut it though. One of the flaws in the current ranking system is that it favors the schools that sign the most # of players. Terry
Here's a little reflection on what happened to some past high school stars. It's not pretty! COLLEGE RECRUITING Nothing's For Sure By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON arichardson@tampatrib.com Published: Jan 30, 2006 TAMPA - Lydell Ross idealistically believed National Signing Day was the beginning of a football career that would eventually lead him to millions in the NFL. It would have been hard to argue against him back then. Ross rushed for 2,196 yards and 23 touchdowns at Gaither High School, setting a single-season Hillsborough County record in 2000. Including three playoff games, he rushed for 2,744 yards and 27 touchdowns, and was a first-team Class 6A All-State selection. He also won the Guy Toph Award, given to Hillsborough County's top football player, The Tampa Tribune's Football Player of the Year award and The Tampa Tribune's Male Athlete of the Year. On signing day, Ross reached into a brown paper bag and pulled out a buckeye in front of captivated media members and students, signifying he was going to play for Ohio State. He chose the Buckeyes over Florida, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Auburn. As Ross, arguably the most gifted football player in Hillsborough County history, stepped onto Ohio State's campus as a freshman, the simple four-year journey to the pros was supposed to begin. "My head was on a swivel. I was 17 years old. I was on a huge campus and at a place with a great football tradition. I was there to do what my dream was, which was to play college and go to NFL," Ross said. "I wanted to take it all in. Everything was coming fast, it was a new setting, and I was away from home for the first time." But before Ross could say Heisman, reality tackled him behind the line of scrimmage, like it will many members of this year's signing class. They're Not All Success Stories Wednesday is National Signing Day, a day when football players can sign college scholarships, a day when Ross led the 2001 class. Some athletes will pan out, while many will fall into an abyss and never be heard from again. "I think as a recruiter, your goal is to always be 2-out-of-3 on good players that play for your school. That's a number I remember being told. You'd like it to be even better at a place like this," Florida football coach Urban Meyer said. Ross was the head of this area's 2001 signing class, and although there are success stories, that year's crop had its disappointments. Hillsborough's Andrew Williams, who signed with Miami after attending a junior college, was a third-round draft pick in 2003; former Jesuit kicker Xavier Beitia recently signed with the Bucs after being released from the Jets last year; Armwood defensive back Antwan Allen and Riverview running back Jahmile Addae are strong NFL draft possibilities this year. However, four players have been arrested since signing scholarships. The lengthiest rap sheet belongs to former Armwood receiver Chris Murray, who verbally committed to Miami, but eventually changed his mind and signed with North Carolina State. Murray played sparingly for two seasons at N.C. State before quitting the team, and was arrested Nov. 7, 2005, for providing a false name to an officer, possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis, driving without a valid license and criminal mischief of less than $200. There's No Exact Science Of the 29 area players who signed in 2001, 10 never made it all four years (34 percent). Of the survivors, it is unknown how many graduated because academic records are private. According to the NCAA's recent Graduation Success Rates, 64 percent of Division I football players are finishing with college degrees. "A lot of kids don't understand what they are getting into," Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia said. "It's strictly business on the college level. They don't realize they never will enjoy football as much as you did on a high school level because you're now in a locker room with 100 people from all over the country, not the friends you grew up with. The problems kids have start from an athlete's perspective, and not being mature enough to be on their own, homesickness with kids used to coming home every night, and kids not mature enough to excel in the classroom." Recruiting services also rank signing day classes, placing winning expectations on the top-ranked classes, but even they struggle to figure out locks from flops. "It's an inexact science for us, college coaches and anyone else involved," said recruiting expert Jaime Newberg of Scout.com. "We can scout and do our homework, but at the end of the day, you just don't know how they will adjust. You can't measure heart, toughness, or if they can pick up the playbook. It's tough to figure out. We've had problems with it, colleges do, and so does the NFL. It happens to everyone." Competition Is Fierce The constant competition is a factor many players struggle with. Even though a high school athlete might have been the best player in his area, each competes against teammates who are highly touted, plus incoming freshmen who carry promise every year. For instance, Ross rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State's 27-14 victory against Indiana as a freshman, becoming the youngest player in Big Ten history to rush for more than 100 yards. Then a running back named Maurice Clarett showed up. Clarett started as a freshman, leading Ohio State to a national championship, while Ross was relegated to a supporting role. Ross resumed his starting position as a junior, but struggled to live up to his high school expectations. He had 193 carries, 826 yards and 10 TDs as a junior. In his senior year, Ross rushed 117 times for 475 yards and four touchdowns as a role player. He was undrafted in 2005 and signed a free-agent contract with the San Diego Chargers but was cut during training camp. Instead of pursuing his NFL dream, Ross returned to Ohio State as a student and is set to graduate with a communications degree March 19. His new dream is to land a public relations job with the New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Bucs. "College is a business because it makes money, but coaches are in the opportunity business," said Carl Franks, the University of South Florida's recruiting coordinator and running backs coach. "They are there to give young men an opportunity to go to school and get a degree. It doesn't matter if you're a true freshman or a fifth-year senior. The guy who is going to play is the person who earned it in practice and who we trust. We don't look at what year you're in. Having a starting job is not a player's birthright, but something that is earned. "There is always a certain reality check kids have when they realize how hard you have to play in college football. We tell kids they will have to work harder than they've ever had to work before. We explain how much more demanding it will be, and sometimes they don't believe you because they don't know what it is until they go through it." Teammates Can Ease Transition To help freshman football players adjust, USF has a Big Brother program that pairs incoming freshmen with older teammates. Franks said it gives freshmen an accountability partner, plus a voice of reason if necessary. The only voice guiding Ross right now is his own. Ross said he initially missed playing football, but is looking forward to landing his first job as a college graduate. Signing day opened the football door, but the subsequent slam did not sour Ross' experience. "The best will always play for a university. You have to expect that and be ready for it," Ross said. "My ultimate goal was to reach the NFL, and I made it there. It didn't work out, but now I'm focusing on my other goal, which is to get a college degree, and I couldn't be happier." Write a letter to the editor | Subscribe to the Tribune | Place an Ad Online TBO.com AdLinks
Some side switching going on.... Was McDaniels a UF verbal? Also still hearing that the Springdale kid Williams is going to decomit? Also somebody said Penn State grabbed another verbal from another school, a kid named Brent Carter has switched commits from UVA to Penn State. Somebody posted that Penn State's class includes 8 or 9 kids who were previously committed to other schools. JoePa and staff obviously staying on top of kids they want even if they have verbaled to other schools. That has really changed over the last 10 years. I was rare for kids to change, probably due to coaches not recruiting other verbals. But it's been increasing every year. You really have to keep recruiting your verbals. This is where the schools would be protected if there was an early signing period. Terry
Terry, I think Lydell Ross's high school coach, hit the nail on the head. There are major changes for kids moving out of state, new academic requirements and homesick. A lot for a 17 or 18 year old youngster to absorb at one time.
Hearing that Williams is now Ark bound and that Meyer has pulled McDaniel's offer....for visiting FSU? That last part sounds suspect to me. Also reading that CJ Spiller looks good for UF and Mon Williams also and UF is still a possibility for Andre Smith from Bama.
Don, To me the important thing about Lydell is that he seems to be a kid who has a good head on his shoulders, don't know if he was a good guy at OSU. But he's accepted that he has to get a degree to be able to move on with his life and he has a plan. Terry
Terry, McDanials, Williams and Patrick Robinson were all commited to Florida at one time, during the last week or so all changed their minds. Robinson today just signed with FSU and never did tell our coaches. I think he belongs at FSU with that approach. Gator Bill