2 Weeks Till National Signing DayWed, 01/21/2009 - 9:04am — Gator Tailgating
1. Ohio State Surprised? There are a few up there. North Carolina at No. 2 is downright shocking, but then again, we all know Butch Davis could recruit Rush Limbaugh to join Moveon.org. Stanford right on Michigan's tail has to give the folks in Ann Arbor some real concerns- Stanford? “When he [Davis] committed to South Carolina, he turned down scholarship opportunities to other schools," said Tucker coach Franklin Stephens. "And then those other schools moved on to fill that spot. What South Carolina did was wrong, and the timing of it, so close to signing day [Feb. 4], is worse. It’s just a bad deal.”
Michigan Not really sold on this class. The Wolverines signed two 3 star running backs which is a little surprising for a school known for power running. Yes, they are now running the spread, but you still need a good back to make the offense balanced. They did land a four star QB in Tate Forcier, but the ratio of 8-11 on offensive-defensive recruits is probably not what RR had in mind- the offense needs help now.
Ohio State Sold on this class. This is well balanced, and really addresses the needs of the team. Tressel went after two running backs, some great corners, and solid linebackers, including a five star Will (weak-side linebacker) in Dorian Bell. Overall, there's a reason why the Buckeyes are ranked No. 1.
Oklahoma Sold on this class, but I do have one concern. What's really tell-tale is how Stoops went after some big time corners- the Sooners have been burned so many times on passes, this is an area that needs to be addressed, and he did that. Stoops also went after 10 linebackers, which will take care of the big gap after the 2009 season.
USC Sold on this class. Carroll landed the number one player in the nation, QB Matt Barkley, as well as two other No. 1 (in their position) players, MLB Vontaze Burfict, and C John Martinez. While the Trojans are still battling a few other schools (BYU, Notre Dame) for prize LB Manti Te'o, they don't have the big classes that some other teams ahead of them have. USC has 18 commits/soft verbals, while the five other schools ahead of them have at least 20. But, the Trojans do have the highest average star rating per player, at 3.94. USC needs to add to its offensive line, however. Having only one center (with a commit as a back-up) and losing all three tackles next season is a scary situation to be in.
Florida On the fence. Meyer went after the O-line, which, according to the depth charts, is an area that will be thin after 2010—they lose a projected eight linemen. The Gators will also be a bit thin in the linebacking corps, and they didn't really address that need but still have some scholarships left to give out. In fact, 2010 could be a scary year for Gators fans—they will be losing at least 28 players, barring any unforeseen redshirts.
LSU Sold. Wow, LSU fans have to be very excited over this class. Miles landed the No. 3 back in the nation, Michael Ford, as well as two quarterbacks, one of whom is ranked second among all quarterbacks—Russell Shepard. This dual-threat quarterback had these schools on his interest list: USC, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas. Now that's what I'm talking about!
Notre Dame On the fence. No. 20 is not what Weis had in mind, but then again, there could be a reason for it—a few two- and three-stars will take you down a notch, but uncertainty will really drop you. Rumors are surfacing that Notre Dame may hire Jon "Chucky" Gruden after Feb. 4 (SLOID), ensuring there is no chance the players can change their minds. Throw in a new OC and running backs coach (Tony Alford), and you could have some uneasiness on a team that has made some improvement, but not a lot considering the softness of last year's schedule. Weis did land three All-American WRs to the class, so it looks like Clausen/Crist will have a lot of deer to throw to. Lsa Horne is a Senior Writer for the Bleacher Report. Visit http://bleacherreport.com/articles/113512-two-weeks-left-to-national-signing-day-and-whos-the-king-of-recruiting to read the original article. READ SIMILAR STORIES |
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