Another team ranking

[Eric the Red]

Ranking the top ten national classes

 

Rankings are a compilation of Top 10 lists from CSTV's Tom Lemming, rivals.com, ESPN.com (Scouts Inc.) and scout.com. Tribune college football reporter Teddy Greenstein provides the comments.

 

1. Florida: Think coach Urban Meyer's on a roll? After winning national title, Florida signed nation's top class - for the second consecutive year. Seven players come from Lakeland Senior HS.

 

2. Texas: Longhorns made the most of their talent-rich state by signing 23 Texas players. The only "foreigner" is Blaine Irby, a TE from Ventura, Calif.

 

3. USC: As usual, Trojans made late push. Nation's top RB, Joe McKnight, announced Wednesday that he will leave home-state Louisiana in favor of the Pete Carroll experience.

 

4. Tennessee: SEC schools are allowed to "over-sign" extensively and then drop kids or send them to junior college. Vols took full advantage, signing 32 players, including five RBs.

 

5. LSU: Signed just nine in-staters but pulled DT Joseph Barksdale out of Detroit and WR Terrance Tolliver from Texas. Best name is T-Bob Herbert, a center from Atlanta.

 

6. South Carolina: Gamecocks' best class in 20 years should end talk that coach Steve Spurrier slacks off in recruiting.

 

7. Auburn: Top RB Enrique Davis scared the Tigers by visiting Florida State last month, but he kept to his Auburn commitment.

 

8. Georgia: Top-notch RB Caleb King should be thrilled with this: Georgia signed eight offensive linemen. Dawgs also ventured to Missouri to ink 6-2 QB Logan Gray.

 

9. Notre Dame: Rough day for the Irish after losing two key commitments. At least California QB Jimmy Clausen didn't waver. Other potential problem: Class is light on defense.

 

10. Nebraska: Headliner is top JUCO QB Zac Lee, who excelled at City College of San Francisco after getting just one scholarship offer out of high school. Dad, Bob, was NFL QB.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

So are we taking the SEC approach? Good to see Lee get some Kudos.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Nice!!!! This should quite a few doubters about this class.

[Eric the Red]

Florida adds top recruiting title to national crown

 

By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY

Florida is No. 1 yet again.

The Gators signed the nation's top football recruiting class on Wednesday, according to major recruiting analysts.

 

Tennessee, Southern California, Louisiana State and Texas also grabbed top-five classes in rankings compiled by analysts from Rivals.com, SuperPrep magazine and CSTV.

 

The defending national champ showed its dominance just may continue with its class of 27 players, including nine who are already enrolled and participated in 6 a.m. conditioning drills on Wednesday.

 

"We have taken a new attitude toward recruiting this year that every freshman, in my opinion, will play next year," Gators coach Urban Meyer said. "Obviously, that won't happen, but we are taking that approach. It used to be 'Boy, I will be able to save this guy,' but that's over."

 

The Gators signed nine of the top 16 players in talent-filled Florida and the No. 1 players from South Carolina, Indiana, Maryland and New England, according to Rivals.com.

 

Still, the day was agonizing, even for the most successful coach.

 

"It's awful until you get that signature," Meyer said. "For a coach, this is the worst day. You have some control over game day. You have no control over what's going on in those high schools and those living rooms."

 

The Southeastern Conference, considered the most competitive league in the country, may stay that way with Florida, Tennessee, LSU, a surprising South Carolina, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama all receiving some top-10 acclaim for their classes from the various recruiting services.

 

The rich seemingly got richer on Wednesday, but a school like North Carolina, not exactly a football power, also had a stellar day.

 

The Tar Heels, under new coach Butch Davis, signed USA TODAY defensive player of the year Marvin Austin, a lineman from Washington, D.C. USA TODAY's offensive player of the year, quarterback Jimmy Clausen from California, signed with Notre Dame and has already enrolled.

 

Southern California closed strong, adding top running backs Joe McKnight from Louisiana and Broderick Green from Arkansas on Wednesday to a class that already included another top back in Marc Tyler; defensive end Everson Griffen, SuperPrep's No. 1 overall player; the nation's No. 1 receiver, Ronald Johnson from Michigan; and blue chip linebacker Chris Galippo from Anaheim, Calif.

 

"USC continues to be the place that a lot of skill-position players look to first," said analyst Bobby Burton of Rivals.com. "That doesn't mean the guys they get on defense aren't special. It just means they have the pick of the litter when it comes to offensive skill players."

 

But the Gators' class was best of all, signing eight of the top 16 players in talent-rich Florida and the No. 1 players from South Carolina, Indiana, Maryland and New England, according to Rivals.com.

 

A coaching change at Miami and another down year for Florida State played a key part in the Gators' success.

 

"They play an exciting brand of ball on offense and defense and a lot of kids want be in that situation," said Allen Wallace, the national recruiting editor for Scout.com and publisher of SuperPrep magazine. "There's no question they've moved into the catbird seat in Florida. They have taken advantage of tough times for both the Hurricanes and Seminoles."

 

Florida's class includes Rivals' third-best pro-style quarterback in John Brantley, the nation's top guard in James Wilson, top weakside defensive end in Carlos Dunlap, second-best defensive tackle in Torrey Davis, and top two safeties in Jerimy Finch and Major Wright.

 

Steve Spurrier brought in a top-10 class to South Carolna, a school that normally struggles to attract blue chip players. Receiver Chris Culliver of North Carolina headlines a class that also includes quarterback Stephen Garcia of Tampa

 

Illinois coach Ron Zook, who recruited many of the players that led Florida to the national title, signed one of the nation's best receivers, Arrelious Benn out of Washington, D.C., and beat out Notre Dame for one of the top defensive linemen, Martez Wilson of Chicago.

 

He put together a class that rivals Ohio State and Michigan for the best in the Big Ten, despite winning only two conference games the past two seasons.

 

Contributing: The Associated Press

 

Analysts' rankings

 

Tom Lemming, CSTV

 

Rank, school Comment

 

1. Florida Blue-chip talent at each position but really fortified the defensive line. Depth is unchartable.

 

2. Tennessee Athletes such as DB Eric Berry and DL Ben Martin on defense make this class special.

 

3. Texas Mack Brown controls the in-state talent pool, with OL Tray Allen the proof.

 

4. Southern Cal The Trojans' top 10 players are better than the rest, but scholarships were scarce.

 

5. LSU Kept in-state talent home, closing with key late commitment.

 

6. South Carolina Surprise, Steve Spurrier raided the state of Florida for players and the team's highest rank in 30 years.

 

7. Notre Dame Irish return to the top 10 with plenty of offensive help, but average talent on defense.

 

8. Nebraska A blend of junior-college transfers and high schoolers give Cornhuskers a superb mix.

 

9. Auburn Signed top two players from the state of Arkansas, including first-team All-USA OL Lee Ziemba.

 

10. Georgia Quality in-state signings and depth at all positions replenish the depth chart.

 

Bobby Burton, Rivals.com

 

Rank, school Comment

 

1. Florida Signed 11 of the nation's top 100. The group of defensive linemen, led by Carlos Dunlap of South Carolina, is clearly the nation's best.

 

2. Tennessee Reaching into Ohio for defensive end Ben Martin the Buckeye State's No. 1 player — was the coup of the class.

 

3. Southern Cal First three signees were RB/WR Joe McKnight, DE Everson Griffen and WR Ronald Johnson — three of the nation's top 10 recruits.

 

4. LSU The loss of Louisiana-native Joe McKnight stings, but the Tigers signed more than their fair share of talent.

 

5. Texas Dominated the Lone Star State by inking 12 of the state's top 20 recruits. Rivals Texas A&M and Oklahoma only signed one each.

 

6. South Carolina Steve Spurrier is finally attracting the type of talent, particularly on defense, required to compete for Southeastern Conference titles.

 

7. Auburn The next great Auburn running back? Many believe it will be Enrique Davis. The Florida native is a top-30 player in the country.

 

8. Notre Dame Started the recruiting campaign with momentum but ended with a whimper. The Irish lost two players to other schools Wednesday.

 

9. Georgia Eight of their 23 signees play along the offensive line, but it's Peach State running back Caleb King that has fans excited.

 

10. Michigan The Wolverines are paper-thin in the secondary, so the four defensive backfield recruits will be a welcome sight.

 

Allen Wallace, SuperPrep magazine and scout.com

 

Rank, school Comment

 

1. Florida Gators coach Urban Myer is an aggressive recruiter in a hotbed of talent.

 

2. Southern Cal A small class but full of quality players. The Trojans went nationally for top players, including Joe McKnight from River Ridge, La.

 

3. LSU The defensive line is bolstered by All-USA player Joseph Barksdale from Michigan.

 

4. Tennessee After a recruiting slump in 2006, the Vols are back, gaining strength on defense.

 

5. Texas The Horns have a lock on homegrown talent. No..1 offensive lineman Tray Allen signed.

 

6. South Carolina Could be the Gamecocks’ finest class ever, bolstering three key positions: defensive back, defensive line, wide receiver.

 

7. Auburn Balanced class restocked all positions. QB Kodi. Burns from Arkansas is an Elite 50 player.

 

8. Michigan QB Ryan Mallett from Texas might be the top prep player in the nation and the Wolverines’ jewel.

 

9. Oregon Inroads with junior college players provide experience, and two key high school defensive linemen fuel the class.

 

10. Notre Dame Offensive players possess firepower, but defensive signings are disappointing.

[Ohio Pete]

4. Tennessee: SEC schools are allowed to "over-sign" extensively and then drop kids or send them to junior college. Vols took full advantage, signing 32 players, including five RBs.

 

So just how exactly bogus is this ranking then? Is this why Georgia and Tennessee (among others) are always in the top of the recruiting rankings but cannot deliver?

 

TN has had the same coach and superior recruiting, but hasn't had a title since '98. GA is always among the tops in recruiting, but hasn't had a title (or played for one?) in more than 20 years.

 

Any other SEC schools I'm missing? LSU has top classes and has won a split title. Any other conferences pull this kind of thing?

 

I know we encourage some kids to walk on with the promise of a future scholarship (gray shirt), but I'm not aware of us dropping extra kids or sending them to JC. Are these academically ineligible kids or is TN dropping kids that signed a LOI and could enroll? Awfully shady.