Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Recruiting
By Steve Trivett, Special to the News
February 1, 2006
Texas ended the 2005 college football season as the No. 1 team in the country.
If recruiting classes mean anything, the Longhorns are ready to make a strong defense of their title.
According to the people who rank recruiting classes, the Longhorns put together the top class in the Big 12 Conference by a wide, wide margin.
And the future Longhorns — including 10 of the top 12 instate products — got on board early in the recruiting process.
"Most of the young men who are joining us this year committed very early," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Last year's Rose Bowl kind of put them over the top."
When the dust had cleared, Brown had signed 25 newcomers.
"This is one of the biggest classes we've had in years," he said. "But it is an overall group that fits our team from top to bottom."
One of the fits should be quarterback Jevan Snead, who already is enrolled at Texas. Look for linebacker Sergio Kindle, who also has enrolled, to also make an immediate impact.
"There is definitely a difficult transition period for a young guy who decides to enroll early, so we feel fortunate that these two came in together to form a mini-class that can grow together," Brown said. "When they get through the early challenges, it will have been worth it for them."
A look at national signing day in the Big 12:
Oklahoma
The Sooners divided their scholarships between high school seniors and junior-college transfers.
And they went all over the football map to fill needs.
"This class is very typical of most of our recruiting classes," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "It is very well-balanced."
The 2006 Oklahoma signing class includes 28 prospects at nine positions, as the Sooners addressed a number of needs. Seven of the new signees are offensive linemen.
And the Sooners got two projected defensive studs, lineman Gerald McCoy and linebacker Daniel Tabon.
"We felt we needed to bolster our team along the offensive line because we had the fewest number of scholarship players returning at those positions," Stoops said. "But we also recruited the kind of players that we feel can play early in their careers and we feel like we have some of those in this class, too."
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers also reached into the junior-college ranks to find folks who will be able to step in and play right away — including speedy cornerback Andre Jones and big-hitting linebacker Steve Allen.
"First of all, the players that we signed . . . each and every one of them loves football and loves to compete," Cornhuskers coach Bill Callahan said. "Those were the two things that we looked for when we hit the recruiting trail. You want players who want to be here, and that's what I believe we have in this class."
And the Nebraska coaches went from sea to shining sea to find those players.
The class of 2006 comes from nine different states, with the majority hailing from California and Florida.
"The main thing is that we've set our sights on a Big 12 championship and a run at a national championship," Callahan said. "I think that this class allows us to do that."
Texas A&M
Aggies coach Dennis Franchione went after athletes.
He got them.
"We certainly feel like we've strengthened our program in regard to a lot of areas such as speed, athleticism and versatility," Franchione said. "Last year we identified three areas of need in this class; running back, linebacker and skilled athletes. I think we filled those needs."
No. 1 running back Courtney Lewis is a senior. Look for newcomer Michael Goodsen to step into the No. 2 role the day he steps on to the campus at College Station.
The Aggies also landed a pair of high school teammates, wide receiver Terrance McCoy and Leslie Ray from Midland High School.
"As you look through our signees, I think that this class reflects that we did a very good job of meeting our needs."
Texas Tech
Looking for immediate help on defense, Red Raiders coach Mike Leach announced that 20 players in his 2006 recruiting class of 34 will line up on the defensive side of the ball.
And he didn't go far to find them.
Twenty-nine of the Tech newcomers are Texans. Two are from Louisiana, and one each hails from Oklahoma, Tennessee and California.
Tech's class is listed among some of the best in the nation by several analysts and recruiting Web sites. The offensive line is ranked seventh and the incoming linebackers are ranked eighth by Scout.com; Rivals.com has the Tech defensive tackles 11th, its defensive backs ninth and its overall athletes 13th.
Oklahoma State
When he pulled out his recruiting map, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy marked only one direction — south.
Gundy went to Texas and came back to Stillwater with what might become the mother lode.
"Our coaching staff is very pleased with this signing class," Gundy said. "We addressed some needs we feel like can really help us early in the season next year and give us some added depth for the future."
Make no mistake, when Gundy is talking about immediate help, he's talking about former junior-college running back Dantrell Savage and former junior-college wide receiver Anthony Parks. Both will play right away. The hidden jewel in the class is Derek Burton.
"It's a very good recruiting class," Gundy said. "It's also a tribute to our staff and the hard work they have done. But working hard is what we are about at Oklahoma State."
Kansas
The Jayhawks had one of the smallest signing classes in the conference, but coach Mark Mangino wasn't worried.
"I'm very pleased with this year's class," Mangino said after collecting letters of intent from 21 players. "We met our needs at every position on the field, and we look forward to developing these players at the Division I level."
Among the signees were running back Jake Sharp, the top high school player in Kansas, and nine highly recruited players from Texas.
Quarterback Todd Reesing and defensive back Olaitan Oguntodu both graduated from high school early and will participate in spring drills.
Kansas State
When the group of athletes who make up the 2006 recruiting class have their first meeting in Manhattan, introductions will indeed be necessary.
The 27 student-athletes hail from 15 different states.
"I am very pleased to introduce this signing class," coach Ron Price said. "The focus of this organization is to build a fast, strong, tough and disciplined football team that consistently competes for championships.
"We believe that each of these young men possesses the integrity, toughness and competitiveness that we are looking for in a Wildcat player."
If there is one common denominator among the recruiting class, it falls on the defensive side of the ball.
Seventeen of the 27 commitments are projected to play defense, including eight backs, four tackles, three linebackers and two ends.
The one quarterback, Josh Freeman, made an early commitment to Nebraska but switched to K-State. Incoming cornerback Josh Moore made 10 interceptions as a high school star in Florida.
Missouri
Tigers coach Gary Pinkel went after players at the skill positions.
He got quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs.
According to the people who pass out recruiting grades, he got some good ones.
And, in the case of defensive backs, he also got a lot of them — there are seven defensive backs in the incoming class at Missouri.
"This is a quality group of men both on and off the field," Pinkel said. "We feel good about addressing some needs with people who can come in and contribute right away."
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is a big-time burner, having run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds.
Iowa State
Cyclones coach Dan McCartney has a reputation for finding sleepers and turning them into stars.
The next star could be quarterback Austin Arnaud, who has quick feet and a strong arm.
McCartney also found another diamond in defensive end Rashawn Parker, who is only going to get bigger, stronger and faster.
The Cyclones had one of the largest recruiting classes in the conference with 30 signees.
Baylor
Bears coach Guy Morriss signed his fourth recruiting class.
He says it is his best.
"I believe that this is arguably the best of the four classes we've signed so far," Morriss said. "We've added size, speed and athleticism to our roster.
"There are some players who I expect to come in and contribute right away."
Two of the positions that could show newcomers are quarterback and wide receiver.
By Steve Trivett, Special to the News
February 1, 2006
Texas ended the 2005 college football season as the No. 1 team in the country.
If recruiting classes mean anything, the Longhorns are ready to make a strong defense of their title.
According to the people who rank recruiting classes, the Longhorns put together the top class in the Big 12 Conference by a wide, wide margin.
And the future Longhorns — including 10 of the top 12 instate products — got on board early in the recruiting process.
"Most of the young men who are joining us this year committed very early," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "Last year's Rose Bowl kind of put them over the top."
When the dust had cleared, Brown had signed 25 newcomers.
"This is one of the biggest classes we've had in years," he said. "But it is an overall group that fits our team from top to bottom."
One of the fits should be quarterback Jevan Snead, who already is enrolled at Texas. Look for linebacker Sergio Kindle, who also has enrolled, to also make an immediate impact.
"There is definitely a difficult transition period for a young guy who decides to enroll early, so we feel fortunate that these two came in together to form a mini-class that can grow together," Brown said. "When they get through the early challenges, it will have been worth it for them."
A look at national signing day in the Big 12:
Oklahoma
The Sooners divided their scholarships between high school seniors and junior-college transfers.
And they went all over the football map to fill needs.
"This class is very typical of most of our recruiting classes," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "It is very well-balanced."
The 2006 Oklahoma signing class includes 28 prospects at nine positions, as the Sooners addressed a number of needs. Seven of the new signees are offensive linemen.
And the Sooners got two projected defensive studs, lineman Gerald McCoy and linebacker Daniel Tabon.
"We felt we needed to bolster our team along the offensive line because we had the fewest number of scholarship players returning at those positions," Stoops said. "But we also recruited the kind of players that we feel can play early in their careers and we feel like we have some of those in this class, too."
Nebraska
The Cornhuskers also reached into the junior-college ranks to find folks who will be able to step in and play right away — including speedy cornerback Andre Jones and big-hitting linebacker Steve Allen.
"First of all, the players that we signed . . . each and every one of them loves football and loves to compete," Cornhuskers coach Bill Callahan said. "Those were the two things that we looked for when we hit the recruiting trail. You want players who want to be here, and that's what I believe we have in this class."
And the Nebraska coaches went from sea to shining sea to find those players.
The class of 2006 comes from nine different states, with the majority hailing from California and Florida.
"The main thing is that we've set our sights on a Big 12 championship and a run at a national championship," Callahan said. "I think that this class allows us to do that."
Texas A&M
Aggies coach Dennis Franchione went after athletes.
He got them.
"We certainly feel like we've strengthened our program in regard to a lot of areas such as speed, athleticism and versatility," Franchione said. "Last year we identified three areas of need in this class; running back, linebacker and skilled athletes. I think we filled those needs."
No. 1 running back Courtney Lewis is a senior. Look for newcomer Michael Goodsen to step into the No. 2 role the day he steps on to the campus at College Station.
The Aggies also landed a pair of high school teammates, wide receiver Terrance McCoy and Leslie Ray from Midland High School.
"As you look through our signees, I think that this class reflects that we did a very good job of meeting our needs."
Texas Tech
Looking for immediate help on defense, Red Raiders coach Mike Leach announced that 20 players in his 2006 recruiting class of 34 will line up on the defensive side of the ball.
And he didn't go far to find them.
Twenty-nine of the Tech newcomers are Texans. Two are from Louisiana, and one each hails from Oklahoma, Tennessee and California.
Tech's class is listed among some of the best in the nation by several analysts and recruiting Web sites. The offensive line is ranked seventh and the incoming linebackers are ranked eighth by Scout.com; Rivals.com has the Tech defensive tackles 11th, its defensive backs ninth and its overall athletes 13th.
Oklahoma State
When he pulled out his recruiting map, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy marked only one direction — south.
Gundy went to Texas and came back to Stillwater with what might become the mother lode.
"Our coaching staff is very pleased with this signing class," Gundy said. "We addressed some needs we feel like can really help us early in the season next year and give us some added depth for the future."
Make no mistake, when Gundy is talking about immediate help, he's talking about former junior-college running back Dantrell Savage and former junior-college wide receiver Anthony Parks. Both will play right away. The hidden jewel in the class is Derek Burton.
"It's a very good recruiting class," Gundy said. "It's also a tribute to our staff and the hard work they have done. But working hard is what we are about at Oklahoma State."
Kansas
The Jayhawks had one of the smallest signing classes in the conference, but coach Mark Mangino wasn't worried.
"I'm very pleased with this year's class," Mangino said after collecting letters of intent from 21 players. "We met our needs at every position on the field, and we look forward to developing these players at the Division I level."
Among the signees were running back Jake Sharp, the top high school player in Kansas, and nine highly recruited players from Texas.
Quarterback Todd Reesing and defensive back Olaitan Oguntodu both graduated from high school early and will participate in spring drills.
Kansas State
When the group of athletes who make up the 2006 recruiting class have their first meeting in Manhattan, introductions will indeed be necessary.
The 27 student-athletes hail from 15 different states.
"I am very pleased to introduce this signing class," coach Ron Price said. "The focus of this organization is to build a fast, strong, tough and disciplined football team that consistently competes for championships.
"We believe that each of these young men possesses the integrity, toughness and competitiveness that we are looking for in a Wildcat player."
If there is one common denominator among the recruiting class, it falls on the defensive side of the ball.
Seventeen of the 27 commitments are projected to play defense, including eight backs, four tackles, three linebackers and two ends.
The one quarterback, Josh Freeman, made an early commitment to Nebraska but switched to K-State. Incoming cornerback Josh Moore made 10 interceptions as a high school star in Florida.
Missouri
Tigers coach Gary Pinkel went after players at the skill positions.
He got quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs.
According to the people who pass out recruiting grades, he got some good ones.
And, in the case of defensive backs, he also got a lot of them — there are seven defensive backs in the incoming class at Missouri.
"This is a quality group of men both on and off the field," Pinkel said. "We feel good about addressing some needs with people who can come in and contribute right away."
Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is a big-time burner, having run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds.
Iowa State
Cyclones coach Dan McCartney has a reputation for finding sleepers and turning them into stars.
The next star could be quarterback Austin Arnaud, who has quick feet and a strong arm.
McCartney also found another diamond in defensive end Rashawn Parker, who is only going to get bigger, stronger and faster.
The Cyclones had one of the largest recruiting classes in the conference with 30 signees.
Baylor
Bears coach Guy Morriss signed his fourth recruiting class.
He says it is his best.
"I believe that this is arguably the best of the four classes we've signed so far," Morriss said. "We've added size, speed and athleticism to our roster.
"There are some players who I expect to come in and contribute right away."
Two of the positions that could show newcomers are quarterback and wide receiver.