TOP THREE RECRUITING CLASSES

[SLCIRISH]

I think scouts and anaylsis's get to engrossed in the star rating system, who really knows how good a 17 year old kid will become. And really the best players in the nation are the ones who fit the style of the team they were recruited by. So here is my top three recruiting classes based on getting what they needed/talent/pos, ability to recruit against bigger schools, how quick those recruits will play, and surprise factor of signees;

1. Clemson (28?), wow what a nice class, not overly great but with additions of; (LB)s Anthony and Steward, (RB) Bellamy and receivers Watkins and Peake, they have filled their holes, out recruited alot of teams, surprised alot of experts and these kids will probably see immediate playing time.

2.California(22), they needed help on the defensive side of the ball and got it with (DL) Barr, Jalil, Moala, and Scarlett, that could end up being the best D line in the nation. They are coming off a bad year and are still able to battle and win recruits from all over the nation, not just the west coast.

3. Utah(19), first season recruiting mainly against Pac-12 teams, without the budget of the Pac-12, and they addressed their need at (RB) Harvey Langi, Jarrell Oliver and (JC transfer), John White. They have immediate starters in the defensive back field with (JC transfer) Keith Mcgill, Joseph Bryant and Eric Rowe, and signed the two best players from Utah in Langi and (WR)Nate Fakahufua, who will probably end up at (DE). They battled and won against teams from all the BCS conf, and to make my point again, without the resources of these programs.

My honorable mention team is Utah State(25), they have been a doormat for alot of years, and to see them recruit and sign the likes of (WR) Rueben Thomas, (DL) Paul Piukala, and Bojay Filmoeatu, against bigger schools, gives a little hope for the smaller schools. And I also believe they have the top ranked class in the wickity WAC.

These arent the best recruiting classes on paper, but these teams have done a great job of improving their teams, look for all of them to improve quickly.

I did not include the Irish because we have all went over their class a 100 times.

 

[irishff1014]

Cal got alot of help on Defense good to see them recruiting well. And Clemson man they tore it up this year. Them and FSU will be running the the ACC every soon.

 

[Old Man Mike]

As long as Beamer and Foster are still at Virginia Tech, no list of teams "running" the ACC will be complete without mentioning Virginia Tech. Beamer and Foster do it without regard to "stars" and have shoved it up Clemson, FSU, and everyone else's noses for years. This should remind us [regularly] of how important the second phase of the team development system is [coaching]. Clemson is a spectacular example of yearly underachieving as was FSU under Bowden's failing years. How people continue to underrate VT stuns me.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Can you tell Irish666 lives in Utah?

 

[irishff1014]

Old Man Mike i do agree with you however their defense was very shaky this year. And it should be intresting to see how the QB's leaving affect both FSU and VT.

 

[CanadianIrish]

Clemson is hardly picking someone who was unrecognized by the recruiting services, they were ranked 8th by Rivals and 12th by Scout, and they got four 5*s according to Rivals, and three top 12 players. Everyone knows that is a sick class, and they have a decent chance at Clowney.

However, I agree that despite the fact that they are getting love from the recruiting services, that class might actually be underrated. If they get Clowney, it's not just the best class in the country (IMO), but one of the best ones in recent memory.

As for ND, we hit most of our needs well, but the recent actions of the coaches show that things didn't go perfectly. Moving two WRs to the secondary shows that they think we whiffed big in DB recruiting (which we did, this class needed lots of studs, and we got one potential stud). We also did brutally in RB recruiting and have created a big problem for the coaches next year. Everywhere else, things went well - so all in all it's a great class.

That having been said, we have three huge areas of need for next year: (1) RB - we need two solid prospects, or one real stud and a decent prospect; (2) DB - We need a highly rated corner, preferably two, and some depth; and (3) NT - We need a true NT in the mold of LNIII, not a DT like Cwynar (and there are some goods ones this year, in addition to Schutt - who I keep making noise about - Rivals is raving about some behemoth's performance at the AAA combine, and there is some monster at Cretin Durham just to name two).

 

[IrishSLC]

Can you tell Irish666 lives in Utah?

I thought the same thing. I'm a Utah Irish fan and before I saw his location i was shocked by the Utah/Utah St. mentions. Slight homerism.

On topic, I think USC's & Ohio St.'s classes are heavily overrated. But in my opinion the ratings (which don't matter but look pretty on paper) are heavily favored on flashy skill positions. Not the kids that do the work and provide the foundation. O and D Line. Along with the big hitters at Linebacker.

Minor example, with defensive focus and discipline ND's defense looked as good as I've seen it since 02' - 03'. I give the majority of the credit to the D-Line and Linebacking core. Not taking away from the stellar moments made by the secondary the 2nd half of the season.

I love nothing more than cheering for a tough, smash mouth ND team. Can't wait to see these young men develop on and off the field.

GO ND!

 

[SLCIRISH]

I am from Utah, but, at the "U", they are calling it the best class ever, and Utah State is saying its the best since Merlin Olsen and company.

Utah is kinda like ND, when a recruit commits, the powers that be dock him a star or two.

Even with all that talent Cal and Clemson prob wont even win a conf championship between em.

 

[Irish Man3]

Cal got alot of help on Defense good to see them recruiting well. And Clemson man they tore it up this year. Them and FSU will be running the the ACC every soon.

Clemson? Running things in the ACC? Clemson couldn't "run things" in the Big East. A good recruiting class is a waste with bad coaches.

 

[SLCIRISH]

Maybe loooking back in a few years, at this ND class, we might think of the little fishes that got away?

 

[Anchorman]

Navy got 56 commits in this recruiting class, so I vote them.