College Football Signing Day Winners and Losers

Different Articles about Signing Day
Signing Day Winners and Losers
www.si.com
Flash forward to Jan. 7, 2013, to the BCS National Championship Game at that sure-to-be-renamed-yet-again stadium in Miami.

The teams: Florida and USC.
The buildup for this clash has been tremendous. The schools have been dominating both on the field and in recruiting since the mid-2000s, but are meeting on the field for the first time in 30 years. On one sideline stands Lane Kiffin, back for a third stint with the Trojans after briefly bolting to the Detroit Lions for one season. On the other, Urban Meyer, who returned from his fourth leave of absence in the last three years just in time for the SEC Championship Game.
Each has paid his conference $40,000 in fines since this matchup was announced.
USC enters the contest averaging a staggering 55 points per game on offense. Heisman quarterback Matt Barkley (who, for the convenient purposes of this hypothetical, didn't turn pro early) is joined by 1,500-yard rusher Dillon Baxter and a trio of 1,000-yard receivers, Kyle Prater, Robert Woods and Markeith Ambles. Outland Trophy winner Seantrel Henderson anchors the offensive line.
On the other side, Florida's record-setting defense has allowed fewer than seven points per game. Behind a dominant defensive front led by All-Americas Ronald Powell, Sharif Floyd, Leon Orr and Dominique Easley, the Gators lead the nation in sacks and rushing defense.
It is the ultimate clash of offense vs. defense. And it's the first-ever, long-overdue SEC vs. Pac-10 BCS Championship matchup.
Now, flash sideways to this alternate reality: Jan. 7, 2014 in Pasadena. Once upon a time, UCLA and Tennessee played an ugly Labor Day evening game here that marked a low point for both programs; now, five years later, they're meeting in a national championship matchup serving as the coronation of these two fallen powers' return to national prominence.
It wasn't easy getting here, but both coaches -- the Bruins' Rick Neuheisel and the Vols' Derek Dooley -- can point to a single turning point: Signing Day, Feb. 3, 2010, when they showed they weren't going to let their rivals run away with things anymore. Some of the fruits of their labor that winter are on the field tonight.
There is UCLA's All-America safety Dietrich Riley, one of several UCLA signees who figured to be a shoe-in for USC before its then-legendary coach, Pete Carroll, bolted for the NFL. He'll have the challenge of defending Tennessee's Biletnikoff receiver, Da'Rick Rogers, who, ironically, may never have become a Vol if Kiffin hadn't left for USC.
On which path will the Class of 2010 lead us? Are we boarding another familiar flight with the same, tried-and-true characters? Or will the sport soon come to know a whole other set of leaders?
In this year's annual recruiting derby, Florida and USC finished with the nation's two best classes, according to Rivals.com. We've seen this show before. Over the past five years, these same two schools hold the highest cumulative rankings
The interesting twist, however, was the absurd collection of talent each power assembled on opposite sides of the ball.
Florida's defensive haul included Rivals.com's No. 1 (Powell), No. 3 (Floyd) and No. 7 (Easley) overall prospects, as well as five-star defensive back Matt Elam and eight other four-star defenders. Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming called it "the best defensive group I've seen put together" in the New York Times.
USC, meanwhile, brought in three of the nation's four highest-rated receivers (Prater, Woods and Ambles), the top offensive lineman (Henderson) and the No. 1 all-purpose back (Baxter). "You would be hard-pressed to ever find a greater collection of athletes at the skills positions," said SuperPrep's Allen Wallace. "It's the best wide receiver class ever assembled by a single school."
You'll have to excuse the recruiting analysts for being prone to hyperbole and/or lacking in long-term memory -- because it sure seems like we've seen this before. In 2003, USC recruited a similar collection of offensive talent -- running backs Reggie Bush and LenDale White, receiver Steve Smith and tackle Sam Baker (not to mention five-star washout Whitney Lewis) -- that would form the core of the 2004 and 2005 Trojans teams that reached the BCS Championship Game.
And Florida's latest binge of defensive superstars serves mainly to replenish a similar one from 2007, which brought lineman Carlos Dunlap, defensive backs Ahmad Black, Joe Haden and Major Wright (and their own five-star washout, Torrey Davis) and helped deliver 22 straight wins the past two years.
If history is any indication, we'll be seeing one or the other -- and maybe, finally, both -- back on the big stage in the very near future.
"I give it up to Florida for their recruiting class," the monstrous Henderson (6-foot-8, 300 pounds) told SI.com following his nationally televised announcement Wednesday, "but I think it's going to be Florida-USC for the next three national title games."

Don't go pushing buttons just yet, Seantrel. There will be plenty of others who have a say in that --- including the Gators' and Trojans' chief rivals.
Meyer and Kiffin certainly deserve proper due for their spoils (especially considering one semi-resigned in the middle of it and the other got a late start), but they already had more to sell than most. Tennessee and UCLA, though, were two of Wednesday's more surprising victors.
Dooley arrived in Knoxville on Jan. 16 in the wake of fans rioting in the streets following Kiffin's abrupt departure and a group of jilted early enrollees being pulled in two directions. Two-and-a-half weeks later, he landed a top 10 class.
"What he accomplished is pretty darn extraordinary," said Rivals.com analyst Jamie Newberg. "They filled needs, got big time players, kept early enrollees there. It's one of the most impressive things this entire recruiting season."
Dooley not only retained all eight committed players already on campus when he arrived, he added a slew of players previously thought to be headed elsewhere -- five-star receiver Rogers (a longstanding Georgia commit) and quarterback Nash Nance (Vanderbilt), high school teammates from Calhoun, Ga., joined the fold, as did four-star receiver Justin Hunter, four-star DB Eddrick Loften and four-star guard James Stone, who spurned national champion Alabama.
If Dooley can pull that off in less than three weeks, what might he accomplish over the next three years?
"It was an easy sell," said the former Louisiana Tech coach. "All I had to do was make them feel confident about the direction of the program."
UCLA's Neuheisel has been on the job two years longer, during which time the Bruins have gone just 11-14 -- but you'd never know it by the deluge of youngsters donning UCLA caps Wednesday. Within the span of about two hours, the Bruins landed Portland, Ore. defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Rivals' No. 8 overall prospect (who many expected to sign with Nebraska); four-star receiver Anthony Jefferson; four-star linebacker Josh Shirley and four-star safety Riley.
It was arguably the strongest finish of any team in the country, lifting UCLA to a top 10 class and putting the Bruins in better position to "end the football monopoly" in L.A., as Neuheisel famously pledged upon his arrival.
"The USC and UCLA programs as they exist now are not very friendly [toward each other]," said Wallace. "UCLA is doing a very good job of taking USC head on. They're taking recruits away from USC for the first time in a while."
Even then, it's no certainty that we're even talking about the strongest programs going forward within their own conferences.
As always, the SEC dominated the recruiting rankings, landing four of Rivals.com's top six classes. Auburn added to what was already one of the most remarkable classes of the season by staving off Miami and Alabama to retain five-star tackle Shon Coleman while adding four-star defensive back Corey Lemonier. LSU closed in typical LSU fashion, stealing four-star defensive end J.C. Copeland from Tennessee, beating Miami and others for four-star defensive tackle Ego Ferguson and adding four-star Florida receiver Kadron Boone.
But we've come to expect late pushes from the SEC's recruiting juggernauts. What we don't necessarily expect is to see four Pac-10 teams (USC, UCLA, Cal and Oregon) in Rivals' top 15, with Scout.com listing Washington just outside the top 10.
Jeff Tedford's Cal team pulled an 11th hour stunner by luring Rivals.com's No. 5 overall prospect, defensive back Keenan Allen, a former Alabama commit. Allen wanted to join his brother, quarterback Zach Maynard, a transfer from Buffalo. And along with them came Allen's Greensboro teammate, four-star LB Chris McCain; and former North Carolina buddy and four-star defensive end Gabe King, since relocated to Eugene, Ore.
Cal had previously landed five-star defensive end Chris Martin from Aurora, Colo. Not bad for a Poinsettia Bowl team.
"[Allen] is a huge get for Tedford," said Newberg. "You could make a case for him as the top prospect in the country. He's an Eric Berry type."
While USC landed its customary star-studded class, its ascension back to the top of the Pac-10 no longer seems as certain as it did under Carroll. Kiffin is walking into a much tougher conference than the one he left in 2006, just as Meyer's SEC competition isn't getting any easier.
So which will it be? Is the continued dominance of Florida and USC predetermined? Or can suddenly renewed figures like Auburn and Tennessee, Cal or UCLA, change the coming course of history?

Check back in three or four years to find out.

Signing Day superlatives
• Strongest finish (not previously mentioned): Florida State. Just how Bobby Bowden used to do it in his prime, Jimbo Fisher saved some of his biggest fish for last -- four-star receiver Christian Green, four-star linebacker Christian Jones -- to slip into the top 10.
Fisher truly began closing the class upon his official ascension in late November, when he immediately landed commitments from five-star cornerback Lamarcus Joyner and similarly heralded linebacker Jeff Luc. "We may look back on Luc and Joyner and say they started the whole thing," said Fisher. "They understand the importance of what they did."

• Biggest disappointments: Georgia and Miami. For whatever reasons -- last year's down season; a defensive staff overhaul; the buzz at rivals Tennessee and Auburn -- prospects seemed to be running away from Athens. Tennessee defector Rogers, four-star linebacker Telvin Smith (Florida State), four-star DB Nickell Robey (USC) and several others either decommitted or spurned the Bulldogs' 11th-hour overtures. Mark Richt's team finished outside Rivals.com's top 10 for the first time since 2001 and toward the middle of the SEC pack.
The 'Canes, meanwhile, "have got to be the biggest story nobody's talking about," said Newberg. "We had 28 players ranked four stars or higher in Dade or Broward Counties. How many [signed] with Miami? Two. It's a head-scratcher." Fourth-year coach Randy Shannon seemed to be reclaiming the school's backyard in recent years but took a major step backward, barely finishing among Rivals' Top 25 classes.

• Mr. Consistency: Mack Brown. Every year, Brown lands a top five class (this one checks in no lower than No. 3), and every year, he leaves little to talk about because Texas' recruiting is so ridiculously suspense-free. Case in point: According to Brown, Texas offered 30 scholarships, had 25 official visits ... and signed all 25 players.
"Of our 13 classes at Texas, this group addresses every position more so than any other class we've had," said Brown, who clearly gets more time to golf than his counterparts. "We were fortunate enough to sign a talented young player at every position."

• Disappearing act: The Big Ten. Did they have a Signing Day in the Midwest this year? Just one conference team, Penn State, finished among Rivals' top 15, and just one top 40 recruit, defensive end William Gholston (No. 21), signed with a Big Ten school (Michigan State). Usual behemoth Ohio State struck out on its top two remaining targets, Henderson and Cincinnati linebacker Jordan Hicks. (Cleveland safety Latwan Anderson, previously committed to West Virginia, could still defect to the Buckeyes.)
Part of the league's poor showing was unavoidable -- Ohio State and Iowa had fewer scholarships to give this year -- but there's no avoiding the fact that most schools whiffed on their top targets. Most notably, the top players in the states of Illinois (USC's Prater), Indiana (North Carolina OL James Hurst) Minnesota (USC's Henderson), Pennsylvania (Florida's Floyd) and possibly Ohio (Anderson) are headed to other leagues.

• Under the radar surprise: Louisville. New coach Charlie Strong immediately put to use the same recruiting prowess he showed at Florida, landing four-star Miami receiver Michaelee Harris (so that's where the Miami kids went), stealing away linebacker Deon Rogers and defensive end B.J Butler from Georgia and four-star athlete Dominique Brown from Cincinnati
"We want to get back to the top in the Big East," said Strong, "and with the players we have assembled we feel like we can make that run."

• Even more under the radar surprise: Marshall. The school hired former West Virginia assistant Doc Holiday in the hopes he could tap into his South Florida pipeline, and he immediately delivered, landing Boca Raton quarterback Eddie Sullivan (previously committed to Wake Forest) and Pahokee receiver Fred Pickett Jr. (previously West Virginia) among 21 players who committed after his hiring.

• Most intriguing class: Notre Dame. These are not your Charlie Weis-era Irish anymore -- at least based on the recruiting rankings. New coach Brian Kelly didn't snag a Jimmy Clausen or Michael Floyd in this class. His highest-ranked signee on Rivals, defensive tackle Louis Nix, checks in at No. 85. But he did go out and find several under-the-radar types who closely fit the profile of his Cincinnati standouts, like Florida defensive end Bruce Heggie, who had literally no scholarship offers prior to Kelly's late-January discovery.
"At this point in time, you have to give Brian Kelly the benefit of the doubt," said Wallace. "All of us who've watched his career can tell he knows how to evaluate talent. He's doing things his way. I admire it."

• Definitive proof why Illinois stinks now: When Ron Zook's offense imploded last season en route to a 3-9 debacle, many pinned it on offensive coordinator/ace recruiter Mike Locksley's departure to New Mexico. On Wednesday, four-star defensive tackle Calvin Smith from Hialeah, Fla., went on national television and announced his commitment to ... New Mexico. The ESPNU host interviewing him nearly choked on the air.
But hey, give credit where credit is due. Smith, who chose the Lobos over Florida State, credited his close relationship with Locksley. And for his part, Locksley landed one more four-star prospect than Illinois, which, two years after landing consecutive top 20 classes with Locksley on staff, finished ... 69th.









The Day After, Who's #1
www.rivals.com
If there's one lesson to be learned about this year's recruiting process, it has to be you can't count out Lane Kiffin.
Late developments Wednesday led to USC passing Florida for the nation's No. 1 recruiting class - for now.
Seantrel Henderson announced his commitment to the Trojans but may wait to sign.
At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, USC announced 18 signings. Later in the day, though, the Trojans added commitments from the nation's No. 1 fullback, four-star prospect Soma Vainuku of Eureka, Calif., and from four-star junior college defensive end Marquis Jackson of Santa Clarita (Calif.) College of the Canyons.
Neither has signed a letter-of-intent, but each is expected to sign in the next 24 hours; the point values from their commitments were enough to give USC the Rivals.com recruiting national championship.
Still, uneasy rests the crown. Reports late Wednesday surfaced that offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, the nation's No. 2 prospect, had not signed with the Trojans. He had announced on national TV earlier in the day that he had decided on USC, but the New York Times - which had a reporter spend a week with Henderson recently - reported that Henderson was having second thoughts because of possible NCAA sanctions against the Trojans.
Henderson reportedly will not sign until after USC appears before the NCAA infractions committee Feb. 19-21. While no NCAA decision is expected to be announced at that time, Henderson's father told the Times that the hearing would provide the family with some sort of idea of what could happen.
If Henderson does not sign with USC, Florida would have the No. 1 class.
Earlier Wednesday, Rivals.com had announced Florida as the No. 1 team in the nation. But as was proven in the past six weeks, things in college football can - and did - change quickly. Behind USC and Florida are Texas, Auburn and Alabama. The rest of the top 10: LSU at No. 6, Oklahoma at No. 7, UCLA at No. 8, Tennessee at No. 9 and Florida State at No. 10.

THE TOP 10
The nation's top 10 recruiting classes for 2010:
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Auburn
5. Alabama
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. UCLA
9. Tennessee
10. Florida State

"Obviously, it was a great day for the Trojan family," said Kiffin, who was hired as USC's coach less than a month ago. "I'm extremely proud of the work done by our staff and everyone involved. To be here for just a couple weeks and to be able to sign so many of the top-ranked high school players in the country speaks volumes about the past and the future of the USC football program.
"Our goal is not to sign a lot of players just to fill spots on the roster. Our goal is to sign players who can compete at the highest level. ? We feel the quality of the players we signed is of the highest level."
Kiffin's formula was two-fold. First, he had to keep on board a number of blue-chip recruits who had been a part of Pete Carroll's class. This included five-star prospects Kyle Prater, Robert Woods and Dillon Baxter. Kiffin and his staff were able to keep 11 of the 14 players who had pledged to the Trojans at the time of Carroll's departure.
The new staff then went to work on some other prospects. That included Henderson and five-star wide receiver Markeith Ambles, a former Tennessee commitment. Ambles has sent his LOI to USC.
USC also reeled in four-star prospects Giovanni Di Poalo, Hayes Pullard, Nickell Robey, Glen Stanley and Christian Thomas on Wednesday, completing a sprint to the finish that allowed USC to edge out every other team in the nation. At least for the moment.

Meyer's magical class
Though Florida slipped to the No. 2 spot, it doesn't take anything away from what the Gators accomplished in this recruiting class.
When Urban Meyer announced he was leaving Florida because of health concerns Dec. 26, it sent shockwaves through college football and into the living rooms of a number of the nation's top recruits. The Gators already had assembled one of the nation's best recruiting classes, but many prospects feared what a future without Meyer would bring in Gainesville.
Urban Meyer hasn't taken a break from recruiting in 2010.
Meyer is known for pouring his heart and soul into the relationships with his players and recruits. Consequently, he quickly changed his mind and decided he would not retire. Instead, Meyer said he would take a short leave of absence - which he said would begin today and end before the start of spring practice.
Meyer's change of heart reassured recruits enough to catapult the Gators to the second-best class.
Florida already was in position to have the nation's top class before Meyer's situation developed. The Gators had the No. 3 class after early commitments from Rivals100 prospects Gerald Christian, Jaylen Watkins, Leon Orr and Ian Silberman - all before April 20, 2009. Throw in additional pledges from Rivals250 stars Jordan Haden and Jonathan Dowling, and the foundation for an elite class was set.
Then, something special happened Jan. 9. On that day, the Gators landed three-five star commitments on national TV at the U.S Army All-American Bowl.
It started with five-star safety Matt Elam.
Elam originally pledged to the Gators early, then dumped his commitment to Florida on New Year's Eve for Florida State. That FSU pledge was short-lived, and Elam announced his final decision for UF at the Army Bowl.
"I'm happy it's over," Elam said at the time. "I made a commitment my junior year. I committed to Florida and Urban Meyer. I'm going to put my faith and trust in him, and hopefully he stays."
Later in the game, the Gators landed five-star defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and the nation's No. 1 player - Ronald Powell. Floyd, the No. 4 player and top defensive tackle, picked UF over Ohio State and a host of others. Powell, a defensive end, selected Florida over USC.
Floyd and Powell said Meyer's personal relationship with them weighed heavily in their decisions.
"Urban Meyer has been nothing but loyal to me," Powell said when he committed. "The fan support, the city, the players, everything is great. The class coming in with Sharrif Floyd and Matt Elam, we're going to do this thing. We're going to win a title. We're going to come in as freshmen, play as true freshmen and get a chance at that SEC championship. After we win that, you know where we're going."

Big movers on Signing Day
Owamagbe Odighizuwa's announcement was one of the Signing Day highlights for UCLA.
L.A. was ground zero for the day's biggest movers, as both USC and UCLA pushed their way into the top 10 in the team recruiting rankings. While most of the attention ended up across town at Heritage Hall, the Bruins signed a special group, too.
UCLA's move up the charts was highlighted by the addition of five-star defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa. He picked the Bruins over Nebraska, Oregon State and a host of other national programs. Throw in National Signing Day decisions from four-stars Anthony Jefferson, Jordan Zumwalt, Dietrich Riley and Josh Shirley, and it was a day that people in Westwood will remember for a long time.
"I really think UCLA has what it takes to turn the program around, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it," Jefferson said. "I like Coach [Rick] Neuheisel a lot, and he was the one personally recruiting me throughout the entire process. I love this recruiting class, and I'm really proud to be a part of it. We're building something special, and today was a day that we'll talk about years later as the first big step for us."

Rebels surge
Last year, Ole Miss was in a similar position - outside of the top 25 but in great position to land quality kids down the stretch. And again on this National Signing Day, the Rebels scored commitment after commitment and burst into the top 25.
Ole Miss landed Will Denny, Cordell Giles, Tony Grimes, Delvin Jones, Quadarias Mireles, Vincent Sanders, Cedric Smith and Ralph Williams all in the final 24 hours, helping push the Rebels to the No. 17 spot.
A big reason for the push? Ole Miss assistant Chris Vaughn cleaned up at the 11th hour.


Dodd's article on Signing Day
www.cbssports.com
Before we begin, the recruiting “get” of the day goes to CBSSports.com’s J. Darin Darst. He was able to find Alabama’s “fax cam.”
If you didn’t believe it before, recruiting is officially out of control.

Winners

Tennessee: Never mind Derek Dooley’s closing job. The recruiting class just became that much better. A Boise television station reported Tuesday night and ESPN said Wednesday that Boise defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox is headed to Tennessee.

Wilcox is one of the young up and comers. He was a short timer at Boise after his unit shut down Oregon and TCU on national television. The 33-year-old has coordinated the Broncos D for the last four seasons. Boise led the WAC in scoring defense and total defense in each of those four seasons.

The Oregon grad also worked at Cal before for three years as linebackers coach before coming to Boise for the second time in 2006.

Urban Meyer: A life-changing health problem. Rival recruiters running him into the ground. A revamped coaching staff. It is amazing that Florida has still been able to assemble the nation’s No. 1 class.

Auburn: Formal apologies to Gene Chizik who was largely derided in this space after his hiring from Iowa State. Chizik won eight in his first season, almost beat Alabama, and then actually beat the Crimson Tide – in recruiting. Auburn was listed above Bama in the top five midway through Wednesday. Chizik and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn are fired up about national juco player of the year and former Gator quarterback Cameron Newton.

Texas: Let’s stow any speculation that Mack Brown is retiring anytime soon. This class showed that he still has the hunger to chase championships. Texas finished with what was largely considered to be the nation’s No. 2 class. Most notable – West Chester, Ohio linebacker Jordan Hicks and Plano, Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.

Missouri: Finished with what is believed to be its highest ranked class ever (top 20). Gary Pinkel continues to aggressively recruit Texas and lock up the best players in Missouri. The Tigers aren’t going away as an annual bowl team and factor in the Big 12 North. The Big Ten has to be happy.

Notre Dame: A respectable top 15 class that’s a good sign for Brian Kelly in 2011 when he has a whole year to recruit. Kelly completed revamped the coaching staff and didn’t get blown out of the water.

Cal: Jeff Tedford continues to solidify his spot as second-best coach in Bear’s history. (Hard to argue with Pappy Waldorf.) Tedford recruited aggressively landing a top 15 class with prospects from seven states. Typical of the far flung recruiting philosophy was getting five-star defensive back Keenan Allen to drop Alabama and come all the way from Greensboro, NC

Non-winners (Can’t bring myself to say ‘losers’ when no one knows how these kids will turn out):

Miami: The locals are grumbling about the lack of five-star recruits (none) and abundance of two and three-star prospects (19). Howard Schnellenberger might not approve. Nine players came from outside the “State of Miami”, including prospects from Buffalo, NY; New Berlin, NY and Evanston, Ill.

Kansas: Turner Gill got a late start, completely changed the coaching staff and had a hard time luring top recruits. Potosi, Mo. running back Brandon Bourbon should ease the pain.

Indiana: Rivals.com’s lowest ranked BCS conference school (No. 90). Let’s hope rankings mean little. Bill Lynch (7-17 the past two seasons) still deserves a chance to get the Hoosiers turned around.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks are one of the “it” teams in the SEC for 2010. Maybe. A class ranked in the 50s might have impressed in Fayetteville but not elsewhere.

Ed Orgeron: Coach O’s reported poaching of Tennessee recruits on his way out the door to USC didn’t get the proper attention. “It’s been done before,” Tom Lemming said. “It’s not illegal, it’s unethical.” Maybe it should be illegal.


Best names:
MarKeith Ambles, USC. Scoured from Twitter: Keith Ambles didn’t want to name his son after himself, so naturally he added a “Mar”

Emmanuel Beavers, San Diego State. How did he get away from Oregon State?

Furious Bradley, Southern Miss. Let’s hope he’s fast too.

Shaban Dika, Iowa State

Steele Divitto, Boston College

Pep Konokalafi, Hawaii

Munchie Legaux, Cincinnati. Please, God, make this be a nickname. Can’t imagine a parent who would name their child “Munchie.”

Shaquille Richardson, UCLA. And you thought there was only one.