Signing Day impact could be felt soon at some universities
A look at the last few national champions shows times have changed. Whether it was Reggie Bush or Dwayne Jarrett at Southern California, or Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin at Florida last season, more and more freshmen are making an immediate impact on the field.
The Gators and Trojans both signed plenty more blue-chippers Wednesday who figure to play a big role next season.
?We have taken a new attitude toward recruiting this year that every freshman in my opinion will play next year,? Florida 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.?
Meyer will have lots of options to choose from as Florida brought in the top recruiting class in the country, according to recruiting analysts.
The Gators signed nine 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. SuperPrep, National Blue Chips and CSTV also picked Florida as Wednesday?s big winner.
?No one is even that close to them,? CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. ?They got help everywhere. In the past 10 years, this has to rank right at the top in recruiting classes. Every position is absolutely loaded.?
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.
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.?
The Trojans 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.
Coach Pete Carroll?s willingness to play freshmen makes the Trojans an attractive destination for many of the nation?s top players.
?Our guys know they?re going to get a great chance when they come here. We?ve proven that,? Carroll said. ?I think we had 16 freshmen who played last year. We?ve found that our guys grow up very fast when we put them in positions they excel at.
?The competition is on. The guys who are in our program know they got the same chance when they got here. There?s no telling who?s going to surface out of this group. We?re excited to find out.?
The Southeastern Conference was the big winner on signing day as Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama all received at least one top-10 ranking. Other top schools include Texas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and Nebraska.
Jimmy Clausen, the top-ranked player by Rivals and CSTV, headlines Notre Dame?s class and could be ready to step in next season as Brady Quinn?s replacement at quarterback. Clausen is one of many players who already have started college, giving him a leg up because he can take part in spring practice.
Clausen made a high-profile commitment to the Irish last April, arriving at his news conference in a limo and predicting four national titles for Notre Dame.
?He?s a fierce competitor that wants to come in and compete for playing time,? coach Charlie Weis said.
Notre Dame?s overall ranking was hurt by some late defections. Athlete Greg Little switched at the last minute to North Carolina and offensive lineman Chris Little decommitted and signed with Georgia. The Irish earlier lost a commitment from defensive end Justin Trattou from New Jersey, who signed with Florida.
The biggest surprise was at South Carolina, where Steve Spurrier brought in a top-10 class to 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, Fla.
?It is sort of neat to see our name in there with Texas, Southern Cal, Florida and Notre Dame,? Spurrier said.
North Carolina, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Oregon and Illinois also did surprisingly well.
New Tar Heels coach Butch Davis got a commitment Wednesday from CSTV defensive player of the year Marvin Austin, a defensive lineman from Washington, D.C.