Pete
Fiutak
Q:
What do you look for
on Signing Day?
A. 1. Which teams are getting the "hot" prospects? Not one
or two top guys, but several above-average players.
2. What positions are teams going after? If you see someone
going for tons of linemen, you know what the focus will be.
3. How desperate are coaches to win right now? If you see
lots of JUCO players and players with college measurables,
that might not mean they'll grow into top stars.
4. How much do players want programs and how much do they go
for the coaches? Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden won't be
coaching five years from now.
5. Who owns the top talent in certain regions? How's the
Clemson - South Carolina recruiting battle going? Texas vs.
Oklahoma? The entire state of Florida? The trends are more
important than the actual players.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
What do you look for
on Signing Day?
A:
I realize this is heresy in so many circles, but as far as February
celebrations go, Signing Day is just a little less overrated than
Valentine’s Day. I totally connect with why fans follow the new influx
of talent at their schools, but on a macro level, there’s way too much
attention given to way too many kids that’ll never even register on the
Saturday Richter Scale over the next five years. When you’re trying to
cover everything, it’s important to prioritize, which means that
three-star tackle from Texas Tech cannot appear on my radar until he’s
actually competing for a starting job. My personal Cardinal Rule for
Signing Day is to get to know the guys that we’re most likely to be
talking about in the upcoming season. That means three areas of
concentration:
1. JUCO transfers. No player is more uniquely ready to step right into
the lineup and contribute than the junior-college athlete, who’s a
little bigger and more seasoned than a true freshman. Kenny O’Neal
going to Tennessee and Woodny Turenne signing with Louisville, for
instance, really matter because both players have the talent and
opportunity to be impact players right away.
2. Five-star recruits. Sure, some of these guys will inevitably
disappoint, but this is the crème de la crème of high school players, so
it’s never too early to get to know who they are and where they’re
headed. Some will get playing time right away, but even if they
redshirt for the year, there’s a good chance these 25 or so
blue-chippers, such as Jimmy Clausen, Joe McKnight and Carlos Dunlap
will be household names before too long.
3. Surprisingly good classes. Florida, Texas, LSU and USC have
assembled killer classes. Good for them, old news for us. The real
story comes from programs, such as Illinois, Oregon and South Carolina,
which are on the verge of attracting the level of talent that could
really elevate each program over the next few seasons.
Michael Bradley
Q:
What do you look for
on Signing Day?
A. I
can’t wait to see the last-minute “Come to Papa” commitments, when star
players who have previously pledged their troth to one school for months
experience revelatory moments of clarity and change their minds. This
will no doubt benefit Florida, USC and perhaps Alabama, which has been
working feverishly to fill out its class under new boss Nick Saban.
We’re always hearing about how kids want to play for the in-state school
or the hometown coach, but when the giants come calling, it’s hard to
resist their allure. Many of the prep stars who have committed will
stand strongly by their choices, but there will be some flip-flops. And
those who have waited until the last minute (second!) will provide the
annual drama, as they step to the podium with nine hats in their hands
and ultimately make their decision based on how good the ice cream in
the school cafeteria tastes. Such is the danger of laying one’s
professional life in the hands of 18-year olds. Such is the beauty of
Signing Day.
John
Harris
Q:
What do you look for
on Signing Day?
A. A few
things I will be looking for come signing day…
1. How much is a
national championship worth for the Florida Gators? Whether a national
championship is the direct cause of a few local
products (James Wilson from Nease and John Brantley from
Trinity Catholic) changing commitments is debatable, but what’s not is
the fact that of the top five uncommitted recruits in the nation, three
of them are considering Florida. This is already a young, talented team
and it’s going to get even younger and arguably more talented.
2. I’m intrigued by
what Nick Saban will have gotten done in a short amount of time. He
lost a tremendously talented quarterback Robert Marve, who broke Tim
Tebow’s passing records this year in the state of Florida, to Miami.
But, Saban has closed the deal in February with big-time recruits in the
past, so what will a final push by Nick and his staff generate in
Tuscaloosa?
3. Did the ‘ol ball
coach reel in a top 20 class at South Carolina? Allegedly, Steve
Spurrier has been as active in recruiting as he’s ever been and the
results, commitment wise, have been worth the time spent away from the
beautiful Palmetto State golf courses. He’s going to need all of those
commitments to sign…and be studs as freshmen, especially with what
Florida and Georgia have coming back.
4. Rutgers got a
commitment from 6’5, 330 pound offensive tackle Anthony Davis, a five
star local kid, who was swayed by the season that Greg Schiano and the
Scarlet Knights had this year. One great season is starting to pay big,
BIG dividends, figuratively and literally, for Schiano and his program
and Davis might only be the start.
5. And, the last
item…it won’t be something that will come to fruition on signing day,
but I’m real curious to see how Jimmy Clausen will pan out at Notre
Dame. I’m not convinced that he’s the number one recruit in the country
(and there are others who feel the same way) and I’m real interested to
see how he handles four years with Charlie Weis and the pressure that
comes with being the Domer’s starting QB. But, more importantly, the
Irish did get a commitment from one of the best defensive back recruits
in the nation, Gary Gray from South Carolina, a guy I’m tremendously
impressed with. Gray’s signing should bolster the one area that has
probably cost them more than any other in the past two years.
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
What do you look for
on Signing Day?
A. I
can't say I'd be looking for much. Consider the just-completed odyssey
of Chris Leak at Florida: he was such a stud coming out of high school,
but it took him four long and laborious years to become the player he
became.
Recruiting's biggest component is quality
depth, but in terms of individual signees, it's all a mirage. The
ones with mental toughness are the gems, and you don't know who's
tougher between the ears (and in the heart) until September.
Stay tuned.