Ranking the 2006 Big East recruiting classes and trying to figure out what it all means to the college football world.
1.
Pitt The
class is heavy on ... Speed and
playmakers in the defensive back
seven. Head coach Dave Wannstedt
brought in nine prospects to upgrade
the defensive back seven adding more
speed and talent to a team that
desperately needed both. Safeties
Elijah Fields and Lowell Robinson
are big, fast, and really, really
good. The defensive front seven
wasn't ignored with seven very nice
players coming in headlined by end
McKenzie Mathews and tackle Jason
Pinkston. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... WR Dorin
Dickerson The player you might care about
this year ... S Elijah Fields What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Wannstedt tried to put a fence
around Pennsylvania and got a lot of
big-time early commitments
highlighted by tight end Nate Byham.
He was able to keep them setting the
precedent that Pittsburgh plans on
owning its backyard. After last
year's disappointing season, the
defense needed a big improvement,
and it got it in a big way. Yes,
expect this class to make a big
impact this year.
2. Louisville The
class is heavy on ... Receivers
and defensive tackles. Who doesn't
want to be a part of the Louisville
offense? Five wide receivers and two
tight ends were brought in with
Latarrius Thomas a big target, and
6-8, 210-pound Josh Chichester a
freakish pass catcher who should add
a scary dimension around the goal
line. Zach Meagher should be the
team's next great tight end. Four
tackles were signed with Kareem
Crowell, Aundre Henderson and
320-pound JUCO transfer Willie
Williams ready to play right away. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DE Deantwan
Whitehead The player you might care about
this year ... DE Elisee Pompilus What it all means to the real
world of college football ... If
you're hoping to see Louisville slip
any time soon, it's not going to
happen with this class. Everyone
knows about the Cardinal offense,
and that certainly wasn't ignored,
but the quality comes in on defense
with a lot of talented players who
could've gone just about anywhere.
Anthony Allen and Eugene Sowell will
keep the running game rolling.
3. South Florida The
class is heavy on ... The
defensive line. Eight prospects were
brought in with the strength in the
tackles with Leslie Stirrups and
JUCO transfer Frank Harry needing to
make an impact right away. The ends
might not be sure things outside of
Craig Marshall, but there are some
great athletes who should get into
the backfield once they figure out
what they're doing. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB Alwan Lee The player you might care about
this year ... DT Frank Harry What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
If you're looking for someone to
step in to replace RB Andre Hall,
he's not coming from this class.
However, the pressure should be on
QB Pat Julmiste with Alwan Lee and
Nate Allen talented enough to get a
few looks for backup spots this
off-season. The strength of the
class is the defense with enough
prospects and possibilities to hope
for big things in a few years. This
class should solidify South Florida
as a player in the Big East race for
years to come.
4. West Virginia The
class is heavy on ... The
defensive back seven. It's not a big
class and there wasn't attention
paid to one particular spot, but the
defense got the best haul of new
players led by corners Ryan Brinson
and Robert Williams. The four
offensive line prospects brought in
might not get anyone too excited,
but the Mountaineers always develop
the players to fit the system. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... S Greg Davis The player you might care about
this year ... CB Ryan Brinson What it all means to the real
world of college football ... No
one liked the 2005 West Virginia
class, but it could be argued that
no freshmen were more valuable than
RB Steve Slaton.
While head coach Rich Rodriguez and
his staff have to be given the
benefit of the doubt at this point,
it would be interesting to see what
would happen if they could bring in
a bunch of big-name prospects.
5. Syracuse The
class is heavy on ... Offensive
linemen. In order for the offense to
improve, the Orange has to get
better up front. Recognizing this,
head coach Greg Robinson and his
staff brought in eight prospect for
the offensive line, and they're
very, very big. While most teams
want to bring aboard their linemen
slowly by bulking them up for a few
years, SU has five 300 pounders and
a 290-pound prospect ready to add
beefy depth. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB Andre
Robinson The player you might care about
this year ... WR Andrey Baskin What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Syracuse has to generate some
offense and generate some now. That
means big, quick QB Andrew Robinson
might get a few looks as the opening
day starter, RB Delone Carter should
play a role, and receivers Andrey
Baskin and JUCO transfer Taj Smith
will be upgrades over last year's
top targets.
6. Rutgers The
class is heavy on ...
Linebackers. Seven linebacker
prospects were brought in with an
emphasis on speed. There aren't any
true run-stuffers outside of,
possibly, Andres Morales, with the
real talent coming in the form of
safety-sized outside backers. There
aren't any sure-thing stars, but
there's strength in numbers hoping
for a few to come through after a
few years in the weight room. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB Chris
Paul-Etienne The player you might care about
this year ... WR Shamar Graves What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
This is a big class with 25
prospects coming in, but there
aren't many obvious superstars. It
would've been nice to see more
big-name recruits after the
turn-the-corner season, but it's not
a bad class and it's certainly one
that head coach Greg Schiano can be
excited about for the future of the
program. He has a lot to work with.
7. Connecticut The
class is heavy on ...
Linebackers. UConn brought in a slew
of undersized players who can run,
but it's going to take at least a
few years in a college weight room
to see what most of these guys can
do. Seven prospects provide the
numbers, and now the coaching staff
have to mold them into players. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ...CB James
Nixon The player you might care about
this year ... WR Terence Jeffers What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
UConn brought in a lot of players,
but there has to be more top
prospects to compete with the West
Virginia's and Louisville's. Head
coach Randy Edsall has done a great
job of finding diamonds in the rough
with plenty of heart and chips on
their shoulders, but it would nice
if there were more top athletes.
However, this class is all about the
foundation working on the lines and
the defense, so there might not be
any obvious improvements to most Big
East fans.
8. Cincinnati The
class is heavy on ... Offensive
line. The Bearcats needed to get
better up front, and they got two
players for now and two for the
future. JUCO transfers Mario Duenas
and Ken Rodriguez fill needs for a
line that loses three seniors. 6-7
Toby Beckman needs a few years to
fill out his frame, while 310-pound
C.J. Cobb just needs time to
develop. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... RB Jacob
Ramsey The player you might care about
this year ... OL Ken Rodriguez What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
This isn't a class that'll make
anyone in the Big East quake. Last
year's class was about making the
commitment to the future of the
offense, this one was about
establishing more for the future of
the defense. Head coach Mark
Dantonio has a fight on his hands to
get the top recruits in the
Cincinnati area, so he has to get
the guys spurned by Ohio State and
the other big boys. Even so, he was
able to snag linebacker Freddie
Lenix of Cleveland and RB Jacob
Ramsey from Columbus showing that he
can get some of them.
