2008 Big East Recruiting - What It All Means

How does the 2008 Big East recruiting class really affect the college football world?

Recruiting 2008 ... Big East
Ranking the Big East classes

Click on each team for the fill class list and top players
Cincinnati | Connecticut | Louisville | Pittsburgh
Rutgers | South Florida | Syracuse | West Virginia

- 2007 CFN Big East Recruiting Rankings
- 2006 CFN Big East Recruiting Rankings
 
1. Pitt
The class is heavy on ... Really, really good offensive players ... again. Dave Wannstedt and his staff loaded up on good prospects last year, hitting a towering home run with RB LeSean McCoy, and this year's haul is no slouch with running backs Chris Burns and Cameron Saddler bringing even more speed, 6-6 Jonathan Baldwin with the ability to be the next great Panther receiver, and Lucas Nix an almost certain All-Big East tackle by 2010.  Most interesting to note is the quarterback situation with JUCO transfer Greg Cross coming in to compete for the starting job right now. Tino Sunseri is a pickup for the future.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... DE Shayne Hale
The player you might care about this year ... QB Greg Cross
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Wannstedt has come up with three loaded classes in a row, and now the payoff has to come. There were signs last year that Pitt was on the verge of becoming a major player, the pieces were starting to come into place, but now there's no excuse to not be in the hunt for the Big East title. This is the league's most talented team, and now it has to start playing like it.

2. West Virginia
The class is heavy on ... The defensive line. JUCO transfers D.J. Shaw, Larry Ford and Tevita Finau have to step in right away and shine up front, while tackle Jeff Braun and end Corey Freeman are good prospects for the future. The defensive backfield was hardly ignored with linebackers Donovan Miles, Robert Sands, Bernard Smith and Jatavious Miller excellent ones to develop over the next few years, and JUCO transfers Cortney Stuart and Brantwon Bowser ready to go in the secondary.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... OG Josh Jenkins
The player you might care about this year ... DE Tevita Finau
What it all means to the real world of college football ... This is a better class than it'll probably get credit for. There wasn't that much of a problem considering all the coaching issues and the late hiring of Bill Stewart, but there's little margin for error among the skill players with RB Terence Kerns needing to be a player in the next two years and either J.J. Dorsey or Coley White to pan out at quarterback. This was a typical Mountaineer class with a few upgrades at certain spots, especially at guard with Josh Jenkins one of the best linemen the program has ever brought in.

3. South Florida
The class is heavy on ... Defensive playmakers. The program has been built on strong, aggressive defenses, and this class has loaded up on stronger prospect than the program has ever brought in with JUCO transfers David Bedford and Craig Marshall ready to play on the end and Kion Wilson a near-certain starter on the strongside from day one. CB George Baker could be the next great Bull defensive back.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... RB Demtris Murray
The player you might care about this year ... LB Kion Wilson
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Even with last year's success, this is still a little-engine-that-could program when it comes to recruiting. The top talents aren't beating down the door to play for the Bulls, but Jim Leavitt and his staff continue to do a great job of finding the decent sleepers that have mega-chips on their shoulders. However, the level of talent is starting to improve with a higher caliber of disrespected player starting to come in.

4. Rutgers
The class is heavy on ... The passing game. The future quarterback battle starts now with big, strong passer D.C. Jefferson and small, quick Wayne Warren each talented enough to be the main man for the offense in the near future. Stephen Simko is yet another big quarterback option. RB Rashad White is a very small, very speedy back who'll give the offense more options, while six decent, but unspectacular receiver prospects are there to develop.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... OT Art Forst
The player you might care about this year ... WR Keith Stroud
What it all means to the real world of college football ... No, the program hasn't necessarily cooled off, but this wasn't the type of wow recruiting class Greg Schiano was able to come up with at past. Considering the team's success over the past few seasons, now is when Schiano should be hitting his stride with a steady stream of top talents from New York and New Jersey coming in, and it isn't quite happening.

5. Louisville
The class is heavy on ... JUCO transfers for the defense. Last year was about getting the skill prospects to build around, and this season's class was about making the team better right now. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe can't afford another clunker of a year, and he's banking on nine players from the JUCO ranks to step in and shine from day one, especially on defense. Tyler Jessen is one of the nation's premier defensive tackle recruits, while linebackers Jon Dempsey and Chris Campa have to be starters from the moment they set foot on campus. CB Josh Wiley and safety Justin Mathews will be expected to compete for starting jobs.
he player who'll someday be a really big deal ... QB Zak Stoudt
The player you might care about this year ... DT Tyler Jessen
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Quick fix, quick fix, quick fix. The top high school talent isn't there in this class, but the JUCO transfer coming in are fantastic. Will they be able to hit the ground running as expected? If not, there could be problems as this was a bit of a band-aid group of recruits. The point is to improve thing right away despite huge, gaping holes on defense, and then go hard after the top talents again.

6. Cincinnati
The class is heavy on ... Offensive prospects. With Brian Kelly's offense one of the Big East's hot attacks, the recruits are starting to come in led by quarterbacks Brendon Kay and Travis Kelce, and highlighted by a strong receiving corps with D.J. Woods and Lynell Payne sure to be key starters sooner than later. Four very good, very quick running back prospects, with Isaiah Pead almost certain to see time right off the bat. Derek Wolfe is a top tackle prospect.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... QB Brendon Kay
The player you might care about this year ... WR D.J. Woods
What it all means to the real world of college football ... The rest of the Big East isn't going to be too scared by this group, but it'll eventually turn out to be good. This is a strong first class for Kelly, who's starting to show what he can do at a BCS program. He's loading up on offensive talent to build around, but there isn't any quick fix for anything here. For the most part, this is a long-term class that will have to come through by 2010.

7. Syracuse
The class is heavy on ... The defensive line. The team needed to boost up the overall defensive depth for the future, and this class did it. The offense was the main focus last year, and this year's class is heavy on the defensive front with seven prospects coming in. There isn't a superstar like there is for the offense, with RB Averin Collier and WR Marcus Sales two eventual sure-thing starters, but there's strength in numbers, especially on the ends with Romale Tucker and Mikhail Marinovich likely to be in the mix early on.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... RB Averin Collier
The player you might care about this year ... WR Marcus Sales
What it all means to the real world of college football ... It doesn't seem like the Greg Robinson era is on its last legs. The program has never been lower, but this class doesn't necessarily reflect that with Collier a great get and receivers Marcus Sales and DeAndre Preastor nice signings. Overall, the star power isn't there compared to other Big East teams, and if there's one more bad year on the field, this group will finish their careers under a different head coach.

8. Connecticut
The class is heavy on ... Receivers. With four wide receivers and four tight ends coming in, the idea is to develop more weapons to get the woeful offense rolling ... eventually. Last year was also about upgrading the offense, and there aren't any quick fixes from this year's group, so the hope is for one or two of the new receivers to emerge as a possible key back up this year, and for a Gerrard Sheppard or a Ryan Griffin to develop into key target by 2010.
The player who'll someday be a really big deal ... LB Trevardo Williams
The player you might care about this year ... S Jerome Junior
What it all means to the real world of college football ... This was a disastrous class considering the on-field success of last year. Head coach Randy Edsall wasn't able to keep the top in-state players home and failed to come up with any real help for an offense that struggled with its consistency. Edsall has done a lot with a little during his tenure, but eventually he'll have to get a few more stars to have a legitimate shot at making UConn a regular player in the Big East race.