2009 ACC Recruiting - What It All Means

How does the 2009 ACC recruiting class really affect the college football world? Which programs, like Florida State getting DT Jacobbi McDaniel, did the best job this recruiting season? Now that the storm has died down, here's what it all really means.

Recruiting 2009 ... ACC

Ranking the ACC classes

Click on each team for the fill class list and top players
Atlantic Boston Coll | Clemson | Florida St | Maryland | NC State | Wake Forest
Coastal Duke | Georgia Tech | Miami | North Carolina | Virginia | Virginia Tech

- CFN Recruiting 2009
- CFN's 2008 ACC Recruiting Rankings
- CFN's 2007 ACC Recruiting Rankings
- CFN's 2006 ACC Recruiting Rankings
- CFN 2009 Recruiting Rankings
No. 1 to 30 | No. 31 to 60 | No. 61 to 90 | No. 91 to 120

1. North Carolina  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 5
The class is heavy on ... receivers. Carolina’s response to losing Hakeem Nicks, Brandon Tate, and Brooks Foster to the NFL was to sign a half-dozen receivers, headed by four-star stud Jheranie Boyd. No returning wideout caught more than 11 passes a year ago, meaning Boyd and his classmates will get every opportunity to play right away in September. In fact, they’ll be counted on to do so.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... LB Justin Dixon
The player you might care about this year ... DE Donte Moss
What it all means to the real world of college football ... This is the type of statement, historically-good class that Tar Heel fans might be talking about a decade from now. With almost a dozen recruits rated four stars or higher, including coveted QB Bryn Renner, Carolina has significantly narrowed the gap on the rest of the ACC. Coming off the momentum from last season, Butch Davis has the program on the tarmac and preparing for lift-off.  

2. Florida State  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 2
The class is heavy on ... safeties. With their secondary going through a bit of an overhaul, the Seminoles focused on that unit, specifically the safeties. Florida State has signed four of them, two who rank among the ten best in the country at the position. Willie Downs and JaJuan Harley are outstanding talents, whose families won’t be traveling far on Saturdays. Both teens hail from Tallahassee, and decided some time ago to remain close to home.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... LB C.J. Mizell
The player you might care about this year ... DT Jacobbi McDaniel
What it all means to the real world of college football ... So much for the uncertainty surrounding Bobby Bowden’s future negatively impacting recruiting. The ‘Noles have reeled in a top 25 class that compares favorably with everyone in the ACC, expect maybe North Carolina. You never know which five-star kids will pan out, but McDaniel has the explosiveness off the ball to be the headliner of this group. Dustin Hopkins, the nation’s top-rated kicker will be counted on to be Graham Gano’s heir apparent.

3. Miami  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 1
The class is heavy on ... defensive backs. Never at a shortage for quality defensive backs, Randy Shannon is making sure it stays that way with this class. All four of this year’s additions are ranked no lower than No. 40 nationally at their position. S Ray Ray Armstrong is a 6-3, 210-pound beast in the mold of former ‘Cane Sean Taylor. Corners Brandon McGee and Jamal Reid are a couple of top 10 talents, who were hotly pursued by schools in the ACC and SEC.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... CB Brandon McGee
The player you might care about this year ... T Jermaine Johnson
What it all means to the real world of college football ... While there may be some uncertainty in the program and on the staff these days, it has not prevented Shannon from assembling a second straight dynamite class. He’s once again beefed up the talent level on both sides of the ball, ensuring that Miami will continue on the path toward recovery. Of course, if the Bryce Brown saga ends with the No. 1 back in Coral Gables, this collection gets even better.

4. Maryland   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 9
The class is heavy on ... linebackers. Maryland continues to stockpile the type of versatile linebackers that eventually move on to play on Sundays. Seven, in fact, are packing their bags for College Park, even though there’s no urgency for any to play right away. From New Jersey to South Carolina, Ralph Friedgen swept down the Eastern seaboard searching for athletic defenders who can play with range. It’s obviously early in the process, but Lorne Goree appears to be the best of a deep bunch.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... CB Travis Hawkins
The player you might care about this year ... DE DeOnte Arnett
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Since taking over the job earlier in the decade, Friedgen has never had much problem bringing top-notch athletes to Maryland. This recruiting cycle is no different. He protected his own backyard, getting a slew of terrific young athletes to work with on offense and defense. Now, he and the staff have to find a way to turn that talent into more wins than the Terps have seen in the last five years.

5. Georgia Tech  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 8
The class is heavy on ... linemen. For Paul Johnson, success starts on the lines, and he recruited with that thought in mind. With both sides of the ball being hurt by graduation, the Yellow Jackets added four big bodies to the offense and five on defense. The front four returns just one starter, creating an opening for 345-pound tackle J.C. Lanier to avoid a redshirt and make a quick ascent up the depth chart.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... QB Jordan Luallen
The player you might care about this year ... DT J.C. Lanier
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Recruits were obviously paying attention to the unexpected success of Georgia Tech in 2008. Johnson capitalized on the nine-win season, attracting a couple of four-star talents for each side of the ball. One, Indiana’s Luallen, was hand-picked to run the triple-option once he’s ready to handle the role. 

6. North Carolina State  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 7
The class is heavy on ... defensive linemen. Tom O’Brien and his assistants absolutely loaded up on defensive linemen with this class, going as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Georgia to find space-eaters. Willie Young, Alan-Michael Cash, and Shea McKeen have only one year of eligibility remaining, so this group will be expected to eventually form the backbone of the defensive front for the next four or five seasons.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... TE Asa Watson
The player you might care about this year ... G Denzelle Good
What it all means to the real world of college football ... The Wolfpack has been suffering from a lack of depth for years, but that’s gradually changing with the last couple of classes. O’Brien was able to get more than two dozen signatures, adding bodies to both sides of the ball. While there wasn’t much glamour outside of possibly Watson, the quantity of new recruits, especially outside the state, will serve the program well years from now.    

7. Virginia Tech  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 4
The class is heavy on ... backs. Even after watching redshirt freshman Darren Evans emerge as the feature back, the Hokies concentrated on further building depth at the position. Being brought to Blacksburg are three playmakers, which was missing from the offense a year ago. Two of those backs, David Wilson and Tony Gregory, are four-star gems with enough wiggle to make people miss in the open field. Both provide a nice complement to the north-south style of Evans.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... RB David Wilson
The player you might care about this year ... TE Logan Thomas
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Incredibly, Virginia Tech is often in the bottom half of ACC recruiting, yet is a first-rate program where it matters most. Unlike, say a Miami or Florida State, the Hokies don’t collect a bunch of five-star players each year. Excelling at player development, they’ve once again assembled a good class that’ll undoubtedly wind up producing a couple of great players in a few years.

8. Clemson  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 3
The class is heavy on ... ends. Even with Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers bringing quickness off the edge, Clemson had little luck getting to the quarterback in 2008. Malliciah Goodman and Spencer Shuey have been brought in to push the starters and kickstart a tired pass rush. Once he sharpens his fundamentals and adds a few more pounds, Goodman has the blazing speed and long arms to be a real nuisance to ACC quarterbacks.  
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... QB Tajh Boyd
The player you might care about this year ... DE Malliciah Goodman
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Was Dabo Swinney the right man to replace Tommy Bowden? No one knows for sure. One certainty, however, is that the new coach has saved this recruiting class. He’s overcome some early defections to put together a small, but very talented ensemble of future Tigers. Beating out Ohio State, Tennessee, and Oregon for Boyd was a signature move that could pay dividends for many years.

9. Virginia  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 11
The class is heavy on ... offensive tackles. After losing Branden Albert and Eugene Monroe to the NFL in successive seasons, the Cavaliers have bolstered their offensive line with a whopping six tackles standing 6-5 or taller. Like the last three great Virginia linemen, including D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the school traveled north to get Oday Aboushi, a 305-pounder with considerable upside and nasty demeanor. Landing four-star mountain Morgan Moses was the upset of this group.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... T Morgan Moses
The player you might care about this year ... LB Tucker Windle
What it all means to the real world of college football ... With just one recruit higher than three stars, it’s no surprise that Virginia ranks near the ACC basement this recruiting season. The Cavs failed to shore up the situation at quarterback for a second straight year, but did find other help on offense. Dominique Wallace, in particular, is the type of big, bruising back who’ll always have a prominent role as long as Al Groh is around. 

10. Duke  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 12
The class is heavy on ... defensive backs. The Blue Devils perennially struggle to stop opposing passers, which prompted David Cutcliffe to go extremely heavy on the secondary. Almost one-third of the class is either a safety or a cornerback, led by Taylor Sowell, a 6-0 speedster who garnered a lot of attention from the rest of the ACC. Duke had rare success in South Carolina, a credit to the job being done by secondary coach Derek Jones.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... QB Sean Schroeder
The player you might care about this year ... RB Desmond Scott
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Cutcliffe’s presence in Durham has been obvious in the offseason as well as the regular season. This year’s class is another example of his success at raising the talent level of the Blue Devils. Duke has pieced together one of its best classes in ages, while signing a quality quarterback from the West Coast for the second straight year.  

11. Wake Forest   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 10
The class is heavy on ... linebackers. Now that Aaron Curry and Stanley Arnoux have exhausted their eligibility, it’s time for the Deacons to replenish at linebacker. While this year’s four recruits aren’t very big, they can all fly to the ball, which is exactly the way Wake likes its defenders. The prototype is Justin Jackson, a 6-1, 203-pounder with 4.5 speed and a better vertical leap than most of the ACC’s receivers.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... LB Justin Jackson
The player you might care about this year ... K Jimmy Newman
What it all means to the real world of college football ... In Winston-Salem, it’s the finished products that matter more than the raw materials. Few schools do a better job than Wake at taking two-star recruits and molding them into NFL-caliber players. Heck, Curry was off the radar in 2004, and now he’s on the brink of becoming very wealthy. Jim Grobe has once again brought in his type of players. Put better, the grade on this class could be a lot higher in three or four years. 

12. Boston College  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 6
The class is heavy on ... big bodies. As is often the case at Boston College, the school added a considerable amount of girth to the offensive and defensive lines. The Eagles’ success has long been built in the trenches, so it makes sense to continue to stockpile big bodies from the Northeast. The new staff is going to love DT Dillon Quinn, an uncommon blend of size, strength, and quickness. At a school being ravaged by graduation at the position, his arrival could not come at a more opportune time.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... LB Luke Kuechly
The player you might care about this year ... DT Dillon Quinn
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Getting hired so late in the process put new coach Frank Spaziani in a serious disadvantage, and it showed. The class is light in slam-dunk talent and top heavy with two-star recruits. As if Eagle fans couldn’t be more annoyed with former coach Jeff Jagodzinski, this average group of new players should be enough to stoke their fire.