2009 Pac 10 Recruiting - What It All Means

How does the 2009 Pac 10 recruiting class really affect the college football world?

Recruiting 2009 ... Pac 10
Ranking the Pac 10 classes

Click on each team for the fill class list and top players
Arizona | Arizona St | California | Oregon | Oregon St
Stanford | UCLA | USC | Washington | Washington St

- CFN Recruiting 2009
- 2008 Pac 10 Recruiting Rankings
- 2007 Pac 10 Recruiting Rankings
- 2006 Pac 10 Recruiting Rankings
- CFN 2009 Recruiting Rankings
No. 1 to 30 | No. 31 to 60 | No. 61 to 90 | No. 91 to 120

1. USC  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 1
The class is heavy on ... defense. Ever wonder why the Trojans always have one of the toughest defenses in the country? This class will give you a hint. USC continued its annual tradition of loading up on some of the nation’s premier defenders, landing a top 10 player at each level on the field. S T.J. McDonald and DE Devon Kennard look as if they could move into the lineup from Day 1 if there wasn’t so much talent already ahead of them.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... QB Matt Barkley
The player you might care about this year ... DT Hebron Fangupo
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Sure, there’s stiff competition from the likes of Urban Meyer and Nick Saban, but does anyone do a better job of selling than Pete Carroll? He hasn’t had a bad class since arriving at Troy, and this year’s haul is unlikely to disappoint even with some late losses to UCLA and Arizona State. By most accounts, Barkley is this year’s top-rated quarterbacks, which means the Trojans are set at the position for the foreseeable future.

2. UCLA  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 2
The class is heavy on ... cornerbacks. In a Pac-10 that’s usually flush with quality passers, the Bruins wisely answered with a quartet of really good cornerbacks. All four earned no less than three stars and were ranked in the top 50 at the position. The best of the bunch is Marlon Pollard, who fielded a slew of offers, and has an enormous upside to match his leaping ability.  
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... TE Morrell Presley
The player you might care about this year ... DE Keenan Graham
What it all means to the real world of college football ... With a full year to put a class together, Rick Neuheisel showed that he’s still got it. Even with a few close calls at the end of the cycle, the UCLA staff succeeded in attracting as much talent as anyone in the Pac-10 this side of USC. Littered with blue-chippers throughout California, this group of next generation Bruins lends hope that better days lay ahead in Westwood.

3. Stanford   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 8
The class is heavy on ... pass-catchers. If the Cardinal is going to continue this forward push that started when Jim Harbaugh was hired, it needs to improve offensively. Like, now. This class provides some exciting weapons for whenever QB Andrew Luck takes over the offense. Stanford bagged a pair of four-star wideouts, Jamal Patterson and Jemari Roberts, to go along with easily the best collection of tight ends in the country. Both Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are massive targets, who could have gone just about anywhere.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... QB Josh Nunes
The player you might care about this year ... LB Shayne Skov
What it all means to the real world of college football ... This Cardinal class has quickly become one of the biggest stories of the 2009 recruiting season. Harbaugh, who is as hands-on as any coach in the country, has been nothing short of magical in his ability to defeat bigger programs and upgrade the talent level. What’s happening this February could wind up being a long-awaited turning point for the program. 

4. Oregon   CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 5
The class is heavy on ... special teams. The Ducks made an investment in their future on special teams with the signings of P Jackson Rice and PK Mike Bowlin. Both were ranked in the top 3 at their respective positions, and will have an opportunity to become the cornerstones of the unit now that P Josh Syria and PK Matt Evensen are gone. Rice and Bowlin won’t get the attention of, say, a Cliff Harris or Boseko Lokombo, but that doesn’t they won’t play an integral role down the road.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... CB Cliff Harris
The player you might care about this year ... LB Bryson Littlejohn
What it all means to the real world of college football ... With the offense in fine shape, Mike Bellotti concentrated on building up the defense and special teams, two areas that hurt the Ducks in 2008. They almost completely ignored the skill positions, attracting four four-star talents for the back seven. JUCO LB Bryson Littlejohn is the one player most likely to contribute in his first year in Eugene.

5. California  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 6
The class is heavy on ... linemen. The Bears did not discriminate when it came to big bodies this year; they’re feeding both sides of the ball with an impressive array of linemen. The program was especially effective on the offensive line, going all the way to New Jersey to land top-ranked C Mark Brazinski and robbing Oregon of T Charles Siddoway. Both are the type of players who are capable of cracking the starting lineup by their second season.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... QB Allan Bridgford
The player you might care about this year ... C Mark Brazinski
What it all means to the real world of college football ... As long as Cal can keep putting together Top 25-caliber classes, it’ll continue being a prominent, first-division team in the Pac-10. This class addresses a multitude of needs, with receivers being a possible exception. At some point, Jeff Tedford needs to begin developing another next-level pupil at quarterback. Bridgford has the tools to be that guy.

6. Arizona State  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 4
The class is heavy on ... backs. Four backs are headed to Tempe determined to light a spark under a running game that floundered a year ago. Cameron Marshall, Shane McCullen, and Jamal Miles are three-star Sun Devils and among the top 100 high school runners in the country. While Marshall is a 208-pound thumper, McCullen is an intriguing blend of good size and blazing speed, who could also wind up playing on defense if the need arises.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... DT Corey Adams
The player you might care about this year ... LB Vontaze Burfict
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Beating out USC, among others, for five-star talents Burfict and Adams was an enormous and improbable victory for Dennis Erickson. The late charge helped overcome an otherwise average class that showed signs of a possible hangover from a disappointing 5-7 season. Now, there was a fair amount of depth in the form of three-star athletes, but it was nothing comparable to a year ago, when Erickson signed a eight four-star players.

7. Washington State  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 10
The class is heavy on ... defensive backs. The only reason why last year’s pass defense wasn’t worse off was because the run D was so easy to navigate. The Cougars realize there’s still plenty of work to be done in the secondary. They beat out the likes of Arizona State and Boise State for talented CB Nolan Washington, and bagged five safeties with the potential to start at some point in their careers. Heck, Wazzu even got themselves a Locker, beating out Washington for Jake Locker’s cousin, Casey. 
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... WR Gino Simone
The player you might care about this year ... DE Brandon Rankin
What it all means to the real world of college football ... Considering the depths that the Cougars reached on the field last fall, this is not a bad collection of players. Although Washington State can’t boast about any mega-stars coming to the Palouse, it did land more of the state’s top players than U-Dub, and generally did better than its rival in the final tally.  

8. Oregon State  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 9
The class is heavy on ... offensive linemen. With so much turnover going on here, it was time for Mike Riley to replenish in the trenches, a key to the program’s success in recent years. A half-dozen new linemen are set to hit Corvallis, hoping to open holes for Jacquizz Rodgers as soon as possible. The name to remember in the short term is Michael Philipp, a can’t-miss guard, who had offers from everyone in the Pac-10 and is physically ready to play right now.   
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... G Michael Philipp
The player you might care about this year ... WR Reggie Dunn
What it all means to the real world of college football ... The more the Beavers win, the easier it gets to attract solid recruits to Corvallis. Not only has Riley put together a big class that’ll eventually feed both sides of the ball, but it’s brimming with as much young talent as the school has seen in years. Philipp and Dunn could be headed to the two-deep right now. Dunn comes from Compton College with world-class speed and a reputation for being a playmaker. 

9. Arizona  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 7
The class is heavy on ... pass-catchers. If you’re going to successfully run Sonny Dykes’ offense, you better have depth at the receiver position. The Wildcats took a quantum leap in that direction, signing more than a half-dozen wideouts and tight ends. The hands-down gem of that group is local standout Adam Hall, who had his choice of destinations. Actually, there’s so much talent here, it could free up Hall to move over to safety, where he’s just as dangerous. 
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... LB Trevor Erno
The player you might care about this year ... WR Adam Hall
What it all means to the real world of college football ... While one player never makes a class, Hall certainly elevated this one when he chose to stay close to home at the end of January. In a sea of good three-star players, he sticks out as the lone four-star import. In order to give an immediate boost to the defense, Arizona grabbed a pair of quality JUCO transfers, CB Marcus Benjamin and LB C.J. Parish.

10. Washington  CFN’s 2008 Conference Recruiting Rank: 3
The class is heavy on ... defense. Steve Sarkisian spent almost all of his recruiting muscle trying to rebuild a defense that allowed more than 38 points a game a year ago. Every level of the defense received attention, with special concentration going to the defensive tackles and cornerbacks. Linebackers Tim Tucker and Andru Pulu, in particular, might be good enough to dodge a redshirt year and contribute on special teams and defense right away.
The player who’ll someday be a really big deal ... LB Tim Tucker
The player you might care about this year ... ATH Marlion Barnett
What it all means to the real world of college football ... While it should be noted that Sarkisian is the only first-year coach in the Pac-10, a disadvantage, his class still had to be labeled a disappointment. Hey, if you’re going to get snagged on multiple occasions for minor recruiting violations, you better be landing a couple of blue-chippers along the way. This ought to be different for Sarkisian in his second try at recruiting in Seattle next year.