Slantanial strikes again...

[bulls96go]

USF 2009 class ranked as B the same as...UCiF

hmmm... Buchalter...really

1. USF best signing class ever.

2. Top 25 class by Scout and ESPN

3. USF 2008 # 54, 2009 - 28 places better at #30

4. UCiF 2008 # 56, 2009 - 10 places worse at #66

Bias...does sh^( stink?

Final insult to injury he makes reference to FL top 5. WHAT?

Only 4 schools in FL have BCS and only 4 schools have a top 25 rated class in 2009.

[Mama_Bull]

I thought Buchalter was already dead. Maybe he used a ghost writer.    ;D

There is already a thread on this elsewhere.

  http://thebullspen.com/index.php?topic=58894.0

[Bull Dozer]

:KoolAid

[SANJAY]

Who gives a ****?  Buchalter's ranmkings are just another guy's opinion.  We beat them 4 in a row with allegedly the same or similar talent (if Rivals is to be believed).  We have a great class.

[BullBlood]

UCF does have a good class for being in CUSA, but pales in direct comparison to USF's class.  Maybe he compared #1 in conference USA will help them within that conference and #2 in BE will help us in our conference.

apples and oranges IMO

The bottom half of our class would be some of their best recruits.

[KingBull]

That is complete bs.  No way that ucf has the same rating as us.  I understand us getting a B compared to UF, FSU, and UM but usf should've gotten a C, maybe C+ at best.  They are not on our level.  Scout, USF 25, ucf 54. Not even close and almost inverted.

[windbane]

UCF does have a good class for being in CUSA, but pales in direct comparison to USF's class.  Maybe he compared #1 in conference USA will help them within that conference and #2 in BE will help us in our conference.

apples and oranges IMO

The bottom half of our class would be some of their best recruits.

I don't even think they did that well for C-USA because they were 5th in that conference.

[Mama_Bull]

Here's a different slant:

STATE RANKINGS

1. Miami: The 'Canes are on the way back up, as they top the state recruiting rankings for the second year in a row. Miami has added speed on the defensive line and in the defensive backfield, and found some decent playmakers for the offense. If Bryce Brown signs and is a superstar, Miami could be the class of the ACC in two years. The biggest problem the 'Canes didn't solve is depth at quarterback -- they have Jacory Harris and nothin'. Rivals rank: No. 11. Scout rank: No. 20. MaxPreps rank: No. 10. Sporting News rank: No. 10.

2. Florida: Also for the second year in a row, the Gators are No. 2. Only 16 players makes this the smallest UF class in recent years, but there are immediate impact stars at a number of positions and plenty of depth for the offensive line. And the best thing about a small class: The Gators have room for a monster class next season. They're off to a great start, and the next group will have seen two UF titles before picking their school. Rivals rank: No. 10. Scout rank: No. 21. MaxPreps rank: No. 9. Sporting News rank: No. 9.

3. Florida State: The Seminoles are a very close third, but they're still not filling the holes they have on the roster. The strength of this class is on the defensive line -- and when has FSU had any problems there? The 'Noles hope some of these wideouts will avoid the off-field flameouts they've been having at the position, and that the young offensive linemen they have will be enough. Rivals rank: No. 6. Scout rank: No. 17. MaxPreps rank: No. 14. Sporting News: No. 14.

4. South Florida: The Bulls are too dependent on JUCO players again, but this is a legitimate Top-25 level class with a key handful of players who picked USF over schools like Miami and Florida. They didn't add much at glamour positions like QB and RB, but this is a group that can compete in the Big East. Rivals rank: No. 29. Scout rank: No. 25.

5. UCF: The Knights stayed focused on their Orlando-area recruiting base, made a few inroads into the Miami region and found a good group of defensive players. Since they focused on offensive linemen and running backs last season, they've hopefully created a balanced group out of the two classes combined. Rivals rank: No. 66. Scout rank: No. 56.

6. Florida International: The star of this class by far is Apopka linebacker Larvez "Pooh Bear" Mars, who surely has to be the first 4-star prospect to pick FIU. Mars had offers from SEC, ACC and Big East programs. A couple more gems, offensive lineman Rupert Bryan and WR Edgard Thelier, who switched over from USF, make this a good Sun Belt group. Rivals rank: No. 79. Scout rank: No. 87.

7. Florida Atlantic: The strength of this unexciting group is on defense, where LB Toney Moore and CB Treon Howard lead the South Florida players missed by the big schools. A team that made a bowl game each of the last two years probably should have done better. Rivals rank: No. 87. Scout rank: No. 118.

-- Alex Chapman

FSU: INSIDE THE CLASS

GRADE: B

MOST LIKELY T O HELP IMMEDIATELY: FSU has only two returning defensive tackles, and Jacobbi McDaniel has drawn comparisons to Warren Sapp.

BIGGEST PROJECT: FSU High star DE Brandon Jenkins has a speed rush that had scouts drooling. But he needs to put on weight before he can even be a third-down rusher.

UNSUNG RECRUIT: Kicker Dustin Hopkins isn't getting much attention despite being considered No. 1 at his position by both rivals.com and scout.com. But he's the next in the distinguished line of powerful Seminoles kickers.

REASON TO BE EXCITED: Tuesday's pickup of cornerback Greg Reid, who can also return kicks, could be important. Reid, who was once committed to Florida, was one of the biggest stars of the postseason all-star games.

REASON TO BE DISAPPOINTED: FSU was hoping to add WR Andre Debose (who stayed committed to Florida), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama), S Jawanza Starling (going from Tallahassee to Southern Cal) and TE Orson Charles (uncommitted, but has crossed FSU off his list.)

DID YOU KNOW? Tallahassee Democrat reports that RB Lonnie Pryor has the nickname "The Future." It was given to him by Okeechobee High coaches when they saw him in middle school.

-- Alex Chapman

UM INSIDE THE CLASS

GRADE: B plus

MOST LIKELY TO HELP IMMEDIATELY: While the 'Canes are waiting to see what RB Bryce Brown decides to do, Lamar Miller could provide the explosiveness at the position that Miami failed to show in 2008.

BIGGEST PROJECT: S Ray Ray Armstrong is a tremendous talent, but his focus at Sanford Seminole was at quarterback. He could play immediately but should get dramatically better with a couple of years focusing on defense.

UNSUNG RECRUIT: An injury took away the senior season of DE Olivier Vernon, but he showed enough as a junior to make the Miami coaches very happy he's staying in town.

REASON TO BE EXCITED: UM's class is strong on defensive speed, particularly with cornerbacks Brandon McGee, Jamal Reid and Prince Kent and DEs Vernon and Dyron Dye. Good luck passing vs. UM in two years.

REASON TO BE DISAPPOINTED: Brown has decided to keep his recruiting circus going, a la Terrelle Pryor last season. Whether he ends up here or at Oregon, his "handlers" should throw up red flags.

DID YOU KNOW? Quarterback A.J. Highsmith is the son of former NFL running back Alonzo Highsmith, the grandson of former NFL offensive lineman Walter Highsmith and the nephew of Arizona Cardinal Ali Highsmith.

-- Alex Chapman

UCF INSIDE THE CLASS

GRADE: B

MOST LIKELY TO HELP IMMEDIATELY: CB Josh Robinson, enrolled for the spring semester, could step in immediately to return kicks. He returned three kickoffs for TDs as a junior before missing time as a senior due to injury.

BIGGEST PROJECT: CB Kemal Ishmael split time between DB and WR in high school but will have to focus on defense now. The upside of his athleticism is high, though.

UNSUNG RECRUIT: Last year's QB additions were largely disappointments for the Knights, but the UCF coaches are optimistic about Nico Flores, who was the prize in a tug-of-war with Western Michigan.

REASON TO BE EXCITED: Knights have the top recruiting class in Conference USA according to scout.com (No. 5 in C-USA according to rivals.com), and they have kept a handful of players with BCS conference offers in-state on defense.

REASON TO BE DISAPPOINTED: UCF's running game fell off after the departure of Kevin Smith. With two offensive linemen and no backs in this class, there's not a lot of help coming.

DID YOU KNOW? The Knights signed three pairs of high school teammates (Ishmael and Flores, Quincy McDuffie and Henry Wright, Jonathan Davis and A.J. Bouye) and two more players (Dontravious Floyd, Tay Irvin) who have prep teammates already on the UCF roster.

-- Alex Chapman

USF INSIDE THE CLASS

GRADE: A

MOST LIKELY TO HELP IMMEDIATELY: Junior college defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who attracted attention from many major programs, should start immediately and help DE George Selvie regain his All-America status.

BIGGEST PROJECT: Victor Marc might be the most talented player in this class, but is he a running back? A wide receiver? It make take the Bulls time to figure out how to get the ball in Marc's hands productively.

UNSUNG RECRUIT: LB Jacquian Williams is ranked among the nation's top 25 junior college players and should be a starter once he signs his letter of intent, which is being held up.

REASON TO BE EXCITED: DB Kayvon Webster, who had committed to Miami, decided to fax his letter of intent to the Bulls. He joins two prep teammates, receivers Derrick Hopkins and Sterling Griffin.

REASON TO BE DISAPPOINTED: CB Jayron Hosley decided at the last minute to switch to Virginia Tech. The class is painfully thin at quarterback and receiver.

DID YOU KNOW? DE Ryne Giddins, who was recruited heavily by the state's Big 3, played with the coaches during his visit to USF (according to the St. Petersburg Times), announcing he was heading to "the University of Florida," pausing before he corrected to "South Florida."

-- Alex Chapman

http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:9JLBVRTeSgMJ:www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Sports/Headlines/sptFBC03020509.htm+Post+Signing+Day+Q%26A+with+Jacquian+Williams%2Bdavis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

PS if you happen go to that link it says: WR Erick McGriff, South Florida: The son of the Crime Dog, MLB star Fred McGriff, will stay in the Tampa area.

I checked and Erick actually sent in his LOI to Kansas. Maybe, he was thinking about walking on at USF and changed his mind. I'm not sure what happened. 

[Bullpride08]

Mama,

there is another knuckleheaded reporter with another ignorant slant.

What is the "The Bulls are to dependent on JUCO athletes again...."  AGAIN?  When have we ever been dependent on JUCO Athletes- NEVER!  It has a fair amount but if signing six out of 30 recruits is 'over dependent' then this guy needs to learn the definition, for example last year Louisville sign 11 out of 23, and 11 again this recruiting season-- Louisville has signed 22 JUCO's in two years, and we've signed 11.  KSU signed 10, and if you can believe it 19 the season before!  NINETEEN!  That is being 'dependent' on JUCO's. 

Also, we're not heavy on RB?  Bradley Battle is on the rivals top 150 list and has rushed for nearly 4000 yards in two seasons in FL, as well as returned 10 kicks, and had 9 INT's...yeah sucks we didn't land a RB.  Adaris Bellamy?  How about Lamar Lindsey.  I would argue our RB class was the 2nd in the state behind Miami's with Miller and James....UF only signed one, and FSU's I would put our group against theirs any day.

The he says "The Knights Stay Focused on their Orlando Area Recruiting base."  Well they undoubtedly did a good job on Central FL for the first time in forever, at least since 2003, but they haven't 'stayed' focus, they haven't even been focused on Central FL and Orlando since 2003 and most Knights will admit that to you.  This was a breakthrough year for UCF finally landing some of the more elite talent in Central FL/Orlando for the first time since 2003-- they've really struck out in the region for various reasons for quite sometime, and O'Liar's hires have finally broken the ice. 

They did a good job finally cracking into Orlanod, but I wouldn't say they've 'stayed focused' on it at all for quite sometime.

Also if Miami wiffs on Bryce Brown then there class is a step behind UF's and FSU's.  FSU's top talent like Jacobbi McDanniel, Mizell, Reid, Rodney Smith are all talent capable of playing day one, UF's too, Miami's top dogs like Ray Ray, and Dye need to develop and learn other positions, Lamar Miller might not be eligible, and guys like Luther Robinson, Vernon, and Brandon Washington have all been suggested to be a touch overrated.  They have the third best class, possibly fourth behind USF because we have more bodies and success potential in the class.

This is why it's silly to rank something so subjective.  You'll never get a truly satisfying answer.

[Mama_Bull]

Here is one from Florida Football Magazine that ranks USF #3 ahead of Miami:

Rating the Classes 

Courtesy: VSM Florida FB

Release: 02/06/2009

COREY LONG

clong@varsitysportsmedia.com

With a day to devour everything that National Signing Day brings it’s time to break down the state’s Division 1-A schools classes ranking them from 1 to 7.

FLORIDA STATE

Overview: With Jimbo Fisher, Bob LaCivita and James Coley fully in charge of FSU’s recruiting strategy they were able to put a strong class with the majority of it coming from in-state early commitments. The addition of two strong out-of-state prospects (Georgia’s Greg Reid and Mississippi’s Aubrey Phillips) during the stretch run proved the strategy paid off for the Seminoles. FSU upgraded the talent at virtually every position.

Why No. 1: FSU’s commitment to in-state prospects gives them the nod over Florida, who also put together an excellent class. The Seminoles, however, showed a greater commitment to covering the state and were reward with local talents like Willie Downs (Tallahassee Godby) and Jacobbi McDaniel (Madison County) and south Florida stars like Lonnie Pryor (Okeechobee) and Xavier Rhodes (Miami Norland). FSU also nabbed a top defensive player from the Tampa Bay area in Demonte McAllister (Tampa Alonso) and the top player from the Space Coast, Willie Haulstead (Titusville).

Class Sleeper: Rodney Smith (Archbishop Carroll) could prove to be a small-school gem and a major target at 6-foot-5.

Overall: Some services had FSU as the top class in the state, others had Florida. This is website devoted to Florida prep football and FSU did the better of the two when it came to grabbing the best from the Sunshine State.

FLORIDA

Overview: A top-heavy class full of stars, some in-state and others from out-of-state. They needed offensive linemen and got several including strong in-state prospects Jonotthan Harrison (Groveland South Lake) and Nick Alajajian (Naples) and arguably the best offensive line prospect in the nation, North Carolina prospect Xavier Nixon. Andre Debose (Sanford Seminole) might be the top offensive talent in the Southeast and will be heavily relied upon to fill the void of Percy Harvin. Running back Mike Gillislee (DeLand) brings in even more speed.

Argument for No. 1: Florida’s class played well to the recruiting services as Maryland prospect Jelani Jenkins and Nixon are considered by many to be the top at their position in the nation. And with Debose and Gary Brown (West Gadsden) there’s no shortage of major potential in this star-filled class. It comes down to how enamored a fan is with the out-of-state prospects or the in-state ones.

Class Sleeper: Kedric Johnson (Palmetto) has gotten better with every offseason during his time in high school. He’s a prospect who will excite defensive line coach Dan McCarney with his work ethic.

Overall: Last year Florida won the “ESPN†game when Janoris Jenkins and T.J. Lawrence both made nationally televised commitments to the Gators. But those were in-state prospects where Florida had a “home-field advantageâ€. This year the focus on out-of-state prospects gave the Gators a couple of hits and a couple of misses. Gator fans don’t like missing on anything.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Overview: As the USF program grows every year is going to be the “best class in school history†but this year it was true and it will be tough to match the quality of this group in 2010. The Bulls successfully took the next step up and put together a class that should help them achieve the goal of winning the Big East and earning a BCS Bowl berth in the next five years. The commitment of Ryne Giddins (Armwood) in January gave USF the momentum to land what many of the services felt is a top 25 class. Stealing Kayvon Webster (Monsignor Pace) from Miami in the final day and adding JuCo All-American Jason Pierre-Paul (Deerfield Beach) were icing on the cake.

Biggest Hit: There has been no bigger recruit in USF’s history than Giddins. Not only was he considered to be the top pass rusher in the state and quite possibly the entire southeast but he was a local prospect from a program that has been among the top in the region.

Class Sleeper: Torn between Julius Forte (Boca Ciega), Steve Jacques (South Broward) and Lamar Lindsey (Hillsborough), the choice is Jacques because he’s plays along the offensive line and has the potential to be an all-conference player in two years.

Overall: The Bulls went fishing in the big ocean and caught a couple of sharks that should help them reach a Big East title sooner than later.

MIAMI

Overview: This class is not going to blow Hurricane fans away but it addresses a major need as Miami signed five offensive linemen and two running backs (with a third possibly joining later this month). There are plenty of stars as well with Ray Ray Armstrong (Sanford Seminole), Lamar Miller (Miami Killian) and Brandon McGee (Plantation) leading the way.

Biggest Hit: Armstrong is a throwback to the Miami athletes the school had in the early part of the decade. One of the most athletic players in the nation projects to be a safety at Miami and has an opportunity to develop into one of the best game-changing defensive backs in the nation.

Class Sleeper: Mike James (Ridge Community) is already enrolled and did not only establish himself as a top running back in the state this year but he’s also a model student and should be able to quickly see the field and establish himself as a team leader.

Overall: The saga of Kansas prospect Bryce Brown will continue to keep this class’ final evaluation in limbo but the Hurricanes picked up a ton of quality talent.

UCF

Overview: A very good effort from UCF coaches to spread themselves around the state and sign quality players from several areas in the state include offensive lineman Chris Martin (Fort Walton Beach), defensive lineman Frankie Davis (East Ridge) and wide receiver Dontravious Floyd (South Dade). But the major coup for the Knights was the signing of quarterback Nico Flores (North Miami Beach) away from Western Michigan.

Biggest Hit: Flores gives UCF a bona fide playmaking threat at the quarterback position and someone who could step in and play right away.

Class Sleeper: Josh Robinson has the body and the speed to help UCF in the secondary and on special teams. He could be one of the guys that will help the Knights replace the talented Joe Burnett.

Overall: UCF struggled on the field and with the headlines but behind the efforts of assistant coach Dave Kelly, the Knights coaching staff grinded and delivered a strong class.

http://www.floridafb.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11200&ATCLID=3664315