USF's recruiting classes ranked higher than Cincy's in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

[Ruger7mmmag]

Pitt and WVU didn't have rosters FULL of 4-5 stars...they had more than the rest of the big east which isn't saying much, but they didn't have so many where it made up the majority of their rosters.  With the points system, the rankings of the classes as a whole can be influenced quite a bit by if a kid is in the top 100 vs. not.  You can't look at where the overall class is ranked, but by the actual members of the class.  It's possible a team may be higher ranked AS A TEAM with just a few 5* guys and a ton of 2* guys than a team full of all 3 stars.  You have to look at the individual players.  for what it's worth, Pitt and WVU even in their worst years have had better shots at conference titles than we have so that would refute your point...That's even considering those were programs where they did such a miserable job of utilizing that talent that Pitt FIRED their coach and WVU has effectively done the same. 

When Rich Rod was at WVU with the talent, WVU was always in the mix and had no problem winning bigtime OOC games.  If he was still there, you can bet he would've done more with that roster than Stewart did.  As for Pitt, no doubt about the talent as they still put guys in the NFL...stache just didn't know how to win games...it wasn't the talent.

Contrast that with USF over the years.  We literally have been lacking the talent.  You could see that this year in our WR during the bigger games where they absolutely couldn't get free against UF, UM etc.  Without looking at the stars, I'm guessing the CBs who were covering our guys were higher ranked coming out than our WRs were...

that would be interesting to see...

[Reliable Source]

we are even getting press in Miami.

Posted on Wednesday, 02.02.11

USF unveils class of 21 football recruits

By FRED GOODALL

AP Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. -- South Florida's Skip Holtz signed a class of 21 football prospects that the second-year coach believes will help the Bulls flourish nationally as well as in the Big East.

Elkino Watson, a 290-pound defensive tackle who didn't officially commit until Wednesday, is the centerpiece of a group that includes five offensive linemen, five linebackers, three wide receivers, one quarterback and one running back. He selected USF over Florida and Miami.

Landing the heavily-recrutied Watson out of Booker T. Washington High School in Miami is the latest indication of the type of progress USF has made since launching its program from scratch in 1997.

"I think he made a very bold decision," Holtz said. "I think he made the decision that he felt was in his best interests and not: 'Okay, I'm going to go where everybody thinks is popular, but I'm going to make the decision that's right for me.' And that was South Florida."

The Bulls went 8-5 in their first season under Holtz, who replaced Jim Leavitt after the only coach in the first 13 years of the program's history was fired in January 2010. A university investigation found the former coach grabbed a player by the throat during halftime of a game, slapped him in the face twice and then lied about the incident.

Holtz had less than two weeks to put together his first recruiting class a year ago. He felt a lot better about what he and his staff accomplished with this class, which includes receiver Andre Davis, who had 62 catches for 1,286 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior while helping Tampa Jefferson win the Florida Class 3A state championship.

Altough USF has yet to win the Big East, the Bulls have notched at least eight victories each of the past five seasons. Holtz feels the collection of talent headed to Tampa to augment a talented nuceus already assemnled will form the foundation for a program capable of contending for national titles as well.

The Bulls upset Florida State in the first meeting between the schools in 2009. They upended Miami late last season, a victory that Holtz felt helped on the recruiting trail.

"I don't think this program should take a back seat to anybody," Holtz said. "We don't fear anybody. ... We're not backing down from anybody. We've stepped on the field and we've played with them, and we're going to continue to line up. I look at this program on an even par, not just with the programs in the state but (nationally) and say: 'Why can't we be there? What stops us from playing at that level of football?'"

Watson is type of player that can help.

And Holtz believes, right away.

"I he has a chance to come in and push for immediate time. He's a legitimate 6-3. He weighs a legitimate 290 pounds right now as an 18-year-old," the coach said, adding that by now no one should be caught offguard by South Florida's ability to go into homes and win battles for big-time recruits.

"Was I surprised, no. Was I shocked, no. Do I think it's a good decision for him? I think it's a great decision for him," Holtz said. "I say bold because you look at it, there are a lot of people that maybe felt like he should have went to that school, that school or that school."

The Bulls class also includes three players - quarterback Matt Floyd and linebackers Mike Jeune and Antoine Pozniak - who are enrolled in school this semester and will be able to participate in spring practice.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/02/2047608/usf-unveils-class-of-21-football.html#ixzz1DIFIYCeS