Big East FB Recruiting

[E.T.]

Will be curious to see how we will "rank" with the others.

Go BULLS !!!

[ChiTownBull]

should be top 2 or 3

[E.T.]

I agree ... looks good so far with the names we've landed ... really haven't looked at the others.

Go BULLS !!!

[smazza]

aren't we in middle of pack according to rankings

we will immediately compete and dominate by our second year

[E.T.]

We're at the high 40's now ... highest amongst non-bcs teams.

WE Need To take c-usa in 2004 and bust the bcs games.

Go BULLS !!!

[smazza]

did we beat rutgers?

[goodknightfl]

U will be near the top of a poor BE recruiting year....

[Guest S. Bien]

U will be near the top of a poor BE recruiting year....

We are at the top of a poor BE overall recruiting year, but an exceptional one for USF.

USF has an interesting cross-section of talent.  For instance, Johnny Peyton was voted as a four star recruit by insiders.com, SuperPrep, and Lemming.  Oddly, he didn't get the same treatment with Rivals.  

Marcus Edwards was voted by Max Emfinger, and Jaime Newberg as one of the pre-season top 5 WR coming out of FL.  An injury in his fifth game shorted his season, he tried to come back during the playoffs then re-injured it, then tried again at the FL-Cali game, and looked horrible.  Yet he still received offers from USM, Maryland, WF, and USF.  

Jarriette Buie was four star in SuperPrep, and Lemming had him as the #3 DE in FL- an accurate depiction.  

Terrance Jones- LSU, NCST, Iowa, Mich St., all had offers sitting on the table, and FSU called late when they thought they lost their scatback from Michigan.   State's third leading rusher, and a dynamic back that at 5-10 180lbs runs a 4.35, and was the west coast (sectional) 100m champ as a junior.   Tom Lemming said he was the best back in FL coming out, and told the world he was heading to Iowa before it was officially rebuffed.  Tom Lemming had him in the top 20 of FL talent, and Buchalter has him in the top 30 (based on Rivals rankings everyone in that grouping is a four star recruit).

My favorite- CJ Hunnicutt.  Mr. Hunnicutt is a FL 5A 2-time, 1st team all-state.  Playing in a top notch conference, against great talent in FL's second highest classification.  Mr. Hunnicutt had 40 sacks in two years, is 6-3 220lbs, and runs a 4.62 at USF camp this summer.  He was team captain, POY in District, County, and Conference rankings. Sarasota ranked him as one of the top 3 players coming from the Bradenton/Manatee/Sarasota Area- top 5 included Dumaka Atkins, Terrence Jones, Chris Zellner, Sirdarean Adams.  CJ had offers from Ohio State, Auburn, USF, and WVU....LSU started to ask for a visit, and the week leading up to signing day, UF was calling every few hours begging for a visit and for him to switch his commitment.  Leavitt said it was everything he could do to keep UF at bay.

Just a sampling of USF's class....I personally, as do many like SunshinePrep, Larry, and Buchalter think USF's class was severely underrated when you look at Rivals.  

I tend to agree.  At least five USF recruits got less credit at Rival's than they did at at least two other recruiting services or ranking lists.

[jpBull]

Do our recruits get underrated because they commit to USF, and so for some reason they just seem less impressive than if they were committing to an LSU?

[Guest S. Bien]

Do our recruits get underrated because they commit to USF, and so for some reason they just seem less impressive than if they were committing to an LSU?

Good question.  Peyton is an enigma, because virtually everyone else in the world outside of Rivals has him as a top 25 national WR and a four star recruit.

The rest are more arbitrary, and one ranking system isn't better than another, it just shows how unscientific this process is.

On losing ranking luster I think CJ Hunnicutt suffered from committing to USF so early.  Marcus Edwards would have been 3, maybe 4 star had he not gotten injured by early October.

My big enigma is CJ Hunnicutt. To be 1st team all-state in FL 5A is amazing.  To do it with his stats, and his physical tools is even more amazing.  CJ is fully qualified, he is smart, and well spoken.  This kid should have been a four star OLB.  

My only guess is that Rivals put him in at DE early in the process, and listed him at 6-2 215lbs.  He played his senior year at a legit 6-3 220lbs, and USF as well as other schools had him recruited for OLB.  Furthermore, he never attended any of the illustrious football camps last summer.  SO, my guess is Rivals just assumed he was an undersized DE that at 6-2 215lbs (that weight, height, and 4.65 time was put into Rivals in early March 2003), was a fluke.  

They didn't have anyone who reviewed film on him, or saw him play particularly since his school was below average.   They didn't know that CJ was now about 6-3 220lbs, that has run consistently in the low 4.6's at USF, and UF camps.  That CJ actually rushed the QB from a standing position often, or in a three technique so he could easily transition to rushbacker.  That CJ was indeed quicker than perceived.  Therefore, since they never realized it, they never properly ranked him.

CJ had offers from WVU, UF, OhioSt., Auburn, Maryland, LSU, and USF among others.  There had to be something EXTREMELY appealing there for that list to chase him.

I've been told by a very reliable source that CJ could be the best defensive player USF has signed the last two years.  They said he was easily more talented and of similar build of Chris Zellner, a UM signee.   In a fair world most agree that CJ would/should be a four star player.

Then again if he was would USF have landed him.  Then again, UF was hounding him the last two weeks to visit and change his commitment- how much more aggressive would these schools have pursued, and the good schools know talent when they see it.