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We're taking a break this week from the College Football Roundtable. Instead, with National Signing Day fast approaching, we asked our recruiting experts to fill in for the weekend.
We have three recruiting questions today, and will have three more Sunday in our special College Football Recruiting Roundtables.
1. WHICH NON-BIG SIX PROGRAM HAS SURPRISED YOU WITH ITS RECRUITING EFFORTS, EITHER GOOD OR BAD?
Jeremy Crabtree's answer:
I'm a big fan of what's going on in the state of Utah with BYU and Utah. The Cougars jumped out of the gate early with a lot of great commitments, including probably the most college-ready quarterback in this year's class in Jake Heaps. I also like what they did addressing their needs. It's no shock that they're going to finish in our top 40 in the team recruiting rankings. I also really like the Utes' class. They still have some pieces to add as we head down the stretch, and they could pass BYU as the top class in the Mountain West. The job they did in the state of Texas is quite impressive. Plus, the Utes are a threat now in California and often beat many Pac-10 programs for prospects.
Barry Every's answer:
The easy answer would be BYU because it is getting a nice haul with the likes of Jake Heaps, Ross Apo, Bronson Kaufusi, and Joshua Quezada -- and each is from a different state. But I am going to pick SMU. Ben Gottschalk, an offensive lineman out of California, had a great Nike camp in Los Angeles. I also like the potential of two kids from Tyler, Texas: Jeremy Johnson and Ricky Collins. Both are good athletes who are dangerous with the ball in their hands.
Mike Farrell's answer:
It's not really a surprise because it has such a great tradition and always does fairly well in recruiting, but BYU has killed it this year. "Jake Heaps to Ross Apo" is going to be something you hear a lot of when watching BYU games in the future. BYU's staff has done a much better job of recruiting than some schools that can sell an automatic BCS berth from its conference.
Greg Ladky's answer:
Toledo. BYU has the highest-ranked non-Big Six class, but that is nothing new. Toledo has 2009 four-star receiver James Green enrolled in classes this semester. Cleveland Glenville's James Gordon missed most of this season with an ACL injury, but could be a steal if he makes a full recovery. Toledo has a trio of mid-three star prospects in David Fluellen, Ross Madison and Quintin Robinson. Another three-star commitment, Elijah Jones, won the defensive line MVP at the 2009 Illinois NIKE camp over players such as five-star prospect William Gholston and top Illinois prospect Bruce Gaston Jr. Two-star commitment Zac Rosenbauer sat out most of his junior season with a broken collarbone and would have been a more heavily recruited prospect if not for the injury.
Jamie Newberg's answer:
The easy and obvious answer is BYU, and that's because the Cougars have landed a few big-name prospects such as quarterback Jake Heaps, wide receiver Ross Apo and defensive end Bronson Kaufusi. They have the best non-Big Six ranking nationally. But to me, the biggest surprise at this point is Marshall, with new coach Doc Holliday. Marshall had a great January and has really capitalized in Florida with pre-existing relationships with recruits formed when the staff was at their previous schools. Marshall has taken three recruits away from West Virginia and another from Wake Forest. The Thundering Herd have added speed and athleticism. To do what they have done given the short recruiting window is surprising to me.
Barton Simmons' answer:
I've been extremely impressed with what new coach Larry Porter has been able to do in just a matter of weeks at Memphis. He was able to spark interest from big-time recruits such as Lache Seastrunk and Barry Brunetti. Despite missing out on them in the end, Porter showed that the program can get elite players to listen. Porter and his staff have evaluated well, too. Memphis was the first school to offer defensive tackle Brandon Ivory, landing his commitment before he changed his mind and picked Alabama. Finally, the players that Memphis actually is bringing in are some of the best prospects in Louisiana and Memphis - two areas that likely will be crucial to Memphis' future success. Frankie Jackson was one of Louisiana's most productive backs in 2009, RobDonovan Lewis is a do-it-all athlete and Memphis city standouts Corey Jones and Fred Harvey were too good to let get away. All four have been brought into the fold since Porter's arrival.
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/co...sp?CID=1045750
We have three recruiting questions today, and will have three more Sunday in our special College Football Recruiting Roundtables.
1. WHICH NON-BIG SIX PROGRAM HAS SURPRISED YOU WITH ITS RECRUITING EFFORTS, EITHER GOOD OR BAD?
Jeremy Crabtree's answer:
I'm a big fan of what's going on in the state of Utah with BYU and Utah. The Cougars jumped out of the gate early with a lot of great commitments, including probably the most college-ready quarterback in this year's class in Jake Heaps. I also like what they did addressing their needs. It's no shock that they're going to finish in our top 40 in the team recruiting rankings. I also really like the Utes' class. They still have some pieces to add as we head down the stretch, and they could pass BYU as the top class in the Mountain West. The job they did in the state of Texas is quite impressive. Plus, the Utes are a threat now in California and often beat many Pac-10 programs for prospects.
Barry Every's answer:
The easy answer would be BYU because it is getting a nice haul with the likes of Jake Heaps, Ross Apo, Bronson Kaufusi, and Joshua Quezada -- and each is from a different state. But I am going to pick SMU. Ben Gottschalk, an offensive lineman out of California, had a great Nike camp in Los Angeles. I also like the potential of two kids from Tyler, Texas: Jeremy Johnson and Ricky Collins. Both are good athletes who are dangerous with the ball in their hands.
Mike Farrell's answer:
It's not really a surprise because it has such a great tradition and always does fairly well in recruiting, but BYU has killed it this year. "Jake Heaps to Ross Apo" is going to be something you hear a lot of when watching BYU games in the future. BYU's staff has done a much better job of recruiting than some schools that can sell an automatic BCS berth from its conference.
Greg Ladky's answer:
Toledo. BYU has the highest-ranked non-Big Six class, but that is nothing new. Toledo has 2009 four-star receiver James Green enrolled in classes this semester. Cleveland Glenville's James Gordon missed most of this season with an ACL injury, but could be a steal if he makes a full recovery. Toledo has a trio of mid-three star prospects in David Fluellen, Ross Madison and Quintin Robinson. Another three-star commitment, Elijah Jones, won the defensive line MVP at the 2009 Illinois NIKE camp over players such as five-star prospect William Gholston and top Illinois prospect Bruce Gaston Jr. Two-star commitment Zac Rosenbauer sat out most of his junior season with a broken collarbone and would have been a more heavily recruited prospect if not for the injury.
Jamie Newberg's answer:
The easy and obvious answer is BYU, and that's because the Cougars have landed a few big-name prospects such as quarterback Jake Heaps, wide receiver Ross Apo and defensive end Bronson Kaufusi. They have the best non-Big Six ranking nationally. But to me, the biggest surprise at this point is Marshall, with new coach Doc Holliday. Marshall had a great January and has really capitalized in Florida with pre-existing relationships with recruits formed when the staff was at their previous schools. Marshall has taken three recruits away from West Virginia and another from Wake Forest. The Thundering Herd have added speed and athleticism. To do what they have done given the short recruiting window is surprising to me.
Barton Simmons' answer:
I've been extremely impressed with what new coach Larry Porter has been able to do in just a matter of weeks at Memphis. He was able to spark interest from big-time recruits such as Lache Seastrunk and Barry Brunetti. Despite missing out on them in the end, Porter showed that the program can get elite players to listen. Porter and his staff have evaluated well, too. Memphis was the first school to offer defensive tackle Brandon Ivory, landing his commitment before he changed his mind and picked Alabama. Finally, the players that Memphis actually is bringing in are some of the best prospects in Louisiana and Memphis - two areas that likely will be crucial to Memphis' future success. Frankie Jackson was one of Louisiana's most productive backs in 2009, RobDonovan Lewis is a do-it-all athlete and Memphis city standouts Corey Jones and Fred Harvey were too good to let get away. All four have been brought into the fold since Porter's arrival.
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/co...sp?CID=1045750
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