2009 ACC Recruiting Breakdown: Part II

This feature was written by guest blogger Anton Azucar...

 

Back again with the second half of the ACC, this time the Coastal Division. It’s looking to me like the only guy who will be able to compete with Randy Shannon on a recruiting level is his former boss, Butch Davis. I was hoping he would peace out and take the Tennessee job a month or so back, but it didn’t happen. Randy’s success, on and off the field, will always be directly compared with Butch at UNC, so no use hiding from it.

 

Coastal Division:

 

1) North Carolina (27 commits, # 6 nationally)

5 star: 1

4 star: 13

3 star: 9

2 star: 5

 

Butch Davis is proving to still have the same recruiting ability as his run with Miami in the mid to late ‘90s. He has one five star DE in Donte Moss, from Jacksonville, NC, and a slew of 4 star players, some of the highest rated. Jheranie Boyd is the #2 rated WR in the nation, and Bryn Renner is the #5 rated QB, who also has blazing 4.8 40 time speed. This class is no joke. However, as mentioned before, attrition will need to occur for all of these recruits to see the field. Most likely, that will happen with juniors and seniors already on the team, pretty much being told not to come back. Davis is essentially creating an NFL type atmosphere for student athletes, where if they don’t perform late in their careers, you’re getting “cut.” Absurd. 

 

2) Miami (18 commits, # 10 nationally)

5 star: 2

4 star: 9

3 star: 6

2 star: 1

 

Miami got a big boost after the All-American Game with Ray Ray Armstrong being upgraded to a five star recruit, to go along with the “is he coming or going” Bryce Brown. Randy Shannon has assembled another fantastic class, one that can only get better. With a mere 18 recruits signed, and already #10 in the nation, this class could end up possibly in the top 5.

 

Armstrong is a 6’4’’ 218 lbs. Athlete who wants to come in and play FS. With the secondary play of this past season, we Cane fans would welcome that addition tremendously. Bryce Brown, at 6’0’’ 215 lbs, could be the big, bruising tailback Shannon covets as he switches back to the pro-set offense of yesteryears.

 

Miami’s most dire immediate need, OL, has some great help arriving next fall. Two 4 star recruits, and one three star are already committed. Jermaine Johnson, a 6’6’’ 309 lbs from the well known Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, is set to enroll early next week. Brandon Washington, another behemoth at 6’5’’ 330 lbs is also slated to come in early. Both those guys went to prep school for a year, so their maturity levels and ability to quickly grasp the blocking schemes should be pretty high. Jared Wheeler is only a 3 star prospect at OL, but he is tremendously intelligent, with a 4.0 GPA, and an offer from Vanderbilt. At 6’5’’ 310 lbs, Miami could have the huge O-Lines of 2000-2002 that so dominated the Big East to run all over the opposing teams.

 

Overall, Miami has the highest average star rating in the ACC, at 3.67. North Carolina comes in far below, with a 3.41 average. When all is said and done, come the first week of February, I believe Miami will be number one in the conference.

 

3) Virginia Tech (20 commits, # 26 nationally)

5 star: 0

4 star: 4

3 star: 13

2 star: 3

 

Frank Beamer seems to hide under the radar every year. We never really hear about their recruiting classes being top notch, and according to star rankings, this year is no different. Their number one recruit is TE Logan Thomas, a 6’6’’ 233 lbs., with a blistering (for a TE) 4.65 40 time. He is the # 1 TE in the nation. The only other top 10 position recruit they have is RB David Wilson, ranked # 4 nationally. Va Tech does not have a QB in this class, which is surprising as their QB play is never off the charts since Vick left. You would think they would always want at least one new guy coming in each year. Regardless, they will be underestimated again next year, and will no doubt be in the thick of the conference title race, just like they are every year.

 

4) Virginia (24 commits, # 34 nationally)

5 star: 0

4 star: 4

3 star: 11

2 star: 9

 

Somehow, someway, Al Groh keeps getting players who should never go to Virginia, to wind up there. This year, it’s Dominique Wallace, the number one rated RB in the nation. Yes, even higher than Bryce Brown, the # 2 RB, but a better overall recruit. So you have to give him credit for that. However, after Wallace, it drops off pretty fast. The next highest positional rank is the # 20 DE Jake Snyder, who sounds better suited for a snoozer CBS show headliner than a star college football player. And he is only a 3 star. Sure, ratings can be arbitrary, and you cannot put all your faith in them, but these people do this for a living. They are correct in evaluating the talent more often than not. What they can’t evaluate is how much coaching up a player will get, or their motivation levels to succeed and prove people wrong. On that vein, this Virginia class is heavy on 3 and 2 stars, and does not stand out to me at all.

 

5) Georgia Tech (19 commits, # 45 nationally)

5 star: 0

4 star: 1

3 star: 17

2 star: 1

 

This the team that will scare me the most, each and every year. Paul Johnson is building a triple option juggernaut, and Randy better not ever tell his team to tackle high and go for the strip. We saw how that turned out. That said, this class is not great at all. One 4 star (DT J.C. Lanier, # 31 nationally), but they do have the # 13 QB prospect in the nation, Jordan Luallen. Although only a 3 star, Luallen has 4.5 speed and has great size (6’3’’ 196 lbs). Look at what Johnson got out of his Qbs this season, guys who were not recruited to run his triple option attack. Luallen could be ready to play in the fall, depending on if he enrolls early, something still up in the air.

 

My opinion is Ga Tech will not annually haul in top 10, or even top 20 classses. High school position players, outside of maybe Rbs, will not want to go play in a triple option offense for 3-4 years. The FB position is dead in the NFL, a running QB will always be looked upon with skepticism, and WR numbers just won’t translate into high draft status. Johnson does however, have the location to work in his favor. Ga Tech and Miami are the only two schools in the ACC to boast close proximity to a vibrant downtown city location. Ga Tech, literally in downtown Atlanta, is closer even than Coral Gables to Miami or South Beach. But with Johnson turning players recruited to Navy (!!) into 9-win seasons, one can only assume, even with his lack of NFL ready talent (on paper at least) he will get this program humming along. We need the Canes defense to get back to it’s Nebraska crushing days, the demolishing reminiscent of 2001.

 

6) Duke (26 commits, # 47 nationally)

5 star: 0

4 star: 2

3 star: 12

2 star: 12

 

Duke is having a fantastic recruiting season, relative to their normal standards. They already have 26 commits, whereas last year their final total was a mere 17. Their two studs, both 4 stars, are RB Desmond Scott (# 5 nationally) and DT John Drew (# 20 nationally). More so than star power, what this class will do for Duke and HC David Cutcliffe is develop some depth within the program. And that is bad for the rest of us in the ACC, especially the Coastal division. Remember this year’s game, Jascory’s breakout, 4 touchdown masterpiece? That Duke team ran out of gas. Give Cutcliffe another year to create some good 2 deeps, even with 3 stars, and Duke will no longer be the guaranteed cupcake on everyone’s schedule.

Comments

[Fran in Debary]

Good morning Canes fans from Central Fla.

[army cane]

Yes!

[fran in debary]

My post at 6:14 does not show up , whats up guys.Hungry for news!!!!

[pb(CSROH09)]

Another day another drama!!

[hurriphin]

Work sucks.........

[Esteban]

pb....exactly

[hurriphin]

Hey, if Young dips, and we get UGA'S DC, does that mean we get GA CB Greg Reid by default?

[SOUP]

Fran it's there, sometimes U have to post again for it to show. TypePad is squirrely. The SS blog was messed up for several days. I'm out for the day, off to Fort Pierce, then Fort Lauderdale.

Canespace Day is Wednesday.

Meet at The Titanic between 5-6 PM.

Meet at the game after.

Tickets can be picked up at The Ti or at Will Call.

Canespace T-shirts will also be available.

[MaryLouAlumni]

Good Morning Canespace. Back to work today unfortunately. Happy Inauguration to everyone.
As always, GO CANES.

[The Wizard]

If Young leaves, I say Randy takes over DC and brings in Jimmy Johnson as Asst HC to do things that RS can't because of time constraints of being DC. Just a thought.

[miamihurricane34]

There is no way Jimmy comes to coach at the U, keep dreaming.

[Anton]

Hey All Canes fans,

If you liked the two ACC recruiting breakdowns, check out my Hurricanes football blog:

http://antonazucar.wordpress.com/

Go Canes!

[raizecane]

Fran - good morning. I am in Deltona so we are practically neighbors.

[SuperCooper]

Give me the Whipple.

[SuperCooper]

Whether Young stays or leaves, he needs to make a decision ASAP. We can't be left at the alter if he leaves.

[CaneSniper]

Plus the available pool of DCs is rapidly being spoken for. We need to get in the hunt right away if that's going to be the case.

[CanesgirlNC]

Worek??? Not me, home on a snow day....maybe we will get enough so I can make that Canes Snow Woman....

[LyquidEnigma]

Good morning CaneSpacers. My wife did her first time post last night. "Spunkey"

[UMike]

Miami is used to being left at the alter, Schnelly did it, JJ did it, Davis did it, etc....I believe if he does go that RS takes over, at least for one year. Then hired someone next year.

[canechic]

lyquid good for your wife, tell her to keep posting!

What a great day today is!!!!!

[58Staight]

1. There is about a snow balls chance in hell that JJ will come back and coach in any capacity. He has a strong gig and isn't going to leave that.

2. I'm sure Young will be making his decision in a timely manner, hopefully today if it hasn't already been made.

3. Whipple would be an amazing hire!

[Esteban]

i doubt Wizard was thinking there was any chance that JJ would coach for us in any capacity. Maybe canefantasy would think there was but no one else. Just was putting his wishful thinking out there.

[Canefantasy]

my internet service was not working yesterday and I get it back today and we are losing Bill Young. Damn I feel like I have missed two weeks of news. Who is our president. oh yea damn.. all I have to say is that Tommy Tuberville, Willie Martinaz, or hell Randy can run it himself. We will be fine with or without bill young, but this still sucks. I just remember the Gtech football game and how our defense could not stop a simple option. So I wont lose any sleep over billy leaving.

[Canefantasy]

my internet service was not working yesterday and I get it back today and we are losing Bill Young. Damn I feel like I have missed two weeks of news. Who is our president. oh yea damn.. all I have to say is that Tommy Tuberville, Willie Martinaz, or hell Randy can run it himself. We will be fine with or without bill young, but this still sucks. I just remember the Gtech football game and how our defense could not stop a simple option. So I wont lose any sleep over billy leaving. YEA JJ WOULD LOVE TO COME COACH FOR US.. HAHA I love it

[58Staight]

Canefantasy. That same GT simple option ran all over Willie Martinez's GA Defense too.

[Canefantasy]

sorry didnt mean to post twice. just overly excited about JJ coming to coach our defense.

[Esteban]

from Bruce Feldman's blog at ESPN

• Jamaal Green was a good player on the great 2001 Miami national-championship team. Green, a tough defensive end from New Jersey, went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins, but that was never his childhood dream. As Adriana M. Chávez reports, Green is now fulfilling his dream, working in law enforcement. His dream became a reality Feb. 17, 2008, when he became a U.S. Border Patrol agent in the El Paso area.

[rebirth]

Man, the hits just keep on comin'

Suspensions
Marve fiasco
Waiting on a new OC
BB 'wavering'
Bill Young might leave

Damn, it would be nice if there was some GOOD news coming out of CG for once.

[Canefantasy]

so what is the difference between having bill or having willie??

[canechic]

rebirth how do you know in the end that it may not be good news? Sounds bad right now but you know everything happens for a reason, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Just do not assume it is all bad!

[rebirth]

I hope you're right canechic, Im hoping there are much better days ahead for the program. Im just tiring of the seemingly endless line of bad news and excuses thats been coming out of there for the past couple years.

[theheraldguy]

but you know everything happens for a reason, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Just do not assume it is all bad!

Posted by: canechic | January 20, 2009 at 09:35 AM

Excuse Me, Everything happens for a reason? Nonsense.

We are without an OC for about a month. Now our DC is rumored to be leaving. Swasey may be leaving too. What the hell is going on in Miami?

Everyone else seems to get whoever they want. With all the talent that we have on the team, we can't even get an OC on time. This is getting to be ridiculous to say the least. Hope Randy knows what he is doing, but this whole mess doesn't inspire confidence in the football program.

[canechic]

I know rebirth but when one door closes another one opens and sometimes for the better! I think Marve may have been a cancer on the team, now Jacory has a chance to lead and shine. I am not so worried about Young as I am about the offense. We already have one of the best DC on our team. Maybe we get someone better do not know just can hope!!

[OCALACANE]

..

[canechic]

herald guy how long have you been a fan of the canes? We have never been able to get whoever we want. We have always had up and coming guys. MIAMI DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME MONEY AS OTHER SCHOOLS!!!!!! A fact that will never change!!!!

If you thought Coker sucked as much as most of you have said, then how in the world did he win a NC? I will tell you how, he had a talented team full of leaders that is how. We need talent and kids thirsty to win. That is how we get another title. Randy knows that all the great coaches in the football world could not win without talent.

[CanesgirlNC]

Alright Lyquid - tell Spunky to keep on posting! Canechic - U got mail

[canechic]

I got it canesgirl and replied!!!

[TLuv]

Nice blog Anton

[theheraldguy]

We have never been able to get whoever we want.
canechic | January 20, 2009 at 09:49 AM

First of all, this is not true at all. We have at least been able to get someone competent on time (see Coach Young last year).

I can already see the excuse for next year. First year OC and first year DC etc. I want Randy to be here as long he wants, but without coaching stability, we are not going to get anywhere fast. We are going to be mediocre for a long time if we let our assistant coaches leave and not make new hires on time.

Everything happening for a reason sounds comforting philosophically, but it doesn't help you in reality. We needed an effective OC 20 days ago. Alas, we present ourselves as a program in a disarray.

[theheraldguy]

Alas, we present ourselves as a program in a disarray on and off the field, if I might add.

[UMike]

Esteban....whos Jamaal Green? Am I missing something?

[orange 'n green in the vein]

OC! DC? News.

[Fran in Debary]

To raizecane
hi neighbor did you have any severe flooding from Fay? 28 of the 38 homes on Lower Lake Ct were flooded. The wife and I were spared A thief who ripped off many of the homeowners who paid him in advance(bad choice)to redo the inside of their homes has finally been caught in Galveston Tx.I hope they can throw the book at him. BTW he had FSU bumper sticker on his leased hummer and claimed to be from the Fl. panhandle. If you want my EMail add just ask.
UM fan since first telivized game in 1951

[UMike]

Everyone else seems to get whoever they want. With all the talent that we have on the team, we can't even get an OC on time. This is getting to be ridiculous to say the least. Hope Randy knows what he is doing, but this whole mess doesn't inspire confidence in the football program.

Posted by: theheraldguy | January 20, 2009 at 09:43 AM

What does "on time" mean? Was there a date to when we should hire an OC? RS is taking his time to make the RIGHT call, even if that means losing 1 or 2 recruits.

[Esteban]

UMike, Jamaal Green was a starter at DE on the 2001 championship team.

[canechic]

Well herald guy Young came to win a NC and that is why most come to the canes not for money! Sorry history is that we get up and comers! Young still is an up and comer! Most other coaches go to schools and get paid great salaries, Not at the U. Sounds like you see nothing good in our future, so all I can say is be negative and negative will certainly come to you.

GO CANES!!!

[texascane]

It's not really about the money at the U. Shalala and the administration just raised 1 billion dollars (with a "B") in private donations in the last two years for an endowment for the university.

Do they have the money to match the reported (and denied by OSU)700,000 to Bill Young? Yes. Will they match? No. Think about it...would you?

Coker was making as much as anyone in college football when he was HC. Randy was one of the highest paid assistants in football when he was DC. Big money can get you Stoops and Saban and Carroll, but it can also get you Charlie Weis, Kirk Ferentz and Dennis Franchione.

Miami has always been a unique place for coaches from JJ to Dennis to Butch. Think of all the coaches who left during that time. The coaches who come to Miami have always been like the great players who came here...three or four years and off to the pros.

So relax, take a deep breath and things will work out. The players are coming and the coaches always follow the players. I hope Young doesn't leave because Okie State will never win a Big 12 title or NC because they play in the South (Texas, OU, Texas Tech) and I think Bill wants to play for the big one. If he leaves, Randy will find someone like him and the U will move on.

[canechic]

Fran that surely stinks! I sure hope he gets his in the end...generally those kind of people do!

[UMike]

He was? I don't remember his name lol

[hurriphin]

......and then there was that time Hurriphin cussed his computer out, cause' he saw that Duke was beating us at the half, and Marve was still in........