Thundering Toward National Signing Day

January 30, 2010


Atlanta, Georgia

                                                                        And down the stretch they come....


Okay, so this isn't the Kentucky Derby or the most exciting two minutes in Sports but for fans of college football it doesn't get much more exciting than this. National Signing Day is 5 days in front of us and big names are still on everyone's board. It reminds me of that phrase my old Baptist preacher used- "there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Every year we swear we're not going through it again and every year, here we are. Rankings and servers will crash. Energy drinks and Starbucks will be consumed. Wives and girlfriends will be pissed.  Hey, you gotta play through pain.

FLORIDA  

Commitments      25

Rankings                 
Scout.com                1st
Rivals. com              1st
ESPN.com                1st

Potential Problems     Urban Meyer's heart. Will he make it through NSD? I'm not making a joke.
                                 
Most likely, the Gators have an insurmountable lead and will finish ranked #1 by every major recruiting service.

ALABAMA

Commitments         25

Rankings
Scout.com                 4th
Rivals.com                3rd
ESPN.com                3rd

Potential Problems     Keenan Allen has been shopping schools with his half brother Maynard, who was the backup QB at  Buffalo.  Obviously these two athletes are at different skill levels but there is some family pressure for them to play together.
He is the highest rated player on Bama's board.

Notes                     Alabama is likely to sign 3 more players and each one will be a four or five star. JUCO DB DeQuan Minzie (4 star), OL Arie Kouandro (4 star), DT Calvin Smith(4 star) and Alabama is trying to steal Auburn commit OL Shon Coleman(5 star) who is rated as one of the 25 players in the nation.


AUBURN        

Commitments     28

Rankings
Scout.com            5th
Rivals.com           4th
ESPN.com            5th

Potential Problems     Auburn could be on the verge of losing 5 star OL Shon Coleman to Alabama. Additionally, Auburn could easily lose 3 star safety/running back DJ Howard. Auburn wants him in the defensive secondary, Clemson and Kentucky are reportedly offering him a shot at RB. He is the 40th rated ATH in the nation and would not represent a major loss for Auburn. Trovon Reed is being hotly pursued by LSU and you can never discount the immense pressure a Louisiana kid has placed on him, by in state fans. It seems like every year there is a NSD surprise by a Louisiana recruit. Coleman and Howard are both listed as soft verbals by Scout.com. and any Auburn fan who thinks Shon Coleman is a lock should be reminded that he is DRIVING WITH HIS MOTHER to The University of Miami this weekend, just a few days before the Big Day. Maybe his mom is more fun than mine on a long car ride but I doubt it.

Notes                     Auburn is still hoping for RB Marcus Lattimore, from Duncan S.C.  who has his announcement scheduled to take place at  his church on the eve of NSD. Should we read anything into that? Auburn is also trying to lure Byran Jones out of Arkansas (Auburn, Arkansas), Corey LeMonier out of Hialeah, Fl (Auburn, FSU) and Jeff Whitaker out of Georgia (Auburn, Georgia). Auburn has more to gain or lose than any team in the nation. If they get all of them, it will be the highest rated class in school history, if they lose them all Auburn will drop out of the Top 10.


GEORGIA

Commitments         19

Rankings
Scout.com               12th
Rivals.com               10th
ESPN.com                4th

Potential Problems     Da'Rick Rogers is having serious flirtation with Tennessee.

Notes                             With 19 committed players, Georgia is poised to make the biggest NSD jump in the rankings. ESPN knows a little about football too. That #4 ranking cannot be minimized.



LSU

Commitments         24

Rankings
Scout.com             7th
Rivals.com            6th
ESPN.com            8th


Notes                     Les Miles has his class wrapped up and is expecting no surprises. Trovon Reed is an outside shot at providing Coach Miles with a pleasant NSD surprise. LSU's only 5 star recruit is from Cincinnati, OH.



TENNESSEE

Commitments         22

Rankings
Scout.com                21st
Rivals.com                7th
ESPN.com                11th


Potential Problems     The whole thing could cave in. Derek Dooley deserves a medal for cobbling together the remains and uncertainty of Kiffin/Orgeron.