ESPNU 150 2012: Clemson and Florida State Distancing Themselves from Rest of ACC

The ACC is becoming top heavy as two schools have moved into a different tier from the rest of the conference.

With signing day all but a wrap, Florida State has registered the No. 2 recruiting class according to ESPNU. Not to be out done, Clemson comes in at No. 7.

Miami isn’t too far behind at No. 10, but the NCAA is going to lay the hammer down on their booster scandal that erupted back in August. A postseason ban is going to curb their progress rather quickly.

It’s all about FSU, Clemson and the rest of the ACC falling behind. Not another school landed in ESPNU’s top 25, while programs like Texas Tech, California, TCU and Vanderbilt made the cut.

The warm weather schools are taking advantage of the new SEC rules that cuts off scholarship commitments at 25.

Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles have landed two five-star recruits, 11 four-star and four three-star players according to ESPNU’s rankings. Defensive end Mario Edwards is the crown jewel of the class as he enters Tallahassee as the top recruit in the entire nation. Edwards can be dominate right away and is just a part of the best defensive line class in recent memory.

Meanwhile, Clemson has nine four-star recruits and 10 three-stars for six ESPNU top 150 commits. Safety Travis Blanks is 15^th overall because of his killer combination of size, range and athleticism that are incredibly rare for a player at his position.

They also landed QB Chad Kelly who is Jim Kelly’s cousin, and they also secured the best center on the board in Jay Guillermo.  

Meanwhile, Boston College and North Carolina State have one ESPNU four-star recruit, Duke and Wake Forest have zero, Georgia Tech has two, Maryland and Virginia landed three, North Carolina has four and Virginia Tech has five.

It’s not even close between the upper class and the rest of the ACC,V and the proof will be in the standings these next couple of years.

Does that mean Virginia Tech’s reign is over?

With the randomness that is the success of these highly touted prospects, of course not. But I think this is a trend that will continue with the way the SEC limits their scholarships.

What’s the lesson here?

High school kids find it appealing to play in warm weather. 

Sorry Boston College.

I fully expect the Seminoles to be the class of the ACC for the next half decade with Clemson right there battling them for supremacy.

The rest of the conference better find a way to get a dome built to minimize this warm weather advantage that seems to be a bigger deal now than it has ever been in the past.