CFB: Five Strong Defensive Programs Recruiting a Great Offense

Last season saw five major BCS contenders who needed to rely on a heroic defense to bail out an anemic offense...sometimes on more than occasion. And sometimes, not successfully.

It should be no surprise that those four schools and one other have responded to problems on their roster by stepping up their offensive recruiting efforts. No team aspires to be unbalanced, and recruiting provides the opportunity to level the playing field.

But these five teams have done a better-than-average-job. With a little time and development, they could achieve the balance that is the cornerstone of dominance.

UNC

QB/ATH Everett Golson competed in the Elite 11 camp and was praised for his innovative play.

The Tar Heels' 2011 class is practically flawless offensively, addressing every possible position and stocking it with talented players.

Four-star tackles Kiaro Holts, Jamar Lewter and Landon Turner and 4-star guard Jarrod James will contend for the best offensive line corps in the country once the BK recruiting awards are finally given out.

At quarterback, the Tar Heels have their pick between the athletic and gifted but slightly undersized Everett Golson (who will also try out for UNC's basketball team) and the more technically sound Marquise Williams.

At running back, UNC has their pick between Travis Riley and fringe 4-star Romar Morris, whom Georgia Tech had been recruiting heavily prior to his commitment.

Tight end Eric Ebron is another large prospect who fits the classic NFL mold. He held offers from Alabama, Clemson, and Arkansas, among others, prior to committing.

UNC ranked second to last in the conference in total offense last year, but posted the country's sixth-best defense. The Tar Heels figure to be more balanced this fall, but even if their offense regresses to the mean, the arrival of this class will be enough to put them over the hump.

Nebraska

Four-star tackle Tyler Moore will anchor the right side of Nebraska's line for years to come.

The Cornhuskers have another of the top offensive line hauls in the country, headed by 4-star tackles Tyler Moore and Zach Sterup, 4-star guard Ryan Klachko, and 4-star center Ryne Reeves, Rivals' No. 5 center in the class.

They've also stocked up on QBs. Four-star dual-threats Bubba Starling and Jamal Turner will add a more athletic element to the Huskers' backfield.

They're still looking for a major haul at running back, and are battling Cal for 5-star speedster Aaron Green, for whom I think they hold a slim lead.

Nebraska's wide receiver/tight end recruiting has yet to score a victory, but they'll get officials from receiver Curt Evans, Antoine Arnold, and possibly ATH Miles Shuler this fall.

Iowa

Four-star guard Jordan Walsh was a surprise commitment to Iowa.

Iowa has two of the best interior linemen in the Midwest sewn up.

In-stater Austin Blythe is considered the No. 5 guard in the country, though he plays both offensive and defensive lineman in high school. 

The Hawkeyes landed one of the bigger surprise commitments of the year by grabbing 4-star guard Jordan Walsh, the No. 6 guard in the class, who only days earlier had been discussing narrowing down his list to five schools. For this commitment, I cited Iowa offensive line coach Reese Morgan as one of 2011's top recruiters.

Running back commit Melvin Gordon is Wisconsin's top in-state prospect for the year, holding competitive offers from the Badgers, Michigan, and Louisville prior to his surprise commitment this past weekend.

Iowa is also flexing its great history at developing tight ends with three commitments. Four-star Ray Hamilton was highly recruited by Michigan, and Jake Duzey is a Mitten State prospect who was generating a ton of buzz as a superior athlete. Those two are joined by in-stater Henry Krieger-Coble.

The Hawkeyes round out the class with sleeper QB Jake Rudock out of Fort Lauderdale and two wide receivers, Marcus Grant and Austin Vincent. A very complete class to which Iowa may be able to add 5-star tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, who included Iowa in his final list of 11.

TCU

Three-star QB Dominic Merka is considered the top offensive commitment of the non-AQ conferences.

TCU's innovative 4-2-5 defense has been the subject of a ton of discussion since before their run to last year's FIesta Bowl.

Since then, they've put together what ESPN considers the top non-BCS recruiting class in the country, and not just on the strength of defense.

The top prospect in the class is fringe 4-star QB Dominic Merka, whom ESPN pegged as the No. 20 dual-threat QB in the class.

TCU has shown it can exploit the mobility of its quarterbacks to good effect. Junior QB Andy Dalton racked up 550 yards and three scores on the ground last year, and a whopping eight scores the year before. Merka's mobility will go a long way.

He's joined by QB commit Chazten Gonzales, who is Rivals' No. 23 dual-threat QB, and ATH Trevone Boykin, a 3-star athlete and productive ground threat out of West Mesquite, TX.

The Horned Frogs have some good verbals at wide receiver, too. David Porter and Cameron White are both top 40 prospects per Rivals, while athlete David Bush boasts a ton of speed and has drawn comparisons to the versatile Jeremy Kerley.

The Horned Frogs missed on landing 5-star RB Herschel Sims, who chose Oklahoma State. But they're well-stocked at the position, and they have Rivals' No. 43 tackle, Bobby Thompson, in the fold to pave the way in the future.

Alabama

Speedster Bradley Sylve is one-fourth of Alabama's outstanding haul at wide receiver.

The Crimson Tide had one of the top statistical defenses of 2010 no matter how you slice it, and won at least a few of its midseason games practically in spite of a sputtering offense.

Yet its 2011 recruiting class is one of the year's strongest offensively, featuring no less than four outstanding wide receiver commits, a top center, a 4-star tight end, and a 4-star quarterback, with designs on a 5-star running back and tackle as well.

Marvin Shinn, Daryl Collins, Bradley Sylve, and Danny Woodson comprise the strongest wide receiver haul in the country. Shinn, Woodson, and Sylve are an ideal X-Y-Z rotation comparable to USC's signing of Robert Woods, Kyle Prater, and Markeith Ambles in the 2010 class.

Commit Ryan Kelly is the No. 7 center in the country (and should be higher). Mobile and athletic, he's Scout's No. 3 prospect at the position.

Tight end Malcolm Faciane is a 4-star and the No. 17 tight end in the class out of Picayune, Mississippi. He boasts a pre-professional build and will fit effortlessly in Bama's block-and-release approach to the position.

Finally, QB Phillip Ely was a surprise commitment to Bama. The 4-star quarterback led his Tampa team to an undefeated season and back-to-back championships as a sophomore and junior.

The Tide are still chasing big-time signees at running back and tackle. Five-star OT Cyrus Kouandjio and 5-star RB Isaiah Crowell would make this perhaps the best offensive class in the country if they chose the Tide.