Big East Offseason: Power Ranking Recruiting Class of the Conference Before NSD
Well, we have made it through another season of exciting college football, and if there is one thing that is a unanimous thought all throughout the country, it's that the Big East had a down year, as their BCS automatic bid was had by a mediocre UConn team.
While the Big East did post a 4-2 bowl record, they did it against middle of the pack teams from other conferences, and they then got shellacked in their BCS game, as Oklahoma beat UConn without many problems.
Now, national signing day for college recruits is less than a month away, and there is a lot of room for improvement in the Big East.
These teams will need to make huge gains in the next few seasons in order to get their credibility as a top conference in college football back.
The easiest way to do that is to have good recruiting classes and then beat teams in other conferences.
So, let's take a look at the best recruits for each team this year, and who grabbed the best class in the Big East.
8. Connecticut Huskies
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It's interesting, to say the least, that the team that won the Big East and represented them in the Fiesta Bowl has the weakest list of recruits so far.
They have no players with a signed commitment yet, and only have 13 verbal commitments so far.
Their class is headlined by OLB Marquise Vann, the only ESPN three-star recruit that they have landed so far.
Vann, who decommitted from Minnesota due to coaching changes seems to be a very smart linebacker who is able to read the opposing offense and has a nose for the ball.
Along with Vann comes athlete Sean McQuillian has pretty good speed and great size, at 6-4, 220 pounds. He could end up playing anything from quarterback to runningback, or even linebacker if the coaching staff would like him to switch sides.
Overall, UConn's recruiting class has potential, but right now there is nobody that sticks out from the pack as the gem of the year. There may be a few diamonds in the rough though.
7. South Florida Bulls
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South Florida's recruiting class is headlined by a handful of three-star recruits, who could end up becoming very good players.
Of their 18 verbal commitments so far, nine of them are ESPN three-star recruits, including offensive linemen Max Lang and David Simon.
Lang and Simon are nearly identical in stature, both standing at around 6-4, and both weighing right around 280 pounds.
Of the two Lang seems to be the more talented of the two right now, but both should find their way into the starting lineup within the next few years.
They also have linebacker Edsel Caprice, whose speed is going to make him a difficult player to deal with.
He has been clocked at just under 4.5 in the 40, and, with the strength that he built as a defensive end in high school, should be a nice bit of muscle in the middle of the defense.
6. Syracuse Orange
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The Orange had a breakout year this season, culminating with a win over Kansas State at Yankee Stadium in the New Era Pinstripes Bowl.
Their good season should help them down the road in recruiting, but high schoolers still aren't completely buying into Syracuse being a football school.
Out of the 23 players that have committed to Syracuse so far, 11 of them are three-star recruits, and none more impressive than tight end Louie Addazio.
The tight end out of Buchholz High School in Florida is heralded as one of the best blocking tight ends out of Florida, but he does have some hands as well, as his father is now the head coach for Temple, and former tight end coach at Notre Dame and Florida.
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5. West Virginia Moutaineers
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West Virginia has been trying to claw its way back to the top of the Big East, as they haven't won an outright Big East title since 2005.
This year, they only have 16 recruits committed so far, but 13 of them are three-star recruits, as they aimed for quality over quantity.
Their class is headlined by twins Vance and Vernard Roberts.
Vance is the more talented of the two, and plays cornerback, along with being an excellent punt returner.
Vance is only 5-10, but is an excellent cornerback, and his leadership skills and dedication have been praised by his coach and teammates.
Vernard, also 5-10, is coming in as a runningback, and despite his speed, which isn't terrific, he is a very agile runner and also very competitive and dedicated.
They are both trying to graduate early so they can be included in spring practice with West Virginia, which shows just how committed each of them are.
4. Pittsburgh Panthers
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After finishing their season strong with a bowl win over Kentucky, Pittsburgh has to be looking forward to next season, as they have a handful of interesting recruits coming in.
They have only seven commitments as of right now, as their coach Dave Wannstedt stepped down at the end of the season.
Their class includes Sam Collura, one of the top 20 tight ends in the league, along with Artie Rowell, an enormous offensive tackle, who weighs in at nearly 300 pounds.
The most interesting recruit they have is runningback Jeremiah Bryson, who stands at 5-8 and weighs only 169 pounds.
Passed over by many schools due to his stature, Bryson is also blindingly fast, clocking a few sub-4.4 40 times along his recruitment process.
He finished his senior season with 23 total touchdowns and over 1500 yards, along with four interceptions on defense for good measure.
3. Cincinnati Bearcats
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If Pitt picking up Bryson at 5-8 wasn't enough of a shocker, then this pickup by Cincinnati is sure to blow some minds.
Cincinnati has a verbal commit from running back Ralph David Abernathy, who has been clocked as low as 4.42 in the 40-yard dash.
They also have commits from two standout receivers with nearly the same build, with Alex Chisum at 6-2 and just around 190 pounds and Rodriguez Coleman standing at 6-3 and around 185 pounds.
Their biggest sign, and that is in terms of size, not necessarily importance, is from center Daniel Murray, who is nearly 300 pounds and is ranked as the 12th best center in the country.
Of their 22 commits, 13 of them are three-star talents, and they are still after four-star athlete Bill Belton, who will be a tremendous dual-threat quarterback in college.
2. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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This season saw UConn break out of its shell of football mediocrity and into the Fiesta Bowl, maybe a few more recruiting classes like this and Rutgers will be the next to do it.
Rutgers' 22 commits include two four-star recruits and 13 three-star players.
They are adding handfuls of speed, as many of their commits have 40 times that are clocked at 4.5 or lower, including one of their four-star recruits athlete Miles Shuler.
If he can improve his passing skills, then Shuler could grow to be one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big East in the next few years, otherwise he will end up a standout wide receiver or corner.
Their other four-star commit is defensive tackle Al Page, who is an absolute monster.
At 6-2, 290 pounds, there are very few players in the country built like Page, with the size to play offensive line, but the speed and skill to do it on the other side of the ball as well.
Just having Page on the defensive line would be intimidating enough, but having him bring down a quarterback in the backfield once would be enough to make offenses know they don't want to be tackled by him.
If they end up getting a nod from running back Savon Huggins as well, then I would not be surprised to see them compete for the Big East title two years down the road.
1. Louisville Cardinals
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While most of the Big East put up unimpressive recruiting classes so far, Louisville has knocked theirs out of the park.
Louisville has one of the top 25 recruit classes in the nation, and includes three ESPN top 150 players, four four-star recruits and 17 three-star recruits.
Their class is led by defensive back Gerod Holliman who stands at 6-0 and has great speed and football instincts, and has an excellent nose for the ball.
Louisville will also add wide receiver Eli Rogers and linebacker Brandon Golson, who are both four-star recruist.
Then, there is quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who is sure to be their starting quarterback within the next few years.
Bridgewater is a tremendously quick dual-threat quarterback who has the speed and football IQ to know when to keep the play alive and look for a receiver down-field and know when to tuck the ball and run.
He has been called a natural leader and has the confidence in himself to scramble around until coverage down-field breaks down.
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