College Football Recruiting: Power Ranking the Classes of the Pac-10 in 2011
After five months of grueling competition punctuated by Auburn's victory over Oregon in the BCS National Championship Game, the 2010-2011 college football season is now firmly sealed in the history books.
That's not to suggest, however, that the world will simply sit still until fall practice, or even until spring practice before then.
If anything, the next few months will be just as busy, if not busier, for college coaches across America than the previous few months were.
How is that possible, you ask?
Three words: National Signing Day.
February 2nd marks the first day that high school seniors can officially fax over their National Letters of Intent, adorned with freshly-minted signatures, to the schools that they intend to play for.
As such, coaches all over the Pac-10 have but a few weeks to make a few final phone calls, send a desperate flurry of text messages and wait with bated breath for the letters to roll in from those who have already verbally committed, as well as from those who waited until the 11th hour to make their choices known.
This year's crop will be especially crucial for the conference, with some schools on the verge of coaching changes and others hoping to stock up before Utah and Colorado join the party in the fall.
With that fateful day a mere three weeks away, and with little else going on in the world of college football, let's have a look at how the Pac-10's recruiting classes, as currently constituted, stack up against one another.
10. UCLA Bruins
1 of 10
9. Washington State Cougars
2 of 10
Our journey through the world of Pac-10 recruiting continues in Pullman, Washington, where the Washington State Cougars are still awaiting a savior or two to lift them out of college football's basement.
Cougars coach Paul Wulff will enter his fourth year at the helm on a bit of a short leash, to say the least, after compiling a 5-32 record through his first three seasons, including a record of 2-25 in the Pac-10.
As of now, his incoming class looks to be a solid one, with 23 players currently committed to play for the Cougs, including Chester Sua, a 4-star linebacker from Hawaii with great speed and a sturdy frame, "slender" as it may be for a 'backer at 6'2" and 205 pounds.
Wazzu can also boast a soft verbal commitment from another 4-star talent in the person of Bishop Sankey, a running back from Spokane.
How Wulff's class of 2- and 3-star prospects will pan out is one thing. Whether he gets a chance to coach them up into quality players and leaders on the field is a different story entirely.
8. Arizona State Sun Devils
3 of 10
Perhaps no team suffered more from mistakes and inconsistency in 2010 than Arizona State.
The Sun Devils finished 6-6 but were not bowl eligible because two of their wins came against FCS opponents.
Four of ASU's six losses came by four points or fewer, and a fifth, against Oregon, was by a respectable 11-point margin.
Dennis Erickson has the Devils moving in the right direction, and his latest crop of recruits should help to keep the train moving.
Though modestly sized at 11 commits (12 if you include cornerback Rashad Wadood), ASU's class is rather diverse positionally and has some quality pieces, including Dillon van der Wal, a massive tight end out of the famed Oaks Christian football program.
Look for the Sun Devils to add a few more prospects before all is said and done.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Arizona Wildcats
4 of 10
Just across the state, Arizona is a bit more set, with 16 strong verbal commitments (and one soft verbal commitment) from high school and junior college football players, with eyes still fixated on several more 3- and 4-star prospects.
Mike Stoops' staff is particularly excited about the arrival of Rob Hankins, a 4-star linebacker from Texas known for his instincts and aggressive style of play.
Hankins sets the tone for a Wildcats recruiting class that, as one might expect for a defensive-minded coach, is heavy on defenders.
Assuming Arizona doesn't have to rely too heavily on young bodies next year, the 'Cats should be back in the thick of things in the Pac-12 title race.
6. Oregon State Beavers
5 of 10
At 22 commits and counting, Oregon State is just about done putting together its incoming class for 2011.
Mike Riley already has 22 kids committed to join the Beavers in the fall in a class headlined by defensive end Dylan Wynn out of the storied football program at De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
Outside of Wynn, however, the Beavs' newest batch of recruits is heavy on offense, with a plethora of receivers along with two offensive linemen and aptly-named running back Storm Woods.
OSU will likely need some of these newcomers, including Woods as a replacement for the departing Jacquizz Rodgers, to make an impact right away to improve on the team's 5-7 mark in 2010.
5. Washington Huskies
6 of 10
The Washington Huskies are also rather close, at 21 commits, to the 25-scholarship cap for the recruiting season.
However, Steve Sarkisian's staff has a solid haul of which to be proud. They did a fine job of mining the Pacific Northwest for talent, coming up with star wideout Kasen Williams and tight end/offensive tackle Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the process.
Overall, U-Dub has itself a very strong and diverse class on which to build. Unfortunately for Huskies fans, it may be another year or two before the team makes it back to respectability with the loss of a senior class that includes likely first-round draft pick Jake Locker.
4. California Golden Bears
7 of 10
It's becoming a recurring theme in Berkeley: Jeff Tedford pulls in a top 25 recruiting class, but the Golden Bears still struggle to live up to expectations on the field.
While the results of the 2011 season have yet to be written, it looks as though Cal will be in store for another infusion of highly-touted talent in the fall.
The Bears' class of 17 is unusually replete with out-of-state talent, including safety Avery Walls from Georgia and running back Daniel Lasco from Texas.
However, Tedford's biggest gets this time around are along the defensive line, including (from smallest to largest) Todd Barr, Mustafa Jalil and the 6'3", 340-pound Viliama Moala.
As such, don't be surprised if at least one of those three gets some serious playing time to help a Cal team that was surprisingly proficient on the defensive side of the ball in 2010 but will miss the services of Cameron Jordan.
3. Oregon Ducks
8 of 10
The Oregon Ducks find themselves in the same spot on this list as they do in the final AP and Coaches' Polls—third.
At 19 commits, Chip Kelly's class has a few spots left to fill, and given the heavy lean toward offense already seen in the existing crop, he and his staff would do well to add some extra defenders before signing day, particularly considering the losses that the Ducks are set to endure on that side of the ball.
As it stands, though, the Ducks have a substantial haul to boast about, with prospects from all over the country, including the hard-hitting linebacker Anthony Wallace out of Skyline High School in Dallas.
Oregon's class is already considered by many to be top-10-worthy and may move up even further before all is said and done.
Just as one might expect for a team coming off an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game and with an excellent shot to do it all over again next year.
2. Stanford Cardinal
9 of 10
Though Jim Harbaugh may be gone, he has left in place a very strong group of 22 newcomers for David Shaw as he takes over at Stanford in 2011.
Harbaugh made a name for himself chasing aggressively after prospects all over the country in his time at Stanford, with the best example coming in the person of Andrew Luck, who played high school football in Texas.
This year's class is no different, with only seven players coming from within the state of California.
The Cardinal's two most promising prospects—linebacker James Vaughters and safety Wayne Lyons—hail from the South, though there are plenty of other talented players heading to the Farm from places as disparate as Louisiana, New Jersey and Colorado, among others.
As such, Stanford looks to have a fairly bright future in football, Harbaugh or no.
1. USC Trojans
10 of 10
Another year, another top five recruiting class for USC.
In other news, the sun rose today, and the sky is usually blue, assuming there aren't any clouds around.
In all seriousness, the Trojans have another tremendous batch of youngsters headed to Los Angeles.
This despite no Pete Carroll, a downward trend in winning, another year of bowl ineligibility in 2011 and fewer scholarships to hand out.
Lane Kiffin's latest haul includes two outstanding defensive ends—Greg Townsend and Jalen Grimble—wide receivers Victor Blackwell and George Farmer and legendary running back/cornerback DeAnthony Thomas.
With the shortage of players on the roster, these guys, among others, should see plenty of time on the field in 2011 alongside Matt Barkley and company.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
