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Top 25 Recruiting Classes
Posted: Tuesday February 1, 2005 7:19PM; Updated: Wednesday February 2, 2005 10:33PM
SI.com/Scout.com Top 25 Recruiting Classes FINAL RANKINGS - Feb. 2, 10:30 p.m.- Click on a team for analysis. 1. Tennessee 6. Oklahoma 11. Florida 16. Alabama 21. Clemson 2. Michigan 7. Ohio State 12. Miami (Fla.) 17. Texas A&M 22. Auburn 3. USC 8. Iowa 13. Texas 18. Virginia Tech 23. N.C. State 4. Florida State 9. California 14. Arizona 19. So. Carolina 24. UCLA 5. Georgia 10. Nebraska 15. Virginia 20. LSU 25. Maryland Click here for complete, team-by-team commit lists. Top 25 Recruiting Classes of 2005 (continued) Rank Team (Click on team name for full commit list) 16 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Chris Keys
RB Mike Ford (18), S Chris Keys (7)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: Coming off NCAA probation, Alabama finally has a full compliment of scholarships -- but this season they had to compete against an in-state team and bitter rival in Auburn that went unbeaten and claimed the SEC crown. Still, Mike Shula and his staff did very well at all the positions. When was the last time Alabama went to California to land a quarterback? The Tide did this season with Jimmy Barnes (Los Alamitos). The son of a football coach, Barnes will not blow you away with a big arm or with his running ability. But he's smart and accurate and gets the job done. Shula also got QB Jimmy Johns (Brookhaven, Miss.). At RB, Alabama stole two real good ones from the Sunshine State in Mike Ford (Sarasota) and Roy Upchurch (Tallahassee). Ford led the state in rushing and has a good combination of size and speed, as does Upchurch. Alabama has loaded up on the defensive line. They re-signed Brandon Fanney (Chatham, Va.) and Lorenzo Washington (Chatham, Va.) and also landed high school standout DE Brandon Deaderick (Elizabethtown, Ky.). Prince Hall is a very good LB from California and Chris Keys (Stevenson, Ala.) is potentially the best prospect in this year's group.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: TE Tommy Trott (Montgomery, Ala.) -- Auburn17 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Paul Freeney
TE Martellus Bennett (2), DT Vincent Williams (12)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: A&M has a top-20 class that's loaded with lots of speed on both sides of the ball, especially at WR and DB. WR Arkeith Brown (El Campo, Texas) is a versatile athlete who could help out the Aggies in all three phases of the game. Howard Morrow (Keller, Texas) is a possession receiver who can go up and make the tough grab. Bennett (Houston, Texas) is an incredibly athletic TE who is one of the nation's top prospects, regardless of position. Michael Shumard (Killeen, Texas) leads a trio of OLs. On the D-line, A&M landed standouts at tackle and end. DT Williams (Dallas) and DE Paul Freeney (Houston) are two of the nation's finest at their respective positions and both players have a tremendous amount of upside. LB Jodie Richardson (Duncanville, Texas) is a physical player whose stock really rose with a big senior year. Alton Dixon (Lufkin, Texas) leads a quartet of corners headed to College Station.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: DT Vince Oghobasse (Alief, Texas) -- Duke18 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Victor Harris
QB Ike Whitaker (7), CB Victor Harris (8)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: Coming off a surprise ACC championship, Frank Beamer has put together an excellent recruiting class. Dual-threat QB Ike Whitaker (Germantown, Md.) should fit the VT offense perfectly. RB Elan Lewis (Hampton, Va.) is a small-but-powerful runner, while Jahre Cheeseman (Voorhees, N.J.) brings the speed and breakaway ability. Kenny Jefferson (Hyattsville, Md.) is one of the top FBs on the East Coast. Jonathan Hannah (Hope Mills, N.C.), one of the nation's premier TEs, decommitted from Tech on Signing Day and opted for South Carolina instead. The Hokies signed six OLs led by Sergio Renger (Newnan, Ga.). VT also loaded up in the back seven, with five linebackers and four defensive backs. These two units are lead by LBs Deveon Simmons (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Greg Boone (Chesapeake, Va.) and super CB Victor "Macho" Harris (Highland Springs, Va.). Harris is also a big-time running back and one of the top two-way players in the country.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: DL Melvin Alaeze (Randallstown, Md.) -- Maryland19 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Mike Davis
RB Mike Davis (11), WR O.J. Murdock (10)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: After a difficult December, new South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier made some serious noise in January and February. The Gamecocks are bringing in three QBs and a big-time RB in Davis (Columbia, S.C.). With Spurrier wanting to spread the field, he now has the perfect back to pound it between the tackles in Davis. On the WR front, the Cocks are bringing in some playmakers in Murdock (Tampa, Fla.), Carlos Thomas (Banneker, Ga.), Jared Cook (Suwanee, Ga.) and Kenny McKinnley (Austel, Ga.). Murdock is an elite speedster, as is Thomas, while McKinnley has extraordinary quickness and Cook has the size. Thomas is also a terrific corner but most likely won't see action on defense under Spurrier. The Signing Day commitment of Jonathan Hannah, the nation's No. 5-ranked TE, gave SC's receiving corps another boost. Defensively, South Carolina stole LB Marvin Sapp (Jacksonville, Fla.) away from Georgia Tech. He is one of the Sunshine State's top LB prospects. Eleven of the Cocks' 25 commitments are from the states of Florida and Georgia.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: A big-time quarterback.20 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Ryan Perrilloux
QB Ryan Perrilloux (2), DE Alfred Jones (6)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: With his Signing Day commitment to the Tigers, Perrilloux (La Place, La.) became the crown jewel of Les Miles' first recruiting class. LSU has a small contingent of scholarships this season but the quality is certainly there. They loaded up with three RBs and two are big-timers in R.J. Jackson (Houston, Texas) and Antonio Robinson (Winnfield, La.). Jackson is a versatile player who could ultimately play CB for the Tigers, while Robinson is one of the state's top prospects who brings a powerful presence to the LSU backfield. WR Brandon La Fell (Houston, Texas) became a real hot recruiting commodity late in the game and he selected LSU over Florida in a big recruiting battle. La Fell has a nice combination of size and speed. Kyle Anderson (The Woodlands, Texas) kind of got lost in the Texas TE shuffle because of DajLeon Farr and Martellus Bennett, but Anderson is one of the nation's finest prospects at that position. So far, the Tigers' lone OL commitment is Ciron Black (Tyler, Texas), a powerful run-blocking offensive guard. On the other side of the ball Jones (New Orleans, La.) tested the waters after his LSU commitment but decided to stay home. Jones is one of the top pass rushers in the nation.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: TE DajLeon Farr (Galena Park, Texas) -- Miami21 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Eugene Monroe
WR Renderick Taylor (13), RB James Davis (26)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: Tommy Bowden may have found the perfect RB for his spread offense in Davis (Atlanta). Davis had a huge senior season and should fit in quite nicely at Clemson. He could make an early impact for the Tigers, as could Taylor (Bennettsville, S.C.), who is a special talent at WR. But with his size and athleticism he may be better suited to play safety or even linebacker. Clemson turned LB Antonio Clay (Jeffersonville, Ga.) away from Oklahoma, which was a major achievement. T.J. Williams (Tallahassee, Fla.) is a steal from Florida who was often overlooked because of all the attention focused on Tallahassee star Fred Rouse. Williams is a very underrated WR. The Tigers will re-sign Corey Lambert, one of the top OL prospects from last season. One of their most intriguing prospects is tackle Etta Etta-Tawo (Powder Springs, Ga.). He played his first season of OT as a senior and has tremendous upside. LB Josh Miller (Manning, S.C.), S Terrell Smith (Pinson, Ala.) and CB Ramon McElrathbey (Atlanta) are the higher-profile defensive prospects. This is an offense-heavy recruiting class for Clemson.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: S C.J. Byrd (North Augusta, S.C.) -- Georgia22 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Tray Blackmon
TE Tommy Trott (4), LB Tray Blackmon (1)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: Auburn is starting to reap the rewards of an unbeaten season with this class, but next year's crop of recruits will be even better. The Tigers have two super TEs in Trott (Montgomery, Ala.) and Gabe McKenzie (Mobile, Ala.), and Montez Billings (Pelham, Ala.) is the state's top WR prospect. With this class, Auburn is only increasing the amount of speed on an already fast defense. The headliner is LB Blackmon (LaGrange, Ga.), the No. 1 prospect from the Peach State. Auburn beat Georgia and Florida State for Blackmon, who is a tad undersized but should fit in perfectly in the Tigers' scheme as a quick, hard hitter. LB Patrick Trahan (New Orleans) and DE Alonzo Horton (New Orleans) are two prospects who can really motor, especially Horton. He is a terrific pass rusher and very quick off the edge. Keep an eye on CB Aairon Savage (Albany, Ga.) and WR Prechae Rodriguez (Coffeyville, Kans.). Savage could be the sleeper of this class while Rodriguez is a super WR from the juco ranks.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: DT Jerrell Powe (Waynesboro, Miss.) -- Ole Miss23 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Toney Baker
RB Toney Baker (4), DE Kyle Newell (11)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: Offensively, the Wolfpack hit paydirt at RB by landing one of the nation's best in Baker (Jamestown, N.C.). Baker has tremendous power and good speed. On top of that, they will re-sign last year's RB gem, Andre Brown (Chatham, Va.), who failed to qualify. Baker and Brown could both make a big impact. The athletic Mike Greco (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) get a chance to QB the 'Pack next season as a true freshman. Curtis Crouch (Fayetteville, N.C.) is a huge OL prospect with a very promising future. On the other side of the ball, the Wolfpack will re-sign two players who failed to qualify in the past few seasons -- defensive ends Chad Green (Raymond, Miss.) and Willie Young (Chatham, Va.). Last week they also got a commitment from Newell (Bethlehem, Pa.), a very good athlete at DE who may get a shot at wide receiver as well.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: TE Jonathan Hannah (Hope Mills, N.C.) -- Virginia Tech24 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Ben Olson
TE Logan Paulsen (18), S Shawn Oatis (5)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: Ben Olson, the 6-5, 230-pound QB prospect who has been on a 22-month Mormon mission, will play for the Bruins. Olsen was one of the top overall prospects back in 2002 and he originally signed with BYU. He'll be a red-shirt freshman for UCLA this fall and enroll in time for spring practice. The Bruins landed three quality TEs in Paulsen (West Hills, Calif.), Ryan Moya (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) and Adam Heater (Snohomish, Wa.). Aleksey Lanis (Los Angeles) is one of the best OL prospects on the West Coast. UCLA loaded up with four LBs and got some impressive DBs led by the hard-hitting Robert Kibble (Houston), Brett Lockett (Diamond Bar, Calif.), and Oatis (Chino, Calif.) and the speedy Aaron Ware (Westlake Village, Calif.). Oatis and Ware are both considered elite prospects.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: TE/OL Charles Brown (Pomona, Calif.) -- USC25 
HEAD OF THE CLASS:
Melvin Alaeze
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (16), DL Melvin Alaeze (6)
NEWBERG'S ANALYSIS: DL prospect Alaeze (Randallstown, Md.) is one of the best big men around. Alaeze will likely start out at end and eventually move inside. He has a chance to really be something special for Maryland. Dave Philistin (Manchester, N.H.) is the headliner of this linebacker corps and he's one of the top prospects from the Northeast. The Terrapins are bringing in four DBs led by Jamari McCollough (Randallstown, Md.), a speedy cover guy who was a high school teammate of Alaeze's. Offensively, Morgan Green (Indian Head, Md.) is a 200-pound RB who can run between the tackles. Heyward-Bey (Ownings Mill, Md.) has very good size for a WR and is one of the top sprinters from the Atlantic region. Jarred Harrell (Marion, Ma.) is athletic enough to play on either side of the ball as a TE or DE. Keep a close eye on WR Terrell Skinner (Gulfport, Fla.) -- he could be the sleeper of this class.
BIG FISH THAT GOT AWAY: WR Derrick Williams (Greenbelt, Md.) -- Penn State
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