UCLA's Walker edges USC coaches for top salesman

	Ron Gould landed a pair of impressive running backs for Cal. Kirby Lee/WireImage.com
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By Jeremy Crabtree, Special to SI.com, Rivals.com

USC pulled in the nation's No. 2 class in the 2007 Rivals.com team recruiting rankings, thanks in large part to the efforts of assistants Todd McNair and Pat Ruel.

McNair solidified the future of USC's running game by signing three of the nation's best running backs.

But the conference top recruiter was UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, who personally signed seven players.

Here are Rivals.com's top 10 recruiters in the Pac-10 for the class of 2007 (in alphabetical order).

Pac-10 Recruiter of the Year, DeWayne Walker, UCLA: Not only is Walker one of the up-and-coming defensive coaches in America, he's also one of the best recruiters out West. Walker was involved with seven of UCLA's 10 signings in this year's class. Those seven players have an average star rating of 3.57. The job he did with four-star running back Raymond Carter and four-star defensive tackle Brian Price, both Rivals100 players from Los Angeles Crenshaw, was amazing. Schools continued to try and steal both up until Signing Day. Walker, the Bruins' defensive coordinator, also kept UCLA in it until the end with Donovan Warren (who picked Michigan).

Nigel Burton, Oregon State: Burton, Oregon State's defensive backs coach, continues to prove he's one of the up-and-coming recruiters in the conference. Burton signed seven players this season, none of whom was ranked lower than three stars. Burton had a 3.14 star average per player, plus he also pulled in one of the best recruits in OSU's class -- four-star athlete Reggie Dunn of Los Angeles Verbum Dei. Burton has proved he deserves to be mentioned with the best.

Ron Gould, California: Not only did Gould get four-star safety Chris Conte to switch from UCLA to Cal on Signing Day, but he also landed four-star Rivals100 running back Jahvid Best -- the star in the Bear class. Four-star running back Shane Vereen is also a player that Gould landed. His seven signings averaged 3.43 stars, and Gould -- Cal's running back coach -- did well in state.