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Rebels strike perfect balance
This week, we continue our review of 2001 Signing Day with classes 31-40, many of which still include some of the highest-profile prospects in the country. For more detailed information on these and other players, visit www.superprep.com. 31) MISSISSIPPI (25 signees) The newest Rebels are all from Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. David Cutcliffe attained superior overall balance, highlighted by two SuperPrep Elite 50 choices: OL Chris Spencer, ranked as the nation's No. 2 OL prospect behind Ben Wilkerson (LSU), and WR Mike Espy. The other SuperPrep All-Americas signees are LB Jeremy Ruffin and OL Tre' Stallings. The Rebels really dominated in-state recruiting, also signing DL Jimmy Brooks, RB Vashon Pearson, QB Seth Smith and RB Bobo Brown, all SuperPrep All-Regional picks. Alabama WR Ratavious Biddle and DL McKinley Boykin are other examples of high profile signees which give Cutcliffe reason for optimism. Smallish (5-9, 160) ATH Jason Armstead, ranked by SuperPrep as the nation's 32nd best juco prospect, brings tremendous versatility to the program.
32) BOSTON COLLEGE (15) This isn't a class that is large in numbers and lacks a WR, but that position wasn't a need for the Eagles. But this group is top heavy with talent, most notably SuperPrep All-Americas RB Brandon Brokaw and QB Quinton Porter. Brokaw was lost in the shuffle due to a senior year transfer but he is immensely promising and has great physical gifts. Porter, ranked by SuperPrep as the nation's 10th best QB, is joined by another fine signal caller, New Jersey's Ray Henderson -- and QB was a need area. Coach Tom O'Brien, who signed 12 SuperPrep honorees, also landed some fine help in the trenches with SuperPrep All-Americas OL Jeremy Trueblood and DL Tim Bulman. New Jersey LB Jeff Parros and Illinois LB Pat McShane are also extremely promising, in particular McShane, a real playmaker. Although short, both Jazzmen Williams (5-9, 175) and Larry Lester (5-8, 175) bring exceptional productivity and credentials. 33) VIRGINIA (19) The Cavaliers suffered from their coaching change recruiting-wise, and the decision to not retain recruiting coordinator Danny Wilmer didn't make things any easier in a year when the rival Hokies ran roughshod over everybody in the Big East except MIAMI. New head coach Al Groh did sign two SuperPrep All-Americas from in-state: TE Patrick Estes and LB Melvin Massey. Eight other Virginians will be playing in Charlottesville, led by TE Darryl Blackstock, WR/DB Ottowa Anderson and QB Heath Miller. The third SuperPrep All-America signee is North Carolina's Randy Jones, a fantastic DB named as the SuperPrep Mid-Atlantic Defensive Player of the Year. DE Matt Stone and OL Mawase Falana, both from Florida, and Tennessee LB Bryan White are other SuperPrep All-Regionals who are promising. 34) NORTH CAROLINA (21) The top-ranked newcomer among head coach John Bunting's first class is in-state DE Jocques Dumas, ranked the No. 2 prospect in the state by SuperPrep and one of 12 in-staters. He will be joined on the D-line by Antavis Barrino, who strongly considered MARYLAND and SOUTH CAROLINA after the coaching switch. Electrifying SuperPrep All-America RB Jacque Lewis rushed for 70 career scores, four on kick off returns. Bunting signed an amazing six WRs, including SuperPrep All-Regionals Derrele Mitchell, Harry Lewis (a KENTUCKY decommit) and Chris Curry. This class also looks superior along the OL, where of the five signees, three garnered SuperPrep recognition: Jason Brown, Drew Hunter and Chase Page. Connecticut TE Brian Chacos is another SuperPrep All-America who turned away ARIZONA, IOWA, SYRACUSE and WISCONSIN. 35) ILLINOIS (23) Seventeen members of coach Ron Turner's new class are from either Illinois or Missouri. But he came all the way to California for the QB he wanted, Matt Dlugolecki, who was actually going to UCLA until he took an official visit to ILLINOIS. When Bruins coaches found out about it, they pulled Dlugolecki's offer and that was all she wrote. There is some superior defensive help here. LB T.W. Norman, safety Chuck Moore, LB Matt Sinclair (SuperPrep's Midlands Defensive Player of the Year) and DL Lionel Williams are all SuperPrep All-Americas. Williams is particularly talented but may not qualify. Other defenders to keep your eye on here are DB Sedrick Davenport and DL Brian Schaefering, both SuperPrep All-Regional picks from great programs who could turn out exceptional. On offense, RBs Abe Jones and Morris Virgil give Turner some real speed and firepower. 36) CALIFORNIA (20) The big gun here is DL Lorenzo Alexander, a SuperPrep Elite 50 pick who picked CAL because STANFORD turned him down. He'll be a great Bear and will undoubtedly come back to haunt the Cardinal on the field. Alexander has drawn comparisons to the amazing Andre Carter, who figures to make an immediate impact in the NFL next season. Three other SuperPrep All-Americas signed on with Tom Holmoe: Oregon TE Jordan Hunter and in-staters Terrell Williams (RB) and Keith Ornelas (OL). Holmoe covered every position on the board in accumulating well-balanced prep talent which has been bolstered with the addition of three juco signees, two of whom, Tom Canada and Josh Gustavson, will be counted upon for immediate help on the D-line. QB Richard Schwartz headlines a group of seven SuperPrep All-Regional prospects, including his lanky teammate, WR Christian Prelle (6-3, 185) and another Oregonian, WR John Rust (6-5, 210). 37) NORTHWESTERN (22) It's easy to overlook just who could be one of the most important parts of this class. That would be NOTRE DAME transfer/WR Jovan Witherspoon, who is eligible this season. Ashton Aikens and Jeff Backes give the Wildcats two superior ball carrying threats who are nicely complemented by QB Brett Basanez -- all of them highly placed SuperPrep All-Regional picks. This is a nationally diverse effort with only nine of the 22 newcomers coming from the Midwest. New Jersey (DL Luis Castillo and LB John Pickens ) and Florida (DE David Thompson ) also sent over SuperPrep All-Regional picks. The lone SuperPrep All-America is Texas DL Thomas Derricks, who highlights a strong crew of five D-line signees. Coach Randy Walker also helped himself with well-regarded TEs Trai Essex and Joe Wolschied, LB Braden Jones and OL Zach Strief. 38) ARIZONA STATE (17) New coach Dirk Koetter emphasized speed in his first Sun Devils recruiting class, and nothing better illustrates that than the three SuperPrep All-Americas who signed to play in Tempe: DB Lamar Baker (10.6 100m), WR Darryl Lightfoot (4.4 40) and RB Hakim Hill (10.46), who decommitted from NEBRASKA. Although rival ARIZONA scored a major victory by signing SuperPrep All-America RB Mike Bell, the Sun Devils dominated in-state recruiting by winning the battles for eight Arizonans, each of whom won SuperPrep honors. Nine SuperPrep All-Regionals round out this class which also includes Texas standout DB Courtney Sterling, California TE Lee Burghgraef and Alabama ATH Lance Rhodes (10.2 100m -- there's that speed again). 39) MARYLAND (18) The Terrapins signed three of the top four prospects from the Maryland/DC area: DL Randy Starks (eighth best DL in country), DB Domonique Foxworth (already enrolled) and FS Marcus Wimbush (20 picks in three years), all SuperPrep All-Americas. In-staters Mario Merrills (RB, another SuperPrep All-America), OL Raheem Lewis and LB Maurice Smith were also very heavily recruited and demonstrate the geographical bent of new coach Ralph Friedgen's first effort. Twelve players are from the Maryland/DC area and all but one signee is from the Mid-Atlantic region. Friedgen was especially pleased with his new group of OLs, especially their size (OL Russell Bonham, 6-4, 339; Tim Donovan, 6-6, 316; Matt Powell, 6-4, 315; Jason Holman, 6-2, 270 and Lewis, 6-3, 335). The lone juco signee, DB Jamal Chance, was named to the SuperPrep Juco 100 and will enroll in the fall. 40) ARIZONA (18) Last year, ARIZONA signed eight jucos. This class contains none, which is the first time since 1975 the WILDCATS have brought in a class comprised solely of preps. Only three are from in-state, and fortunately for new coach John Mackovic, one of them is RB Mike Bell, a SuperPrep Elite 100 prospect who rushed for 2,484 yards and 35 TDs. The other SuperPrep All-Americas to ink with Mackovic are California FB Antoine Singfield and speedy Oregon QB/ATH Nic Costa (5-11, 190) who missed most of last season with an ankle injury. The Wildcats normally pick some plums from Texas and this year they came away with four from the state, most notably RB Gainus Scott and OL Matt Page. SuperPrep All-Regional OLs Thomas Stevens and Brandon Hopkins give this class some more muscle to pave the way for Bell and Scott. Two exceptional DBs out of California will be playing in Tucson as well: Kirk Johnson and Darrell Brooks, both SS-types. For more from SuperPrep, click here.
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