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Signing Day Q&A Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon schools fare well
Updated: Thursday February 08, 2001 10:13 AM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel spoke to CNNSI.com about the trends and occurences on National Letter of Intent Day: CNNSI.com: Did Oklahoma's national championship a month ago translate into a top-ranked recruiting title? How good a haul was it for Bob Stoops? Ivan Maisel: Oklahoma did very well. Back in the '80s the recruiting between Texas and Oklahoma in the state of Texas was like hand-to-hand combat or, more likely, wallet-to-wallet combat -- which is why the Southwest Conference is dead today. We hadn't seen that sort of atmosphere there until this year. Some people think it was a stalemate, some think that Texas came out a little ahead. The important thing is that, as Bob Stoops proclaimed, OU is back. CNNSI.com: The Miami Hurricanes finished second in the rankings but lost coach Butch Davis to the NFL a little over a week ago. How much did Davis' departure impact their class? Maisel: Miami did surprisingly well given the late coaching change. But that may have had something to do with how well they did last year. Plus, kids are signing with schools and giving commitments earlier than ever before so the Miami recruits may not have had somewhere else to go. I think it also speaks to the fact that the kids wanted to play for Miami more than they wanted to play for Butch Davis. This is a good omen for Larry Coker in getting off to a good start. CNNSI.com: Everyone expects big things from Dennis Franchione at Alabama. But the Tide is coming off a horrible season and facing recruiting violations. How was the new coach able to fare? Maisel: It's interesting. For the first time we saw Ole Miss come in and sign kids out of Alabama. Usually it's the other way around. A lot of the big recruits in the state ended up at Auburn. I think it's just another sign that it's going to be a tough year or two ahead for Alabama. CNNSI.com: How did Jim Tressel do his first time out for Ohio State? Maisel: Ohio State did OK, the Buckeyes finished strong. They got a commitment from Lydell Ross, a running back out of Florida who had committed to Notre Dame but signed with Ohio State. But look at the bigger picture in the Big Ten: Michigan did very well, and you have to wonder whether Ohio State's transition and the kind of year Penn State had -- a mediocre year -- played right into the Wolvervines' hands. CNNSI.com: What about the two Oregon state schools? Both are coming off Top 10 seasons, but the state itself isn't loaded with prep talent. Maisel: Oregon State and Oregon both did well if you compare this year to the past. Here's an excellent example: the Beavers signed quarterback Derek Anderson. He's the kind of kid, a 6-6, 240-pound blue-chipper who in the past would have gone up to Washington, or to USC or UCLA. But given Oregon State's success, particularly with Dennis Erickson and the passing game, Anderson decided to stay home. CNNSI.com: What kind of trends do you see in this year's recruiting results? Maisel: For the big state schools, it always comes down to keeping your kids at home, getting the in-state kids to come to your school. LSU did a great job of that this year, Nick Saban signing tight end Marcus Spears, probably one of the best players in the country. Washington did a great job of that, getting wide receiver Reggie Williams -- he fills a hole, wide receiver has been a problem for the Huskies the last couple of years. Also, Arkansas had four high school All-Americas and they all committed to the university. If you can keep them at home, you're going to do well. CNNSI.com: And how will this recruiting class influence the polls later this year? Maisel: The fact that Miami held onto the kids they had will keep them in the Top 5. It all comes down to this: Recruiting is perception. We have no idea whether these kids are going to be any good, and very few of them will be good in the fall. But the perception is that the big powers did well again and when we get to voting in the late summer, that's what we're going to remember. Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers the college football beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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