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Recruiting Wrap ... with Doug Huff

Gators bite

Florida reaps the benefits of a national championship, hauling in the No. 1 recruiting class

The University of Florida isn’t resting on its national championship laurels.

Instead, the Gators reloaded their football hopper with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2007. Coach Urban Meyer and his staff landed 27 recruits, including seven from the nation’s No. 1 ranked high school team in Lakeland, Fla. The Dreadnaughts, winners of 45 straight games and three consecutive state Class 5A titles, sent several Street & Smith’s 2006 preseason All-Americans to Florida, including defensive tackle John Brown and running back Chris Rainey. Other top recruits from Lakeland that will be joining the Gators include wide receiver Paul Wilson; offensive linemen LaShawn and James Pouncey; linebacker Steven Wilks; and defensive back Ahmad Black.

In fact, Florida had the most quality recruits retract on their original non-binding commitments to other schools in order to sign with the Gators. That list includes two in-state prospects in record-setting quarterback John Brantley, who earlier gave a verbal commitment to Texas, and offensive guard James Wilson (USC). The others are Warren Central (Ind.) High safety Jerimy Finch (Michigan) and defensive ends Carlos Dunlap of Fort Dorchester (S.C.) High, who gave a verbal to South Carolina, and Don Bosco (N.J.) Prep’s Justin Trattou (Notre Dame).

The Gators also landed the No. 1 prospect from New England in Street & Smith’s preseason All-America tight end Aaron Hernandez from Bristol Central (Conn.) High, along with Maryland’s state Offensive Player of the Year, athlete Joe Haden of 3A champion Friendly High.

Hernandez is one of seven Street & Smith’s preseason All-Americans on Florida’s list. The others are Brown, Rainey, James Wilson, Finch, defensive back Lorenzo Edwards of Edgewater High in Orlando, Fla., and wide receiver Deonte Thompson from Glades Central High in Belle Glade, Fla.

Other highly recruited Sunshine State prospects that signed with the Gators include defensive lineman Torrey Davis of Armwood High in Seffner and safety Major Wright of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

While defending national champion Florida also wears the recruiting crown for 2007, USC and LSU weren’t far behind.

Here is the remainder of the Top 25:

2. USC—The Trojans, who had the top-ranked recruiting class in 2006, added 18 prospects this year. Four Street & Smith’s preseason All-America selections are the headliners of this group: all-purpose back Joe McKnight of John Curtis Christian High in River Ridge, La.; defensive lineman Everson Griffen of Agua Fria in Avondale, Ariz; linebacker Chris Galippo of Servite in Anaheim, Calif.; and running back Marc Tyler of Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, Calif.

3. LSU—The Tigers may have lost McKnight to USC, but they still signed 26 recruits, including 11 in-state prospects, headed by safety Chad Jones of Southern Lab High in Baton Rouge. The top out-of-state signees were touted wide receiver Terrance Toliver of Hempstead, Texas, and defensive lineman Joseph Barksdale of Cass Tech in Detroit.

4. Tennessee—The Vols signed 32 recruits, including two Street & Smith’s preseason All-Americans in cornerback Eric Berry of Creekside High in Fairburn, Ga., and Ohio’s top-rated prospect, defensive end Ben Martin of La Salle in Cincinnati. Eric Berry is the son of James Berry, who was team captain of the 1981 Tennessee team. The top in-state recruit was linebacker Chris Donald of Huntingdon.

5. Texas—The Longhorns got an early jump on commitments from 24 in-state prospects and wound up with 25 total recruits. The headliner is one of the nation’s top offensive linemen in preseason Street & Smith’s All-American Tray Allen from South Grand Prairie High, who could play as a true freshman. Other touted Lone Star State recruits are defensive lineman Dre Jones of Andress in El Paso, cornerback Curtis Brown of Gilmer and athlete John Chiles of Summit in Arlington.

6. South Carolina—The Steve Spurrier-coached Gamecocks are this year’s surprise team in the top 10 rankings. Spurrier and his staff signed 31 prospects, including touted quarterback Stephen Garcia of Jefferson High in Tampa and offensive lineman Clifton Geathers, a South Carolina product who played last season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.

7. Auburn—Massive offensive tackle Lee Ziemba from Rogers, Ark., brings preseason Street & Smith’s All-America credentials to the Tigers, who landed 30 recruits. Running back Enrique Davis of Mosely High in Lynn Haven, Fla., is also a player to watch.

8. Oregon—The Ducks capped their highest-rated recruiting class in years with 18 California prospects, among a total of 29. The top Golden State recruits are defensive end Kenny Rowe from famed Long Beach Poly and touted placekicker Daniel Padilla from Corona.

9. Georgia—The Bulldogs landed the top in-state running back Caleb King, who starred as a junior at Parkview High in Lilburn before playing last season at tiny Greater Atlanta Christian. King and tight end Bruce Figgins, who is from Shaw in Columbia, S.C., headline the 23-recruit list.

10. Notre Dame—Touted quarterback Jimmy Clausen of Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif., is the big-name signing in a small, but quality, class of 18 prospects. Clausen could replace Brady Quinn in the starting lineup this fall, while running backs Robert Hughes (who is from Chicago) and Florida’s Armando Allen have the chance to fill the tailback spot next season.

11. Michigan—Strong-armed Street & Smith’s preseason All-America quarterback Ryan Mallett, from Texarkana, Texas, headlines a small class of 20 recruits. A touted in-state recruit is tight end Martell Webb, who is from Northern High in Pontiac, Mich.

12. Alabama—The new coaching staff headed by Nick Saban got a late recruiting start, but signed 24 prospects. The top two recruits are in-state defensive linemen Kerry Murphy of Hoover High and Luther Davis of West Monroe.

13. Oklahoma—The Sooners collected 20 signatures, including Michigan’s Player of the Year, quarterback Keith Nichol of Lowell Senior High. The top in-state recruits are safety Austin Box of Enid High and record-setting placekicker Jimmy Stevens of Heritage Hall in Oklahoma City.

14. Nebraska—The Cornhuskers recruited 28 athletes, including the state’s top prospect in wide receiver Niles Paul of Omaha North High. A player to watch is linebacker Austin Stafford from Hayward, Calif., who impressed college recruiters in summer camp competitions.

15. California—The Golden Bears landed speedy running back Jahvid Best of Salesian High in Richmond, Calif., as well as one of the nation’s top punting prospects, Bryan Anger of Camarillo, Calif. Cal landed a total of 26 recruits.

16. Ohio State—The Buckeyes, who are coming off a touted 2006 recruiting year, signed only 15 prospects, with just one who earned preseason Street & Smith’s All-America honors—defensive back Eugene Clifford of Colerain High in Cincinnati. Piqua High’s Brandon Saine was named Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2006.

17. North Carolina—New Coach Butch Davis and his staff made a late push for a top 20 recruiting class and landed 24 prospects. The top two in-state recruits are wide receivers Dwight Jones of Cummings High in Burlington and Greg Little of Hillside in Durham, who had earlier committed to Notre Dame. But the big signing was Marvin Austin of Ballou High in Washington, D.C., arguably the nation’s No. 1 prep defensive lineman.

18. Illinois—Coach Ron Zook and his staff brought in the school’s best recruiting class in years. Two recruits who should contend for starting spots as freshmen are defensive end Martez Wilson of Simeon High in Chicago and a Street & Smith’s preseason high school All-American wide receiver Arrelious Benn of Dunbar in Washington, D.C.

19. Georgia Tech—In-state running back Jonathan Dwyer, the Class AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year from Kell High in Marietta, heads the list of 20 recruits. The top out-of-state signee is defensive end Derrick Morgan from Coatesville, Pa.

20. Miami—It may have been a small recruiting class (18) that new Coach Randy Shannon and his staff landed, but the headliner is running back Graig Cooper, who prepped at Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y. Defensive back Joseph Nicolas of Homestead, Fla., could be the sleeper in the group.

21. Florida State—The Seminoles picked up 20 recruits and even went to Michigan for their highest profile prospect, cornerback Dionte Allen of St. Mary’s High in Orchard Lake.

22. Clemson—The Tigers’ recruiting class of 22 signees is headed by preseason Street & Smith’s All-America quarterback Willy Korn of Byrnes High in Duncan, S.C. Wide receiver Xavier Dye from Greenwood, S.C., should give Korn a big target.

23. Oklahoma State—The Cowboys raided the state of Texas for their top two prospects in a class of 22. Wide receiver Desmond Bryant of Lufkin and defensive end Richetti Jones of Lincoln High in Dallas are possible starters next season.

24. Pittsburgh—The Panthers had the top Big East class with a total of 25 recruits. Quarterback Pat Bostick of Manheim Township High in Lancaster, Pa., and prep school running back LeSean McCoy of Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y., are the top prospects.

25. Virginia Tech—The Hokies picked up 23 recruits, including the state’s top athlete, quarterback Tyrod Taylor of Hampton High, along with out-of-state fullback Darren Evans of Warren Central in Indianapolis. Both were 2006 preseason Street & Smith’s All-America choices.