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High School Notes

SIGNING DAY FSU and Michigan score big, position themselves well for next year
by: Jamie DeMoney
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The road to a national championship begins on the first Wednesday of February, Signing Day. The day when a couple thousand high school players briefly become media superstars, even before they've played a down of college football.

The rich almost always seem to get richer on Signing Day, and this year was no exception. Though Florida State fell short in its bid to finish No. 1 in the polls last season, the Seminoles were the consensus winner of this year's recruiting wars.

"Florida State always does a great job," says Rick Kimbrel, editor of PrepStar magazine. "It's a glamour school where kids really want to play in its wide-open offense and pressing defense. It's more fun to play there than in the grind-it-out style of the Big Ten."

Another reason for FSU's continued success on the recruiting trail is the star power of head coach Bobby Bowden.

"Bowden,(Joe)Paterno and(Lou)Holtz have stood the test of time," Kimbrel says. "If I was a young coach and saw one them pull up into the driveway after I was visiting a recruit at his home, I'd be a little worried."

As for the up-and-comers, Kimbrel was most impressed with new Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and his efforts to keep New Jersey's top talent at home.

"He did a brilliant stroke with what was like a town meeting of all the top players in the state of New Jersey," said Kimbrel. "He's a New Jersey guy and wanted to see the kids stay at home."

As a result, the Scarlet Knights were finally able to hang onto some of the state's best prospects - such as DT Davon Clark (Paterson Catholic) - instead of watching them sign with programs such as Penn State or Syracuse.

The following list of the top 25 recruits and top 15 recruiting classes was compiled by giving equal weight to the rankings of the nation's three leading recruiting experts: PrepStar, ESPN's Tom Lemming and Rivals100.com.

1. Kevin Jones, RB, Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pa.), 6-0 200 4.2 Va. Tech

2. Jabari Davis, RB, Tucker (Ga.), 6-0, 230, 4.5, Tennessee

3. Roscoe Crosby, WR, Union (S.C.), 6-2, 195, 4.4, Clemson

4. Shaun Cody, DE, Los Altos (Hacienda Heights, Calif.), 6-5, 240, 4.7, USC

5. Reggie Williams, WR, Lakes (Tacoma, Wash.), 6-4, 215, 4.4 Washington

6. Joe Mauer, QB, Cretin-Derham Hall(St. Paul, Minn.), 6-4, 205, 4.7, Florida St.

7. Kevin Simon, LB, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 6-0, 210, 4.5, Tennessee

8. D.J. Shockley, QB, North Clayton (College Park, Ga.), 6-2, 185, 4.4, Georgia

9. Leon Williams, LB, Carnarsie (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 6-3, 232, 4.4, Miami

10. Brodie Croyle, QB, Westbrook (Rainbow City, Ala.), 6-3, 186, 4.7, Alabama

11. Marcus Spears, TE, Southern Lab (Baton Rouge, La.), 6-5, 270, 4.6, LSU

12. Dominic Robinson, CB, Diamond Bar (Calif.), 6-2, 200, 4.4, Florida State

13. Matt Ware, S, Loyola (Los Angeles), 6-3, 195, 4.4, UCLA

14. Tommie Harris, DT, Ellison (Killeen, Texas), 6-3, 275, 4.8, Oklahoma

15. Blake Larsen, OT, Atlantic (Iowa), 6-7, 295, 5.0, Iowa

16. Carnell Williams, RB, Etowah (Attalla, Ala.), 5-11, 192, 4.4, Auburn

17. Michael Craven, LB, La Quinta (Westminster, Calif.), 6-2, 215, 4.6, Stanford

18. Ernest Shazor, S, King (Detroit, Mich.), 6-4, 200, 4.5, Michigan

19. Kelly Baraka, RB, Northern (Portage, Mich.), 6-1, 185, 4.4, Michigan

20. Chris Spencer, OL, Central (Madison, Miss.), 6-4, 305, 5.2, Mississippi

21. Ahmad Carroll, CB, Douglass (Atlanta), 6-0, 193, 4.3, Arkansas

22. Jonathan Scott, OT, Carter (Dallas), 6-8, 280, 4.9, Texas

23. Ben Wilkerson, OL, Hemphill (Texas), 6-4, 265, 5.0, LSU

24. Marquise Hill, DT, De La Salle (New Orleans), 6-7, 290, 4.9, LSU

25. Marvin Simmons, LB, Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 6-0, 218, 4.4, USC

The Top 15 Recruiting Classes

1. Florida State: The 'Noles landed two top-15 players late for another strong finish

2. Michigan: Big Blue had 18 of its 21 signees committed before Halloween

3. LSU: The recruiting glory days return to Baton Rouge

4. Oklahoma: The Sooners reap the rewards of a national title with a bumper crop of talent

5. Texas: Three top-10 classes in three seasons for Mack Brown

6. Miami: The 11th-hour departure of Butch Davis didn't hurt as badly as expected

7. Tennessee: The Vols have become the recruiting kings of the SEC in recent years

8. Washington: Neuheisel + Rose Bowl title = great recruiting class

9. USC: Another top class for the Trojans to kick start the Pete Carroll era

10. UCLA: AFM Performers of the Year Tyler Ebell and Matt Ware highlight the class

11. Nebraska: The Huskers loaded up on speedy DB's

12. Clemson: The Tigers scored huge by keeping all-world WR Roscoe Crosby in state

13. Georgia Tech: The Yellowjackets' second top-15 recruiting class in as many years

14. Wisconsin: The Badgers' 25 recruits came from 15 states

15. Georgia: The jewel of this class was in-state passer D.J. Shockley

Jamie DeMoney is freelance writer based in Kansas City, Mo. and former managing editor of American Football Monthly






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