Sell mates: just because they've changed jobs doesn't mean the new coaches at Florida, South Carolina, Illinois and Mississippi have lost their recruiting touch

Sporting News, The, Sept 9, 2005 by Jeremy Crabtree

Life is good for Urban Meyer. He built Utah into a BCS bowl team that produced the NFL's No. 1 draft pick, quarterback Alex Smith. Meyer had plenty of job offers to consider after last year's runaway success and picked Florida, a program already primed to make a run at the SEC championship. To top it off, he quickly has erected a recruiting empire that will attract many of the nation's top prospects.

After pulling in Rivals.com's 15th-ranked 2005 recruiting class despite being hired late, Meyer seems a lock for a top 10 class--if not a top five class--in 2006. Florida already has nine commitments, led by five-star offensive lineman Carl Johnson (Durham, N.C.). Rivals.com ranks Johnson as the nation's No. 1 tackle. He'll be joined by Jevan Snead (Stephenville, Texas), the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback and a perfect fit for Meyer's spread-option attack.

* Steve Spurrier used to have it made as Florida's coach, but the transition to recruiting at South Carolina has been bumpy. The NCAA has hit the Gamecocks with sanctions for violations committed under Lou Holtz. On top of that, rival Clemson has nabbed five solid in-state commitments. But this is Spurrier we're talking about. Recruits still want to play for the ol' ballcoach, so success eventually will come.

* Ron Zook, who recruited like Spurrier but never won like him at Florida, now will try to keep Illinois' top in-state talent at home. So far, so good--for the most part. The Illini have pledges from seven home-state prospects. Keep an eye on quarterback Isiah Williams (Chicago), who might have the biggest arm in the country.

* When he was an assistant at Southern California, Ed Orgeron was named the 2004 national recruiter of the year by Rivals.com, and his attention to detail as a head coach is paying off at Mississippi. The Rebels have a commitment from receiver Terry Levy (Kosciusko), the No. 5 player in Mississippi and a four-star prospect. Quarterbacks Michael Herrick (Valencia, Calif.) and Nick Stephens (Flower Mound, Texas) are steals who might end up playing soon.

Teams on the rise

No one will confuse these schools with Florida State and Southern California when it comes to recruiting, but it's hard to ignore their progress this season.

Boise State. Coach Dan Hawkins' ability to evaluate talent and his continued success on the field have enabled the Broncos to recruit more blue-chip prospects. A reason for excitement is the commitments of two three-star quarterbacks, one of whom is Cody Hawkins. You guessed it--he's the coach's son.

Duke. That's not a misprint. Recruiting coordinator Glenn Spencer has helped the Blue Devils land four-star fullback Brandon King (Doylestown, Pa.) and two of Florida's best: three-star linebacker Tyler Rice (Boca Raton) and three-star offensive lineman Jarrod Holt (Clearwater).

North Carolina, The Tar Heels have 22 commitments, including 13 three-star prospects.

Pitt. The Panthers got started early with 14 pledges, including touted athlete Dorin Dickerson (Imperial, Pa.).

Texas Tech. Coach Mike Leach is lining up his best class yet. Quarterback Taylor Potts (Abilene, Texas) could be a star in Tech's wide-open offense, but running back Baron Batch (Midland, Texas) and offensive tackle Chris Olson (Dallas) also have the Red Raiders coaches pumped.

For more analysis from Jeremy Crabtree and all the in-depth recruiting information you can handle, visit Rivals.com.