who do you think got the best freshman crop this year ?
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there saying weis and meyer got the what they wanted this year.
Meyer, Weis come up first-class on signing day
By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP Sports Writer
February 1, 2006
Charlie Weis and Urban Meyer proved to be first-class recruiters, too.
The new coaches for Notre Dame and Florida followed up successful debut seasons by bringing in top-notch recruiting classes Wednesday, the first day of the national signing period.
As usual, national champion Texas and Southern California restocked their rosters with blue-chip prospects. And Penn State, whose resurgence under coach Joe Paterno last season was aided by a stellar 2005 recruiting class, has another promising group headed to Happy Valley.
Weis came to Notre Dame and Meyer to Florida after the 2004 season with well-earned reputations as offensive gurus, but some questions about how well they'd recruit in their new jobs.
Weis was hired in December 2004 and didn't have a chance to immerse himself in recruiting because he was busy helping the Patriots win a third Super Bowl in four seasons.
Taking over for Tyrone Willingham, the former New England offensive coordinator did his best to work the phones, but in the end last year's Fighting Irish recruiting class was considered just so-so.
Once Weis was able to focus all his attention on his alma mater, he quickly built a reputation as a relentless recruiter, securing a dozen commitments before he coached a game.
Then Weis went out and returned the Fighting Irish to national prominence with a 9-3 season and No. 9 final ranking. The straight-shooting disciple of Bill Parcells has brought the mystique back to Notre Dame and the big-time recruits have followed.
Notre Dame's class is rated among the best in the country by the analysts, something that hasn't happened for a while in South Bend, Ind.
Offensive lineman Sam Young, a 300-pounder from Florida considered one of the top-20 players in country by most experts, is the jewel of Notre Dame's class.
Weis has proved to be a perfect fit at Notre Dame, but he probably wouldn't be there if Meyer didn't turn the Irish down to take the Florida job.
Meyer's 9-3 debut in Gainesville, Fla., wasn't met with as much euphoria as Weis's, but the first group of Gators recruits Meyer can take full credit for answered any questions about whether the Midwesterner could recruit in the Southeastern Conference.
Meyer's marquee signee is a highly touted quarterback and local hero, whose decision to become a Gator received national television coverage.
Tim Tebow of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., picked the Gators over and Alabama. In the minds of many Florida fans, landing Tebow was as big as for Meyer as his wins over Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee.
With quarterback Chris Leak entering his senior season and last season's backup, Josh Portis, transferring, Tebow has a chance to shoot up the Gators' depth chart as a freshman.
Percy Harvin, a receiver from Virginia rated the No. 1 recruit in the country by Rivals.com, was committed to Florida but was waiting until later in the day to ink a letter of intent.
Texas coach Mack Brown and USC's Pete Carroll are college football's current kings of signing day, scooping up high school all-Americans by the bushel in recent years.
The Rose Bowl rivals were at it again Wednesday, signing up classes that should keep the Longhorns and Trojans in championship contention for years.
Brown, derisively labeled 'Coach February' when he seemed to win more recruiting battles than big games, has consistently lured most of the best prospects from the Lone Star state to Austin.
The Longhorns latest class has 23 players from Texas, highlighted by defensive end Eddie Jones from Kilgore and linebacker Sergio Kindle from Dallas, both ranked among the best in the country at their positions.
Carroll and his staff tend to reach farther in recruiting, and that was the case again as USC got commitments from top players from Utah, Colorado, Texas and New Jersey to go with many of the best California prospects.
The Trojans are looking for immediate help in the backfield, where there are no clear-cut successors to Reggie Bush and LenDale White, who both entered the NFL draft as juniors.
Stafon Johnson from Los Angeles and Emmanuel Moody from Coppell, Texas, both ranked among the top 10 running backs in the country by Rivals.com, were expected to sign with the Trojans.
USC's willingness to play freshmen has been a big seller with recruits. Now Penn State and Paterno can make the same claim after turning to fast frosh Derrick Williams and Justin King to help invigorate the Nittany Lions' offense last season.
Penn State plucked Williams out of Maryland and reached into that state again for several more players this year, including top-rated cornerback A.J. Wallace.Comment -
Meyer will have Florida ready to go...Comment
