Big East: Aaron Berry
Big East players and NFL free-agent deals
Cincinnati
Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Indianapolis
Aaron Webster, S, Houston
Mike Windt, LS, Cincinnati
Connecticut
Lindsey Witten, DE, Pittsburgh
Louisville
Joe Tronzo, FB, Cincinnati
Scott Long, WR, San Francisco
UPDATE: Trent Guy, WR, Oakland
Pittsburgh
Bill Stull, QB, Kansas City
John Malecki, OG, Tennessee
Mick Williams, DT, New York Jets
Aaron Berry, CB, Detroit
Rutgers
Kevin Haslam, OT, Jacksonville
Jack Corcoran, FB, Houston
UPDATE: Tim Brown, WR, New York Giants
South Florida
Kion Wilson, LB, San Diego
Delbert Alvarado, K, Dallas
West Virginia
Jarrett Brown, QB, San Francisco
Alric Arnett, WR, Denver
So what about those who just missed the cut? Making a list of just 30 players across an eight-team league means some really good players have to be left off. Let's start with a look at those on my preseason list who failed to duplicate the honor in the postseason:
No. 3: Matt Grothe: A terrific career, obviously, but the South Florida quarterback's season was cut down by a knee injury before it ever really got going, and his pro potential is questionable at best.
No. 7: Victor Anderson: Another guy who's season was hampered by injury. Anderson posted only 473 rushing yards for Louisville, though he remains capable of big things in the next two years.
No. 10: Reed Williams: The West Virginia linebacker could have easily made this list, as he's not only an excellent player but a terrific leader. Just missed because he, too, was limited at times because of injuries.
No. 11: Ryan D'Imperio: The Rutgers linebacker wasn't nearly as productive as he had been, with his tackles dipping down to 76. But he wasn't fully healthy either.
No. 12: Scott Lutrus: Starting to sound like a broken record here. The Huskies linebacker missed huge chunks of time with various injuries and was surpassed on this list by teammate Lawrence Wilson. But he'll be a prominent preseason candidate for top 30 designation.
No. 15: Aaron Berry: The Pitt corner had a solid but not spectacular season.
No. 16: Robert Vaughn: The UConn safety dropped because of a poor overall performance by the Huskies' secondary.
No. 17: Scooter Berry: The West Virginia tackle missed significant time with injuries and a suspension.
No 19: Scott Long: My most controversial preseason pick had the misfortune of playing for a bad offense. But the Louisville receiver did get an NFL combine invite.
No. 21: Jessie Hester: The South Florida wideout struggled with injuries for much of 2009 and never regained his '08 form.
No. 22: Ryan Blaszczyk: The Rutgers offensive line disappointed, dragging its center's ranking down with it.
No. 24: Brandon Hogan: Improved as season went on; could easily make the preseason list this summer.
No. 25: Mike Williams: Was arguably the league's top receiver for half the year. But you don't quit your team midseason and expect to make a list of the league's best.
No. 27: Jock Sanders: A tough, tough omission from the list, especially considering he had 72 catches for West Virginia. What decided it for me was that he averaged fewer than 10 yards per catch and had only three touchdowns, and his production took a nosedive late in the season.
No. 28: Nate Byham: Still a terrific blocking tight end, but his pass-catching opportunities instead went to Dorin Dickerson, and I didn't want to put two Pitt tight ends on the list.
No. 29: Jon Dempsey: Had a fine year (107 tackles), but it was hard to tell by the end of the season whether he or Chris Campa was Louisville's best linebacker. No Cardinals made the postseason top 30, which gives you an idea of the challenge facing Charlie Strong.
No. 30: Moe Petrus: The UConn center was part of a terrific line, but Chris Jurek and Sampson Genus edged him out for the first- and second-team All-Big East center positions as voted by the coaches.
OK, now that we've exposed how far off my preseason list was, here are a few other players who barely missed the postseason cut:
Zach Collaros, QB, Cincinnati: An interesting decision here. He was outstanding in less than half a season's worth of work, including a record-breaking performance against UConn. And his potential is off the charts. Probably should have included him, but I just felt he didn't play enough in 2009. He'll definitely be on the preseason list, and probably awfully high.
Zach Hurd, UConn, and John Malecki, Pitt: Two of the best guards in the league, a position which sadly wasn't represented on this list. Guards are like the Rodney Dangerfield of football.
J.T. Thomas, West Virginia, and Adam Gunn, Pitt: Excellent linebackers in a league that's stacked at that position.
Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati: He was at times the Bearcats' best weapon when defenses concentrated on Mardy Gilyard. You wonder how much the system inflates the stats of receivers. Binns, though, will surely appear on the summer list.
Chris Neild, NT, West Virginia: I thought he was one of the top two or three interior linemen in the league. Just missed.
I'm sure I'm failing to mention other worthy candidates, but I've already gone on and on long enough. Sound off on other players you think should have made it, or why I'm crazy for not including some of these on the list.
Bulls' Wilson among East-West Shrine standouts
South Florida linebacker Kion Wilson had the biggest day from the Big East contingent. He had six tackles and a forced fumble in the East's 13-10 win.
"He has the potential to be a very good special-teams player, which he'll have to do if he wants to make it on the next level," wrote ESPN's Scouts Inc. in a game-day blog. "He's undersized, but has shown excellent instincts throughout the week."
UConn's Andre Dixon led the East team in rushing, but had only 24 yards on seven carries."Dixon has surprisingly looked hesitant at times today," Scouts Inc. wrote. "He's a downhill runner on film and during practices this week, so we didn't expect to see the stutter steps at the line of scrimmage today. He has room to improve as a receiver with his hands away from his frame and running crisper routes, but he's athletic enough to do it. He's also a willing pass-blocker who will step up and take on blitzing linebackers. Despite today's struggles, he'll be a good value for someone in the middle rounds."
The Huskies' Lindsey Witten had one tackle, and it was behind the line of scrimmage.West Virginia's Alric Arnett, who had a strong week of practice leading up to the game, made three catches for 54 yards.
Pitt's Aaron Berry recovered a fumble for the East team.
Reviewing Pitt's Meineke Car Care Bowl win
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Pitt could be one of the early Big East favorities in 2010 following their win against North Carolina.The big news was that the Panthers notched their first 10-win season since 1981, though that Dan Marino-led team went 11-1 instead of 10-3. Still, it represents progress for Dave Wannstedt's program and gives Pitt something to build upon.
"Ten wins separates you, and I don't think these guys know what they have accomplished here tonight and probably won't for a few weeks or a month or however long," Wannstedt said. "I think that people know that we are back as a program, and you have to go out and prove it. You have to show up and you have to play and you have to win games like this."
On Wednesday, I presented three keys for Pitt in this game: Make North Carolina's offense work to score instead of giving up a special teams or defensive big play; protect quarterback Bill Stull against the heavy Tar Heels pass rush and get tight end Dorin Dickerson involved.
While North Carolina put together a couple of nice drives, its offense finished with just 264 total yards. Stull didn't throw any interceptions and Pitt didn't give up any damaging special teams plays. The Pitt offensive line yielded two sacks, but Stull had plenty of time most of the day and the Panthers won the battle up front. Dickerson had four catches for 21 yards but dropped a touchdown pass early. He just hasn't looked the same the last three games, and you have to wonder if he's fully healthy.
But Mike Shanahan stepped up with five big catches, including some tough ones over the middle, and it looks like he can be the key possession receiver to Jonathan Baldwin's deep threat next season. Combine that with another year from the amazing Dion Lewis, and that's an awfully good start for 2010, even if Pitt has to replace three offensive line starters and break in a new quarterback.
It was good way for the Panthers to end things after they lost their last two regular-season games in the final minute. Of course, they also beat UConn in the final seconds, so the odds probably worked out. This game will long be remembered by Pitt fans for the 17-play, 8:47 drive that led to the winning field goal. To do that against the No. 6 rated defense in the FBS was particularly special.
"The series or two before we came unglued a little bit," Wannstedt said. "We were not lined up, we were hurrying a bit, we had a bad snap, we had a penalty. So our guys went out there and there was no room for error. For our guys to go out there and complete that many plays in a row for the most part successfully says a lot about the focus and discipline of our kids."
Pittsburgh should wind up in the Top 15 and should be ranked to start next season despite some major personnel losses, including Stull, Dickerson, those O-linemen, defensive tackle Mick Williams, linebacker Adam Gunn and cornerback Aaron Berry. Junior defensive end Greg Romeus could opt for the NFL as well. But in addition to the offensive core I mentioned earlier, the Panthers still have rising young talent like linebacker Dan Mason, who grabbed a crucial interception at the goal line.
You have to make Pitt one of the early favorites in the Big East in 2010. Totally different feeling than after last year's Sun Bowl, huh?
Cincinnati-Pitt pre-game ponderables
Pitt corner Aaron Berry looks fine in warm-ups. He missed the West Virginia game with a shoulder injury and is vitally important to the Panthers' chances of slowing down the Cincinnati passing attack. Expect to see a lot of Elijah Fields in the nickel package as well.
There's a palpable buzz in the stadium, which isn't always the case here, especially for noon games. Should be a great atmosphere appropriate for this game.
Some other notes to consider, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:
- Since Brian Kelly became head coach, Cincinnati is 32-0 when leading going into the fourth quarter.
- Seemingly no third down is too long for Cincinnati to convert. The Bearcats lead the nation by averaging 8.25 yards per play on third downs this season.
- Pitt has been one of the most productive teams on first downs this season, averaging over seven yards per play.
- In Pitt's last two games, over 80 percent of Bill Stull's downfield throws were thrown in Jonathan Baldwin's direction.
An early look at All-Big East team candidates
The end of the season also means it's time to start thinking about who will make the All-Big East team. Here's an early look at who I think should and should not make the team at each position:
Quarterback
Raise your hand if you thought Pitt's Bill Stull would be the Big East's first-team quarterback this year. Heck, most people thought he'd lose his job. But he's leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passing efficiency -- all by a large margin. Had Tony Pike stayed healthy or Zach Collaros played a full year, we might be talking about them here. But they didn't, so it's an easy choice.
Running back
Dion Lewis is a shoo-in. The second running back spot on the team will likely belong to Noel Devine. But he's been slowed lately, mostly due to injuries. If that continues, there's a chance that UConn's Jordan Todman or Andre Dixon could slip onto the first team. Combine the two Huskies, and they've produced exactly 1,800 rushing yards.
Receiver
Mardy Gilyard and Tim Brown are the choices here for now, though you could make a strong argument for Jonathan Baldwin. If Baldwin has a big two final games, perhaps he'll earn a spot on the first team. Jock Sanders has had a great year as well. Mike Williams looked like a lock before he quit Syracuse.
Tight end
No doubt about it, Pitt's Dorin Dickerson -- a Mackey Award finalist -- gets the nod. His teammate, Nate Byham, might be the second-team tight end.
Offensive line
This is always the most difficult position to single out players, because offensive line play is not easy to evaluate from the outside. My two tackles at this point would be Cincinnati's Jeff Linkenbach and Pitt's Jason Pinkston. Rutgers left tackle Anthony Davis is the best pro prospect, but he's been far too inconsistent. Pitt's John Malecki is another lock at guard. The other two spots are less obvious. Perhaps Zach Hurd from UConn at guard and Chris Jurek from Cincinnati or UConn's Moe Petrus at center. This is one where I'll have to pick some coaches' brains to decipher.
Defensive line
You might be shocked at the one guy who's not on my list here: South Florida's George Selvie. I think his opposite end, Jason Pierre-Paul, has had the better year. I'd put Greg Romeus at the other end, along with his Pitt teammate Mick Williams at one defensive tackle. The other defensive tackle is up for grabs; I think I'd vote for West Virginia's Chris Neild in a tight one over Syracuse's Arthur Jones.
Linebacker
A lot of players have strong cases here. My three, at this point, would have to be USF's Kion Wilson, UConn's Lawrence Wilson and Louisville's Jon Dempsey. That's leaving off a lot of really good players, including Pitt's Adam Gunn and Syracuse's Derrell Smith.
Secondary
Cincinnati's Aaron Webster and USF's Nate Allen are my safeties, hands down. Devin McCourty is clearly a first-team cornerback. The other cornerback spot is debatable; right now, I'd probably pick Pitt's Aaron Berry, who's coming on strong at the end of the year.
Specialists
The clubhouse leaders are Pitt's Dan Hutchins at place-kicker, West Virginia's Scott Kozlowski at punter, Gilyard as punt returner and Louisville's Trent Guy as kick returner.
This early ballot leaves off several players I had ticketed for first-team honors in the preseason, including Selvie, Jones, West Virginia's Reed Williams, Rutgers' Ryan D'Imperio and others. But there's still time for performances to sway my picks, and I plan on getting a lot of input on my choices before picking a final team.
Now I want your input. Agree or disagree with these selections? Let's hear it.
But Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt said Monday that Berry's injury isn't too serious. Wannstedt called Berry -- a second team All-Big East selection last year and one of the best cover guys in the league -- day to day and said the bye week would benefit him greatly.
Wannstedt expects Berry to play against West Virginia on Nov. 27.
There were some scary moments late as the Panthers had to throw relatively untested players against Notre Dame's excellent receiving tandem of Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. But they got the job done.
"They were fine," Wannstedt said. "It was a learning experience, to just be on the field in that situation against some great players. Our game plan going in was to play a lot more coverage as opposed to pressure. We were playing some packages with four, five and six corners.
"(Redshirt freshman) Jarred Holley, I thought, continued to make progress. He's just a pleasant, pleasant addition to the secondary."
Pitt front seven dominating Irish
With a little more than five minutes left in the half, the Irish have only 104 yards and three points.
Credit the Pitt defense. The Panthers' front seven has been dominating, getting lots of penetration and wrapping up ball carriers. The defensive backs have been good too, with Jarred Holley picking off Jimmy Clausen and Aaron Berry making a big pass break-up.
Things couldn't be going better for Pitt -- defensively. The Panthers have been out of rhythm offensively ever since the first drive. They have seemed to take a while to get going this season, but they need to start putting points on the board, because Clausen and Co. likely won't be quiet all night.
PITTSBURGH -- A couple of tidbits from warm-ups:
Cornerback Aaron Berry looks ready to go for Pitt. He missed the last game against Rutgers with a right shoulder injury.
South Florida's Jamar Taylor looked pretty fluid in warm-ups. I assume we'll see him on some special teams and maybe he'll get a few carries.
Pitt is looking to improve to 7-1 for the first time since 1982 with a win today. For South Florida, this is a key game for the rest of the season. A loss pretty much ends the Bulls' Big East hopes and will make it more difficult for them to get to a prestigious bowl with West Virginia and Miami still on the schedule.
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh starting cornerback Aaron Berry hurt his right shoulder on UConn's first drive of the second half. He's done for the day.
Berry is the best cover guy in a shaky secondary already missing starting safety Elijah Fields. His loss is not good news for Pitt the rest of the way.
Big East lunchtime links: Game day in Louisville
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
The second Big East conference game of the season kicks off tonight. The links begin with some preview stories to get you ready.
- Pitt needs to get off to a good start in conference play, Ray Fittipaldo writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Panthers cornerback Aaron Berry is ready to be tested, Ralph Paulk says in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- It's not a make-or-break game yet for Steve Kragthorpe, but it's getting close, Eric Crawford says in The Courier-Journal.
Elsewhere ...
- Cincinnati's success has shown that recruiting rankings can be irrelevant, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Syracuse's pass defense is struggling and will be without starting defensive back Phillip Thomas against South Florida, Dave Rahme writes in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
- South Florida's offense has flashed big-play ability, Kerry Klecic writes in the St. Petersburg Times.
“I’ve always felt that you recruit the guys that you believe fit what you do in your style and develop them,” Brian Kelly said. “Take kids that are underdeveloped when they’re 18 and develop them to the point where they can be reaching their potential when they’re sophomores and juniors.
Pitt seeks a return to its identity at Louisville
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
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| Tim Steadman/Icon SMI | |
| Pitt's defensive struggles are a pressing concern for coach Dave Wannstedt. |
It's as if someone donned a fake mustache and is impersonating Dave Wannstedt.
What on earth has happened to Pitt? The twin hallmarks of Wannstedt's program have always been discipline and defense, with offense sometimes as an afterthought.
Instead, this year's Panthers are averaging a robust 37.5 points a game while their cornerstones are crumbling. Pitt is seventh in the Big East in total defense, ahead of only Syracuse, and ranks 115th nationally in penalty yardage.
"That's not what Pitt football is about," senior cornerback Aaron Berry said.
The latest sign of a possible identity theft came on Saturday. The Panthers led NC State 31-17 late in the third quarter, with the lights on the Cathedral of Learning ready to burn. Then the Wolfpack scored 21 straight points while shredding the increasingly shaky Pitt pass defense. NC State racked up 530 yards of offense, just two games after Buffalo piled up 500 yards.
Wannstedt's team ranks 87th nationally in pass defense, which would probably be worse if the schedule hadn't included an FCS team (Youngstown State) and heavily run-oriented Navy.
"Nobody is really beating us deep, if you watch the tape," Berry said. "We're missing tackles on screens and dump-offs to the backs.
"We're actually covering well. There are times when I've been around the ball and I've left a couple things on the field. I feel like a player of my capability should be out there making those plays, and if I do, the team will follow."
Missing tackles has been a problem, and Wannstedt blames some of that on inexperience at linebacker. Dan Mason and Max Gruder are in their first years of playing that position. Wannstedt hopes the return of senior middle linebacker Adam Gunn, who missed the previous two games with an injured ankle, could help shore up that area.
The defensive line, which has the talent to be one of the best in the country, is getting penetration. But against NC State, it allowed Russell Wilson to scramble free and make plays, including a first-down run on a key fourth-and-12 late.
"We played Pat White, who I consider to be the best option athletic quarterback maybe of all time, and we handled him when we knew he was going to run the ball," Wannstedt said. "We at least slowed him down. All of Wilson's runs, and he had 100 yards rushing, they were all on his own. They were not designed runs. He tucked the ball and outran us. Obviously, we didn't do a good job of coaching and didn't do enough executing to contain him."
Then there are the penalties, which have come in all three phases of the game. Pitt was one of the least penalized teams in the country last season but is averaging 84.5 yards of flags this year. What's strange is that the nucleus of last year's team returned.
"I wish that I had an easy answer," Wannstedt said. "The solution obviously is that you emphasize it, and if it continues then you've got to make a change. Penalties and turnovers, that's the only way to deal with them. You try to correct it, coach them up, emphasize it, and if they continue, the guy can't play."
Wannstedt harped on the mistakes in a team meeting Sunday, during which Berry said the Panthers "cleared the air on some things." He's bringing officials to every practice session this week in hopes of reducing the penalties.
If those problems aren't solved by Friday night, Pitt could be 0-1 in the Big East. Louisville has playmaking receivers like Scott Long, Trent Guy and Doug Beaumont who can exploit the Panthers' holes in pass coverage. Although quarterback Justin Burke is not nearly as swift as NC State's Wilson, he has shown an ability to run for positive yards when a play breaks down.
It's time to rip the fake mustache off that Wannstedt impersonator, or fix whatever else has led to the Panthers' identity crisis.
"With us being on national TV, it's important to show the country what Pitt football is really about," Berry said.
ESPN.com's preseason All-Big East team
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
The Big East doesn't put out an official preseason all-conference team. But I do. Below are my picks for the best in the league for 2009. Pittsburgh leads the way with six selections.
Offense
QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati
RB Noel Devine, West Virginia
RB Victor Anderson, Louisville
WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
WR Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh
OT: Anthony Davis, Rutgers
OG: John Malecki, Pittsburgh
C: Ryan Blaszczyk Rutgers
OG: Art Forst, Rutgers
OT: Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh
TE: Nate Byham, Pittsburgh
Defense
DE: George Selvie, South Florida
DT: Arthur Jones, Syracuse
DT: Scooter Berry, West Virginia
DE: Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh
LB: Ryan D'Imperio, Rutgers
LB: Scott Lutrus, Connecticut
LB: Reed Williams, West Virginia
CB: Aaron Berry, Pittsburgh
CB: Brandon Hogan, West Virginia
S: Nate Allen, South Florida
S: Robert Vaughn, Connecticut
Specialists
P: Rob Long, Syracuse
PK: Jake Rogers, Cincinnati
KR: Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
PR: Jasper Howard, Connecticut
Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett
Pittsburgh senior cornerback Aaron Berry made the watch list for the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back.
As I've written here before, Berry has the skill set to be the best cornerback in the Big East. He just needs t be more consistent and come up with a few more big plays.
Berry was the only Big East player on the list, and for once, I don't have a complaint about a major omission. Some guys who could work their way into the discussion include West Virginia's Brandon Hogan, South Florida's Nate Allen and Jerome Murphy, UConn's Robert Vaughn and Jasper Howard and Cincinnati's Aaron Webster.
Good luck to any of those guys who want to beat USC's Taylor Mays or Tennessee's Eric Berry for the award this year.
Looking back at the '06 Big East recruiting classes
My colleague Ted Miller out in the wild, wild west of the Pac-10 had a really fun post earlier this week. He looked back on that conference's 2006 recruiting class. Players who signed that year should be seniors or redshirt juniors now, so it's a perfect time to judge the class on actual results, not promise.
And so, I figure that's a good idea to steal and apply to the Big East. Pittsburgh had the 16th-best recruiting class in the nation that season, according to our Scouts Inc. experts, while Louisville ranked 21st. No other Big East team cracked the top 25.
Let's take a look back and see how things have turned out, shall we?
Cincinnati
Class: 22
Expected major contributors in 2009: 7 -- LB John Goebel, LB Robby Armstrong, CB Marcus Barnett, TE Ben Guidugli, DL Ricardo Matthews, RB Jacob Ramsey, S Aaron Webster
Misses: DT Oren Wilson
Verdict: Mark Dantonio's final full class contained some players who have already contributed, like Ramsey, Guidugli, Barnett and Webster, and some who should assume bigger roles this year, like Armstrong and Matthews. But overall, this lacked the quality of the deep '05 bunch that formed the core of last year's Orange Bowl squad. Receiver Jamar Howard, who was part of the '06 class but didn't qualify in 2006, is back this year after a stint in junior college.
Connecticut
Class: 24
Expected major contributors in 2009: 11 -- WR Brad Kanuch, S Robert Vaughn, K Desi Cullen, OL Zach Hurd, LB Scott Lutrus, CB Robert McClain, LB Lawrence Wilson, DE Lindsey Witten, OL Mathieu Olivier, DT Alex Polito, DE Mike Cox
Misses: CB Jamie Nixon
Verdict: As usual, Randy Edsall's '06 class didn't draw much attention nationally. But he found a whole bunch of players who exceeded their star rankings and became key pieces for the Huskies. Lutrus is one of the best linebackers in the Big East, while Vaughn is a top safety and Witten has NFL potential. UConn could use a breakthrough from the oft-injured Kanuch.
Louisville
Class: 30
Expected major contributors in 2009: 7 -- DE Rodney Gnat, DT L.T. Walker, LB Brandon Heath, WR Josh Chichester, CB Johnny Patrick, WR Troy Pascley, OT Jeff Adams
Misses: DT Aundre Henderson, DT Kareem Crowell, QB Emmanuel Francis
Verdict: Bobby Petrino's final class at Louisville looked great on paper but was hit hard by attrition and misevaluations, which is part of the reason why the Cardinals have been so thin the past two years. Some problems were unforeseen; promising defensive end Peanut Whitehead had his career ended after just a season by a back injury. Henderson decided he didn't like football and quit. Running back Anthony Allen transferred. Several others were dismissed for disciplinary reasons or never panned out.
Pittsburgh
Class: 27
Expected major contributors in 2009: 9 -- TE Nate Byham, OT Jason Pinkston, CB Aaron Berry, OL John Malecki, CB Jovani Chappel, OL Joe Thomas, S Elijah Fields, DE Greg Romeus, CB Ricky Gary
Misses: QB Kevan Smith, CB Aaron Smith, DT Scott Corson
Verdict: Overall, this was a deep, solid class that will form the backbone of this year's team. Add in the fact that star left tackle Jeff Otah was part of this group as a junior college transfer, and it becomes all the more impressive. Byham, Pinkston, Berry and Romeus are All-Big East-caliber players with pro futures. Pitt hasn't seemed able to figure out what to do yet with once highly-rated prospect Dorin Dickerson. Running back Kevin Collier could contribute this year.
Rutgers
Class: 27
Expected major contributors in 2009: 9 -- RB Kordell Young, WR Tim Brown, LB Antonio Lowery, DT Blair Bines, LB Ryan D'Imperio, DB Zaire Kitchen, TE Shamar Graves, FB Jack Corcoran, DT Charlie Noonan
Misses: TE Jeff Minemeyer, LB Sorie Bayoh
Verdict: The best player from this class, Kenny Britt, was a first-round NFL draft pick in April. Combine that with a high number of contributors, and Greg Schiano had a pretty good batting average with this class.
South Florida
Class: 30
Expected major contributors in 2009: 11 -- WR Carlton Mitchell, OL Zach Hermann, S Nate Allen, DB Jerrell Young, OL Jeremiah Warren, LB Sabbath Joseph, DL Aaron Harris, DL Craig Marshall, K Delbert Alvarado, WR Ed Alcin, OL Kevin McCaskill
Misses: DT Leslie Stirrups, WR Jason Sherman, DE Joseph Jackson
Verdict: Surprisingly, some of the Bulls' highest-rated recruits in the 2006 class are the ones who didn't pan out, while the lesser-regarded names have gained regular playing time. The best player so far of this group is Allen, who should have an NFL future. This is a good class that just needs a little more star power.
Syracuse
Class: 22
Expected major contributors in 2009: 9 -- TE Andrew Robinson, RB Delone Carter, OL Jim McKenzie, OL Ryan Bartholomew, OL Tucker Baumbach, OL Jonathan Meldrum, DE Jared Kimmel, LB Derrell Smith, WR Mike Williams
Misses: WR Andrey Baskin, S Derek Hrinya
Verdict: Several players from the '06 batch will start this year, including nearly all of Syracuse's offensive line. But this class, like most of Greg Robinson's efforts, is short on all-conference caliber players. Baskin was the Orange's biggest recruit, but he failed to qualify and never made it to campus. Robinson was the starting quarterback two years ago before switching to tight end this spring.
West Virginia
Class: 16
Expected major contributors in 2009: 6 -- DT Chris Neild, WR Wes Lyons, LB Anthony Leonard, C Eric Jobe, S Franchot "Boogie" Allen, LB J.T. Thomas
Misses: S John Maddox, CB Robert Williams, OL Eric Rodemoyer, CB Greg Davis
Verdict: The Mountaineers had a small class in '06, and they could have handed out half the scholarships and gotten the same results. Only eight 2006 signees are on the current roster. Several from that class are expected to take a step up this year, including Neild, Lyons and Allen. Still, only getting six major contributors from any class is a hard pill to swallow.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
