ESPN College Football

Not getting drafted doesn't necessarily mean the end of one's football career. Once the draft finishes, there's a scramble for players and teams to sign free-agent deals. Here's a list, compiled from various media and team reports, of undrafted Big East players who have signed with NFL teams (list will be updated as new information rolls in):

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

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

TAMPA, Fla. -- You can't make many mistakes against Cincinnati with the way the Bearcats can score.

South Florida's B.J. Daniels did, throwing an interception to Aaron Webster on the first play of the second quarter. Webster returned it 82 yards, and Cincinnati scored on the next play.

The Bulls also went for it on a fourth down in the first quarter from the 27 because they don't believe in their field goal kicker. They trotted out Delbert Alvarado for a 50-yard attempt that missed by about as much as you'll ever see a kick miss.

So there's at least 13 points the Bulls might have given away. Not a good sign.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Hey, everybody. Is it just me, or does this week feel like the calm before the storm with next week's Cincinnati-South Florida game looming? Of course, there are two big league games this week. I'll be at Connecticut-Pitt this weekend.

Let's get to some of your emails.

Dave from Syracuse, N.Y., writes: Brian, love the blog, keep up the good work! I was wondering if the winner of next week's matchup between Cincinnati and South Florida has any chance of running the table in conference play? Who, if anyone, do you think is more likely to succeed and does the winner have any shot at a National Championship game?

Brian Bennett: A chance? Sure, there's a chance. I maintain my opinion that no team in this league will go undefeated, because I think the Big East is too balanced. But of the two, I would have to say Cincinnati has the better chance of running the table after this game. After this week, the Bearcats have only two road games left -- at Syracuse and at Pitt in the season finale. They match up pretty well with both of those teams. West Virginia has to come to Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati should be favored in every one of its remaining games if it wins next Thursday.

Things would be much more difficult for South Florida. The Bulls still have to go to Pitt, Rutgers and UConn and play a really good Miami team at home. Cincinnati is already in a good position, in the Top 10 of both polls, to make a run at the BCS title game. South Florida would have to leapfrog a lot more teams, but beating Miami in November would make a statement.

---

Jason from Charleston, W.Va., writes: Noel Devine had crazy numbers Thursday ... 220 yards and averaged 10 yards per carry. Bill Stull didn't even hit the 300-yard mark on the day. Usually 100 yards is the benchmark for a standout day rushing and 300 yards is the benchmark for a standout day passing. Noel went crazy ... Stull went average. I am not discounting his three touchdown passes, but come on, a guy can throw three TDs and not have bad passing numbers. But 220 yards rushing is 220 yards rushing anyway you look at it, and Devine even had a longer scoring play (77 yard TD) than Stull's longest play (71 yard TD pass).

Brian Bennett: Jason is referring to the fact that Stull was named the Big East player of the week and not Devine. The league office likes to spread the honors around whenever possible, but I admit I was stunned by that decision. I named Devine as my Big Man on Campus this week and can't see how anyone would say he didn't have the more impressive week. No offense to Stull, but Louisville's pass defense is putrid.

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Daniel from Walkersville, Md., writes: I was at the WVU-Colorado game on Thursday night and aside from being heartbroken over the constant fumbling, I was in disbelief of how many empty back sets that WVU ran. Is there a reason Jeff Mullen feels the need to take the best offense weapon WVU has off the field in second and third down situations? His play calling makes the offense way too predictable.

Brian Bennett: While I understand your desire to see more Devine, Daniel, he did get 23 touches against Colorado. It's hard for me to see much reason to criticize Mullen, because the Mountaineers are averaging 465 yards per game, just three fewer than league leader Cincinnati. That's good for 13th nationally. If not for all the turnovers, this offense would be averaging 40 points a game, easily.

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Allen from Syracuse, N.Y., writes: I think you need to actually watch the Syracuse vs. South Florida game. South Florida did NOT dominate SU in any way (other than turnovers maybe). The game primarily hinged on two big plays in the first three minutes of the second half. Hats off to USF to make the plays, but I don't think anyone (even USF) would say that there was a big talent/speed differential on the field today.

Brian Bennett: Well, Allen, I watched the entire game, and I never wrote that that South Florida dominated Syracuse. In fact, I praised the Orange's game plan. I came away pretty impressed by how Syracuse was able to move the ball, and I thought Mike Williams was maybe the best player on that field. The difference was South Florida's defensive line, which is dominant.

---

Brad B. from Bethel Park, Penn., writes: Did you notice that once Pitt got their penalty frenzy under control in the second half Friday night, that they were able to put it all together and gel as a football team? Penalties have been one of the biggest downfalls of this Pitt team (other than their suspect defense). The score would have been even worse for The Ville if Oderick Turner's TD was not called back in the first half. Do you think that if Pitt can get their discipline back and be able to buckle down on defense that they can win the Big East?

Brian Bennett: Pitt was definitely a different team in the second half than it had been in the first or even the second half at NC State. Penalties have been a major problem, you're right. So too has the defense. What I liked was that the Panthers finally got back to exploiting their advantages on both lines and took some shots down the field to their big-player receivers. Pitt definitely has enough talent to contend for the Big East and gets both Cincinnati and South Florida at home, but first it must shore up that defense.

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Mike Parks (Deployed in Afghanistan): When do you think that USF will address their kicking problem? Another missed field goal and extra point vs. Syracuse. Delbert Alvarado has struggled for a while now and it seems the kicker they replaced him with hasn't done any better. Surely there must be someone in Tampa who would be willing to strap on a Bulls uniform and give the offense a hand every once in a while.

Brian Bennett: First and foremost, Mike, thanks for all you do and be safe over there. Now, onto your question. You're right, kicking is the Achilles' heel that no one is talking a lot about for the Bulls. Alvarado lost his job after going just 1-for-4 on field goals, and then Eric Schwartz replaced him. Schwartz, though is just 2-for-5. Schwartz is a walk-on who was asked to come back to the team.

I'm not sure who else the Bulls could turn to at this point. Maikon Bonani's amusement park injury in the summer left the team shorthanded. I wonder, if the Bulls keep winning and Bonani heals, if he and Jim Leavitt would consider coming back late in the year. You hate to waste most of a season of eligibility, but it might be worth it if this shapes up as a special season. I don't know if Bonani would even be able to do it physically, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- South Florida is one gondola away from being up 20-0 over Florida State at halftime.

Had Maikon Bonani not fallen from a gondola on an amusement park ride this summer, perhaps he makes both field goal attempts this half. Instead, walk-on Eric Schwartz now has the job, having taken over for the struggling Delbert Alvarado, and he missed a pair of 37-yarders, including one near the end of the second quarter.

The kicking problems are something to keep an eye on in the second half. And if the Bulls can't hang onto this lead, remember that fateful gondola accident.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Our weekly look at who's up, who's down and who's leading the player of the year races in the Big East:

Stock up

1. Jarrett Brown: We knew the guy was good. But 334 yards, four-touchdown good? Brown made some throws against East Carolina that not many other college quarterbacks could pull off.

2. Mo Plancher: The South Florida back had his first career 100-yard day against Western Kentucky, and coach Jim Leavitt said, "We trust him a lot."

3. Dorin Dickerson: It took Pitt and Dickerson four years to figure out how to use his talent, but better late than never. The senior tight end has four touchdowns already this season.

4. Jock Sanders: Coming back from his offseason suspension for a DUI arrest, Sanders leads the Big East with 17 catches in two games.

5. Yankee Bowl: The Big East should announce within the next couple of weeks that it will send one of its top teams to Yankee Stadium for the new bowl game starting in 2010.

Stock down

1. UConn's offense: Remember Zach Frazer's spring quote that the Huskies would average 40 points a game? Now he's hurt, and the Huskies are hurting for points. They've scored 33 in two games combined.

2. Syracuse receivers' hands: After bobbled catches cost the Orange a touchdown and led to an interception at Penn State, coach Doug Marrone minced no words. "We have to get away from the dropped passes," he said. "That's hurting our program right now."

3. Delbert Alvarado: The South Florida kicker is once again making Bulls' fans very nervous after he missed two field goals at Western Kentucky. Darn those amusement park rides!

4. Pitt's pass defense: The Panthers were torched for 433 yards by Buffalo, making you wonder how they're going to stop Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati.

5. Bowl games in nice football stadiums: The addition of the Yankee Bowl means the Big East will have two of its five postseason games in baseball stadiums (the other being Tropicana Field for the St. Petersburg Bowl) and two others (the Champs Sports and Papajohns.com bowls) in badly-aging facilities.

Player of the year race: Offense

1. Tony Pike, QB,Cincinnati: Has completed 77.2 percent of his passes for 591 yards and six touchdowns.

2. Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia: Has completed 75.4 percent of his passes for 577 yards and four touchdowns.

3. Dion Lewis, RB, Pittsburgh: Has run for 319 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

4. Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati: Has 14 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

5. Matt Grothe, QB, South Florida: Has completed 71.1 percent of his passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns.

Player of the year race: Defense

1. Lindsey Witten, DE, UConn: His numbers keep changing, but he's now credited with seven sacks, which leads the nation.

2. Adam Gunn, LB, Pittsburgh: Ranks second in the league in both tackles (19) and sacks (5).

3. George Selvie, DE, South Florida: Numbers not impressive yet -- just 10 tackles and one sack -- but he remains a force.

4. Aaron Webster, S, Cincinnati: Has grabbed an interception in both games this year.

5. Reed Williams, LB, West Virginia: Leader of the Mountaineers' defense will be a factor in this race if he stays healthy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese talks to the Memphis Commercial Appeal about his new role as a consultant for Memphis.

"My job is not to get people into other conferences, because if that was what I was hired for, I would not have accepted it. What I said I could do is evaluate and tell you where your program is relative to other programs in the BCS."

• The Big East is likely to stay with the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Jon Solomon writes in the Birmingham News.
• Bobby Petrino deserves blame for Louisville's decline, Rick Bozich writes in The Courier-Journal.
• Rutgers running back Jourdan Brooks, who was invisible in the opener, had a big game against Howard and is feeling more comfortable this year, Tom Luicci writes in The Star-Ledger.
• Cincinnati's first priority on Saturday will be stopping Jacquizz Rodgers, Bill Koch writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• Delone Carter will try to fix Syracuse's running woes, Donnie Webb writes in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
• Scooter Berry really wants to play against Auburn, but the West Virginia defensive lineman doesn't know if his shoulder will let him, Bob Hertzel writes in the Times West Virginian.
• UConn coach Randy Edsall is looking for a deep threat to emerge at receiver, Desmond Conner writes in the Hartford Courant.
• Delbert Alvarado might be relieved of his kickoff duties for South Florida but will remain the field goal kicker and punter, Brett McMurphy says in the Tampa Tribune.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Our preseason position rankings comes to a close on the final official day of the college preseason. The only thing left is special teams, where we'll consider punters, kickers, returners and coverage units as a whole.


1. Cincinnati: The Bearcats have the league's best return man in Mardy Gilyard, one of the best place-kickers in the country in Jake Rogers and led the league in kickoff
coverage last year. Losing All-American punter Kevin Huber hurts, but Rogers should be able to do an adequate job there.


2. Connecticut: The Huskies had their share of problems with special teams mistakes a year ago, but I have to believe Randy Edsall will get those fixed. Beyond that, they have a senior punter in Desi Cullen, whose numbers would have been much better if not for so many blocked kicks, and a strong-armed place-kicker in Dave Teggart. The return and cover teams should be solid as well.


3. Rutgers: Punting and kicking are in good hands with returning starters Teddy Dellaganna and San San Te, respectively. The Scarlet Knights led the league in punt return average last year and were solid on kickoffs as well.


4. Syracuse: The Orange have the top returning punter in the league with Rob Long and one of the better return men in Mike Holmes. Field goals are a major question, however, after departures left the Orange with only one scholarship place-kicker and none who have performed in a college game.


5. South Florida: The Bulls would have ranked much higher if not for the injury to Maikon Bonani. As is, Delbert Alvarado will have to handle field goals, and he's been erratic throughout his career. Alvarado is a very solid punter, however, and Dontavia Bogan is the best returner in the league outside of Gilyard.


6. Pittsburgh: The Panthers had to replace dependable kicker Conor Lee and punter Dave Brytus. Dan Hutchins will attempt to fill both roles while dealing with the sometimes tricky wind patterns at Heinz Field. Pitt has enough athletes that it should field above-average return and coverage units.


7. West Virginia: While the Mountaineers were awful in kick coverage last year, at least they had the reliable Pat McAfee on field goals and kicks. He's gone now, leaving field goal duties to Tyler Bitancurt and punting to Scott Kozlowski. Both need to perform better than they did in the spring. With guys like Jock Sanders and Tavon Austin, there's no reason why the Mountaineers shouldn't improve on their mediocre return numbers of '08.


8. Louisville: Special teams were an adventure last year for the Cardinals, especially on field goals and punts. The same players will handle those roles this year, so they'll need to have improved leaps and bounds. Louisville also ranked last in the Big East on kick returns a year ago.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

We've made a big deal all offseason about all the talent that was lost in the Big East from a year ago. Usually, we're talking about quarterbacks, running backs or linebackers.

But a lot also is missing from the kicking games. The Big East had some excellent specialists in guys like Kevin Huber, Pat McAfee, Conor Lee and Patrick Shadle. In a league with so much parity, the difference between winning and losing could come down to a missed 40-yard field goal or a shanked punt.

So let's look at how the kicking situations are shaping up at each Big East school this preseason:

Cincinnati:

Field goals are in good hands with junior placekicker Jake Rogers, a preseason Lou Groza Award candidate. But the Bearcats lose quite a weapon in All-American punter Huber. In fact, Kelly said at Big East media day that losing Huber concerned him more than missing 10 starters on defense.

"If I'm up late at night worrying about one thing, it's that," he said about not having Huber.

Rogers may end up handling punt duties as well. Freshman Patrick O'Donnell is also vying for the job.

Connecticut

The Huskies are in excellent shape. They have quirky but effective senior Desi Cullen back at punter, and Dave Teggart returns as the placekicker after being highly effective down the stretch a year ago.

Louisville

The Cardinals were brutally bad on field goals last year and return all three players who attempted kicks for them in '08. Somebody needs to emerge as a reliable option. Senior Cory Goettsche is trying to hold off Jon Payne to keep the punting job.

Pittsburgh

Dave Wannstedt lists the kicking game as one of his main worries this preseason. The Panthers lost Lee, a tremendously accurate kicker inside of 45 yards, and punter Dave Brytus. Dan Hutchins and Kevin Harper are the top two candidates at placekicker, while Hutchins is also the leader for punting duties. Kicking in the swirling winds at Heinz Field is never easy.

Rutgers

Like UConn, the Scarlet Knights have everything in place with returning punter Teddy Dellaganna and kicker San San Te.

South Florida

Maikon Bonani's amusement park fall means senior Delbert Alvarado will go back to handling field goals. He has a big leg but has been wildly inconsistent in the past. Alvarado is a solid punter, however.

Syracuse

Rob Long is one of the top punters in the Big East, if not the country. The Orange have to find a new field goal kicker to replace Shadle. True freshman Shane Raupers looks like the next guy in.

West Virginia

Bill Stewart is wondering who will pick up the slack left by McAfee, who excelled at both punts and field goals. Tyler Bitancurt has been the presumed leader at placekicker, with Scott Kozlowski at punter, but neither has established a firm hold on the job.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

South Florida kicker Maikon Bonani, who suffered a broken vertebrae after falling about 35 feet from an amusement park ride last month, visited Bulls practice for the first time today. Bonani, who was wearing a brace around his torso, spoke with reporters afterward, and you can watch the video here. 

Bonani

"I missed it," he said. "Laying in bed wasn't fun."

Bonani recounted his harrowing accident on July 19 at Busch Gardens. He worked there as a ride attendant and grabbed onto an unlocked gondola as it was taking off. 

"It was more instinct than anything," he said. "People can look at it both ways, whether it was my fault or a failure. At the time, no one would know what to do in that situation."

Bonani knew the ride took 2 1/2 minutes before it reached another station, so he decided to wait until the gondola passed a rocky area and went over a patch of grass. 

"The thing was just going to get higher," he said. "If I took the chance, I might have slipped. My hand could have slipped and I could have fallen from higher, onto concrete and on top of people."

He said he thought he'd be able to walk away from the fall. He braced for impact by landing feet-first and said the pain after that "was just broken-bone pain."

"I laid there and made sure I could move my fingers and toes and all that," he said.

Bonani will have to wear the brace for three months, which means he would not be able to kick until late October or early November at the earliest. His plan is to redshirt this year unless the Bulls really need him late in the year.

He said he talks to senior kicker Delbert Alvarado, his likely replacement, almost daily. And he intends to be around practices and all of the home games this season.

"I'm going to be a great support to the guys," he said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

While Rutgers fans breathlessly anticipate Tom Savage, Dom Natale is the guy who could lead the Scarlet Knights to a Big East title, Steve Politi says in The Star-Ledger.

• Delbert Alvarado is relying on faith as he tries to take over for friend and fellow kicker Maikon Bonani at South Florida, Greg Auman writes in the St. Petersburg Times.

• Greg Paulus was the main story as Syracuse hit the field Monday, Dave Rahme writes in the Syracuse Post-Standard.

• Pitt has some holes to fill, but Dave Wannstedt is confident in his team this year, Paul Zeise writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

• It's time for Jonathan Baldwin to play a larger role in the Pitt offense, John Grupp writes in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Grupp points out that Baldwin touched the ball just 19 times last season.

• Louisville's Victor Anderson is working on being bigger and more of a vocal leader, Jody Demling writes in The Courier-Journal.

• The C-J's Rick Bozich says Miami should come back and be the Big East's ninth football team.

• Don Barclay is happy to be back on the West Virginia O-line after breaking his fibula in the spring game, Mike Casazza writes in the Charleston Daily Mail.

• Desmond Conner reports on UConn's sweltering first practice.

• The Big East needs a marquee team, and Bill Koch wonders if Cincinnati can carry the banner.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

It had been heavily speculated already, but South Florida coach Jim Leavitt confirmed in an interview with Bright House Sports Network that kicker Maikon Bonani will not play in 2009.

Bonani broke several vertebrae when he fell nearly 35 feet from a gondola ride at Busch Gardens earlier this month. The sophomore did not require surgery and is out of the hospital now, but he will almost certainly redshirt this season.

"Our thoughts are to not play him this year, but to have him the year after that, ready to go," Leavitt told the TV network.

With Bonani unavailable, field goal duties will be handled by senior Delbert Alvarado, who also serves as the team's punter. Alvarado was the team's kicker his first two years and early last season before being replaced by Bonani. He has made 25 of 42 career attempts, including a Big East record 56-yarder as a freshman.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 0

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 0

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 2

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 2

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 0

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 0

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 1

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

ESPNU top 150 players: 0

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.