Signing Day - National Capsules: Blue chippers flock to Florida

EDITOR'S NOTE: For a list of state Football Bowl Subdivision signees, click here.

NEW YORK — This much is certain at Florida: Any doubts about Urban Meyer’s future with the Gators didn’t hurt their recruiting one bit this year.

Florida landed the top-rated recruiting class in the country Wednesday, the first and by far the busiest day of the national letter of intent signing period for high school football players.

"The key to recruiting is a lot like the keys to making a great sale," said Meyer, who has won two national championships in five seasons with the Gators. "The first one is having a great product and we obviously have that here at the University of Florida."

As usual, national signing day was mostly about the rich getting richer.

While Florida took the mythical recruiting national championship — most of the notable ranking services had the Gators on top — Alabama and Texas, the teams that played for the BCS title last month, also loaded up for future runs.

Southern California and Tennessee withstood late coaching changes to land highly regarded classes. And Auburn showed it’s not about to concede the state of Alabama to Nick Saban and the Tide.

But the big winner was Florida, a program that seemed on the verge of disarray six weeks ago.

A day after Christmas, Meyer resigned to deal with health problems. The next day he decided instead to take a leave of absence — but not until he had locked up a recruiting class loaded with many of the bluest blue chippers in the land.

At the head of Florida’s class is Ronald Powell, a 240-pound defensive end rated the No. 1 prospect in the country by Rivals.com.

Residing in maybe the most fertile football state in the country, the Gators always stock up on homegrown talent. Sixteen of Florida’s 28 signees are from the Sunshine State. But Meyer and his staff showed off their range, too.

"They do have that reach. They do have that appeal," said Jeremy Crabtree, national recruiting editor at Rivals.com. "If you’re a hot recruit, you’re going to have Florida at the top of your list."

Powell is from Moreno Valley, Calif., near Riverside, and highly rated defensive back Joshua Shaw came to Florida from Palmdale, Calif., about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The Gators ventured into the Northeast for two of the most-wanted defensive linemen in Sharrif Floyd of Philadelphia and Dominique Easley of New York City.

"I think that’s a class people are going to look back a couple of years from now and say, ‘Wow, this is once-in-a-lifetime type of class,"’ Crabtree said.

ESPNU, Scout.com, SuperPrep Magazine and MaxPreps all ranked Florida No. 1.

Texas made a strong case to be No. 2. The Longhorns class included two of the nation’s highest-rated players in defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano, Texas, and the son of former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Jim Jeffcoat, and linebacker Jordan Hicks from West Chester, Ohio. Both committed to Texas late last week.

In the state of Alabama, Saban restocked the Tide with another class the recruiting gurus loved. No surprise there.

But it was Auburn and second-year coach Gene Chizik that made the biggest splash, securing a class rated in the top 10 nationally.

The headliner came from junior college. Former Florida quarterback Cameron Newton, who left the Gators after getting into legal trouble off the field, could start for the Tigers this fall.

New USC coach Lane Kiffin got a late start on recruiting for the Trojans, hired away from Tennessee less than a month before signing day to replace his former boss at USC, Pete Carroll.

Kiffin and his staff made up for lost time and then some.

"They did a years’ worth of work in about two weeks," Crabtree said.

Not only did Kiffin lock up the top prospects who had given nonbinding verbal commitments to Carroll, but he strengthened the class by luring a few others that seemed headed elsewhere. Most notably, Seantrel Henderson, a 330-pound offensive lineman from Saint Paul, Minn., picked USC over Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida on Wednesday.

"Despite the coaching, I always liked USC, period," Henderson said. "It’s a great school and great education."

"As far as football goes, Lane Kiffin recruited me when he was still at Tennessee."

Allen Wallace, national recruiting editor for Scout.com and SuperPrep, compared Henderson to former NFL greats such as Jonathan Ogden and Anthony Munoz.

"Seantrel Henderson went a long way toward showing USC fans that Lane Kiffin can be the kind of recruiter that Pete Carroll was," Wallace said.

Henderson, however, did not make his decision official Wednesday. He was not included on USC’s official list of players who had submitted signed letters of intent with the school. Henderson’s father told The New York Times late Wednesday that his son would wait until after USC goes before the NCAA infractions committee later this month to sign his letter of intent.

One particular USC signee will no doubt have Volunteers fans cussin’ Kiffin — again.

Wide receiver Markeith Ambles from Georgia had committed to the Vols, but pulled back on that commitment after Kiffin bolted and ultimately signed with the Trojans.

Kiffin’s departure sent Tennessee fans into a frenzy and caused a few Volunteers recruits to reconsider their verbal commitments.

But much like Kiffin at USC, new Tennessee coach Derek Dooley made a late save. The Volunteers ended up with a top-15 ranking from all the notable recruiting services.

Brian Kelly’s first recruiting class at Notre Dame didn’t draw big raves, but it got a late lift Wednesday when highly rated offensive lineman Matt James from Cincinnati chose the Fighting Irish over Ohio State.

Florida, Meyer sign nation’s top recruiting class

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Whatever health problems Florida coach Urban Meyer may have, his program is in pretty good shape.

Meyer signed the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country Wednesday, stockpiling the kind of talent that could keep the Gators in the national title hunt for several years.

Does it mean anything to be on top?

"It shouldn’t, but it does," Meyer said. "I guess that’s the competitive nature of it, but it has no bearing on where you finish. ... The ego part of it, where ... ‘Hey, you guys just had the No. 1 class in America.’ That’s good for about 24 hours and then you’ve got to get to work and worry about something else."

The class is already being touted as the best in school history. It includes three of the top seven prospects, according to Rivals.com, and 11 of ESPNU’s top 50 high school seniors.

Twenty-eight players signed national letters of intent with Florida, including 11 who enrolled last month. Securing the class was Meyer’s last bit of work before beginning his leave of absence. He plans to take vacation, but also has a series of heart and stress tests lined up later this month.

He expects to return for spring practice, which begins March 17, and coach this fall.

"I feel good," Meyer said. "Just taking care of yourself, that’s the key. I’m trying to do the best I can."

He did just fine recruiting.

At the top of Florida’s class is defensive end Ronald Powell, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound Californian who’s rated the No. 1 prospect in the country by Rivals.com.

Powell is the centerpiece of a group filled with standout defensive linemen. It includes tackles Dominique Easley, Leon Orr and Sharrif Floyd, and ends Neiron Ball and Lynden Trail.

"As far as the defensive front, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one like this," Meyer said.

The defensive secondary is nearly as loaded. Safeties Jonathan Dowling, Matt Elam and Jordan Haden are rated three of the best in the country, and talented cornerback Joshua Shaw should get a chance to earn a starting job opposite Janoris Jenkins.

Florida lost six starters on offense and six on defense, and Meyer said this class could help fill the void left by the early departure of underclassmen Aaron Hernandez, Maurkice Pouncey, Joe Haden, Major Wright and Carlos Dunlap.

"I don’t know if there’s ever rebuilding, but this would be a rebuilding year for us," he said. "You got to replace those guys with real guys. You look at the record of those players I just talked about. It’s a very productive group, so we put a big emphasis on going out and finding some difference makers."

The Gators signed 15 players from the Sunshine State, including nine from the talent-rich South Florida area. Meyer and his staff also showed they can go beyond Florida to pull in top talent.

Shaw is from Palmdale, Calif., Floyd is from Philadelphia, Easley is from New York and quarterback Tyler Murphy is from Wethersfield, Conn.

"The key to recruiting, just like the key to a great sale, is having a tremendous product, and we obviously have a tremendous product," Meyer said. "Academically and football program-wise, what’s happened in the last five years here, it’s a product where a lot of guys want to be part of."

Those guys also has plenty of questions as Meyer battled rumors, speculation and uncertainty on the recruiting trail.

He tried to step away after the Gators beat Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, but that lasted about a day and a half. He returned to work and made countless phone calls in hopes of keeping the class intact.

"Yes, there were fires to be put out," he said. "The good thing is when you go top to bottom in our class, you’re dealing with intelligent guys and good families. ... When you’re dealing with very intelligent families and people that really understand, they hear some crazy rumor — and I heard some — you simply pick up the phone and say, ‘Listen.’ ... You can end the rumors like that because you have a relationship with a kid."

-- Mark Long

Alabama’s signing class includes few surprises

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban loaded his latest recruiting class with two things he loves to work with: defensive backs and signees who enroll early.

The Crimson Tide followed a national championship season with group of recruits that wasn’t as splashy as the previous two, but addressed the team’s biggest needs.

Alabama signed six defensive backs Wednesday and added 18 recruits to the 11 who are already on campus for the offseason conditioning program and spring practice.

"We had to probably recruit more by need in this recruiting class than ever before," said Saban, who spends much of his practice time working with the defensive backs.

The Tide had pulled in the nation’s top-rated class each of the past two years. This group was a consensus top-five and was rated as high as No. 3 by ESPNU. Not that it matters to Saban.

"I’m not really much into the ratings and really don’t even know how we are rated, and really don’t much care," he said.

The class was headlined by the state’s top prospect, cornerback DeMarcus Milliner. Milliner is a Parade All-American who was rated as the No. 1 cornerback and 11th-best prospect nationally by Scout.com.

The fresh crop of blue-chippers was enough to offset the recruits that got away, including safety Keenan Allen, who committed to Alabama but signed with California, where his half brother and former Buffalo player Zach Maynard is also transferring.

Saban said Alabama didn’t have enough room for both.

"Keenan Allen’s a fine young man and a great player," he said. "We recruited him for a long time, we had a lot of respect for the family. Ten days ago, the circumstances changed relative to his brother Zach getting a release and transferring. Then it becomes a matter of whether we can take both guys or not. The people that could had a big advantage, and we were not in a position to do that because we were full."

Alabama must replace three starting defensive backs — including All-American cornerback Javier Arenas — and four reserves in the secondary. Incoming cornerback DeQuan Menzie is rated as the No. 6 junior college player by SuperPrep Magazine, but won’t be on campus until the summer.

The players who were able to enroll early include South Carolina cornerback John Fulton and Virginia quarterback Phillip Sims. The major recruiting services rated Fulton among the nation’s six-best corners though he missed half his senior season with an injury.

Sims is the only quarterback signee and was a five-star player by Scout, which had him rated as the No. 2 quarterback nationally. Sims, Milliner and linebacker C.J. Mosley were all Parade All-Americans.

The Tide landed 11 in-state prospects from what was regarded by recruiting analysts as a somewhat weak class in Alabama.

Saban & Co. also brought in five defensive linemen, four offensive linemen, four linebackers and three wide receivers and defensive linemen.

The Tide added two big men in the week before signing day, offensive tackle Arie Kouandjio and defensive tackle Brandon Ivory.

The 6-foot-4, 335-pound Ivory wasn’t highly recruited, but the former Memphis commitment has the size to be a potential successor to two-time All-American nose tackle Terrence Cody on Alabama’s three-man front.

Saban heard about Ivory from coaches in the Memphis area, and even got a call from Tide signee Keiwan Malone raving about the big lineman after playing with him at an all-star game in Tennessee.

Saban liked what he saw on film well enough to go watch Ivory on the basketball court.

"I’m thinking this is too good to be true, from watching the film and all that," he said. "Nobody recruited Cody. We were the only offer he had. The guy (Ivory) moved around on the basketball floor pretty good and dunked it and could touch the rim. I said a guy that weighs this much and moves that well and plays that well on film ... and we have a need for big-bodied people.

"He seemed to fit the criteria. We felt like we have to justify our dietitian some kind of way here since Cody’s leaving, so we’ve got another one for them."

-- John Zenor

ND signs 23, adding highly rated OL Matt James

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly added offensive tackle Matt James and defensive end Kona Schwenke on Wednesday to his first recruiting class, giving the Fighting Irish what analysts described as a solid but unspectacular class.

"It’s a very respectable class. Not a great one, but respectable," said Tom Lemming, CBS College Sports Network recruiting analyst.

Kelly described the 23 signees as a good class, especially after he spent his first few days on the job working to make sure the five early enrollees would stay committed and then working to hold together the rest of the class recruited by Charlie Weis.

"It’s a good start for us," Kelly said. "I think you’ll see a growth in the recruiting process for us next year. But I think it’s a good start for us."

Kelly, who arrived on campus Dec. 11, said a lack of time was the biggest obstacle, saying two months isn’t enough time to build relationships and do all the other work that needs to be done.

Recruiting analysts generally had the Irish out of the top 10 in their rankings, but in the top 25.

The highlight of the day was the announcement by James, who is 6-foot-6 and 291 pounds, that he would play for the Irish. He surprised some by selecting the Irish over Ohio State, the first big recruiting win for Kelly and his staff.

"I think it’s important in the sense that it’s pretty clear that our coaching staff is going to be able to recruit anywhere given they have the time to build those relationships," Kelly said.

James, who is from Cincinnati St. Xavier High School, already was familiar with Kelly and his staff because he had been recruited by Cincinnati, where Kelly coached the past three years.

Schwenke, who is 6-4, 227 pounds, had originally committed to BYU but switched to Notre Dame after a campus visit this past weekend.

In addition to James, another highly rated recruit to sign with the Irish was defensive tackle Louis Nix of Jacksonville, Fla., who committed to the Irish a day after Weis was fired. Other highly rated players include offensive lineman Christian Lombard of Inverness, Ill., wide receiver Tai-ler Jones of Gainesville, Ga., and tight end Alex Welch of Cincinnati.

Left with only one scholarship quarterback after Jimmy Clausen left early for the NFL, Kelly signed Andrew Hendrix and Luke Massa, both from Cincinnati, and Tommy Rees of Lake Forest, Ill., to play quarterback. Two others, Derek Roback of Waverly, Ohio, and Danny Spond of Littleton, Colo., played quarterback in high school.

A surprise came Wednesday when defensive back Jeremy Ioane, who attended the same Hawaii high school as Irish linebacker Manti Te’o and receiver Roby Toma, picked Boise State over Notre Dame.

"That’s a perfect example of not having enough time to recruit a kid," Lemming said "Notre Dame losing a kid to Boise State doesn’t happen unless circumstances dictate it. If they had recruited him the whole year, they would have gotten him."

Another notable signing Wednesday was defensive lineman Bruce Heggie from Sorrento, Fla. Heggie didn’t have a scholarship offer from any school, the first time in recent memory the Irish signed a player without any offers from other colleges. That didn’t concern Kelly.

"If you use the recruiting process as the standard, there’s always going to be questions about recruits that don’t have the pedigree," he said. "But I kind of like that because I certainly don’t have the pedigree either."

-- Tom Coyne

Kiffin keeps together solid USC recruiting class

LOS ANGELES — Although Lane Kiffin had a late start on his first recruiting class at Southern California, he showed off a closing speed to match any of the talented players he kept committed to the Trojans.

The Trojans added an impressive array of offensive skill players in their recruiting class, and coveted offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson announced he had chosen USC as well — although the school still didn’t have a signed letter of intent from him by Wednesday night.

"I can’t imagine there being as many star players in any class around the country as there will be here by the end of the day," Kiffin said at Heritage Hall.

With just three weeks to keep together outgoing coach Pete Carroll’s class, Kiffin and recruiting guru Ed Orgeron say they retained every Carroll recruit they wanted — and apparently added the nation’s consensus top offensive lineman as well.

Henderson made a televised announcement saying he picked USC over Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida, but the New York Times reported Henderson might wait until later in the month to formally commit, perhaps leery of the looming possibility of NCAA sanctions against the Trojans. Henderson was just the biggest name in another deep, balanced USC class that earned a top-10 ranking from most major recruiting services.

"We did have a background with a number of these kids and some knowledge about them," Kiffin said. "They had the sense that things were the same on a lot of fronts here. They weren’t going to come in with brand-new offense and defense systems, and it’s why I think this class really stayed together. The stars that were in this class are still here today that were here three weeks ago."

USC’s class includes three of the nation’s top receivers — early enrollee Kyle Prater, Carson’s Robert Woods and Georgia product Markeith Ambles — along with top running backs Dillon Baxter and D.J. Morgan, and three elite tight ends. That’s a fairly remarkable achievement for a school with no offensive coordinator or skill-position coaches hired yet.

Kiffin attributed his success in keeping together Carroll’s class and landing a few extra talents to his familiarity with most of the top recruits from his year at Tennessee. He also credited the tradition at USC, with Kiffin telling recruits he plans to run much the same systems that Carroll put together during Kiffin’s six seasons as an assistant coach.

Although USC couldn’t formally add Henderson to its list Wednesday night, the Minnesota native was the gem of the Trojans’ class.

Kiffin couldn’t talk about Henderson when he met with the media, but he acknowledged he hadn’t felt much disappointment in losing a few prospective recruits "because I kept thinking about that left tackle that might be coming here a little later in the day."

USC also signed one junior college transfer: linebacker Glen Stanley of Eastern Arizona. Kiffin decided the Trojans needed a quick influx of talent at linebacker, and he succeeded by landing Stanley, who played for Bowling Green in 2007 before becoming a much-desired juco star.

Jesse Scroggins is the Trojans’ only new quarterback, with the Lakewood, Calif., product joining high school teammate Dion Bailey. Scroggins attended a quarterbacks camp at Tennessee during Kiffin’s tenure with the Volunteers.

USC didn’t claim every recruit it hoped to sign in the area. Fontana linebacker Josh Shirley and La Canada defensive back Dietrich Riley both chose UCLA over the Trojans, leaving Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel overjoyed by his class.

Kiffin betrayed no disappointment in any losses to UCLA.

"I’ve been gone three years but much hasn’t changed," Kiffin said of the recruiting tussles between Los Angeles’ two programs. "As you meet the kids there is a sense ... of the kids that go to UCLA and the kids that come to USC. I watched it over the weekend just to see if it’s the same, and it’s really still the same. I guess we waste time continuing to recruit them, (but) we know within the first 10 minutes whether they’re the type of guys that want to play here or there."

-- Greg Beacham

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley hangs on to top class

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Derek Dooley appeared to have a daunting task when he was hired at Tennessee 19 days before national signing day.

Turns out, selling the Volunteers’ program to recruits wasn’t that difficult for him.

"I’m still trying to find out if there’s anything wrong with this place," Dooley joked on Wednesday. "What’s not to sell?"

Seventeen prospects signed with Tennessee on Wednesday to join eight others who enrolled in January to form Dooley’s 2010 recruiting class. The class included Rivals.com and Scout.com five-star wide receiver, Da’Rick Rogers, and offensive lineman James Stone, one of the top prospects from the state of Tennessee.

"The university has so much to sell, so it wasn’t as hard as people think to go out there and convince some of these young men to come to Tennessee," Dooley said. "It was just a matter of getting out there in front of them."

The class was ranked as high as sixth in the nation by Rivals at the beginning of the year, but dropped to the low teens after former coach Lane Kiffin bolted for Southern California on Jan. 12.

On Wednesday night, the class was rated ninth in the nation by Rivals and 15th by Scout.

"They’ve really grabbed some big names and stole some big names, led by Da’rick Rogers," Rivals southeast recruiting analyst Barton Simmons said. "I think all in all, particularly considering where they sat when they were hired, you really can’t say enough about this class."

Kiffin’s departure left the program "in a little bit of a fragile state," said Dooley, who immediately went to work assuring the midterm signees of their future with Tennessee. Their decision to remain with the Vols sent a message of stability to other recruits, he said.

Rogers, a standout from Calhoun, Ga., was committed to Georgia before Dooley came calling. Dooley signed his teammate, quarterback Nash Nance, in what was perceived as a package deal.

Nashville’s Stone had his eye on both Alabama and Tennessee but knew he didn’t want to play for Kiffin.

"Tennessee didn’t seem like a place where I would feel comfortable (under Kiffin), but now I feel like I will be comfortable with the leadership and I’ll be able to really grow as a person," Stone told The Tennessean newspaper.

Dooley couldn’t hang on to at least two other celebrated recruits, five-star wide receiver Markeith Ambles, who followed Kiffin to USC, or defensive end J.C. Copeland, who signed with LSU.

Simmons said Rogers’ commitment would keep the Vols from missing Ambles, though Tennessee still has a glaring need at defensive line.

Rogers is one of four wide receivers who will join the team, bolstering a position that had lost some of its luster in recent years at a school known as "Wide Receiver U" in the 1980s.

And after a season with limited options at quarterback, the Vols now have a variety of choices with Nance joining midterm enrollees Tyler Bray and Matt Simms.

"I think every year you’re always looking for game-changing, playmaking, offensive weapons for when it gets down there in the fourth quarter and it gets tight," Dooley said.

A few of Tennessee’s neediest positions, like offensive and defensive line and special teams, got some help too.

Dooley said he was aware of Tennessee’s needs but felt with two weeks available for him to recruit he had to focus on getting the best talent available.

He also cautioned fans not to get too wrapped up in the excitement of signing day because every coach will misjudge some talent in each signing class.

"There’s no way that I can sit here and project how good these guys are going to be two to three years from now. Today is when the work begins," he said. "This class will be evaluated three or four years from now."

-- Beth Rucker

Fisher goes heavy for defensive players

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jimbo Fisher was pegged as Bobby Bowden’s replacement at Florida State because of his ability to run a high-powered offense.

Fisher’s first recruiting class for the Seminoles, however, was heavy on defense.

The Seminoles went big for defensive backs, linebackers and defensive linemen on Wednesday’s national signing day in hopes of shoring up a beleaguered defensive unit.

Florida State’s offense, led by experienced quarterbacks Christian Ponder and E.J. Manuel, and a veteran offensive line, returns basically intact, but Fisher wanted to shore up a defense that was one of the nation’s worst in 2009 when the Seminoles finished 7-6 for the third time in the last four years.

"I think we did that," he said. "We got physical, inside presence, I think we got width and speed ... great corners."

Fourteen of the 24 signees were defensive players and Fisher expects many to challenege for playing time.

"If they’re the best players, they’ll play," said Fisher, who spent three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Seminoles under Bowden before replacing the winningest coach in school history last month. "Some of these guys may have a chance to make an impact."

Immediate help could come from 230-pound middle linebacker Jeff Luc from Treasure Coast High School in Port St. Lucie, where he totaled 228 tackles over his junior and senior seasons. Luc and quarterback Clint Trickett, son of offensive coordinator Rick Trickett, enrolled last month and will take part in spring practice.

The Seminoles signed five linebackers, including 225-pound Christian Jones of Lake Howell High School. His dad and brother, Willie Jones and Willie Jones Jr., preceded him at Florida State.

"We didn’t recruit his dad or his brother," Fisher said. "We recruited him because he’s a great football player and he can help us win now."

But Fisher couldn’t resist pulling in some talent on offense, especially at wide receiver where the Seminoles are already loaded.

"A lot of athleticism," he said.

Diminutive cornerback Lamarcus Joyner from Fort Lauderdale was recruited by everyone from national champion Alabama, Notre Dame and Southern California to Georgia, Florida and Miami. The 5-8, 175-pound Joyner was an offensive star as well at St. Thomas Aquinas High School where he averaged nearly 14 yards every time he had his hands on the ball.

"He’s a special competitor," said Fisher, who compared Joyner to last year’s freshman star, Greg Reid. "Those two guys, if you beat them once, you’ll never beat them again. They don’t ever back up to nobody."

The Seminoles landed a pair of players from the Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn., foreign exchange student Bjoern Werner from Germany, a 6-4, 265-pound defensive end, and tight end Will Tye.

"Anytime you go away that far, you should get an impact guy," Fisher said. "I think both these guys will be impact guys."

Otherwise, Fisher didn’t stray far from home, signing 13 Florida athletes and five from neighboring Georgia, two from Alabama and one from Texas, Louisiana and New Jersey.

The group included four athletes already enrolled, two who transferred from a Mississippi junior college with associate degrees and eligibility for three seasons — running back Debrale Smiley and defensive tackle Anthony McCloud. The two high school teammates from nearby Thomasville, Ga., were originally in Florida State’s 2008 signing class.

-- Brent Kallestad

Boise State adds 10 recruits to 2010 team

BOISE, Idaho — Chris Petersen unveiled a 2010 recruiting class that is his smallest in his five years at Boise State, but one he insists is hardly short on talent, especially at the skill positions on offense.

The Broncos coach signed 10 recruits Wednesday in a class that drew heavily on players from California and Oregon, but also includes two from Idaho and one of the best prep players in Montana.

But on a day most coaches use to extoll their new found talent, Petersen also lamented the loss of one of his most gifted assistants. Justin Wilcox, the Broncos’ defensive coordinator the last four seasons, confirmed Wednesday he is taking the same job at Tennessee.

"We’re excited for Justin," said Petersen, who with Wilcox leading the defense compiled a 49-4 record and two Fiesta Bowl wins over the last four years. "Justin has done an outstanding job directing our defense and has made the Broncos a better team every season. We wish him nothing but the best in his new position."

Petersen named defensive line coach Pete Kwiatkowski, who graduated from Boise State in 1990, as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

Wilcox leaves behind a unit that ranked 14th nationally in total defense last season and is getting five new players.

The defensive class features Tyrone Crawford, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive end from Canada who played the last two seasons at a junior college in California. Crawford, who enrolled at Bakersfield College for academic reasons, was named first-team All-American as a sophomore with 42 tackles and eight sacks.

The other marquee defender is Jeremy Ioane, a safety from Hawaii who waited until Wednesday to declare, picking the Broncos over Washington and Notre Dame. Ioane, who went to the same high school as President Barack Obama, earned all-State honors as an all-purpose player.

"He had great options" for schools, Petersen said. "We’re excited. We think he’s going to be a heck of a player ... and a very good fit here."

The Broncos also signed a linebacker, a cornerback and defensive end Tyler Horn, from Mountain View High School in Meridian.

The new faces on offense include Matt Miller, the 2009 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year, and from Oregon, Grant Hedrick, the Oregonian’s 4A Offensive Player of the Year.

Miller, a 6-3, 207-pound receiver from Helena, helped lead Capital High School to three straight state titles, catching 50 passes last season for 829 yards and 19 TDs. He is also a threat returning kicks and earned all-state accolades for playing cornerback.

Hedrick, like Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore, is the son of a high school coach. Last year at Central High School in Independence, Ore., Hedrick completed 65 percent of his passes. He threw for more than 2,500 yards, had 34 TDs and just one interception. But he rushed for more than 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior.

The Broncos also signed wide receiver Troy Ware of Oceanside High School in Los Angeles, and a pair of tight ends, including Kyle Sosnowski, a 6-2, 210-pounder from Capital High School in Boise.

The small recruiting class is tied to the number of scholarships available, and with the Broncos returning so many starters and veterans from a season ago, it may be difficult for the incoming freshman to get on the field. Boise State is returning 21 of 22 starters from last season’s undefeated Fiesta Bowl championship team.

"These are all good football players," Petersen said. "But hopefully we’re also right on the intangibles."

-- Todd Dvorak

ECU’s McNeill: Recruiting commitments held firm

Ruffin McNeill never got much of a chance to settle in as East Carolina’s new coach before he had to hit the road for recruiting. His job was simple: keep the recruits who had committed to play for the Pirates when Skip Holtz was still in Greenville, N.C.

"It’s been a whirlwind, but a fun whirlwind," McNeill said Wednesday, the day the Pirates unveiled an 18-player recruiting class. "It was plane to plane, city to city, hotel to hotel, rental car to rental car, but it’s been fun.

"The difference was now I’m selling the program that I’m responsible for and it also happens to be my alma mater. ... I feel pretty good being able to hang onto the guys."

McNeill immediately met with the current players after being hired Jan. 21 to replace Holtz, who left for South Florida. Then he visited nearly every member of the recruiting class and their families to make sure they were comfortable with the new staff.

He met with all the recruits except quarterback Shane Carden of Bellaire, Texas, but that was because he and new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley had contact with him when they were assistants at Texas Tech.

Nine of the announced signees are projected to play defense, the side of the ball McNeill has specialized in over his long career as an assistant coach. Eight of those are slated to play in the front seven, while the offense added three linemen for depth up front as the coaching staff implements an offense similar to the wide-open attack run at Texas Tech.

In addition, five are already enrolled at East Carolina, including running back Alex Owah, a three-star prospect according to Scout.com who ranks as the Pirates’ top recruit.

"That is the biggest thing, keeping what they have," said Miller Safrit, a regional recruiting analyst for Scout.com. "It’s really an exciting class for what a lot of people expected to be just holding on for such a late move in the coaching realm. You expect the next class to be a lot better, but this class is looking pretty good for East Carolina."

McNeill promises the best players will play right away, whether they are incoming freshmen or returnees. And with 28 seniors gone after helping the program to consecutive Conference USA championships, there will be plenty of opportunities.

"Every one of these guys told me in their homes that they were coming last week and they stood by their word," McNeill said. "I was very impressed by that."

-- Aaron Beard