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| Conner Kavanaugh, left, and Drew Hubel, right, were both part of Portland State's 2007 recruiting class. |
It is the one day where the fax machine is still relevant. Athletic departments across the nation will dust off the old fax machine, make sure there is plenty of paper, and have someone on alert in case of a paper jam.
ESPNU will devote an entire day to live coverage. Not sure if they’ll plant a camera on a fax machine or not.
Many .com sites will proclaim some recruiting classes as the best ever. The same .com sites will trash another institution’s class.
Welcome to National Signing Day 2012, the day when college football recruits across the nation can officially sign a National Letter of Intent.
Many believe it is one of the most over-hyped days of the year. Yes, it’s a chance to get fans and alumni excited for the upcoming season. But, statistics show roughly half of the players who sign on Wednesday won’t pan out. Some will never attend school, some will leave a couple of years from now. Only a handful will remain and become key players.
So, it’s time to take our annual look back at recruiting classes from five years ago. These are the players who were able to redshirt and play for four years.
Eastern Washington, the 2010 Division I National Champion, listed 18 high school athletes in its 2007 signing-day class. Turns out, it was a pretty good class. Taiwan Jones, who left school early and is now with the Oakland Raiders, was part of that class, as was All-American safety Matt Johnson and his twin brother Zach Johnson. Unfortunately, both had their careers cut short due to injury.
All-American defensive tackle Renard Williams, also signed in that class, along with All-American center Chris Powers. Powers, however, was listed as a defensive lineman when he signed. Wide receiver Tyler Hart and defensive back Joshua McOmber were also solid players from that class.
Idaho State inked 15 prep players in 2007. By our count, just four were on the roster at the start of the 2011 season. J.T. Albers, who amassed 85 tackles this past season, was the best of the bunch. The class included quarterback Mike Davenport and Evan Mozzochi, who appeared in four games in 2009. Davenport went on an LDS Mission, and we’re not sure if he ended up playing at all at another school.
Montana advanced to the FCS semifinals, won 11 games and a share of the Big Sky championship in 2011. The Grizzlies had nine senior starters on defense. You’d think the 2007 recruiting class, then, was phenomenal. Not the case at all. Montana signed just six high school players. Defensive end Ryan Fetherston was the only player who started on this year’s defense. In fact, he was the only one of the six who was a major impact player at his recruited position. Cornerback DeAngelo Starr was supposed to be the marquee signee. He never played for Montana.
Montana State enjoyed a very solid 2007 recruiting class. This class signed just months before Mike Kramer was let go at Montana State’s coach. It’s a credit to current coach Rob Ash that these players stuck around and became stars. Often times when there is a coaching change, there is a plethora of roster changes. MSU’s class included linebacker Clay Bignell, offensive linemen Conrad Burbank and Alex Terrien, tight end Shane Robison and linebacker Casey Dennehy. It also included defensive tackle Dan Ogden and safety Jordan Craney, who both finished play in 2010.
Northern Arizona signed 21 prep players in 2007. Among those was stalwart defensive end Isaac Bond, offensive tackle Alex Mott and guard Kris Poindexter, who exhausted his eligibility in 2010. Tight end Brian Riley and fullback Vinnie Paciulli also were part of the class. Paciulli was signed as a nose tackle. Unfortunately, the class also included a number of players who never materialized.
Northern Colorado had just completed its first season of play in the Big Sky when Scott Downing signed the 2007 recruiting class. The class consisted of 16 Colorado high school football players. Defensive lineman Amal Gumbs, safety Max Hewitt, defensive back Chuks Nweke Jr., quarterback Dylan Orms and offensive lineman Alex Shapiro ended up being the top players.
Then-Portland State coach Jerry Glanville signed 14 prep players in 2007. This class was interesting in the fact that it produced two players who ended up being very good quarterbacks. Drew Hubel, who shined in the run-and-shoot offense throwing for 623 yards in one game, and nine touchdown passes in another. The class also included Connor Kavanaugh, who took over when Nigel Burton brought in the pistol offense. Kavanaugh rushed for more yards than any QB in Big Sky history. The class also included DeShawn Shead, a four-year starter in the defensive backfield.
Sacramento State inked nine players in 2007. Of the nine just two became star players, but they were big stars. All-American and Buck Buchanan Award candidate Zack Nash inked that day, as did running back Bryan Hilliard. Nash finished his career with 29.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss. Hilliard rushed for 3,451 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Weber State inked 20 prep players in 2007. The gem ended up being four-year starter J.C. Oram, who anchored the Wildcats’ offensive line garnering numerous All-America and All-Conference honors during his career. The class also included the likes of Tim Farabee, tight end Brian Jankowski, Caleb Turner and Taylor Sedillo. Sedillo was signed as a running back. He finished his career in 2010 as a linebacker.
So, good luck to your schools today – and that includes our new schools Cal Poly, UC Davis, North Dakota and Southern Utah. The FCS season hasn’t even been over for a month, and yet fall camps will open in about six months.
Jon Kasper - Big Sky Conference
