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FN's Jason Roberts hands over the reins to special guest contributor Mike Crook of Free Sports Press, who provides readers with a look at Florida State University and what many experts are calling one of the best - and most surprising - recruiting classes coming out of last week's National Signing Day.
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As the dust settles on "National Signing Day," the Florida State Seminoles find themselves in a familiar situation, once more boasting of having put together one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher is doing an outstanding job at revisiting a philosophy that worked exceptionally well in Tallahassee for so many years under former head coach Bobby Bowden, and summarized in the following statement:

There's no need to rebuild if all you have to do is reload.

Such thinking is more and more becoming the norm for a Florida State Seminoles program that not so long ago dominated the ACC and was a national title contender throughout much of the nineties.

At the time of this article, Jimbo Fisher and his staff had landed 19 commitments as part of the Seminoles Class of 2012, which, numerically, is substantially less than 2011's 29, but qualitatively, remains on par with last year's recruitment haul - especially considering the signing of the top-rated player in the nation, Mario Edwards, Jr.

The following offers a more in depth look at those recruits from this year's class expected to have an  immediate impact upon Florida State's football program heading into next season:

Mario Edwards, Jr (DE, Denton, TX): Listed as ESPN's top player overall in this year's recruiting class, Edwards is a big, strong, physical athlete who adds both speed and power along the Seminoles defensive line.  Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has to cherish the opportunity to mold Edwards into one of his unit's most deadliest weapons, while opposing offenses will surely groan at the potential return of a defensive front that some note could herald back to those present in Tallahassee during the mid-nineties.

Eddie Goldman (DT, Washington DC): Though some argue Goldman has the potential to emerge as the Seminoles top impact player from this year's class, but one thing seems certain:  Judging from the reaction of Fisher's Signing Day "War Room" when news dropped Goldman would be coming to Tallahassee, the tackle seems sure to emerge as an extremely dangerous compliment to Edward along Florida State's defensive line.  Opposing runningbacks and quarterbacks should consider themselves officially put on notice.

 

Jameis Winston (QB, Hueytown, AL): The only player to make that actually waited until after National Siging Day to provide Florida State's coaching staff with an official Letter of Intent. A 5-star passer out of Hueytown, Alabama, Winston snubbed national champions, the University of Alabama, in order to bring All-American talent to a program he tells USA Today he once considered "his girlfriend," but now officially regards as his wife.

"I just want to bring that swag back to Florida State, like Deion Sanders and Charlie Ward back in their days," Winston has said previously. "Start something new, start a new trend. It's a new year. It's time for another program to get back."

Chris Casher (DE, Mobile, AL): He played only one game his entire senior season - the Under Armour All-American High School Football Game - in order to get his academics in line, but in that single contest,  Casher showed scouts he could play with consistency and an awareness of the ball that significantly helped raise his signing-stock. Dishi.ng out  two tackles and even taking a blindside hit himself while trying to tackle the opposing quarterback during early January's flagship prep all-star event  Look for this 6'5", 236lb defensive end to have little trouble making a name for himself at the next level.

Marvin Bracy (WR, Orlando, FL): Bracy has Olympic-caliber speed, something the Seminoles are certain to find valuable as E.J. Manuel and future quarterbacks look to open up even further Florida State's passing game.  Bracy's quickness should go a long way in keeping opposing defensive backs and linebackers honest, and, subsequently, also  assist FSU tailbacks in the ground game.

The Best of the Rest:

Ronald Darby (CB, Oxon Hill, MD): 5'11" / 176lbs
Mario Pender (RB, Cape Coral, FL): 6'0" / 190lbs
Justin Shanks (DT, Prattville, AL): 6'3" / 310lbs
Ukeme Eligwe (ILB, Stone Mountain, GA): 6'2" / 208lbs
PJ Williams (S, Ocala, FL): 6'0" / 180lbs
Sean Maguire (QB, West Orange, NJ): 6'2" / 195lbs
Dalvon Stuckey (DT, De Funiak Springs, FL): 6'2" / 300lbs
Reggie Northrup (OLB, Jacksonville, FL): 6'2" / 215lbs
Christo Kourtzidis (TE, Orange, CA): 6'4" / 240lbs
Colin Blake (CB, San Antonio, TX): 6'2" / 180lbs
Roberto Aguayo (K, Mascotte, FL): 6'0" / 193lbs
Cason Beatty (K, Charlotte, NC): 6'3" / 225lbs
Daniel Glauser (OT, Rheinfelden, Switzerland): 6'6" / 320lbs
Menelik Watson (OT, Manchester, England): 6'6" / 325lbs

The only let down on the day was the loss of Dante Fowler, Jr., who signed with the University of Florida at the last minute. 

The sting from Fowler, Jr.'s change of heart didn't last long though, as Fisher secured five other defensive linemen by the time all was said and done last Wednesday.

Take notice of the international flair characterizing Florida State's Class of 2012.  Glauser and Watson, two big-bodied JUCO transfers from Switzerland and England, ought to go a long way in beefing up Coach Trickett's offensive line - and in a hurry.

Our Final Thoughts:

Though this year's class is down numberically from 2011, it's hard to knock the level of talent the Seminoles have signed heading into the spring. 

And while ranking a class based solely on what its individual members accomplished in high school is hardly a perfect science, on paper, at least, the Seminoles certainly appear on the way to writing themselves back into the national title hunt sometime in the very near future.

Mike Crook is founder and lead contributor for Free Sports Press, an independent sports media website based out of South Dakota covering not only the local sports scene, but also concentrating a great deal of its efforts on following Florida State University.

Overview-
2011 signaled a new era of Huskies’ football. Gone were successful head coach Jerry Kill who took his talents to Minnesota. Also gone were senior leaders such as DE Jake Coffman and stud RB Chad Spann. The one constant, though, that had fans hopeful was the return of Chandler Harnish. With the senior gunslinger at the helm, fans knew the team would be in good hands. What they didn’t know was how good. That question was answered almost immediately.

Biggest Surprise- Chandler Harnish, Senior Quarterback
Most of those that follow college football knew that Harnish was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in all the land. There was a bit on uncertainty surrounding Harnish and the offense coming in because of the coaching change, with former defensive coordinator Dave Doeren possibly installing the power run game that Wisconsin utilizes, thus almost eliminating the mobility of Harnish. Luckily, Doeren decided to play to the strengths of Harnish and opened up the offense to tailor to the senior’s abilities. Harnish finished with nearly 1,400 yards on the ground while being just as prolific through the air with 3,200 yards and 28 TDs.

Biggest Disappointment- Willie Clark, Senior Wide Receiver
Clark struggled to stay on the field as much in 2011, but was still another solid option for Harnish and the offense. After leading the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns a year ago, Clark fell back to the pack with only 18 catches while not appearing or making a single catch in six games. As a matter of fact, his biggest performance was just a four catch game against Bowling Green. That single game accounted for almost a third of his production the entire year. Not what you would expect from a senior.

2012 Outlook-
It’s going to be a transition year for the Huskies’ offense as they lose Harnish, Hopkins, Clark, Palmer, and now recently losing offensive coordinator Matt Canada to Wisconsin. That being said, there are some capable replacements waiting in the wings. Sophomore QB Jordan Lynch, while not the passer that Harnish was, may be an even better option on the ground and could get close to the 1,000-yard mark next season. Speedster Akeem Daniels will be the next in the long line of successful NIU running backs and will make for a good rushing tandem with Lynch. Another possible name at RB would be Jamal Womble who came over from the JUCO ranks last year. While he did not play as much, he was a former North Carolina recruit that could have more success in the MAC.  At wideout, there will be plenty of options for Lynch to go to, but there will almost assuredly be a drop off in the passing game. The bigger question now, though, going into the offseason will be who takes over as offensive coordinator for typically one of the top offenses in the conference.

Overview-
One lasting memory of last year’s bowl games was when South Florida secured their win over Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Both Daniels and head coach Skip Holtz were smiling ear-to-ear after the quarterback shredded the Tigers defense and was named the game’s MVP. I was sure that both Daniels and USF would carry that momentum into 2011. Well that didn’t happen as Daniels struggled again to throw the football and the Bulls did not even make a bowl game. Sure, there were some nice pieces added, or coming back from injury, but the offense sputtered for much of the season and their record was a direct result of that.

Biggest Surprise- Darrell Scott, Junior Running Back
Tough choice here as the USF offense was hard-pressed to find any consistent performers to help move the chains, but the former top RB recruit in the country was maybe the most impressive skill player the team had. Scott transferred over from Colorado after things never panned out there and was looking for a fresh start to try and live up to the hype he garnered coming into college. He went on to lead the team in rushing with nearly 850 yards and 5 TDs. While not the most impressive numbers for a team’s leading rusher, he was the best USF had to offer which speaks volumes of just how bad they were on offense in 2011.

Biggest Disappointment- B.J. Daniels, Junior Quarterback
Much was expected of Daniels being that this was now his second year in the Skip Holtz offense and he was getting back a couple of weapons on the outside in WR’s A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin. The season started off very promising for Daniels with 10 total TDs in the first four games. Unfortunately, that was the softest portion of the schedule and it all went downhill from there. The junior went on to only have 5 TD passes the rest of the way and had four games in which he did not throw for a score. That really is unacceptable out of your starting quarterback if you want to be a decent offense in a BCS conference.

2012 Outlook-
Darrell Scott left early for the NFL Draft which could hurt a little, but he wasn’t the type of player that would significantly derail an offense because of his departure. Other than that, all the major components return which should help the offense improve a bit. The biggest question will be if Daniels is still the starting QB going into next year. I can’t imagine he won’t be, but there is a talented option behind him in Bobby Eveld who is much more a pro-style type passer. He will absolutely get a look this coming spring.

Overview-
This was going to be an important season for Jim Grobe and his Demon Deacons as they were coming off two straight losing seasons. The quarterback position was in a state a flux with no established starter coming into the year. Tanner Price and Ted Stachitas played sparingly last season and both were average at best, making Wake Forest one of the worst offenses in the ACC. What a difference an offseason makes. Price, now a sophomore, made major strides as he threw for over 2,800 yards and lowered his amount of interceptions with almost double the amount of attempts. While the passing game improved, the run game took a step back. Injuries decimated the position and the offensive line struggled to get a push for much of the year. The improved play of Price really carried the offense in 2011.

Biggest Surprise- Chris Givens, Junior Wide Receiver
Without a doubt the biggest beneficiary of the development of Tanner Price was Chris Givens. The junior wideout was a monster for much of the year with over 1,300 yards receiving, including 7 games of over 100 yards.  Only bad news to come out of this is that Givens made the decision he was ready for the next level and declared for the NFL Draft.

Biggest Disappointment- Josh Harris, Sophomore Running Back
Injuries played a major part in the lack of success Harris had in 2011. The sophomore back didn’t play in 6 games and was limited in a couple others. That opened the door for Brandon Pendergrass who provided a solid option the entire season out of the backfield. When Harris was healthy, it was hard enough trying to get plus yardage with a struggling offensive line that didn’t put things together till the end of the year.

2012 Outlook-
The offense will be missing two important pieces next year in Givens and Pendergrass. That being said, Harris should be back to full strength which should help. Plus the most important piece will be back in QB Tanner Price. If he makes another leap in production, this could be a top passing attack in the ACC. Another receiving option will need to develop because of the departure of Givens. Look for WR Michael Campanaro and RB Orville Reynolds to play big roles in next year’s offense.

Overview-
After demolishing Michigan in the 2010 Gator Bowl, this was supposed to be a special season for Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs. Things just didn’t pan out that way, though, as the offense really struggled for much of the season against the rugged defenses in the SEC. Biggest issue was by far the quarterback position, where MSU had 3 different starters throughout the year and nobody stepped up to seize the spot. Senior RB Vick Ballard was strong again, posting over 1,000 yards rushing yards. Probably one of the bigger issues was the receiving corps. While some of the blame goes to the quarterbacks, and deservedly so, nobody really stepped up to be a threat on the outside. This, as much as any reason, was a big part of why the offense struggled to put up points in 2011.

Biggest Surprise- Vick Ballard, Senior Running Back
This was a fairly easy selection. Ballard is not really a big surprise as he rushed for nearly 1,000 last season so he wasn’t really coming out of nowhere, but nobody else on the entire offense established themselves as a consistent playmaker. With the big bowl performance against Wake Forest, Ballard finished with 1,189 yards on the ground. Next closest was LaDarius Perkins with 422 yards, so Ballard was clearly the go-to guy throughout the year.

Biggest Disappointment- Chris Relf, Senior Quarterback
Mississippi State finished 2011 with a 7-6 record, failing to measure up to their preseason hype after a blowout bowl victory over Michigan. Biggest reason for the Bulldogs’ lack of success was their inept offense. In five of the team’s six losses, they failed to score more than 17 points. Much of that had to do with the rotating door that was the QB situation. Relf began as the starter, but only had 4 TD passes in six weeks. He finished the season with a strong performance in the bowl game, but was not the QB many expected coming in.

2012 Outlook-
Tyler Russell should be the heir apparent, and a much better passing QB than Relf. Other than Ballard, practically every significant skill position player should return, including wideouts Arceto Clark, Chad Bumphis and Chris Smith. LaDarius Perkins will likely be inserted as the starter at tailback, but another option will need to emerge behind him. I would expect the offense to improve, especially through the air.

Overview-
2011 began a new era of Gopher football, but ended with a relatively similar result. While things are sure to improve in the future, this season was a transition year as new head coach Jerry Kill looks to put his stamp on the Minnesota program. One piece Kill did inherit was starting quarterback MarQueis Gray who had to battle through injuries throughout the season.  When Gray was on the field, though, he was the dual-threat weapon many envisioned him to be, leading the team in both passing and rushing. Minnesota needed that running threat at QB because of the limited options at the running back position. Duane Bennett and Donnell Kirkwood saw the majority of carries but neither was able to do much. On the outside, Da’Jon McKnight was a big-play weapon, but the passing game didn’t develop into much. For the most part, it was a tough season for all involved.

Biggest Surprise- MarQueis Gray, Junior Quarterback
I don’t think anyone expected Gray to put up fantastic passing statistics in his first full season as the starter considering he was making the transition from wide receiver. Gray was average at best throwing the football with only two multi-touchdown games and six games in which he did not have a touchdown pass. Gray did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for more than 100 yards in four games and nearly topping the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

Biggest Disappointment- Duane Bennett, Senior Running Back
Bennett has never been a super-productive back, but Jerry Kill-coached offenses typically are one of the better rushing teams in the nation so it was thought before the year that the senior back should have a nice year. Well, since the Gophers were never able to pass the ball with much consistency defense were able to key in on the run game. Add in the fact that most of the offensive line was relatively new and that does not make for a recipe for success in the rushing department. Bennett only ran for 639 yards.

2012 Outlook-
Gray will have another year in the offense so expect passing numbers to improve slightly, but he will continue a dangerous weapon when scrambling out of the pocket. The Gophers will be without their top target in McKnight due to graduation, but have some young up-and-coming weapons in Malcolm Moulton, Marcus Jones and Devin Crawford-Tufts. Running back will be the position with the most question marks. Donnell Kirkwood and David Cobb gained some good experience as freshmen and should be bigger factors going forward. 

With a flourish of his massive hands and long, muscular arms, Dorial Green-Beckham set the Mizzou faithful to dancin’ and broke the heart of thousands of Arkansas Razorback fans. When the #1 receiver recruit in the nation—and some say #1 overall recruit—donned the Mizzou hat in front of his high school and a national audience on ESPNU, he most likely set Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s national championship aspirations back several years as well.

Had Green-Beckham signed with Arkansas—one of his top four school choices—that would have put the Razorbacks on the map recruiting-wise. It would also have served notice to the nation that Bobby Petrino and his staff no longer had to take mostly 2- and 3-star recruits and “coach them up” to compete with the 4- and 5-star recruits of the SEC’s dominant powerhouses, Alabama and LSU.

Success with the #1 recruit would have kicked open the door to greater recruiting success in the future. That would have been a Razorback hat on national television and the ESPN website. Instead, Mizzou got the prize recruit, the prestige that goes with signing someone of that caliber and the free publicity.
Unfortunately for Arkansas, Green-Beckham chose Missouri. The best chance Petrino may ever have with such a high priority and high visibility recruit is gone. The Razorbacks swung for the fences and struck out. How often does this type opportunity come along? Not very. Arkansas has had two great seasons topped off by a Cotton Bowl victory and a #5 ranking in the final polls at the end of this season.

To have to settle for another run-of-the-mill class after so much success doesn’t exactly put Petrino in the upper echelon of the college football recruiting world. It may take years now for the Razorbacks to have another opportunity to sign a class with the prestige and ranking this one would have had with Green-Beckham in the fold. It’s not so much about the one player as it is about the rare opportunity lost.

Now, instead of a 6-6, 220-pound wide-out, they will sign several 6-footers with good speed but who probably won’t dominate games the way Green-Beckham is forecast to do. The other truly big and big-time receiver they sought, Courtney Gardner, opted for Oklahoma because of some academic deficiencies that gave the Sooners an edge over Arkansas. Strike two. They also missed out on a 6-3, 250 pound middle linebacker prospect—Dalton Santos of Van, Texas— who took a last-minute offer from Texas Longhorns. Strike three for the year.

Face it, arguably the top in-state recruit this year—Zac Brooks of Jonesboro—signed with Clemson. Next year’s most likely top recruit—Altee Tenpenny of North Little Rock—has already committed to Alabama (a double whammy). If you can’t win the in-state recruiting war, that doesn’t speak well for your program.

Yes, Arkansas will have a good recruiting class. Maybe even a top 25 class. Yes, Petrino will have a very good season next year, especially with games against Alabama and LSU at home. But competing for the national championship takes great coaching and great players. Let’s take Boise State as an example since they are the poster child for a program that wins with lower ranked recruits. Yes, Boise State wins a lot of games. But who do they play? If they had to take their lower ranked recruits and play Alabama and LSU (Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, etc) every year, very few people think they would be a top-tier team.

Petrino and his staff get the most out of their players. That’s why they were able to put together back-to-back 10-win seasons. But how did the Razorbacks fare against Alabama and LSU this year? No contest. They were dominated by both teams. You have to win both battles, coaching and recruiting, to compete on the national level, especially if you want to compete on that level consistently. So far, Petrino and his staff haven’t proven they can do that. Until they do, they will most likely have to take pride in being one of the top teams of the second tier of the SEC.`