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By Rob MacIntyre
PrepStar Managing Editor
National Letter of Intent Day was supposed to clear all the confusion in terms of recruiting classes, but has it really cleared the confusion? PrepStar takes a look at the top 20 overall recruiting classes the day after national signing day.
Rankings as of Feb. 6, 2003
| Recruiting Rankings | ||
| RANK | SCHOOL | NOTES |
| 1. | LSU | The Tigers got off to a fast start, then slowed down a bit, but have been on a tear in recent weeks and thus have the nation's top class. But there are rumors many of the LSU signees may not be qualified yet. LSU added another PrepStar All-American in wide receiver Dwayne Bowe from Miami Norland High School. The Tigers also added PrepStar DreamTeam quarterback JaMarcus Russell, which just adds to an already outstanding class. |
| 2. | Florida | They lost Jermaine Moreira to Kansas State, but they added Marcus Thomas (a former Florida State verbal). Had Florida gotten off to a better start, they could have had the nation's top class. Joe Cohen and Jarvis Moss were huge additions. And as expected, the Gators also landed DreamTeam receiver Andre Caldwell. |
| 3. | USC | It's hard to put the Trojans at No. 3, but the efforts and signees of LSU and Florida overshadow what was a phenomenal recruiting class, which includes PrepStar DreamTeam WR Whitney Lewis, giving the Trojans a dynamic duo at receiver; they also landed DreamTeam receiver Steve Smith. |
| 4 | Miami | The Hurricanes pulled a signing day miracle by landing several players, catapulting them to a top five class. The Canes signed Wille Cooper, Jonathan Beason, Vegas Franklin, and Eric Moncur which really helped what was looking to be a sub-par class by Miami's standards. |
| 5 | Oklahoma | The Sooners have landed some great players, and the Big 12 champions claim the nation's No. 5 recruiting class, making them even stronger. The Sooners have inked 15 players that are listed as either PrepStar All-Americans or DreamTeam players. |
| 6 | Georgia | Georgia finishes with a great class after landing players such as DreamTeam running back Kregg Lumpkin and DreamTeam defensive bac, Paul Oliver. A very solid class. |
| 7 | N.C. State | The Wolfpack edge the in-state Tar Heels in the recruiting battle. The biggest news for the Wolfpack was getting Jimmy Sutton, who originally committed to Texas. N.C. State also inked PrepStar Dream Team offensive lineman Derek Morris. |
| 8 | South Carolina | Lou Holtz and the Gamecocks round out the top 10 after signing players such as quarterbacks Blake Mitchell and Syvelle Newton and linebacker Marcus Lawrence, and they moved up a few spots after inking PrepStar Dream Team running back Demetrius Summers. |
| 9 | Texas A&M | The Aggies were on a hot streak, then cooled off with the coaching change, but they just missed finishing with a top 10 class. They still have a great class that includes Jorrie Adams, Jason Jack and Lamar Mitchell. A&M solidified a top 10 class by signing Mike Montgomery and Justin Warren as well. |
| 10 | Auburn | Auburn helped themselves late in the game by signing Tez Doolittle, Jarrod Britt and Courtney Denson, and they have DreamTeam juco running back, Brandon Jacobs. A late signing that helped move them into the top 10 was Stanley McClover. A great class for the Tigers. |
| 11 | Notre Dame | Ty Willingham has done wonders for the Irish, who almost have a top 10 class after landing players such as Ambrose Wooden and Victor Abiamari, who was not allowed to sign with Maryland after apparently accepting money from the linebackers coach. The Irish also landed Greg Olsen, John Sullivan and Tommy Zbikowski. |
| 12 | North Carolina | The Tar Heels battled their in-state rivals all season and finished right on the heels of N.C. State. North Carolina landed some fine players including receivers Mike Mason and Adarius Bowman, and linebacker Joe Kedra. |
| 13 | Mississippi State | The Bulldogs landed some good players in this year's recruiting class. They slip from fifth to 13th, but they should still be happy with a top 15 class. The signings of players such as Quinton Culberson, Deljuan Robinson, and Omar Conner were huge for Mississippi State. |
| 14 | Oklahoma State | The Cowboys might not have been able to keep pace with the Sooners, but they did finish with a top 15 class. They signed players such as Donovan Woods, Robert Jones, Brad Girtman, and the big one, Xavier Lawson-Kennedy. |
| 15 | Texas | Texas had a top 10 class going, but with so many other schools emerging, the Longhorns got passed and slip to 16th. Still a great class that includes Tony Hills, Tarell Brown, Limas Sweed and Tim Crowder. |
| 16 | Michigan | Michigan landed the Saginaw standouts, LaMar Woodley and Jerome Jackson. They also added Shawn Crable on signing day. They lost quarterback Sam Keller to Arizona State, but they still have PrepStar DreamTeam quarterback, Clayton Richard. Even though they had limited scholarships, Michigan did a great job. |
| 17 | California | The Bears are ecstatic that they have Jeff Tedford as their head coach. Tedford knows how to recruit, and he has done for Cal what he did for Oregon. The Bears signed players such as Noah Smith, Matt Malele, Devin Stearns, Leon Drummer and Junior Lemau'u. |
| 18 | Tennessee | Vols fans went through this year's recruiting season with their eyes closed and pretty much chalking it up as a loss until news spread that the Vols inked Aaron Sears, Bret Smith, Eric Young and DreamTeam receiver Robert Meachem, who everyone thought was a lock to sign with Oklahoma. With Meachem and Jayson Swain, the Vols have a great 1-2 punch at wide receiver. |
| 19 | Colorado | Colorado has been all over the place. They started hot, then started to lose recruits but came on strong on signing day after inking players such as Stephone Robinson, Kharylake Martin, Brian Daniels, and Chris Russell. |
| 20 | Virginia | The Cavs finish with a top 20 class after landing players such as Ahmad Brooks, Ian Yates-Cunningham, Jermaine Dias, and Vince Redd. A very strong, defense-oriented recruiting class for the Cavs. |
For the complete rankings and the latest daily recruiting stories from PrepStar, including in-depth, up to the minute recruiting coverage, go to www.prepstar.com.
