FanNation

In the words of Frank Costanza, "IM BACK, BABAY!!!"... with my second annual National Signing Day column. Just like last year, I will rank the Top 5 most impressive classes and the Bottom 5 most disappointing classes.

One thing that did not surprise me about NSD is the fact that the best prospect in the country, 6'6" dual-threat QB Terrelle Pryor (for highlights click here - gotta love overzealous Buckeye fans) did not sign a letter of intent. At this point, Pryor believes that Michigan is a great fit because of coach, Rich Rodriguez... Ohio St. has his interest because of their current winning tradition and the fact that he has become friendly with many of their commits from Tuesday... and Penn St. is creeping up the list because his father is really pushing for him to be a Nittany Lion. Pryor will take an official visit to PSU soon and that may make them the team to beat. "How," you ask? The answer is simple - right now constitutes a "quiet period" in the NCAA's recruiting year. Basically, each school can call Pryor once a week, but they cannot leave campus to visit him at his current school, home or anywhere else (Pryor could go to them though if he feels that he wants to take another unofficial visit to a school). Penn State is in the driver's seat in my opinion because they will get 48 straight hours to woo this kid. Pryor has already made his one official visit to both UM and OSU and cannot stay another weekend there. Pryor has until April 1 to sign, and the Lions will be fresh in his mind when it comes time to make a decision. Also, do not count out Oregon right now. If Pryor decides to take an official there (he is considering that fact now), do not think that the Ducks' facilities (provided mostly by alum Phil Knight and his Nike money) will not be enough to get him to their school, although they are a dark horse because he wishes to stay closer to home.

What this could hurt is the fact that each of these schools is holding a scholarship for him. Each school is only allowed so many scholarships, and there could be a kid out there wanting to go to UM, OSU, or PSU who is waiting to see if Pryor takes a scholarship that could otherwise be his. The whole situation will eventually work itself out and Pryor will make his decision. Until it does, there will be at least three coaches in the nation waiting with baited breath to see who gets a faxed LOI with his signature on it.

Top 5 Most Impressive Recruiting Classes
Once again these are not the Top 5 recruiting classes in the nation necessarily, but the top five schools that I believe did the best job this recruiting season. Once again all prospect rankings taken from Rivals.com.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2007 Record: 7-6 (4-4)
Rivals.com Class Ranking: 1 (32 Commitments)
Top Commitments: Julio Jones (WR, Foley, AL, #4 Overall, #1 WR); Tyler Love (OT, Mountain Brook, AL, #30 Overall, #8 OT); Burton Scott (ATH, Prichard, AL, #28 Overall, #8 ATH)

Although it is hard for me to figure out why a parent would want their son to play for a coach like Nick Saban or Bobby Petrino, habitual liars who only look out for themselves, Saban has pulled in the best recruiting class in the nation this season. While some would argue that it is not very hard to recruit at Alabama, over the past few years, their inter-state rivals, Auburn, had been kicking their butt with in-state recruiting and have had better classes of talent. This season, 18 of his 32 recruits hail from Alabama. The 6'4", 215 lbs. Julio Jones headlines this class and will be a favorite of Tide QBs for seasons to come, while 6'7" 285 pound Tyler Love is about as good as it gets as far as high school linemen go. 10 of Saban's recruits will play offense and there are another 5 athletes who have signed, most of which will probably end up on the offensive side of the ball.

2. Minnesota Golden Gophers
2007 Record: 1-11 (0-8)
Rivals.com Class Ranking: 17 (30 Commitments)
Top Commitments: MarQueis Gray (QB, Indianapolis, #112 Overall, #3 Dual-Threat QB); Sam Maresh (LB, Champlin, MN, #244 Overall, #14 ILB); Vincent Hill (WR, New Berlin, NY, #15 Prep School Top 50)

In 2007, Minnesota spent their fall getting beat on by just about everyone they faced, with their lone win coming against Miami (OH). Somehow, they translated that success (or lack-thereof) into a Top 20 recruiting class... (Read the full article here: National Signing Day 2008)