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ACC recruiting breakdown: FSU No. 1
It's never a question who wins the ACC recruiting race … it's
more of a question of by how much.
Heading into signing day, it didn't appear that FSU would be at the top, with Texas, Florida and Tennessee among those programs ahead of the class. The Florida State coaches went to work Wednesday morning with the status of several key recruits in doubt, but when the staff went home, some valuable letters-of-intent had whirred out of the fax machine.
All this on top of a class that includes one of the top quarterbacks in California (Chris Rix), a SportsLine All-American defensive back from Georgia (Yohance Buchanan), a Top 100 offensive lineman from Texas (Bobby Meeks), the younger brother of ex-Seminole defensive end terror Peter Boulware (highly regarded Michael Boulware, a receiver) … well, you get the point. In an amazing coup, Bobby Bowden signed four players from SportsLine's 11-man All-American defense: Johnson, Moore, McFadden and Buchanan. Yes, the Seminoles are No. 1 in the league by a long shot, and No. 1 nationally by a whisker. As for No. 2, that honor goes to Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets' premier catch was one-time Alabama commit Hobie Holiday, a linebacker from Warner Robins, Ga. Other important signees were two talented quarterbacks from the South -- Brandon Sumner from Daytona Beach, Fla., and Mark Logan from Greenwood, S.C. Sumner is an accomplished passer and dangerous runner (752 yards on the ground as a senior) and has good size (6-3, 200). Logan is also a versatile athlete.
With Joe Hamilton having completed his eligibility, Georgia Tech will take a good look at these quarterbacks in the fall after sorting out the pecking order of junior George Godsey and redshirt freshmen Andy Hall and Brian Camp in the spring. PrepStar managing editor Rick Kimbrel said Sumner is the one to watch. Getting Brandon Sumner to be the heir apparent to Hamilton was huge," he said. "He's the kind of quarterback everyone is looking for right now." North Carolina also had a national top-25 kind of class, thanks, in part, to old foe Mike O'Cain. O'Cain who was fired as North Carolina State coach and hired as a Tar Heel assistant, brought some recruits with him, notably linebacker Clarence Gaddy. Clemson signed the top tight end in the Atlantic region -- Todd McClinton from Columbia, S.C. -- a running back of note in Keith Kelly, and a fast, tall receiver in 6-foot-4 Derrick Hamilton. Best of the JCsPrepStar identified defensive lineman Donnell Washington as its preseason "junior-college sleeper of the year" … and Washington came through with a big season. Tennessee almost had its hooks in him, but Washington signed with Clemson. The Tigers also have use for Derrick Brantley, a 320-pound offensive lineman who will add needed beef to a small line. Florida State will miss Peter Warrick, of course, but it might miss him just a little bit less because of the presence of Javon Walker from Jones Community College in Mississippi. FSU is reclaiming one of its own here; Walker signed with the Seminoles out of high school. Walker (6-3, 210) caught 60 passes for 1,015 yards last season. A key pickup for Virginia from the prep schools is Art Thomas, a highly rated running back who signed with the Cavaliers last season. He spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy. Virginia also signed receiver Almondo Curry from Fork Union. His cousin is North Carolina quarterback Ronald Curry. Win one, lose oneMaryland's signing of receiver Maurice Shanks from Hampton, Va., counts as a signing-day surprise. Shanks, the top wideout in the Atlantic region, also was considering Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Clemson. But the Terps were jilted by running back Jason Crawford, who bolted for North Carolina at the last minute. Maryland does have other running back help in this class (hey, someone has to give LaMont Jordan a breather every now and then), including Raymond Custis and junior-college transfer Chris Downs. Fearless predictionFrom Kimbrel on FSU quarterback recruit Chris Rix, who committed last spring and had a sub-par senior season: "Just wait and see. Once he gets with real good coaching and has athletes around him, this guy is going to be a star." To help his team, which needed playmakers at other positions on offense, Rix spent part of his senior year at receiver, leading Santa Margarita (Calif.) High into the playoffs. TidbitsDouble trouble: Florida State signed the Darling twins from Houston -- Devard, a receiver, and Devaughn, a linebacker. "They should come in and play early," Kimbrel said. … Virginia's solid class is highlighted by defensive end Raymond Mann, rated the second-best player in the Atlantic region. … Sleeper alert: Duke signee Adam Smith, a 6-5 quarterback from Orinda, Calif. Smith was an unknown before his senior season (that's what happens when you're playing behind 1999 Miami signee Ken Dorsey), but put together a nice senior season. … A much more high-profile quarterback is Chris Kelley, who is headed to Maryland. Kelley, an accomplished passer and runner, is the top quarterback in the Atlantic region. His team's record over the past three seasons: 39-0. … Having less than a month to get North Carolina State's recruiting ramped up, new coach Chuck Amato managed to land a nice quarterback prospect in Phillip Rivers, who is already enrolled in school.
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