USC football head coach Lane Kiffin, National Signing Day (thanks Icon SMI)

With the ink barely dry, and all schools announcing their final signing day hauls, we begin to assess some of these prospects and make some assumptions on whether or not they will have any impact inside the college fantasy world come kick off weekend in early September. Some schools take the mentality heading into signing day of just trying to fill some team needs, such as Miami, Boston College, and Michigan did this year. Some teams approach signing day like it is the NFL draft and try to stockpile as much talent as possible in whatever positions they can regardless of depth, like USC, Texas, and UF did. Regardless of the approach, this class will certainly be making an impact soon enough, with a few rare kids making that impact sooner then others.

Florida had an excellent year in recruiting evidenced by the consensus #1 recruiting class on paper. Some have even been so bold as to say that it is possibly the best recruiting class of any school in any year. Only time will tell. I will say this however; the talent hauled in on the defensive line is second to none and a couple recruits are certain to see the field early and often, now that the Gators have begun to see a little turnover in players. Looking at UF’s class, the names that strike me as players that will most likely be immediate impact players are DE Ronald Powell from California, DT Dominique Easley from New York, and Shariff Floyd from Pennsylvania. Each of these guys should get into the rotation very early and I would not be surprised to see Powell and Easley end up as possible starters at the end of the season.  The Gators will no doubt have another solid defense and these guys will be big time contributors.

Another school in Florida that had a solid haul with some impact players was Florida State. The Seminole’s defense was terrible in 2009 which ultimately led to some serious coaching overhaul starting at the top. Mix that in with some excellent recruits and FSU could possibly be taking the first step to gaining back some of that respect that they demanded in the 90’s. Florida State signed by far the best class of Line Backers of any school on paper. With the late addition of stud Christian Jones to an already solid group including Nigel Terrell, Telvin Smith, and #1 rated MLB Jeff Luc, this will be a group that sees the field early and pays immediate dividends. Last year, FSU’s defense was playable depending on the competition that week, but with the additions of these guys, FSU should see significant improvement on defense.

Throw in highly touted DB LaMarcus Joyner and FSU looks to have gained a playmaker on all sides of the ball; offense, defense, and special teams. Joyner has already been compared to studs like Percy Harvin. Expect Joyner to see the field as a return man accompanied by star CB Greg Reid. Joyner will also get his shot to demonstrate his speed on the offense in some WR packages. He’ll push for time early in nickel defenses.

WR Markeith Ambles (thanks Icon SMI)

Speaking of receivers, it would be hard not to mention USC with their surprise steal of Markeith Ambles and 5 star Robert Woods. There is a new regime in Southern Cal and these are Kiffin type of boys. Lane inherits a solid offense and these two should be cracking the lineup pretty quickly. USC has struggled to see solid play from the receiver group over the last year and these guys were brought in to help change that. Young QB throwing to young WR makes for a powerful offense over the next couple of years.  Throw in the top two TE signings of any school in Xavier Grimble and Christian Thomas and this season looks like it could be a year for extreme aerial assaults for the Trojans. Both TE are superb pass catchers and are large targets in the red zone as they average 6’ 5”.

Texas who, with the exception of star receiver Jordan Shipley, has really struggled at the receiver position over the last couple of years brought in some very solid playmakers that should be pushing early for solid playing time. The trio of Mike Davis, four-star Darius White, and four-star Chris Jones are going to be looked at as the future, but I would not be surprised to see all three of these guys push hard to see the field. Ultimately one of them will most likely see the field more frequently, but all it takes is one injury to open things up.

In terms of the Running Back group, Oregon and UCLA had some impressive hauls and both teams have players that should see the field early and make impacts for their respective teams. UCLA, who struggled to move the ball on the ground last year, locked up top RB Jordan James and Malcolm Jones. Both one of these guys could end up in the rotation early, and if an injury takes place, the other would be able to step up immediately. Oregon picked up superstar-to-be Lache Seastrunk who is a bruiser with exceptional speed. Oregon loves to run a dual back offense and it has already been said the Lache is going to have every chance to carry the ball and with his stature, possibly see some red zone touches.

This year was an average year for the quarterback position as most of the star players went to schools where they will redshirt. However, Colorado State lured four stars QB Pete Thomas from Arizona State late in the process and he is expected to have every chance to take the reigns early. Another sleeper is UCF commit Jeffrey Godfrey from Miami Central who has also been told that he will have every chance to compete for the starting gig in Central Florida. Since he brought some of his high school teammates, this could be a seamless transition for him. He is very much like Jaccory Harris in his abilities and could help put some points for the Knights who look to be turning the table in the recruiting battle for some premier prospects in their own backyard.

Related posts:

1. Drew’s Thoughts on Athlon Mock Draft
2. The Freshman 15: Top new WRs in fantasy college football
3. The Freshman 15: Top new QBs in fantasy college football
4. Big 12′s Other Rankings for Fantasy College Football
5. Freshmen Fifteen, Part Two: Top New QBs In Fantasy College Football

Tags: Signing Day