EXPATS critique - Recruiting Day 2010

Though it might have lacked the surprises of yesteryear, National Signing Day across the SEC was not without its notable performances.

Here's our AWARD-WINNAHS?

The Pravda Award for Controlling the Message: After stiffing Alabama and announcing he would sign with a school that hardly recruited him, Keenan Allen's mother and handler went the extra yard to stick to their script. They had a Tuscaloosa News reporter thrown out of Allen's Greensboro press conference after he dared to ask about reports that Allen's family will follow him to Berkeley. Read more.

Fresh Recruits for an Endless Civil War. Auburn and Alabama appear headed for Top 5 finishes. But the Tigers' Gene Chizik gets this vote for Recruiter of the Year. After getting thumped by Alabama for three straight recruiting classes, Auburn finally fought back. Though Alabama landed most of the best in-state kids, Chizik and his band of merry men held their own. They also roamed far across the Southland to get such studs as Michael Dyer (Arkansas), Trovon Reed (Louisiana) and Shon Coleman (Mississippi).

The next test: The 2011 class in Alabama is killer, and Saban and Chizik will go head to head on far more high-profile kids. Alabama already has two top in-state commitments for 2011 and is expected to announce more in a matter of days. How will Chizik and Auburn respond?

I'm Not Dead, I Was Only Sleeping, and I Wasn't Out Long: When we last saw Urban Meyer, he was barely holding it together on the sideline as his team was being blown apart by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. In quick succession, he served as the honored guest of his wife's a 9-1-1 call, then announced his retirement because of health concerns. Sleeping in late with the Mrs. didn't last long, of course. But how Meyer was able to literally get off the floor and sign one of the greatest classes in modern recruiting history is a testament to his manic energy, the program he has built and his utter hatred of losing. Many expect this class to win a national championship. Will Meyer still be healthy enough to coach them?

The Bill Clinton "It Depends on How You Define the Word 'Commitment'" Medal of Excellence

In most years, the magical mystery tour that led Keenan Allen, his brother and two former Greensboro teammates to the cliffs of the Pacific might take top Switcheroo honors. But Da'Rick Rogers' jump from Georgia, which had recruited him for two years, to Tennessee, which only has had its coach for two weeks, was equally bizarre.

Most teams add players down the stretch. The Dawgs shed them like fleas, turning a potentially great class into a good one. Suffice to say, the talent gap between Georgia and the SEC's top-tier teams didn't get smaller today. Coach Mark Richt will have some 'splainin' to do if UGA doesn't physically rebound in 2010 and put up more of a fight. For now, who can argue that something essential isn't suddenly missing in Athens?

And On the Eighth Day, He Rested . . .

When Lane Kiffin fled Tennessee, only the headline writers mourned. But Romper Room's late-night elopement to USC left the Volunteers on the cusp of a recruiting nightmare, particularly when no one seemed particularly interested in taking the job. Enter Derek Dooley, best known for his parentage. Yet, the Saban disciple soon showed he intended to do far more than simply salvage a class. He flipped in-state offensive lineman James Stone, long considered a Bama lock (Turns out, Stone just disliked Kiffin). He stole Rogers, perhaps the gem of the Georgia class. And even though Kiffin shamelessly kept wooing his former recruits, Dooley did a respectable job keeping them in Knoxville. One late loss to USC, receiver Markeith Ambles, could be a big gain. Given the kid's mouth, he seems a perfect fit for Kiffin.

When OK is Not Really OK

Bobby Petrino and Houston Nutt have never shown much knack for recruiting, and this year's classes indicate they are building more question marks than momentum at Arkansas and Ole Miss, respectively. Why Petrino put up so little fight for Michael Dyer still doesn't make much sense. And Nutt's class, following the mammoth one he brought in last year that led the SEC to adopt size limits, is distinguished only for its lack of distinguishing talent. Meanwhile MSU's Dan Mullen continues to shake the magnolias in the Magnolia State, beating Nutt head to head on several key recruits. An common omission: None of the three appears to have found a future SEC quarterback.

It's hard to say LSU had a down year with its expected Top 10 finish. But the Tigers started fast and ended so-so. Still, Weep Not for Les, Louisiana. No school in the SEC holds a statewide recruiting monopoly like the Tigahs, and they capitalized again with an impressive array of talent. Next year, the bayous are teeming with even more first-rate players. Unless LSU struggles on the field, and every year more Cajuns seem to question The Hat's coaching chops, Miles should boat plenty. If he doesn't, well . . . how do you say "tick-tock" in French?

Long Live The King.

While Texas did its annual great job of shooting fish in a barrel, and Kiffin built on what Pete Carroll started at USC, the SEC again mostly led the national recruiting ranks -- with Florida as the near unanimous No. 1 class, and Auburn, Alabama and LSU all near the top. That gives the conference three straight mythical recruiting titles to go with its four straight national championships. Alabama is favored to make it five in a row -- but first The Tide has to get out of the SEC alive.

While Bama leaves NSD reloaded and heavily armed, next season includes two potential games against Florida, plus the typical murderer's row. And as we all know by now, in the SEC, everybody's packing.

MG