Last time we looked at the classes of the southern division of the Big XII conference. Today we're going to take a look at the north, or as Texans call it, the "have nots". While the south boasted 4 teams in the top 25 nationally, the north has only two, and we're not even going to talk about the Missouri class here. I plan to save that to give each of the fine young men that committed his just due.
Opening up with the team that finished last in the north and #66 nationwide is the Colorado Buffalos. You may have thought that things couldn't get much worse for Dan Hawkins after last season. I know I didn't. However, when you follow up a 3-9 season (2-6 in conference) with the worst recruiting class in the conference, it means you probably aren't headed in the right direction, and there may yet be another way to go than up. The Buffs have the dubious distinction of having exactly zero 4 star commitments. That in itself isn't all that damning since Rivals has been known to make mistakes occasionally. (2 stars for Sean Weatherspoon?) But when you begin to look at the other teams that were recruiting their commits, it appears Colorado got them by default. As near as I can tell, their impact guy was 315 lb offensive lineman Eric Richter who they were able to pry away from Arkansas State, Kentucky and New Hampshire. Let the Dan Hawkins death march continue.
Coming in at # 62 we have the Kansas State Wildcats and head fossil Bill Snyder. In hindsight it may have been better for all concerned if the 'Cats had taken a shot with a younger, less proven guy for the head job. Sequels rarely work and it doesn't look like this one will either. Due to the last recruiting classes from former coach Ron "scary smart" Prince, what little talent that was in Manhattan last year has graduated, forcing another heavy dependence on the juco ranks. However, they did manage a couple of very promising players, especially Wichita running back DeMarcus Robinson. When push comes to shove, I think Snyder has forgotten more about football than most coaches in the league will ever know. However, I also think that his time has passed and there will be no more miracles in Manhattan.
Moving up at # 57 with a bullet was the university of kansas. The beaks closed out with a flurry, (well, more like a dusting) grabbing a couple of guys late including Dexter McDonald, a long time commit to Illinois who'd switched to Missouri following the purging of Ron Zook's staff. The 2 prizes in the class are both from the state of Missouri, which make no mistake pisses me off royally. They landed 4 star receiver Keeston Terry from my former home town of Blue Springs. Now it may sound like sour grapes, but I've just heard it from too many insiders to believe otherwise. Keeston had originally committed to Nebraska but was one of their original commits that reneged after watching the hick offense in action. He made a 12th hour official visit to Columbia, and if reports are correct, would have committed to the Tigers but there were no more spots. However, what was a surprise was the switch by Potosi running back Brandon Bourbon. He'd been committed to Stanford for some time and took a late trip to ku where he was apparently impressed with the coaching staff and the crimson and blue recliners in the end zone. He was being recruited by Missouri as a linebacker and claimed to have been a long time Tiger fan. Enjoy your time in lawrence Brandon and watch out for the basketball players. I hear they're pretty tough.
Coming in at # 54 are the Iowa State Cyclones. 1st year coach Paul Rhodes did a nice job on the field but was unable to parlay that into his recruiting class. I think the guy seems like a good coach but he's going to have problems bringing kids in when many of them played in larger stadiums in high school. He was forced to go the junior college route but once again, it just ain't easy getting big name players to come to Ames. The prize of the class would probably be junior college wideout Chris Young who chose the 'Clones over such traditional powers as North Texas, Southern Mississippi and UAB. I'm sorry ISU fans. I've always liked you guys but you're just going to have to invest some money in facilities if you plan to stay competitive in the Big XII.
On the strength of a couple of 12th hour, 4 star switches, corn nation and their head coach Bo "Mr Sensitivity" Pelini roared into the top 25 at #22, only 2 spots behind my favorite team. The hicks loaded up on defense in the hope of winning a shitload of 9-7 games next year although they did manage to corral 4 star quarterback Brion Carnes after he'd previously stated he'd be attending Western Kentucky. The biggest get would appears to be running back Braylon Heard from Youngstown, Ohio, former hometown of Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith.
I'm going to take a bit of time before I get into Missouri's class which finished the year out at #20 and tops in the north. Recruiting isn't an exact science and better classes don't always translate into on the field success. Ask Florida State if you don't believe me. However, it appears that Nebraska and Missouri have separated themselves from the rest of the division, and turn the north into what the south has been for the last several years; a 2 team race.
Enjoy your week folks and we'll take a look at Missouri's class around Monday or so.
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