Five College Football Teams That Underperformed on Signing Day
By Ty Duffy
UCLA: Recruits could smell the instability. Four-star wideout Devin Lucien signed for the Bruins, increasing their haul of Rivals’ Top 100 prospects in California to two. UCLA has a high-profile name and a destination campus in perhaps the best recruiting area in the country. Merely due diligence should land a Top 25 class. If neither Brett Hundley nor little Neuheisel pans out immediately at quarterback, the end is nigh.
West Virginia: Oliver Luck’s justification for publicly castrating Bill Stewart was he didn’t feel the team could compete for a national title. This recruiting class isn’t getting them any closer. They didn’t bring in the type of playmakers on offense they have been getting in recent years. They notably swung and missed on running back Jermichael Selders and Dominique Terrell.
Kansas State: Bill Snyder returned from retirement. His vitality didn’t. The Wildcats brought in one freshman of note, defensive end Ian Seau. Snyder replenished the roster with eight (yes, eight!) JUCO kids. Not even well-rated JUCO kids. The Wildcats were above .500 for the first time since 2006, but it’s not building toward anything.
Miami: Al Golden may put on the full court press next year. He inherited a mess from Randy Shannon, but he still could have done better with this year’s class. He had months and did less than Brady Hoke did in weeks with a richer natural recruiting base. His major coup was stealing a kicker and a DB from Michigan. Elkino Watson, a four-star DT from Miami and an avowed Miami fan, opted for USF on signing day. Golden may bring Miami back to prominence, but this class probably won’t be leading the charge.
[Photo via Getty]