COLLEGE FOOTBALL

LES IS MORE
How one coach's job decision shaped three recruiting classes
By Tom Luginbill, Scouts Inc.

Tom DiPace

On Dec. 1, the day of the SEC title game, Les Miles declared that he wasn't bolting Baton Rouge for Ann Arbor. Recruits believed him. By the time LSU had won the BCS, a month later, Miles had locked up 24 verbal commitments. Meanwhile, ripples from Miles' choice could be felt more than a thousand miles away, in Ann Arbor and Morgantown.

LSU
Miles already had the makings of a solid, top-20 class, but when he opted to stick around, LSU's group started flirting with top-10 territory. Three ESPN 150 players—CB Patrick Johnson (ninth), pass-rushing DE Chancey Aghayere (14th) and WR Chris Tolliver (51st)—could have been lost had Miles gone elsewhere. Then, on Signing Day, Miles beat out South Carolina and Michigan for safety Karnell Hatcher (70th) from Atlantic Community High in Delray Beach, Fla. That gave LSU the nation's No. 11 class.

MICHIGAN
While Miles could resist Michigan, West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez couldn't. He left Morgantown before the Mountaineers' BCS game, which gave him an extra two weeks to keep Lloyd Carr's recruits. RichRod did well: 16 of 18 Michigan verbals stayed put.No. 4 OT Dann O'Neill from Grand Haven (Mich.) High and No. 6 TE Brandon Moore from Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) High are good fits for Rodriguez's spread O. But the coach's best move was getting top QB Terrelle Pryor from Jeannette (Pa.) High to include Michigan—along with Ohio State and Penn State—among his final three so late in the process. That shows the impact Rodriguez will have with top skills guys.

WEST VIRGINIA
Rodriguez's departure ravaged WVU's class. At least four players who were interested, including Pryor, immediately crossed the Mountaineers off their list. But new coach Bill Stewart did salvage some pieces. His best verbal, No. 7 guard Josh Jenkins, initially decommitted and seemed destined for Ohio State before Stewart convinced him to stay. And after weeks of uncertainty, underrated Jerome Swinton, a 5'8", 160-pound CB from Seabreeze Senior (Fla.) High, also stuck with WVU. Stewart's biggest loss: WR D.J. Woods from Strongsville (Ohio) High. Woods first committed to Nebraska, then picked WVU and, after Rodriguez left, finally settled on Cincinnati.

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