FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
Penn State had a magical 2008, directing one of the best offenses in school history, matched with an absolutely ferocious and underrated defense. The Nittany Lions won the Big 10 crown and made the Rose Bowl for just the third time in school history. Problem is they ran into a USC buzzsaw, and got solidly whipped during a second quarter outburst that put the game out of reach by halftime. Things might have been different with a pair of players that escaped their clutches and ended up at USC.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
In the eight years since Pete Carroll arrived in Los Angeles, USC has become THE recruiting power in college football, at one point stringing together five straight consensus No. 1 recruiting classes. They've had a particular knack at pulling in carefully chosen players from outside the state of California who have gone on to big things -- names like Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett and Brian Cushing. But they don't get everyone, and it's who they haven't gotten that is a story in itself.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
West Virginia plucked superstar quarterback Pat White out of all places, lower Alabama. How it got him came down to its offensive system and persistence in treating him as a quarterback when other schools felt he would be a wide receiver. The other schools weren't wrong to do so, by conventional wisdom, but sometimes you get ahead by attacking the margins as West Virginia did.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
OK so maybe it isn't a real love triangle. But, we did have three parties --Tim Tebow, Jevan Snead and Colt McCoy -- involved in a sort of courtship dance. Amusingly, all three played major roles in the national title race this year. Unfortunately for Snead, he was sort of the odd man out in both situations, but got his revenge in a big way last year. We'll explain everything after the jump.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
Say what you want about former Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, the man sure does speak (and gesture) his mind. Pledging to bring Nebraska into the 21st century with his west-coast offense, Callahan was atop the world after gaining a pledge from tall, big-armed quarterback Josh Freeman. That is, until Freeman reneged on his non-binding oral commitment and declared for Kansas State.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
Part of the fun of recruiting is looking at what could have been. And so it seems we wonder what could have been for Texas this year if they had brought in the Smurfish home-state Rodgers brothers out of Richmond/Lamar Consolidated -- James and Jacquizz. You know, those two guys up at Oregon State of all places. One ushered in a revival of the "fly sweep" in college football and the other won Pac-10 Freshman and Offensive Player of the Year honors after single-handedly making mincemeat of the otherwise impenetrable USC defense.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
Thanks to his revival of Ole Miss, Houston Nutt has quickly escaped his not-so-excellent adventures in Arkansas becoming his legacy. Nutt had a nice run at Arkansas, but what went down those last two years was just insane and while helping rope in a handful of great players -- some no longer on the team -- he also lost the state's three best players the next year, lost his job and certainly contributed to the resignation of longtime athletic director and legendary former coach Frank Broyles.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
Not long ago, Louisiana quarterback Ryan Perilloux was the apple of every collegiate offensive coordinator's eye. He was a big kid with a bigger arm, an outsized personality, and tremendous run and pass skills. His suitors were all the big boys -- LSU, Texas, USC -- and maybe that was the problem, because he wasn't a big boy.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
Hard to imagine now, but former West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton was buying into that whole "fear the turtle" thing. Maryland came out on top among the Philadelphia-area tailback's list of offers, and left him excited to play relatively close to family and home. That is, until they pulled his offer.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Past we note 10 recruiting powers who have hit a dry spell
Completing Part I of our Ghosts of Recruiting series, we discuss the changed recruiting fortunes of Virginia and Michigan State. Like several schools mentioned here, both have been at various times elite programs but certainly not of the level achieved by an Oklahoma or a USC or a Michigan, the so-called traditional powers. Prospects aren't quite Syracuse-level glum for both, but they aren't exactly their old selves either.
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the Ghosts of Recruiting -- past, present and future. In the Ghosts of Recruiting Present, we document prominent recruiting makes and misses that changed programs
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
FanHouse's lead-up to college football's signing day makes like Charles Dickens and looks at the 
