SI.com: South Florida's rise could change recruiting landscape

[Jim Johnson]

Raging Bulls

South Florida's rise could change recruiting landscape

Posted: Wednesday October 3, 2007 5:41PM; Updated: Wednesday October 3, 2007 5:41PM

Star running back Mike Ford is the biggest recruit in South Florida's brief history.

Chris Livingston/Icon SMI

By Mike Farrell, Special to SI.com, Rivals.com

There's a potential superpower forming once again in the state of Florida.

Years after Bobby Bowden turned Florida State into a national title contender and Howard Schnellenberger took the Miami program from near-death to flourishing health, Jim Leavitt has USF on the cusp of something special. And you can bet that the programs that recruit in the Sunshine State are a bit worried.

The Bulls showed the nation that last season's 9-4 record and huge victory at West Virginia was no fluke after another huge victory over the Mountaineers. This time it came in front of a school-record crowd and numerous recruits. It could be the kind of win that bolts the Bulls to the top of the Big East sooner than later. But how did they get here?

It's not like the Bulls have been beating top BCS programs for recruits since joining the Big East. In 2005, they ranked fourth in the Big East behind West Virginia, Pitt and Louisville, and they've finished lower than that each year since. But the coaching staff has done a great job developing players, and it's clear that even second-tier players from Florida can compete with anyone in the country.

Of USF's star players, only tailback Mike Ford and linebacker Brouce Mompremier were highly coveted. Ford signed with Alabama out of high school but ended up at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., because he was ruled academically ineligible. He was a record-setting high school running back at Sarasota (Fla.) High and is considered the biggest recruit to sign with the Bulls. Mompremier had offers from LSU and Tennessee after being named all-state Class 5A at Miami's Edison High as a senior.

But the rest of USF's impact players? Not so coveted, at least by the other Florida schools.

Quarterback Matt Grothe, one of the big keys to the Bulls' success, had no other Division I-A offers when he committed to USF. Even as the recruiting process neared an end, there were opportunities for other schools to poach Grothe, but no one made a true effort. You can bet there are many coaches kicking themselves now.

Linebacker Ben Moffitt didn't get a sniff from any other programs, and defensive end George Selvie told Rivals.com last week that USF was the only I-A school that recruited him. Wide receiver Taurus Johnson had offers from UCF and Florida Atlantic, but was snubbed by the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes.

So what happens now that USF is a nationally ranked team with a legit shot at a BCS bowl game? What happens if they win the Big East and a BCS bowl this season? That could be bad news for a few Big East teams -- such as Rutgers, Pitt and West Virginia -- who consistently sign second-tier players from the southern part of Florida.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let me make one thing clear. The Bulls are nowhere near ready to go head-to-head in recruiting battles with Miami, Florida and others for the true stars in the southern part of the state. Miami is off to a 4-1 start, but the Hurricanes certainly aren't dominating anyone on the field (as evidenced by their 24-14 win over Duke last weekend). But the Hurricanes still have nine commitments for the 2008 class ranked four stars or above. USF? They have nine commitments total, none of them ranked three stars or higher.

This isn't an overnight process, but big wins will lead to better Big East-level recruits. Eventually, the Bulls could become major players when recruiting Florida. USF is one of the best teams in the nation right now. Imagine if they begin to recruit like one.

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[BULLSHTR]

Fingers are crossed and I'm hopin for stars

[ZeroBullChip]

Stars are arbitrary.  A kid commits to Miami, he becomes 4 stars.  A kid commits to USF he becomes 3 stars

[CCCballboy]

Most of those Miami recruits are coming from Miami Northwestern and Pahokee, two of the top ten high schools in the nation.  That said, as great as those guys are in high school, it always remains to be seen if they'll adjust to the next level.  USF will get what it needs to be competitive.

[Bull Matrix]

Grothe committed to USF pretty early. I have heard that schools like UF wanted Grothe as a safety, but he said no thanks. Ditto with Alton Voss who passed over offers to sign with UF because they wanted him as a safety.

[Matt]

the stars are pretty much a joke.  what happens is as soon as a kid gets an offer from Miami, LSU, USC, Florida...all these recruiting websites jump on board and rate him atleast 3 stars.  then someone goes to see him play and gives him 4 or 5 stars depending upon how good of a game  he had that day.  ill take the players we have right now OVER and OVER again.  FSU can have all the 5-star Fred Rouse's they want.  Same with Miami and Willie Williams.

[No_Willie_Jokes_Yet]

I love when the "stars" become reality by the media. Perhaps the coaches with the 3 star rated recruits actually know a thing or two about talent more than the people handing out stars.

[namuh-bull]

So nobody else offered Grothe, Moffit, and Selvie?  Who cares about stars?

[AndytheBull]

The story Coach Leavitt tells alot is he saw J.R. Reed play and knew he'd be great and offered. Eventually, he worried that he was missing something when he found out Reed only had one other scholarship offer(dont remember who, but wasnt a big name school). Leavitt wanted him, so went after him, and he is now one of the greatest players in program history and the Eagles kickoff returner.

So......

Leavitt >Recruitng service rankings.

[RSSMOOTH]

Our coaching staff is the best in the state at developing players that fit the system. Other schools rely on star power, last year we had a very solid recruiting class. You don't have to a 5 star player to be a great player. I admit that I like to see stars but, stars are overrated. Trae Williams was a 2 star player and Mel Kiper said he might be a 2nd round pick. Mike Jenkins was a 3 star and might be a 1st round pick. Selvie was a 1 star and leads the nation in sacks and TFLs. Moffit was a 2 star and will probably be a late 1st day pick in the NFL.