My thoughts on the class

First a quick news roundup. Jimmy Noel officially committed to BC. It seems like he had some Signing Day jitters but dealt with them and eventually came around. Welcome aboard. People in Hartford are rooting for Andre Lawrence. Chris Johnson has enrolled at Delaware State. You knew that when Flutie passed him on the depth chart at QB, his days were probably numbered. Not sure where the staff factored in his open scholarship (this year or next).

The recruiting experts have us at the bottom of the ACC and among the bottom of the BCS. As I have stated ad nauseum, I am unconcerned with recruiting rankings. These are the things I like and my concerns.

Holding serve
Regardless of how you feel about the Spaz hire or Jags' recruiting, it is a good thing he held onto most of the commits. Transitions are always tough and this is the first sign that Spaz is capable of continuing our decade of success.

Keeping a foothold in Cincinnati
We only signed one player from the Queen City, but all reports say he is a good one. But more than anything it is a statement. Luke Kuechly attends St. Xavier (TOB and Bible's alma mater). Whispers were that St. X and the other area Catholic Schools were no longer friendly to BC. Kuechly's commitment -- especially after the Jags departure -- provides hope that we can still be a player in southwest Ohio. It also confirms that BC's pitch still connects with the right type of kid.

Depth at positions of strength
You could argue that our best positions next season will be LB, RB and OLine. This class is filled with players for all those positions. The crowded depth chart means that not many will play as true freshmen, but it does mean these young guys will learn from some of our best. It also means we should continue to be strong in these positions for years to come.

And my concerns...

Quantity
This is a small class and leaves BC with some unused scholarships. Those open spots will probably be used for fifth year guys and walk ons. Most who follow recruiting think this is a good thing and allows Spaz to get a huge class next spring. I am not in favor of small classes or "banking" scholarships. My logic is that there is a natural attrition to this process. A small class means every mistake or departure has a greater impact. A small class also limits your upside or finding another diamond in the rough. You never know who the next Jamie Silva might be. The fear is that 18th or 19th guy might not be very good and use up a scholarship for four years. That certainly will happen. But a head coach should trust his staff to find a good guy. Also is a non-performing freshman worse than a fifth year who is unlikely to contribute significantly? At least the freshmen has a chance to become something. With a fifth year or walkon, you've probably seen what you are going to get.

Geography
CT, one of the commentors, wonders why we are not picking up more players from ACC country. I wonder why we cannot close on Midwest kids. Others think we blew it in Massachusetts. Regardless of which area of the country you prefer, it seems like BC's scatter shot approach didn't work. I hope the new staff focuses on a few regions and hits them hard. And as much as our ACC move should help recruiting, I think BC will always be a tough sell in the sunbelt. We should have a presence in those regions, but our time and resources are better spent in the Midwest and Northeast.

Well the Recruiting Class from Hell is signed. Regardless of where you stand on this stuff, one thing everyone agrees on is that Spaz needs to work very hard on the next recruiting class. That group, more than this one, will determine if Spaz can be the one to take us to the next level.