by Thaddeus Reed

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This has been a huge year for CAA Recruiting. Now it is time to break down each recruiting class and separate numbers 1-14.

As these classes receive their rankings I am not taking into account each school's depth chart. Some studs may be trapped behind current talent and some lesser known guys may shine early due to the chances for early playing time. I do not claim to to know each schools depth chart.

I wish success to all of the new recruits that will enter their respective institutions of higher learning. Without further ado I give you my school rankings for the '09 recruiting season:

1. Delaware Blue Hens

 The Blue Hens did a great job in bringing in Penn State transfer Pat Devlin to solidify the quarterback spot after the failed experiment with Rob Schoenhoft. Pennsylvania's all-time leading passer looks to put Delaware back into contention for the CAA South crown after their worse record in school history at 4-8. Cody Magill was a huge pick up at tight end even though the Blue Hens are already strong at that position. He brings loads of talent and big game experience having played with a very successful Quince Orchard program. They have brought in the top group of offensive lineman in the CAA with only Old Dominion having a legitimate arguement. K.C. has to be tickled to death at the group of lineman that he has brought in. They have brought in four solid defensive lineman but there is no Matt Macorelle in this group. Linebacker Cazavious Ray was a nice pick up out of Florida. Gaining Kasseim Everett's re-commitment after he decided to re-open his recruiting was huge. He is the playmaker that they have sorely missed. When you add Rob Jones, Timmy Breaker and Ricky Tunstall to this class, wow!

2. James Madison Dukes

 James Madison closed their recruiting season with some very heavy blows to their recruiting competition. It was hard to remember if I was watching JMU or those notorious Seminoles of FSU, whom are known for their ability to close out a recruiting season with a bang. Grabbing Leavander Jones from Syracuse, Dae'Quan Scott and earlier Adrian Cavanaugh from Richmond along with Stephon Roberts from Delaware had everyone paying attention to the moves that they were making. Let us not forget about Jordan Stanton, who grabbed two late BCS offers late into the season and had that new bully on the block in ODU breathing down his neck, becoming a Duke. Ryan Smith is another guy that should be huge for JMU. He has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting a year at Marshall. Wow, did I even mention Daniel Allen?

3. Old Dominion Monarchs

 I flipped back and forth with JMU and ODU for days and then JMU threw in Brad Lidge and slammed the door shut! (My little baseball reference) This does not by any means take away from ODU's class. Tron Martinez could see the field early. Thomas DeMarco is undersized but he is a player. I have heard great things about him already. His film was impressive, he seems to have a great mindset to be a quality quarterback and he will have some great options in '08 recruit Carlos Hawkins and Marquel Thomas. I am actually high on all of the wideouts that ODU has brought in. However, their main focus was on the offensive line and they brought in some very good ones. Jensen, Hensley and Owens look to be very good finds and then you throw in the potential of Bell and ODU may have addressed their concerns. The defense will be special, early. John Darr, McJunkins and Porter? They may have brought in the best defense in this class.

4. Georgia State Panthers

 GSU was also leap frogged by JMU. They quietly put together a great recruiting class. GSU has a recruiting base that is a little different from the rest of the CAA. Their recruiting battles were more with Sunbelt Conference Schools. Coach Curry grabbed three of the best quarterbacks that are being brought into the CAA this year. I am glad that I don't have to pick a starter! The best thing that Curry did was bring these guys in early and now he and his staff will have a full year to get these guys ready for game competition. Sam Burkhalter and Parris Lee are studs. If they could have pulled in Trey Smith at the WR spot it would have been amazing. GSU will really need to pick up the pace in 2010 with defensive lineman. Look for them to turn to the Juco ranks. Justin Orr and Robert Ferguson will be very good linebackers that should be ready to play after a year in the system. K.J. Morton is underrated at the CB spot and he is joined by a solid cast in the backfield. Caleb Lester was a real big lost deep into the recruiting season.

5. Villanova Wildcats

 Villanova did not have a big class but they pulled in quality. Ronnie Akins signing on the dotted line was big. He is a stud that can also play wideout or return kicks. Snatching Kenny Miles from his Towson commitment also helped their grade. Miles could play WR or CB, well. Dan Shirey is one of the most football smart lineman that any CAA school has brought in this year, period. Joe Bucci is a very big lineman that I liked a lot. Both linebackers that were signed are solid. Both Loper and Giresi are also very football smart guys in the backfield.

6. William & Mary Tribe

 Once again, they did not have a big recruiting class but I even liked their walk-ons so far! Brent Caprio reminds me of Chris Whitney from Villanova. He should be a viable option for the Tribe in the near future. When you have offers from Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Penn there is no questioning his intellect. Matt Crisafi is the gem of this class. Their wideouts will be better than some would think. September is raw but talented and Couplin is really underrated. Trevor Swingman is one of an eye popping 11 players that signed on to play D-1 football from Stone Bridge this year. Both defensive ends are very good and William & Mary did well in landing Sam Johnson. T.K. Hester was huge for them. Landing Brian Leffler would have taken them over Villanova. I like him a lot.

7. Towson Tigers

 This class has loads of potential. Potential is the key word here. Tom Chroniger is legit. He chopped up a very good Middletown (DE) squad and had a whole town that breathes football wondering what happened, including me. He can burn you with his arm or his legs as well. That 55 yard run up the gut should have been on his highlight tapes, wow! The most underrated recruit that Towson pulled in on the offensive end is Alex Blake. He is my dark horse to be a special player for these Tigers. Eric Pike was a very good pick up for the Tigers. Any guy that big that went against Randall Harris in practice everyday I will take my chances on. Every player that they have brought in on defense looks good. William Speight and Nygee Carmichael are excellent pick-ups from Ralph Friedgen's favorite breeding grounds in Gwynn Park. Coach Ambrose and his staff did a great job with what they had. He came in the middle of the recruiting season and did well. I like his style. He has already put out a good offer to a very obtainable quarterback for the 2010 class. That being said, not grabbing big offensive lineman Danzel Manley and losing Kenny Miles to Nova hurt their grade a little.

8. Maine Black Bears

 The Black Bears brought in a real good quarterback in Warren Smith. After Iona disbanded its football program Maine was quick to grab this young signal caller. Smith will be eligible immediately due to NCAA rules. He started at Iona as a freshman and actually faced Maine. Justin Perillo is one of the best tight ends that will be brought into the CAA for this class. He will be a huge addition to the Black Bears. Maine dug into the state of Delaware in recent years and has come out with some gems. This year will be no different. Joe Hook was very impressive and could be a nice pick up. When Maine picked up Capella I just smiled because I knew that they meant business. Capella and Cole have loads of potential and they helped Maine's overall grade. Troy Eastman was another guy that I was impressed with. Jamal Clay is my dark horse to be special at Maine. He has loads of talent and is a very humble young man. Nate Doehler is Maine's Player of the Year and could compete for time at the quarterback spot but may see the field early as a punter.

9. Hofstra Pride

 This is one that I struggled with. I believe that this class could be anywhere between 5th and 10th. I know that a lot of people are not familiar with some of the talent that the Pride have brought in. However, they have done a wonderful job. Coy Glass should make his presence felt pretty early at quarterback. He is another guy that solidifies this current group of quarterbacks that are being brought into the CAA. Morgan, Koonce and Johnson are some serious weapons that has to have Coach Cohen smiling like an evil genius. Steven Medard was a very nice pick up at defensive end. Thompson is a stud at the defensive tackle spot. I thought UMass has him all wrapped up. Jordan Dangerfield will be a very familiar name to CAA foes. He has the potential to get on the field rather early. Hofstra did very well for themselves. This class could go either way.

10. Richmond Spiders

 I want to start off by saying that Coach Mike London is one of my favorite coaches in the conference. His credentials speak for themselves. However, they went through what Delaware went through a year ago. It is very difficult to recruit when you go deep into the playoffs on the road. They have solid recruits but I don't see star potential outside of Darrian Carmichael or Jacob Pierce. Pierce may be the gem of this class. I don't want Richmond fans to take these comments wrong because this is a very solid and safe class. Carmichael was a huge a huge pick up that I was glad to see stick around. He will fit well at Richmond. My dark horse in this class is Dustin Engledove. Richmond just had too many misses: Adrian Cavanaugh, Dae'Quan Scott, Bobby Smith who was in their backyard, Raymond Maples and Everett Gilbert. With those five guys in the loop we would be talking a top 5 class. I think that Richmond was a victim of their own success.

11. New Hampshire Wildcats

 While I have UNH's class pretty low in these rankings it speaks more to the talent of the CAA than the class that they have brought in. Offensive lineman Seamus O'Neill will grow into a player as he grows into his body. The wildcats have brought in the top group of defensive ends in the CAA this year, hands down! Colbert, Schmalhofer, Muller and Jameson? No one is even close to this group. Kevin Gangelhoff could be a real surprise that many people just did not know much about. Manny Asam was a huge pick up for the Wildcats and he is my dark horse to be special. If they would have been able to bring in linebacker Alfred Tillerson it could have really helped this class.

12. Rhode Island Rams

 Rhode Island really helped themselves with the addition of four Rutgers transfers. Robinson Alexis may be the biggest pick up for the Rams out of the four. He has loads of talent and the speed to break one everytime he touches the ball. Ellis Foster is a special athlete that should make a name for himself in a year or two after they decide where they will use his talents. Chris Paul-Etienne legitimizes the quarterback spot for URI. D.J. Laws is a very fast receiver that could help the Rams. Big OT Kelson Patterson is a real underrated player that should have received more offers. He was a nice pick up for the Rams. Zocco was also a nice a pick up that I think UNH will regret not offering. Shomari Watts is my dark horse in this class. Ali Muhammed and Jordan Dalton helped propel this group out of the #13 spot. Both guys could play on either side of the ball and play well.

13. Massachusetts Minutemen

 The Brandt brothers are very good athletes that could very well blow up these rankings. This is another situation were a school lost out on some key guys due to a coaching change. Adham Talaat will prove to be a good pick up. He did a very good job in protecting UNC recruit, Bryan Renner. UMass did themselves very well on defense. Grabbing Royce Terrell from the jaws of the Huskies was a very good move. Perry McIntyre is my dark horse to be special. He was a real plus for this class. If Peter Rose stays out of the headlines UMass will have pulled off a real magic trick. He is a player. Look for UMass to bring in a few transfers.

14. Northeastern Huskies

 This just was not a good year for the Huskies of Northeastern. Offensive lineman Alex Winks and Andrew Anastor are legit, make no mistake about that. They are very good and are the gems of this class. Kyle Hunte could be a solid find for the Huskies. C.J. Parsons will add depth at the defensive end spot. Steven Hunter is my dark horse of this class. Losing Cattolico, Everett and Terrell to CAA foes really hurt.