Signing Day is the first day of hope springs eternal season. First EVERY prospect is gonna be amazing. Then EVERYONE looks awesome in the spring game. Then EVERYONE shows growth in training camp. It's not until week one until you really know what your team is made of, and sometimes with weak OOC, not until week 3, 4, or 5. This part of the offseason is stupid, long, pointless. It's a giant waste of time and I LOVE IT.
Despite my Quinn, Tepper, and Kicker bashing between 2011-2014, I'm an optimist when it comes to UB football, (which is possibly why I was so critical, I had higher hopes) and I know I'll buy into anything that shows LL Cool Coach has turned this team into a MAC winning juggernaut.
But before Matt and Tim (who are much more knowledgable on recruits than I) fill you in on all the awesome players we'll be seeing in Blue and White (and probably Black), let's look back at the five best players of every signing day between 2000 and 2013 and lets rank them cause EMBRACE DEBATE.
#14 - 2000
2000 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
JJ Gibson | DB | Amherst | NY |
Rodney Morris | LB | Pahokee | FL |
Randall Secky | QB | Maple Grove | NY |
Eric Weber | OL | Canandaigua | NY |
Erik Zeppuhar | OL | Allison Park | PA |
Cirbus' last class produced two big offensive linemen, and rocks of the defense JJ Gibson and Rodney Morris. Randall Secky could never solidify himself as UB's starting QB.
#13 - 2012
2012 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Beau Bachtelle | DE | Tuolumne | CA |
Devin Campbell | RB | Youngstown | OH |
Tyler Grassman | P | Columbus | OH |
Jordan Johnson | QB | Amherst | NY |
Mason Schrek | TE | Medina | OH |
A good class, but Quinn's 2012 hit more on offensive positions where UB was already strong. Campbell and Johnson are RBs behind Branden Oliver and Anthone Taylor, while Shreck has been part of a crowded TE rotation. Lou Tepper was signed the next day, had he been hired early, he may have been able to sign more players to make his defense work at UB.
#12 - 2013
2013 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Brandon Crawford | LB | Madison | FL |
Jarrett Franklin | LB | St. Charles | MO |
Tedroy Lynch | DE | Shiremanstown | PA |
Jake Martinez | WR | South Port | FL |
Boise Ross | WR | Bethlehem | PA |
This list has 22 players from New York State, this is one of two years where the top 5 has no NY natives. Quinn's penultimate class could go down as one of the greatest as each player has shown flashes of greatness.
#11 - 2010
2010 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Andre Davis | DT | Cheektowaga | NY |
Jasen Carlson | OL | Lakewood | NY |
Adam Redden | WR | Amherst | NY |
Cobly Way | OLB | State College | PA |
Cortney Lester | WR | Miramar | FL |
Quinn's first class solidified both lines with Davis and Carlson on offense and Way as the force in the middle of the defense.
#10 - 2004
2004 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Jesse Imes | DB | Cincinnati | OH |
Jeff Niedermier | OL | New Washington | OH |
Chris Scharon | LB | Salem | NH |
Mike Thompson | DL | Seffner | FL |
Ben Woods | P | Hermitage | PA |
Imes gets on the list as the DB who intercepted Temple in OT to set up the Starks game winner. Scharon king of the Spider Y Banana and the most dedicated punter in UB history.
#9 - 2006
2006 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Peter Bittner | OL | Williamsville | NY |
Jordan Jerrold | OT | Fairless Hills | PA |
Brian Kelly | OL | Richmond | VA |
Anel Montanez | DL | Trumbull | CT |
Naaman Roosevelt | QB | Buffalo | NY |
Gill's first class solidified the lines but also grabbed local product Naaman Roosevelt who later became the best WR in UB history.
#8 - 2002
2002 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Ramon Guzman | LB | Bronx | NY |
Steven King | RB | Hempstead | NY |
Jared Patterson | RB | Belvidere | NJ |
Bryan Cummings | LB | Cincinnati | OH |
Chad Upshaw | TE | Southport | CT |
Hoofer adds UB's first viable NFL candidates: Chad Upshaw and Ramon Guzman.
#7 - 2001
2001 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
David Dawson | RB | Camp Hill | PA |
Matt Knueven | WR | Cincinnati | OH |
Aaron Leeper | RB | Jamestown | NY |
Gemera Williams | RB | Oak Park | MI |
Rob Schroeder | OL | East Rochester | NY |
Hofher's first and second class show a basic problem, good players, but too much depth not enough breadth. Hofher inherited Randall Secky, brought in PJ Piskorik but could never decide which was his QB. He also had five viable running backs between Patterson, King, Leeper, Dawson and McDuffie. Gemara Williams was the first of many Bulls to spend some time on the New England Patriots and Aaron Leeper was the MAC Freshman of the Year, one of only two Bulls to earn a MAC individual award.
#6 - 2007
2007 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Domonic Cook | CB | Buffalo | NY |
Terrell Jackson | WR | Temple | TX |
Marcus Rivers | WR | Lackawanna | NY |
Davonte Shannon | S | Jeannette | PA |
Joshua Thomas | CB | Cedar Hill | TX |
The greatest tackling safety in UB history Shannon, NFLer Josh Thomas, solid WRs Jackson and Rivers and key CB for the championship year Domonic Cook. Gill inherited a lot of talent, but he helped himself in 2007 by plugging holes quickly.
#5 - 2008
2008 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Gokhan Ozkan | QB | Staten Island | NY |
Zach Maynard | QB | Greensboro | NC |
Steven Means | DE | Buffalo | NY |
Willie Moseley | DE | Sandston | VA |
Scott Pettigrew | LB | Thompson's Station | TN |
After a then best ever 5-7 season Gill put in work signing Zach Maynard. Had Maynard stayed at Buffalo it would have moved higher on this list. Still, Ozkan, Means and Moseley all got looks at the NFL after their UB careers.
#4 - 2011
2011 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Patrick Clarke | K | New Castle | DE |
Dillon Guy | OL | Hamilton | OH |
Ron Willoughby | WR | Avon Lake | OH |
Anthone Taylor | RB | Huber Heights | OH |
Joe Licata | QB | Williamsville | NY |
It's their team now, a slightly disappointing 6-6 (let's just start calling it a 6-6 year cause it would have been a W) season saw Licata, Taylor and Willoughby explode into the scene as the next great UB trio.
#3 - 2003
2003 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Terrance Breaux | WR | Randallstown | MD |
Kareem Byrom | DB | New Brusnwick | NJ |
Jamey Richard | OL | Westin | CT |
Trevor Scott | TE | Potsdam | NY |
Andrae Smith | DE | Bloomfield | CT |
Terrance Breaux could have been the greatest of all time had he had a Quarterback to work with. Richard and Scott both went to the NFL and Andrae Smith was around in 2008, due to a medical redshirt, and he played a key role in UB's championship.
#2 - 2009
2009 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
Branden Oliver | RB | Miami | FL |
Alex Neutz | WR | Grand Island | NY |
Khalil Mack | LB | Fort Pierce | FL |
Fred Lee | WR | Chester | SC |
Jeffvon Gill | RB | Euclid | OH |
Gill's goodbye gift to UB, BO, Neutz, Mack, and Lee led UB to a 8-5 season. Brandon Oliver was a sensation in San Diego and Khalil Mack was drafted #5 overall and finished 3rd in defensive rookie of the year voting. This was a great class but they weren't the best...
#1 - 2005
2005 | |||
Player | Pos | Hometown | State |
James Starks | QB | Niagara Falls | NY |
Brett Hamlin | WR | Jupiter | FL |
Mike Newton | DB | Pasadena | MD |
Ernerst Jackson | WR | Rochester | NY |
Drew Willy | QB | Randolph | NJ |
The greatest QB in history, two high volume wide receivers, the greatest cover safety in UB history Newton and James Starks, perhaps the most explosive offensive athlete UB has had in decades. Recruited by Hofher in his final year, this class was developed by Gill and brought UB a MAC Championship in 2008.
Final Shots:
Swan songs: #1 and #2 were classes in a coach's final year, does this mean last year's 2014 class will be one of the best?
Great States: NY (22) - OH (11) - FL (8) - PA (8) were the most represented state on this list. Will Leipold tap into Florida? Will he dominate in the MAC zone? Will he bring in a diamond in the rough from the Empire State?
Trenches: First year coaches at UB have focused on the offensive and defensive lines during their first signing days. Will Leipold bring in some Hog Mollys from Wisconsin?