UB Signing Day: A Definitive Ranking

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?