National Signing Day 2011: How'd The New Guys Do?

The 2010-2011 college football offseason saw close to a dozen new head coaches installed at BCS-conference schools. Here's a rapid-fire rundown of how the new kids did with limited time and resources on 2011 National Signing Day:

• Randy Edsall, Maryland
The acrimonious ousting of Ralph Friedgen, as expected, put a dent in the Terps' plans for 2011, and a signing class that's ranked comfortably in the bottom half of the ACC was the unhappy result. Maryland's plight is thrown into even starker relief considering the impressive hauls by conference-mates Florida State, Clemson, and UNC. Testudo Times tries to get worked up over the last-minute addition of a punter to their class, but doesn't overlook what might have been:

The ACC is getting a lot more talented and it's happening fast. Oh, and James Franklin did a nice job with Vandy's class.

• Jon Embree, Colorado
Welcome to the Pac-12, where there's a cleanup needed on aisle  Dan Hawkins Player Development. (Aisles don't have to have numbers. Dream big.) The Buffs edge Washington State in their new conference by just one three-star player, 13 to 12. For more on the new regime, visit Ralphie Report.

• James Franklin, Vanderbilt
The offensively-minded Franklin showed his ball-side chops this week, pulling in three quarterbacks for the offensively-deficient 'Dores, but the SEC's token smart kids school still finished last in conference by Rivals' rankings. You've got to start somewhere, however, and Anchor of Gold is all kinds of jacked over the poaching of Lafonte Thourogood from Virginia Tech. (Kid's got a Vandy kinda name, anyway.)

• Al Golden, Miami
Filling Randy Shannon's sneakers is no easy feat when it comes to in-town connections, but the 'Canes pulled in a respectable class, with two four-star players and 13 three-stars. The 7th Floor tries to take it with a smile:

This year's commits are certainly more than welcome but somewhat anti-climactic; when you crap the bed in 2010 and the new guy gets just 15 days on the road, you love the ones you're with and do your best to remember their names in the morning.

• Todd Graham, Pitt
Bless Todd Graham for even showing up, and for a yeoman's effort that hauled in 20 commits after two coaching changes in one offseason. Cardiac Hill gives the work a solid B.

• Brady Hoke, Michigan
Hand it to the Hoke: Six four-star players is good for third place in the Big Ten, beating out more steadliy-helmed programs like Michigan State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. Maize n Brew is in their new coach's corner:

Hoke and his staff did a phenomenal job bringing in a 20 person recruiting class, much of which filled some dire needs for the program. Michigan stocked up on defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs as though they would cease to exist in the future. Michigan secured an elite tight end, top of the line running backs, a monster of an offensive guard, and a talented center.

• Jerry Kill, Minnesota
The amazingly-named new Gophers skipper has received the most bizarre faint-praise review from Rivals we have ever seen:

Interesting first effort for new head coach Jerry Kill with kids from all over the map.

The Daily Gopher has a full review of Kill's recruits.

• Will Muschamp, Florida
Hey, check it out! Florida's pretty good at attracting raw talent even when the program's under major stress! Georgia took from one side and Florida State from the other, and the Gators netted ten four-star prospects. Alligator Alley, for their part, wants to move on from the star discussion to intangibles:

I think he is worthy of a 'B', considering that his two coordinators couldn't recruit until their NFL teams were knocked out of the playoffs. The timing of Meyer's resignation also didn't help. When you hear Muschamp say that the unused scholarships will be available next year, it telegraphs that UF is in rebuilding mode, an investment UF refused to make in 2010. But that sets up the process for 2012 and 2013.

• Paul Pasqualoni, UConn
Coming in on the heels of Randy Edsall's abrupt and perhaps ill-considered departure to Maryland, a class that ranks dead last in the Big East isn't surprising anybody. No four- or five-star players in the bunch. The UConn Blog gets all fatalistic, and frankly we cannot blame them.

• David Shaw, Stanford
The guy with the biggest hole to step into, Shaw seemed to breeze through Signing Day on cruise control. The Cardinal signed 19 players, but we're much more interested in the hiring of a grown man named Pep.

• Kevin Wilson, Indiana
The Crimson Quarry takes a c'est-la-vie approach to a rebuilding haul that's perhaps the healthiest we've ever seen from major college football fans:

Some fans get very worked up about such things, but the approach I try to take is that these are young men in their final semester of high school deciding where they should spend the next four or five years of their lives.  Non-athletes often change their minds at this point in the high school careers, so I can't worry all that much about when football players do it.  It can put schools in a bad situation, but most schools end up on both ends of such situations.

For more college football recruiting news, visit our 2011 National Signing Day StoryStream.