Steve Kim: Grading the Recruiting Class of 2002

Published Jan 23, 2007

Grading the Recruiting Class of 2002

On February 7th, a new batch of Miami Hurricanes will be signing their names on national letters of intent.
As of now, young men like Leonard Hankerson, Damien Berry and Harland Gunn have given their verbal pledges to be the newest Canes. As recruiting classes are filled out across the country, a plethora of rankings will be put out by various gurus grading how each program made out.

But in reality, the only way to truly gauge the impact of any recruiting class isn't just days after they
sign but rather four or five years later when their eligibility has expired. Anything else is pure
speculation and guesswork.

In 2002, Miami signed a highly-touted group of players that was nationally recognized as one of the country’s best. Coming off a national title the previous year, this class was to be the foundation of more championship runs under Larry Coker.

Instead, it turned out to be a large part of his eventual downfall in Coral Gables.

What follows is my evaluation of that recruiting class. Players are rated from 0-5.

5: All-American caliber.

4: All-Conference-types.

3. Solid starters.

2: Players who contributed.

1: Players who didn't play much.

0: Players who never made it into school or transferred early on.

- Baraka Atkins: A solid, versatile defensive lineman who was forced inside to play tackle for large parts of his career. Atkins was a four-year starter at Miami and provided steady production upfront. You wonder though if he would've have been served by playing outside - where he seemed better-suited - than at tackle. He was never dominant, but he was usually pretty good.

RATING: 4

- Travarous Bain: A speedy corner out of Miami Northwestern High and the son of former 'Cane corner,
Tolbert. Bain never really had much of an impact at UM. After being relegated to special teams duties in
2003 and 2004, he would transfer to Howard, where he would actually play well enough that some pundits
believe his name could be called in the upcoming NFL Draft.

RATING: 1

- Kareem Brown: A product of Miami Norland (which just happens to be the same alma mater as head coach Randy Shannon), Brown was an above-average pass rusher who could push the pocket inside and get up field. When he was on his game he could be disruptive, like he was against Pitt in 2003 when he capped off his redshirt freshman year with two sacks of Rod Rutherford to help clinch the Big East Title at Heinz Field. However, he did have bouts of inconsistency throughout his career.

RATING: 3.5

- Marc Guillon: From the same high school that gave us Ken Dorsey in Northern California (Miramonte HS), his UM career basically peaked in the first game of his true freshman year when he threw a garbage time TD to fellow newcomer Akieem Jolla versus FAMU. As Kyle Wright came aboard the next season, the writing was on the wall and he soon transferred to Alabama.

RATING: 1

- Devin Hester: This speed merchant from Riviera Beach, Florida was one of the most hyped recruits in
Miami history. After some clearinghouse issues, he would eventually arrive in Coral Gables in 2003. While
he got moved around more than a Mayflower moving fan, like Eric B and Rakim, he could move the crowd as a kick returner. From his opening return against Florida in 2003 or his game-changing punt return in the 2004 Louisville contest, he was a threat every time he touched the ball. He was also a standout as a coverage team gunner and kick blocker (helping save the 2004 opener by blocking a late Xavier Beitia FG attempt vs. FSU). For his special teams efforts he was named to numerous All-American teams in 2004.

RATING: 5

- Darnell Jenkins: Jenkins came to Miami as the Dade County Male Athlete of the Year after starring at Miami Central High. 'Nook' has been a decent complementary receiver at UM, who has probably been
hurt by Miami 's recent ineptitude offensively. Jenkins, a tough inside slot receiver, blew out his knee against Louisville this past September and is petitioning for one more year of eligibility. His biggest play would come versus the Cardinals in 2004, as his clutch 4th-and-4 grab from Brock Berlin would
keep the eventual game-winning drive alive.

RATING: 2.5

- Akieem Jolla: Beset by off-the-field issues, this Louisiana prep standout never made an impact at Miami.
Eventually, he would transfer to New Mexico St. for his senior season.

RATING: 1

- Curtis Justus: A horrific ankle injury suffered in his last high school game in Oklahoma basically
rendered his career over before it ever began at Miami. Despite the ailment, Miami still honored their
commitment to Justus.

RATING: 1

- Brandon Meriweather: From prep powerhouse Apopka, Meriweather may have been small in stature but he packed quite a punch - and some heat, evidently. He would bounce back from his truckin' at the hands of
Quincy Wilson in 2003 to become a playmaking safety who was both a ballhawk and enforcer in the secondary. In 2005, he played at an All-American level. His effectiveness waned this past season when
he was forced to play corner in nickel situations.

RATING: 4.5

- Ryan Moore: After a record-setting freshman campaign in 2003, it looked like Moore was going to have a
standout career in the orange-and-green. Instead, he was plagued by injuries in 2004 and became more and
more of a clubhouse cancer and malcontent in the later part of his UM career. He, perhaps more than anybody else, typified the 'Coker Country Club of Coral Gables.' The scary thing is, he still may have been Miami 's best receiving option the past few years.

RATING: 2.5

- Sinorice Moss: This product of Carol City High was thought by some to be nothing more than a legacy
scholarship (being the younger brother of Hurricane great, Santana) but he turned out to be a player. Much
like 'Tana, he may not have had much size, but he was blessed with blazing speed, quickness and competitiveness. He had developed to a point that he had 37 grabs for 614 yards and six touchdown
receptions in 2005 - all team highs. In another case of Coker roster mismanagement, he was for some reason not redshirted in 2002.

RATING: 4

- Jon Peattie: Had a very inconsistent career at UM. He started out strong in 2003 with 108 points on
22-of-28 field goal attempts and his 51-yard boot was the difference in the 2004 Orange Bowl against the
Noles. But he would struggle badly the next two seasons before settling down after some missed kicks
at Louisville this past season. But no matter what happened, he always seemed to have a smile on his
face.

RATING: 2.5

- Alex Pou: Pou actually started the 2003 opener against La Tech for a nicked up Vernon Carey but was
then beset by numerous health issues that buried him on the depth chart for the next three seasons.

RATING: 1

- Antonio Reynolds: With academic issues, he was never admitted into school and his UM career was a wrap. Reynolds would eventually surface at the academic bastion of integrity that is the University of
Tennessee.

RATING: 0

- Glenn Sharpe: Will always be remembered for a certain play in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, unfortunately. Beset by constant knee problems, he has lost that step that made him such a special prospect. He started much of 2006 at corner.

RATING: 2

- Greg Threat: Played as a true frosh as a special-teamer in 2002 and then in 2003 was pressed into duty
for an injured Mo Sikes for the FSU contest in Tallahassee, where he played admirably. But as his UM
career went on, there were more and more mental lapses and missed tackles. After a blown assignment against Clemson in 2005 in Death Valley, he was pulled by Shannon (then the defensive coordinator) and never heard from again.

RATING: 2

- Terrell Walden: A fast, speedy player who never found his niche as a Cane. With the dearth of
receivers in 2006, he was moved from corner to wideout and failed to make any impact.

RATING: 1

- Eric Winston: Winston, a heavily-recruited tight end from Texas played mostly on short-yardage and
goal line sets in 2002 before being switched to tackle in 2003. Then-offensive line coach, Art Kehoe, would
proclaim that Winston could be Miami 's best O Lineman ever. But while he was good, he never reached the plateau of Leon Searcy and Bryant McKinnie. In 2004, he would suffer a devastating knee injury in the waning moments of the Georgia Tech loss, sending the O-Line into a tailspin. He would play well enough his senior year to make All-ACC.

RATING: 4

- Anthony Wollschlager: A left tackle at St. Thomas Aquinas, he would eventually move inside to center at
UM where he would provide decent play as the starter the past two seasons. Not the most physically gifted,
he was a high-effort guy with a good motor.

RATING: 3

- John Wood: Various transgressions hastened the departure of Wood early on.

RATING: 0

* Alton Wright: Came to UM as part of the 2002 class, but originally inked with Miami in 2000.

OVERVIEW: This class which consisted of 20 players had a total grade of 45.5 (averaging out to around 2.28 per player). It's not a horrific class (if you want to see those, go look back on some of the groups Dennis Erickson brought in) but you expect a lot more coming off a national title where Miami was the hottest program in the country. Unfortunately, unlike USC’s Pete Carroll, Coker failed to capitalize on the
cache that being the 'in' program brings.

While this class had some difference makers, the problem is that it simply had too many players who never made any significant contributions on the field during their tenure in Miami.

IN THE NIX

So, what are my thoughts on Patrick Nix?

Honestly, I haven't watched Georgia Tech games closely enough to really have an informed opinion. However, I won’t hold Reggie Ball against him. But like everybody else, he'll be judged on production. Bottom line.

HIRE COKER!!!

Funny, but with all these coaching job openings, why haven't any prospective employers called on one Larry Edward Coker?

I think the silence of his phone speaks volumes.

Steve Kim is a frequent contributor on CanesOverHere.com and runs his own website, Maxboxing.com. He can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com

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