ESPN Big East Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

The first order of business for West Virginia in recruiting season was no small order: replacing the face of the program.

There's no real substitute for Pat White, of course, but the Mountaineers need to find the next great quarterback. They're hoping that incoming freshman Eugene Smith can fill that role, in time.

Beyond that very obvious void, second-year head coach Bill Stewart and his staff have several other areas that need replenishing. The offensive line, for one, lost four senior starters and saw junior guard Greg Isdaner unexpectedly declare for the NFL Draft. Outside of center Eric Jobe, who saw time late in the year after Mike Dent's neck injury, and freshman Josh Jenkins, who got hurt himself early in the season, this will basically be an entirely new unit in 2009.

Stewart has said he wants to turn the Mountaineers into more of a passing-based offense, and that requires finding more receivers. Dorrell Jalloh was a senior in 2008, and Alric Arnett and Wes Lyons will be gone after '09. At running back, there's no obvious heir to Noel Devine, who'll be a junior this season. And a big back to block for him on short-yardage plays is crucial.

Defensively, West Virginia is in good shape. The only major losses off that young side of the ball are linebacker Mortty Ivy and cornerback Ellis Lankster. Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel has a lot of good young players to work with, including Scooter Berry, J.T. Thomas and Brandon Hogan. A big-time pass rusher and some more depth for the back of the 3-3-5 alignment are the most needed acquisitions here.

There's also the matter of replacing Pat McAfee, who handled kickoffs, field goals and punting duties for the Mountaineers and was one of the best in the Big East in each of those disciplines.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Putting together your first recruiting class after taking over a program can be a tricky task. You usually don't have a lot of time, you have to re-recruit or unrecruit the previous staff's commitments and you haven't really properly evaluated the players you have coming back.

That's the challenge new Syracuse coach Doug Marrone faces as he tries to rebuild the Orange. What's more, Marrone doesn't have a lot of scholarships to offer to a program that desperately needs a talent infusion.

In the last game under Greg Robinson, Syracuse started 10 freshmen and sophomores. Of the 58 players who saw the field for the Orange this year, 35 were in their first or second years. Marrone expects to sign a small first class, maybe only about a dozen or so prospects. There's not a lot of room for error.

Marrone can't be too terribly picky, because he needs players everywhere. But look for the former offensive lineman and longtime offensive line coach to beef up the trenches, especially after the Orange lost the right side of their O-line to graduation. Two other seniors started on the defensive line in '08, and star tackle Arthur Jones will be a senior this coming season.

Syracuse will also need playmakers for Marrone's plans on spicing up a stale offense with a no-huddle, fast-paced attack. The expected return of receiver Mike Williams helps, but Marrone must determine if Cam Dantley or Andrew Robinson is the answer at quarterback, and who will be the long-term solution there. The secondary also lost three of its top five safeties, providing an immediate need.

Marrone pledged to aggressively recruit the Northeast and elsewhere when he landed this job. He can't really be judged until he's had a whole year to work the trail. Consider this first class his opening act.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Most coaches would love to have Jim Leavitt's situation when it comes to recruiting.

The South Florida coach and his assistants rarely have to travel very far to find prospects since they're located in the heart of one of the nation's most talent-rich areas for football. That proximity has helped the Bulls go from ground zero to competing in a BCS conference almost overnight.

But for the team to take the next step, to actually win the Big East title and make a major bowl, it needs to acquire both toughness and depth on the recruiting trail.

This year's class is off to a roaring start, as the Bulls have stared down and defeated in-state powers like Florida for top-level prospects such as defensive end Ryne Giddins. The defensive line is a high priority this year; although George Selvie gave the team a boost by deciding to return for his senior year, the Bulls need to develop the next wave of stars behind him.

Another priority is at linebacker, where prolific tackler Tyrone McKenzie and Brouce Mompremier depart, and where another starter, Kion Wilson, will be a senior in 2009. Reinforcements are also needed in the secondary; the Bulls struggled to stop big plays there in '08 and lost two senior starters. Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham likes to play in dime and nickel packages frequently, so the more able bodies the better.

The offense could be in flux with the recent demotion of offensive coordinator Greg Gregory, but South Florida is set at quarterback with senior Matt Grothe and promising young backup B.J. Daniels. The loss of four senior starting offensive linemen stings, but the Bulls have been prepping their replacements and feel good about the young group stepping in for '09. What they really need is a playmaker at running back. Though Mike Ford, Jamar Taylor and others were slowed by injuries all season, the Bulls simply must find a reliable rushing threat to take pressure off Grothe and keep defenses honest.

Leavitt has blamed much of the midseason collapses of the past two years on injuries. With the access that South Florida enjoys to recruiting hotbeds, there's really no excuse for a lack of depth.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

The upcoming Rutgers signing class has probably generated more buzz than any recruiting group in school history.

The Scarlet Knights were ranked in the Top 10 nationally at one point this summer before a flurry of decommitments knocked their status down a bit. But Greg Schiano and his staff have withstood those setbacks and picked up some more hyped prospects.

What are the program's biggest needs? The first priority is to find an heir to quarterback Mike Teel, and highly-touted incoming freshman Tom Savage accomplishes that goal in this class. The Scarlet Knights also lost two of the best receivers in school history in Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. Though they have some promising youngsters waiting in the wings in Keith Stroud and Marcus Cooper, more depth is needed at the position.

Rutgers has a young offensive line, so that area is not a major priority in recruiting this year. The defensive line needs some restocking with the departures of Jamaal Westerman and Pete Tverdov, but it has solid, young contributors. The unit could use some more size on the interior, which is where 330-pound tackle prospect Antwan Lowery fits in.

The defensive backfield probably poses the most pressing need, with the loss of seniors Courtney Greene and Jason McCourty and a lack of experience behind them.

Overall, the Scarlet Knights ended 2008 on a seven-game winning streak with a relatively young core. If they fill the few key gaps on the roster and add depth in this class, they should be able to contend for the Big East title the next couple of years.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

No Big East coach has done a better job of amassing talent on the recruiting trail the past few years than Pittsburgh's Dave Wannstedt.

And as a result of that, the Panthers find themselves looking more to fill gaps and build depth this offseason than to overhaul the roster.

Pitt only has about 20 scholarships to offer this year and maintains a solid nucleus of young players on both sides of the ball. That doesn't mean there aren't holes, however.

Wannstedt's team could use some help at linebacker after the graduation of Big East defensive player of the year Scott McKillop and Austin Ransom. The secondary, which was exploited at times during the season, could stand to be upgraded. Some wide receiver depth is needed, as well as reinforcements along the offensive line. With the way Bill Stull played down the stretch, Pitt's coaches decided to add a quarterback in this class as well.

And even though the coaching staff is high on up-and-coming running backs Chris Burns and Shariff Harris, LeSean McCoy's early departure to the NFL dictates that another tailback be added, just in case. The loss of ultra-reliable Conor Lee might prompt the staff to look for a kicker to handle the swirling winds of Heinz Field, as well.

But thanks to the fruits of Wannstedt's labor, Pitt can afford to build a well-rounded class this year instead of scrambling for stopgaps.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

What does Louisville need on the recruiting trail this offseason? An easier question to answer might be, what doesn't Louisville need on the recruiting trail?

Some questionable future planning by former coach Bobby Petrino and a whole class' worth of early departures for various reasons has left the Cardinals perilously thin. What they need is an influx of talent, and preferably players who can hit the field sooner than later.

Still, some deficiencies are more glaring than others. Louisville lost its two starting interior defensive linemen, its best cover cornerback and two starting safeties. The roster needs some true pass-rushing defensive ends as well.

On offense, the biggest hole is at quarterback with the graduation of Hunter Cantwell and the transfer of backup Matt Simms. The team's best two offensive linemen, Eric Wood and George Bussey, also are gone from a unit that needs more depth. And the Cardinals could use another playmaker at wideout, given Scott Long's injury problems.

Adding to the concerns is the building pressure on coach Steve Kragthorpe, who's gone 11-13 and has yet to take Louisville to a bowl game in his first two seasons. Will the fan base have the patience necessary for a class of recruits to develop? It's no wonder that Kragthorpe has commitments from six junior-college transfers already, but that's often a dicey proposition.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Randy Edsall made it pretty clear what one of his main recruiting needs would be this offseason after his Connecticut Huskies lost at home to West Virginia in November.

"We still have to recruit that dynamic wide receiver," Edsall said. "Nothing against the kids we have here, they all work hard. But we've got to find someone who wants to come here and be that dominant, go-to guy."

UConn fans got sick of watching receivers drop catchable balls all season long, and the lack of reliable wideouts (and quarterbacks) made the offense too one-dimensional. Now with new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead promising to install a no-huddle attack, finding weapons in the passing game becomes even more of a priority.

Edsall and his staff have done a tremendous job building this program from humble beginnings, but they've yet to really crack into the speed areas (read: Florida). Still, they have been great at discovering talent and developing players once they get to campus, like running back Donald Brown.

Speaking of Brown, the Huskies should be in decent shape in the backfield despite losing the nation's leading rusher, as freshman Jordan Todman and veteran Andre Dixon can pick up the slack in 2009. Either rising sophomore Cody Endres or junior-to-be Zach Frazer should handle the quarterback position.

The other pressing needs are at defensive end, where mainstays Julius Williams and Cody Brown depart, and in the secondary where the Huskies lost star cornerback Darius Butler and safety Dahna Deleston.

It's likely that this class, like most UConn hauls, will have more diamonds in the rough than highly-rated recruits. But UConn needs to unearth at least one true gem at receiver.

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Winning the Big East title and getting to the FedEx Orange Bowl should improve Cincinnati's profile on the recruiting trail. And that would be good timing, because the Bearcats have plenty of holes to fill, especially on defense.

Last season's defense featured 10 senior starters, including all four defensive linemen, all three linebackers and star cornerbacks Mike Mickens and DeAngelo Smith. Cincinnati has some juniors who saw playing time in reserve roles, but there are no proven starters other than safety Aaron Webster. Every defensive position needs restocking.

On offense, the Bearcats are set at quarterback with Tony Pike, stacked at running back and in good shape at wide receiver with Mardy Gilyard, Marcus Barnett and D.J. Woods. But they lose the right side of their offensive line and need young receivers who will be ready to step in as a No. 1 target when Gilyard exhausts his eligibility. USC transfer Vidal Hazelton should help in that area in 2010. In coach Brian Kelly's spread offense, you can never have too many receivers and tailbacks -- or as we learned in 2008, quarterbacks.

Two-time All-American punter Kevin Huber also graduated, so landing a successor either with a scholarship or through the walk-on route should be somewhere on the priority list.

The Bearcats should bring in a big class -- as of Wednesday, they already had 25 commitments -- with a heavy Ohio flavor. Many of the players who led the Orange Bowl charge were actually recruited by former coach Mark Dantonio. We know how well Kelly, the two-time Big East coach of the year, can develop players. We're about to find out how good he is at scouting and signing them.