(Ar) - fc,ven in the recruiting
wars, Michigan had to share the title
for the top class of 1998.
A month after settling for a co
national championship with
Nebraska, the Wolverines got two
votes for the No. 1 collection of
recruits, while a third recruiting guru
went for UCLA, with Michigan a
close second.
“Give the nod to Michigan,”
Bobby Burton of The National
Recruiting Advisor said Wednesday,
the first day high school seniors were
able to sign letters of intent.
“I can’t remember a team signing
so many gifted offensive players in a
single class. Michigan is the clear-cut
winner, but UCLA had a great class,
too.”
Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr took
full advantage of his team’s first
national title in 50 years as the
Wolverines signed six Parade high
school All- Americans.
“From top to bottom, Michigan
has a great class,” Tom Lemming, of
Prep Football Report, said.
Burton and Lemming both went
with UCLA second, while Allen
Wallace of SuperPrep had UCLA
ahead of the Wolverines.
UCLA probably had the most
well-rounded class,” Burton said.
“They basically beat the pants off
USC, which was one of the big disap
pointments.”
Notre Dame was back in top
recruiting form under second-year
coach Bob Davie. The Irish, who
closed the season strong to get into a
bowl game, had a fast finish in
recruiting, too.
Davie signed David Givens, a 6
foot-2, 205-pound wide receiver,
from Humble, Texas (rated the No. 1
player in the country by Wallace);
USA Today All-American running
back Mike McNair of Corona del
Mar, Calif.; and wide receiver Javin
Hunter of Orchard Lake, Mich.
“Lou Holtz didn’t do a good job
recruiting his last two years at Notre
Dame,” Burton said. “Bob Davie
made recruiting a top priority this
year, and that’s made all the differ
ence.”
As usual, Florida State Coach
Bobby Bowden made a late swing
through the country and came away
with an impressive class.
In addition to UCLA’s ascent,
Georgia also made major strides
under third-year coach Jim Donnan.
A victory over Florida didn’t hurt,
either.
“No team in the Southeast in the
1990s dominated its state the way
Georgia did this year,” Burton said.
“Donnan has succeeded in putting up
a border around the state.”
Other Southeastern Conference
schools on the top 10 lists of Burton,
Lemming and Wallace were Alabama
and Florida.
LSU and Tennessee made two top
10 lists, while the Comhuskers made
only one top 10 list - No. 10 by
Burton.
“Nebraska did not do as well as
people thought,” Lemming said,
although the Huskers did better than
USC, another major school which
made a coaching change this season.
“The changes were made so much
smoother at Nebraska, and it paid off
in recruiting,” Burton said.
The Comhuskers signed 20 high
school athletes, including nine from
Nebraska.
Other surprise teams included
Pittsburgh and Purdue, both of which
made it to bowl games this season,
with Auburn rated among the disap
pointments.
Penn State just missed the top 10,
while Texas was rated 10th by
SuperPrep.
NU drops another thriller in Columbia
THRILLER from page 8
Coach Danny Nee said. “The home
court advantage is probably the dif
ference in the game.”
The Tigers improved to 11-1 at
home as Nebraska fell to 2-7 on the
road. The Huskers return to the Bob
Devaney Sports Center Saturday to
face Kansas State at 12:45 p.m.‘ NU
is 10-1 at home this season.
“We go home,” Nee said, “and I
don’t have to come back to
Columbia for another year.”
Wednesday night marked
Nebraska’s first overtime game of
nr-ir "iy i—-r 1- i—ig i i—t—r
the season. NU played four overtime
games last year - including three on
the road.
In Columbia last season, the
Huskers fell 75-74 to the Tigers, but
NU didn’t go down without a fight.
With 1:33 on the clock, point
guard Tyronn Lue drained a 3-point
er to give NU a 72-71 lead. But
Missouri battled back with a jumper
and hit 3 of 4 free throws to take a
75-74 lead.
NU guard Cookie Belcher was
fouled on an offensive rebound and
went to the line for a chance to tie
the game. But he missed the first
i l I ■ 'A l l —IT L ' l l I l l
shot of a one-and-one opportunity,
and the Tigers won the game.
The situation in Columbia was a
little different this season, but the
suspense was still there. NU fresh
man Chad Johnson tied the game
with 39 seconds remaining which
eventually sent the game into over
time.
Missouri outscored the Huskers
13-8 in overtime, but the Huskers
lacked three of their biggest players.
“We had three big guys foul out,”
Lue said. “We had two freshman in
the game. They did what they could.
That’s all we could ask for.”
i". r i" i .«.i1.ii1 "ii.l it
Solich pleased with
first recruiting class
RECRUITS from page 9
eventually contribute on either
side of the ball.
“We have strong overall num
bers,” Solich said. “It is unbal
anced toward the defensive side,
but that’s where some of those
players wanted to start.
“There are several players
that if they wanted to start out at
running back, we certainly would
have taken them there.”
On the offensive side of the
ball, NU signed two offensive
lineman, two tight ends, two wide
receivers and two running backs.
Solich said Dahrran Diedrick
could have an immediate impact
in the backfield. Diedrick - who
enrolled in December and joined
NU for winter conditioning this
mr»ntVi _ nrpHitoH Qnlipti fnr
bringing him to Nebraska.
“It wasn’t like I had to dig
something up on him,” Solich
said. “He was widely publicized
and he was our top guy coming
out of Canada. He could be a guy
who plays linebacker. He’s a
tough, aggressive, hard-nosed
guy.”
Defensively, the Huskers cap
tured several top recruits. Rush
end Demoine Adams of Pine
Bluff, Ark., and defensive backs
DeJuan Groce (Garfield Heights,
Ohio) and Keyuo Craver
(Harleton, Texas) could become
standouts for NU.
“DeJuan Groce was the top
speed guy in Ohio,” Solich said.
“A lot of teams in the Big Ten
offered him a scholarship last
year, so we are very pleased to
get him.”
One conspicuous omission
from <NUJs list was berrick
ft
For the most
part, people stayed
with us. And these
are good people
who wanted
to be here.”
Frank Souch
NU head coach
Harmon. The defensive back
from Memphis, Tenn., verbally
committed to Nebraska on
Tuesday but signed with
Memphis Wednesday.
Two other players whom the
Huskers were also in the running
for - highly touted recruits Jason
Thomas (quarterback) and Larry
Foote (defensive back) - did not
sign with NU. Thomas commit
ted to Southern Califoria and
Fnntp tn Mtrliioan
The Huskers did not sign a
quarterback and signed only two
offensive lineman. BntNU’s fail
ure to do so does not worry
Solich.
“We’ve met all our needs,”
Solich said. “I know when you’re
the coach you're supposed to say
that, but I honestly feel good
about this class.
“There are other tremendous
players we would have taken if
they would have come. But these
are guys we identified early and
many can be considered among
the best at their position in the
country.”
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