FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation

2002 Recruit Review

With all the recruiting talk, we keep saying you can't really assess a class until five years later--when they have completed their eligibility. What did this class bring to the Falcon program. With that in mind, let's look at our 2002 class....the one that this fall finally completed five long years.

I am going to categorize them in the following categories:

STAR--ALL MAC, top flight starter and producer, etc.
Starter--player in starting lineup consistently at some point in career.
Role Player--Corn McGrady type. #4 WR or special teams player. You get the idea.
Finished, no footprints. Completed eligibility without doing much.
Washed out--Did not finish career.

This was the second UM class (and the last). In summary, I think in our history, anytime we found Omar Jacobs and PJ Pope in the same recruiting class--well, that'd be a pretty good class. In fact, the class included two other All-MAC performers, and 9 other players who contributed as starters.

In all, 14 of the 25 players (with Steve Navarro removed) ended up contributing at least as starters. Time will tell how this bears out over time, but it seems like this class has a pretty reasonable record of success.

Star (5)
Omar Jacobs (I know he didn't finish here, but he didn't wash out, either, did he? He is as much a star as we ever recruited).
P.J. Pope
Derrick Markray (All-MAC 2nd Jr. Year)
Terrill Mayberry (All-MAC 2nd Jr. Year)
Ted Piepkow (Tweener. Never All-MAC, but a top flight player)

Starter (9)
Kenneth Brantley II
Monty Cooley
Jamien Johnson
Jelani Jordan (He's a tweener who I almost put in the top category due to big senior year for INTs, but I think he belongs here).
John Lanning
Vardan Mkhitarian
Jeff Runnells
Brad Williams
Jesus Yanez

Role Player (2)
Tim Arnold
Van Johnson

No Footprints (2)
Brandon Jones (I realize he left the team during his senior year, but this is based on a body of work prior to that).
Will Myles

Washed Out (7)
Jay Cochran
Reggie Corner (good player for Akron, though)
Jason Hollingsworth
Jason Kaminski (played at Marshall)
Matt Leininger
Raishaun Stover
Dexter Wallace

No Fault
Steve Navarro