Ranking the Top 25 Big East recruits

It's a crap shoot, a random pull of a Tarot card, to predict how incoming football recruits will perform as freshmen. Some of the best won't perform at all, simply because their team is deep at that position and they are needed for the future. Others will get hurt. Some of the most highly touted newcomers will disappoint, and some of the less-heralded ones will surprise.

Having said all that, though, here's one admittedly subjective list ranking the Top 25 players who cast their lot with the Big East on National Signing Day.

1. JONATHAN BALDWIN, WR, PITT. Some of the country's marquee programs -- Southern Cal, Michigan, Florida, Miami -- wanted this long-striding (6-6, 233) pass receiver, with the speed (4.4) to gain separation and the strength (233 pounds) to fight on when he doesn't. In the end, though, the Aliquippa product decided to stay close to home.

2. LUCAS NIX, OT, PITT. Pitt had a sibling connection to this 6-6, 305-pounder -- his brother Nate is on the Panther squad. Nix was a force on both sides of the ball for Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, Pa., but with Mike McGlynn and Jeff Otah graduating, he'll probably be tried first on offense.

3. AVERIN COLLIER, RB, SYRACUSE. The highest-profile recruit for the Orange in years, Collier was anointed the top prospect in New York State by Rivals.com. As a senior, he rushed for 1,170 yards and scored 15 touchdowns for Churchville-Chili High School in Rochester. Collier, whose brother Kevin is a running back at Pitt, has the size (5-10, 200) and the speed (4.5) to run inside or outside.

4. SHAYNE HALE, LB, PITT. Another local recruit with lots of enticing offers, the 6-3, 235-pounder from Monroeville said no to Ohio State, Michigan and West Virginia, among others, to become a Panther. Hale has sideline-to-sideline speed and oomph at the point of attack, and was All-State two years in a row.

5. TEVITA FINAU, WEST VIRGINIA. Mountaineer coach Bill Stewart called this 6-5, 275-pounder from Arizona's Glendale Community College "possibly the finest defensive recruit in college football today." Finau moves his bulk over 40 yards at 4.8 and racked up 90 tackles and nine sacks last season. Plus, he's Hawaiian.

6. JOSH JENKINS, OG, WEST VIRGINIA. The highest-rated player to emerge from the state of West Virginia in several years, this Parkersburg star gave Stewart and chief recruiter John "Doc" Holiday some anxious moments before reaffirming an earlier pledge to sign with WVU. A participant in the U.S. Army All-America Game and a Parade All-American, Jenkins is 6-3, 282 and called by Stewart (who is obviously upbeat about his first class) "perhaps the finest offensive lineman we'll ever recruit."

7. CHRIS BURNS, RB, PITT. The numbers say it all -- Burns rushed for 2,235 yards as a senior at New Wilmington (Pennsylvania) High School, scored 38 touchdowns and averaged 9 yards a carry. He's 5-10, 190 and runs a 4.4 40. Nice insurance for LeSean McCoy.

8. ART FORST, OT, RUTGERS. The top offensive lineman in New Jersey last season, according to several scouting services, and quite probably the biggest at 6-8, 305. Despite his bulk, Forst has quick feet and surprising agility. He enrolled early at Rutgers to take part in spring drills and has a good chance of seeing playing time as a freshman.

9. JOSH WILEY, CB, LOUISVILLE. A decent prospect coming out of Hattiesburg (Mississippi) High School, Wiley got bigger and faster at Pearl River Community College and moved up to a four-star Rivals rating. At 6-1, 200, he runs a 4.5 40 and loves to hit.

10. DAVID BEDFORD, SOUTH FLORIDA. Because he red-shirted a year at Independence (Kansas) Community College, this West Palm Beach native has three years of eligibility remaining. Rated the fifth-best JUCO defensive end last year, he set a school record with 14.5 sacks for ICC, along with 15 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and four passes batted down. At 6-5, 240, he could fit into a formidable DE rotation with All-American George Selvie and high-motor senior Jarriet Buie.

11. CAMERON SADDLER, RB/WR PITT. A teammate of Hale, his cousin, at Gateway High, the diminutive (5-7, 157) Saddler fills up a long YouTube clip with highlight film, most notably on kickoff and punt returns. He was also the featured running back at Gateway as a senior, despite his small size, and a dangerous receiver. He runs a 4.4, but that doesn't tell the story of his elusiveness.

12. KEITH STROUD, WR, RUTGERS. A big (6-3, 190) wide receiver, Stroud led Fort Hamilton High School of Brooklyn to a 15-0 record as a senior, then prepped at Fork Union in Virginia. Playing against stiffer competition last season, he still caught 38 passes for 680 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has long arms, lots of spring and the ability to consistently win "jump balls" downfield.

13. MARCUS SALES, WR, SYRACUSE. Rated the second-best prospect in New York State, he comes from the same Syracuse high school (Christian Brothers Academy) as current Orange receivers Levar Lobdel and Bruce Williams. A two-sport star (football and basketball), the 6-2, 180-pounder had 39 catches for over 700 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. With his signature on a grant-in-aid, Sales helped reverse a recent SU trend of losing out on homegrown talent.

14. JARROD HOLLEY, PITT. Fast, tough and smart (a 4.0 average), he was offered by Florida, Michigan, Iowa and Stanford before committing to his home-state school (Holley is from Easton). Played both cornerback and wide receiver in high school.

15. SCOTT VALLONE, DT, RUTGERS. Listed at 6-3, 260, Vallone had 71 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks for St. Anthony's in Central Islip, N.Y., last season. A two-time All-Long Island choice, he is also the first junior ever elected team captain at his school.

16. B.J. DANIELS, QB, SOUTH FLORIDA. Signed out of Tallahassee, this 6-1, 205-pounder has a live arm and quick feet (4.4 in the 40). He threw for 34 touchdowns as a senior and ran for 12, which earned him a No. 10 ranking among double-threat quarterbacks nationally. Daniels is known for his competitiveness -- he had 93 steals as a basketball guard last year.

17. TERRENCE KERNS, RB, WEST VIRGINIA. Originally signed with the Mountaineers last year out of Thomas Johnson High in Maryland, but failed to qualify academically and spent a year at Hargrave Academy. There, he started at running back, lifted his grades and put on 10 pounds. Now 6-1, 208, Kerns is described on the CNN/SI pro site as having "a very aggressive, violent running style."

18. ZACK STOUDT, QB, LOUISVILLE. Quite possibly the next link in the chain at Quarterback U. A 6-4, 210-pounder, Stoudt was rated as the nation's 19th-best pro-style quarterback as a senior -- which only makes sense, because Dad Cliff played in the NFL and collected two Super Bowl rings. At Coffman High School in Dublin, Ohio, Stoudt threw for an eye-popping 3,547 yards as a senior, a 65 percent completion rate. He also had 34 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions

18. ROMALE TUCKER, LB, SYRACUSE. Listed as an outside linebacker despite his size (6-3, 230), Tucker played at Ballou High School in Washington and prepped at Milford Academy. He has the quickness and raw strength to provide an immediate upgrade to an underachieving Syracuse linebacking corps.

19. JIMMY BENNETT, OL, CONNECTICUT. It's hard to think of a 6-8, 288-pounder as a sleeper, but Bennett (largely overlooked by the ACC) could turn out to be a steal for the Huskies. A football and basketball captain at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Va., he was All-District on both sides of the ball. An honor roll student, Bennett didn't allow a single sack in his high school career.

20. CHRIS PHILPOTT, PK, LOUISVILLE. The Cardinal recruit with perhaps the best chance of starting as a rookie, Philpott hit 12 of 15 field goals for St. Puis X of Atlanta, including two over 50 yards and one of 49. He was also perfect (30 for 30) on extra points and punted for a 41-yard average. With last year's kicker, Art Carmody, gone to the pros, Philpott should have a good shot at filling the void.

21. DARIUS ASHLEY, RB, LOUISVILLE. UL swiped Ashley and two of his teammates from under the noses of the Cincinnati Bearcats after their St. Xavier squad won the Ohio state title. A compact (5-8, 185) but sturdy back with excellent speed (4.4), Ashley rushed for over 1,000 yards in his last three prep seasons and gained 272 yards in the state championship victory over Mentor.

23. DOMINICK BATTLE, DB, CINCINNATI. A 6-0, 175-pound ballhawk, Battle intercepted 14 passes in three seasons for American Heritage High School in Boca Raton, Fla., including seven (along with 70 tackles) as a senior. He also caught 11 touchdown passes on 30 catches as a wide receive. 4.55 speed.

24. D.J. WOODS, WR, CINCINNATI. Even faster is this 6-0, 170-pound wide receiver out of Strongsville, Ohio, who has been clocked at 4.35. An injury that sidelined him for half of his senior season might have scared off some recruiters, but Woods still made Ohio's Division I All-State team. He averaged 21 yards per catch as a junior and scored eight touchdowns on returns in his career.

25. ERIC KURACZEA, DT, CONNECTICUT. A 6-1, 305-pounder, he was one of the main reasons Ansonio High won two straight state big-school titles. Racked up 77 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a senior, and was the team captain.

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