| TOP RECRUITING CLASSES |
| 314 Division 1 Teams |
| Rank |
School |
The Buzz |
| 1 |
UCLA
 |
As hot as UCLA has been on the field in recent years, the Bruins have been a degree or two higher in the world of recruiting. In a race as tight as the last four College Cups in which the Bruins have appeared, the 2007 recruiting battle is a nailbiter win for UCLA over equally impressive signings by Florida State and North Carolina. Any of these three programs could argue for the top spot and all will have tremendous production. The edge for UCLA is the combination of depth, diversity, top 25 individuals and experience. Barnes and Wright are two of the best in the country and are among four national team youth players in this fleet. MIdfielders Sweetman and Castaneda make up the quartet with national-level experience while top 50 recruit Sweetman hails from the Camarillo Eagles that captured a national title behind her front work. Three more recruits have played with regional ODP teams and nearly every signee has played on a state cup champion squad. Coach Ellis hit some of the best clubs in California and west of Texas and, in most cases, signed the top player from those top clubs. UCLA has had the number two ranked class three times including the two previous years. This top-ranked group is the second for UCLA following the 2000 signing period. Nine of the last ten signing groups have been among the top 20 in the nation. |
| 2 |
Florida State
 |
With all due respect to Coach Krikorian's first FSU class in 2005, this latest set is the best in the history of Seminoles soccer. That 2005 class was unranked but had five late international additions that stapled FSU as a College Cup regular. The 2007 group has numbers, experience, and national identity. It is perhaps the first to show FSU can recruit the best kids nationally down to Tallahassee and national team player DaCosta and All-American McAuley are two signs of that. Dacosta pairs with Kazbour as two US U-17 players making the move to FSU and Price, Lademann and McAuley all have regional ODP experience. Keeper McNulty out of Canada is among the best international signees in 2007, if not the best. Where Florida State really kicked it up a notch was getting experienced D1 players via transfers. Lauren Switzer from UCLA and Erika Sutton from San Diego State give the Garnet and Gold first-rate starting options and Kate Milstead from Penn State stocks the keeper stables. Only twice before has FSU registered a top ten recruiting class and yet, the Seminoles have become a national power. This second-ranked group spells bad news for opponents if FSU has achieved what it has with lesser-ranked classes. FSU becomes just the third ACC team (Duke and Virginia) to finish ahead of UNC in national recruiting in any one year. |
| 3 |
North Carolina
 |
You know those miniature cars at the circus where clowns just keep crawling out of by the dozens? Carolina recruiting seems to be like that in some ways. Not funny, not clowns and not miniature...but the Heels just keep signing and bringing on the best. Seems impossible that UNC could have a top three class after the stacked #1 class of 2006 that produced six starters and a national championship. The 2007 version has perhaps the most recruited athlete in the class in Rachel Givan and, with Klingenberg, two of the top five in the country. Five youth All-Americans will hit Chapel Hill and that doesn't even include Leslie Briggs, a great candidate to see starting time up top. Coach Dorrance also got two quality keepers to finally give UNC some depth and breathing room after the last two years with barely one ready-to-go keeper all season. For the eighth time in the last decade, UNC has a group among the top three and has never missed a top ten recruiting ranking. |
| 4 |
Boston College
 |
The 2007 signing period was special for Boston College as the program inked its absolute best ever. With four of the Top 25 recruits in the country, BC has an argument for an even higher ranking, but UCLA-FSU-UNC all had bigger classes with deeper potential. Five of these top-rate signees have been part of youth national team pools led by our number one recruit of 2007, Hannah Cerrone. There are so many gems in this class but look for Amy Caldwell to hit the pitch running next year and join with returner Gina DiMartino to fuel an offense that ranked second in the ACC in 2006. The Golden Eagles are among the top 25 in recruiting for the eighth straight year---one of only four teams (Notre Dame, UNC, UCLA, Virginia) in the country to achieve such a lofty run. |
| 5 |
California
 |
Early on, Cal was a good bet for a possible top-ranked class this year. And at fifth, there is only reason to celebrate as other schools just kept signing deep classes to finish ahead of the Bears. A nearly all-California class mixes in the number two keeper in this year's group, Jorden Kussman. Six of these rookies have been on US U-17 or U-16 national teams or in the pool of players. New coach Neil McGuire has stepped into a loaded den at Berkeley and inherits a class that rivals the group signed back in 2000. Despite last year's successful campaign and NCAA run, this program needed more consistent offense after being shutout seven times in 2006. This new set of players should remedy that as Jesolva, McKetty, Morgan, Richardson, Shibata and transfer Schrey could make the Bears deadly in the first third next year. This amazing signing class is just the fourth in Cal history to be among the top ten and only the second to place in the top five. The Bears have brought in a nationally-ranked class every year. |
| 6 |
Santa Clara
 |
One never has to look far down the recruiting charts each year to find Santa Clara. The Broncos nifty five member class has four who have been pool players for youth national teams in the last two years. Three of the best--Jessie Baddley, Chelsea Bednarz, and Kendra Perry--are all Top 25 recruits and give Coach Smith more pure offense. Anessa Patton is one of the best players ever out of Fresno and, if she ends up on the frontline, could be explosive. Maybe lacking the soccer credentials of her fellow signees, Maxine Goynes brings athleticism and is arguably the fastest player in the entire class of 2007 in the US. The consistency this program has each fall starts with its consistency in recruiting. The Broncos have notched a top ten recruiting class for the seventh time in the last decade and remains among the best in the tough west region with a top three finish for the fifth straight year. |
| 7 |
Portland
 |
With just one true youth national team player, Elli Reed, in its bunch, this Portland class won't knock your socks off. But they are good enough to knock your boots off. Reed is easily among the top dozen in the country and six additions are Top 150 players. DeYoung is one of the top keepers of the 2007 class and Kelly and Tsao are two of the best ever from the Portland area and key local signees for Coach Smith. While Tsao has the state player of the year award to show, the other five signees all bring at least regional level ODP experience. With only two key starters and a third part-timer gone from 2006, and Davis and Schmidt lacing up after redshirts, Portland has a class that gets them back to College Cup potential. Ranked seventh, and just a notch or two below previous groups, Portland still has a rookie set that gives them a top ten class for the eighth time in the last ten years. |
| 8 |
Duke
 |
With Duke, you know every year the Blue Devils will get All-Americas and youth national team stars from all across the country. This latest group includes four meeting those credentials led by youth All-American defenders Meaghan Fitzgerald and Molly Lester. Add in Gretchen Miller, a mainstay on youth national teams since 2004, and Duke may have signed the best backfield in the nation. They join forward Rebecca Allen, a prep All-American and Oklahoma state player of the year, as Top 100 recruits. Throw in three outstanding in-state products in Bradley, Goodman and McEwen, and Coach Church hangs tough with the ACC top dogs in recruiting. After last year's best-ever #3 signing class, Duke has back-to-back top ten classes for the first time. Duke is one of only seven programs to rank among the top 50 in recruiting each of the last ten years. |
| 9 |
Vanderbilt
 |
Coach Coveleskie got down to business with 2007 recruiting. The Commodores not only cracked the top ten, but easily pulled in the class of all time for this Nashville program. Among this large rookie field are five players with regional ODP experience, including Mary Rachel Reynolds and Rachel Bachtel who have both made national team pool camps. Bachtel, one of the top five keepers in this year's senior class, was a huge get as VU graduates All-American goalie Tyler Griffin. North Carolina prep Hannah Gonzales gives Vandy three, joining Bachtel and Reynolds, of the top 75 recruits in the nation. Gonzales, Megan Eddings and Molly Kinsella have all played with the region 3 ODP squad and the six other additions have won state cups with their club teams or played with their state ODP units. Vandy's small unranked class last year was just a blip as the Commodores have been among the top 50 four of the last five years, including three years of being ranked top 25. |
| 10 |
Notre Dame
 |
Some may look at Notre Dame's 2007 signing group and see a down year with just two having played with youth national teams. Don't be fooled. This is a solid top ten class as seven players rank among the top 200 in the country. Nikki Weiss is one of the best keepers signed this year and Lauren Fowlkes should step right into a half-filled midfield. All-Americans Augustin and Scheidler give Coach Waldrum more scoring options with Hanks, Weissenhofer and company set to return. New recruits Iantorno, Johnson and Sohn have all captured club or ODP national titles and Knaack is no slouch with three national tourney appearances herself. Now with back-to-back #10 recruiting groups, Notre Dame maintains a hot streak of producing a top 15 class every year. That stat is matched only by UNC's run of top ten appearances. |
 |
| RECRUITING CLASS BUZZ |
| Arizona State |
Eighth straight class ranked among nation's best
|
| Boston University |
Make it four in a row among the top 100
|
| Brown |
#73 is best ever and second in last three to crack top 100
|
| CCSU |
A strong program finally reports in time for first national mark
|
| Central Florida |
At #67, fourth straight to make top 75
|
| Charlotte |
Gets the Rocket Award for biggest jump to #19
|
| Clemson |
First year to miss top 50 but still among the best
|
| Colorado |
Lots of recruits means lots of unknown but enough to rank high
|
| Connecticut |
Quietly landed a top 50 class for ninth year in last ten
|
| Georgetown |
A #35 class and would you believe top 100 for seventh year in last decade?
|
| Georgia |
Back-to-back top 20 signing groups and five straight among top 100
|
| Harvard |
Stays strong at #30 despite coaching rollercoasters last two years
|
| Kansas |
Remains steady at #36 for sixth top 50 class in last nine years
|
| Long Beach State |
One of the hottest recruiting programs with third straight top 40 group
|
| Loyola Marymount |
#60 finish keeps string alive of top 60 rankings six years running
|
| Marquette |
No stranger to national success, Eagles now hold new mark for recruiting at #23
|
| Marshall |
Found international recruiting to be key in inking first nationally-ranked group
|
| Maryland |
Are Terps back on track with second top 25 class in last four years?
|
| Miami FL |
Hurricanes finally get an ACC-caliber class and best since 2000
|
| Michigan |
Rolls with fifth straight top 100 signing group
|
| Minnosota |
Gophers get fourth in row to make national top 100
|
| Nebraska |
Back in top 40 and one of only eleven programs ranked every year
|
| North Texas |
Sun Belt success has Big Green in top 100 for first time
|
| Ohio State |
#13 ranked class is second best in school history
|
| Oregon |
Three straight rankings topped off by best mark ever at #26
|
| Penn State |
Still among top 25 for nine of last ten years
|
| Pepperdine |
Best rank ever at #15 as Waves have fifth straight among top 75
|
| Princeton |
Nine years running that Tigers have signed one of top classes in country
|
| Samford |
68th is best but not new as Samford has four consecutive top 100 signings
|
| South Carolina |
Another top 50 class for SC, its seventh in last ten years
|
| Stanford |
At #28, not its usual high but still one of only seven programs ranked top 50 every year
|
| TCU |
Another of the hottest recruiting teams of late with three straight top 50 signing periods
|
| Texas |
Longhorns have missed top 50 only once in ten years as #12 is their mark in 2007
|
| Texas A&M |
Top 25 finish keeps alive Aggies streak of finishing top 40---one of only six to do that
|
| UC Irvine |
Anteaters might be ready to compete in Big West again with #55 class
|
| UNC Greensboro |
Highest ranked class ever at #46 is also the fourth straight among top 100
|
| Virginia |
#11 in 2007, Virginia has never failed to sign a top 15 class
|
| Washington |
The Huskies have their best class in six years with a #17 ranking
|
| Yale |
Four straight ranked classes is topped off by best ever in 2007 at #48
|
