THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602150509
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
Florida State no longer can boast of being unbeaten in ACC football games, but the Seminoles continue to be helmet and shoulder pads above the rest of the league in recruiting.
FSU coach Bobby Bowden signed 21 players, including 13 SuperPrep Magazine All-Americans. Three were offensive linemen, a priority for the Seminoles.
On a national scale, the Seminoles' class was ranked second by Prep Football Report, third by noted analyst Bill Buchalter and fifth by SuperPrep.
But while the Seminoles maintained their traditional recruiting edge, several ACC schools attracted national attention.
Georgia Tech was ranked 10th by Buchalter; Clemson, 14th; and Virginia, 15th, by SuperPrep.
Duke and Maryland also had top-30 caliber classes.
ACC coaches had predicted the addition of Florida State to the league would open up that talent-rich state to others in the league, and that seems to be the case.
Six of Duke's signees and five of Georgia Tech's are from Florida. Clemson signed four, Maryland and Wake Forest two each and Virginia one.
The Blue Devils even won a head-to-head battle with FSU for defensive lineman Wally Niemcow of Orlando.
After Niemcow gave an oral commitment to Duke, Bowden tried to snatch him away by offering to let him graduate early from high school and enter college for the second semester.
Duke coach Fred Goldsmith replied with the same offer and held on to him. Goldsmith said several big-name schools tried to steal other prospects who had committed early.
``Nobody changed their minds. They all stayed with us, and this might be the finest recruiting class I have had as a head coach,'' he said.
Duke won out in battles against Penn State, Syracuse, and Auburn. The biggest catch was SuperPrep All-American running back Lamar Grant of Jackson, N.J., who has 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash.
Georgia Tech, in addition to dipping into Florida, fared well in competition with Georgia and Alabama, signing two of the top five members of SuperPrep's All-Dixie team - quarterback Quincy Carter and linebacker Chris Edwards.
Carter is considered on par with Tim Couch, the nation's top quarterback recruit, who decided on Kentucky.
Clemson signed two of the top running backs in North Carolina, Dymon Adams of Asheville and Tim Witherspoon of Monroe.
Another big signee was linebacker Idris Price, of Milford, Conn., one of four SuperPrep All-Americans to select Clemson.
Virginia, which concentrated on signing quick, skill-position players, won out over North Carolina, Notre Dame and Tennessee for running back Thomas Jones, one its four SuperPrep All-Americans.
``I think we have comparable to speed to everyone else now,'' coach George Welsh said. ``We have some guys below 4.4 seconds (in the 40) and you win with that.''
North Carolina, normally a force in ACC recruiting battles, signed only 17 players and came up short in filling needs at receiver and running back.
The Tar Heels did a great job, however, of plugging a major hole at quarterback, left behind by graduating starter Mike Thomas.
They signed three highly-regarded quarterbacks, prep All-American Kevin Carty, of Somerville, N.J.; Chris Keldorf, a transfer from Palomar (Calif.) Junior College; and Antwon Black, who led his Central, S.C., high school to the 3-A state championship.
Coach Mack Brown said the trio is the finest group of quarterbacks he has recruited and fit in his plans to open up the offense.
Brown, who hired running backs coach Ken Mack away from Virginia, plans to develop a one-back set offense, much like the one used by the Cavaliers. He also hired a new offensive coordinator, Greg Davis from Georgia.
Brown said the 6-foot-5 Keldorf, who already is in school and will participate in spring drills, is familiar with the one-back offense, which was used at his junior college.
UNC signed only two running backs, including Deon Dyer of Chesapeake, but two experienced players return at the position.
``I am not disappointed with the ones we signed, but I am disappointed we didn't sign more,'' Brown said. ``That will be a priority next year.''
North Carolina State didn't draw raves from analysts but filled major needs in the line and at quarterback.
Wolfpack coach Mike O'Cain signed four huge offensive linemen and another four defensive linemen who could provide immediate backup help.
He also signed one of the nation's top running backs, Parade All-American Rashon Spikes of Meridan, Conn., who picked State over Arizona.
Quarterback signees included transfer Colin Harris, a native of Charlotte, who ranked fourth nationally in total offense at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College last year.
Wake Forest added much-needed bulk in the line with its two Florida recruits, 6-7, 270-pound John Whitehead and 6-10, 285-pound Alaric Thieshen.
The Deacons also signed SuperPrep All-American lineman Chris Banks and won a battle with Georgia for De'Vaughn Mellerson, a lineman from Baltimore.
Maryland coach Mark Duffner made the most of his first winning season by signing a class that Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report described as one of the most surprising in the nation.
The Terps' 18 signees included four SuperPrep All-American selections. ILLUSTRATION: ACC FOOTBALL SIGNINGS
[For a copy of the list, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB