Florida Atlantic Owls
Impact players
■ Steven Frank, QB, 6-4, 225, Oswego, Ill.: One of only two out-of-state recruits, Frank was rated one of the top quarterbacks in Illinois.
■ Kevin McCrary, DT, 6-2, 265, Daytona Beach/ Mainland: He was a Class 6A All-State selection after recording nine sacks and 88 tackles, including19 for losses.
■ Brandon Walton, OT, 6-5, 300, Largo/Seminole: Walton had offers from more than 20 Division I-A programs and was a Blue/Grey All-American after his senior season.
■ Korel Smith, CB, 5-10, 175, Miramar: The three-star recruit was named Miramar’s Defensive MVP and hewas considered one of the top 50players in South Florida.
■ Rashad Smith, linebacker, 6-0, 181, Florida City/Homestead: Recorded 102 tackles in just 10 games. Also had eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Will likely move to safety.
■ Assessment
The Owls hauled in perhaps their recruiting class of the Charlie Partridge era. Most scouting services had the class ranked sixth in Conference USA. Several players, including Walton and McCrary, could see early playing time.
Big catch
■ Walton is one of the few incoming players who are actually ready physically to play at the college level. Expect him to compete for playing time once he arrives in the fall. The Owls were fortunate to land him, because Walton was coveted by several major schools. Rashad Smith and American Heritage-Delray running back Devin Singletary were also last-minutes additions to the class. Smith was committed to Syracuse, while Singletary switched from Illinois.
Got away
■ Lawrence Graham of American Heritage-Delray originally committed to FAU before switching to Tulane. Lineman Doug Kramer of Hindsale (Ill.) Central also switched to Illinois while quarterback Tyler Huntley (Hallandale) decided on Utah.
■ Quote of note “It was really exciting because they are two quality kids and two young men that we think have a chance to really affect our program as we move forward. There was a lot of screaming in the office for sure.” – Partridge on landing Rashad Smith and Singletary.