Consider the 2007 football season a wash for East Carolina. At least that's the message I'm getting from the national recruiting services.

Judging solely by the Pirates' position in the recruiting pecking order, expect no better than a 3-8 finish during the season in which most of this year's class are seniors. Heck, nothing short of a cupcake schedule could possibly produce an above-.500 finish.

Both would be fair assumptions if you subscribe to the logic that college football is dictated only by perceptions of the recruiting Dot Coms. It just so happens I don't.

Despite the increased attention on football recruiting, the task of evaluating players and grading classes remains an imperfect science. Unlike basketball, the nation's best high school football players rarely gather to test their skills against comparable talent.

Thus, players are judged primarily by their performance against less-talented kids, 40-yard dash time, maximum bench press, and the potential to fill out their unfinished physiques. To a degree, it's the NFL combine minus personality tests and character assessment � albeit with a much higher number of disappointments and unforeseen success stories.

That generally is the case when those ranking the players have little stake in their future success but a lot at stake in selling subscriptions to their services now as opposed to later. NFL scouts, on the other hand, can ill-afford a mistake.

Still, national recruiting rankings are perceived as gospel by fans of schools which receive high marks � and crucified by constituents of programs that fail to make the grade. Either way, that practice makes for slippery footing for Division I coaches who quickly can find themselves in a no-win situation on the recruiting battlefield.

At the nation's top programs, coaches traditionally ink elite classes consisting mostly of four- and five-star performers. Feeding off past success, recruiting is a prime example, on paper, of the rich getting richer in the unbalanced system of Division I football.

However, sometimes the consequences outweigh the rewards, especially for coaches who lack comfortable wiggle room. Administrators and fans often skew recruiting success by expecting parallel results on the field, thus increasing the pressure on a program's staff.

See Mack Brown.

Gaps in recruiting coverage are expansive, and there is no indication that the so-called experts will narrow it. In fact, the recent decision by a federal judge that Maurice Clarett can enter the NFL draft likely will widen it.

With an open market, more underclassmen will test the waters, especially if a college education isn't among their top priorities. Naturally, that will take the biggest toll on the nation's top football schools.

In other words, the nation's No. 1 recruiting class could be severely fractionalized long before its senior year.

No doubt, non-BCS schools will be the greatest beneficiaries if the Clarett decision is upheld, as the separation between the haves and have nots could potentially narrow. It is unlikely that the premier programs will alter their recruiting strategy, as the pressure to stockpile players touted as blue-chippers will not change.

What will change is the number of early defections � even if it is just a gradual increase � creating a climate in which many non-BCS schools rely on experience to enhance their national profile. After all, that is a large portion of the formula that has dramatically increased parity in college basketball.

OK, maybe it's a stretch. And, yes, comparing football and basketball is absurd based on the size of rosters alone.

But the same can be said about fans' overemphasis on football recruiting, which fails to recognize key factors in the equation.

By rule, coaches are judged by salesmanship. Rarely are they commended for uncovering hidden gems, which for years has been a skill at which Pirates coaches have had to be adept.

Another piece of the puzzle at ECU has been the ability to pinpoint players who will succeed in a system designed to outwit the opposition. Former coach Steve Logan did it with offense. Current boss John Thompson has a long history of deception on defense.

Both are proven blueprints.

That's more than can be said for recruiting rankings, which are anything but foolproof.

Graves giddy over DB haul

The secondary has been a concern at East Carolina for the past several seasons, but defensive backs coach Matt Graves thinks the Pirates are beginning to make headway.

At the midway point last year, the Pirates committed to a youth movement, with true freshmen Erode Jean, Kyle Chase, and Kasey Ross each receiving considerable playing time. Jean stole most of the headlines, earning Freshman All-Conference USA honors after leading the Pirates with nine pass breakups.

Next year, the sophomore trio will be pushed by seven incoming players, each of whom could see the field early.

"All up and down the list, you've got big-time players who are going to come in," Graves said. "Hopefully they'll be able to step on the field and do something. That depends on them, obviously. They've got the talent and ability to do it."

Graves says ECU improved its speed overall in the secondary, which was one of his primary objectives in recruiting. Additionally, Graves sought players with more of a physical presence as East Carolina continues its defensive makeover under Thompson.

"We really want to have some guys who will go back there and take pride and not let someone come into their area and take it personal," Graves said. "Be a headhunter. Be physical. Go back there and make them pay for coming into your zone.

"They are going to catch some balls, but when they do, we want to punish them for it. So we are looking for those guys who are going to be physical and cover as well. I think we've signed a couple of guys who can do that for us."

Of the signees, Zach Baker and Demetrius Hodges, a pair of junior college products, could provide the most immediate help.

Brindise, McFarland key factors

When former Pirates assistants Rick Stockstill and J.B. Grimes abandoned ship following the 2003 season, there was concern among the ranks that recruiting would suffer.

Instead of fretting over the exodus of two well-renowned recruiters, Thompson restocked his cupboard with a pair of highly-respected coaches with deeply-rooted Florida ties.

A particularly intriguing hire is offensive coordinator Noah Brindise, a former player and coach at the University of Florida who came to ECU from the Washington Redskins.

"Obviously, his background, his reputation is in Florida, so we didn't take a hit right there," Thompson said. "With the NFL background � big, big impact.

"He's just well known there. When you throw in the NFL and Washington Redskins, that makes a difference."

Thompson is equally excited about the addition of offensive line coach Robert McFarland, who was instrumental in securing several key signatures.

"As an offensive coordinator at Central Florida, he had been recruiting those areas for a long time," Thompson said. "He was on some of these junior college guys previously, so we kept right on going right there."