5. 1978: Prior to his departure, then coach Lou Saban put together a recruiting class that laid the foundation for the future success of the program. Pennsylvania native Jim Kelly was recruited by Penn State, but Joe Paterno wanted him to play linebacker. Saban was astute enough to offer Kelly a scholarship as a quarterback, which he accepted. Additionally Lester Williams, the top rated high school prospect, was signed and went on to become an All-American. All told, there were 11 future NFL players to come out of this class including 6 AAAA First Team All-State Floridians.
4. 1984: With a national championship in his back pocket, Howard Schnellenberger was able to rope in the elite of the South Florida talent. College Football Hall of Famer Bennie Blades joined NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, Brett Perriman, Bubba McDowell and Derwin Jones. Perhaps the recruit that paid the most dividends from this class, however, was the young linebacker signed from Miami’s Norland High. His name? Randy Shannon.
3. 1983: Coach Schnellenberger calls this his best recruiting class ever, and 
it’s hard to argue. The top RB in Florida, Northwestern High’s Melvin Bratton. The top LB (though, not for long) in Florida, Alonzo Highsmith. Dan Stubbs. Brian Blades. Tolbert Bain. Winston Moss. And a tight end that would later be converted to a defensive tackle: Jerome Brown.
2. 1997: At a time when it was not fashionable to play for UM, thanks to NCAA sanctions, Butch Davis lured future NFLers Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss, Dan Morgan, Najeh Davenport, and Ed Reed. Martin Bibla and Joaquin Gonzalez rounded out the O-Line. All would play pivotal roles in turning the program around and laying the foundation for future dominance once again.
1. 1999: Wow. There’s not much else to say about the array of talent that Butch Davis put together in 1999. Ken Dorsey. Andre Johnson. Clinton Portis. Bryant McKinnie. There’s also Vernon Cary, Phillip Buchanan and 
Jarrett Payton. This was lightening in a bottle. A national championship and a 34 game winning streak later and this class is mentioned among the top recruiting classes in the history of college football. You would be hard pressed to come up with another class of recruits that was not only heralded, but was able to prove it on the field.
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How can you leave out the 1997 recruiting class? Do the names Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne, Dan Morgan and Santana Moss ring a bell? Keep in mind this was a time when Miami was on probation and Coral Gables was not a popular destination for recruits. It’s an amazing class when you consider the circumstances and restrictions Butch Davis and his staff had to endure. The 1997 class was better and more important than the 1999 class.
Agreed. We view the ’99 class as being more important due to winning a national title, but there are valid arguments for ’97′s (and ’83′s for that matter).
The 08′ class will eventually trump them all………..
I was a member of the 1978 freshman class and have been looking for a media guide for years, at any reasonable cost, are there any available thanks
Chris Davis
LOL this guy up here said the 08 class will trump them all
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