We've already established that Florida St. and Clemson were far and away the winners of ACC recruiting on National Signing Day, with the Seminoles pulling in what many believe to be the best class in the country. But Boston College managed to hold its own, with four four-star athletes and a No. 7 rankings from Rivals within the conference.
Additionally, the Eagles earned a "B-" in ESPN's team-by-team breakdown of the ACC's 2011 recruiting classes (good for sixth-best in the conference):
Breakdown: This is arguably the best Boston College class in recent years. It has a few national recruits and is also very deep in quality three-star prospects. The emphasis was put on defense, which is the side of the ball that has carried this program the past few seasons. Louis-Jean has the size, athleticism and versatility to contribute early in Chestnut Hill, at least in sub-packages. BC knows how to recruit linebackers out of Saint Xavier in Ohio and have another good one in physical and instinctive three-star Sean Duggan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Saint Xavier).
ESPN lists CB Albert Louis-Jean (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) as BC's Top Prospect -- "a top-10 corner, is expected to make an impact early in BC's secondary" -- and Alexander Howell (Florence, S.C./West Florence), the No. 5 kicker in the country, as the Eagles' "Name to remember."
For the record, FSU earned an A+, with Clemson getting a B+.