Nevada Wolf Pack: Chris Ault knew he had something special on signing day 2006

Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault saw it coming.

"This is the best recruiting class I've ever been associated with," the Wolf Pack football coach said proudly on the afternoon Feb. 1, 2006.

OK, yes, he says that just about every National Letter of Intent Signing Day as he announces the latest batch of Wolf Pack football recruits.

But this time he turned out to be a fortune teller.

The Wolf Pack's 2006 class became arguably the greatest recruiting class in school history.

The class produced one of the greatest quarterbacks (Colin Kaepernick), running backs (Vai Taua) and defensive linemen (Dontay Moch) in school history. But it also produced 17 other players who contributed greatly (some greater than others, to be sure) over the past five years.

And it all led to this past season's 13-1 team that finished in the Top 25 nationally.

"This class features all the necessary ingredients needed to move our program forward," Ault said five years ago. "There was an emphasis on size at all positions, from linemen to defensive backs to wide receivers. However, I feel the best feature of this class is their athleticism and speed."

Ault also said some nice thing about his newest quarterback.

"He's (Kaepernick) is just like Jeff (Rowe)," Ault said. "He's an athlete. The difference with this guy is that he played in a pass oriented offense in high school. It's a critical move for us."

It turned out to be one of the most critical moves in Wolf Pack football history.

A look back at the best of the 2006 Nevada Wolf Pack football recruiting class . . .

COLIN KAEPERNICK, Turlock, Calif.

Kaepernick was the only three-star athlete in this class, according to scout.com. While they were correct in putting the Pitman High quarterback on top of this Pack class, they shorted him two stars. All Kaepernick did was become the greatest player in school history (According to Ault), placing his name all over the Wolf Pack and NCAA record books. Kaepernick took over as starter midway through his red-shirt freshman year in 2007 and never let go of the job, finishing with over 9,000 yards passing and over 4,000 rushing.

BRANDON FRAGGER, Pleasant Hill, Calif.

The 5-9 running back developed into a very serviceable player for the Pack when he was healthy. Fragger played right away as a freshman in 2006 but missed most of his sophomore and senior years with injuries. His best year was 2007 when he rushed for 334 yards and caught 17 passes. His best day was when he rushed for 146 yards against UNLV in 2006.

MIKE GALLETT, Phoenix, Ariz.

Gallett became a starter his sophomore year in 2008 and turned into one of the better offensive tackles in the Western Athletic Conference. The 6-6, 300-pounder, though, was suspended for breaking team rules in 2009 and never returned.

VIRGIL GREEN, Tulare, Calif.

Green also red-shirted in 2006, helping to give the Pack arguably the best scout team in the nation that fall. He went on to play 50 games for the Pack from 2007-10. One of the better tight ends in school history, the 6-5 Green caught 68 passes in his career for 877 yards and 11 touchdowns.

KEVIN BASPED, Sacramento

Basped played for three years at Nevada before leaving after his junior year in 2009 for the NFL draft. The NFL didn't work out for Basped but the Florin High defensive end was one of the greatest defensive linemen in Pack history with 23.5 sacks and 42.5 tackles for a loss.

JOHN BENDER, Alberta, Canada

One of the most well-liked (OK, not in Provo, Utah) and productive players in Pack history. The offensive lineman (guard) fought his way through injuries in 2007 and 2008 but turned into a mainstay and leader on one of the best O-lines in America the last two years.

MUNDRAE CLIFTON, Mira Mesa, Calif.

The defensive lineman played three seasons (2006-08) at Nevada after coming from Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista, Calif. The 6-2, 290-pounder started his junior and senior years and had 73 tackles and three sacks in his Pack career. One of the strongest Pack players during his time at Nevada.

RYAN COULSON, Elk Grove, Calif.

Coulson was quite possibly the most underrated player on the team the last two seasons. He red-shirted in 2006 and was mainly a special teams player in 2007. He moved from linebacker to defensive end in 2008 and by 2009 he was starting seven games (playing in all 13) because of injuries to Basped. This past season as a full-time starter Coulson had 53 tackles, eight for a loss and 3.5 sacks. An undersized defensive lineman at 6-2, 255, Coulson played his heart out every time on the field.

KEVIN GRIMES, Grass Valley, Calif.

Grimes was another unsung hero of the 2010 season. At just 6-foot, 205 pounds (generous measurements, to be sure), Grimes played like he was four inches taller and 40 pounds heavier. He had 76 tackles, 4.5 for a loss and three sacks at linebacker. He red-shirted in 2006, was mainly a special teams player in 2007 and a defensive back in 2008. He had 25 tackles as a backup linebacker in 2009 before becoming a starter this year. Grimes, from Bear River High, ended up playing 52 games for the Pack with 171 tackles, seven for a loss.

COURTNEY RANDALL, Rialto, Calif.

Randall simply had the misfortune of playing at Nevada during the Luke Lippincott, Vai Taua era. The running back, though, had his own standout moments, rushing for 827 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career (2007-10). At 5-10, 215 pounds Randall ran hard in short-yardage situations and was an important part of the Pack backfield during his career.

ADAM LIRANZO, Ventura, Calif.

The 6-foot-4, 230 pound linebacker had 46 tackles in four years (2007-10), five for a loss. A converted safety, Liranzo was a valuable backup linebacker the last three years and also started on special teams.

MARKO MITCHELL, York, Ala.

Mitchell played three seasons (2006-08) at Nevada after coming from Mesa College in Arizona. Mitchell had an extremely productive three seasons at Nevada, catching 153 passes for 2,763 yards and 22 touchdowns. Mitchell caught passes from, among others, Jeff Rowe, Nick Graziano and Colin Kaepernick in his Pack career.

DONTAY MOCH, Chandler, Ariz.

Moch was one of the best playmakers in Wolf Pack history on either side of the ball. The converted defensive back, Moch became one of the top defensive players in the country at defensive end the past three seasons. He finished his career with 185 tackles, 63 for a loss and 47.5 sacks. The 6-1, 245-pounder red-shirted in 2006 and came off the bench in 2007.

VAI TAUA, Lompoc, Calif.

Taua has to be in the conversation among the greatest Pack running backs in history. The 5-10 Taua rushed for 4,512 yards and 45 touchdowns. He ran for 1,300 or more yards in each of the last three seasons after getting just 19 carries his red-shirt freshman year in 2007.

CHRIS WELLINGTON, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Wellington ended up missing most of his senior year (all but five games) this year with an injury. The 6-1, 185-pounder had 82 catches for 1,136 yards and seven touchdowns in just 42 games in his career. His best year was in 2008 when he had 42 catches for 632 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore.

JONATHON AMAYA, Diamond Bar, Calif.

Amaya was one of the greatest success stories in Pack history. He started seven games as a true walk-on freshman in 2006 out of Diamond Bar High. The 6-2, 190-pounder turned himself into one of the best defensive backs in the Western Athletic Conference and played for four seasons (2006-09), starting at both corner and safety.

JEROME JOHNSON, Los Angeles

Johnson came from West Los Angeles College and played three seasons at Nevada (2006-08). The 6-1, 240-pounder had 109 tackles, 11.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks in his Pack career. One of the biggest hitters on the team during his time at Nevada.

JARED SILVA-PURCELL, Honolulu

Silva-Purcell red-shirted in 2006 and missed his freshman year (2007) with injuries. The 5-11, 220-pound linebacker played 22 games in 2008 and 2009 combined at Nevada with 29 tackles before transferring to Central Washington in 2010, where he had 64 tackles, 6.5 for a loss this season.

CHRIS SLACK, La Mirada, Calif.

Slack, from Cerritos College, played two seasons (2007-08) at Nevada. The 6-5, 270-pound backup defensive lineman had 13 tackles in 21 games (two starts). He red-shirted in 2006.

DEVON WALKER, Norwalk, Calif.

Walker played two solid seasons for the Pack in 2006 and 2007 as a junior college transfer. The defensive back played 26 games in the two years with 73 tackles. The 6-foot, 175-pounder started 10 games in 2007.