Which recruits could Vandy least afford to lose?

It always hurts to lose, so it hurts to lose Sharrod Golightly to the Gamecocks. But it doesn't hurt as bad as losing Bradley Roby did.

Which brings us to the question we'd rather not ask: Who would it hurt most to lose?

You could answer it by (1) who's the highest rated, (2) who'd play first, and (3) who do we think has the most potential and will be the most valuable over the long run.

HIGHEST RATED
1. Rajaan Bennett, RB
2. Kyle Woestmann, DT
3. Vince Taylor, DT
4. Jerrell Priester, ATH
5. Andre Hal, CB


PLAY FIRST
1. Jonathan Krause, WR
2. Jordan Matthews, WR
3. Kenneth Ladler, S
4. Chris Boyd, WR
5. Karl Butler, CB

LONG HAUL
1. Rajaan Bennett, RB
2. Kyle Woestmann, DT
3. Grant Ramsay, OL
4. Andre Simmons, S
5. Jared Morse, DT

Right away, we can't afford to lose any wide receivers, even though they're not among our most highly regarded recruits. Even a two-star kid like Trent Pruitt has a chance to play right off. We won't lose Kenneth Ladler because he's already enrolled in school, and we can't afford to lose either Karl Butler or Andre Hal, because we usually play cornerbacks right away and we need all of them we can get.

As far as the long haul, who knows? Rajaan Bennett's our signature recruit, a big, powerful back who should only get bigger and stronger. All three defensive tackles (Woestmann, Morse and Taylor) are fine prospects, and Andre Simmons is a big, athletic safety. But this is a deep, fine class, even with the defections.