By Chris Dokish

The beginning of the end for the Class of 2008 starts today, but it also marks the beginning of the Class of 2009. While many top juniors already have offers, some with dozens, it is today when college coaches are officially allowed to take phone calls from the junior class prospects. With that in mind, here are the top five projected PA prospects for the Class of 2009, listed alphabetically.

DORIAN BELL, Gateway HS (Monroeville) LB

The early favorite as the No. 1 prospect for next year, the 6’1” 210 pounder has already been called by Gateway head coach Terry Smith “the best athlete I’ve ever coached.” Considering that Gateway has recently put more major prospects into college than any school in PA—including NFL-bound cornerback Justin King—that’s saying a lot. Bell is not big yet, but he is tough, aggressive, active, fast and athletic. He already has approximately 30 offers, including Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, West Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State, California and Virginia Tech. When the first set of national rankings come out, Bell could be the No. 1 ranked linebacker prospect in the country for 2009, as well as one of the top ten athletes overall. His college choices are wide open now, although has expressed interest to leave the area. He does admit that may change.

COREY BROWN, Gateway HS (Monroeville) WR

He’s not a speed demon and must add weight to his 6’1” 180 pound frame, but Brown’s route running, hands, athleticism, agility, hand eye coordination and body control are in the elite category. He is close to teammate Bell in offers, with Pitt, Michigan, West Virginia, Florida State, California, Virginia Tech and Boston College offering scholarships. Brown’s cousin and best friend, Aaron Smith, is a receiver at Pitt and the Panthers are considered an early favorite.

TOM SAVAGE, Cardinal O’Hara HS (Springfield) QB

Savage should be among the top five quarterback prospects in the country and is currently a very strong second to Bell as the best prospect in the state. He was recently named the MVP of the U.S. Army Combine, even after an injury plagued junior season that saw him miss games because of a broken foot. Blessed with excellent 6’4” 224 pound size already, he will probably gain more size at the next level. A pocket passer but surprisingly quick, recently running a 4.74 (an excellent time for a big pocket passer), Savage has a cannon for an arm and throws a great long ball. He also displays quick feet in the pocket. Among his early offers are Pittsburgh, Georgia, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Louisville and Rutgers. Look for him to probably leave the state.

ERIC SHRIVE, West Scranton HS (Scranton) OT

The big man already has the prototypical size at 6’7”, but will have to eventually add a lot more weight to his current 280 pounds. It’s actually good to be too light for a lineman prospect because most have bad weight and they have to be broken down, then built back up again – so that actually helps his case. He does need to add strength, however. Shrive has good feet and also projects at defensive tackle according to some scouts. A good student and very mature, his early offers include Pitt, Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami, Rutgers, Illinois and Boston College. Right now he is wide open for his college choice.

JE’RON STOKES, Northeast HS (Philadelphia) WR

An electrifying game breaker with excellent speed, Stokes could use more size on his current 6’1” and 180 pound frame. He has great hands, knows how to get open, makes a lot of acrobatic catches and is terrific after the catch. Stokes is back at Northeast after spending last season at Penn Charter, so he could play with his brother Malik, who will be one of the top prospects in the 2010 class. Philadelphia prospects are almost always under recruited but he already has offers from Pittsburgh, UCLA, Rutgers, Illinois, UConn, Iowa, NC State and Maryland. He is currently wide open.