Miami ? Lorenzo Booker might have been Reggie Bush.

OK, the statement seems a stretch these days. Bush has a Heisman Trophy on his mantel and NFL millions in the bank.

Booker spent his weekend at the Senior Bowl, seeking to raise his mid-round draft stock.

Five years ago, though, Booker was the recruiting gem who carried all the great expectations. The nation’s top prospect on most lists, he picked Florida State over staying close to home at Southern California.

Twelve months later, Bush signed with USC. We know the rest.

Booker’s tale in a way personifies the outcome of National Signing Day’s Class of 2002. Upon review, it’s a class perhaps best noted for shortfalls by those at the top of the charts.

Booker never had a 1,000-yard season. Miami wideout Ryan Moore (No. 4) tailed off sharply and lost half his senior year to suspension. Ben Olson (No. 3) never threw a pass for BYU and now faces a job battle at UCLA.

“In retrospect, it may not have been a very good year,” said Bobby Burton of Rivals.com. “You’re talking about some really good players that just never got going.”

The authorities were correct, though, when it came to projecting the big winner on campus.

Texas, ranked No. 1 by all four major outlets, corralled Vince Young and seven other starters for the 2005 Rose Bowl national champions that ended USC’s minidynasty.

Drafted No. 3 overall by Tennessee last April, Young recently was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Ohio State bonanza

It also was a good year for Ohio State, which found a dozen starters to fuel a run of four BCS bowl games in their five-year window. Oddly enough, they didn’t necessarily come from the top of the class.

The Buckeyes garnered a No. 3 composite ranking with such names as running back Maurice Clarett, linebacker Mike D’Andrea and quarterback Justin Zwick. By 2005, none was a contributing factor.

Clarett made an immediate splash in helping OSU to the 2002 national title, but never played another down amid trouble with the NCAA and the legal system.

Troy Smith wasn’t on anyone’s Top 100 list in 2002, but now stands as winner of the second-most lopsided Heisman runaway ever. The Buckeyes also found a Lombardi Award winner in linebacker A.J. Hawk.

Disappointments

The Seminoles found greater disappointment from elsewhere in the class. Within three years, half the class (11 of 22) had fallen by the wayside.

Four never got in academically, including five-star receiver DiShon Platt. Quarterback Wyatt Sexton fell victim to Lyme disease. Thomas Clayton transferred to Kansas State and became more productive than Booker.

To be fair, though, those Seminoles still won three ACC crowns and produced two first-round draft picks (Brodrick Bunkley and Kamerion Wimbley).

The Hurricanes’ class was ranked No. 6, but might end up best known for a kick-return specialist. Devin Hester ran back seven punts or kickoffs for touchdowns, but never found a home on offense or defense.

“That’s an indictment of the player,” Burton said.