For years, the basketball recruiting analysts have had it easy in the minds of us football folk. After all, they can attend two big-time alphabet (ABCD, etc, etc) events and see 90-percent of the top players in the nation in one trip. For football recruiting gurus, it hasn't been that way. But things are quickly changing.

This recruiting year there are more combines than ever before and a big-time one has finally emerged in the state of New Jersey. On May 5th, college coaches will be flocking to the Elite College Combine being held at The Meadowlands. Why? Check out a few of the players who will be in attendance.

-- The No. 1 junior in the country, Derrick Williams, will be there hoping to run a sub 4.3-second 40-yard dash. Williams, who has offers from more than 25 different schools, is making the trip from Greenbelt, Md. to Giants Stadium for the event.

-- Arguably the top offensive lineman in the country, Plainfield, N.J. mammoth Eugene Monroe will be working out for coaches at the combine. In addition to Monroe, Jersey studs like Brian Cushing, Kade Weston, Dom Natale and Jerome Hayes will also be strutting their stuff.

-- Want speed? How about Don Bosco Prep wideout Michael Ray Garvin, who is expected to be Williams' top challenger in the 40-yard dash. Garvin is a Rivals100 member and ran a hand-held 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the U.S. Army All American junior combine in January. Mike Brown and Donny Brown (no relation), two other speedsters from New Jersey, will also challenge for the title of fastest player. Both ran a hand-held 4.27-second 40-yard dash at a combine last month.

-- Williams won't be alone representing the Maryland/D.C. area as linebacker Rico McCoy, running back Morgan Green, defensive back Anthony Wiseman, offensive tackle Kevin Wiggins, wideout James McDonald and defensive end Melvin Alaeze are also confirmed to attend.

-- -- The top player in New England, defensive tackle James McGillicuddy will make the trip as will quarterback Zack Asack, tight end Brandon Flores and offensive lineman Austin Giles. New York stud Nyan Boateng and linebacker Mike Owen are also confirmed participants as is Eastern Pennsylvania lineman Frank Carduff.

-- Super soph Myron Rolle will also show coaches why schools like Oklahoma, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Purdue and Iowa have already offered him verbally.

-- Others who have been invited to the event and are still considering attending include quarterback Jonathan Crompton, linebacker Derek Nicholson, defensive tackle Callahan Bright, wideout Josh Briscoe, running back Toney Baker, sophomore sensation LeSean McCoy and many, many others.

"This is going to be first class all the way," said event chairman Joe Natale. "We're going to do it like no other combine has -- with names on the back of jerseys, numbers and color coded by position. We're going to be testing the players in the 40-yard dash, shuttle, vertical and standing broad jump and then do one-on-one drills. College coaches will have access to everything."

-- As will Rivals.com, with exclusive media rights to the event. Natale expects a great turnout when it comes to college recruiters.

"We've already received confirmation from around 30 BCS schools and we expect many more to express interest in the next few weeks," said Natale, who has Jersey trainer Chuck Mound, high school coaches Fred Stengel (Bergen Catholic) and Dave Dudeck (The Hun School) and New Jersey recruiting guru Nick Lubischer (as well as yours truly) on his combine committee. "By bringing in the best players, we're getting the coaches and by bringing in coaches from top programs, we're getting the players. It's going to be huge."

Equally important to Natale is the fact that players won't have to pay to compete.

"There is no charge or fee to participate, which is important to me," he said. "I want the players to have the opportunity to showcase their skills for college coaches without it being a burden on them financially. They just have to find their own way to Giants Stadium and their own way home, beyond that we are taking care of everything."