THE RANKINGS SO FAR - No. 15 - The class of 2011 | No. 14 - The class of 2012 | No. 13 - The class of 2015 | No. 12 - The class of 2005 | No. 11 - The class of 2004 | No. 10 - The class of 2014 | No. 9 - The class of 2003 | No. 8 - The class of 2010 | No. 7 - The class of 2009 | No. 6 - The class of 2008 | No. 5 - The class of 2016 | No. 4 - The class of 2017 | No. 3 - The class of 2013 | No. 2 - The class of 2006

Finally, we have arrived at No. 1 on our countdown of Pitt's recruiting classes from 2003-17. We've covered transition classes, first full classes, the classes that came after big success and the classes that came after years of struggle.

We've covered classes that fell apart amid a coaching change and classes that had minimal attrition. We've covered classes that produced some of Pitt's biggest stars of the decade and classes that were more notable for their depth than their star power.

At No. 1, we have a class with star power, depth and a pretty incredible success rate. It's the class that came after Dave Wannstedt's first full class. It's the class of 2007.

That's 24 players, and the class ranked No. 26 nationally as the second of Wannstedt's three consecutive top-30 classes from 2006-08. The top of the class is obviously LeSean McCoy, Pitt's best running back since Tony Dorsett and one of the Panthers' top players this century.

But Jabaal Sheard isn't far behind McCoy in his accomplishments at Pitt, and the list of multi-year starters from the 2007 class just grows from there. Chris Jacobson, Brandon Lindsey, Henry Hynoski, Dom DeCicco, Max Gruder, Tristan Roberts, Greg Williams, Myles Caragein and Jordan Gibbs.

Then you have Pat Bostick, the quarterback for two of Pitt's biggest wins in the 2000's; Tommie Duhart, who made a huge fumble recovery in the 13-9 win over West Virginia; and contributors like Greg Gaskins and Buddy Jackson.

Really, the list of players who didn't contribute something from the 2007 class is fairly short. Even some of the guys who left before their eligibility ended, like Duhart or Tony Tucker or Maurice Williams, made some level of impact on the field.

The 2007 class may not have the quantity of high-end star power that the 2013 group has with Tyler Boyd, James Conner and Dorian Johnson. And the 2008 class arguably has more depth than 2007, if only by a player or two.

But McCoy's star burns bright and those other multi-year starters formed the backbone of the 10-win team in 2009. For top talent, multiple years of contributions and overall depth, the 2007 class emerges as Pitt's best overall class from 2003-17.