With recruiting always a hot topic and ‘Signing Day’ just over a week out, Bruce Feldman – author of ‘Cane Mutiny’ – made an interesting observation regarding Super Bowl participants.
Recruiting hounds obsessed with stars and rankings, pay attention to the following list of “lesser talent” competing in next Sunday’s game:
“It’s an intriguing time around football: there were two entertaining games in the NFL conference title weekend; the countdown to the signing day is in full swing and the Senior Bowl week is about to kick off. Keep the Colts in mind if your favorite college team doesn’t sound like it is cleaning up on signing day next week because the AFC champions are a very interesting study about what a group of mostly unheralded or off-the-radar recruits can become. (Or maybe they are a testament to what can happen to an NFL team if you have one for-the-ages, all-time great running the show.)
Anyhow, I went back to check their depth chart to see how the guys who start for the Colts were rated as recruits. Of those ones who have come through in the online recruiting era marked by the “star” system, it’s pretty interesting.
Starting left tackle Charlie Johnson was deemed a two-star tight end prospect; left guard Ryan Lilja was a three-star O-lineman; RG Kyle DeVan was a three-star; Austin Collie was a three-star receiver. Of the remaining starters on the Colts’ offense, you either have guys who entered college before the boom of the Internet recruiting era — QB Peyton Manning (who would’ve had to have been a five-star); center Jeff Saturday, WR Reggie Wayne, RB Joseph Addai, RT Ryan Diem — or guys like TE Dallas Clark, WR Pierre Garcon and H-back Gijon Robinson, all of whom were around the two-star range.
On defense, the lone starter ranked above the three-star level is startling left cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who was labeled as a four-star … but at wide receiver. After that it was DT Antonio Johnson, a three-star JC recruit; LB Philip Wheeler, a three-star; LB Clint Session, a three-star; DB Melvin Bullitt, a three-star, and the same for CB Jacob Lacey.” – Bruce Feldman, ESPN.com
I, along with many other poeple, do get caught up in the star factor in recruiting. Everyone wants to win the "recruiting title", thinking it leads directly to success on the field. I do say that I think we have taken a few too many "projects" who may never get off the scout team, but I do trust the coaches. They are the pros in evaluations and such. I'm just a Cane follower. I think the lesser recruited guys can get that chip on their shoulders which is a good thing, while some of the highly ranked ones become divas and don't put in the work. Let's hope we have a lot of the former. I think it's important that we can get some guys continue to come in and contribute right away, and add talent as well as depth. We seem to have large numbers of injuries lately so new contributors are vital. I'm interested to see how this class pans out down the road. I will say that these guys definately WANT to be Canes and are not just following the crowd. That's a beautiful thing.
Even though this recruiting class isnt highly regarded by the "experts" I am highly confident about this years incoming crop of kids. I believe with this class we are going after depth(especially on the O-line) which we have so badly needed throughout the years. Some of these kids will come in and make an immediate impact, while others will help contribute in some way, shape,or form. A couple of years from now if/when we win another national title, we will look to this recruiting class as the one which solidified the foundation and served as the turning point.
Would you like me to list out the top classes (star wise) for the last few years??.. Then you tell me if(how) it correlates to teams playing for and winning MNCs?
Would you like me to list out the top classes (star wise) for the last few years??.. Then you tell me if(how) it correlates to teams playing for and winning MNCs?
Feel free.
Doesn't change the fact that recruiting and star rankings are still a joke and are used to move subscriptions on subscription-based sites.
Miami wasn't pulling in top-ranked classes under Butch Davis and that turned out fine. Conversely, Coker's highest rated classes came after the 2001 title and featured a slew of five-star busts.
It's more about DEVELOPMENT of players than it is where a kid is ranked coming out of high school.
Arthur Brown was thought to be THE MAN coming out of Kansas, but weaker competition and his inability to learn the playbook make his five-star ranking look pretty bogus as he enters year three and still can't start.
Speaking of Arthur Brown – looks like we'll have an extra scholarship available. Both the herald and sentinel are reporting he has left UM.
02
texas
OU
OSU
theU
tenn
03
USC
LSU
OU
UF
ND
04
USC
LSU
theU
FSU
05
tenn
michigan
FSU
UGA
OU
06
USC
FL
Texas
UGA
ND
07
Florida
USC
Texas
Tenn
LSU
08
Bama
ND
The U
OSU
UGA
09
OSU
Bama
LSU
UGA
UCLA
you see any teams there that have been playing for and winning championships?
other than 05, the top 3 schools in all of those years has either played for or won a national championship.
and lol at the fact that recruiting and star rankings are a joke..
it's there plain as day, schools with top ranked classes are playing for and winning championships.. pretty much a direct correlation..
but they are a joke? come on, you can't even truly believe that.
you see any teams there that have been playing for and winning championships? other than 05, the top 3 schools in all of those years has either played for or won a national championship. and lol at the fact that recruiting and star rankings are a joke…
I also see Tennessee, Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Michigan on that list for having supposed 'top' classes and what have those programs done the past five years? Nada.
Ryan Moore. Lance Leggett. Kyle Wright. Reggie Youngblood. All five stars. All busts.
Florida. Ohio State. Texas. USC. LSU. All are desirable college programs. You're going to attract top talent.
What I'm calling a *joke* is a subscription-based site that changes star rankings during a high school football season, sometimes based on ONE game. That kind of crap builds egos, fills kids' heads with junk and turns grown-ass men into blubbering online idiots as they argue over the future of 17-year old football players.
"He came to Coral Gables as the nation's No. 1 linebacker in 2008. Now, Arthur Brown is leaving before even really getting on the field.
According to UM's sports information deparment, Brown is not enrolled in classes this semester and has returned home to Wichita, Kansas. "It is unknown if he'll be returning, but he has not requested a transfer," UM SID Mark Pray told our Susan Miller Degnan moments ago.
Neither Brown, his father, or mentor Bryce Butler have been reached for comment. "
Want to see men act like hellacious PMS driven chicks that hang on every minute of their Soap Opera Digest? Look no further than a subscriber to recruiting sites & pays more attention to what the "experts" (and I use that LOOSELY) write in those craptastic web pages than something that their own child would bring home from school to impress them with
Randy Shannon is doing a horrific job in recruiting this year – every Canes fan should roll down there with pitchforks & torches, demanding he be fired
What earth shattering reason do the Canes fans have for bashing him on this incoming class and wanting him gone? Oh, here it is – a bunch of guys that work for Rivals or Scout, put a bunch of stars next to the name of a kid – and Randy doesn't have a bunch of those kids in this class. Dontcha know?
These are the "experts" that have seen a highlight reel on YouTube, from a parent using their JVC camcorder up in the stands – or maybe from some freelancer at a camp, shooting drills. These are the "experts" that have more than likely never actually been to 2% of these kids' games .. to see the competition he plays against .. how he plays the entire game .. what he does on each and every play .. etc. But yet, they'll give him a rating vs. all the other kids in the entire nation & rank him according to their "expertise". Pretty easy to rate a kid that is faster than the rest from his times at a camp he attends, or simply b/c of the size of a kid – where can I sign up to be an "expert" for one of these publications?
Oh wait, I actually do see a lot of these kids in games each week in the surrounding counties that the "experts" are rating b/c it IS my job. I guess I don't qualify
For every top team anyone can bring with the class ratings system, I'll give you 3 examples:
UGA – 2004 #6, '05 #10, '06 #4, '07 #9, '08 #7, '09 #6. Avg. class ranking = #7
FSU – 2004 #3, '05 #2, '06 #3, '07 #21, '08 #9, '09 #7. Avg. class ranking = #7.5
OU – 2004 #8, '05 #3, '06 #9, '07 #14, '08 #6, '09 #13. Avg. class ranking = #8.8
Which had the best class ranking average, was 58-19 in that 6 year span & went to 2 BCS Bowls (1-1 in them)
Which had the 2nd best overall class ranking average, was 47-30 in that 6 year span & went to 2 BCS Bowls (0-2 in them)
Which had the worst of the 3 class ranking average, was 62-18 in that 6 year span & went to 4 BCS games (losing all 4, including the NChamp)
I don't know what happened for Rivals to go from #3 to #21 to #9 for FSU – but say we throw out the lowest ranked class for each team. FSU comes out on top (4.8), UGA is 2nd (6.4) and OU is still last (7.8). OU had the most success of going to BCS games – losing all of them. UGA & FSU had better ranked classes, but with less BCS appearances & worse records as well
It's all crap & people fall for it. They use the class rating system as some kind of imaginary honor for their team, so they can brag about it at work
How about, the coaches know what they're doing .. know what they're looking for to fit their system .. know a HELL OF A LOT more than any of us about recruiting & the bumps in the road they have to face when trying to find a kid that can even get into their school .. Rivals & Scout feed off of drama they create for you .. and no, just b/c you play EA Sports NCAA Whatever Year football in "Franchise Mode" & land the top class during recruiting season in that game – it doesn't make you any smarter or better or know any more about these kids than the coaches do
Ever think about that? Na, didn't think so. Relax. Depth is being built, hell, Canes fans should be happy that The "U" is starting to get to the point to where they can start to recruit depth & certain project players
what happened, we don't recruit from NWestern anymore?