College football recruiting is far from an exact science. Furthermore, it’s a long-term investment that can’t be properly assessed until well down the road. Today’s 2-star high school safety could be tomorrow’s NFL Draft first-rounder while yesterday is littered with countless 5-star flame-outs.
In 2010, Randy Shannon and the Miami Hurricanes signed what Rivals.com ranked the No. 16 class in the nation. Fresh off a 9-4 season, Shannon and staff reeled in upwards of 30 players—including two last-minute 5-star prospects—and “The U” continued its quest to rebuild.
By year’s end, the Hurricanes stumbled to 7-6, Shannon was let go and Al Golden inherited a roster full of players he didn’t recruit, most of which couldn’t even pass his conditioning test. Months later, a recently departed cornerback spilled the beans regarding a broken culture that included insubordination, immaturity and an affinity for the sticky-icky.
Almost four years later, the 2010 class is wrapping its senior season, having amassed a 29-20 record at Miami with one game left to play. Of the 30 players signed, 13 left the program. As for the remaining 17, some blossomed, others had respectable careers, but way too many simply didn’t pan out, which crushed overall depth.
Click here to continue reading article.