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Recruiting class shaping up nicely

Can probably expect both Horn and Dylan Wonnum to annouce for Carolina at the Under Armour game on Jan 4th.

Sandidge could announce anytime, but will probably wait until close to the normal signing day to announce. I think he’s been a silient for some time and the reason the staff didn’t spend much time on Josh Belk.

At the point now where everyone wants to hold off on a few big announcements until the all star games and signing day for buzz and eyeballs.

Leaves two potential wild cards. Gwyn is likely one. At this point, I’d guess Rosendo Louis as the other.

If we closed that way, depending what other teams do, we’d almost certainly finish with a consensus top 20 class, potentially top 15.

The big miss will be Tindall. Put in a lot of effort there. Have also put in a lot of time with Henry. Dax as well. Stephon Wynn is a sneaky miss. Spent a lot of time working him. And of course Xavier Thomas.

I think Bryce could add a 4th star across all services, especially if he’s on track to qualify, and Joyner is at risk of dropping a star.

Also seems to be some real reaches at the WR position in this class. A lot of off the radar guys.
 
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Can probably expect both Horn and Dylan Wonnum to annouce for Carolina at the Under Armour game on Jan 4th.

Sandidge could announce anytime, but will probably wait until close to the normal signing day to announce. I think he’s been a silient for some time and the reason the staff didn’t spend much time on Josh Belk.

At the point now where everyone wants to hold off on a few big announcements until the all star games and signing day for buzz and eyeballs.

Leaves two potential wild cards. Gwyn is likely one. At this point, I’d guess Rosendo Louis as the other.

If we closed that way, depending what other teams do, we’d almost certainly finish with a consensus top 20 class, potentially top 15.

The big miss will be Tindall. Put in a lot of effort there. Have also put in a lot of time with Henry. Dax as well. Stephon Wynn is a sneaky miss. Spent a lot of time working him. And of course Xavier Thomas.

I think Bryce could add a 4th star across all services, especially if he’s on track to qualify, and Joyner is at risk of dropping a star.

Also seems to be some real reaches at the WR position in this class. A lot of off the radar guys.
Top 20 is not a good way to finish. Hoping to Top 15
 
Like i said not gaining ground yet. Need pass rushers. We have a lack of game changers all the way around.
 
Top 20 is not a good way to finish. Hoping to Top 15

Eh. If you’re in the top 20 year after year, you should be in a position to at least compete with everyone week after week. The real leap is top 10 and then really top 5. You should be competing for a playoff spot at that point if you put a few of those classes together.

This class will be disappointing because it had a chance to be top 10. Muschamp developed leads at one point for Xavier, Tindall, Wynn, Dax, Gerald, etc. He and T Rob also had personal connections to a lot of big time prospects in Florida.

For Spurrier’s third class here, he came out guns blazing, he went out and said I’m going to get all the atheletes I need and out recruit everyone. Put together a top 10 class, with 6 top 100 recruits. Had hoped Muschamp would have done the same. Just couldn’t get over the hump with a lot of the top guys.
 
Eh. If you’re in the top 20 year after year, you should be in a position to at least compete with everyone week after week. The real leap is top 10 and then really top 5. You should be competing for a playoff spot at that point if you put a few of those classes together.

This class will be disappointing because it had a chance to be top 10. Muschamp developed leads at one point for Xavier, Tindall, Wynn, Dax, Gerald, etc. He and T Rob also had personal connections to a lot of big time prospects in Florida.

For Spurrier’s third class here, he came out guns blazing, he went out and said I’m going to get all the atheletes I need and out recruit everyone. Put together a top 10 class, with 6 top 100 recruits. Had hoped Muschamp would have done the same. Just couldn’t get over the hump with a lot of the top guys.
Look at Spurriers last 4 classes almost all are in the Top 20 and yet everyone says the cupboard was left empty. Big jump I agree is Top 10 but Top 20 still gets you only 5th-7th in SEC and then you’re not really contending, you’re just a headache.

2011-17th
2012-15th
2013-20th
2014-19th
 
Look at Spurriers last 4 classes almost all are in the Top 20 and yet everyone says the cupboard was left empty. Big jump I agree is Top 10 but Top 20 still gets you only 5th-7th in SEC and then you’re not really contending, you’re just a headache.

2011-17th
2012-15th
2013-20th
2014-19th

Man I hate that you and others believe those ratings. Especially the last two. Most of the guys that made those class even ranked as high as they did never showed up on campus or went to Juco. And at least a couple more really didn't pan out to be the 4 star Talent the recruiting Services thought they were.

If you were to go back and re-rank those classes they'd be below 40.
 
Man I hate that you and others believe those ratings. Especially the last two. Most of the guys that made those class even ranked as high as they did never showed up on campus or went to Juco. And at least a couple more really didn't pan out to be the 4 star Talent the recruiting Services thought they were.

If you were to go back and re-rank those classes they'd be below 40.
They’re also not as bad as people claim they are. You think UF has no talent or UT or even FSU...a dumpster fire year with coaches that quit can lead to a 3 win season like we had in 2015 no matter the talent.
 
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Look at Spurriers last 4 classes almost all are in the Top 20 and yet everyone says the cupboard was left empty. Big jump I agree is Top 10 but Top 20 still gets you only 5th-7th in SEC and then you’re not really contending, you’re just a headache.

2011-17th
2012-15th
2013-20th
2014-19th

All I’m saying is, there isn’t much of a difference finishing anywhere from 11-20, or even 25. Those are classes with a few projected high-end, all conference type players, a few guys who have a chance to be that good and then mostly who knows.

There are 3 guys in this class right now, Enagbare, Gipson, Iyama, who could easily be rated higher and put this class well into the top 15. But they are fringe top tier guys for a reason.

The only time i’d really be excited about a class outside the top 10 is if it had at least a few consensus top 150 guys. Like 2009 was 14th overall, but had 5 guys in the top 150– 3 of which hit in a big way. Could be th saving grace for this class. Could finish with 3 in the top 150, 4if they can somehow get Tindall.
 
Have to say, player ranking aside, I love the way Muschamp has our recruiting set up. At least 3 coaches have to sign off on a recruit in order to get a scholarship offer. That seems like it will lead to more eyes and evaluation on the players. It was evident last year, when we offered a bunch of players early and multiple schools came in at the end. We missed out on a few but it showed our evaluation process is working. With that kind of evaluation, the media ranking system may be less indicative of a recruiting class.
 
Man I hate that you and others believe those ratings. Especially the last two. Most of the guys that made those class even ranked as high as they did never showed up on campus or went to Juco. And at least a couple more really didn't pan out to be the 4 star Talent the recruiting Services thought they were.

If you were to go back and re-rank those classes they'd be below 40.
So don't believe spurrier classes but believe muschamp? If we play your game muschamps classes would be in the 50s
 
I look more at the average star rankings of each team. That gives you a better indication who was a top class. I mean we have the #14 ranked class because we have so many players committed. But I look at the quality of those players. When doing that we are ranked in the 30s. Clemson only has like 12 players committed and is ranked #30, but as far as quality star average is ranked #8 by rivals. The quality of the player matters more to me than the quantity. Regardless, this is shaping up to be one of our best classes in the last 8 years. Steady improvement with a chance to finish with some really key, talented players.
I would rather have 30 3 * players and kick out 5 on NSD like we do than Klempzen and get only 12 players who are 4 and 5 *.
 
Other than his class in 2007, most of Spurrier's classes finished 15 to 20. Some people were saying a few weeks back that we haven't had a class ranked this low since 2010......but that 2010 class included Marcus Lattimore, Ace Sanders, Victor Hampton, AJ Cann, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Kelcy Quarles.

What does all that tell you? It's more than just rankings...it's having an eye for talent. I'd rather have 6 4-stars that are going to work their butts off to be the best than 12 4-stars that are apathetic.

Top 15 to 20 classes can result in top 10 teams if they are the right players. Winning the SEC however will likely require top 5/top 10 classes and Muschamp just isn't at that point yet. There is nothing wrong with that....it's just going to take a little time. Progress is being made and get the right OC in here and I think things will really take off.
 
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Other than his class in 2007, most of Spurrier's classes finished 15 to 20. Some people were saying a few weeks back that we haven't had a class ranked this low since 2010......but that 2010 class included Marcus Lattimore, Ace Sanders, Victor Hampton, AJ Cann, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Kelcy Quarles.

What does all that tell you? It's more than just rankings...it's having an eye for talent. I'd rather have 6 4-stars that are going to work their butts off to be the best than 12 4-stars that are apathetic.

Top 15 to 20 classes can result in top 10 teams if they are the right players. Winning the SEC however will likely require top 5/top 10 classes and Muschamp just isn't at that point yet. There is nothing wrong with that....it's just going to take a little time. Progress is being made and get the right OC in here and I think things will really take off.

Stop it Josh, just stop it. Well-written common sense posts are not allowed here.

Now tell us how bad the entire Carolina athletic department is.
 
Other than his class in 2007, most of Spurrier's classes finished 15 to 20. Some people were saying a few weeks back that we haven't had a class ranked this low since 2010......but that 2010 class included Marcus Lattimore, Ace Sanders, Victor Hampton, AJ Cann, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Kelcy Quarles.

What does all that tell you? It's more than just rankings...it's having an eye for talent. I'd rather have 6 4-stars that are going to work their butts off to be the best than 12 4-stars that are apathetic.

Top 15 to 20 classes can result in top 10 teams if they are the right players. Winning the SEC however will likely require top 5/top 10 classes and Muschamp just isn't at that point yet. There is nothing wrong with that....it's just going to take a little time. Progress is being made and get the right OC in here and I think things will really take off.
I would love 6 4* players too!
 
Other than his class in 2007, most of Spurrier's classes finished 15 to 20. Some people were saying a few weeks back that we haven't had a class ranked this low since 2010......but that 2010 class included Marcus Lattimore, Ace Sanders, Victor Hampton, AJ Cann, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Kelcy Quarles.

What does all that tell you? It's more than just rankings...it's having an eye for talent. I'd rather have 6 4-stars that are going to work their butts off to be the best than 12 4-stars that are apathetic.

Top 15 to 20 classes can result in top 10 teams if they are the right players. Winning the SEC however will likely require top 5/top 10 classes and Muschamp just isn't at that point yet. There is nothing wrong with that....it's just going to take a little time. Progress is being made and get the right OC in here and I think things will really take off.
I like your post and agree with most. The truth is I agree with your 6 4* that will work thing, but the great teams are the 12 4* players that will work their butt off too.
 
Other than his class in 2007, most of Spurrier's classes finished 15 to 20. Some people were saying a few weeks back that we haven't had a class ranked this low since 2010......but that 2010 class included Marcus Lattimore, Ace Sanders, Victor Hampton, AJ Cann, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Kelcy Quarles.

What does all that tell you? It's more than just rankings...it's having an eye for talent. I'd rather have 6 4-stars that are going to work their butts off to be the best than 12 4-stars that are apathetic.

Top 15 to 20 classes can result in top 10 teams if they are the right players. Winning the SEC however will likely require top 5/top 10 classes and Muschamp just isn't at that point yet. There is nothing wrong with that....it's just going to take a little time. Progress is being made and get the right OC in here and I think things will really take off.
Geesh, FINALLY someone with some sense. Good observation.
 
I’ll put it this way. I’d rather have Alabama’s class than Vanderbilt’s. How does that sound? I put more stock in who offers a kid vs stars but look at who is in the playoffs every year. Look at who wins the championship.
 
I’ll put it this way. I’d rather have Alabama’s class than Vanderbilt’s. How does that sound? I put more stock in who offers a kid vs stars but look at who is in the playoffs every year. Look at who wins the championship.
You think perhaps it may help to have the history of Alabama?
 
Or Klempson? Sorry Klempson doesn’t have any elite history. No Acc titles at all from 1992-2010.
And they didn't start off with Top 10 recruiting classes. They built to get there.....recruited top 15-20 classes, won, kept winning, and eventually classes started getting better and better. It wasn't overnight. It's foolish to think that's not what it is going to take.
 
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And they didn't start off with Top 10 recruiting classes. They built to get there.....recruited top 15-20 classes, won, kept winning, and eventually classes started getting better and better. It wasn't overnight. It's foolish to think that's not what it is going to take.
Exactly. Gonna have to have 2 or 3, maybe even 4 Top 10 recruiting classes to challenge for an SEC title and it may take 4 or 5 years to get the first Top 10 class.
 
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Exactly. Gonna have to have 2 or 3, maybe even 4 Top 10 recruiting classes to challenge for an SEC title and it may take 4 or 5 years to get the first Top 10 class.

Klempson was #8 in 2011. That is goofball’s second full class. Including Sammy Potkins.
 
So don't believe spurrier classes but believe muschamp? If we play your game muschamps classes would be in the 50s

Jumping Jehoshaphat dude you don't really understand what I posted it all. The original post that I quoted we're showing our team recruiting ranking from 2013 and 14. If you go back and look at the names on those list you will see that only a few of them ever contributed. They still count in the rankings to this day but if you reranked those classes 4 years later after the attrition they would not be nearly that hot. At this point there is no way to know what muschamp's classes will look like in 4 years.

The poster was saying that the cupboard was not that bare but recruiting fell off the wagon terribly when Spurrier announced that he might only coach a couple more years. A lot of people say he quit and all this nonsense but the truth is he was trying as hard as he ever did but the other teams were negatively recruiting against us. And they were being very successful at it because we really didn't get anyone that contributed for a couple of years. Even the guys that were rated 4 stars and actually made it to school turned out to not be near as good as we had hoped.
 
In Spurrier’s last 3 classes we had massive amounts of guys not make it into school, flunk out, transfer, not pan out etc. skai, Pharoh, and deebo are the exceptions. Our d line recruiting may be where we dropped off the most. We went from clowney to a bunch of no names that couldn’t play. Of course they had the super duper coaching of deke Adams. Besides promoting Whammy he was the biggest mistake made on assistant coaches in the last decade. He was worthless. That 2013 d line should have gotten us to the national championship.
 
Other than his class in 2007, most of Spurrier's classes finished 15 to 20. Some people were saying a few weeks back that we haven't had a class ranked this low since 2010......but that 2010 class included Marcus Lattimore, Ace Sanders, Victor Hampton, AJ Cann, Connor Shaw, Dylan Thompson and Kelcy Quarles.

What does all that tell you? It's more than just rankings...it's having an eye for talent. I'd rather have 6 4-stars that are going to work their butts off to be the best than 12 4-stars that are apathetic.

Top 15 to 20 classes can result in top 10 teams if they are the right players. Winning the SEC however will likely require top 5/top 10 classes and Muschamp just isn't at that point yet. There is nothing wrong with that....it's just going to take a little time. Progress is being made and get the right OC in here and I think things will really take off.
Case in point... go look at that 07 class and see how many really contributed.
 
1. The rankings have issues, but are generally pretty good at figuring out who are the elite athletes, who have a very good chance to be excellent college football players. Figuring out who is an elite athlete in a football sense is not that hard.

2. Recruiting is all a probability game. All you’re asking is what’s the likelihood this player can be successful at the next level. The reason most players are 3 stars, is that for most players, no one really has any idea what they will do at the next level. 4 and 5 stars have been deemed more likely than not to be successful at the next level, because they have the athletic foundation.

If you’re taking more consensus 4 and 5 Star guys, specifically top 150 guys, you have a better shot ending up with an elite football player. Everyone wants to believe their coaches can elaluate better than any other group of coaches, but the fact is, if you’re not getting top 150 guys, you’re likely not getting elite players. You might evaluate your way to some really good players, and might hit an elite player or two, but it’s almost luck of the draw at that point.

Case in point, who have been the truly elite players Carolina has had in the last 10 years? Your list might differ, but

Cliff Matthews (top 150)
Chris Culliver (top 150)
Stephen Garcia (top 150)
Travian Robertson (top 150)
Melvin Ingram (outside the top 150)
Antonio Allen (outside the top 150)
Devin Taylor (outside the top 150)
Chaz Sutton (outside the top 150)
Stephon Gilmore (top 150)
DeVonte Holloman (top 150)
Alshon Jeffery (top 150)
DJ Swearinger (outside the top 150)
Lattimore (top 150)
Cann (top 150)
Shaw (outside the top 150)
Ace Sanders (outside the top 150)
Kelcy Quarles (top 150)
Clowney (top 150)
Shell (top 150)
Bruce Ellington (outside the top 150)
Mike Davis (top 150)
Skai Moore (outside the top 150)
Pharoh Cooper (outside the top 150)
Deebo Samuel (outside the top 150)
Hurst (outside the top 150)
Zack Bailey (outside the top 150)
Fenton (outside the top 150)

Might not be fair to do this with 16 and 17, but

Jam Williams (top 150)
Ortre Smith (top 150)
Bryan Edwards (outside the top 150)
DJ Wonnum (outside the top 150)

That’s about half your elite players over a decade in the top 150 and half not.

There were 28 top 150 guys signed in that period. 54% went on to be elite college players. A bunch more went on to be solid contributors. Only 4 of them were complete busts. Which means your contribution percentage from that 150 group is 86%.

There were something like 284 non top 150 guys singed to the team during that period. 5% went on to the elite college players. Could probably pull player’s names out of a hat and have a similar hit rate.

You get your elite players and guaranteed contributors from the top 150. And you hope to God you land a few unexpected surprises from the rest.
 
#18 Nationally, #6 in SEC, #2 in the East.
Realistically I think we land Sanddidge, Horn and Wonnum.

KJ and Tindell are long, long shots. I’m sure other teams will continue to land recruits but if we can finish Top 15 and in the top half of the SEC I’ll say successful class!
Around top #15-20 recruiting will and should get you 6-7-8 and even 9 win seasons... with a nice bowl games like the Outback; and occasionally Capital One bowl ,but #6 in the SEC won't get you those SEC titles we want...

Continue to climb the SEC mountain though! Get at it men and hope some good ones land here! Hoping to start raising the bar to top 10 classes each year! Lets go Gamecocks USCHAMP is working it!
I see Georgia and Carolina being the top 2 East Teams for awhile.. Plus our NC recruiting bed is getting better. :) NC has some top tier talent and not many other SEC schools to complete with (like in completing against all SEC schools in the states of Florida and Georgia)
 
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We have similar # of commitments of everyone else in the top 25 within 1 or 2 commits, except for Alabama. We'll probably take 3 more commitments, and they all appear to be 4 star players. I seriously doubt we'll be ranked as low as #20-#25.
When looking at Rivals.. also go by points.. need to set a new higher bar of getting around 2k points. (which would be around top 15 when all the dust settles)
 
Around top #15-20 recruiting will and should get you 6-7-8 and even 9 win seasons... with a nice bowl games like the Outback; and occasionally Capital One bowl ,but #6 in the SEC won't get you those SEC titles we want...

Continue to climb the SEC mountain though! Get at it men and hope some good ones land here! Hoping to start raising the bar to top 10 classes each year! Lets go Gamecocks USCHAMP is working it!
I see Georgia and Carolina being the top 2 East Teams for awhile.. Plus our NC recruiting bed is getting better. :) NC has some top tier talent and not many other SEC schools to complete with (like in completing against all SEC schools in the states of Florida and Georgia)
Agree with you on everything except I worry Mullen will have an offense rolling in Florida before we know it and they’ll be tough.
 
Agree with you on everything except I worry Mullen will have an offense rolling in Florida before we know it and they’ll be tough.
Thanks I think by year 3 Mullen will become more of a threat.... only time will tell by then Gamecocks should be rollin'!!!
 
Look at Spurriers last 4 classes almost all are in the Top 20 and yet everyone says the cupboard was left empty. Big jump I agree is Top 10 but Top 20 still gets you only 5th-7th in SEC and then you’re not really contending, you’re just a headache.

2011-17th
2012-15th
2013-20th
2014-19th


My apologies in advance for being so long winded, but this is a topic I am a bit passionate about. Simply skip it if any of you are the type that gets his/her panties in a wad anytime someone has the audacity to post multiple paragraphs.


I've always been enamored with the two opposing viewpoints that Spurrier left the cupboard bare versus the argument that his last few recruiting classes were very similar in terms of national rank as most of his tenure.

It's certainly true that the argument that Spurrier just stopped recruiting this final 2 or 3 years is a gross exaggeration. Spurrier and the staff did indeed continue to recruit players of a similar talent level. The problem is that the staff (which starts with the HBC) failed to do their homework to make sure all of the players would be a good fit and would be able to qualify without prep school.

Every coaching staff misses from time to time and recruits players that are ultimately unable to qualify. The problem is that these issues reached an unprecedented level at the end of Spurrier's tenure.

As satisfying as it is to see a class ranked in the top 15, I honestly don't think the difference between a class ranked 15th compared to a class ranked 25th, for example, really makes as much of a difference as i might seem.

There's no doubt that highly talented blue chip recruits statistically have a greater probability of developing into star players. Conversely, there are dozens of 3 star players who also develop into valuable contributors. Just off the top of my head, I don't think Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, or Hunter Renfrow were highly sought after before becoming stars.

I honestly don't care if the final class ranking is 13 17, 21, 25, or anywhere in between or close to that level. I'm much more interested to see if the staff is recruiting players to address the biggest needs while also vetting them thoroughly enough to be sure that they are good character guys that will be able to qualify.

I won't disagree that having a roster overflowing with talent from multiple top 5 recruiting classes or even top 10 can help to mask mistakes and provide more margin for error. But just look at this year's FSU team, last year's Notre Dame squad, the Texas teams of the past several years, this year's UF and UT rosters, and even UCLA. All of the aforementioned teams are considered to be in the top 15 or so in terms of overall talent on their rosters.

https://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite


It quite simply boils down to this; success is mostly about having a staff with the ability to recognize talented players that will fit the culture and being able to develop these players to the maximum of their abilities. Three years from now if the world sees a bevy of former 3 stars that developed into All-SEC caliber players as well as several NFL draft picks then the blue-chippers will eventually begin to take notice.

****One brief caveat: this will also require the team to continue to improve from year to year overall, and it can't possibly be overstated how important it is to bring in an OC that runs an exciting and dynamic scheme that brings excitement to both the players and fans alike.
 
Until we start finishing number 1 in the East we aren't moving into greener pastures.
Not so sure about that. #2 in the East positions USC as the biggest threat to UGA in the division. I happen to think UF will end up with the #2 recruiting class in the East, but they could be the only team to pass USC between now and signing day (the 2nd one in Feb).

Also, Spurrier produced a trio of 11-win teams with recruiting classes that were a LOT like this one, ranking in the teens.
 
Not so sure about that. #2 in the East positions USC as the biggest threat to UGA in the division. I happen to think UF will end up with the #2 recruiting class in the East, but they could be the only team to pass USC between now and signing day (the 2nd one in Feb).

Also, Spurrier produced a trio of 11-win teams with recruiting classes that were a LOT like this one, ranking in the teens.

UGA is putting distance between themselves and the rest of the East. They are about to sign 8 or 9 top 150 guys. That is crazy. 5 guys in the top 50.

We look to be trending toward 3 top 150 guys. A couple near top 200 guys and then a lot of fire and hope.

UF could end up with 4 top 150 guys.

UK will have 0 top 150 guys

Tennessee will probably have 3 top 150 guys

Mizzou and Vandy will have 0 top 150 guys.
 
UGA is putting distance between themselves and the rest of the East. They are about to sign 8 or 9 top 150 guys. That is crazy. 5 guys in the top 50.

We look to be trending toward 3 top 150 guys. A couple near top 200 guys and then a lot of fire and hope.

UF could end up with 4 top 150 guys.

UK will have 0 top 150 guys

Tennessee will probably have 3 top 150 guys

Mizzou and Vandy will have 0 top 150 guys.

UGA is in position to sign the best class they have signed since all these recruiting sites have been up, early 90's at least. We have a shot at 7 5* guys and will get at least 4 and likely 5 with with 3 of them being the number 1 player at their positions, and possibly 5 number 1 at their positions. Another is a 5* on 247, but still have to develope them.
 
My apologies in advance for being so long winded, but this is a topic I am a bit passionate about. Simply skip it if any of you are the type that gets his/her panties in a wad anytime someone has the audacity to post multiple paragraphs.


I've always been enamored with the two opposing viewpoints that Spurrier left the cupboard bare versus the argument that his last few recruiting classes were very similar in terms of national rank as most of his tenure.

It's certainly true that the argument that Spurrier just stopped recruiting this final 2 or 3 years is a gross exaggeration. Spurrier and the staff did indeed continue to recruit players of a similar talent level. The problem is that the staff (which starts with the HBC) failed to do their homework to make sure all of the players would be a good fit and would be able to qualify without prep school.

Every coaching staff misses from time to time and recruits players that are ultimately unable to qualify. The problem is that these issues reached an unprecedented level at the end of Spurrier's tenure.

As satisfying as it is to see a class ranked in the top 15, I honestly don't think the difference between a class ranked 15th compared to a class ranked 25th, for example, really makes as much of a difference as i might seem.

There's no doubt that highly talented blue chip recruits statistically have a greater probability of developing into star players. Conversely, there are dozens of 3 star players who also develop into valuable contributors. Just off the top of my head, I don't think Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, or Hunter Renfrow were highly sought after before becoming stars.

I honestly don't care if the final class ranking is 13 17, 21, 25, or anywhere in between or close to that level. I'm much more interested to see if the staff is recruiting players to address the biggest needs while also vetting them thoroughly enough to be sure that they are good character guys that will be able to qualify.

I won't disagree that having a roster overflowing with talent from multiple top 5 recruiting classes or even top 10 can help to mask mistakes and provide more margin for error. But just look at this year's FSU team, last year's Notre Dame squad, the Texas teams of the past several years, this year's UF and UT rosters, and even UCLA. All of the aforementioned teams are considered to be in the top 15 or so in terms of overall talent on their rosters.

https://247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite


It quite simply boils down to this; success is mostly about having a staff with the ability to recognize talented players that will fit the culture and being able to develop these players to the maximum of their abilities. Three years from now if the world sees a bevy of former 3 stars that developed into All-SEC caliber players as well as several NFL draft picks then the blue-chippers will eventually begin to take notice.

****One brief caveat: this will also require the team to continue to improve from year to year overall, and it can't possibly be overstated how important it is to bring in an OC that runs an exciting and dynamic scheme that brings excitement to both the players and fans alike.

Agree with 99 percent of that. I'll only say that your belief that the last staff suddenly became unable to vet players of character is an opinion I don't agree with. They knew who they were getting. It's just the best they could do after Spurrier said he'd only coach a couple more years. It was that damaging. Of course his age added salt to the wound.
 
"The poster was saying that the cupboard was not that bare but recruiting fell off the wagon terribly when Spurrier announced that he might only coach a couple more years."

After that statement, there were several talented decommitts. Not the thing to say, apparently.
 
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Agree with 99 percent of that. I'll only say that your belief that the last staff suddenly became unable to vet players of character is an opinion I don't agree with. They knew who they were getting. It's just the best they could do after Spurrier said he'd only coach a couple more years. It was that damaging. Of course his age added salt to the wound.

Spurrier ran into bad luck as much as anything, starting in 2012.

Shaq Roland was as talented as any player he brought in. He should have been a dominant force on those 2014 and 2015 teams, but...

Stadnik and Kwinton Smith could have been hits. Griffin, Larenz, David Williams... should have gotten a great player out of that trio. Didn’t happen. Same with BAW, Stanley and Wes Green. Same with Qua and Blackshear. It was just an amazing run of top, top guys not being very good. Those are guys who could have gone to any school.

But the real damning thing was missing badly at QB. Mitch, Nosovitch, Nunez... just a disaster at QB. That’s down to evaluation. Nosovitxh, Nunez, no one wanted them at QB. And everyone soured on Mitch.
 
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