re: Dawg Night 2014: boom

Not foaming at the mouth, just think you're a little off base in this case

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it would be nice to consistently fill with 4* or better talent going at least two-deep across the line.

Our OL has been consistently average at best

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Here's our OL recruiting the last 5 recruiting classes, using rivals rankings as an aside.

Jake Edwards - 3* (0.1 away from being a 4* if that matters)
Dyshon Sims - 4*
Isaiah Wynn - 4*
Aulden Bynum - 3*
Josh Cardiello - 3*
Brandon Kublanow - 4*
Mark Beard - 3*
Greg Pyke - 3*
John Theus - 5*
David Andrews - 3*
Watts Dantzler - 3*
Zach Debell - 3*
Hunter Long - 3*
Nate Theus - 2* (also LS)
Xavier Ward - 3*
B. Benedict - 4*
Gates - 3*
K. Houston - 3*

That's 18 OL over a 5 year period, or 3.5 per year. Ideally you'd like to see a few more, but it's not like Donnan where we would recruit 0 some years. Of those 18, you have only 1 2 star (which he was primarily recruited as a long snapper/brother anyway), 12 3 stars, 4 4 stars, and 1 5 star.

As far as OLines go, that seems to be fairly normal. Alabama grabbing 4 or 5 high 4 and 5 stars every year is not the norm. To simply say "well we should be doing that!" isn't apples to apples because we aren't on that level. Not yet, at this moment, anyway.

Out of that 18, there's only like 4 or 5 that you can really say "that was a big frick up. Huge mistake, waste of a scholly". Our OL recruiting hasn't been NEARLY as bad as people make it out to be. As I said earlier, we actually do pretty damn good with C and G play. We have simply lacked a true, elite tackle. We've had them before under Richt, so it's not like it's impossible. Theus got thrown in the first from day 1 and he hasn't actually done that bad all things considered..and the guy still has 2 more years.

Brandon Sandifer will be at Dawg Night Friday (don't see him on the list)

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Brandon Sandifer will be at Dawg Night Friday (don't see him on the list)

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Added

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WG_Dawg

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I appreciate all that work, and I hear what you're saying, but 1 5* and 4 4* in 5 years isn't really that good for what we all believe is a top tier national football program that's supposed to have a chance at playing for NC's every year.

As I said, our starting OL has been consistently average, and our depth has been slightly below average. And don't go through the trouble, but I bet if you look at the previous 5 years of recruits before these guys, it's about the same, or maybe worse.

I mean the proof is in the pudding. I know it's a team sport and our defense has been pretty much the same, average or worse with poor depth, but our consistently crazy talented skill position players and QB's have won us some games in spite of average OL and defensive play for much of the past 10 years.

Just once I'd like to see the OL not be a question mark going in to the season. I'd love to know its a guarantee to be top notch. And if a starter goes down, we're not saying "well frick".

How many 1st thru 4th rounder OL have ya developed in the past 10 years? , that's all you need to know

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BeefDawg

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I partly agree with you. It is confusing why a program such as ours still struggles with OT recruiting. However, every school in America, even alabama, has some position that they don't recruit as well in. For us, we are elite/exceptional at QB recruiting, and to a slightly lesser degree RBs and K. I'm sure there are other big time, top 10 national programs saying "why can't we recruit QBs like UGA does?"

OT just happens to be our area that we lag in. I'm not worried about C and G because we've shown that we can take 2 and 3 stars and turn them into studs. It's really just tackle that we have dropped the ball on. And I'm not sure how to explain that.

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That body type and athleticism is pretty hard to find.

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True. Also from the last 5 recruiting classes, here are all the OTs listed as a 5 star by rivals.

Cam Robinson
Damian Prince
Quenton Nelson
Laremy Tunsil
Dorian Johnson
D.J. Humphries
Zach Banner
Kyle Murphy
Kyle Kalis
John Theus
Andrus Peat
Cyrus Kouandjio
Laeel Collins
Seantrel Henderson
Robert Crisp
Shon Coleman

Out of those 16 (so about 3 nationally per class)...how many have you really heard of and know how good they are? Now out of the ones you named..how many are outside of the SEC (ie, you know about them not simply because of proximity/they play for our rivals)?

For the number of guys on that list who are legit, really good, solid OTs, there are probably just as many if not more that are busts, won't ever contribute, or who have or will fizzle out into obscurity.

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For the number of guys on that list who are legit, really good, solid OTs, there are probably just as many if not more that are busts, won't ever contribute, or who have or will fizzle out into obscurity.

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Let's hope Theus finds himself in the former camp.

Best thread I've read in a while.