So our '16 class is a composite #7 Nationally, #4 SEC and #1 SECE ...

We going to the 'ship

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Helluva job by our new staff, especially given the circumstances.

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Agree. I had reconciled myself to a lesser class to be honest considering Richt jumped quickly and Smart was busy during the playoffs. But considering we got three 5 star players and 3 more 4 stars vs 3 stars, it's definitely one of our better classes in the last 10 years. One thing that disgruntled me about Richt's classes is even when they were pretty highly ranked we still often settled for more 3 stars than 4 stars. Well done, Kirby and his staff.

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Then there's tech. 18 recruits. 14 of them ranked 3 stars the rest less than that.

More than they deserve, but still.

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Who's this tech team you speak of?

Jeez dude I don't follow recruiting with every breath either but don't be such a bitch.

It was a helluva job by a new staff but they will have to do better to compete for the SEC....in their first year they did about what Richt and company did. Javing the 5th best class in the nation is like kissing your sister when it is the 4th best in the conference...it feels good until someone sees you.

We aren't competing against the rest of the nation...we are competing against the SEC east first, the SEC second and the rest of the nation third. We were first in the SEC East which is great but 4th in the conference...which is not so great....

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We aren't competing against the rest of the nation...we are competing against the SEC east first, the SEC second and the rest of the nation third. We were first in the SEC East which is great but 4th in the conference...which is not so great....

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I think Kirby and Co have already admitted that the one place they felt like they missed out on was O-line. I think the fact that in a very short period of time Pittman and Chaney got us in the conversation with some top prospects should bode well for 17 but will have to see it to believe it.

In the meantime, something to consider about "class ranks" is that they are still by and large weighted toward larger signing classes. As far as I'm concerned, if we recruit at the same level year in year out as what we did this year, simply addressing needs, we'll be in good shape from a talent standpoint and will find that our classes should start ranking more highly. Kirby was pretty clear up front that he wasn't simply going to fill spots to fill them, so chasing a higher ranking in year 1 on a short cycle would not have been a wise move. Quality over quantity, especially in year 1.

Average rating per player signed:
Alabama: 92.85 (rich gonna get richer...)
LSU: 91.60 (this is likely their best signing class in recent history)
UGA: 91.48 (this is still assuming no Drob and no grad OT transfer - Catalina?)
Auburn: 91.06
Ole Miss: 90.92

First thing to note is this... of the 5 highest average player ratings in the SEC, we're the only team from the east. Step 1 of winning the SEC is winning the east. Dominated the recruiting game there (UF and UT ranked at 14/15 - avg of 88-89ish). Step 2 is keeping pace with the west from a talent standpoint and other than Bama, I'd say we pretty much did that, closer to 2nd than 4th using this metric. The key from a recruiting standpoint going forward is this - you cannot take your foot off of the gas.

Richt historically was a good recruiter but he had a few classes ( 2013 is a great example) that were really just total busts, between not keeping guys on campus and other guys never developing. If we consistently recruit a class in the 3-8 range and have solid development, we should find ourselves in Atlanta more frequently than not. UT will be going through some roster turnover in 17, so even if this year is as good as projected for them (that's a big if) they're vulnerable again the very next year. UF may have a good on field coach in Mac, but so far he's not proving to be a strong recruiter.

Overall, short of missing out on an OT to date, I don't have any complaints about the class.

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verall, short of missing out on an OT to date, I don't have any complaints about the class.

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I ain't complaining either...pretty amazing class in year one...and there is always the possibility that they will coach 'em up. something that wasn't going to happen with the old regime. Alabama having the #1 recruiting class for the 115th year in a row is bad enough but they don't seem to waste much of that talent on top of recruiting it...we can easily dominate the SEC east by being among the top 2 or 3 on our side of the conference in recruiting and coaching 'em up....we have seen that this staff can do some recruiting, especially in year one....now if they can just coach 'em up!!!!!