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Ranking SEC Recruiting Staffs
Posted on 5/23/09 at 5:43 pm
Posted on 5/23/09 at 5:43 pm
If you had to rank the SEC Staffs in terms of their recruiting success/ability, how would you do it? Here would be mine.
1. Alabama, This staff has signed two Rivals.com Number 1 classes in two full recruiting years, hard to argue with results.
2. Florida, Signed the nation's number one class in 2007 by Rivals and Scout. The staff also signed two Top 3 classes in '06 and '08. They had a decent class in 2009 (ranked number 11 by Rivals.com and number 21 by Scout.com), and they're off to a great start in 2010.
3. LSU, Signed the nation's number 1 class by ESPN in 2009. The staff has done a great job in its time in Baton Rouge. The staff also had Top 10 classes in 2006 and 2007. In any other conference, they would be at the top of the class. This just shows the depth of the SEC.
4. Georgia, In the last 8 years has never had a class ranked worse than 10th nationally. The staff has only two Top 5 classes (including a No. 3 class in 2002) but is the model of consistency.
5. Tennessee, Signed the nation's number 1 player, 5* RB Bryce Brown, in their only class. They added to the class with 5* DB Janzen Jackson and 4* RB David Oku. Their inaugural class was ranked number 8 by Scout.com and number 10 by Rivals.com. In only one year, its tough to judge how the staff will mesh but they're off to a decent start in 2010.
6. Auburn, Hired a very solid staff in 2009, and it showed in their only recruiting class. Ranked number 16 in by Scout and 19 by Rivals they got a solid RB in 4* Onterio McCalebb. They also reeled in a 4* QB commitment in Tyrik Rollison. This staff showed they were up to the challenge of SEC recruiting by signing a solid class in a short time period.
7. South Carolina, has shown a little inconsistency during their stint in Columbia. They signed the nation's number 6 class in 2007, but before and since then they've struggled to crack the Top 20. They did sign a Top 12 class in 2009 but they haven't signed any other premier classes. Again, a very solid staff who would be near the top of most conferences but due to the depth of the SEC, they are in the bottom half.
8. Mississippi State, tough to judge with less than a full year on the job, but it was a good first recruiting class for Dan Mullen and staff. Scout.com ranked the class Number 19 nationally and they cracked the Top 25 in Rivals' rankings. Add that to the fact that Mullen learned from recruiting guru Urban Meyer and the future looks bright for Bulldog fans.
9. Arkansas, A decent year in Bobby Petrino's first full year as Razorbacks' head coach, ranking 16th nationally by Rivals and 20th nationally by Scout. This came on the heels of a disappointing first class by Petrino and staff. Nothing outstanding about Arkansas' first two classes, but they've done a solid job.
10. Ole Miss, Signed 37 prospects in Houston Nutt's first full class. Quanity is not always the answer though. The average star of those 37 players was 3.11. Though they did get some gems in the class (5* Bobby Massie, 4* Patrick Patterson) the amount of players they signed seems like it will take some quality away from the roster. Obviously all the players won't qualify but the sheer numbers would alarm me as a Rebel fan. Plus, in the previous season Nutt's class wasn't exactly spectacular (ranked 29th nationally by Rivals). Again Nutt is a decent recruiter but his first two years haven't met the standards of other SEC coaches.
11. Kentucky, They have done a decent job in Rich Brooks' tenure at Kentucky considering the lack of facilities and winning in Lexington. They even came close to signing a Top 25 class this season (27th by Scout). Still, nowhere near the other programs in the SEC, recruiting wise.
12. Vanderbilt, have never cracked the Top 50 nationally in Recruiting. However, Bobby Johnson has a tough job picking recruits who feels can meet the lofty academic requirements to get into the Nashville Private school and are still SEC level players. However, they do sometimes find a diamond in the rough, like Jay Cutler.
Edit: After thinking looking at average stars I decided to take the advice of posters. Georgia bumped behind Florida and LSU. Plus, Georgia has never had a number 1 class, something Florida and LSU have done.
1. Alabama, This staff has signed two Rivals.com Number 1 classes in two full recruiting years, hard to argue with results.
2. Florida, Signed the nation's number one class in 2007 by Rivals and Scout. The staff also signed two Top 3 classes in '06 and '08. They had a decent class in 2009 (ranked number 11 by Rivals.com and number 21 by Scout.com), and they're off to a great start in 2010.
3. LSU, Signed the nation's number 1 class by ESPN in 2009. The staff has done a great job in its time in Baton Rouge. The staff also had Top 10 classes in 2006 and 2007. In any other conference, they would be at the top of the class. This just shows the depth of the SEC.
4. Georgia, In the last 8 years has never had a class ranked worse than 10th nationally. The staff has only two Top 5 classes (including a No. 3 class in 2002) but is the model of consistency.
5. Tennessee, Signed the nation's number 1 player, 5* RB Bryce Brown, in their only class. They added to the class with 5* DB Janzen Jackson and 4* RB David Oku. Their inaugural class was ranked number 8 by Scout.com and number 10 by Rivals.com. In only one year, its tough to judge how the staff will mesh but they're off to a decent start in 2010.
6. Auburn, Hired a very solid staff in 2009, and it showed in their only recruiting class. Ranked number 16 in by Scout and 19 by Rivals they got a solid RB in 4* Onterio McCalebb. They also reeled in a 4* QB commitment in Tyrik Rollison. This staff showed they were up to the challenge of SEC recruiting by signing a solid class in a short time period.
7. South Carolina, has shown a little inconsistency during their stint in Columbia. They signed the nation's number 6 class in 2007, but before and since then they've struggled to crack the Top 20. They did sign a Top 12 class in 2009 but they haven't signed any other premier classes. Again, a very solid staff who would be near the top of most conferences but due to the depth of the SEC, they are in the bottom half.
8. Mississippi State, tough to judge with less than a full year on the job, but it was a good first recruiting class for Dan Mullen and staff. Scout.com ranked the class Number 19 nationally and they cracked the Top 25 in Rivals' rankings. Add that to the fact that Mullen learned from recruiting guru Urban Meyer and the future looks bright for Bulldog fans.
9. Arkansas, A decent year in Bobby Petrino's first full year as Razorbacks' head coach, ranking 16th nationally by Rivals and 20th nationally by Scout. This came on the heels of a disappointing first class by Petrino and staff. Nothing outstanding about Arkansas' first two classes, but they've done a solid job.
10. Ole Miss, Signed 37 prospects in Houston Nutt's first full class. Quanity is not always the answer though. The average star of those 37 players was 3.11. Though they did get some gems in the class (5* Bobby Massie, 4* Patrick Patterson) the amount of players they signed seems like it will take some quality away from the roster. Obviously all the players won't qualify but the sheer numbers would alarm me as a Rebel fan. Plus, in the previous season Nutt's class wasn't exactly spectacular (ranked 29th nationally by Rivals). Again Nutt is a decent recruiter but his first two years haven't met the standards of other SEC coaches.
11. Kentucky, They have done a decent job in Rich Brooks' tenure at Kentucky considering the lack of facilities and winning in Lexington. They even came close to signing a Top 25 class this season (27th by Scout). Still, nowhere near the other programs in the SEC, recruiting wise.
12. Vanderbilt, have never cracked the Top 50 nationally in Recruiting. However, Bobby Johnson has a tough job picking recruits who feels can meet the lofty academic requirements to get into the Nashville Private school and are still SEC level players. However, they do sometimes find a diamond in the rough, like Jay Cutler.
Edit: After thinking looking at average stars I decided to take the advice of posters. Georgia bumped behind Florida and LSU. Plus, Georgia has never had a number 1 class, something Florida and LSU have done.
This post was edited on 5/23/09 at 6:02 pm
8
Posted on 5/23/09 at 5:45 pm to volwarrior33
Pretty good list, except I would put Florida and LSU in front of Georgia. Florida is easily #2, IMO. According to Rivals, their average star rating has been no lower than 3.82 over the last 4 years. That can only be matched by USC.
ETA: Also, Florida signed only 16 players in 2009 - but according to rivals they had a 3.94 star rating... which was highest in the country.
ETA: Also, Florida signed only 16 players in 2009 - but according to rivals they had a 3.94 star rating... which was highest in the country.
This post was edited on 5/23/09 at 5:50 pm
Posted on 5/23/09 at 5:46 pm to volwarrior33
Yours is pretty good.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 5:50 pm to superman
Super, I was going to say the same exact thing. UGA is too high, otherwise good list.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 6:11 pm to Barry Badrinath
This is not really logical b/c it does not take into consideration the geographical location relative to the regions best talent. For instance, if you look at Arkansas and their natural recruiting base and compare that to Lsu, you can see that most years LSU can sign about 7-10 guys from Louisana that are 4 or 5 star players. Arkansas typically only has 2 or 3 of those types. So when you got 100 d1 prospects each year that grew up wanting to play for LSU, and only 20-25 from Arkansas that wanted to play for them, obviously LSU should be recruiting alot better regardless of how good the coach can recruit.
I think what you have to do is figure out a forumla for who gets the most out of the talent they are able to recruit in their geographical recruiting base? Who has the ability to find that 2 star that was not higly recruited and make him a first day draft pick and can do that often enough to compete against programs like LSU or Florida
the average year should have;
Florida
LSU
GA
Bama (although right now they'll be higher b/c of their coaches NFL and NC credibility)
Auburn ; all 5 of these reasonably close.
TN
SC
OM
MSU
AR
KT
V
That is based on talent raised within 200 mile radius of each program that grow up with the media exposure to that program. 90% of the kids that are 4 star talents that grow up in Louisana, or Georgia, or Alabama, like those programs, have grown up wanting to play for them and will if offered.
I think what you have to do is figure out a forumla for who gets the most out of the talent they are able to recruit in their geographical recruiting base? Who has the ability to find that 2 star that was not higly recruited and make him a first day draft pick and can do that often enough to compete against programs like LSU or Florida
the average year should have;
Florida
LSU
GA
Bama (although right now they'll be higher b/c of their coaches NFL and NC credibility)
Auburn ; all 5 of these reasonably close.
TN
SC
OM
MSU
AR
KT
V
That is based on talent raised within 200 mile radius of each program that grow up with the media exposure to that program. 90% of the kids that are 4 star talents that grow up in Louisana, or Georgia, or Alabama, like those programs, have grown up wanting to play for them and will if offered.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 6:43 pm to wildrebeltime
Another thing you have to remember is, Let's suppose TN rakes in a top 3 class in the conference this year. Is that number inflated by guys that do not qualify or qualify initially but flunk out later and hurt your apr? Are they taking chances are characther risks or 5 star players that really do not have work ethic, or do not buy in, or they come with a posse or attitude problem detrimental to the team? Oregeron had his share of those at Ole Miss. When the final rankings come in you really have to see who makes it to campus and even makes it out on to the field healthy then who actually stays out of trouble and is an overall good teammate.
I can tell you who pound for pound is the best recruiter in this conference based on his philosphy, his in-home skills, his skills from a standpoint of being persuasive, his evaluation skills, and his method of doing it.
I can tell you who pound for pound is the best recruiter in this conference based on his philosphy, his in-home skills, his skills from a standpoint of being persuasive, his evaluation skills, and his method of doing it.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 6:46 pm to wildrebeltime
quote:
I think what you have to do is figure out a forumla for who gets the most out of the talent they are able to recruit in their geographical recruiting base? Who has the ability to find that 2 star that was not higly recruited and make him a first day draft pick and can do that often enough to compete against programs like LSU or Florida
Okay I'll do something like that, I should be able post it sometime tomorrow night or on Monday.
quote:
When the final rankings come in you really have to see who makes it to campus and even makes it out on to the field healthy then who actually stays out of trouble and is an overall good teammate.
I'll add that into it.
This post was edited on 5/23/09 at 6:49 pm
Posted on 5/23/09 at 6:54 pm to volwarrior33
yea, do that b/c you took alot of time to create a post that is completely illogical. The way they rank is the way it's suppose to be based on the talent 50, 100, 150, 250 miles away from those campuses and somewhat to do with the amount of tradition at each program no matter who the fricking coaches are . Unless it's Saban or Spurrier, guys with NFL and national championship credibility but even they are building with 4 stars in their home states first.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 6:54 pm to wildrebeltime
quote:
yea, do that b/c you took alot of time to create a post that is completely illogical.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 7:06 pm to volwarrior33
8 straight top 10 years and they are 4th in the conference 
Posted on 5/23/09 at 7:12 pm to volwarrior33
Vol, you state this:
Then follow it with this:
Ole Miss, Signed 37 prospects in Houston Nutt's first full class. Quanity is not always the answer though. The average star of those 37 players was 3.11.
-------------------------------------------
Here's why no one cares about the overrated
Bama recruiting. First they win the titles with basically smoke and mirrors. Saban intentionally
oversigns, something Miles and Meyer don't have to do, and in the process their real averages, the average of there exact needs, are usually higher.
For example the 2009 Rival averages:
Florida 16 players, 3.94 ranking
Bama 27 players 3.81 ranking
LSU 24 players 3.79 ranking
If you judge by last year, based on what
you're saying, UF has the best quality.
Furthermore, LSU got every important player (sans Jackson) they needed and many recruiting gurus think think LSU, not Bama had the better class.
Let's go a little further Now the 2008 rankingsand that other Bama #1 class:
Florida 22 players 3.82
Bama 32 players 3.72
LSU 26 players 3.58
We already know that 1/3 of Bama's so called recruiting class is already gone. LSU lost 4 of their players. Florida lost two. Florida easily had the better class.
And the 2007 rankings
Florida 27 players, 3.89
Bama 25 players 3.28
LSU 26 players 3.88
Anyway, the point is obvious. Note that LSU and
Florida never oversign.
Bama always does.
Florida hands down, has the better recruiting over based on your own words.
----------------------------------------------
So what about the Saban factor?
And since we all want to zero in on how supposedly great Saban is, note the following:
Since he has been there, Saban has recruited 84 Bama players--- total average 3.63
Meyer and Florida since Saban showed? In UF's case, try 65 players and a 3.88 average.
Much Higher than Saban.
-------------------------------
Miles and LSU since Saban showed up? In LSU's case, try 76 players and a average of 3.753 In fact, LSU's three (3) year average of 3.753 is almost identical to Bama's two #1 classes 3.765.
We're talking .0012 of a difference. Not enough to even make a single t-shirt.
It may be noted that Rivals averages of Bama
have been consistantly higher than any other recruiting group (name it, Scout, ESPN, Ludengill, Emsfinger, whoever/whatever) yet Bama is barely even with LSU and easily trails UF in every imaginable way over the last 2 and three year periods.
-----------------------------
[b]Like you stated, it's quality.
If so, then both Miles and Meyer are better than Saban.
Florida has way more, and LSU has virtually as much over the last two years, and LSU has more over Miles' tenure since Saban showed up in Gumpland.
Based on the same, Bama drops to #3.
1) Florida
2) LSU
3) Bama
And no amount of Rival bama arse kissing can change that.
quote:
Alabama, This staff has signed two Rivals.com Number 1 classes in two full recruiting years, hard to argue with results.
Then follow it with this:
Ole Miss, Signed 37 prospects in Houston Nutt's first full class. Quanity is not always the answer though. The average star of those 37 players was 3.11.
-------------------------------------------
Here's why no one cares about the overrated
Bama recruiting. First they win the titles with basically smoke and mirrors. Saban intentionally
oversigns, something Miles and Meyer don't have to do, and in the process their real averages, the average of there exact needs, are usually higher.
For example the 2009 Rival averages:
Florida 16 players, 3.94 ranking
Bama 27 players 3.81 ranking
LSU 24 players 3.79 ranking
If you judge by last year, based on what
you're saying, UF has the best quality.
Furthermore, LSU got every important player (sans Jackson) they needed and many recruiting gurus think think LSU, not Bama had the better class.
Let's go a little further Now the 2008 rankingsand that other Bama #1 class:
Florida 22 players 3.82
Bama 32 players 3.72
LSU 26 players 3.58
We already know that 1/3 of Bama's so called recruiting class is already gone. LSU lost 4 of their players. Florida lost two. Florida easily had the better class.
And the 2007 rankings
Florida 27 players, 3.89
Bama 25 players 3.28
LSU 26 players 3.88
Anyway, the point is obvious. Note that LSU and
Florida never oversign.
Bama always does.
Florida hands down, has the better recruiting over based on your own words.
----------------------------------------------
So what about the Saban factor?
And since we all want to zero in on how supposedly great Saban is, note the following:
Since he has been there, Saban has recruited 84 Bama players--- total average 3.63
Meyer and Florida since Saban showed? In UF's case, try 65 players and a 3.88 average.
Much Higher than Saban.
-------------------------------
Miles and LSU since Saban showed up? In LSU's case, try 76 players and a average of 3.753 In fact, LSU's three (3) year average of 3.753 is almost identical to Bama's two #1 classes 3.765.
We're talking .0012 of a difference. Not enough to even make a single t-shirt.
It may be noted that Rivals averages of Bama
have been consistantly higher than any other recruiting group (name it, Scout, ESPN, Ludengill, Emsfinger, whoever/whatever) yet Bama is barely even with LSU and easily trails UF in every imaginable way over the last 2 and three year periods.
-----------------------------
[b]Like you stated, it's quality.
If so, then both Miles and Meyer are better than Saban.
Florida has way more, and LSU has virtually as much over the last two years, and LSU has more over Miles' tenure since Saban showed up in Gumpland.
Based on the same, Bama drops to #3.
1) Florida
2) LSU
3) Bama
And no amount of Rival bama arse kissing can change that.
This post was edited on 5/23/09 at 7:18 pm
Posted on 5/23/09 at 7:12 pm to volwarrior33
Not trying to be a homer, but Miles has not finished out of the top 5 by most "experts" every year
(oh yeah, he wins as well)
(oh yeah, he wins as well)
Posted on 5/23/09 at 7:15 pm to wildrebeltime
quote:
yea, do that b/c it took you a lot of time to create a post that is completely illogical.
Well, tell me then, how should I include first-year coaches in that since they haven't had a class get to campus yet. And half the league's coaches haven't been there long enough to see how there classes develop. (Taking a two star and turning him into 1st day would be pretty difficult). And also, this list is based on recruiting ability, not the ability to coach your recruits up.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 7:15 pm to volwarrior33
Well then if it's recuiting ability, you better knock Bama down to at least #3.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 9:59 pm to BT4LSU
quote:
We already know that 1/3 of Bama's so called recruiting class is already gone.
You said this in reference to the 2008 recruiting class... just for the record 5 of 32 isn't close to 1/3.
quote:
Anyway, the point is obvious. Note that LSU and
Florida never oversign.
Bama always does.
LSU and Florida don't have to oversign, they already have more than enough talent to compete on a national level. By comparison Bama didn't have nearly the same talent level and Saban did the smart thing by bringing in as much top level talent as possible. You guys always assume that he's doing this to win recruiting national titles and not to bring Bama to the same level as LSU & Florida. What do you want him to do? Put in a 5 year plan and recruit 17-25 players a year all in the name of being honorable... actually you probably do. At some point the talent at Bama will be comparable to just about every other program at the top and the signing classes will be around 20-25 and then we can claim that Saban is righteous and holy for not oversigning. That's what you're doing for Miles and you're pretending that the fact that Miles inherited a loaded program has nothing to do with it.
quote:
Since he has been there, Saban has recruited 84 Bama players--- total average 3.63
Counting Saban's first recruiting class is misleading. He signed them, they're his players but to act like his 1 month of recruiting is a fair representation of his abilities vs. Meyer and Miles is dumb.
His past two classes = 59 players at an avg. of 3.76
quote:
Miles and LSU since Saban showed up? In LSU's case, try 76 players and a average of[b] 3.753 In fact, LSU's three (3) year average of 3.753 is almost identical to Bama's two #1 classes 3.765.
Again to be fair going by the past two years Miles classes = 50 players at an avg. of 3.68
Meyer on the other hand is off the charts but to be fair it has to be a 1000x more appealing as an 18yr old to go to Florida than any other SEC school.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 11:10 pm to Expert
I see it has already been argued, but Alabama gets too much credit. Signing a ton of kids gives them a high ranking, but it doesn't make you the top recruiters.
I'm also not a believer than Tennessee will bring in anything special.
I'm also not a believer than Tennessee will bring in anything special.
Posted on 5/23/09 at 11:41 pm to Expert
quote:
Meyer on the other hand is off the charts but to be fair it has to be a 1000x more appealing as an 18yr old to go to Florida than any other SEC school.
Not me. UF & LSU were my final choices many years ago !
Besides the normal help he gets from Rivals ,
Saban ( and Rivals ) fully understands the hype
that goes w/these rankings. # 1 is important in getting other recruits. It makes Saban seem iresistible.
Several other factors about Saban. He turns programs around but not to the degree he is given credit!
Saban would have never come to LSU or Bama had they not had a lot of talent in place ! Why is Saban being given credit for a # 1 2008 Rivals class when they have already lowered it to a # 2 enrolled classs ( should have been lowered even more according to their own assessments ) ! Also why isn't Saban given the negstive credit for leaving Miles w/only 13 spots available when he went to Miami ? Miles came in and rescued the ranking some by signing 5 star Periloux ( who didn't like Saban ) Saban class would have had a hard time breaking the top 30! His 1st class at Bamma , # 10 in Rivals was about 10 spots higher than any other service.
If you figure all of this in to consideration , Saban is on average a good top 10 recruiter ,
not a great top 5 average recruiter. Unless you believe the hype !
Posted on 5/23/09 at 11:43 pm to volwarrior33
This is up there with the rank the best SEC marching bands.
Posted on 5/24/09 at 12:14 am to LuckyLee
quote:
This is up there with the rank the best SEC marching bands.
I agree........LSU finished # 1 in that also !!
thanks
This post was edited on 5/24/09 at 10:10 am
Posted on 5/24/09 at 12:24 am to volwarrior33
volwarrior,
how many coaches have entered the SEC and inherited 2 losing programs in 2 different eras and won immediatly? or exceeded expectations immediatly?
what exactly determines a coaches recruiting ability?
how many coaches have entered the SEC and inherited 2 losing programs in 2 different eras and won immediatly? or exceeded expectations immediatly?
what exactly determines a coaches recruiting ability?
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