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Comparing this class to 2001
Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:35 am
Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:35 am
Lots of similarities in these 2 situations. Both featured first time ever HCs for UGA, both of which had roughly 5-7 weeks to recruit before NSD. It's a bit tough to find comprehensive info from 15 years ago but I've found a little.
Here is our 2001 class. According to a retroactively done 247 composite, we finished 10th that year. This year was 7th. A few points of note about the 2001 class:
-According to the retroactive 247 composite, 01's class had 1 top 50 recruit (shockely at 18). 16 has 3 top 50s with a potential for a 4th (eason at 5, nauta at 12, mecole at 13..demetrius at 14).
-Breakdown is two 5*, six 4*, six 3*, and ten 2*. Note that some of those 2* are JUCO people who I think were just randomly assigned 2*, not necessarily that they sucked.
2 stars
WR bama adams
RB tyson browning
DE Nic clemons (juco)
LB thomas davis
RB mike gilliam
OT kareem marshall (juco)
LB Odell thurman
DT reggie weeks
LB derrick white
CB brandon williams (juco)
3 stars
DT gerald anderson
CB reggie mcfadden
FB/DT david pollack
OT dennis roland
TE darius swain
OL russ tanner
4 stars
S greg blue
WR fred gibson
DE robert geathers
DT darrell holmes
James Redmond
TE andre zellner (juco)
5 stars
QB Dj Shockley
DE marquis elmore (juco)
MOst of the production from this class came from the 2 and 3 stars. The staff did a tremendous job of finding diamonds in the rough like Thomas davis, pollack, derrick white, russ, browning, etc. This class had one incredibly imoprtant need at QB, and they filled it excellently (can say the same about 16). This class was part of the foundation of our incredible run from 02-05. Also interesting is that we signed a ton of JUCOs that year, as well has had quite a handful of people not qualify. I guess Richt's MO was "we need help and we need it immediately". We didn't have to do anything remotely like that this year, and I don't think we're in danger of losing hardly anyone either?
Granted the league is stronger now than then, and this isn't really apples to apples, but overall looking at the 2 classes you'd have to like 16 on paper. We have the benefit of hindsight now with 01, but I have to imagine it's fairly rare that most of your noteworthy production comes from the bottom half of your class as opposed ot the top. Aside from missing out on another OT or two, 16 really hit a lot of needs and shored up some key areas. I really think this class plus next year's is going to lay the groundwork for some very special seasons ahead.
Here is our 2001 class. According to a retroactively done 247 composite, we finished 10th that year. This year was 7th. A few points of note about the 2001 class:
-According to the retroactive 247 composite, 01's class had 1 top 50 recruit (shockely at 18). 16 has 3 top 50s with a potential for a 4th (eason at 5, nauta at 12, mecole at 13..demetrius at 14).
-Breakdown is two 5*, six 4*, six 3*, and ten 2*. Note that some of those 2* are JUCO people who I think were just randomly assigned 2*, not necessarily that they sucked.
2 stars
WR bama adams
RB tyson browning
DE Nic clemons (juco)
LB thomas davis
RB mike gilliam
OT kareem marshall (juco)
LB Odell thurman
DT reggie weeks
LB derrick white
CB brandon williams (juco)
3 stars
DT gerald anderson
CB reggie mcfadden
FB/DT david pollack
OT dennis roland
TE darius swain
OL russ tanner
4 stars
S greg blue
WR fred gibson
DE robert geathers
DT darrell holmes
James Redmond
TE andre zellner (juco)
5 stars
QB Dj Shockley
DE marquis elmore (juco)
MOst of the production from this class came from the 2 and 3 stars. The staff did a tremendous job of finding diamonds in the rough like Thomas davis, pollack, derrick white, russ, browning, etc. This class had one incredibly imoprtant need at QB, and they filled it excellently (can say the same about 16). This class was part of the foundation of our incredible run from 02-05. Also interesting is that we signed a ton of JUCOs that year, as well has had quite a handful of people not qualify. I guess Richt's MO was "we need help and we need it immediately". We didn't have to do anything remotely like that this year, and I don't think we're in danger of losing hardly anyone either?
Granted the league is stronger now than then, and this isn't really apples to apples, but overall looking at the 2 classes you'd have to like 16 on paper. We have the benefit of hindsight now with 01, but I have to imagine it's fairly rare that most of your noteworthy production comes from the bottom half of your class as opposed ot the top. Aside from missing out on another OT or two, 16 really hit a lot of needs and shored up some key areas. I really think this class plus next year's is going to lay the groundwork for some very special seasons ahead.
This post was edited on 2/4/16 at 8:39 am
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Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:48 am to WG_Dawg
quote:
Granted the league is stronger now than then, and this isn't really apples to apples, but overall looking at the 2 classes you'd have to like 16 on paper. We have the benefit of hindsight now with 01, but I have to imagine it's fairly rare that most of your noteworthy production comes from the bottom half of your class as opposed ot the top.
This; basically the exception to the rule. There's a well documented strong correlation between recruiting rankings and championships aka Alabama, Ohio St., FSU, etc. LINK Also, when you consider that there a lot more lower ranked compared to higher players, there's more of a chance for some of those lower ranks to pan out at a higher level. Plus, I'm pretty sure the recruiting ranking system is more extensive/better than it was back then.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:49 am to WG_Dawg
Like the breakdown. It is amazing to look at the 2/3* guys and see what they ended up doing at UGA. I agree that the Juco guys seemed like a "we need help now" sort of situation. Richt changed his tune on that a few short years later when he all but decided that Juco was a no go.
While the league may be stronger, I have to think that our division is weaker in a relative sense. That strength is pretty top heavy in Bama, then everyone else. Looking back at 2001, UT, UF both still powerhouse programs that we were in a ton of recruiting battles with. Seemed interesting that we were in what felt like only a handful of real battles with those schools this year.
Definitely agree that we hit some positions of need. We've been lacking weapons outside, so got some speedy guys and some big guys and a dude who can chuck the rock their direction... keep him on his feet and stay balanced with the talent we have at RB and that side of the ball should be good enough to let the defense do work. Time to see how the coaching staff develops guys, as that will not only dictate performance on the field but also contribute to the success or failures of future recruiting classes.
quote:
Granted the league is stronger now than then, and this isn't really apples to apples
While the league may be stronger, I have to think that our division is weaker in a relative sense. That strength is pretty top heavy in Bama, then everyone else. Looking back at 2001, UT, UF both still powerhouse programs that we were in a ton of recruiting battles with. Seemed interesting that we were in what felt like only a handful of real battles with those schools this year.
Definitely agree that we hit some positions of need. We've been lacking weapons outside, so got some speedy guys and some big guys and a dude who can chuck the rock their direction... keep him on his feet and stay balanced with the talent we have at RB and that side of the ball should be good enough to let the defense do work. Time to see how the coaching staff develops guys, as that will not only dictate performance on the field but also contribute to the success or failures of future recruiting classes.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:49 am to WG_Dawg
This is a good look. You have to like the 2016 class in comparison from a "stars" perspective, but 2001 was something special.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:50 am to WG_Dawg
Simply reading names like Thomas Davis, Odell Thurman, Pollack, DJ, Greg Blue, Fred Gibson, and Russ Tanner gives me chills. Interesting comparison with similar time frames. On paper '16 really is better but the names I listed above proved to be absolute super stars for us. I really like the class we just signed particularly because I feel like we got much much better at our skill positions: Eason, Nauta, Wims, Woerner, Simmons, Ridley, Mecole (looks like he'll play DB but might still get touches), and possibly Robertson will all have the ball in their hands. Time will tell but I'm perfectly content with our class given the circumstances.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 8:59 am to WG_Dawg
Whatever happened to Bama Adams? He was the first commit in the class and I thought he was going to be pretty dang good but he never played a down for UGA. 
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:01 am to WG_Dawg
What that tells me is that we had some 2 and 3 star players develop into 5 star talent, but since 2005 we have had a bunch of 4 and 5 star talent turn into 3 and 2 star players. That is on the coaching staff our defense has not been dominant since Van Gorder left and Martinez and Grantham relied on talent instead of coaching. Pruitt had started to turn that around and hopefully the new staff will continue that trend
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:07 am to WG_Dawg
Recruiting services evaluate a lot more players now. A lot of those 2* likely would have been 3-4* now.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:08 am to Perrydawg
quote:
What that tells me is that we had some 2 and 3 star players develop into 5 star talent, but since 2005 we have had a bunch of 4 and 5 star talent turn into 3 and 2 star players.
YOu can put blinders on and see whatever you want. Every class for every big time school, pretty much every year, has 4 and 5 stars who never even see the field and has 2 and 3 stars that become all americans. It's the way of recruiting 17 and 18 year olds.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:12 am to Crowknowsbest
quote:
Recruiting services evaluate a lot more players now. A lot of those 2* likely would have been 3-4* now.
I think this is a great point. The services didn't have the resources they do now so rankings have become more accurate over time.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:27 am to BloodRunsRed&Black
Yeah that was very evident. When looking at 01's class on 247 I think only like 2 or 3 guys actually had stars, all the rest were just blank. No clue how they came up wiht their rank...maybe they only ranked on people they put stars to? There some classes that were in the top 10 that were only listed as having like 5 recruits, which obivously isn't right.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:28 am to WG_Dawg
it is not putting blinders on, but we have not been developing talent like we should have last few years. There have been quite a few players who left UGA and have now become some of the better performers in the NFL after their time was up. The talent was there, but the coaching was not. My biggest complaint with Richt and staff was their inability to put a complete team on the field at the same time since 2005. 2007 and 2012 are outliers in the sense that we made some waves and got close but no one will say that they were a complete team either year.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 9:53 am to Porter Osborne Jr
quote:
Whatever happened to Bama Adams? He was the first commit in the class and I thought he was going to be pretty dang good but he never played a down for UGA.
LINK
Posted on 2/4/16 at 10:20 am to WG_Dawg
Good post, thanks. 1) Thomas Davis was **! 2) A class is only as good as the holes it fills. We need more o-linemen and we need the ones that we have to be coached up. If I was an intelligent o-lineman or receiver outta HS, I would have committed to UGA right after Eason, given Chubb, Michel, and Holyfield. I'd be willing to bet we get a load of them next year.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 3:40 pm to Cobb Dawg
quote:
If I was an intelligent o-lineman or receiver outta HS, I would have committed to UGA right after Eason, given Chubb, Michel, and Holyfield
I'm constantly perplexed by our lack of 5* WR talent. We've had a few studs come through under Richt, but especially now with Eason on board you'd think they'd be knocking down the doors to come here. If Eason has a pretty solid FR year I really don't know why all the top WRs within 3 hours of Athens wouldn't try to get here as fast as they can.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 5:00 pm to WG_Dawg
quote:
I'm constantly perplexed by our lack of 5* WR talent. We've had a few studs come through under Richt, but especially now with Eason on board you'd think they'd be knocking down the doors to come here. If Eason has a pretty solid FR year I really don't know why all the top WRs within 3 hours of Athens wouldn't try to get here as fast as they can.
Same here. It's not like Aaron Murray had a ton of talent to throw to either. Obviously AJ for one season, but he showed flashes of brilliance in 2010, but don't really recall a lot of receivers giving us the time of day while he was here. Do we think it had anything to do with previous WR coach? And if that's the case, how do we feel about Coley overall? Seems like this year was a pretty good haul with WR talent, but not sure how much of that has to do with him.
ETA: I guess Mitchell would have been one, but he just couldn't stay healthy early on. Outside of that, there were a lot of speedsters on the roster, but no one that was considered an elite receiver that I recall.
This post was edited on 2/4/16 at 5:02 pm
Posted on 2/4/16 at 5:07 pm to fibonaccisquared
When you talk about pretty good/really good/borderline great WRs in the richt era, just off my head you have (and this includes all the above categories lumped together):
AJ
gibson
edwards
reggie brown
malcolm
gary
king
conley
bennett
durham
momass
Those are all guys we'd look back on and say "yeah, that guy was pretty good". How many of them were elite? 2, and 1 of them was a donnan recruit. AJ is really the only ELITE wr we've had since 2001. It's mind boggling. Even more so when you consider the caliber of QB we've had in that same time frame.
AJ
gibson
edwards
reggie brown
malcolm
gary
king
conley
bennett
durham
momass
Those are all guys we'd look back on and say "yeah, that guy was pretty good". How many of them were elite? 2, and 1 of them was a donnan recruit. AJ is really the only ELITE wr we've had since 2001. It's mind boggling. Even more so when you consider the caliber of QB we've had in that same time frame.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 5:19 pm to WG_Dawg
Ugh. that list is almost as depressing as that link to the 2013 "where are they now" recruiting article.
I do miss ole Fred Gibson. Loved that guy while he was here. Just found this article as a matter of fact: LINK /
Do you think there would be any value to bringing Hines Ward in as part of our QC staff even on a part time basis (if he wanted it)? I know he was publicly stating he'd be interested in working with the program in some facet... I don't feel like money would be any sort of driver for him so would be interesting if we could leverage his recognition to get more attention from elite wide outs.
I do miss ole Fred Gibson. Loved that guy while he was here. Just found this article as a matter of fact: LINK /
Do you think there would be any value to bringing Hines Ward in as part of our QC staff even on a part time basis (if he wanted it)? I know he was publicly stating he'd be interested in working with the program in some facet... I don't feel like money would be any sort of driver for him so would be interesting if we could leverage his recognition to get more attention from elite wide outs.
Posted on 2/4/16 at 7:35 pm to GurleyGirl
quote:
There's a well documented strong correlation between recruiting rankings and championships aka Alabama, Ohio St., FSU, etc.
Or you could go with the players from the NFL and what college they went to, to see how much they over or underachieved. In the latter case, of underachieving, Miami and UGA are tops on the list.
LSU's 33 players on NFL active rosters, according to the report, ties Alabama and Miami for the most by any school. Florida State (32), Georgia (32), USC (31), Florida (28), Notre Dame (26), Oregon (26), Auburn (25), Ohio State (25) and Oklahoma (25) round out the top dozen,
UGA is 5th, which is only 1 player behind LSU/Bama/Mia in the nation. Look at the other teams on that list and if they have a natty or not.
So if we just continue on the same path of talent that Richt had, I think Kirby can get us over the edge into the championship level. However, I do think Kirby will take recruiting to the next level as well, so basically the SEC is fuked!
Posted on 2/4/16 at 7:52 pm to DawgGONIT
Yup. Overall, if you look at that top 12, every team on there has competed for a NC at least once in the last 10 years except for UGA and Miami (2002). UGA's shots we all know were 2002 - lone loss to UF, 2007 - #conferencechampionshipsmatter...fornow, and 2012 - aka the first 3 team playoff with Notre Dame receiving a bye.
Richt teams were generally not totally talent deficient, simply lacking in at least one major area. Most commonly it was on the LOS, but WG and I were just noting the lack of elite WR talent outside of AJ as well. Even if you discount the differential between a top 5 and top 10 class, the big difference was the baffling minimum 1 per season game where the team looked flat out unprepared. If Smart simply does the same from a recruiting standpoint, with marginally better talent evaluation (if at all) and a focus on the LOS the only thing standing between him and a shot at titles is attention to detail - which he's said plenty of times now. He gets it at least, so now it's time to show it. I think we may have to hope that another West team does the legwork and prevents Bama from going to Atlanta, or we may have a lot of damn good seasons that end at their hands right now, but if Smart can get a stranglehold on the East, I like our chances to get into the playoffs at some point.
Richt teams were generally not totally talent deficient, simply lacking in at least one major area. Most commonly it was on the LOS, but WG and I were just noting the lack of elite WR talent outside of AJ as well. Even if you discount the differential between a top 5 and top 10 class, the big difference was the baffling minimum 1 per season game where the team looked flat out unprepared. If Smart simply does the same from a recruiting standpoint, with marginally better talent evaluation (if at all) and a focus on the LOS the only thing standing between him and a shot at titles is attention to detail - which he's said plenty of times now. He gets it at least, so now it's time to show it. I think we may have to hope that another West team does the legwork and prevents Bama from going to Atlanta, or we may have a lot of damn good seasons that end at their hands right now, but if Smart can get a stranglehold on the East, I like our chances to get into the playoffs at some point.
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