An Attempt at a Broadly Balanced Look at the Recruiting Class

20 true freshman EE is a con?

We have one of, if not the most entitled fanbase in the world.

 

Not getting ANY of the top 20 players in Florida says it all. If you want proof that we’re not back, and we’re not gonna be back for a LONG time then look no further.

We’re also not getting great players out of the portal in a year that we desperately need help, but that’s another story.

 

Still like 20 bowl games left to play....there will be more transfers. Chill.

 

5th on 247, just edging out Miami.

Last year I was bored so I wrote a script to sort the 247/On3 Team Rankings by Average -- I just ran it against this year's Team Rankings.

247:

Code:

1. Alabama: 94.76 (1)
2. Georgia: 93.64 (2)
3. Ohio State: 93.57 (5)
4. Texas: 92.82 (3)
5. Florida: 92.34 (12)
6. Miami: 92.24 (4)
7. Notre Dame: 92.1 (9)
8. LSU: 92.01 (6)
9. Texas A&M: 91.64 (14)
10. Oklahoma: 91.43 (8)

On3:

Code:

1. Alabama: 93.82 (1)
2. Ohio State: 92.72 (5)
3. Georgia: 92.55 (2)
4. Texas: 92.01 (4)
5. Florida: 91.55 (10)
6. Notre Dame: 91.51 (8)
7. LSU: 91.39 (6)
8. Miami: 91 (3)
9. Oklahoma: 90.85 (9)
10. Texas A&M: 90.8 (15)

 

Very welcome. In true nerd fashion I coded it as a parameterized function that works on both sites just with slightly different arguments

 

Unless you're lumping this all together, this is a bit contradictory as John Walker in not even listed a top 20 player in the state of Florida. Overall you're point is valid as we def need to do better, and this is sadly becoming a reoccurring thing to say, we have to do better at signing the top end talent in the state of Florida.

No matter how people spin the "mom wanted him closer to home" excuse for John Walker, I bet a dollar to a dime if Bama or UGA wanted him, he'd been decommitted and flipped to one of them.

 

Georgia signed 7 of the top 20 players in Florida, in fact Georgia signed more players from FL than from Georgia.

In comparison, Miami signed 3, FSU 1, UF 0.

 

100%, but we have no right to expect to be on their level (yet), especially now that UGA won the NC last year (puke).

 

true BUUUUT Kirby was plucking those types from the time he had his first full recruiting cycle. I could see if Walker was a Miami or FSU commit growing up in Orlando but still not being able to push him from UCF to UF is an ugly look. but you know what? There's still NSD (not a lot of good HS DT's left, actually none lol) and the conclusion of spring ball when the last wave of kids hit the portal. Gotta hope for a surprise or two there. I'm honestly not TOO concerned with LB like most are and with DT as far as this upcoming season, it's just having depth for 2024 and beyond i'm concerned about.

 

People need to STFU. We literally just signed our strongest most balanced class since 2009-2010 and they are still complaining. We are going to clean up having DJ on board in 24’ and will be in the playoff in 25’ whether y’all complain or not. So just save the years you are losing off your life in stressing (stress shortens lives) and know that is going to happen. So enjoy the ride and deal with the next year and a half until we are rolling on the field.

 

He was also going against three dead programs in Florida.

 

Still using “we’re”, cracks me up every time!

 

I’m sorry, Continue pumping your sunshine

 

OP said most of the things I was thinking.

The only thing I'd add is that although this class may be better than it looks on paper, I think it's official that Napier has to find improvement really everywhere apart from the running game if he wants to compete for championships.

Passing game needs to get better, Defense needs to get better, Special Teams needs to get better, and now we know Recruiting needs to get better.

I'm rooting for him, but if the standard is championships I think it's okay to recognize what that standard requires, and frankly, it requires more everywhere. Fair or unfair, we're about an above average team in the SEC right now. Enter Oklahoma and Texas, and that brings us down to basically 7 out of 16 teams, give or take a bit because of quality over quantity, hits and busts, etc.

Here's to hoping he doesn't have the stubbornness of his predecessors.

 

Bingo. Losing Walker and Hall is inexcusable. Losing Howard to the Cocks? Inexcusable. Keeley. Young. Baxter. Multiple receivers. The list is long.

 

A lot of people are just tired of these cycles of hiring the new big name on the block, having the highest of expectations, only to fire him after about 4 years because he didn't match those expectations.

Either we acknowledge what we need to meet our existing expectations, and do our best to try and make that happen, or we lower our expectations so we don't keep going through this cycle. If we act like everything is sunshine and rainbows just because it's year 1, and this recruiting class is "good," and everything stays the same, I would expect us going through the same cycle we've been going through for over 10 years at this point.

Billy's system has to find a competitive advantage somewhere, and right now, I don't see it. If someone does, by all means tell me, I'd be a lot more optimistic.

 

People can pump sunshine all they want and complain about not getting any of the top 20 players in Florida, but until our product on the field gets better, they ain't coming!!

UF looked like pure ass in the bowl game, got abused by a slot receiver playing QB at fsu, and lost to VU and every one of its rivals this year and finished with a losing record.

AND,

Still managed a top10 class with a pretty high per player rating.

That's how I see it anyway.

 

and bad recruiters at FLorida. Kirby had to contend against McElwain and Al Golden....Two guys who believed in development and evaluation more than stockpiling talent the way Kirby does. I am hoping Napier starts competing for these top end kids. Cristobal has shown he is game so far...