Regarding Tim Smith, I’d drive down and roll out the red carpet for him but UF has enough trouble keeping elite uncommitted talent from signing with Bama let alone verbally committed players. And that’s with Saban’s staff having constant turnover.
Antonneous Clayton - 5* Jarran Reed - 3* Stars aren't the most important thing sometimes. Stars look good on paper and for rankings, but scouting and development are crucial.
Would you rather have all comments along the lines of "diamond in the rough", "under the radar" guy or call it as it is? A lot of posters raved about Randy Shannon's ability to bring in "under-valued" 3* kids from the Miami area and turn them into gems, but after he left, he was ridiculed for leaving the cupboard bare on defense. Wish I had a $ for every time I heard "would rather have a 3* Miami kid than a 4* kid from anywhere else". I could friggin retire. Of course stars aren't everything, but they do paint a typically reliable portrait. Our OL is mostly 3* and uga's OL is mostly 4 and 5* (with one 5th year SR 3*). Guess which line is superior to the other. Does that say that uga's development or recruiting (or both) is superior to ours? I'd agree that stars aren't the most important thing sometimes, but they are the most important thing most times. Can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.
I think the stars tend to paint an accurate picture of talent ceiling. Some fall short and some burst through, but the 4 and 5 stars are typically rated that way on athleticism and ceiling potential. Nowadays that matters because everyone has top notch facilities, training, nutrition, etc. and everyone can develop talent. Therefore the best defensive end is the one that is strong but has a 10 yard dash better than most backs. Can’t train, develop, or coach that kind of athleticism, it is god given. Georgia has recruited guys with better top end talent, which is why they have won the last few years.
Just think about stars like an unfair gambling strategy. So even counting cards or playing with a weighted dice, you can lose on any given hand. But over time the probability is in your favor. Stars are the same way, at least up to a point. The top ~300 kids have all been extensively scouted and have a higher probability of success. There are coaches that do a little better than average at finding the diamond in the rough types. But I've never seen anybody who can do it often enough to be serious national title contenders, let alone consistent national title contenders.
Over half the first round every year are 3*s. Being that there are far more 3s than 4s&5s, that’s not surprising. Those guys are undoubtedly the diamonds in the rough. A good talent evaluator should know when he sees the kid. Seeing them in person is the issue imo, it’s hard to personally see 1000 of these kids and see which are the ones with talent. The top 300 kids are on everyone’s radar and takes no scouting at all, just sign them up if they are willing. Schools that can get their share will obviously have the talent. Clemson’s route of top 15 classes to the top takes evaluation of a ton of kids to get a talented roster. We did have several 3s that went pro from the last decade. Trask was a 2 I believe and was offered on the spot after a workout if I’m correct. There’s just not enough hours in a day to see them all. Staffs go on some deskjocky’s evaluation which perhaps took his from another. Many kids have never really even been seen by a scout. Turns out, the nfl says there’s just as much talent past the top 300 as there is in it. Finding it definitely is not very easy though.
I absolutely agree. I like where our offensive line is going with 4* guys coming in or already on campus.[/QUOTE]
It’s all a percentages game. You hit on way more 5 stars than you do 4 stars and more 4 stars than 3 stars. If you get the top ranked players you increase your odds of getting the best college players.
[/QUOTE] How many is that between on campus and 2020 commitments? Seems to me that it should be at least 7 for starters and 2nd stringers.
I’m not sure it was just top end talent that gave UGA the victory. They are very well coached. On offense, you could see them schematically creating matchups they wanted in the secondary, attacking Dean as an example. Another example was the extra offensive lineman to stop the rush, which worked well and confused us. On defense, they made us one dimensional by taking away the run and also took away Pitts. They forced our other WRs to beat them, which we were unable to do. The last drive by the Gators were statistic padding for Gators, but had no impact on the game. UGA gladly allowed UF to lead a time consuming 6 plus minute drive to score when we were down by two TDs. Dan needed to score in 3-4 minutes that drive to have any chance to get the ball back. Coaching was a big factor in UGAs win in Jacksonville. Look at the tape/film
How many is that between on campus and 2020 commitments? Seems to me that it should be at least 7 for starters and 2nd stringers.[/QUOTE] If using 247 ranking system, then yes I believe 6-7 sounds about right.