Scout and Rivals Class Rankings Are In
by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 4, 2009 8:49 PM CST
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You wanted it, and you got it! Both sets of rankings are in for the 2009 recruiting class. click the links for full scores and standings. First, for Rivals:
1 Alabama
2 LSU
3 USC
4 Ohio State
5 Texas
6 Florida State
7 Michigan
8 North Carolina
9 Georgia
10 Florida
11 Miami
12 South Carolina
13 Oklahoma
14 Arkansas
15 Michigan State
16 UCLA
17 Ole Miss
18 Auburn
19 Stanford
20 Notre Dame
21 Texas A&M
22 Mississippi State
23 Tennessee
24 Virginia Tech
25 Penn State
And now for Scout:
1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Alabama
4. USC
5. North Carolina
6. Texas
7. UCLA
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma
10. Penn State
11. Texas A&M
12. South Carolina
13. Michigan
14. Stanford
15. Auburn
16. Mississippi
17. Florida State
18. Mississippi State
19. Arkansas
20. Miami (Fl)
21. Florida
22. Tennessee
23. West Virginia
24. Notre Dame
25. South Florida
So...18th ranked by Rivals and 15th by Scout. Not too shabby for a staff on short notice. Good job, Mean Gene!
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For comparison's sake
Alabama finished 10th in the Rivals top 25 and 22nd in the Scout top 25 in 2007 (Saban’s first year). Granted, Saban was hired a few weeks later in the recruiting season. Alabama was coming off of a bowl appearance, though, and they’re Alabama. They’re supposed to blink and pull in a top 5 class.
Commence the Bama fans coming over and saying “Auburn can’t do anything without mentioning Alabama har har Bear Bryant har har 12 nashchampships har har”
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
The problem I have...
…with a lot of their fans is the eagerness to connect the dots between last year’s class and their performance this past season. You don’t see the correlation that quickly if you ever see it at all. We had a top 10 class last year. If that’s your only criterion, why did we have such a terrible season? Must be more to it than just recruiting, right? But a lot of Bama fans not only want to use their highly touted class from last year to not only explain their great season, but justify our terrible one as well. Boy, that’s something magic right there…
This ranking of recruiting classes really got started about what, the 2004 season or 2005? I want to take 10 years worth of data and see if you can draw any conclusions from it. Granted, no one can wait that long for an answer, they all want it today. I’ll still be here though…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 4, 2009 11:00 PM CST up reply actions
If there were...
…..a consistent “bust factor” you could attribute to each coach, then recruiting ranking might be a good measuring stick. Problem is, I think, there isn’t a set percentage of kids who don’t contribute. Some years, you get almost no mileage out of a decent class, and other years you might have several All-SEC players out of a mediocre class. It would be interesting to find out if there’s any statistical relevance on how a given coach’s classes turn out!
Here is the problem
Our class last year, if looked at retroactively, wouldn’t be in the top 30 or 40 now. We lost both of the 5 star players, Raven Gray and Jermaine Johnson, and that would have singlehandedly dropped us to about 30 by itself. And then you tack on the fact that Deron Furr left in the spring and McCallebb didn’t make the grades last year and our class is 35 at best. Last year’s class included NO offensive linemen which is going to hurt us more than anything. I thought we really needed either Johnnie Farms or Phillips this year to help with depth but we got neither.
We did very well for skill positions this year and Oku is still out there, if we get him I would say that our skill class is one of the best in the nation, but still, very few offensive linemen. Next year’s class is going to reallly have to include at least 4 linemen and 2 more receivers for it to be sucessful.
what about
that quarterback that had the bad attitude and was let go in the middle of spring training he was a 4 star from what i remember. Factor that in and it was a horrible year
Gotta Love those "classy" Tide Detergent Box Hats
That was...
Furr, I believe. He wanted to play QB and it was looking like that wasn’t going to happen, so he left. Can’t really blame him for chasing his dream…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 5, 2009 10:39 AM CST up reply actions
Interesting note....
Deron Furr is listed as a D-back on Memphis depth chart.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I agree with you but
if professionals told me i would be best fit for this position then i would try my hardest to do that.
Gotta Love those "classy" Tide Detergent Box Hats
Sorry must have missed
that part of the post you nailed it.
Gotta Love those "classy" Tide Detergent Box Hats
I agree to some of the premise of your downgrading our class last year.....
yes we lost several players either to grades or attitude…and that certainly brings down the overall quality of the class. But there are 2 problems with your logic….first and foremost that is status quo at pretty much every program every year. Second Most of those kids would not contribute fast enough for it to make a difference anyway…….so logically if you wanted to get it right you would track a recruiting class and issue the ranking after there second year. That way you can account for the nonfactors of every recruiting class. But thats not how they will do it because it would be a boring (yet honest) product, and rivals or scout or espn for that matter wouldn’t be able to create the amount of hype that they do now. I do pay attention to stars as a quick way to evaluate the player……but I also know that for every 5 star that goes on to be a fantastic college player there are 4 or more 3 stars that become fantastic college players. So in the end a kid may exhibit all the talent in the world at the HS level but thats no guarantee he’s a superstar in college and vice versa. Call them sleepers or what ever but don’t tell me that rivals or whomever is absolutely correct on who is and isn’t a great prospect…….they miss far too many. I also am horrified by the dog and pony show aspect that has become the trend when a kid picks his intended destination. WTF is everyone thinking…….that was the most ridiculous crap on espn yesterday, I had to turn it off and continue to follow it online with out the “choosing of the hat ceremony”. These kids are gonna have a reality check when they get to college.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I agree about the whole "choosing of the hat ceremony"
It is ridiculous. Some of these kids will be great players, but most won’t. I think many, because of the way they are treated like royalty because they are “rivals 100”, end up as busts because they think that college will be easy for them. Then they end up on campus and something happens. They actually have to work for something. OMG.
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Feb 5, 2009 11:06 AM CST up reply actions
I have...
…a choosing of the hat ceremony every morning with my business. Which hat will I wear today? Will I be buyer, or seller, or will I run the show? This morning, I put on my ‘goof-off’ hat so I could play on the computer…
ESPN has never televised it, though…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 5, 2009 11:09 AM CST up reply actions
I'm with you on the glitz and glamor in general
Most of these kids have been told they are stars as long as they can remember, especially ones from small towns. They’ve always been athletically superior and never had to really try to be good at what they did on the field. Once they get to a D-1 school, they are in a room with a bunch of guys as good or better than them. Some are mature enough to handle that and work hard and become great players. Others aren’t and try to get by on sheer talent and end up as “busts” despite being highly rated out of high school. I hate that fans get so caught up in where their school ranks in the recruiting annals. Obviously, you can’t win without talent, but coaching is just as important if not more. I’ve gotten to the point where I just can’t take recruiting seriously. I’d rather wait til the season starts and be pleasantly suprised by the stud freshman.
http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/
The problem I have… …with a lot of their fans is the eagerness to connect the dots between last year’s class and their performance this past season. You don’t see the correlation that quickly if you ever see it at all.
To be fair, we did have some significant contributers from the 2008 class. Julio, Hightower, Mark Ingram (scored 12 TD’s as a true freshman) and a few others. So our success can be attributed, in part, to the 2008 signing class. However, there were certainly other major factors such as a 5th year senior QB and we got really really lucky with injuries.
We had a top 10 class last year. If that’s your only criterion, why did we have such a terrible season? Must be more to it than just recruiting, right?
This has been said before, I’m sure, but I think the 5-7 season can be most attributed to the Tony Franklin hire. AU didn’t have the players to run that system and we all know the rest of it…
But a lot of Bama fans not only want to use their highly touted class from last year to not only explain their great season, but justify our terrible one as well. Boy, that’s something magic right there….
Not to repeat myself, but again, we did have some major contributors in 2008 from the signing class. As using the ‘08 class for justifying AU’s terrible season, I can’t speak for other ’Bama fans but I never once had that thought. Again, I think it had to do with the TF hire. That to me was the biggest reason for 5-7. That and injuries.
This ranking of recruiting classes really got started about what, the 2004 season or 2005? I want to take 10 years worth of data and see if you can draw any conclusions from it. Granted, no one can wait that long for an answer, they all want it today. I’ll still be here though…
For what its worth, the Birmingham news did a pretty interesting article on that. Here is the link.
I think when you talk about recruiting its the old “correlation doesn’t equal causation” thing. A key line from that article though:
“All 10 BCS championship-game participants since ’04 have an average five-year Rivals ranking in the top 10.”
AKA Bens4vcobra
I saw that article...
but would still like to see 10 years’ worth of data. 5 years is probably pointing in the right direction though. I’m just from Missouri when it comes to things like that…
Absolutely you had guys who made an immediate impact. Rare is the true freshman that gets to start in the SEC, however.
Good point about Tubs selling us short sometimes by not swinging for the fences with some of these recruits…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 5, 2009 4:59 PM CST up reply actions
The bammer class is overrated. I mean, obviously Rivals puts them #1; the guy who runs Rivals is a u.a.t. grad. I’m glad we’re 15th and 18th because we’re underrated and nobody will expect anything from us. That way we do what AU does best; sneak up on unsuspecting victims and surprise them with an Auburn WIN. WAR EAGLE!
What do an Auburn fan and a bammer have in common? (Neither of them ever attended u.a.t.).
So
you’re saying you wouldn’t want one of the top classes in the country in the name of “sneaking up” on people? I have to say I’m suprised by that. I think one of the great things Chizik has done is have the “audacity” to go after the big fish. I respect the hell out of him for that. Its what he should do. Its also not what your previous coach did. His philosophy was why waste your time on guys you know you aren’t going to get? He sold Auburn short. You have a guy now who won’t sell you short. There is no reason why Auburn can’t be pulling top 10 or 5 classes consistantly. Don’t fall into the rationalization trap. That was necessary for the last coach, but not this one.
AKA Bens4vcobra
We would all like to have a top 5 recruiting class
Anyone who says otherwise is lying. He does have a point about rivals though. Rivals CEO or whatever title he holds is an Alabama grad. There have been several cases over the years, like Benton this year, that a player dropped a star that signed with a Bama rival, or players signing with certain teams that gain a recruiting star.
But, to Bama’s credit, you guys did very well according to Scout and ESPN as well. Time will tell who had the best class this year, not recruiting rankings. All in all, Bama signed a potentially great group. And considering the circumstances with Auburn, I thought we did very well.
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Feb 5, 2009 2:00 PM CST up reply actions
There might...
…be a little controversy about Rivals’ scoring this year, especially as compared to LSU…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 5, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions
Oh no
Does that mean they will have to take down the prestigious “Rivals Recruiting National Championship” banner? Oh the horror
by Jumpn_JackFlash on Feb 5, 2009 4:34 PM CST up reply actions
#1
- or #3 it doesn’t really matter. It was an awesome class, maybe better than last year’s.
AKA Bens4vcobra
The difference between the number 1 recruiting class......
and the number 10 recruiting class is miniscule…. for that matter there isn’t that much difference until you get out of the top 30. I am not saying I wouldn’t like the feather in our hat to say we had a top 5 recruiting class….because I would. But I still maintain that for the most part what you get on recruiting day is raw talent that will pay dividends 2 or 3 years down the road and in two or three years an 18 year old kid changes dramatically mentally and physically…….3 stars can become allstars and 5 stars busts. You can only hope that the coaches can keep up the rotation of solid players through recruiting and coaching……..and regardless of all the cheap shots people like to take at Tuberville he could do both.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
And
not to split hairs, but Janzen Jackson just commited to UT which moves us to #2 on Scout.
AKA Bens4vcobra
Personally...
I do not see the fixation on rankings. I would love a number one class, or a top ten class for that matter, but most of the time it does not really effect your team for at least one season.
Julio and Ingram are the exception more than the rule. If Benton makes his grades it is possible that he can help Auburn this coming season, but again that would be the exception. Most of our guys that are coming out of HS will redshirt, or see very little action. That is how it is, few guys have the talent and also the lack of depth at thier position to come in and play huge minutes.
Congrats on the ranking, but I will take what Auburn did with short notice. Although I would have liked to get an OL or two
If you are a War Damn Eagle, you can War Damn anything.
Personally… I do not see the fixation on rankings. I would love a number one class, or a top ten class for that matter, but most of the time it does not really effect your team for at least one season.
The ranking itself means nothing. There is definitely too much obsession with them.
Julio and Ingram are the exception more than the rule. If Benton makes his grades it is possible that he can help Auburn this coming season, but again that would be the exception. Most of our guys that are coming out of HS will redshirt, or see very little action. That is how it is, few guys have the talent and also the lack of depth at thier position to come in and play huge minutes.
Obviously your current depth plays the key role in which freshman will come in and make an impact. But I disagree with you to an extent on Julio and Ingram being the exception. Look at Florida, Tebow was a contributor as a freshman, ditto Harvin and Demps. Also their stud freshman CB Jenkins played alot this past year, they had a young defense all around. Hell look at LSU, they had a RS Freshman QB who was losing them games, they stuck in a true freshman (Jefferson) and it made all the difference. I could go on and on but as you can see, there are plenty of examples of big time recruits coming in and making a significant impact, even on elite teams where the perception might be that the depth chart is too crouded.
Congrats on the ranking, but I will take what Auburn did with short notice. Although I would have liked to get an OL or two
You should definitely be excited over what Chizik did yesterday. He put together a great staff and I think its an indication of things to come.
AKA Bens4vcobra
I still say that he got it right by saying exception rather than rule.....
for every recruit that contributed as a true freshman there were 100’s more that were redshirted…..also Jefferson (LSU) didn’t make an impact until the last game of the season……hardly the same as coming in as a true freshman in what context we are talking about.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
True
but only because he wasn’t given the opportunity until that time, not because he wasn’t capable.
AKA Bens4vcobra
That is unknown....
his progress throughout the year working on the scout team and studying not only his offense but opposition defenses, along with getting used to the speed of the game had to play a huge part in getting him ready. And we have all seen what putting a kid into a leadership role before he is ready can do to his confidence (perfect example would be Vince Young at the Texans…NFL I know but it still applies).
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
I
don’t think practice prepares you for “the speed of the game” playing the game does. And Vince Young is a reeeeaaaallly bad example as he was/is a head case. There are so many rookie QB’s who stepped right in and were leaders and contributors such as Peyton, John Elway, Marino etc…
AKA Bens4vcobra
For every Peyton Manning......
there is a Ryan Leaf, Jeff George, Danny Weurfel (spelling?), etc……Some have all the talent in the world but need that extra time to adjust to the speed of the game and the level of intensity in takes to compete at that level. I have seen many many talented young players, QB’s especially, never get it….some because they were put in long before they are ready. And no practice does not completely simulate the speed of the game but remember most of these kids are used to being the best players on the field, but when they get to college they are just one of many. You can’t tell me that practicing against LSU’s defense for several months didn’t make the kid better and more ready for the speed of the game. We will never know how Jefferson would have reacted had he been thrust into the game early in the season…..may have done some great things or he may have been unable to execute or worse may have gotten shelled and gotten some serious demons running around in his head that may have actually set him back. You can’t determine what he would have done…..could have been either.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Ok
I will start worrying about Julio’s speech giving capabilities when he quits the football team and joins the debate team. He just needs to sharpen up his interview skills for when he is hoisting up the crystal ball in a few years and giving his national championship speech.
Even if.....
Bama does win a national championship Julio won’t be there to see it….because it won’t be this year and it won’t be next year and the year after that? Julio is gone to the NFL……ass clown.
I would have gone to bammer if my grades hadn't been good enough to go to AU
Still looking
Still looking for that Auburn thread that does not obsess over Bama.
I have to either stop drinking.... or drink more
Still looking
Still looking for that Auburn thread that does not obsess over Bama.
I have to either stop drinking.... or drink more
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