Don't get me wrong, Texas is an awesome school but I don't know it's just my heart just feels like I should be somewhere else."
Fort Worth Dunbar wide receiver Darius White ($), on why the Longhorns have fallen out of his top three, currently comprised of OU, USC, and OSU.
almost 3 years ago
Wescott Eberts (GoBR)
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Oh well
He would have looked great in burnt orange, but you can’t get em all.
Those of us who have followed this
were pretty sure this was coming. Something about Mack’s recruiting tactics — he get’s ‘em early or doesn’t get ’em at all.
Just have to find the next Quan or Malcolm or Jordan. I have confidence he will.
Wow, the list that we hope to grab 1 or 2 off of before the end keeps getting shorter and shorter.
GoBR, with the 2 decommits and the shrinking list of outsanding offers, it seems like we quickly got out of the scholarship problem. Do you see us making any more offers? Are we done with ‘standard’ offers, and maybe to the point where we’d take a chance on someone who doesn’t quite have the measurables but still has good atheletic ablity (I think of that really small RB that went to the Pac 10. Rodgers?). Or someone coming back from an injury that was a lock before but people are scared of now?
And his brother, James. Both are talented little fellas.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 23, 2009 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I think there might be an offer or two go out,
but I think that wouldn’t happen until during or after the high school football season. At the wide receiver position, I think Chris Hawkins of Channelview might turn up on the radar — he’s a tall, lanky kid who has great speed.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Jul 23, 2009 8:04 AM CDT up reply actions
well another one bites the dust
nothing we didn’t see coming. moving on…
Who’s left on the board?
Not great news
But I think we’re going to be ok without him. Also, signing day isn’t until February. We could very well be in the thick of things once we whip OU and win another NC. If this 17 year old kid wants to get his education elsewhere…let him. We’ll find another productive WR to set foot on the 40 acres to take his place. I have a feeling Timmons is going to be a guy we’re going to be talking about for quite some time here. I dont know why…but I just have a hunch he’s going to be great. His work ethic in HS was unmatched by anything I’ve ever seen out of a WR for his age.
Get off your knees Greg, you're blowin' the game.
Time to target another White?
I don’t know that it’s possible for us to get in on the DeAndrew White sweepstakes after snubbing him early in the process and I’ve heard there are concerns about his performance in the classroom but from what I hear he may be worth a shot. Now we’re sitting on just 2 WR’s for the class ( not including Terrell) and I remember hearing we were looking for 3-4 with this class so I say we should maybe give this White a shot.
Racist subject, is not racist.
"From the waist down, Earl Campbell has the biggest legs I have ever seen on a running back." -John Madden
by run Bevo run on Jul 23, 2009 6:32 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Dang...
I am curious as to what happened considering he was such a lean early on.
I was way wrong on him
I thought for sure he was Texas bound. I guess we need to hope that he goes for USC or OSU. This makes Apo’s decommit even tougher.
Sucks to apparently miss out on him. I hope he does come around and make a good choice, which means not OU. Really, though, this is a real head-scratcher.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 23, 2009 9:18 AM CDT reply actions
Mack's Curse
Darius’ talent will now fall into the abyss with Brantley, Perriloser, D. Scott, and then ten or fifteen other recruits that have prominently imploded.
Even AP was a little cursed… His last college pay was a long TD run. And a broken clavicle.
Gonna disagree on Brantley "imploding"
Kids gonna ball out next year once Tebow moves on
They said the same thing about Perriloser...
Obviously Brantley isn’t going to end up like that, but the Mack Curse works in curious ways…I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brantley become a Mormon and quit football to go on mission.
Debbie downer speaking...
This whole recruiting early technique is starting to sound not so hot. Maybe this is an arrogant statement, but I feel like we should get the top talent in the state. I want to see a stack of 5 star recruits on our list! Rather disappointing. I feel like our successes on the field among other things isn’t translating in recruiting.
by Make em' eat Chet! on Jul 23, 2009 9:59 AM CDT reply actions
Get a grip, man!!
I know we’ve not had any good news lately, but let’s not freak out. We have the #1 recruiting class in the nation right now and regardless if we do not sign any more recruits we will probably finish with a top 5 class. We have just gotten spoiled by the early success. I think our recruiting is excellent, even if we get a few disappointments late in the race. The curse of Mack usually takes care of that. We are already recruiting 2011 so we are a step ahead of everyone else again.
I wouldn’t trade our last two classes for anyone else’s class. A whole list of our recruits picked UT over OU (Woods, Wilson, Byndom, Benson, etc., etc.). Most of our other commits could go to OU if they wanted but they committed to us without even going to check out OU. If these guys waited until now to comitt we’d all be doing back flips. Keep it in perspective.
ya
this class as it stands is bringing in a lot of quality depth at every position. A star player or two can get headlines but consistent overall talent wins games in the long run
Good player win games, Great players win Championships (ex: VY)
by PineypointG on Jul 23, 2009 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions
its a team effort though
one WR is not likely to throw away a shot at a NC
Think they won a championship before losing a year later to Texas, when they faced a great (IMO greater) player.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 23, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Knew this was coming
In my defense, I was going to further comment on how guilty I was for being caught up in the hype of 5 star recruits. But I was lazy and left my comment as is. A lot of our 5 star recruits in the past never made it onto campus, so I totally understand. BUT! It’s additional media coverage and hype that I particulary enjoy. In addition, decommits can’t make the program look good. Is that because of early recruiting tactics, or, is it just coincidence? Who knows…
by Make em' eat Chet! on Jul 23, 2009 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Still disappointing
I would’ve liked to see us get Hicks, White, Nelson, Dixon, Jeffcoat, Seastrunk, Matthews.
It’s not saying some of us don’t like our current commits. It’s just I personally expected us to get AT LEAST 3 out of 7 in the above list. Maybe I think too highly of our university..
Judgment
I don’t mind losing a talented player with lacking judgment.
Texas has been superior to OU. Recent national championship, not choking in every BCS bowl game. Plus, Texas recruited an amazing quarterback in Garrett Gilbert. Texas compared to OSU is a joke.
I can understand wanting to go to USC. If that’s his choice, so be it. However, OU or OSU as better options than Texas. If he’s going to make that poor of a choice off the field, I’ll take my chances with smart players like Colt, Quan, Shipley, etc.
I have a very hard time
saying that he lacks judgment based on this decision. He’s choosing among several very good schools. He has to narrow the list at some point.
I guess only he knows the real basis for his decision
But, if it is because of OU’s offer to Favors and/or OSU’s offers to both Favors and Sanders—that sucks for him.
I said before that I sat behind these three at the spring game and you could feel the pain because the other two (Favors and Sanders) had been told they wouldn’t be offered by UT. I really thought White would step back and let it play out for his friends, but they seem to be a package deal because they have gone from school to school being recruited together. We can’t waste schollies on Favors and Sanders, but they should have manned up and been happy for White to go to Texas. Instead it seems they have dragged him down. Apparently his heart is having a tough time saying so long to his friends.
He was so close to his mom at the spring game I can’t imagine him going off to USC. But, I have been wrong a lot lately. I still think February is a long way from now.
I think it’s a really puzzling development that he’s gone from being such a huge fan to not even including UT in his top three. That doesn’t mean UT can’t still come out on top with him, but I really have to question what made him change his mind.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 23, 2009 4:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I have been killed....
time and time again for suggesting that our top end recruiting and OOS recruting isnt where its supposed to be. Yet another dissapointinng example.
I would like to see us land more truly top end OOS recruits also
But we can only take 25 and if we have top tier talent in Texas that fill the needs it is understandable that we are usually out of scholarships for oos kids that are wishy washy. Also, when you consider that our state is so much bigger than any other state, and the fact that we have landed top kids from all over the state, it is really like we landed a lot of “oos” recruits. Look at Texas’ recruiting compared to the Aggies, we are blowing them away.
Also, I don’t understand how/why but OU manages to make a lot more offers than UT. I guess our offers just carry more weight because we land most, not all, but most of the kids we offer. Other schools make tons of offers and see where they land. I like our approach.
It makes me wonder just how much time these guys spend on chatting up recruits...
It seems we often get knocked because we stopped ‘showing the love’ to a recruit and yet you’ll see OU offer 100 guys and you don’t hear guys, at in-state, saying OU hasn’t been ‘showing them the love’. Is it that some recruits really need these college coaches flattering them at every step (and are these coaches really spending that much time constantly talking to several dozen recruits every day) or is really that we send out an offer and then its virtual silence from our end during the process?
The state of Texas puts out 250-300 Div 1 kids a year
I dont know what percentage of these kids end up actually being successful, but, the current philosphy of getting the kids that want to be Longhorns in fine with me. Everyone in Texas knows all about Texas football. No other program in the Big 12 has had as much success over the last 5 years as us. If someone knows this, but still does not want to be a Longhorn, thats fine. We are doing just fine with the guys we have.
by future_longhorn_dad on Jul 23, 2009 11:07 AM CDT reply actions
True
Even though we are obsessed with winning championships, there is nothing wrong with getting good players who loves University of Texas. I definitely prefer thug 5* over hardworking 3*. I personally like seeing quality human being, like Colt, go through our school. Plus, I believe that Muschamp will make our D solid every year, no matter who we have on campus. G. Davis on the other hand…….. :]
Colt should've been a 5*
I just realized I called Colt as, a hardworking 3* recruit. He was, but that was a mistake by Rivals!! He should’ve been a 5*, hehe. :]
I definitely prefer thug 5* over hardworking 3*
Really? So they can get to campus, kick a bitch and get thrown off of the team?
by NeTexHorn on Jul 23, 2009 7:32 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
typo
Haha, thanks for calling me out. I meant I prefer hardworking 3* over thug 5*. I don’t usually read my post before I submit unfortunately.
Good deal.
FWIW you might wanna consider reading first :-)
"...but I don't know it's just my heart just feels like I should be somewhere else."
Sorry, but this line is bullcrap. I should know since I pull it on girls all the time. It basically means I care for you, but I met another girl and we have so much fun together.
These other schools have rolled out the red carpet (as they should have) and I understand Mack supposedly treating all the recruits the same, but some recruits are haed and shoulders above others. We had no business losing out on this kid unless he’s being swayed by financial compensation.
You’re using the “it’s not you, it’s me” routine on me? I invented “it’s not you, it’s me.”
by burntorangehorn on Jul 24, 2009 1:44 AM CDT up reply actions
That's absolutely ridiculous.
This absurd feeling that if an elite recruit doesn’t choose Texas then the only explanation is that someone else cheated really reflects poorly on us. Everyone needs to stop saying this. It’s just arrogant and flat-out wrong. If you have evidence that something happened, then by all means let everyone know. If you don’t, then accept the fact that, sometimes, other people disagree with you about where they should attend college.
by billyzane on Jul 24, 2009 7:47 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Inside Texas
IT.com is now reporting that Texas is not out of it (link). I’m not holding my breath, but interesting nonetheless.
'Til Gabriel blows his horn...
Truth About Recruiting
Recruiting is one of 2 things:
1. A huge edge that can never be overcome with coaching and player development
or
2. Something that you can never seperate enough from a rival that stresses the importance of coaching, scheme, and player development.
In the case of Texas and OU – the reality is Mack will never be able to out recruit OU enough and vice versa. If we get the top WR in Texas – they grab #2 and who says which one will end up better?
Let me know if I'm way off base...
What other top program in the country ( USC, tOSU, FLA, OU, LSU, ALA) has this much difficulty getting the top 3 recruits from within their own state? Or for that matter the top recruits period. I could never imagine 3 of the top 6 recruits in the nation (according to rivals) being from the state of California and USC not getting one. Last year when we were in the thick of things with Alabama in the recruitment of Dre Kirkpatrick, most all experts we’re saying that there’s just no way Nick Saban"s letting this kid leave the state. When was the last time that statement applied to Mack’s philosophy for recruting, or has that statement ever applied to Mack? Same thing with WR Reuben Randle from Louisiana. I know we didn’t pursue this kid, but most experts knew this kid was not leaving his home state, even though he was flirting with several other schools, including OU. So what gives? Everytime I read a new article or update on Jordan Hicks, I hear the same thing, “Jim Tressle’s not letting this kid get away.”
Let’s take a look at last year with Jamarkus McFarland, from Lufkin. Now if this kid had gone to A&M that wouldn’t have surprised too many considering the pipeline from Lufkin to aggieland, beginning with Terrance Kiel (God rest his soul) and continuing with Reggie McNeal and Javorskie Lane. But for McFarland to cross the Red River into enemy territory, especially after he was so huge on Texas from the beginning (Statesman, Feb. 11, 2008) is mind-boggling to say the least. That recruitment is reminding me of Darius White, a kid who was a huge Texas lean from the get-go and now appears headed to the dark side as well.
I guess only time will tell, come Feb. 2010, where Seastrunk, Jeffcoat, and White end up, but now it seems like Texas is the only top flight program in the country that has this much difficulty securing the top talent in its own backyard.
interesting point re:other schools locking down top in-state recruits
I would point out that, using a school used in your example, Ohio has lost some incredible players to Michigan
Both of Michigan’s recent Heisman winners, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson, are from Ohio.
Research
Per Rivals:
Over the last 4 years (2006-2009), here are the 5 star stats (apparently Rivals did not keep the stars for 2005 and below).
- The state of Texas has had 16 5 stars. Texas has recruited 7. ‘07 hurt the worst, as OU got all three 5 stars. The others went to Georgia (1), Michigan (1), LSU (3), and A&M (1).
- The state of Oklahoma has had only one recruit, Gerald McCoy, that was ranked 5 stars. As you know, he went to OU.
- The state of Alabama has had 7 5 stars, all of whom pledged Crimson Tide. 6 were recruited by Nicky Saban in ’08-’09. Chizik has some catchin’ up to do.
- The state of Florida has had 11 5 stars. 6 said Go Gatah, including Jesus himself, Tim Tebow. Miami and Florida St had 2 each. The rest were Alabama (1), LSU (1), Ohio State (1), West Virginia (1), Clemson (1) and Notre Dame (1).
- The state of Louisiana had 6 5 stars. 4 decided to stay an hour from New Orleans (not an unwise choice), while the other two said Fight On and Rocky Top.
- The state of California had 15 5 stars. 10 went to USC. The remainder went to Notre Dame (2), Michigan (1), Colorado (1), and Arizona State (1).
- The state of Ohio had 6 5 stars. 4 went to Ohio State. 1 went to Tennessee, 1 to Notre Dame.
- The state of Georgia had 7 5 stars. 3 went to Georgia. 2 went to Florida, 1 to Florida State, and 1 to Tennessee.
Some analysis:
- The only 3 states with a full top 100 listing were California, Texas and Florida. According to Rivals, California and Texas have a higher number of top flight stars.
- USC has had the best go of locking down its home-staters. When you look at the distribution, it’s easy to see why. They have no competition within immediate proximity. Texas has had to fend off immediate neighbors LSU and OU while also dealing with little brother A&M. USC has had no issues with its counterpart UCLA, but furthermore, faces no immediate threats of poaching on its borders. Florida, similar to Texas, has to worry about in-state rivals Miami and Florida State.
- Also of note is the fact that USC and Florida are willing, nay wanting, to go after other state’s top tier talent. We know this already. We know Mack doesn’t play this game (much).
- Two interesting comparisons to think about are Florida State and Miami, which both made their living on in-state Floridians while at their peaks. ESPN the Mag had an interesting profile on Miami a few months back that insinuated that they stopped going after “their guys” and got burned by recruiting national stars that never really panned out. Whether that’s true or not is debatable.
- Schools that seem especially proactive with top flight OOS recruiting that don’t have a natural recruiting base include Notre Dame, Tennessee and Michigan.
- Of the schools listed, only Georgia has had a worse percentage of retaining in-staters than Texas. That’s, uhh, bad. Combine that with Mack’s apathetic outlook at OOS recruiting, and this very high level analysis does seem to lend credence to the fact that Mack is nowadays underachieving when it comes to recruiting.
by jc25 on Jul 24, 2009 10:09 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I less than 3 you
- The state of Texas has had 16 5 stars.
It’s official, we Texas wins!
Any other state pop-out (Pennsylvania/Penn State or New York/Syracuse)?
"From the waist down, Earl Campbell has the biggest legs I have ever seen on a running back." -John Madden
by run Bevo run on Jul 24, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Good stuff!
The sample sizes are tiny and add to it the fact that the data only goes back a few years and you can lose perspective. Just off the top of my head, Russell Shepard went to LSU because GG wouldn’t commit to us if we offered another QB and Shepard refused be recruited as an Ath. I think the same sorts of promises went for Whaley and kept us from pursuing Christine Michaels (though I heard grades were a problem early on). Calhoun was definitely considered a grade risk. Now I am sure some of the same sorts of things were going on in other states, but how many CA 5* RBs did USC bring in over this period? I just don’t see any Texas 5* guys wanting to compete in that environment, since it seems like we are often having to give in to positional demands to get guys to commit to us.
In fact, Florida isn’t doing that much better than us and they don’t have two recent national champions (OU and LSU) sitting on their doorstep. But in their defense, perhaps the most recent 5*s in state have been mostly defensive guys and they see Florida’s depth chart and move on. It would also be interesting to see what the positions were of these 5 stars. If your state is loaded with top ranked QBs or RBs as it can be harder to get them to commit if the depth chart is full.
I would be interested in seeing how it pans out if you include 4* guys or perhaps limit it to guys in the Rivals 100 or 250. There are just too few players in that 5* category to not factor in each individual circumstance.
That said, this was an interesting exercise and I appreciate the effort!
I do think UT could have done better, but I think it’s worth mentioning that the 2007 OU haul of 5* recruits was helped by the fact that two of them (Calhoun and Washington) didn’t even get offers from UT. I’ve heard academics were the reason for Calhoun, but I do wonder if JoePa’s advice about staying away might’ve been a factor for those two as well.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 25, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Florida 5 Star Math Confusing?
- The state of Florida has had 11 5 stars. 6 said Go Gatah, including Jesus himself, Tim Tebow. Miami and Florida St had 2 each. The rest were Alabama (1), LSU (1), Ohio State (1), West Virginia (1), Clemson (1) and Notre Dame (1).
UF – 6
UM – 2
FSU – 2
UA – 1
LSU – 1
OSU – 1
WV – 1
CLE – 1
ND -1
Total = 16
Not huge to your overall point, but havin’ a hard time getting past the math give the hypothesis more consideration.
Sorry
You’re right; total should be 16, so it appears that Meyer has a difficult time securing in-state blue-chippers as well. It shouldn’t be a surprise; Florida is more like Texas as opposed to California, in that UF has significant competition within the state (Miami, FL State), as well as many more neighboring powerhouse football programs waiting to poach talent. What UF is not afraid to do, however, is look out of state often and repeatedly for top tier talent.
The link, btw.
Legit point that we should have closed the deal on McFarland
and probably on D. Scott. Both recruitments warrant an internal analysis of what went wrong because we clearly had the leads on these guys and we should have closed those deals.
We had a lot more to offer D Scott in terms of overall program, facilitlies, academics, etc. I assumed it was just the uncle factor, but now that he is transferring out of CU it makes no sense that D. Scott is at CU instead of Texas.
McFarland was solid a UT lean and Texas probably should have done a better job of keeping the landgrabbers away. The whole replay of Thayer Evans being involved and finding out that McFarland was aiding the enemy makes you wonder about the true agenda. But, Texas should have been so involved and shadowing him in his recruitment that it never should have been able to happen.
I think Texas takes a more hands off approach to make sure we aren’t pressuring kids and we may give the attitude that we aren’t in love. I wish schools could talk more about recruits during the process, but NCAA rules keep us totally in the dark. OU offered McFarland all kinds of things, like sitting on the student body presidential panel, etc. Maybe he (his Mama) started making demands on Texas to match the OU offers and Texas decided to back off him. We just never will know but have to hope the coaches are doing their best. But, if we don’t bend the rules to match other schools that’s ok. I would rather lose a recruit than get NCAA sanctions.
Ditto Darius
My heart says so, as well. Good luck elsewhere. If your heart isn’t in Austin then we don’t want your ass here.
Not bashing D White here either way
I hope he picks Texas but I personally do not think he is the next coming of Julio Jones (who I think is beyond 5 star). White would fit in great with our offense and it would be great him since G Gilbert is going to be light years ahead of Blake. I really have no idea how he could not see the opportunity of having Gilbert with a year of experience as the best choice.
I do not think anything dirty is going on with his recruitment or indecision, and I think it is wrong to suggest something negative unless you have a reason. Not picking Texas is not a reason in and of itself. He has been polite in his comments and no reason to bash him if he doesn’t pick us.
Additionally, this 5 star or nothing mentality is bizarre. 11 guys are on the field at once. Texas had the 2nd highest average class rating last year at 3.85 to USC at 3.89. A few other schools took more recruits and that is the only reason they jumped us. OU’s 2009 class average was only 3.43 per Rivals.
This year we again have the highest average rating sitting at 3.84. OU’s average rating for 2010 is currently 3.55.
re: Not bashing D White
I hope he picks Texas as well, but my problem is not with the recruits themselves, its more so with the approach our coaching staff is taking in handling these elite level talents within our state. If you scroll down (rivals home page) you will see that Florida had the highest average rating at 3.94, but ended up at #11 because they only took 16 kids.
Nobody ever said 5 star or nothing, but I believe that myself and jc25 provided excellent data in proving that Texas is the only top flight program in the country that has this much trouble securing elite talent.
I believe last year was an anomoly in recruiting top talent, but even still we lost out on Russell Shepherd, Craig Loston, and Jamarkus McFarland to out of state schools. But what gives? Wasn’t the reason that Adrian Peterson chose Oklahoma was because he wanted to win championships? But since then, we have shown that we can win championships and compete year in and year out for a shot at the title game. So why are these recruits continuing to go out of state? What it tells me is that wins and losses are the end all, be all for recruits.
Sorry if I’m rambling on, just a little frustrated by the lack of good news lately.
I dont really see the data supplied by jc25 supports what you are saying
The sample size is pretty small. Florida got 6 out of 11 (55%), where Texas got 7 out of 16 (44%) and USC got 10 out of 15 (66%). The rest of the States are not really comparable because they don’t get enough talent, and we would have to use some kind of regional comparison.
So compared to the two best coaches in college football right now (IMO), Texas is in the ball park of Florida (within 11% of each other for a sample size this small is ballpark) and somewhat behind USC. I don’t see how you can take that data and say this:
Texas is the only top flight program in the country that has this much trouble securing elite talent
First off the limited data really does not show this. The best you could say is Texas is not preforming as well as Florida and USC in the last four years in recruiting 5 stars from with in their state.
Russel Shepherd--his recruitment is a perfect example of Texas being a Class Act
We could have blown smoke up his ass (as other schools did) and led him to believe that he was Div. 1 Elite Level QB material and that we would give him a chance. Having the wisdom of seeing that scenario play out with Chiles, UT took the high road and told him the hard cold truth—that Gilbert is ten times the QB that he will ever be and that he should consider WR to optimize his natural talents.
In light of the UT evaluation, the long time UT fan Shepherd opted to go to LSU where they were willing to tell him what he wanted to hear and promise him “a chance” at QB. (never mind they have signed a few better QB prospects (insurance policies) as well). So, now Shepherd is a 5 star “athlete/wr” recruit who will be on the depth chart as second or probably third string QB at which position he is a 3 star, maybe low 4 star.
So, nNow, explain to me how that drama helps the team? You pick up a five star diva that wants to be in a position where he is a 3 star athlete. I don’t think so. Texas made the right call.
Mack’s call may not look good to some of the statisticians, but in reality, he evaluated the total situation and offered based on the full situation.
Loston never liked Texas so it was moot. Not our problem. He has a bad attitude anyway, and won’t be much in a year or two with that chip weighing down his shoulder.
As for McFarland.-he is just a woossy and I wouldn’t want that sorry sack of crap our team. I don’t even know how that kid can hold his head up and walk in public after being used like a two $ hoe. He’s the biggest joke in recent recruitment.
As soon as he got onto campus,
Miles started working him at receiver to get him on the field early, even though he was “recruited” as a wide receiver. As you said, LSU told him what he wanted to hear, then changed their tactics after he got onto campus.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Jul 25, 2009 12:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Why do kids fall for the bait-and-switch? Self-delusion that everything is different in their own cases?
by burntorangehorn on Jul 25, 2009 1:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Florida at 3.94 average rating
is number one. Thanks for catching that mistake on my part. Puts us at number 3-still not a bad place to be.
Excellent Point
I guess the point I’m trying to make and you can read my first post (Let me know if I’m way off base), is that if Seastrunk, Jeffcoat , and White we’re all from say the state of Alabama, do you think Nick Saban would let 1,2, or all 3 of these recruits leave the state? Why can’t the same be said about Mack? Why is that when there are top recruits from say Louisiana and Alabama do most recruiting experts expect these kids to stay in state? Is it because they don’t turn out as many elite level talents or is it because when they do get those big time prospects in their back yard they pursue them all the more harder?
Yes, the sample size is small as it only dates back to 2006, but as Bill Parcells says “You are what your record says you are”, and 44% of top talent is not good enough, especially when you see that USC is at 66%.
This why I worry about the sample size...
I subscribed to OB for about a year awhile back and I believe Ketchum said (or perhaps he didn’t deny the rumor, but gave a ‘no comment’ in a way that was telling) that Rivals regionally balances out their 5-star rankings to try and keep everyone interested across the country. So the state of Alabama might get three 5-star guys, but the reality is that one or two of those guys probably weren’t better than several 4-stars in Texas, but the national Rivals guys had to make sure there was some regional diversity. I am not sure how much to believe this since it seems like most 5-star guys get recruited by all the big name schools. Of course, just because a school throws out an offer doesn’t mean they are actively trying to get their commitment, so perhaps there is some truth to this and Alabama can secure its top 3 guys since they are really only competing with Auburn in most cases.
Anyway, this was why I think Rivals’ 100 or 250 lists might offer a better sample, both in terms of size and to level out some of the superficial nature of the 5-star rankings.
This doesn’t explain why Florida kids get the ridiculous ratings.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 25, 2009 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions
Friendly tip for a newcomer.
Thanks for contributing; I hope you stick around.
In the future, if you hit the reply link below someone’s post, it will show up as a response and create a little “conversation” that’s easier to follow. Makes things a little more organized. Thanks!
More Data
Here are the top schools in 5* recruits (kind of an arbitrary definition of elite) for the period of 2009 – 2002 (this time period is what rivals gives out, it was not selected to try to alter the data, but it does help out Texas). I took out any school that had less than 6 in that time period.
So what does this show us? Well, if your bar for what is good enough is USC, then no one is good enough but Carrol, by a huge margin. Lets look at the same time period, top ten BCS schools by winning percentage:
1 Southern Cal
2 Texas
3 Ohio State
4 Oklahoma
5 Georgia
6 Louisiana State
7 West Virginia
8 Virginia Tech
9 Florida
10 Auburn
Using these teams as our elite programs (WTF Tennessee and FSU, way to do less with more) it looks like Texas is in the top half in recruiting 5* talent, but is not quite in Florida’s league, who is not even close to USC.
Nice
I completely forgot to mention the small sample size caveat, although despite the Mr. February moniker, it really does appear that Mack has taken a recruiting backseat to the Carroll’s and Meyer’s of the world. Combine that with Barking Carnival’s recent opinions about street agents, and it’s possible to envision that Texas’ (relative) stranglehold on top tier in-state prospects is tenuous.
However, one thing that has been brought up by BON and Mack advocates is that his teams have performed at least to, if not above, expectations pretty consistently in recent years. Contrast that to implosions by vaunted schools such as Tennessee and Florida State, and one has to be pretty thankful for the stability that Mack has brought to the program. And while that may never be enough for the Hornchamps of the world, we should appreciate the fact that our Texas teams have been consistently very good, if not great.
lexus dealerships
darius white needs to pick the school with the highest rated lexus dealerships.
obviously austin is out of the picture.
we will be better off without him.
good luck darius!! (tongue in cheek!)
ut1ou2 for texas-ou weekend
he's saying ou is #2 relative to us...
…not that we’re going to be ranked #1
by vy til i die on Jul 25, 2009 12:37 PM CDT up reply actions
At least there wasn’t a “vs” in the screen name this time.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 25, 2009 1:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, that’s my bad. Indeed, he’s been here since before I stopped being a lurker.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 25, 2009 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah..i should've mentioned that...
but his name does look similar to “vs”
by vy til i die on Jul 25, 2009 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions
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