My question to all the group is this based on the weaknesses of each team in the SEC which team appears to have helped themselves the most this year with the recruiting classes they brought in?
Just glancing over the teams and know what weaknesses each had some teams may have had very impressive recruiting classes as far as Rivals and Scout.com are concerned. When you look really close though who really helped themselves. The reason I ask this is I think about Southern Cal a couple years ago and they had 10 high school all-american's playing running back. So why would they keep recruiting more running backs? Look at their reciever play over the past few years and instead of trying to stockpile running backs they clearly could have used some better recievers. That is PAC-10 though and we are talking SEC.
Example. Tennessee had some of the worst QB play in the SEC last year and didn't bring in one QB of note in Kiffin's first recruiting class. In fact Tennessee lost the QB who had the most potential on the team whe BJ Coleman transferred to Chattanooga. So now they have Crompton returning to the starting lineup for his senior year, lost the somewhat promising Coleman, Nick Stephens is coming off of an injury, they recruited no one of note, and this next class is extremely thin at the QB position unless some kids at the high school level step up in their senior years. So while Tennessee may have had a top 10 class over all, and recruited 2 highly regaurded running backs is their team any better off than it was last year under Fulmer?
Some teams you don't even have to talk about like LSU and Florida when it comes to recruiting because they are always bringing in top 5 classes and they never run out of play makers they just reload already stacked lineups. Last year being an anominally for LSU who prior to the season was expecting to have an experienced senior QB in Perrilioux, but instead proved to not really have a fall back plan when he was dismissed from the team.
Some teams weaknesses from last year will be address from redshirt players also who get to step up this year and actually play. So what I am asking everyone is to think about their respective favorite team and where their trouble spots were last year and then answer the question that despite where the class may rank did your team address areas of need or did they grab highly regarded players at positions of strength already, or did they just randomly grab players with no method to their madness. Then based on this what teams helped themselves to actually improve.
Sorry Florida fans the only way you guys are going to improve is if you quit the NCAA and join the NFL and win the Super Bowl, but your opinions are still valued and wants. Chime in everyone.
Daniela Hantuchova
Tori Praver
NFL Fantasy Studs Week 11
Back in Time: November 23
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Don't forget the Juco ranks as a place to find talent to fill holes, some coaches use that avenue pretty effectively. Kids are somewhat more proven, and have had a little time to work out "maturity issues".
Downside is shorter years of eligibility, and less time "in your system" so they usually have to be either quick studies, or take coaching extremely well.
GatorRobster
Houston, TX
Total Comments (3623)
LSU's weaknesses were at two positions last year. Before I get into that many may say that defense was a weakness but that is not the case. As Bill mentioned above, we are loaded with talent. The defensive co-coordniators were the down fall of the Tigers last year.
Now, on to the positions that LSU needed help with and whether or not they filled the deficit. The first and most obvious position was QB. As mentioned above, LSU did not have a strong fall back plan. For some reason LSU had not recruited a QB in two classes Jarrett Lee was picked up. This class the Tigers signed two outstanding QB's.
First we picked up the #1 Dual threat QB in the nation and some polls have him as the #1 athlete since there are doubts concerning his QB'ing potential in D-I.
We also picked up the future QB for LSU in my opinion. I think that in three years, 6-4 , 220 lbs Chris Garrett out of Tupelo , MS will be the guy to lead us to the NCG. Remember you read it here first.
The other obvious position we needed to recruit is Line backer. We picked up:
Lamin Barrow LB 6-2 209 4.65 5.7 Marrero, LA * * * Star
Tahj Jones LB 6-2 205 - 5.6 Sulphur, LA * * * Star
Barkevious Mingo LB 6-5 209 - 5.9 West Monroe, * * * * Star
Kevin Minter LB 6-0 231 4.6 5.8 Suwanee, GA * * * * Star
We have continued to recruit the LB position for the 2010 class:
Of the 9 commits we have at this time, 2 are LB's
Luke Muncie LB 6-3 215 4.49 5.7 Klein, TX * * * Star
D.J. Welter LB 6-0 214 4.48 5.7 Crowley, LA * * * Star
So if I had to grade the Tigers recognition and effort in recruiting the players that they need I would say that they are at at A-. Of course there are a few big name LB's on the radar for this season and I see the Tigers taking 2 more.
CenLA Tiger
Tigerland, LA
Total Comments (3776)
Are you sure? I do not think the JC time counts against FBS elgibility.
JCs can have a lot of baggage. There aren't many 2+star athletes overlooked by all of the FBS teams. A lot of times they are fighting with injuries that kept their ranking low out of high school, personal problems, academic elgibility problems, etc.
Ex- saw an awesome WR/DB lose his shot because he was dumb as a door knob out of HS, couldn't get thru JC (12 years of blowing offf academia can't be made up in 2 years), ended up at McDonalds (I think his GPA at graduation was 0.7)
On a completely seperate topic...
Rivals and Scout claim to take into account the position need of the team and discount an excessive number of recruits for the same position, but doesn't elaborate on how they arrive at their ratings.
Prove It
Frellin Cold In, AK
Total Comments (6753)
I am no NCAA Rules guru, but I'd think that a guy that played 2 years of Juco ball would not have another 4 in D1 for a grand total of 6. I may be wrong, anyone have the definitive answer?
GatorRobster
Houston, TX
Total Comments (3623)
Those certainly are problems that keep some decent players out of the circus that is D1 recruiting, but some kids get their schnit together, heal up from injuries, and decide to actually go to class and study -- and turn into decent players that can compete at the D1 level.
GatorRobster
Houston, TX
Total Comments (3623)
Juco players time does count towards their FBS eligibility. Its the kids that go to prep schools after high school that don't lose eligibility. A good example of this would be DeAngelo Benton. He should have been a junior in college this coming year. Instead he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and had to go to a prep school for a while to become eligible to get into college, and now will be starting his freshman season at Auburn.
The drawback to a kid like Benton for Auburn is if he blows up this year and has a freshman season like Michael Crabtree had at Texas Tech two seasons ago he could jump right to the NFL because he will be three years removed from his high school graduation.
I think the kids that go the juco route are not neccessarily the ones that can't become eligible academically so much as they are the ones that were injured kids that didn't get recruited heavily or were just late bloomers. I think the academically challenged kids go to one of the many prep schools around the country so they don't burn eligibility. Many of these kids end up at Hargrave Military Academy before coming to college and more times than not it helps them for the better.
wildbill21475
East, TN
Total Comments (4886)
I can confirm that JuCo kids "DO" use their 5 to play 4 time. And yes you are correct about the Prep schools like Hargrave Military Academy where one of our wealthy Alumnus paid $25,000 dollars a year to send D'Lo Benton to get his stupid ass eligible.
Juco is used for many reasons but the most prominent is becuase they can not qualify through the NCAA clearing house academically to play at a certain division level. Most go the JC route because if they go to Div II or FCS they will lose a year by having to take a mandintory year off.
With JuCo you can go straight to FBS and play or be red shirted depending on the coaches evaluation. I don't see JuCo as being a place to grow guys for a team physically, they can do that at the FBS level. Its normally for academics. Look at Ole Misses QB for example. No, not Jevan Sneed, the guy out of Louisiana that will be taking his place in a coupe of years. I forget his name but he committed year before last and went to a MS Junior College or Community College as they call it there and played a year. He will be on the team this year and will play in the future.
I luvs me some recruiting!
CenLA Tiger
Tigerland, LA
Total Comments (3776)
Yeah thanks to that guy Benton should make a nice target for whoever QB's Auburn this year.
wildbill21475
East, TN
Total Comments (4886)
I think Ole Miss is goinf to be a thorn for a lot of people this year. Granted Nutt recruited everyone and their grandmothers, but he is a proven coach. Also, though I hate UF, the point made about the NFL sounds valid. Tebow can throw lame ducks on the field, and his recievers still catch them. That team is so in sync its scary.
As for my Dawgs, I'm encouraged by the defense, but the offense is going to need someone to come out of left field to be a threat. Quick, name a threat on their offense.
rizzo73181
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AJ Green
wildbill21475
East, TN
Total Comments (4886)
Yeah, you could have said that about Calvin Johnson on Tech's team. But it takes a competent QB to get them the ball. I'm not saying Joe Cox is dumb (a la Reggie Ball), but he doesn't make a defense gameplan around him like previous QB's for UGA have.
I'm not normally so pessimistic, but refilling so many roles makes a guy feel uneasy.
rizzo73181
Total Comments (17)
I don't like Georgia, but it doesn't seem like Richt has had a problem restocking the shelves after the old stuff is gone.
wildbill21475
East, TN
Total Comments (4886)
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