best recruiting class ever for MSU?

I was looking at classes and noticed just how good the 2009 class was. I'm looking at production, not ranking at the time of signing or potential. Straight out production at a high level. Have we ever had a better class top to bottom? If you ranked these guys, you would still have a helluva player when you got to #15 or #16.

Brandon Heavens - nice contributor for 4 years
Mardrecas Hood - didn't show
Ricco Sanders - done nothing
Billy Hamilton - future MLB star?
Darius Slay - went to JUCO then we resigned - badass NFL
LaDarius Perkins - one of top returning RB's in country
Dennis Thames - potential then trouble
Chad Bumphis - best wideout for 4 straight years
Pernell McPhee - JUCO badass NFL
Johnathan McKenzie - could have been bigtime
Leon Berry - solid JUCO immediate starter
Sean Brauchle - solid JUCO immediate starter
Maurice Langston - ???
Heath Hutchins - solid JUCO immediate starter
Montrell Conner - transferred after redshirting
Gabe Jackson - one of top guards in country, OL anchor
Chris White - JUCO badass
William Shumpert - got hurt
Deontae Skinner - defensive stalwart for 3 years
Josh Boyd - defensive stalwart for 3-4 years NFL
Nickoe Whitley - defensive stalwart for 3-4 years
Fletcher Cox - nothing needs to be said
Johnthan Banks - nothing needs to be said
Chris Smith - solid 4 year player
Tyler Russell- patiently redshirted and learned, set records last year
Cameron Lawrence -nothing needs to be said
Sam Watts - bust

In hindsight, no doubt about it. Great class. I can tell you who supposedly dominated us that signing day too

Coaching has so much to do with success. Talent can't be created, but it can be nurtured. There are lots of teams that have made decent runs with 3-4 star talent, which is what we have since Mullen came into the picture pretty consistently over the last two seasons at any rate.

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Originally Posted by Pollodawg

Coaching has so much to do with success. Talent can't be created, but it can be nurtured. There are lots of teams that have made decent runs with 3-4 star talent

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The problem is the people evaluating and rating the talent coming out of HS dont necessarily do a good job.

And to the OP- Chris White is in the NFL also

I'm hoping to get similar production out of the defensive class of 2012. Ryan Brown, Quay Evans, Nick James, AJ Jefferson, Beniquez Brown, Richie Brown, Cedric Jiles, Will Redmond. Could be a special bunch.

Seems reasonable IMO...

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Originally Posted by Coach34

The problem is the people evaluating and rating the talent coming out of HS dont necessarily do a good job.

And to the OP- Chris White is in the NFL also

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My original post was a little ambiguous. That is actually my point. People look at Chris Relf and think: TE. Mullen won 9 games with him at the helm and would have done just as good in 2011 had the injury bug not bitten us where the sun don't shine. A two star QB and a RB that no one else really wanted took us farther than some of these highly rated guys.

Oh, and lets not forget the two star QB we made into a LB named Benardrick McKinney who is--pound for pound--one of most athletic people on the team. Or Dillon Day, acknowledged as one fo the best centers in the SEC.


That's why I don't contemplate slitting my wrist ever February when the real season starts for the bears.

It would be cool if a 247 did a post mortem ranking of all the classes 5 years after signing day. It would be based on career stats. I'm not even sure NFL draft status should count since the league looks for things that don't necessarily equate to college success.

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Originally Posted by FlabLoser

It would be cool if a 247 did a post mortem ranking of all the classes 5 years after signing day. It would be based on career stats. I'm not even sure NFL draft status should count since the league looks for things that don't necessarily equate to college success.

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I agree. Stars don't matter if they don't produce (Chris Strong, Tig Barksdale at Ole Miss for example). I don't know how the 2009 class stacked up in production with all of our other classes because I didn't look very hard. However, it was extremely deep. It had stars (J. Banks, Fletcher Cox), but it also had depth. There were roughly 18 guys who contributed during their entire career (2 years for JUCO and 3-4 for high school). Admittedly, the lack of talent Croom left on the roster made it easier for some to see the field earlier than normal, but these guys battled and have bowl games to show for it. We've had a lot of classes where the 10th or 12th most productive player in the class was simply an average backup.

That class was chock full of NFL talent.

We'll have to wait another year or so to get the final tally, but it is impressive already.