I think we are going to sign closer to 22 with a few sign and place guys.
My hope:
Simmons
Brown
Lashely
Jones
Gooden
Crowell
Knott
THat would be a great finish
Printable View
I don't feel good about Simmons. Only because most of our guys aren't confident and OM people are. Usually there is a reason for that
AJ Brown
Justin Mcinnis
Scott Lashley
Gentle Williams
Emmitt Gooden
Kobe Jones
Jeffery Simmons
Jamal Couch
Reggie Todd
Kaderrion Mason
Vincent Calhoun
Lorenzo Dantzler
Jeremiah Moon
Nigel Knott
John Broussard
Raekwon Davis
All of these guys are in play right now. Some others will be included but this is the main list right now. I'm sure I've missed somebody.
That's 9 4 stars. If land a good amount of these, we'll have a class that continues to improve our talent level from the team we had this year.
Notice you didn't put Rekwon Davis on there. Is that just because he's going to JUCO or is that because you don't think we'll sign him .
Interesting on the Broussard name. Haven't seen his name since this summer. Also curious about Lorenzo Dantzler, was he just a late bloomer?
What happened with Damion Dicksns and KaDerrion Mason?
Would love to get Gentle Williams. He was the best OL at BDC and it wasn't close.
Let me preface by saying that I am not a "star" whore when it comes to recruiting. Dan and co. have done a great job of evaluating, signing, and developing underrated talent...but unfortunately that doesn't translate to trip to Atlanta. Yes, the star and entire team ranking system is flawed, but we got whipped by almost every 4 & 5 star we faced this year. This stat says it all:
http://i.imgsafe.org/08e76b5.jpg
We HAVE to revamp our recruiting strategy/system so that we are consistently, or at least every other year, finishing in the top third of the SEC in recruiting. Signing day may not be until February, but being currently ranked 38th overall, and 11th in the SEC, is very disturbing. I don't know who to blame? Dan, the entire football staff, F'n Bracky, our soft "network"? Regardless who is most at fault, we either find a way to start landing 4 & 5 stars or return to being irrelevant in the SEC.
For those who are not concerned, and confident we will finish strong by landing some of our top prospects... I pray to "8lb 6oz newborn infant Jesus" that you are right. But why such the slow start this recruiting year? Teams that get an early start and land a couple of big ones early almost always seem to finish stronger. These teams are the ones flipping players, not the teams with their top prospects still uncommitted in January. Not having some solid early commits to help us recruit this year hurt, but it's not their job. Not sure how we got so far behind this year, but I see us finishing in the upper 20's...which isn't the end of the world to some, but I would consider it extremely disappointing.
Last request: SIGN SOME F'N TALENTED OL's AND LOTS OF THEM EVERY YEAR. End of my recruiting rant. Nothing would make me happier than to have this post shoved in my face in mid February after we sign a great class. Go Dawgs!
Broussard was close to Boom & committed to Auburn due to their defensive coaches. It was apparently close between MSU & Auburn, so with Boom leaving for USC, we are now back in it.
If we can land Broussard, Moon, & maybe one other surprise to go along with the Golden Triangle 4, this class has a chance to be really good compared to our standards.
The main difference I see is the difference between 4 stars & 5 stars.
4 stars are good players, but they are still flawed. It's why a team like Iowa, which is full of all 3 stars, can beat teams that are full of 4 stars, but 5 star players are different. They are complete difference makers on the field & tilt the advantage in games. To me, this is what makes the top 5 recruiting teams so hard to beat. It's not that they always have more depth than you or that they don't have flaws on their team as well. It's because they have 5 to 8 players or so on their roster that are complete difference makers and cover up their mistakes.
For as much doom & gloom that everyone wants to put on this program we have a very legit shot at a Top 20 class.
Mullen needs to close strong between now and February. That includes a bowl win to get to 9 wins and sign the golden triangle 4 that are a 7-iron shot from Davis Wade Stadium.
If land the players that we currently lead for, we'll finish between 18-22. If we land the players we currently lead for and add a few surprises, we'll almost assuredly finish in the teens.
I love landing tons 4 stars because they add depth & build the core of your team, but we really need to land a few difference making 5 stars that can change the game. This is the only way to beat Bama. You must have a few 5 star players that are mismatches for then. Not sure how we get them.