Interesting HS Early Commitments

adman · July 12, 2006

Phil Steele doesn't think that they're meaningless and devotes a considerable portion of his magazine talking about the numbers and using them for comparison.

And Plumm doens't think his dribble is meaningless either and he devotes a considerable portion of his LIFE to it. So what's your point?

good_ken · July 12, 2006

Phil Steele doesn't think that they're meaningless and devotes a considerable portion of his magazine talking about the numbers and using them for comparison.

I don't think he is referring to the fact that Phil Steele rated them, its the number scheme. We have come to accept 3 stars as a rating, because we know that Rivals tops of their biased scale at 5 stars.

However, rating Tim Patton #453 doesn't mean a whole lot until you (someone) tells me what that is out of? Is Patton the 453 defensive lineman (ends and tackles) or the 453rd interior lineman? I suspect there's a big difference.

I think all we are asking for is some relativity so that his rankings make sense.

emmitt01 · July 12, 2006

Has it not crossed anyone's mind that Phil Steele and the rest of these ratings services have to sell magazines, internet subscriptions, etc? Which teams do you think have the larger fan bases? Who would be most pleased to see every player that UT or Ohio State recruits ranked #1 or so? This, I suspect, is why a recruit goes from being a 3* when he wants to sign with us to being a 5* when UT swoops in and grabs him.

SilverEagle · July 12, 2006

I've always believed (and still do) that recruitment isn't "real" until after the HS football season, and all the dust has settled. Up until that point, everything is mainly wishful thinking.

Any HS player could have a great career up to their senior year, and then things could fall apart. They could have a crappy season (for various reasons), their school could have a change in coaching staff, and/or they get injured. When this happens all bets are off....and so are the offers.

So (recruitment wise) I just regard this time of year as the time when the fans are daydreaming (or worse), and the Universities and potential recruits are basically lying to one another.

OR! As one of my former supervisors (a Junior High English teacher in her original profession) used to say, "There are many a slip twixt the cup and the lip".

Edited July 12, 2006 by SilverEagle

July 12, 2006

I've always believed (and still do) that recruitment isn't "real" until after the HS football season, and all the dust has settled. Up until that point, everything is mainly wishful thinking.
Any HS player could have a great career up to their senior year, and then things could fall apart. They could have a crappy season (for various reasons), their school could have a change in coaching staff, and/or they get injured. When this happens all bets are off....and so are the offers.
So (recruitment wise) I just regard this time of year as the time when the fans are daydreaming (or worse), and the Universities and potential recruits are basically lying to one another.
OR! As one of my former supervisors (a Junior High English teacher in her original profession) used to say, "There are many a slip twixt the cup and the lip".
←

Silver, How many times does a great high school player have a great season up to his senior year and then suddenly lose it as compared to those that don't? To be sure, injuries can happen and committments can change their mind but that's pretty rare.

I give up; no more posts on this subject. Phil Steele is some idiot trying to sell magazines and all of the recruiting services are stooges for SMU or the BCS.

It's funny, we get a class loaded with acknowledged talent (like the 2001 class) and we shout it from the rooftops...we got seven that were in the state top 100. But, we get NO ONE that was in the area top 100 and we shrug it off like the list is a worthless piece of junk.

Objective Aggie · July 12, 2006

A few thoughts:

* While there were a few schools that did early recruiting (Penn State maybe?), the one man PERSONALLY responsible for early recruiting is Mack Brown. He has turned it into a science and an art. It was like everyone else approached recruiting with Big Chief tablets and Mack came with a Laptop and a Blackberry.

* Early recruiting is not perfect. While you can pull an offer for off-the-filed indiscrections (A&M and Texas have done this once in the last two years apiece), you can't for lackluster play or injuries or you lose credibility. What is you lock on a DB but then find a guy who is better but you don't have room? Especially when you have positions where you only take one or two (think K or P or QB) or is you have late bloomers who splash on the scene?

* NCAA should have an early signing period in football like in other sports. If a guy commits in April, why should he have to wait ten months to sign? Why should his coaching staff have to ensure he is not being swayed by other schools?

* ANY recruiting list that thinks it can seperate the #456 recruit from the number #457 recruit is insane. I have followed recruiting for twenty years. The old Dallas Times Herald had it right. There are blue chippers (around a dozen in Texas) and then a Top 100 (which should not be ranked). And then there is everybody else. There are always the mega studs (Adrian Petersen, Robert Strait, Reggie McNeal, VinceYoung, etc), but it is hard to tell the players in the next tier apart.

* The post-mortem Dave Campbell Texas Football list is not exactly perfect either. It essentially gives credit to whichever team has th best record during that span. Is making All Conf-USA the same as making all Big 12, is winning the Sun Belt better than finishing third in the Big 12? The ranking has some merit, but has so many flaws I will not even begin.

* Have never understood stealth recruiting. Maybe one player, but not the entire class. In baseball I undersatnd (keep pro scouts away).

Go Mean Grren.

Stan R · July 12, 2006

Silver, How many times does a great high school player have a great season up to his senior year and then suddenly lose it as compared to those that don't? To be sure, injuries can happen and committments can change their mind but that's pretty rare.
I give up; no more posts on this subject. Phil Steele is some idiot trying to sell magazines and all of the recruiting services are stooges for SMU or the BCS.
It's funny, we get a class loaded with acknowledged talent (like the 2001 class) and we shout it from the rooftops...we got seven that were in the state top 100. But, we get NO ONE that was in the area top 100 and we shrug it off like the list is a worthless piece of junk.
←

Gray,

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Steele's list is bogus, just confusing without a point of reference. Like some one else said - is patton 453 out of 2000? or 453 out of 1000? And yes, I agree some of us can be hypocritical when it comes to rankings, state/ DMN 100 lists, etc.. I for one believe in the rankings and yes I think our recruiting has tanked big time in the last 2 years.

Bottom line, these lists do mean something. State 100's are statistically going to give you a better team compared to non top 100's. Yes there will be flops but I'll take my chances with someone on a list the majority of the time. That is why it is so important. It is a numbers game. And, other recruits DO look at these lists to see which schools recruit what types of players. Period.

SilverEagle · July 12, 2006

Silver, How many times does a great high school player have a great season up to his senior year and then suddenly lose it as compared to those that don't? To be sure, injuries can happen and committments can change their mind but that's pretty rare.
I give up; no more posts on this subject. Phil Steele is some idiot trying to sell magazines and all of the recruiting services are stooges for SMU or the BCS.
It's funny, we get a class loaded with acknowledged talent (like the 2001 class) and we shout it from the rooftops...we got seven that were in the state top 100. But, we get NO ONE that was in the area top 100 and we shrug it off like the list is a worthless piece of junk.
←

I wasn't making a judgement about Phil Steele, or your endorsement of his evaluative skills. I've always felt this way about recruitment. Sure, most great athletes rarely tank it in their senior year, but rarely are we ever in the running for those athletes.

Most of the time, we are more in the running for those athletes who are "late bloomers" and who don't really show their stuff until their senior year. Which brings me back to my policy about not getting excited about recruitment until after the HS season is over.