Which NCAA Football Teams Outperform Their Recruiting

Coffee and TV · October 3, 2014

We actually played a little better on the field than the guys we recruited during the Dodge years. If you can believe that...

http://regressing.deadspin.com/chart-which-ncaa-football-teams-outplay-their-recruit-1640831522/+benes?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Mean Green 93-98 · October 3, 2014

There are recruiting classes from Dickey and Dodge and teams from Dodge and Mac in there. Surely it was our 2013 performance that bumped us over the line. Not the 1-11 in 2008, or whatever it was.

TheColonyEagle · October 3, 2014

I guess we can argue what we did with the players after they got here.....development, etc.

But doesn't Dodge have 4 recruits currently on NFL rosters?

Dunbar

Robertson

Olawale

Orr

Could be 5 if Chancellor gets picked back up?

Any other UNT coach ever have that many players in the NFL?

Mean Green 93-98 · October 3, 2014

I guess we can argue what we did with the players after they got here.....development, etc.
But doesn't Dodge have 4 recruits currently on NFL rosters?
Dunbar
Robertson
Olawale
Orr
Could be 5 if Chancellor gets picked back up?
Any other UNT coach ever have that many players in the NFL?

Robertson was recruited by Dickey.

TheColonyEagle · October 3, 2014

Robertson was recruited by Dickey.

Ahh.

I stand corrected.

Coffee and TV · October 3, 2014

There are recruiting classes from Dickey and Dodge and teams from Dodge and Mac in there. Surely it was our 2013 performance that bumped us over the line. Not the 1-11 in 2008, or whatever it was.

I misread slightly. 2009 results were based on 2005-2009 recruiting.

Mean Green 93-98 · October 3, 2014

I misread slightly. 2009 results were based on 2005-2009 recruiting.

If I understood correctly, the link you posted compared aggregate 2005-2009 recruiting with aggregate 2009-2013 on-field performance.

Harry · October 3, 2014

I know I sound like a broken record on this subject...

But again, the recruiting services focus on the upper tier p5 not the g5... they appeal to fanbases that will pay $120 to find out who is visiting, where they are leaning, etc..

So I take these recruiting rankings with a grain of salt when you are talking about us and other g5 and lower tier p5 programs...

For instance, take a look at SMU's recruiting classes over the past 4-5 years and I think you will see they have consistently gotten higher "rated" players...

Yet on the field of play it was not even close. Why is that? It is because the recruiting focuses on the top 50 players in the state of Texas. After that there are another 300 who are all in the same boat which makes it much harder and less profitable to evaluate them.

I have no issue with the recruiting services as they provide a service I just believe it is geared to the bigger programs. I just believe the data they compile becomes less relevant when you try to apply it to the lower p5 and g5 programs such as North Texas. I also think that they miss on guys who mature in their senior years because the big schools focus so much on juniors.

TheTastyGreek · October 3, 2014

Any other UNT coach ever have that many players in the NFL?

Dodge has 3 simultaneous right now. Dickey had at least four that I can recall back in 2006

Brad Kassell - Jets

Cody Spencer - Jets

Adrian Awasom - Giants

Patrick Cobbs - Steelers & Dolphins

All four were active players simultaneously for two NFL seasons

If we're counting practice squad and training camp guys, there are a lot of guys who had a Brelan-level exposure to the NFL. Johnny Quinn, Jeremiah Chapman, Booger, Brandon Jackson (also with the Chargers... screw those guys), and I'm sure there are many more I'm forgetting.

TheTastyGreek · October 3, 2014

Counting punters, I think Matt Simon had 3 or 4 NFL guys active at the same time, too.

Mean Green 93-98 · October 3, 2014

Dodge has 3 simultaneous right now. Dickey had at least four that I can recall back in 2006

Brad Kassell - Jets

Cody Spencer - Jets

Adrian Awasom - Giants

Patrick Cobbs - Steelers & Dolphins

All four were active players simultaneously for two NFL seasons

If we're counting practice squad and training camp guys, there are a lot of guys who had a Brelan-level exposure to the NFL. Johnny Quinn, Jeremiah Chapman, Booger, Brandon Jackson (also with the Chargers... screw those guys), and I'm sure there are many more I'm forgetting.

Wasn't Brad Kassell a Matt Simon recruit?

Either way, I'm sure Rod Rust blows 3 or 4 NFL players out of the water.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Mean Green 93-98

TheTastyGreek · October 3, 2014

Brad Kassell was a Matt Simon recruit.

You are correct... Thought he graduated in 2003, but I was wrong.

Throw him on the pile with Brian Waters and company for Simon's 4+.

TheTastyGreek · October 3, 2014

Sorry to respond so quick... If you're not 100% sure on Kassell, I can honestly say that I'm not, either. With the weird timing of Simon's departure in 1998 and the relatively sparse info about recruiting and commitments from that era of football, it's tough to say for sure (at least for me) who came on board for which coach that year. I thought he was out in 2003, which made it clear, but I remembered wrong.

Either way, whether he signed on under Dickey or Simon, the point stands that it isn't unprecedented to have this many guys in the league at once. And neither should be an insurmountable bar for future NFL success.

TheColonyEagle · October 3, 2014

I believe the last of the Dodge recruits are gone.....so the McCarney generation is up next.

I'm thinking there are a few O Linemen that will get looks....

I guess Marcus Trice would be counted under McCarney.

We'll see where it goes from here.

Edited October 3, 2014 by TheColonyEagle

Texas Stranger · October 4, 2014

I believe the last of the Dodge recruits are gone.....so the McCarney generation is up next.

There's still a few from the recruiting class of 2010 (redshirt seniors). Y'Barbo, Antonio Johnson, Teegarden, Dunham.

Mean Green 93-98 · October 4, 2014

Sorry to respond so quick... If you're not 100% sure on Kassell, I can honestly say that I'm not, either. With the weird timing of Simon's departure in 1998 and the relatively sparse info about recruiting and commitments from that era of football, it's tough to say for sure (at least for me) who came on board for which coach that year. I thought he was out in 2003, which made it clear, but I remembered wrong.

Either way, whether he signed on under Dickey or Simon, the point stands that it isn't unprecedented to have this many guys in the league at once. And neither should be an insurmountable bar for future NFL success.

I was sure when I first clicked "post," but then I got to thinking. At one time I was under the impression that Coach Simon brought him aboard, but I don't trust my memory as well these days as I once did.

And I certainly agree with your point. It would not be unprecedented. As a matter of fact, we had four players drafted in just one draft in 1969 (just ignore the fact that there were 16 rounds in the draft then). I suppose those all would have been brought in under Odus Mitchell?