A couple of days ago I wrote, that the 6 winningest ACC programs over the last 3 years were also 6 best recruiting teams, with one exception NC State. The Wolfpack were 9th in recruiting and 6th in total wins. Here we take it a step further. We’ll look at things nationally. Thankfully yahoo.com already has an article that shows how 2011’s top 25 teams fared in recruiting.
Of the top 25 teams, only 9 had average recruiting class (2007-2011) outside the top 35. That’s 64% of the top of the 25. Going even deeper what about the top 10? Boise St. was the only team in the top 10 to have their average recruiting 73) higher than 34. Your national championship teams Alabama and LSU were 4th and 6th.
Of course nobody is quite sure what they are doing at Boise St., and how they are accomplishing it, but their 73rd ranked classes hammered Georgia (8th in recruiting rankings) 35-21 in a game that wasn’t nearly that close. The Boise St. coaches are doing a remarkable job, but don’t count on it working because the odds are against you. UGA still finished ranked 20th in the final poll and won 10 games.
Florida, Texas, Auburn, Notre Dame, and Ohio State all had class rankings in the top 12, but none won more than 8 games last year. There are always exceptions to the rule, and recruiting well doesn’t ensure success. I tell you what though give me a top notch class, and I’ll take my chances against your lower ranked classes, Boise St. non-withstanding. By and large if you recruit well the ceiling of your team is going to be higher, the result prove it.
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Recruit better and win more. You’d be surprised there are a lot of fans out there that give their team’s staffs free passes for poor recruiting with the tired excuse of well we got the players for our program. I get that not everyone can recruit Alabama type classes, but hey recruiting is part of a head coach’s job. Try to win without having players…
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