Could someone please explain the NARCAS rating scale? I've never seen it referenced anywhere but Tidefans/JessN, and I have no clue what it means or what goes into it. Thanks
Here's the description we used to tack onto every recruiting article; I guess I should start doing it again so people can easily find it:
NARCAS (
North
American
Recruiting,
Coaching and
Athletics
Survey)
The NARCAS system is specific to all TideFans recruiting specials and will be the main ranking system used for each year's class. It is based on a 10-point scale. Here are the particulars of that scale:
10.0 Very few players attain this ranking. A player with this ranking is thought to have superstar ability. In most cases (quarterbacks are often an exception), the player will likely play as a freshman and would be a candidate for any all-freshman teams his conference might name.
9.6-9.9 These are players who have the ability to play as freshmen, and could start. A player towards the upper end of this category could have a significant impact as a freshman; players to the lower end of this category would likely provide immediate depth.
9.3-9.5 These players have about a 50/50 chance of playing as a freshman, depending on position (quarterbacks in this range, for instance, would have a lesser chance of playing immediately than a player at running back or receiver, where the adjustment period is typically shorter). They are thought to be good players who have an excellent chance to make an impact before graduation.
8.9-9.2 These are players who will almost certainly redshirt, but could be counted on to produce before graduation. These players have much improvement to make once they get to college, but have the talent to do so.
8.5-8.8 These players have college-level talent, but will need significant development in order to be productive at most major universities. These players have something to prove.
***-8.4 NARCAS does not usually assign a ranking to a player below the level of 8.5. While players in this range might still play at some point in their career, the deck is stacked against them.
NR (expressed as "
*.*" in the rankings column) These are players that NARCAS does not have enough information on to rank properly. This mostly applies to international players or players from small high schools who receive little publicity. NARCAS also does not rank kickers, punters or long snappers.