If that was true then where was Florida and LSU pre Saban and Spurrier. I think Bowden and Howard prove why recruiting is key in Florida. I think every Nebraska and Tennessee coach proves how a recruiter is a must to win at those programs.
You can't just look at star ratings on a piece of paper and conclude that every 4 or 5 star is super talented. High school players are generally rated on 3 factors: production, projection and physical ability. Some highly rated players are just production monsters who play in a weak high school system and never really pan out in college. Then there's the players who don't have much production or high school tape but are projected to be good college players based on their perceived talent or the high school they're playing at. A lot of those players never live up to the recruiting hype. Last are the Julio type players who just are just oozing with talent and it's pretty clear to see they'll at least be serviceable as a college player but most likely a star and future NFL player. TBH, I'm not that tied in to recruiting to know every player that LSU has signed over the last 4 years but when I watch them play they don't have talented guys who jump off the screen like they used to. At one point they had Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham, Jeremy Hill, Alfred Blue etc on offense. Those guys range from NFL superstars to serviceable players. Same thing on defense. Guys like Patrick Peterson, Eric Reid, Jamal Adams, etc. I've seen a few very early mock drafts (admittedly very early) and Guice and Key are the only LSU guys I've seen projected in the early rounds and those 2 guys have been injured almost all year. So, you take those 2 guys away and IMO you have a very average roster by LSU standards which is what I based my "least talented roster in the last 10 years" comment on..
According to a lot of LSU fans I know, who are closely tied into the recruiting. They say the same thing. That just from a physical talent standpoint the tiggers are down this year and also very young.
I've already addressed Florida. They had a population explosion. As to LSU, the fact is there was a rise in the SEC and southeast in general. It wasn't just LSU, Auburn went to a couple of championship games, Florida did to, all around the time Alabama re-emerged. The southeast as a whole has improved in terms of demographics and at the same time the SEC rose in prestige. Also, I'm not saying recruiting doesn't matter. I'm saying recruiting there is easy.
We're still getting lost partly in the coaching aspects of the equation. I'm not saying every 4 or 5 star is super talented, but I am saying big and strong is still big and strong. Last time we discussed LSU, I linked to something showing LSU was loaded with blue chips. 65% blue chips! This had them at third. Now your counter is basically they won't all pan out, etc... but I'm saying when you have 55 blue chips, or 50, or 40 even, that you have tons of talent! Now all those aren't going to pan out, yes, but if you reach the point that your product on the field is clearly lacking? You screwed up! That's my point. You seem to be alluding to the results after they screwed up, but I'm saying definitively that the recruiting services didn't miss on all those blue chips, some? Sure, but LSU had over twice as many as Miss. St. for example. The problem isn't lack of physical ability, it's lack of developing and utilizing that ability properly. I'm not saying LSU should be a championship contender mind you, but to my earlier point I'm saying if Saban had that same group of guys they probably wouldn't have lost yet.
I promise you that any good coach that isn’t great on recruiting is going to get smashed at a Florida school. Just like Mac
It's funny how differently people can see things. I thought he came across as stale and contradictory. I do hope he gives you guys some excitement to finish the year, though, Bazza. I remember the days of struggling and barely making a bowl game, so I hope you guys can finish strong a make a bowl. If y'all make a good hire, I'm sure it won't be long before y'all are challenging for Atlanta again.Coach Randy Shannon was just on Finebaum and he knocked it out of the park with his composure.
No offense to Coach Mac but a completely different personality and a bit refreshing, if that makes sense.
He didn't come right out and say it, but I got the feeling we may see Malik Zaire as starter this Saturday.
Or at least he may get some significant playing time.
I'm excited!
First, let's go back to the wealth of talent. As I outlined, Miami, FSU, and Florida all are top ten in NFL players. All three! That's not a suggestion, that's a fact. Similarly, if you look at recruiting rankings, blue chip rankings, that sort of thing you see those three programs around the top ten as well. Mind you, Miami was driven into a ditch and they still recruited and are on the cusp of being back as a national power.
What I’m getting at is there has never been a recruiting battle in the state of Florida like there is now in the last 20+ years. Kiffin, Strong, and Frost are stealing those “hidden” players that would usually buckle to one of the bigger schools instead of playing for a Joe Schmoe at FAU or UCF. So it’s imperative to have someone that can judge and get that 3 star on the fence. Mac was horrible in that regard. With the wealth of Florida talent you can’t tell me they couldn’t have a serviceable quarterback in 3 years. But this shouldn’t be a surprise since the two qbs to succeed McCarron were a converted running back and a transfer from FLORIDA STATE. Now we have two Kiffin recruits.
My earlier memories are of Steve Spurrier, Bobby Bowden, and who ever showed up at Miami all having national powers, top ten teams, and great recruiting classes. The state had room for Dennis Erickson's great Miami teams (9 losses in 6 years), while Spurrier won SEC titles, and Bowden won conference titles. During that overlapping stretch, (1990-1994), those three coaches won 2 NCs, 9 conference titles (they all weren't even in conferences the whole time), and went 155-27 (of course they were playing each other, so they weren't losing often to teams outside the state). So, when I talk about potential, and talent, and all of that, that's the sort of thing I'm alluding to. The latent potential. Now, may be that won't be duplicated (though you can find other impressive stretches where all three were doing quite well). But, to put things another way, as long as Florida doesn't have the 4th best recruiter in the state, or should I say as long as they have at least the third best, they should be fine. If Florida can't even manage that? That's just sheer ineptitude (they are one of the more attractive jobs in college football). Beyond that, they need a coach who knows how to win. Plenty of coaches win with less talent than Florida can easily get.
You bring up Muschamp, and this illustrates the point I was making (sometimes it is easy to talk past each other). If Muschamp is a good recruiter, and McElwain is a bad recruiter, how come Florida has been out recruiting South Carolina? I mean, Muschamp can recruit right? McElwain can't, yet Florida is noticeably ahead in recruiting. That's what I'm getting at. Florida has such a built in advantage, that you don't have to be a great recruiter to still recruit well.
