2010 Rivals Team Rankings (Up to the Minute)

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

This class without a doubt exceeded all expectations. I'm used to us being recruiting monsters.. but not like this.

Would 1/18/8 be a top-3 finish? I would certainly think so looking at past years..

 

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

Even though LSU had an 8-5 year, some things remain constant. And if you listen to what the recruits and the parents say, these things are important to drawing high quality kids.

1. Potential to compete for a national championship each year.
2. Tradition of placing players in the NFL.
3. Focus on academics
4. Family atmosphere - i.e. trust that coaches will mentor

Basically, as long as those things don't change, I don't think LSU will experience a down year (outside the Top 10 or so) in recruiting for a long time.

 

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

I agree. Add one more rule, never end up without an upperclassman for a QB, a Jr. or a Sr. The position is too important to end up with only So. and Freshmen.

 

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

Kind of tough to predict or control that. But I can't argue with it. I like the Matt Flynn model - understudy, get hungry, then kick azz in your senior season. It's worked sorta well for us!

 

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

It can be hard to work it out, and you don't exactly PLAN on your Jr. QB being thrown off the team like RP, but we must have skipped a year in signing a QB, between Flynn and RP. In hindsight, that looks like a mistake. If you were going to skip a year, they needed to take 2 QB the year they signed RP, although another hot rod may not have wanted to come here. Course Flynn signed up the same year as Russell, so it can be done.

 

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

Pretty impressive class. I more than likely underrated them in my projections and didnt guess guys like Gibson would be ranked where they currently are. Good talent evaluation by Miles and co.

 

Re: Updated Rivals team ratings

Case in point: Shephard and Garrett

But...
It is Saban's fault we didn't have an experienced QB last year, his last year the QB's were Randall (Sr.), Flynn and JMR (RSFr.) thats it! He missed the year of getting a QB and then Saban leaving gave Miles that short recruiting year hurt his ability to get that other QB that he needed for insurance. We got stacked too young at QB and didnt have a progression through the ranks that you need to attract the future, with 2 sophmores and a freshman at QB what highschool kid is going to want to wait behind JMR for at least 2 seasons, then the top QB prospect in the country for at least a year after that, their path consisted of 4 years of waiting before they could see the field.

You can't blame Miles for getting RP in 2005 and he didn't have time to get another QB that he needed in the class. So we enter 2006 when no highschooler minus a die hard LSU fan is going to come be a frehsman QB. In 2007 we get Lee and this is where we really really needed another QB but didn't get it, when we brought in Hatch instead who flopped and was like not getting another QB at all. That was Flynn's last year and RP has 1 or 2 years after that. You can to be a backup as a RS freshman and maybe a starter as a sophmore but most likely a Junior, so we should have been able to get top talent at the position instead of Hatch.

But if RP is not an idiot, the system would have worked out despit having JMR and RP so close together. We were headed for a similar scenario with Jefferson and Shephard but Zach Lee is our savior should we have an injury/idiot of RP proportions. Because in all likelihood Zach will never play anything other than baseball except for maybe his senior year ala Flynn.

But its looking good right now...

RSSO Lee
SO Jefferson
FR Shephard/Garrett/Bailey
Future FR Lee