Not a bad write up considering the two that it's coming from... I work for the company that owns this paper. In fact, those two are just a floor above me. Haney reads a web site, finds someone's stated opinion that he likes and then reports it as news. Even with the inaccuracies pointed to him in detail his MO remains the same. Larry, well, just isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer...in fact, a butter knife would be considered a deadly weapon.
Alabama I believe has had top 15 even a top 10 recently.... I have a good friend who is a big Bama fan. He often tells me "Wait until Saban gets his Talent" well if you base yourself off of these recruiting board they have had top 15 talent for years. I guess I always get confused by that statement. Alabama - Ranked on Rivals 2007 - 10th 2006 - 11th 2005 - 18th 2004 - 15th Thats pretty solid.... Yet 6-6 with a loss to ULM in 07? I guess if rankings equates to wins well Bama is a perfect case study as well as the one mentioned in these articles. Also Jacob Hester - 2 Star recruit... I know I am in the minority here but where LSU ranks in "recruiting" polls means nothing to me personally. Sure you want good players and there are hits sometimes like JR (Ranked a 5 star) but there are also huge misses or diamonds in teh rough (Hester) I guess just dont get so hung up on rankings. The golden question - Did we get the majority of the kids we offered - Yes Did we get every kid in Louisiana we offered - That also appears to be a yes Did we not recruit like coaches such as Meyers - Yes Looks good to me.
Completely agree with you, except JaMarcus was actually a four star according to Rivals when he came out. That fact probably further illustrates your point.
There wasn't a lot of player development going on with those "top recruiting classes" Bama had either. Some of Saban's players he got in the 07 class made as much or more contributions in their first year than many Shula players had their entire career. "Success" is a formula that entails more than one variable. I want bother you with them because you're probably smart enough to know them. But just bringing in "talent" in and of itself doesn't mean much if that talent isn't developed. When Saban started winning at LSU there were A LOT of Dinardo's players on his teams. Why didn't Dinardo win with them? Talent plays it's role but there's much more to winning than talent by itself. I think recruiting rankings are a hit and miss but aren't all together useless. Sure they miss on players but how many of those "misses" could be attributed to coaching staffs not having good developing skills?
I trust our coaches, but I also like to make my own opinions on recruits. I think the most important thing, once a coaching staff has shown they know how to evaluate talent, is to try & figure out if they are settling. So long as our coaching staff doesn't feel like we're settling for recruits, then we're doing great.
i agree. plus, obviously, a lot depends on how the talent is coached and developed. given lsu's staff, and that miles has shown an ability to make great hires also, i am not worried about a lower class ranking than what we have seen the past couple of years. developing those future hesters, as texastigers pointed out, is what i am looking forward to seeing.
Good points. I think the recruiting class rankings are all "relative", and subjective. There are always hidden gems in players with lower rankings, good example being Jacob Hester. I have to give Saban and his staff credit for picking Hester. As to Bama's loss to ULM, it is a reflectiion of multiple factors, including players not yet settled in, or bought into Saban's system AND personality. I think Saban will do better with his own recruits who obviously believe in Saban, and after getting the right coaching staff. I have a feeling the staff also stresses a lot on team chemistry, coaches included. I think that is one of the keys in maximizing the team's potential.
That's a good analysis. If you take those years that were mentioned earlier, some of those "quality recruits" haven't been quality guys in terms of work ethic, behavior and leadership. Development in college goes beyond what they do on the field. A great majority of those players haven't developed on the field, were brought up in a system where the development in the off-season was half-a$$ed, and the character development (off the field) wasn't stressed at all. You will see a few names on the '04 year that are contributing now. A few back next season. A lot deep on the depth chart.
I never have bought into the "Shula Excuse Syndrome" that Bama Fans use to extend Saban's honeymoon at Bama. If Dennis Erickson can do the 1st year job he did at Arizona State with less talent, then I have to believe Saban knows he did not produce as a coach his first year at Bama. To start out 6-2 and then implode is Saban's worst coaching job I've ever witnessed. It's a good thing he got to play a very weak Colorado team to avoid a losing season.
