LSU/USC/Bama/UF Battle for the Title: Official Rivals Rankings

I find DJ Fluker extremely unimpressive.

 

Well looking back just a few years, some of the bigger busts have come from the South and the East. Emmanuel Moody 4* out of Texas, Mitch Mustain 5* out of Arkansas, Vidal Hazelton 5* out of Virginia, Antwine Perez 5* out of New Jersey. There are also plenty of kids who were highly rated but are still trying to find their way onto the field or who didn't make the expected freshman splash....Mike Morgan 4* out of Texas, Ronald Johnson 5* out of Michigan, TJ Bryant 4* out of Florida, Nick Perry 4* out of Michigan, Brice Butler 4* out of Georgia, Joe McKnight......nevamind the rest.

We'll see how this year's crop pans out depending on who commits. Orson Charles 5* out of Georgia, Jarvis Jones 4* out of Florida, Alshon Jeffrey 4* out of SoCarolina, Frankie Telfort 3* out of Florida.

The 5*'s USC has had over the last few years out of the West are Sanchez, Turner, Maualuga, Mays, Gable, O'Dowd, Griffin, Galippo, Tyler, Corp, Ayles, Shoemate, Kalil. They've all seen the field some, and some as true freshmen.

 

More than finishing with the No. 1 class, is are we filling the needs of the team.

I think last years class was a huge success, because it pretty much was what we needed.


Islstl, how well do you feel that we are restocking where we need too?

 

I don't get the obsession over having the highest ranking on rivals of all time, or the recruiting national championship either. I think it's overrated when we don't get that, and probably even more overrated if we do. These recruiting sites all see things a little differently and all have their own influences.

The thing to remember(especially if we finish #1), is that the guys have to perform on the field. And from a raw potential standpoint, this class is as high or higher than anything we have ever had. What is not to be ecstatic about?

I think it's a bold statement that we tapped TX as hard as we did, and make no mistake about it, every school in TX knows it and is already fearful about their recruits next year.

Looking at the different sites tells you how arbitrary the rankings are. Focus on the players, not the rankings. Do that, and you realize how freakishly loaded this class really is.

 

of course. and auburn has had more players moved up over the past five years. not sure many bama grads would do that. which reminds me, he isnt a bama grad.

we need built in excuses if something doesnt go our way. we dance like deion in the endzone and flop like him when we get burned.

 

How hard does USC work on players not from their half of the US, proximity-wise? It seems California would be good enough to field a USC-type team year in and out.

This is the kind of attitude that loses us the recruiting national championship. :wink: Seriously, the guys we wanted and lost that would have boosted our "points" are losses we'd rather not have suffered.

Sober and true. The publicity we get for it would be grand, but mostly fluff.

 

Not sure if I could say how hard but over the last half dozen years or so, the roster is primarily CA kids with a solid group from Pac10 territory with particular emphasis on AZ, WA, and obviously Utah. Throw in Hawaii and TX for a couple too. After that I'd say we end up with a handful of kids from the Midwest, Southeast, and the East.

By far it is the hardest to get kids out of the South. Even the ones we get from far away don't necessarily stick. Hazelton, Perez, Green, Moody. Some of them end up flipping on signing day and the pressure to stay home is immense which is why some choose to keep quiet until the last minute. A few years back TE Fred Davis basically announced to USC then headed straight to the Toledo airport to come out here. He was expected to go Buckeye.