Class of 2015 For a recruiting novice like myself how does our class stack to others

[Alsacs]

I love all these verbals early as it is great. However, how good is class really compared to other years. If it stays around where it is now would it be a top 40 class nationally? Better it worse? Thanks.

 

[Rocco]

I love all these verbals early as it is great. However, how good is class really compared to other years. If it stays around where it is now would it be a top 40 class nationally? Better it worse? Thanks.

I could care less about rankings, but in terms of how our class compares, I think it matches favorably amongst our peers in the ACC (Pitt, BC, NC St, WF, etc). Further, the staff wanted to get in on these kids early and get them verbally on the line because they know their offer sheets will expand as we get closer to NSD (many poaching attempts went unsuccessful against our 2014 kids last year). As the bigger schools continue to miss out on the "blue-chip" kids, they will start to offer kids not as well-known which happens to be our bread-and-butter. For example, by the end of Custis' recruitment, Penn St, Tennessee and VT were all coming pretty hard. Most people don't know that.

I feel our staff recruits well for our systems, and that is really the most important thing. Once they find a kid, they solidify the relationships with the parents, get him on campus and wow him with the family atmosphere in this football program. That is why they've been quite successful in landing verbals during these visits and why our classes are filling up so much earlier than in years past.

 

[CuseCrew08]

I feel like this year is going to be all about maintaining and growing relationships with our commits leading up to NSD. At this point we only have 5 or so open spots so I think most of our energy is going to be focused on making sure the guys we do have signed know SU is where they want to be, especially when some of the big boys start sniffing around. Eric White will have an important role in this, staying in contact, congratulating them after their HS football games etc.

It's gonna be a fun ride, thats for sure!

 

[Rocco]

I feel like this year is going to be all about maintaining and growing relationships with our commits leading up to NSD. At this point we only have 5 or so open spots so I think most of our energy is going to be focused on making sure the guys we do have signed know SU is where they want to be, especially when some of the big boys start sniffing around. Eric White will have an important role in this, staying in contact, congratulating them after their HS football games etc.

It's gonna be a fun ride, thats for sure!

That is exactly what is going to happen, along with trying to land some 2016 kids.

 

[CuseCrew08]

I would also quickly mention that on paper, our class will probably not look as good as it actually is. I assume most of the guys committed are shutting down their recruitment in order to get ready for their senior years. This might keep some of the big schools from even offering or wasting their time, where if they weren't committed already they would have offered.

Also I am sure the committed guys aren't going to keep skout, ryvals, 247 updated on the people that do still offer them schollys.

 

[PhatOrange]

Everyone will have a different opinion. From the rvls slant this class might not make top 50 as it stands right now. The problem is we have too many unknown kids who won't be bumped up.

In terms of shear talent and how does the class compare to others? We have some top end talent but also a bunch of under-recruited kids who are unknown. I don't personally believe this class is nearly as good as last year's class. But that's TBD.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Hard to compare to other teams since they have different needs and philosophies.

The progression from where we've been to where we are is astounding though. We went from mostly soft, small, and/or slow under he who shall not be mentioned, to getting tough kids that were maybe a step slow or a couple inches too short, to now landing solid football players who are or who have the potential to be fast enough and big enough. While these guys won't likely be freshman AA that drive recruiting sites wild, this is what we need to thrive on. If we're getting the best avail developemental players early while the football factories chase the recruting site darlings we're in much better shape when the factories swing back around after missing on their 1's and going towards their 1a's of whom we have committed already.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think actually that this class will end up rated low. Normally that would worry me a little bit, because I do think the recruiting services are lousy at individual player evaluation but are better at assessing classes against each other, but this class is fundamentally different from what we're used to seeing in the sense that it is filling up so, so early. I take that to mean that the staff has been very deliberate in determining the profile of player they want, and going out and getting it (the linemen are high-motor maulers, the skill guys are shifty and speedy, etc.). I also like where we're getting talent from. Good chance that our commits don't get much evaluation from the recruiting services to boost their rankings, though. I think you could maybe question if the staff didn't shoot high enough, but I don't think that's the case - McDonald just doesn't seem wired like that.

So, I'm not expecting this class to look all that great honestly. If it doesn't, we'll just have to trust our guys. I'll tell you this - I like a lot that we're getting commitments early, and I'll be really surprised if our last few scholarships are taken by B listers or JUCOs, and I think that bodes well for the future.

 

[CuseCrew08]

If we compare this years class to last years, we had 15 guys commit AFTER their senior year started. 11 of them committed after they finished their senior year. If our 18 commits kept their recruitment open until after they finish their senior years I guarantee they have a ton more offers.

Let's not forget we were the FIRST to offer Davante Davis and Chris Clark, who have since blown up and are now top 5 at their respective positions. I don't think the staff took a shot in the dark on these guys, they know talent.

 

[cuseinchina]

Everyone will have a different opinion. From the rvls slant this class might not make top 50 as it stands right now. The problem is we have too many unknown kids who won't be bumped up.

In terms of shear talent and how does the class compare to others? We have some top end talent but also a bunch of under-recruited kids who are unknown. I don't personally believe this class is nearly as good as last year's class. But that's TBD.

I think you are comparing apples to oranges. Many of the guys who committed to us last year did so late in the game, when they had a chance to become more well known and get more offers (which both bump up rating) relative to the high school juniors who are committing to us now. I just don't think you can compare the classes in the same way because of how these rating services work. If we are signing many of our first choice guys, early, that likely indicates a uptick in recruiting success regardless of rankings. We'll know for sure two or three years from now.

But my primary point is, when we get our class committed earlier it will necessarily drag down the ranking of our class with the services by the time NSD comes around - that shouldn't be the case but definitely is.

 

[ImperialOrange]

If we compare this years class to last years, we had 15 guys commit AFTER their senior year started. 11 of them committed after they finished their senior year. If our 18 commits kept their recruitment open until after they finish their senior years I guarantee they have a ton more offers.

Let's not forget we were the FIRST to offer Davante Davis and Chris Clark, who have since blown up and are now top 5 at their respective positions. I don't think the staff took a shot in the dark on these guys, they know talent.

We are filling up positions of need with prospects that our staff deemed worthy very early on in the process. End game it depends on how much you trust the staff in terms of talent evaluation (I trust them) but we are getting the guys we want in positions of need. The only thing we really need yet are some widebodies on the d line. If we pull through with a couple there I will feel great about this class. Combine this years LB class with last years hall, and some rangy secondary players and our defense could be filthy IF we get the right guys on the line to keep their jerseys clean.

 

[longtimefan]

Everyone will have a different opinion. From the rvls slant this class might not make top 50 as it stands right now. The problem is we have too many unknown kids who won't be bumped up.

In terms of shear talent and how does the class compare to others? We have some top end talent but also a bunch of under-recruited kids who are unknown. I don't personally believe this class is nearly as good as last year's class. But that's TBD.

I expect this class to be rated lower than it might deserve because of the lack of a 3★+ QB. The rating services love the "skill position" guys.

 

[CU44SE]

Generally early commits are A list players, the players the staff has targeted and wanted from the start. As someone mentioned above, this staff seems to know talent when it sees them (Davis and Clark) for this class, not to mention the late run at custis and drawing a blank but the MLB out of philly last year when I believe clemson and penn st made a run at him. This is why I believe this years class will be better then last years class even if it is not ranked as highly. We are getting the kids we want and I believe that is very obvious when you look at how many commits we have before July. I look for some of these kids to explode during their senior season.

 

[Cuse_Albs]

Generally early commits are A list players, the players the staff has targeted and wanted from the start. As someone mentioned above, this staff seems to know talent when it sees them (Davis and Clark) for this class, not to mention the late run at custis and drawing a blank but the MLB out of philly last year when I believe clemson and penn st made a run at him. This is why I believe this years class will be better then last years class even if it is not ranked as highly. We are getting the kids we want and I believe that is very obvious when you look at how many commits we have before July. I look for some of these kids to explode during their senior season.

Add Zaire to the likes of Davis, Clark, and Custis also.

 

[CU44SE]

Add Zaire to the likes of Davis, Clark, and Custis also.

That was the name I was drawing a blank on, thank you

 

[PhatOrange]

I think you are comparing apples to oranges. Many of the guys who committed to us last year did so late in the game, when they had a chance to become more well known and get more offers (which both bump up rating) relative to the high school juniors who are committing to us now. I just don't think you can compare the classes in the same way because of how these rating services work. If we are signing many of our first choice guys, early, that likely indicates a uptick in recruiting success regardless of rankings. We'll know for sure two or three years from now.

But my primary point is, when we get our class committed earlier it will necessarily drag down the ranking of our class with the services by the time NSD comes around - that shouldn't be the case but definitely is.

Yes and no. This is sort of an urban legend with regards to the late kids having been rated higher. (for reference I only use rvls ratings) None of our kids that I recall received bumps – and Enoicy was actually downgraded from 4 stars to 2 stars.

That said, my preference for last year’s class is because – all things being equal – film, competition, camps etc. we got some monster talent in last year’s class. The kids I bolded imho I just don’t see too many equals from the current class.


Pre-October 31 commits

3/9 - Nas Howard – 3 star 5.5

3/14 - AJ Long – 3 stars 5.6

6/2 - Zaire Franklin – 3 stars 5.7 (this is just under 4 stars at rvls)

6/14 - Colton Moskal – 3 star 5.5

6/21 - Rodney Williams – 2 star 5.3

6/24 - Parris Bennett – 2 star 5.4

7/7 - KJ Williams – 4 stars 5.8 (not qualified)

7/27 - Lamar Dawson – 2 star 5.4 (medical)

9/1 - Erv Phillips – 2 star 5.3

9/8 - Jamal Custis – 3 stars 5.5

10/6 - Aaron Roberts – 3 star 5.5

10/20 - Alin Edouard – 3 star 5.6


Post October 31 commits

12/15 - Cordell Hudson – 3 star 5.5

12/24 - Chris Slayton – 3 star 5.6

1/19 - Treevon Prator – 3 star 5.5 (not qualified)

1/20 - Juwan Dowels – 3 star 5.5

2/2 - Adly Enoicy – 2 star 5.4 (rvls had him at 4 stars and downgraded him in December)

2/2 - Antwan Cordy – 2 star 5.4

2/2 - Jalen Harvey – 2 star 5.2

2/2 - Jon Thomas – 3 star 5.6

2/4 - Steve Ishmael – 3 star 5.7

2/5 - Kayton Samuels – 2 star 5.2

2/5 - Denzel Ward – 3 star 5.6

*Also (imo) the kid with the most impressive film in either class is Jonathon Thomas.

 

[CIL]

Too early to tell. We have some kids that most recruiting services haven't really looked at - yet. My guess is that we see some kids bumped up by the end of the year, especially the cb and de out of FL. Most services hadn't paid Davis much attention until his subsequent committ and decommit from SU.

The ratings game in the middle tier is so silly and arbitrary it hardly matters,
IMO. For instance, Dohner the Boner gave Ellison 2 stars NR because he measured 5'8" in stead of 5'9" at a recent camp. Seriously? He just was named a top 10 performer at a recent Texas showcase.

I'm not sure if they are rating ayers on potential NFL ability or being a good college player to be honest.

 

[PhatOrange]

Too early to tell. We have some kids that most recruiting services haven't really looked at - yet. My guess is that we see some kids bumped up by the end of the year, especially the cb and de out of FL. Most services hadn't paid Davis much attention until his subsequent committ and decommit from SU.

The ratings game in the middle tier is so silly and arbitrary it hardly matters,
IMO. For instance, Dohner the Boner gave Ellison 2 stars NR because he measured 5'8" in stead of 5'9" at a recent camp. Seriously? He just was named a top 10 performer at a recent Texas showcase.

I'm not sure if they are rating ayers on potential NFL ability or being a good college player to be honest.

lol. good post.

 

[CuseCrew08]

I see what you're saying Phat, but all these guys still have their senior year to "blow up". A lot of these guys are still growing into their bodies, lifting, understand the nuances of their positions still. I think a lot of our commits are about to have monster years, and have some pretty impressive tape at the end of the year to show for it.

 

[wfschrec]

Yes and no. This is sort of an urban legend with regards to the late kids having been rated higher. (for reference I only use rvls ratings) None of our kids that I recall received bumps – and Enoicy was actually downgraded from 4 stars to 2 stars.

That said, my preference for last year’s class is because – all things being equal – film, competition, camps etc. we got some monster talent in last year’s class. The kids I bolded imho I just don’t see too many equals from the current class.


Pre-October 31 commits

3/9 - Nas Howard – 3 star 5.5

3/14 - AJ Long – 3 stars 5.6

6/2 - Zaire Franklin – 3 stars 5.7 (this is just under 4 stars at rvls)

6/14 - Colton Moskal – 3 star 5.5

6/21 - Rodney Williams – 2 star 5.3

6/24 - Parris Bennett – 2 star 5.4

7/7 - KJ Williams – 4 stars 5.8 (not qualified)

7/27 - Lamar Dawson – 2 star 5.4 (medical)

9/1 - Erv Phillips – 2 star 5.3

9/8 - Jamal Custis – 3 stars 5.5

10/6 - Aaron Roberts – 3 star 5.5

10/20 - Alin Edouard – 3 star 5.6


Post October 31 commits

12/15 - Cordell Hudson – 3 star 5.5

12/24 - Chris Slayton – 3 star 5.6

1/19 - Treevon Prator – 3 star 5.5 (not qualified)

1/20 - Juwan Dowels – 3 star 5.5

2/2 - Adly Enoicy – 2 star 5.4 (rvls had him at 4 stars and downgraded him in December)

2/2 - Antwan Cordy – 2 star 5.4

2/2 - Jalen Harvey – 2 star 5.2

2/2 - Jon Thomas – 3 star 5.6

2/4 - Steve Ishmael – 3 star 5.7

2/5 - Kayton Samuels – 2 star 5.2

2/5 - Denzel Ward – 3 star 5.6

*Also (imo) the kid with the most impressive film in either class is Jonathon Thomas.

You missed Dowels ... he really needs to be bolded ...

 

[anomander]

I love all these verbals early as it is great. However, how good is class really compared to other years. If it stays around where it is now would it be a top 40 class nationally? Better it worse? Thanks.

Our last 5 or some commits should be some of the most talented, but if you are asking where we will finish ranking wise it will probably only be around 45-50? Our per star avg is one of the lowest in the conference basically only all 3 sites. This is not to say they aren't good because I feel some of the kids got screwed with their ratings. I also don't think it's nearly as good as last years class. Last year not only did we get really talented kids, but kids who had a ton of other offers. The offer list for these kids doesn't come close to matching last years, even if a bunch of our kids get a bunch of late offers. I don't think this is entirely bad though. IMO there were a couple reaches, but getting the class filled up early has a ton of benefits, none more important as getting a huge jump on the 2016 class, which I fully expect to be a top 30 class loaded with highly coveted prospects.

 

[Marroniac]

Don't QB's and WR's typically get rated higher than OL? We were probably destined for a lower rating this year just based on our positions of need. But if you put the 2 classes together we really knocked it out of the park.

 

[anomander]

Don't QB's and WR's typically get rated higher than OL? We were probably destined for a lower rating this year just based on our positions of need. But if you put the 2 classes together we really knocked it out of the park.

Not really. Offensive tackles is a key position and tend to have a ton of highly graded prospects at the position.

 

[Marroniac]

Not really. Offensive tackles is a key position and tend to have a ton of highly graded prospects at the position.

I must be thinking of ESPN. Every QB seems to be rated at the top of their class.

 

[anomander]

I must be thinking of ESPN. Every QB seems to be rated at the top of their class.

Oh ya ESPN definitely inflates their QB grades that's a fact. The other sites don't really.