SDS: SEC TE Talent by Team

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Excerpts from the article.

Three SEC teams claim a trio of "quality" tight ends: Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas. Texas A&M (with just two four-star tight ends) is the only other SEC school with an average recruiting rating above 3.3 at the position.

The number of scholarship tight ends varies significantly from roster to roster. LSU and Arkansas feature seven, while Texas A&M and Auburn feature just two. The Razorbacks run two-tight end sets almost exclusively.

The collection of two- and three-star tight ends should be every bit as productive as the four- and five-star players at the position. Evan Engram (Ole Miss), Steven Scheu (Vanderbilt), Jake McGee (Florida), Sean Culkin (Missouri) and Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas) all are set for important roles.

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/best-sec-tight-end-talent-2015/

[Hog N Bama]

I think Sprinkle is going to prove he's better than rated this year.

[ldfergu]

I think Sprinkle is going to prove he's better than rated this year.

[bigdaddyhawg]

Excerpts from the article.

Three SEC teams claim a trio of "quality" tight ends: Alabama, Georgia and Arkansas. Texas A&M (with just two four-star tight ends) is the only other SEC school with an average recruiting rating above 3.3 at the position.

The number of scholarship tight ends varies significantly from roster to roster. LSU and Arkansas feature seven, while Texas A&M and Auburn feature just two. The Razorbacks run two-tight end sets almost exclusively.

The collection of two- and three-star tight ends should be every bit as productive as the four- and five-star players at the position. Evan Engram (Ole Miss), Steven Scheu (Vanderbilt), Jake McGee (Florida), Sean Culkin (Missouri) and Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas) all are set for important roles.

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/best-sec-tight-end-talent-2015/

Most of these guys have actual production in CFB to look at, point to.  So why are they still relating these kids to their stinking recruiting rankings given them when they were in the spring of their junior years in high school?

This stupid, insipid issue of recruiting rankings continues to grow.  How long will it be before some recruiting service is crowing national champions based strictly on the rankings a class earns at signing day?

Never mind.  They already do that.   

[ballz2thewall]

Most of these guys have actual production in CFB to look at, point to.  So why are they still relating these kids to their stinking recruiting rankings given them when they were in the spring of their junior years in high school?

This stupid, insipid issue of recruiting rankings continues to grow.  How long will it be before some recruiting service is crowing national champions based strictly on the rankings a class earns at signing day?

Never mind.  They already do that.   

yep.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

Thanks for the link..." and Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas) all are set for important roles."
Based on the spring practices/R&W, Jeremy should be a nice complement to HH. When JS splits out it looks like Mutt & Jeff when compared to the DB.
One of the most athletic TE to don a Razorback uniform.

" GO HOGS "

[razorbacker3]

Austin Cantrell will be playing at some position this year if not TE. He has too much speed for a man his size. Very strong also. Maybe the steal of the year in recruiting.

[Suidae Suis Scrofa]

So why are they still relating these kids to their stinking recruiting rankings given them when they were in the spring of their junior years in high school?

For the same reason that baseball analysts like to quote fastball velocity for pitchers.  Because it's a number and numbers are easy to compare.  They don't tell the whole story, but it's a lot easier to say that 94 MPH is faster than 89 MPH than it is to actually analyze the pitcher's form and the movement on the ball and then relate that to how good a pitcher is.

Recruiting services are looking to make a buck as easily as possible and numbers are the easiest way to do it.

-phil

[bigdaddyhawg]

For the same reason that baseball analysts like to quote fastball velocity for pitchers.  Because it's a number and numbers are easy to compare.  They don't tell the whole story, but it's a lot easier to say that 94 MPH is faster than 89 MPH than it is to actually analyze the pitcher's form and the movement on the ball and then relate that to how good a pitcher is.

Recruiting services are looking to make a buck as easily as possible and numbers are the easiest way to do it.

-phil

OK, but my point is there are numbers that actually exist from their current play, in college.  Why go back three or four years and hold those numbers sacred, over numbers of actual on field production?

Makes no sense whatsoever.

[KlubhouseKonnected]

Not much analysis or substance in that "article."

[MuskogeeHogFan]

OK, but my point is there are numbers that actually exist from their current play, in college.  Why go back three or four years and hold those numbers sacred, over numbers of actual on field production?

Makes no sense whatsoever.

I think it all depends upon the point that they are trying to make.

If they are trying to argue that all of these players with 4 or 5 stars have turned into very successful players, then they need to show how many games they have played and started and what their production has been during that time. It would be nice to have charts that show how players graded out, for every game that they have played in their careers at a school, but that isn't happening, unfortunately.

The closest thing we have to equating the value and development of a player is minutes played, games played and games started. But that isn't necessarily an indicator of how good that player is compared to other players. Is a guy that has started 48 games at Vanderbilt, a better TE than someone who is the same age and has only started 24 at Arkansas? Or Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, etc, etc?

[Choctaw Hog]

OK, but my point is there are numbers that actually exist from their current play, in college.  Why go back three or four years and hold those numbers sacred, over numbers of actual on field production?

Makes no sense whatsoever.

It makes perfect sense when you realize who recruiting services market to, the ignorant, gullible fan.

[bennyl08]

It is hard to compare stats and the such when you have such a disparity in styles. A backup TE at Arkansas will get a lot of "starts" while the top TE at say Ole Miss may not even start every game.

When it comes to who is the top TE talent, those words are chosen directly. You can rack up a lot of stats in the right system without having much talent while another guy may have a lot of talent but not put up big numbers.

That is where the recruiting rankings come in. By far they are not an end all, be all number, obviously. However, that is the most accurate way to quickly do something. Talent is generally a combination of athletic ability and production. I.e. the NFL sees an athletic person with little production and they question the work ethic. They see a person with a lot of production but poor relative athleticism and they question whether or not that production will translate to the NFL. So, draft rankings are largely based on the combination of those two things and recruiting rankings are to my knowledge the single most accurate number that predicts such things.

[bigdaddyhawg]

It makes perfect sense when you realize who recruiting services market to, the ignorant, gullible fan.

Sure, but this article was not done by a recruiting service.

Maybe it was a reacharound for a buddy that works for a service.

[Cinco de Hogo]

I don't think they were trying to make a point about stars at all it was just filler for the article.

Like saying "oh and the guy throws a 94 mph fastball"  you really aren't trying to prove a point it's just interesting facts.  Then the overzealous fan can get all bent out of shape about making something out of nothing.

By the way! 

In case you really didn't know, that's not THE National Championship you win on recruiting day it just the recruiting championship and I don't think it comes with a trophy or is recognized by the NCAA.

[bigdaddyhawg]

In case you really didn't know, that's not THE National Championship you win on recruiting day it just the recruiting championship and I don't think it comes with a trophy or is recognized by the NCAA.

Yeah, I know, but it didn't fit the diatribe I was putting forward there. 

[Cinco de Hogo]

Yeah, I know, but it didn't fit the diatribe I was putting forward there. 

Well you took that well enough despite me bustin your chops, but I know where your coming from, I do that myself sometime to help others get riled up.  LOL