Best Class in Hog History...

[Razorback_Mack]

No, Oregon didn't win the BCS Title. Sorry.

I wasn't being serious dude.  I was obviously making fun of myself. It's ok

[pigroots]

So much goes into calling a class good not the least of which is players that fit your system. I believe this will be CBB's strength. He knows what he looking for. Arkansas will never be evaluated as highly because we have a smaller population base(fewer subscriptions to the recruiting gurus) as well as players who are not evaluated as well. (8-10 from the state each year). Therefore the classes will not be ranked as high even in the good years. CBB has proven that he recruits players who can play in the NFL. Personally I'm not as worried with what the recruit nicks think as I am what CBB thinks

[(notOM)Rebel123]

I wasn't being serious dude.  I was obviously making fun of myself. It's ok

I was making fun of you, as well. It's ok.

[ArmyOfnobunaga]

I wasn't being serious dude.  I was obviously making fun of myself. It's ok
[/quote
We have a famous guy in Houston called mattress Mack. You are not he are you?

[Razorback_Mack]

I wasn't being serious dude.  I was obviously making fun of myself. It's ok
[/quote
We have a famous guy in Houston called mattress Mack. You are not he are you?

Guilty as charged

[ArmyOfnobunaga]

Guilty as charged



Omg man. You are like a hero. I met you once. I was the fat kid in a wheelchair

[Razorback_Mack]

Yeah you're really funny. What a db. Making fun of kids with disabilities. Delete thread.

[Hawg Life]

Not debatable at all. It's about winning football games and producing nfl talent. 2008 was easily the best. With a mediocre coach in 2012 they would've limped to 8-9 wins. With a good coach 10+. In recruiting rankings history it's by far the best class.

No doubt that 8 of those kids were contributors, but the key to a COMPLETE class is keeping more than half of them on the team for 2 years or more. The fact that so many didn't pan out or stay deplete your future and hurt in the long run.

[Boarmonger]

I don't think you can tell how good the class is until at least year 4 after the class.  It's all speculation until then.  You don't know how good the players are nor don you know how the attrition, or lack thereof, will affect the team.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

It'll take just 1 GREAT class. Ole Miss did it and it has paid dividends. I think this staff could pull it off.

Huh..? Orgeron pulled like 3 bad azzed classes in a row. It only took Hootie 2 years to turn em back into losers, but this new guy can recruit$ really well...

[DLUXHOG]

First, MSU hasn't made a meteoric rise.  They benefited from a senior laden class.  They will fall off again next season.  OM hasn't made any meteoric rise either.  I mean we just hosed them.  Our Classes are usually close to OM and MSU, and we will never recruit like Bama, AU, LSU and A&M.  Never.

Ironically, other than Bama, the gap on the field has never been that big.  And the gap is closing fast.  Our classes are improving across all positions, but along the line of scrimmage in particular.

Never say "never"

[hawkhawg]

Wasn't there a class with Matt Jones, Tarvaris Jackson, Jason Peters, Shawn Andrews, and Ahmad Carroll.

[Pork Twain]

But still we are dead last in our division.  This is not to gripe or be negative.  I believe that we are only going up and our on the field play will greatly improve our recruiting ability in the coming years. 

The question is, where do we need to average in SEC West Ranking (247) to consistently compete for an SEC West title?

We have seen Miss. State and Ole Miss make a meteoric rise over the last few years which has translated in on the field success (for the most part).

When do you think Arkansas will have a top half ranking in the SEC West?

Star rankings are based on potential.  I have believed that recruiting rankings do matter to a point, but I also believe coaches like CBB and CBP can recruit a 3* and develop him into a 5* by the time they graduate.  That just means the coach must have a very low miss-rate with their recruits (cannot miss on the few upper star guys you sign) and that we all have to realize that it might take 2-3 years for a recruited player to make a real impact.

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/5-star-recruits-last-decade/

That all being said, I feel that as long as we continue to have a low miss-rate under CBB, it will not matter if we are in the top of recruiting in the SEC.

[Choctaw Hog]

But still we are dead last in our division.  This is not to gripe or be negative.  I believe that we are only going up and our on the field play will greatly improve our recruiting ability in the coming years. 

The question is, where do we need to average in SEC West Ranking (247) to consistently compete for an SEC West title?

We have seen Miss. State and Ole Miss make a meteoric rise over the last few years which has translated in on the field success (for the most part).

When do you think Arkansas will have a top half ranking in the SEC West?

Evaluate these classes in 2-3 years and report back.

[Choctaw Hog]

Star rankings are based on potential.  I have believed that recruiting rankings do matter to a point, but I also believe coaches like CBB and CBP can recruit a 3* and develop him into a 5* by the time they graduate.  That just means the coach must have a very low miss-rate with their recruits (cannot miss on the few upper star guys you sign) and that we all have to realize that it might take 2-3 years for a recruited player to make a real impact.

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/5-star-recruits-last-decade/

That all being said, I feel that as long as we continue to have a low miss-rate under CBB, it will not matter if we are in the top of recruiting in the SEC.

Recruiting services don't have the resources or the expertise to correctly and properly evaluate every single high school football player.  And, when I see comments that a player is only a tenth of a point from a 4 or a 5 star I laugh at the foolishness of it all. 

Really? Do you really believe recruiting services are so good at evaluating talent that they can correctly differentiate, to a tenth of a point, a player from Junction City, AR and Oxnard, CA? If they are so good at it then why don't college coaches pay attention to their service? 

And if you believe a coach and staff can develop a 3 Star recruit into a 5 Star player then you must also believe that a coach and staff can take a 5 Star recruit and coach him down to a 2 or below player.  It has to work both ways. 

Many of these so-called 2 and 3 star players are every bit as good and have as much potential as a 4 or 5 Star recruit but these recruiting services just don't evaluate them properly.  And that's why recruiting services appeal to the ignorant fan base and not used by coaches.       

[Steef]

Please see my sig line.

We are recruiting speed, intelligence and character. Two of those cannot be taught. And there isn't time in CFB to start from scratch on the third.

A lot of these kids, the differences between threes and fours, or fours and fives...isn't physical. It has more to do with high school coaching.

But now speed....? I remember a Bama game a few years back, in the closing seconds. Nick was just running out the clock. Had Henry in to carry the ball. In fairness,the kid is a beast.

But our tastes DB couldn't catch him in a 50 yard foot race. Never mind tackling him. Just never could close the gap.

So when I look at recruiting classes now, I assume our staff is screening for intelligence. I'm truly grateful they are screening for character. Not every school does and I'm proud we do.

I just want to know if they're as FAST...as every one else's recruits. The rest will take of itself.

[Pork Twain]

Recruiting services don't have the resources or the expertise to correctly and properly evaluate every single high school football player.  And, when I see comments that a player is only a tenth of a point from a 4 or a 5 star I laugh at the foolishness of it all. 

Really? Do you really believe recruiting services are so good at evaluating talent that they can correctly differentiate, to a tenth of a point, a player from Junction City, AR and Oxnard, CA? If they are so good at it then why don't college coaches pay attention to their service? 

And if you believe a coach and staff can develop a 3 Star recruit into a 5 Star player then you must also believe that a coach and staff can take a 5 Star recruit and coach him down to a 2 or below player.  It has to work both ways. 

Many of these so-called 2 and 3 star players are every bit as good and have as much potential as a 4 or 5 Star recruit but these recruiting services just don't evaluate them properly.  And that's why recruiting services appeal to the ignorant fan base and not used by coaches.       

Pretty much what I was saying, just a lot more words.

[PaintballHog]

I've been a self admitted star gazer myself, but I'm starting to learn that offer list is way more telling of a player than stars.

[Pork Twain]

Offer lists and stars are often very similar.  It is all about what the coach does with the players once they get them.

[Hoggish1]

But still we are dead last in our division.  This is not to gripe or be negative.  I believe that we are only going up and our on the field play will greatly improve our recruiting ability in the coming years. 

The question is, where do we need to average in SEC West Ranking (247) to consistently compete for an SEC West title?

We have seen Miss. State and Ole Miss make a meteoric rise over the last few years which has translated in on the field success (for the most part).

When do you think Arkansas will have a top half ranking in the SEC West?

What will you say (and ask) about recruiting rankings when we take over the top spot in the West or come close to grabbing the top spot in year three of CBB's tenure? 

Will you think our class was good enough and the coaches got the kind of play out of our recruits needed?  Or, will you still be wanting us to be No. 1 on Rivals or 247?

It should be clear by now that these recruiting rankings favor programs whose fan bases buy the most recruiting publication subscriptions.

[Peter Porker]

Not debatable at all. It's about winning football games and producing nfl talent. 2008 was easily the best. With a mediocre coach in 2012 they would've limped to 8-9 wins. With a good coach 10+. In recruiting rankings history it's by far the best class.

2008 glass was practically gone by 2012.

[PonderinHog]

I wasn't being serious dude.  I was obviously making fun of myself. It's ok

Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

2008 glass was practically gone by 2012.

That's a typo.

Carrion.

[Hoggish1]

Recruiting services don't have the resources or the expertise to correctly and properly evaluate every single high school football player.  And, when I see comments that a player is only a tenth of a point from a 4 or a 5 star I laugh at the foolishness of it all. 

Really? Do you really believe recruiting services are so good at evaluating talent that they can correctly differentiate, to a tenth of a point, a player from Junction City, AR and Oxnard, CA? If they are so good at it then why don't college coaches pay attention to their service? 

And if you believe a coach and staff can develop a 3 Star recruit into a 5 Star player then you must also believe that a coach and staff can take a 5 Star recruit and coach him down to a 2 or below player.  It has to work both ways. 

Many of these so-called 2 and 3 star players are every bit as good and have as much potential as a 4 or 5 Star recruit but these recruiting services just don't evaluate them properly.  And that's why recruiting services appeal to the ignorant fan base and not used by coaches.       

Excellent!

And that's why I've always said that not all 5*s are equal, neither are all 3* ll equal.  It all has to do with the kids motivation and drive among many other things that recruiting services can't measure and aren't interested in measuring, if they had the time or expertise.


However, they can measure subscriptions to their services and they do know, as a matter of course, that Texas, Florida, California and Georgia are large states with big high school programs.

[Hoggish1]

Please see my sig line.

We are recruiting speed, intelligence and character. Two of those cannot be taught. And there isn't time in CFB to start from scratch on the third.

A lot of these kids, the differences between threes and fours, or fours and fives...isn't physical. It has more to do with high school coaching.

But now speed....? I remember a Bama game a few years back, in the closing seconds. Nick was just running out the clock. Had Henry in to carry the ball. In fairness,the kid is a beast.

But our tastes DB couldn't catch him in a 50 yard foot race. Never mind tackling him. Just never could close the gap.

So when I look at recruiting classes now, I assume our staff is screening for intelligence. I'm truly grateful they are screening for character. Not every school does and I'm proud we do.

I just want to know if they're as FAST...as every one else's recruits. The rest will take of itself.

!

[ballhogger]

I still like this class a lot!  I feel like we are finally building a defense that can stop the likes of Texas a&m and Ole Miss.  We are starting to get bigger DB's.  We have some talented d-linemen and are putting together some solid linebackers.  The offense is being built exactly like we want it to be and we are getting some serious depth on the o-line.  Honestly I think Pettway is another Greg Childsesque type of receiver which is what this offense needs and I feel we have a few inside slot guys to work with.  We will get good running backs because of the line and the QB's don't have to be Ryan Mallet year in year out, but every now and then you get a special one and you are in for a special year.  We are going to be in very good shape in the next few years.

[JansterZ71]

Guilty as charged

Mattress Mack is a Texas Fan... So you are claiming you are him and a Texas Fan???

[pigskinpreacherII]

I believe this is a great class but you can't know for sure until they all graduate. The 2008 class turned out to be a Top 5 class in my opinion. We were one of the best teams in the country during there tenure.

[hogs dont cry]

Recruiting services don't have the resources or the expertise to correctly and properly evaluate every single high school football player.  And, when I see comments that a player is only a tenth of a point from a 4 or a 5 star I laugh at the foolishness of it all. 

Really? Do you really believe recruiting services are so good at evaluating talent that they can correctly differentiate, to a tenth of a point, a player from Junction City, AR and Oxnard, CA? If they are so good at it then why don't college coaches pay attention to their service? 

And if you believe a coach and staff can develop a 3 Star recruit into a 5 Star player then you must also believe that a coach and staff can take a 5 Star recruit and coach him down to a 2 or below player.  It has to work both ways. 

Many of these so-called 2 and 3 star players are every bit as good and have as much potential as a 4 or 5 Star recruit but these recruiting services just don't evaluate them properly.  And that's why recruiting services appeal to the ignorant fan base and not used by coaches.       

Great post.  I'll also add that the rankings can only be accurate if there are exactly 25 five star guys a year, 200 four stars, etc.  We know that can't be the case every year.

This discussion will never end, but the bottom line is good/great coaches know how to get the right players for their program, develop them, and teach them to excel in it. 

There's no doubt that Alabama will always be tough with he talent they bring in every year.  We may never be able to do what they do in recruiting, but that's OK. What we need to do is consistently stay within striking distance of winning the west and maintain a winning program.  Then, when we have great talent in the right places we can capitalize because we know how to win.

Program stability is so important.  We can't start from scratch every 5-7 years and expect to ever gain ground.  Sorry for the long post....

[(notOM)Rebel123]

Mattress Mack is a Texas Fan... So you are claiming you are him and a Texas Fan???

Is Razorback_Mack from Georgia? Home to "Banjo Boy".

[ArmyOfnobunaga]

I knew it was mattress mack!!! I knew it! my hero!

[nwahogfan1]

But still we are dead last in our division.  This is not to gripe or be negative.  I believe that we are only going up and our on the field play will greatly improve our recruiting ability in the coming years. 

The question is, where do we need to average in SEC West Ranking (247) to consistently compete for an SEC West title?

We have seen Miss. State and Ole Miss make a meteoric rise over the last few years which has translated in on the field success (for the most part).

When do you think Arkansas will have a top half ranking in the SEC West?

But the separation between 1st and last is so slim.   Development is the biggest key to these kids.