Standout [338]
TigerPulse: 91%
Posts: 1013
Joined: 9/16/11
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Re: Front Page Story: Clemson Recruiting 2013 Signing Day Notes
Feb 7, 2013, 4:36 PM
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I've got a little bit of a problem with us bragging about being listed in the top 25 of ESPN's list for the last 4 years. This strikes me as a bit of picking which statistics work best for you and using them in your sales pitch. That's not a bad strategy when trying to make sales, but if you're self evaluating, it's dillusional. I think Dabo is an excellent coach and great recruiter. 2009, however, was not a great recruiting year. ESPN ranks us high because it was a quality group from top to bottom, but when you only sign 12, you can't afford misses. JK Jay wasn't a miss, but he never played a down of college ball because of a high school weight lifting accident. Bryce McNeal was a miss.
None of the other services (scout or rivals) had the Tigers listed in the top 25. That said, we're still in pretty good company, just not elite. Scout's rankings are public and probably more accurate.
Over the last 4 years, tOSU, Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, UGa, Auburn, Oklahoma, FSU, USC, and Texas have had every recruiting class ranked inside the top 25. Clemson, Oregon, Washington, and Oklahoma State missed the mark only in '09. That's significant because those guys will be playing their last year this fall.
Teams that made the cut in 3 out of the last 4 years include usc-e, Michigan, aTM, Florida, and Mississippi.
Based on talent alone, Clemson ranks somewhere between 10th and 16th with a slight bias toward the upper end of that group. ('10 - 23rd Seniors and RS Juniors; '11 - 14th Juniors and RS Sophomores; '12 - 17th Sophomores and RS Freshmen; '13 - 12th true freshmen)
One of the things those rankings predict is that Clemson will continue to get better each year.
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