We spend so much time on recruiting, but we rarely take time to look back. This series examines every class for the past five coaches- Manny, Richt, Golden, Shannon, and Coker. As Mario’s first class enters Year 4, what are the trends he needs to avoid if he wants to break the cycle?
Of course, bad coaching and development played a massive role in our downfall. But for this exercise, I wanted to focus on pure talent acquisition. That’s why I use NFL numbers. The NFL has the most standardized and competitive talent-evaluation process in football. It’s also really hard to get there- only 2% of CFB players and only 22% of four-stars make the league. And far fewer are able to stick around. As expected, our NFL decline mirrored our decline on the field.
We are now entering the Randy Shannon Era with his transition class from Larry Coker: 2007.
Four-year winning percentage: 55% (zero change from last class)
Total enrollees- 19
NFL players- 6
NFL games- 303 games
Day 1 Picks- 0
Day 2 picks- 4
Pro Bowls- 0
The class ranked #13 on the Composite. I’ve listed the players in order of recruiting ranking, with NFL players in BOLD:
FOUR STARS
DE Allen Bailey (Sapelo Island, GA)
QB Robert Marve (Tampa, FL)
RB Lee Chambers (Coffeeville, MS)
RB Graig Cooper (Memphis, TN)
OL Harland Gunn
RB Damien Berry (Belle Glade, FL)
WR Jermaine McKenzie (Bradenton, FL)
OT Orlando Franklin (Palm Beach, FL)
RB Shawnbrey McNeal (Dallas, TX)
WR Leonard Hankerson (Broward, FL)
S Jared Campbell (Denver, CO)
CB JoJo Nicolas (Miami-Dade, FL)
OC Tyler Horn (Memphis, TN)
WR Daniel Adderley (Greenville, SC)
WHAT HAPPENED- This was a good transition class for Randy Shannon. Coker left him nothing, so he had to work fast to salvage the group. In the end, he stopped the bleeding- it’s the first class in five years where the four-year winning percentage didn’t drop. He landed six NFL players, including four Day 2 picks. Even guys who didn’t make the NFL like Graig Cooper, Damien Berry and Tyler Horn were good college players.
While we were in transition, other teams moved forward. The Gators won their last championship with this class, which included the Pounceys, Chris Rainey, Joe Haden, Aaron Hernandez, Carlos Dunlap, and Major Wright (St. Thomas Aquinas). Cam Newton was also in this class. Noel Devine had been a star since his freshman year of high school, but Miami wasn’t involved by the end. West Virginia ended up being the right fit. Butch Davis won the battle for one of our top national targets, DT Marvin Austin. Butch would go on to sign first rounders Hakeem Nicks, Jonathan Cooper, Quinton Coples, Robert Quinn and many more NFL players.
BEST PLAYER: Leonard Hankerson and Allen Bailey each have cases, but I would go with Orlando Franklin from Delray Beach (Atlantic). He was a 6’6, 315-pound lineman who moved from Jamaica to Canada to Florida and spent a year in prep school. Shannon prioritized him, and Jeff Stoutland developed him into a second-round pick. Franklin ultimately made over $20 million in the pros.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Robert Marve was a savior to Miami fans in 2007. He won Mr. Football and broke state records for yards (4,380), touchdowns (48) and completions (280). He also led Plant High School to a championship. In the summer before his freshman year, Marve was in a car accident that forced him to redshirt. The next year, he punched through a car window trying to run away from the cops. He was suspended for the 2008 season opener, lost the job to Jacory Harris, and transferred to Purdue.
From Marve to Jarren Williams, we had at least seven QBs face disciplinary action at Miami. It's almost hard to believe. Your quarterback is supposed to bring stability and leadership. Looking back, we were cooked from the top down.
BEST EVALUATION: Leonard Hankerson was only a three-star on a heavily scouted St. Thomas Aquinas team. The real prize of the class was Belle Glade’s Deonte Thompson. But over time, Hankerson proved to be the better player.
He initially struggled with his hands, but worked with former Miami Dolphins great Mark Duper to improve. As a senior, he exploded for 72 catches, 1,156 yards and 13 TDs, the last of which is a Miami single-season record. He's now the receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers.
LESSON LEARNED: Body types matter. Guys like Franklin, Bailey and Adewale Ojomo looked right coming off the bus. Many of the guys that didn’t make it (Lee Chambers, Doug Wiggins and Jermaine McKenzie) had size deficiencies that couldn’t be fixed in the weight room. Demarcus Van Dyke was skinny, too, but he offset it with truly elite speed and length. There is a reason the big-time schools look different, and it starts in recruiting.
CONCLUSION: Shannon did an excellent job in a tough situation. He added real players and stopped the freefall under Coker. However, this class is judged on a curve as his transition class. The next class is the one that would define Shannon.
Of course, bad coaching and development played a massive role in our downfall. But for this exercise, I wanted to focus on pure talent acquisition. That’s why I use NFL numbers. The NFL has the most standardized and competitive talent-evaluation process in football. It’s also really hard to get there- only 2% of CFB players and only 22% of four-stars make the league. And far fewer are able to stick around. As expected, our NFL decline mirrored our decline on the field.
We are now entering the Randy Shannon Era with his transition class from Larry Coker: 2007.
Four-year winning percentage: 55% (zero change from last class)
Total enrollees- 19
NFL players- 6
NFL games- 303 games
Day 1 Picks- 0
Day 2 picks- 4
Pro Bowls- 0
The class ranked #13 on the Composite. I’ve listed the players in order of recruiting ranking, with NFL players in BOLD:
FOUR STARS
DE Allen Bailey (Sapelo Island, GA)
- 133 NFL games
- Third round
QB Robert Marve (Tampa, FL)
RB Lee Chambers (Coffeeville, MS)
RB Graig Cooper (Memphis, TN)
OL Harland Gunn
- 13 NFL games
RB Damien Berry (Belle Glade, FL)
WR Jermaine McKenzie (Bradenton, FL)
OT Orlando Franklin (Palm Beach, FL)
- 90 NFL games
- Second Round
- 25 NFL games
- Third round
RB Shawnbrey McNeal (Dallas, TX)
WR Leonard Hankerson (Broward, FL)
- 41 NFL games
- 3rd Round
- 1 game
S Jared Campbell (Denver, CO)
CB JoJo Nicolas (Miami-Dade, FL)
OC Tyler Horn (Memphis, TN)
WR Daniel Adderley (Greenville, SC)
WHAT HAPPENED- This was a good transition class for Randy Shannon. Coker left him nothing, so he had to work fast to salvage the group. In the end, he stopped the bleeding- it’s the first class in five years where the four-year winning percentage didn’t drop. He landed six NFL players, including four Day 2 picks. Even guys who didn’t make the NFL like Graig Cooper, Damien Berry and Tyler Horn were good college players.
While we were in transition, other teams moved forward. The Gators won their last championship with this class, which included the Pounceys, Chris Rainey, Joe Haden, Aaron Hernandez, Carlos Dunlap, and Major Wright (St. Thomas Aquinas). Cam Newton was also in this class. Noel Devine had been a star since his freshman year of high school, but Miami wasn’t involved by the end. West Virginia ended up being the right fit. Butch Davis won the battle for one of our top national targets, DT Marvin Austin. Butch would go on to sign first rounders Hakeem Nicks, Jonathan Cooper, Quinton Coples, Robert Quinn and many more NFL players.
BEST PLAYER: Leonard Hankerson and Allen Bailey each have cases, but I would go with Orlando Franklin from Delray Beach (Atlantic). He was a 6’6, 315-pound lineman who moved from Jamaica to Canada to Florida and spent a year in prep school. Shannon prioritized him, and Jeff Stoutland developed him into a second-round pick. Franklin ultimately made over $20 million in the pros.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Robert Marve was a savior to Miami fans in 2007. He won Mr. Football and broke state records for yards (4,380), touchdowns (48) and completions (280). He also led Plant High School to a championship. In the summer before his freshman year, Marve was in a car accident that forced him to redshirt. The next year, he punched through a car window trying to run away from the cops. He was suspended for the 2008 season opener, lost the job to Jacory Harris, and transferred to Purdue.
From Marve to Jarren Williams, we had at least seven QBs face disciplinary action at Miami. It's almost hard to believe. Your quarterback is supposed to bring stability and leadership. Looking back, we were cooked from the top down.
BEST EVALUATION: Leonard Hankerson was only a three-star on a heavily scouted St. Thomas Aquinas team. The real prize of the class was Belle Glade’s Deonte Thompson. But over time, Hankerson proved to be the better player.
He initially struggled with his hands, but worked with former Miami Dolphins great Mark Duper to improve. As a senior, he exploded for 72 catches, 1,156 yards and 13 TDs, the last of which is a Miami single-season record. He's now the receivers coach for the San Francisco 49ers.
LESSON LEARNED: Body types matter. Guys like Franklin, Bailey and Adewale Ojomo looked right coming off the bus. Many of the guys that didn’t make it (Lee Chambers, Doug Wiggins and Jermaine McKenzie) had size deficiencies that couldn’t be fixed in the weight room. Demarcus Van Dyke was skinny, too, but he offset it with truly elite speed and length. There is a reason the big-time schools look different, and it starts in recruiting.
CONCLUSION: Shannon did an excellent job in a tough situation. He added real players and stopped the freefall under Coker. However, this class is judged on a curve as his transition class. The next class is the one that would define Shannon.
