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.
Next up is Al Golden’s transition class, the Class of 2011. Let’s start with the numbers:
Four-year winning percentage- 56% (-2 from prior class)
Total enrollees- 18
NFL players- 6
NFL games- 356
Day 1 Picks- 1
Day 2 picks- 1
Pro Bowls- 1
FIVE STARS
DE Anthony Chickillo (Tampa, FL)
DT Jalen Grimble (Las Vegas, NV)
ATH Dallas Crawford (Fort Myers, FL)
THREE STARS OR BELOW
LB Denzel Perryman (Miami-Dade, FL)
LB Gionni Paul (Lakeland, FL)
DL Olsen Pierre (New York metro)
LB Eddie Johnson (Atlanta, GA)
WR Rashawn Scott (Melbourne, FL)
K Matt Goudis (Los Angeles, CA)
OL Hunter Wells (Canton, IL)
P Dalton Botts (Los Angeles, CA)
DL Junior Alexis (Los Angeles, CA)
DT Darius Smith (Hartford, CT)
LB Thurston Armbrister (Broward County, FL)
Rival programs made big moves during our transition. Jimbo Fisher planted a flag in South Florida, signing several local players who would form the core of his 2013 title team (Nick O’Leary, Devonta Freeman, Kelvin Benjamin, Rashad Greene, and Bobby Hart). Clemson signed Sammy Watkins and gained a foothold on the West Coast of Florida. Shannon didn’t bother to recruit Plantation’s Ryan Shazier, and he blossomed into a first rounder at Ohio State. Teddy Bridgewater decommitted when Shannon got fired, and Jacoby Brissett rejected Golden’s late push to sign with Florida. Both have been playing in the NFL for the past decade.
BEST PLAYER: There were three really good players in this group, but I’ll go with Denzel Perryman. Local observers knew about Perryman for years, as he was next in line after Jon Vilma and Daryl Sharpton as Coral Gables High linebackers. The story goes that new DC Mark D’Onofrio didn’t like Perryman, and LB coach Michael Barrow had to convince Golden to take him. I’m glad he did. Perryman turned into a tackling machine and Pro Bowler.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: There were only three blue-chip players, so expectations were low. The choice by default is Jalen Grimble. He was a borderline five-star who dropped down the rankings as a senior and landed in our class. After two years as a reserve, he transferred to Oregon State. His biggest contribution to the program may have been opening up a pipeline to Bishop Gorman High School.
BEST EVALUATION: Hollywood Hills linebacker Thurston Armbrister didn’t even have a profile picture when he committed to the Canes. He was an oversized safety with a name straight out of Downton Abbey who earned an offer late in the process. Armbrister didn’t make a huge impact in D’Onofrio’s disastrous defense, but he was talented and played 31 games in the pros.
LESSONS LEARNED: Don’t give your rivals a window. During the Shannon transition in 2007, the Gators signed the core of their last championship team. When we transitioned to Golden in 2011, the Noles did the same thing. Another lesson: if you’re scrambling, bet big on traits. Armbrister, Pierre and Rashawn Scott were long, strong and athletic prospects who looked the part. They weren’t home runs by any means, but they were steps in the right direction.
CONCLUSION: Shannon began to upgrade the talent level after Coker, and Golden continued the trend. But there was still a long way to go until we got to Miami caliber, and as the next few classes show, we never got there.
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.
Next up is Al Golden’s transition class, the Class of 2011. Let’s start with the numbers:
Four-year winning percentage- 56% (-2 from prior class)
Total enrollees- 18
NFL players- 6
NFL games- 356
Day 1 Picks- 1
Day 2 picks- 1
Pro Bowls- 1
FIVE STARS
DE Anthony Chickillo (Tampa, FL)
- 76 NFL games
- 4th Round
DT Jalen Grimble (Las Vegas, NV)
ATH Dallas Crawford (Fort Myers, FL)
THREE STARS OR BELOW
LB Denzel Perryman (Miami-Dade, FL)
- 119 NFL games
- Second Round
- One Pro Bowl
- 94 NFL games
- First Round
LB Gionni Paul (Lakeland, FL)
DL Olsen Pierre (New York metro)
- 33 NFL games
LB Eddie Johnson (Atlanta, GA)
WR Rashawn Scott (Melbourne, FL)
- 3 NFL games
K Matt Goudis (Los Angeles, CA)
OL Hunter Wells (Canton, IL)
P Dalton Botts (Los Angeles, CA)
DL Junior Alexis (Los Angeles, CA)
DT Darius Smith (Hartford, CT)
LB Thurston Armbrister (Broward County, FL)
- 31 NFL games
Rival programs made big moves during our transition. Jimbo Fisher planted a flag in South Florida, signing several local players who would form the core of his 2013 title team (Nick O’Leary, Devonta Freeman, Kelvin Benjamin, Rashad Greene, and Bobby Hart). Clemson signed Sammy Watkins and gained a foothold on the West Coast of Florida. Shannon didn’t bother to recruit Plantation’s Ryan Shazier, and he blossomed into a first rounder at Ohio State. Teddy Bridgewater decommitted when Shannon got fired, and Jacoby Brissett rejected Golden’s late push to sign with Florida. Both have been playing in the NFL for the past decade.
BEST PLAYER: There were three really good players in this group, but I’ll go with Denzel Perryman. Local observers knew about Perryman for years, as he was next in line after Jon Vilma and Daryl Sharpton as Coral Gables High linebackers. The story goes that new DC Mark D’Onofrio didn’t like Perryman, and LB coach Michael Barrow had to convince Golden to take him. I’m glad he did. Perryman turned into a tackling machine and Pro Bowler.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: There were only three blue-chip players, so expectations were low. The choice by default is Jalen Grimble. He was a borderline five-star who dropped down the rankings as a senior and landed in our class. After two years as a reserve, he transferred to Oregon State. His biggest contribution to the program may have been opening up a pipeline to Bishop Gorman High School.
BEST EVALUATION: Hollywood Hills linebacker Thurston Armbrister didn’t even have a profile picture when he committed to the Canes. He was an oversized safety with a name straight out of Downton Abbey who earned an offer late in the process. Armbrister didn’t make a huge impact in D’Onofrio’s disastrous defense, but he was talented and played 31 games in the pros.
LESSONS LEARNED: Don’t give your rivals a window. During the Shannon transition in 2007, the Gators signed the core of their last championship team. When we transitioned to Golden in 2011, the Noles did the same thing. Another lesson: if you’re scrambling, bet big on traits. Armbrister, Pierre and Rashawn Scott were long, strong and athletic prospects who looked the part. They weren’t home runs by any means, but they were steps in the right direction.
CONCLUSION: Shannon began to upgrade the talent level after Coker, and Golden continued the trend. But there was still a long way to go until we got to Miami caliber, and as the next few classes show, we never got there.
