Saban knows exactly the types of recruits he's seeking from a physical standpoint. Alabama does not pursue players who fail to fit a specific size/speed metric even though they may prove quality players for other programs.
"They have a template, and it matches what most NFL teams are looking for," Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director and Crimson Tide radio analyst Phil Savage told Sporting News. "When they come out of the locker room on any given Saturday, you can see that all the DBs are of a certain height, all the defensive linemen are of a certain shape and the offensive linemen are big. It's not like you have one DB who is 5-7 and another who is 6-2.
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That's just the first example that popped up. Kirby took Saban's philosophy to Georgia so you can assume it's similar.
Just look at the recruiting rankings. For years, Clemson had classes ranked in the 10-15 range because they surrounded their blue chip QB/WR/DL with low-rated "program guys." From 2010 to 2019, their average class ranking was 12th. They've been Top 5 the last two years with their best classes of all-time.
Why is this important? Here's how 247 computes those recruiting rankings:
To that end, we have turned to the NFL Draft as the measuring stick and answer key that best indicates, in a quantitative manner, the level of success and ability players showcased during their college careers.
The point of this exchange is that NFL talent matters a lot. The data make that abundantly clear.
Nobody has ever said NFL numbers are Miami's "only problem." That's a weak strawman. We have a bunch of areas to improve. This thread focuses on a specific problem--the lack of elite talent-- that is the primary problem separating us from the top programs right now.
Yes, the path for us is maximizing our existing talent with a fun style of football. This will allow us to recruit true difference-makers like Deshaun Watson, Christian Wilkins and Trevor Lawrence. That's how Clemson got to the next level. Last year was a step in the right direction.
Trying to recruit like saban given where amd what we are sure sounds like a fool’s errand to me. We get run through by UNC Like a gonzo **** scene, and we’re debating the lack of a couple top picks. A couple top picks would help. They don’t explain UNC. I’d mention FIU and La Tech but you’ll pin those on Enos.
Georgia has been trying and it hasn’t quite worked for them, despite the top classes, because they’re not as good evaluators, apparently.
Clemson has 2 top 5 classes and now they’ve changed everything about their recruiting approach? Isn’t it more likely they landed a few more top kids who fit, than they’re chasing all different kids?
You can focus on lsck of elite talent. It’s true. But don’t dismiss the elephant in the room, which is experience, depth and position group capabilities. When we have big roster holes in the roster, a really weak ‘middle class’ as you put it, and deficient experience, we get embarrassed whether or not we have a couple top 3 round picks. Top round picks are the icing on the cake. We need a cake. We have some flour, sugar and egg, but it ain’t mixed right or baked right.
Priorities:
- QB talent (hopefully improving, but the rush to declare before any live action has not worked in the past)
- Unit integrity - no gaping holes at OL, LB, CB or elsewhere.
- Maturity and experience in the middle of the roster. Quit playing ion Nelsons before they’re ready. Have 8 good OL, not just 4. Have capable LBs who can sub.
- Overall talent increased through better evaluations - top tier or not, will drive the whole roster and competitiveness
If we do these things without stumbling across a couple top picks, we’ll still be competitive with almost everyone, and will be able to recruit more top kids who will be your icing on a cake.
These discussions remind me of an old sociology flaw. Someone observed that the difference between middle class people and homeless people is the lack of a house by homeless people. So their prescription is get houses for homeless people and they’ll be just like middle class people. Of course, life doesn’t work that way. Middle class people aren’t middle class because they have a house. They have a house because they’re middle class.
I’ve been pointing to the lack of meaningful NFL players coming from Miami for years in our exchanges, so it’s ironic to see that not be a focus. It’s a symptom, not a cause.