Katzenboyer
Freshman
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2015
- Messages
- 1,616
Welcome back. I wanted to post another thread on how Miami can return to its former greatness simply by following a consistent model recruiting on a year-to-year basis. I wanted to look at our past four classes to see how we currently stack up against the model I advocated for in my other thread*, and where we currently still need some work.
*If you haven't checked it out already, see part 1 here. In that thread, I took a look at Clemson's first four recruiting classes under Dabo, and how he set the table to build the Tigers into the monster they are in college football today. I also looked at ND's past five classes, a program I think used the "Clemson model" discussed in the other thread effectively to build a playoff team.
When discussing the model I think Manny should adopt when it comes to putting together his next recruiting classes, I looked at five points of emphasis that are must-dos if we're going to return to college football's elite.
Number of Signees by Star Ranking
Number of Signees by Position
Let's look at the positive and negative aspects of our last four classes.
THE GOOD
THE BAD
*If you haven't checked it out already, see part 1 here. In that thread, I took a look at Clemson's first four recruiting classes under Dabo, and how he set the table to build the Tigers into the monster they are in college football today. I also looked at ND's past five classes, a program I think used the "Clemson model" discussed in the other thread effectively to build a playoff team.
When discussing the model I think Manny should adopt when it comes to putting together his next recruiting classes, I looked at five points of emphasis that are must-dos if we're going to return to college football's elite.
- Prioritize Class Size.
- Build Both Lines.
- Don't Focus on Class Rankings.
- Five Stars are a nice bonus; they are not a necessary condition at this point.
- Never, ever miss on a position group.
Number of Signees by Star Ranking
Star Ranking | 2016 Class | 2017 Class | 2018 Class | 2019 Class |
Three Star or Lower | 12 | 14 | 7 | 11 |
Four Star | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 |
Five Star | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Number of Signees by Position
Position | 2016 Class | 2017 Class | 2018 Class | 2019 Class |
QB | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
HB | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
WR | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
TE | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
OL | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
DL | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
LB | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
DB | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
ATH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Total Signees | 19 | 24 | 23 | 18 |
Let's look at the positive and negative aspects of our last four classes.
THE GOOD
- Our 2017 and 2018 classes were strong. There were some misses in both of these classes -- our current junior and sophomores -- but both should lay a solid foundation that should help us build a winner in the coming years. While they aren't perfect, the class sizes and the fact that almost every position is represented is a really good thing.
- Emphasis on Lines. You can see, to some extent, an emphasis on both the offensive and defensive lines. If we want to get back to where we want to be as a program, it starts in the trenches; the last three classes have us pointed in the right direction, although the talent must be upgraded on the offensive line especially (see below).
- High-level talent. Each class is sprinkled with Top 100 players. These should be our playmakers in the coming years.
- Mark Richt Deserves Credit. I know there's a sour taste in our mouths because of how he refused to give up the reigns offensively last season. But the guy recruited very well in 2017 and 2018, and we should have a very good team when these guys are our juniors and seniors.
THE BAD
- The 2016 Class. If you want one huge reason why we're not ready to play at an elite level, look no further than the 2016 recruiting cycle. This is our current senior class; these guys are supposed to be our leaders and the crew that can matchup with the big boys. But it's simply not good enough; there weren't enough guys brought in (19 total), and the focus was on the wrong positions (5 wide receivers brought in, exactly zero offensive lineman). This is the type of class that keeps a program meddling for years. If you want to look at why our current offensive line is a question mark, look no further than this class.
- The 2019 Class. While it's hard to bring in a good class during a transition year - and Manny did his best to alleviate some of the issues with transfers - this is another poor class: it's small on numbers, it lacks depth at several positions, and the offensive line numbers are inflated by 2-star guys that are major developmental projects (and nothing more) at this point.
- Too many positions went unaddressed or over-addressed year-to-year. Zero offensive lineman in 2016. Only one true linebacker taken in the past two classes. 12 wide receivers taken 2016-2017. This has led, or will lead to major roster weaknesses, such as the kind we see now with the offensive line and what we'll see next year with our linebacking corps. This is the reason why you need to take at every position, regardless of ranking, every single year; the roster problems that result when you don't have balance in the class can be felt for years.
- These next two classes MUST have bodies. As mentioned in the other thread, I really hope that Manny sees what a mess the 2019 class turned out to be and focuses on bringing in two large classes in 2020 and 2021. Each should go to the full 25, and there's some leeway to add even more than that with the early-enrollee rules the way they are.
- Emphasis must be placed on balance. We simply cannot have circumstances when only one LB is taken over the course of two years. We lose all three of our starters next year, and the guys behind them are unproven. Even worse, there is no depth. This is unacceptable; Miami may not be able to pick and choose its players like it was able to in its heyday, but kids still want to play here. Each class needs EVERY position represented; it's a must.
- Our position is strong moving forward, if...the next two classes are strong. Look at the 2017 and 2018 cycles - both share many characteristics that are so important for building the foundation of a program that can compete at an elite level. But the 2019 class was a weak follow-up to those two cycles, and it can be an outlier so long as these next two classes are more like 17-18. I can't emphasize how important this is. If Manny brings in a Top 15 class, with 25 kids in each over the next two years, then 2019 won't hurt too bad. But if we follow up 2019 with another weak effort - and there's no indication that's going to happen - we could be in trouble for the next 4-5 years.
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