- Joined
- Oct 13, 2011
- Messages
- 18,849
This class is not underrated or overrated. It is what it’s ranked: 17th in the country, with room to move a couple spots by February. For a honeymoon class, it’s disappointing. Manny is not a good recruiter and his on-field product stinks. By the same token, it’s better than it should have been. So your opinion of this class really depends on your perspective.
My perspective on recruiting has shifted. I used to stress about landing the Top 5 class which would propel us to the next level. But that’s not going to happen. Recruiting won’t save us. We’ve landed Top 5 classes that didn’t change anything. Since 2005, we’ve finished Top 15 in recruiting ten times. We’ve only finished in the Top 15 on the field once. Until we bridge that gap, everything else doesn’t really matter.
This class is about holding steady. We will probably have a new head coach by 2021. You don’t want him to have to deal with dead weight. And in that respect, this class did its job. There isn’t a lot of fat. We have a positive blue-chip ratio of 11 four-stars and 8 three-stars. The class average (89.91) is one of our best in the past 15 years, second only to 2018. These are good players joining the program.
Two things will make or break this class. The first is Tyler Van Dyke. We don’t know what we have at QB until he’s on the field with live bullets. But the tools are all there. More than anything, he needs to be a no-maintenance leader. We’ve had too few of those at the QB position. If he's the real deal, this class will look a lot different.
The second is character. The guys that sign with us always seem like high-character kids, and the kids that don’t are always drama queens. Somehow, that perception changes by the time the recruits become college seniors. Right now, the reports are glowing. Guys like Chaney, Restrepo, Rivers, Chantz, Redding, Austin-Cave and others have impeccable reputations. Let’s hope they bring that attitude to Greentree this spring.
The staff deserves any heat they get. They were played by obvious trolls and botched OL and DB recruiting. But let’s take a moment to appreciate the kids who signed here. Watch their film, share their NSD pictures and welcome them to the family on social media. Maybe one day they will be part of the solution.
My perspective on recruiting has shifted. I used to stress about landing the Top 5 class which would propel us to the next level. But that’s not going to happen. Recruiting won’t save us. We’ve landed Top 5 classes that didn’t change anything. Since 2005, we’ve finished Top 15 in recruiting ten times. We’ve only finished in the Top 15 on the field once. Until we bridge that gap, everything else doesn’t really matter.
This class is about holding steady. We will probably have a new head coach by 2021. You don’t want him to have to deal with dead weight. And in that respect, this class did its job. There isn’t a lot of fat. We have a positive blue-chip ratio of 11 four-stars and 8 three-stars. The class average (89.91) is one of our best in the past 15 years, second only to 2018. These are good players joining the program.
Two things will make or break this class. The first is Tyler Van Dyke. We don’t know what we have at QB until he’s on the field with live bullets. But the tools are all there. More than anything, he needs to be a no-maintenance leader. We’ve had too few of those at the QB position. If he's the real deal, this class will look a lot different.
The second is character. The guys that sign with us always seem like high-character kids, and the kids that don’t are always drama queens. Somehow, that perception changes by the time the recruits become college seniors. Right now, the reports are glowing. Guys like Chaney, Restrepo, Rivers, Chantz, Redding, Austin-Cave and others have impeccable reputations. Let’s hope they bring that attitude to Greentree this spring.
The staff deserves any heat they get. They were played by obvious trolls and botched OL and DB recruiting. But let’s take a moment to appreciate the kids who signed here. Watch their film, share their NSD pictures and welcome them to the family on social media. Maybe one day they will be part of the solution.
