A NDNation Member compiled this from the Scout Database. <iframe width='1000' height='500' frameborder='0' src='http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=txaEiOqZ5ewumfGqIl2RJcQ&output=html&widget=true'></iframe>
One thing that sticks out to me is how few defensive players we've signed. The only schools with less are Stanford and Northwestern. As an example Ala. signed 28 more def. players during that time frame. Speaking of Bama, they signed 135 players during a period where it appears that the average team was signing 100-110 players. How do they turnover so many players?
Gipper, two things happen with classes as large as Sabans the last few years. First there were probably a fair number of non qualifies. Second, and Kp might verify or deny this is true, Saban doesn't tend to keep around players he doesn't think will qualify. A third factor in large classes are how many kids go to the NFL. Oh, a fourth reason that a team might sign over 25 is that early entries can be counted back to the previous class if there was room.
Thanks Terry, that's an interesting list. Right now my computer is having trouble loading the chart after I made my first post. I'll come back later and see if it will load then.
I finally got the chart to come up again. USC has been amazing. Over half their players are top 100 and close to half are 5*. Considering there are only 50 or so 5 * on Scout each year, and less on Rivals, that is amazing. The one thing that sticks out to me about the Gators during those years is the balance between offense and defense. I think Meyer started doing that right from the start. That's a great chart Terry, thanks for sharing.
Tim, I don't know if it's time for you to get a new computer or not. My computer failed to bring it up at least two times. And it's an Apple which as we all know is the best. :roll: :roll: :roll: Just kidding, it could well have something to do with your service or conditions at the time. Sid what would you consider to be more of the story? I think for one thing those numbers are on signing day and don't say who gets into school. Is that they type thing you mean?
Well I think what Sid is referring to is coaching and player developement. Not all 5*'s are sucesses. Case in point Ryan Perrilloux was a 5* QB who everybody wanted, Colt McCoy was a 3* QB who not much was expected of when he signed with the Longhorns. Who had the better career. Of course Perrilloux turned out to be a head case and Colt turned out to be an intelligent hardworking overachiever. But as you and I have agreed, I'd rather take my chances with a roster full of hs stars like USC or UF than with a roster full of 2* and 3* players. Terry
Yeah Terry I agree. There is no doubt some players are going to achieve above what they are projected. However like you, I'll take a roster full of 4 and 5 stars and take my chances.
quick note... since you guys were saying that some were having issues seeing the sheet, I opened it with a PC laptop and a Mac.. I can only view the spreadsheet with the Mac. Gip, Believe it or not, Saban actually has a really short leash. They do a lot of that funky grey shirting and all that stuff, but players who find themselves on the wrong side of the law eventually find their way out of Tuscaloosa under Saban. One thing he does, and I actually prefer this method, is that he doesn't immediately bounce them. They get suspended indefinitely, which under previous staffs meant 'till pads come out' and by then everyone has forgotten all about the kid's issue. From what i gather, he's watching the young man to see 1) How the legal situation is playing out and 2) Is the kid really working at making an act of contrition or working his butt off to get better. If he doesn't see that, then silently over the summer.. the kid winds up going somewhere else. People forget, these scholarships are annual and renewable. They aren't guaranteed.
Bill, Terry, interpreted exactly what I meant. While I agree with Terry's statement: .........without high-level coaching, you can't develop even a team full of 5* HS players into a national championship calibre team.
One of the things that Saban does, and it can be disconcerting, is that he often doesn't explain what he is doing. Quietly players go from starting, to subbing, to not playing at all to leaving the team. Some guys leave and there is no public explanation. Did he do something? Did he fail to live up to expectations? Grades? Legal problems? We never hear. Now we have had a few legal problems and most of the time the players serve some unspecified suspension and then either transfer or return to the squad. Saban just refuses to discuss his policies or decisions. Not something I am particularing comfortable with, but I'm pretty sure Saban does't give a shlt.
Kp, I am pretty sure you are right as to Saban's feelings. I might also add that both him and the Bama faithful might be happier to just leave it that way. Sid, that makes sense. I do think however that if a coach consistently gets high lever talent and doesn't develop it, then one of two things will happen. Either he will get fired or he will no longer be able to get the talent. Zook was a perfect example for the Gators, he got fired.
KP, I would be comfortable with a coach keeping decisions quiet when a player finds his way off the team. We fans should want explanations when the kid is reinstated. When he leaves there could be privacy of transgressions issues that need not be discussed. I can rest assured that a coach is not going to get rid of a good player for an unjustified reason. The conflict of interest issue with a coach reinstating a player could be another story all together.
dATA <r>Thanks Terry, I got it on the direct link <E></E> <br/> <br/> I was a little surprised. ND did better during those years than I thought they had. From the looks of it though, you would figure USC would have won the NC 5 years straight. I guess there is something to this coaching stuff.</r>
Tom, I think you make a good point about the difference. I am still good with trusting a coach's discretion protecting the kid if he makes it back into the lineup. Where I start asking questions is when multiple kids with multiple major arrests start making their way back into the lineup rather quickly (Florida State and Miami seem to come to mind here). For all the heat Dr Tom took over one or two players (over how long of a career?!?!?), it drove me nuts that no one seemed to notice the teams that 'Brother Bobby' was rolling out in Tally every year during that same time frame. Kids make mistakes. Anyone with kids (or even pets) can tell you that. I don't mind the HC being a mentor. I really don't have an issue with him having that type of discretion. Saban's seems to kinda come out in the wash.. Some make it back out of the doghouse, some don't. I haven't really seen anything 'Bowden-esque' out of him, so I think for now at least we can learn to live with the silence here in Alabama His tenacity in protecting his players is something that seems to pay long-term dividends (ala Mark Ingram).
Paterno is a guy I think that has earned the trust. He will make the a determination based on the individual situation and do what he thinks is right. The fans and outsiders just have to take it on faith.
Ahem...Do the research on who has and who has not the last ten years and tell me if Miami is in the top ten on that list... :x