Terry, Both Texas and Florida have consistantly had highly ranked recruiting classes in the last few years. Now so have Alabama, LSU. It just seems to me the "stars" are not the difference.
I think this explains it best no matter what star is appropriated to a player. We have all seen where a strong recruiting class of 4 & 5 star players are grouped together with high expectations but never achieves to become a team working together. But a great coach is able to mix and match 2,3,4 & 5 star players into a force that together for at least one season works together to be an incredible team...
No doubt coaching matters, but so does having a roster well stocked with players of high ability, even if some of them are jewels and some of them diamonds in the rough. Has Alabama changed from when Mike Shula was the coach or has the coach changed? Alabama was no doubt committed to winning under Shula, just as they are under Saban.
The 2003 Recruiting Class Ron Zook is a great recruiter. He may have brought in one of the best classes in Florida’s school history, signing many of the seniors who led Florida to the BCS National Championship in 2006. Zook’s top-ranked class included quarterback Chris Leak, wide receiver Dallas Baker, and linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett, to name a few. Former head coach Urban Meyer and the rest of the Gator Nation will always give credit to Ron Zook for recruiting the core of Florida’s second national championship team." Didn't work out for Zook himself but he will forever get tons of credit for putting together the core of UF's second national championship.