A few facts:
1) Texas A & M signed 7 five star players (247 rankings) this year. Florida has signed exactly 7 over the last DECADE.
2) Over the last 10 years Alabama has signed 47. UGA has 36, OSU 27, Clemson 23, USC 20 and LSU 19.
3) Over the last five years......UGA 25, Bama 20, OSU 18, Clemson 16 and LSU 10. UF has 2.
4) Texas A & M has signed 12 over the last 5 years......but 7 of those where this year. Nobody else has double digits.
National championships in the last decade......Bama 4, Clemson 2, OSU, LSU, UGA and FSU 1 each. FSU's was 9 years ago so mostly from players recruited more than a decade ago. If you go back two years to see what made up that FSU team and they had 10 five star guys in the two prior recruiting years.
So easy to conclude that the teams that win national championships these days are generally the teams that land the 5 star kids. The difference makers. And I am sure you can also make a correlation when you add in the "high 4 star kids", but that would take more work than I am willing to do.
One good thing about all this is that it looks like at least one more team will crash the "domination party" now, although clearly UGA and Bama are not going away anytime soon. We might also keep an eye on Penn state......they finished at #6 and landed 3 five star talents.
Another factor for this year......Bama may have finished second behind A & M in the rankings......but they also landed 3 stud transfers.....the Burton kid - WR from UGA , Jahmyr Gibbs from GT and a 5 star CB from LSU (Ricks). Those aren't your average transfers.....when you factor those in perhaps Bama is #1. A & M only had 1 transfer.....the QB Max Johnson from LSU. UGA has none at this point.
The other thing I see as good, among all the NIL bad, is that it at least its shinning more light on the fact that top kids are going where the money is. Which, IMO, has been happening for many years already. The system was already broke, but now it clearly will change. Was hilarious watching Jimbo Fisher try to tell the world it was all about his hard work. I guess he was just lazy his first 4 years there.
Last point...…what has always bothered me the most about pay for play is that we are one of the schools that gets hurt the most. We have a natural geographic recruiting advantage but paying players has mitigated that. Remember back in the day when it was a big deal to have so many top recruits in your own state?
1) Texas A & M signed 7 five star players (247 rankings) this year. Florida has signed exactly 7 over the last DECADE.
2) Over the last 10 years Alabama has signed 47. UGA has 36, OSU 27, Clemson 23, USC 20 and LSU 19.
3) Over the last five years......UGA 25, Bama 20, OSU 18, Clemson 16 and LSU 10. UF has 2.
4) Texas A & M has signed 12 over the last 5 years......but 7 of those where this year. Nobody else has double digits.
National championships in the last decade......Bama 4, Clemson 2, OSU, LSU, UGA and FSU 1 each. FSU's was 9 years ago so mostly from players recruited more than a decade ago. If you go back two years to see what made up that FSU team and they had 10 five star guys in the two prior recruiting years.
So easy to conclude that the teams that win national championships these days are generally the teams that land the 5 star kids. The difference makers. And I am sure you can also make a correlation when you add in the "high 4 star kids", but that would take more work than I am willing to do.
One good thing about all this is that it looks like at least one more team will crash the "domination party" now, although clearly UGA and Bama are not going away anytime soon. We might also keep an eye on Penn state......they finished at #6 and landed 3 five star talents.
Another factor for this year......Bama may have finished second behind A & M in the rankings......but they also landed 3 stud transfers.....the Burton kid - WR from UGA , Jahmyr Gibbs from GT and a 5 star CB from LSU (Ricks). Those aren't your average transfers.....when you factor those in perhaps Bama is #1. A & M only had 1 transfer.....the QB Max Johnson from LSU. UGA has none at this point.
The other thing I see as good, among all the NIL bad, is that it at least its shinning more light on the fact that top kids are going where the money is. Which, IMO, has been happening for many years already. The system was already broke, but now it clearly will change. Was hilarious watching Jimbo Fisher try to tell the world it was all about his hard work. I guess he was just lazy his first 4 years there.
Last point...…what has always bothered me the most about pay for play is that we are one of the schools that gets hurt the most. We have a natural geographic recruiting advantage but paying players has mitigated that. Remember back in the day when it was a big deal to have so many top recruits in your own state?
