3 Star Recruits

[Displaced Bama Fan]

I've been out for two weeks with baseball tournaments so forgive me if this has already been addressed.

A lot of folks were banging away at Auburn for several "3" star recruits, but it seems we've had our fair share of them as well. Does this really give us a lot of bragging rights at this point or are there several big names such as Dre and Nico who are going to pull the trigger soon and jump on board? Also, are some of the three star recruits whose commitments we've recently picked up, going to move up in the ratings race?

 

[lynyrd skynyrd]

All that star stuff doesn't mean much to me. Yeah rankings are good but I put it in the same boat as the heisman. Doesn't mean a thing, ask pat sullivan... Coach Saban knows 1000 times more about evaluating talents than these rag reading analyst...

 

[UAinPHILLY]

I would say it is a combination of things. 1) As you mentioned a lot of people feel we will likely end up with most if not all the top players in-state, and auburn's class filling up so quickly doesn't really discourage that line of thinking. 2) Some of our commits will probably move up, particularly ones like Woodson who are already 4 stars on Scout (btw, I thought Rivals was supposed to be the Bama homers according to the aubs, how come we have more 4 stars on Scout than Rivals?). 3) The biggest reason has more to do with the other schools making offers. Even though we have some 3 stars guys, they are players who were offered by other top schools like uf, fsu, tenn, lsu, etc. A lot of auburn commits have offer lists with schools such as troy and mtsu. Personally, while I don't care all that much about star ratings, I think, on average, which schools are offering is a good indicator of the quality of the recruit.

 

[tidefanblake]

It is FAR too early in the recruiting process to say that any recruits are set in stone as to their "star rating." I would be willing to bet anyone that there is a significant difference in the rating of our current 3 star commitments and 3 star targets with AU's when we get to next February. With a decent Senior season, and offers pouring in as consistantly as they are right now for our 3 star guys, any (or all) could be 4 stars by February.

At this early point in the evaluation process a person would be better served to look at a player's offers list than their star rating. Many of our commitments have received new offers since the last ratings shuffle by rivals. Look at Auburn's offers list for their 3 star commitments.

It is also notable that generally a team gets commitments from its lower rated players early and the Kirkpatricks, Patricks, and Nico Johnsons come later in the process. It is also important to remember that the chances of this happening also increase when a team has a relatively number of scholly's to offer in a particular year, such as Bama this year. If a moderately rated player gets a firm offer at UA's camp it is made explicitly clear that they need to jump on it or things may change.

 

[BamaInBham]

I've been out for two weeks with baseball tournaments so forgive me if this has already been addressed.

A lot of folks were banging away at Auburn for several "3" star recruits, but it seems we've had our fair share of them as well. Does this really give us a lot of bragging rights at this point or are there several big names such as Dre and Nico who are going to pull the trigger soon and jump on board? Also, are some of the three star recruits whose commitments we've recently picked up, going to move up in the ratings race?

Among other things, there are 3 star recruits that are offered by Alcorn State, UAB and Troy, and there are 3 star recruits that are offered by Bama, LSU, UGA and UF. There are 3 star recruits who are the 10th rated player in their state and there are 3 star recruits that are the 37th rated player, etc. Also, AU has several that are so far off the radar that they've not been rated yet - they will most likely be 2 star or low 3 star recruits.

AU has some decent and good prospects and numerous projects. Bama has almost no projects. Bama also is likely to sign 9 of the top 10 players in the state, including the top 8. AU will likely get 1 - the number 9 player. AU is number 15 in the nation with 20 commits, they have almost no where to go but down. Bama has several prospects and commitments that have a good chance to move up: Richardson, McCarron, Moore, Warmack, Williams, Kirkpatrick, Woodson, West. Don't know about AU. They will possibly lose their top HS commit to So Fla - Rodney Scott.

 

[BigEasyTider]

The short answer is that not all three-star recruits are created equal.

Gerald West, for example, is a three-star recruit who is committed to Alabama. He had offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, and South Florida.

Travante Stallworth, on the other hand, is a three-star recruit who is committed to Auburn. He had offers from Auburn, Tulsa, Louisiana Monroe, and Northwestern State.

Again, the short of it is that all three-stars are not created equal. Many three-stars, like West, are actually very good prospects who could have their pick of the SEC schools, while on the other hand some three-stars are like Stallworth, guys who barely have a single offer to a BCS conference school. The difference between Alabama and Auburn's three-stars is that ours are much more like West, whereas their's are much more like Stallworth.

 

[RAM]

Look at the list of offers and go from that, also several might not have been check yet. Rivals last year got a lot of back lash when several 4* guys did not play up to the level during their SR year. They are holding back and I look for Woodson to go up to a 4*. Offers can say alot when a top group of teams offers a player or a bottom list.

Per BOL-Woodson 5.6 three star with offers from Arky, Flo.St, Barn, Miss St. Ole Sis, Uthug, U of M, Louisville-Note-UofM-Louisville out the normal area, Flo St. and Uthug good teams with UofM more so than Louisville and better than the local bunch of Miss St. Ole Sis and Southern Miss.

Barns-B. Jacob-Wake/UAB
L. James-Miss St./Ole Sis
J. Evans-S.Miss/South Ala/La Tech

Rivals still will list schools that offered after the player has given a verbal to the team. Now, they might have got to them early but I would take a three star that has not been viewed by rivals with multiple offers prior to one that has been viewed with a short offer list.

 

[Crimson Surfer]

I've been out for two weeks with baseball tournaments so forgive me if this has already been addressed.

A lot of folks were banging away at Auburn for several "3" star recruits, but it seems we've had our fair share of them as well. Does this really give us a lot of bragging rights at this point or are there several big names such as Dre and Nico who are going to pull the trigger soon and jump on board? Also, are some of the three star recruits whose commitments we've recently picked up, going to move up in the ratings race?

As BET said not all 3-stars are created equal. Bama has 3-stars that may move up in the ratings when all is said and done. Let's just look at the last three commits for each school and compare them. For any of you barner fans or sympathizers, you can add any offers or stats you think I left out to the Auburn commits.

The last three Bama commits:
1. Rod Woodson, 4-star SS - He has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Tennessee, MSU, Ole Miss, Memphis, and as his HS coach reported a verbal offer from FSU. He is considered the # 1 player in Mississippi by Scout.com and selected to the Dandy Dozen by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. Woodson benches 315 lbs, squats 500 lbs, and has an incredible 44.6-inch vertical jump. His best time is 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Auburn coaches told Woodson he was their number one safety on their board when he camped with them this summer.

2. Gerald West, 3-star CB - He has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, FSU, MSU, South Carolina, USM and South Florida. He is ranked No. 11 on the BOL 2009 Alabama Top 50 list and he was selected to the All-Combine team at the Under Armour Scout.com combine in Mobile. Alabama. West benches 275 lbs, squats 405 lbs and has a 36-inch vertical jump. His best time is 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

3. William Ming, 4-star DE - He has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, MSU and Tennessee. He is ranked No. 7 on the BOL 2009 Alabama Top 50 list. He is a member of Rivals250 and the No. 9 ranked strongside defensive end. He is also featured as the Rivals.com DE Rankings 2009: Best against the run list as the fifth best DE against the run in the country.

The last three barn commits:
1. Jamie Collins 3-star QB/S/WLB - He has offers from Auburn, Alcorn State, Ole Miss, Tulane, and USM. His best time is 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Alabama did not offer or recruit Collins.

2. Dee Ford 2-star DE - He has offers from Auburn, Troy, USA, and MSU. His best time is 4.46 in the 40-yard dash. He is an under the radar, late bloomer and not much was known about him when he committed to Auburn. Alabama did not offer or recruit Ford.

3. Brandon Jacobs 3-star FB - He has offers from Auburn, UAB, and Wake Forest. His best time is 4.53 in the 40-yard dash. Alabama did not offer or recruit Jacobs.

You can compare Bama's entire commit list with the barn's commits and tell me which class you would truely want if you could choose between the two. Now consider the potential of Bama's 2009 signing class with more scholarships left to give than Auburn and some highly rated top prospects that are favoring Alabama.

Bama Mag: Alabama Commit List

AU Tigers: Auburn Commit List

 

[runtheoption22]

FYI, Rivals caught a lot of flack last year for having "too many" 4 stars. This year, the # of 4 stars was limited and more will be added AFTER camps and senior seasons, if they are worthy.

That being said, I look for Warmack, Dial, and Woodson to get a 4th star on Rivals, and Richardson to add his fifth.

 

[BAMA504]

I've been out for two weeks with baseball tournaments so forgive me if this has already been addressed.

A lot of folks were banging away at Auburn for several "3" star recruits, but it seems we've had our fair share of them as well. Does this really give us a lot of bragging rights at this point or are there several big names such as Dre and Nico who are going to pull the trigger soon and jump on board? Also, are some of the three star recruits whose commitments we've recently picked up, going to move up in the ratings race?

For me it is not about the STARS as it is who else is after these kids, if teams like troy and uab are the only ones offering there must be a clue... Look at all of the great coaches in the SEC and if NONE of them are after these guys it tells me something... Now go back and look at the barns 3 stars and see who else was after them, then go look at ours it tells you the difference between a 3 star who either will move up to 4 or they are just not getting the film or hype others are but the good schools see the talent and offer accordingly~!~ JMHO~!~

 

[Bodhisattva]

Of course, Tuby has such a keen insight on talent that he spots studs where other coaches don't - expect coaches from Tulane, Tulsa, Monroe and the like.

 

[BleedCrimson7]

FYI, Rivals caught a lot of flack last year for having "too many" 4 stars. This year, the # of 4 stars was limited and more will be added AFTER camps and senior seasons, if they are worthy.

That being said, I look for Warmack, Dial, and Woodson to get a 4th star on Rivals, and Richardson to add his fifth.

I'm not sure why anyone would criticize Rivals for giving out too many blue chip ratings, when their major rival (Scout) gives out as many if not more every year. Scout gives out a guaranteed 50 five stars every year(whether there are that many 5-star level kids or not)...while Rivals generally only gives out 25-30 five stars. And then Scout gives out a guaranteed 250 four stars in their Scout 300 as well, if I'm not mistaken. Which is usually about the same number Rivals gives out. If anything, Rivals is slightly more conservative than Scout in giving out blue chip rankings.

 

[BEATtutorsee]

Woodson will most definitely move up IMO, as will a couple of our other commits. There's no way in the world that there are 40 better safety prospects in the country than Woodson (this according to his current Rival's rating). He's at the very least a top 250 player in the country IMHO. When you compare our list of so called "three stars" to the barns, it's not even in the same ballpark.

 

[BleedCrimson7]

I realize that our 3-stars are upper tier guys that were highly sought after. That being said, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that 7 of our 11 current commits are 3-stars. With such a small class, that isn't going to get us in the top 10. I know we will get quite a few more blue chippers like Dre, Nico, etc....but unless some of these 3 stars get bumped...we're going to be hard pressed to squeak into the top 10 in the rankings(which is where you want to be every year IMO).

 

[Special K]

I realize that our 3-stars are upper tier guys that were highly sought after. That being said, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that 7 of our 11 current commits are 3-stars. With such a small class, that isn't going to get us in the top 10. I know we will get quite a few more blue chippers like Dre, Nico, etc....but unless some of these 3 stars get bumped...we're going to be hard pressed to squeak into the top 10 in the rankings(which is where you want to be every year IMO).

I will just about bet you a paycheck right now that Alabama will have a consensus top ten class, and push toward the top five (my prediction is 7th or 8th). Many of our guys will move up a bunch. Just look at their offer lists and you can tell. Woodson is a perfect example. If he is truly a "3 star" then I am the Pope....

 

[crmsnrevelation]

go to rivals and look up the last 6 years of signing classes at alabama. Tell me which players have made a bigger impact 3 star or 4 and 5 star... Granted we did have alot more 3 stars in those classes, so group the 4 and 5 as one, but the numbers are pretty telling. 2002 and 2003 is the most interesting.


Ahmad Childress, Derrick Pope, David Scott, Chris Felder, Chris Turner, Michael Johnson, Chris Keys, were all rated higher than a bunch of the recent bama legends. I couldnt even tell you what impact most of them made. Im sure some went the route of JUCO or didnt qualify, but it just seems like stars are a big whooey!

 

[BleedCrimson7]

go to rivals and look up the last 6 years of signing classes at alabama. Tell me which players have made a bigger impact 3 star or 4 and 5 star... Granted we did have alot more 3 stars in those classes, so group the 4 and 5 as one, but the numbers are pretty telling. 2002 and 2003 is the most interesting.


Ahmad Childress, Derrick Pope, David Scott, Chris Felder, Chris Turner, Michael Johnson, Chris Keys, were all rated higher than a bunch of the recent bama legends. I couldnt even tell you what impact most of them made. Im sure some went the route of JUCO or didnt qualify, but it just seems like stars are a big whooey!

You're starting to sound like a barner:biggrin:. Seriously, it has been proven time and time again that blue chippers turn out on a higher percentage than 2-3 stars. We just haven't had many blue chippers until the last couple of years, so of course most of our good players weren't blue chippers. But you look at guys like Andre Smith, Rolo McClain, etc....the type of kids who come in and start from day one....those guys are 4-5 stars the majority of the time. And out of the guys you mentioned that you didn't know what impact they made....Mike Johnson is going into his second year as a full time starter on the OL as only a junior. He's a dang good player and will be a three year starter for us when he leaves. Derrick Pope was a starter at MLB the day he stepped foot on campus, and started both years, was an All-SEC player and was as of recently, a big-time player for the Dolphins. Out of the other guys you mentioned, Felder and Scott never qualified academically, so we don't know what they would have done. Childress was a starter and a pretty good DT in his own right. At the end of the day...I'll take my chances with a 4-5 star player any day over a 2-3 star guy.

 

[Moon Winx]

On the young men we are recruiting, my guess is that coach Saban doesn't know (or care) how many stars they have.

 

[LCN]

Many of their prospects rose to 3's only after making their pledge to the barn . We're not competing with non-BCS or DII schools for players . They are .

 

[M2J]

I realize that our 3-stars are upper tier guys that were highly sought after. That being said, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that 7 of our 11 current commits are 3-stars. With such a small class, that isn't going to get us in the top 10. I know we will get quite a few more blue chippers like Dre, Nico, etc....but unless some of these 3 stars get bumped...we're going to be hard pressed to squeak into the top 10 in the rankings(which is where you want to be every year IMO).

Just because we have 7 3 stars on Rivals now, doesn't mean there's a trend that will continue. We're gonna have plenty of 4 stars and a couple 5 stars. Many times higher tier guys commit later anyways. However, per rivals I expect at least 3 of our guys to rise to 4 star status: Chance Warmack, Rod Woodson (who they currently have 0 video on), Quinton Dial (who was a 4 star when he committed) and I wouldn't be absolutely shocked if West got one too with his skills and offer list, but he'll have to get bigger. Rivals is good for raising the rankings on players that are on the brink if they commit to a high profile school, happened last year and has been happening this year with other schools.

But still if you look at previous top 10 team rankings on Rivals you'll find plenty of schools that have about 10-11 4 stars and a couple 5 stars, and that's about where we're heading