Many years ago Paul Bryant was quoted as saying "If Florida ever gets the right coach the rest of us will be playing for second place."
Some people might have said this had already happened with Spurrier but for all his savvy at X's and O's nobody ever called him a strong recruiter. It is my great fear that FL has not only found a capable coach in the traditional sense but someone who can tap into not only the insane amount of talent available in his back yard but cherry pick here and there nationally as well. This worries me greatly since if it's really true who we get as coach at whatever point Fulmer et al leave (and please PLEASE do not turn this into just another of the 5,472 threads bashing Fulmer, this is bigger than that) it might not even matter much. I mean, nevermind us, Cal/GA/LSU/TX and the whole country may have to face this. I've done some research, let me know what you think:
Going back the last four recruiting cycles I've compiled how many players several teams have taken in rated with at least 4 stars.
TN
Fulmer has always been touted, most say rightfully, as a strong recruiter. Over this time period we have brought in 48 4* players. One is, however, taken aback by the fact that only 10 (21%) are from TN. Rivals only bothers to list 25 players in the state and the last class ran out of 4* players at #10. I don't care who comes here that's a concern.
GA
The "other" big dog in the East that isn't FL. They also raked in 48 4* recruits but 28 of those (58%) were home grown. A clear advantage over us.
LSU
Some argue this is the best team in the country right now and maybe it is. They have brought in 58 4* or better recruits in the last 4 seasons with 31 being LA boys, or 53%.
FL/USC
I was amazed to discover that both FL and USC had not only recruited EXACTLY the same number of 4* or better players at 61(!!) but incredibly the same number of in-state players at 40. So these schools are not only bringing in crazy amounts of talent but 66% of that talent is in their back yard. Just to break the tie I looked up what the actual star value of the classes were over the time period and FL averaged 3.67 while USC averaged an simply absurd 4.05. That's right, USC's average recruit over the past four years is 4+ stars.
I hope I haven't bored you guys but I'm truly worried that Bear might finally be right. Is it possible all of us are wondering who our next coach might be and it might not even matter?
Some people might have said this had already happened with Spurrier but for all his savvy at X's and O's nobody ever called him a strong recruiter. It is my great fear that FL has not only found a capable coach in the traditional sense but someone who can tap into not only the insane amount of talent available in his back yard but cherry pick here and there nationally as well. This worries me greatly since if it's really true who we get as coach at whatever point Fulmer et al leave (and please PLEASE do not turn this into just another of the 5,472 threads bashing Fulmer, this is bigger than that) it might not even matter much. I mean, nevermind us, Cal/GA/LSU/TX and the whole country may have to face this. I've done some research, let me know what you think:
Going back the last four recruiting cycles I've compiled how many players several teams have taken in rated with at least 4 stars.
TN
Fulmer has always been touted, most say rightfully, as a strong recruiter. Over this time period we have brought in 48 4* players. One is, however, taken aback by the fact that only 10 (21%) are from TN. Rivals only bothers to list 25 players in the state and the last class ran out of 4* players at #10. I don't care who comes here that's a concern.
GA
The "other" big dog in the East that isn't FL. They also raked in 48 4* recruits but 28 of those (58%) were home grown. A clear advantage over us.
LSU
Some argue this is the best team in the country right now and maybe it is. They have brought in 58 4* or better recruits in the last 4 seasons with 31 being LA boys, or 53%.
FL/USC
I was amazed to discover that both FL and USC had not only recruited EXACTLY the same number of 4* or better players at 61(!!) but incredibly the same number of in-state players at 40. So these schools are not only bringing in crazy amounts of talent but 66% of that talent is in their back yard. Just to break the tie I looked up what the actual star value of the classes were over the time period and FL averaged 3.67 while USC averaged an simply absurd 4.05. That's right, USC's average recruit over the past four years is 4+ stars.
I hope I haven't bored you guys but I'm truly worried that Bear might finally be right. Is it possible all of us are wondering who our next coach might be and it might not even matter?
