Explanation of Stars

[a vol n tears]

Some fans are star gazers and other feel stars don’t matter. Here are my thoughts are what the star rating mean

5* Good chance of immediate playing time and big contributor in their first year. Will not require as much one on one coaching

4*. Should contribute on special teams and as needed for depth. Playing significant minutes in second year

3*. Will need some time to grow, learn, and mature. Projected to contribute after 2 years and maybe start after 3 years. Will need more one on one coaching.

As always there are hits and misses. Players drive and attitude are big parts regardless of coaching thus some 5* bust and 3* end up all conference. All have talent but some bodies / minds mature faster. Coaching is huge as it sets the mental tone for the players. This is why continuity with a good coach (not a soft coach) allows teams like TCU, Miss St, Mich St, Wisc, etc. have successful teams. Maybe not NCs but very competitive.
Build a team in a year or 2 you need plenty of 4 or 5* guys. Building a system that works, you can use 3, 4, and 5* guys and give it a few years. Dooley and Jones in my opinion were too lax in players being deeply committed to the things that they needed to be doing to make themselves the best they could be. Pruitt seems to have it but can he get the players to buy into it?????

 

[GVF]

Stars serve no other purpose in the universe except to watch them twinkle in the night sky. Then they burn out.

 

[marcusluvsvols]

The services that are the best only give out a maximum of 32qty 5 star ratings in any class. Reason being a player that is rated at 5 stars should be a 1st rounder in the NFL draft, and there are 32 teams. That is why it is insane when a 5 star kid doesnt pan out...we have one on our offensive line though. IiRC, he wasnt a consensus 5 star though...so at least some of the services had their doubts as to his ability and future potential.

4 stars , if a consensus, should develop into a starting player at the p5 level. This doesnt always happen either though, and we have several examples of this. SeC rosters have plenty of 4 star kids that dont start, or even play. Those same kids would be starters at many other P5 schools in most cases. A kid with several years starting in theSEC is all but guaranteed at least a tryout for NFL squads if not a draftpick.

 

[DarthGrim]

 

[RollerVol]

I'll still take a boatload of four and five stars and take a chance on some working out for me...

GO VOLS...RECRUIT LIKE HECK!

 

[vik]

MY recruiting service goes to 11 stars.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

MY recruiting service goes to 11 stars.

LOL thanks Nigel!

 

[Jack Burton]

Bringing in classes like the one we have now means a 4 year rebuild. If you want a faster turnaround you need more 5 stars, and some contributing JUCOs and grad transfers.

 

[Russdaddy2027]

Stars put players on coaches radar, nothing more. 5 stars get more attention from recruiters than others. there is no correlation between star ratings and future production, its just a way for athletes to garner more attention based on the product they have displayed in high school.

 

[vols 30]

To the stars don't matter gang - explain why Bama, Georgia, Clemson doesn't have a roster of 3 stars... If they don't matter

 

[05_never_again]

The services that are the best only give out a maximum of 32qty 5 star ratings in any class. Reason being a player that is rated at 5 stars should be a 1st rounder in the NFL draft, and there are 32 teams. That is why it is insane when a 5 star kid doesnt pan out...we have one on our offensive line though.

I haven't seen where any of the recruiting services have said a 5-star should be an NFL 1st rounder.

5-star: exceptionally talented high school player. Good enough to get immediate playing time at the P5 level, possibly even being a key contributor as a true freshman, and in subsequent years is one of the best at their position in their conference, if not the entire country. If a 5-star ends up being a "pretty good" player, it is somewhat of a disappointment.

4-star: very good high school player, but likely not a major contributor as a true freshman at the P5 level, but probably doesn't redshirt. In subsequent years, they should end up being a consistent starter at the very least, and could grow into one of the better players at their position in the conference.

3-star: good high school player, but not exceptionally talented and will likely redshirt as a true freshman at the P5 level.

Of course there are exceptions - there are 3-stars (or sometimes even guys who weren't even rated) who get drafted and 5-stars who are complete busts. The key though is that star ratings give you an idea of what to expect. You're right in that Drew Richmond wasn't a consensus 5-star; that's why a lot of people like 247, because it is a composite of all the services. However "Well, Drew Richmond wasn't a consensus 5-star" is no excuse for how he's played. He was still a highly-rated 4-star. He was the #3 OT nationally coming out of high school. The two guys ranked above him are going to be drafted, and a guy right below him is an all-conference player. At a minimum, a guy rated that high should be, say, one of the 10 best at his position in the conference.

 

[05_never_again]

Stars put players on coaches radar, nothing more. 5 stars get more attention from recruiters than others. there is no correlation between star ratings and future production, its just a way for athletes to garner more attention based on the product they have displayed in high school.

There's a huge correlation between team recruiting class rankings and winning. There's simply a greater chance of a 5-star being a better college player than a 3-star. That's why you recruit as many 5s and 4s as you can. Not all will pan out, but you have a better chance of being a great team with a bunch of highly rated players.

 

[DaddyChad]

To the stars don't matter gang - explain why Bama, Georgia, Clemson doesn't have a roster of 3 stars... If they don't matter

They matter. Funny thing is programs like that usually have players get a bump when they commit. Which makes sense those programs develop players. Tennessee generally has players lose ranking when they commit here BC well we piss away talent.

There's some politics like rivals not rating kids that don't attent their camps as highly but for the most part recruiting services get it right.

 

[Chilmonty]

 

[gemlek]

Everyone comes loaded with at least one star!
Chocolate STARfish

 

[k-town_king]

Stars put players on coaches radar, nothing more. 5 stars get more attention from recruiters than others. there is no correlation between star ratings and future production, its just a way for athletes to garner more attention based on the product they have displayed in high school.

That is a lie.

Schools that win NCs have 4 and 5 star players staring in 90% of their depth chart.

There are literally a thousand more 3 stars than 5 stars each year. Of course a few Wil be good. Of course not all 5 stars will become good players.

 

[jwilliams]

Bringing in classes like the one we have now means a 4 year rebuild. If you want a faster turnaround you need more 5 stars, and some contributing JUCOs and grad transfers.

We'll see on the timeline, but we won't get this year's top-3-type classes until players want to come here. All we have to sell right now is early playing time, nice facilities, and a staff with a good track record (but a HC who is unproven yet).

I've watched the high school/college tape on all our signees and I think we have a really good class. Some on here seem to think that our next step is competing for the east, and that's just not the case. Our next step is not sweating bullets when we're about to play Vandy and Kentucky. Then Missouri and South Carolina. Then we can worry about Florida and Georgia. This class will help us take that first step, hands down.

I'm sorry that this post is full of stupid obvious points, but a large number of people on this board are not grasping it.

 

[Volsfaninva917]

I don't know what's more embarrassing, our fans on twitter or UT football staff engaging with fans on twitter

 

[05_never_again]

We'll see on the timeline, but we won't get this year's top-3-type classes until players want to come here. All we have to sell right now is early playing time, nice facilities, and a staff with a good track record (but a HC who is unproven yet).

The early playing time sell is becoming harder and harder, depending on the position. Take a look at a school like Alabama - guys like Jaylen Waddle and Patrick Surtain Jr. got significant playing this this year as true freshmen. Dylan Moses played a fair amount for them last year before starting as a true sophomore. You don't necessarily have to come to a struggling program to get immediate playing time.

If we're recruiting a kid and he also could get immediate playing time on a much better team, you have to sell him on a vision. That's very difficult to do, especially when you're talking to a 17 or 18-year-old. You have to somehow convince them that if they go to Alabama, yes, they are really good and you can have a great career there, but you're a cog in the machine. They'll be a great team with or without you. If you come to Tennessee, we're trying to be really good again, and if we succeed you will be a big reason for it, and everybody will remember that. It's a difficult sell. If you're highly talented, why wouldn't you want to go to a program where if you stay for 3 years, is probably going to win a national title? Play in huge games? Get huge exposure?

 

[peaygolf]

Bringing in classes like the one we have now means a 4 year rebuild. If you want a faster turnaround you need more 5 stars, and some contributing JUCOs and grad transfers.

Agree. But as of today....only 6 schools got more than one. And, only 16 have signed one or have one committed. (UT has 1). There are just not many out there and most go to established programs.

 

[dougvolfan]

Some programs like nebraska/Wisconsin/Iowa/ok state come in usually out of top 20 team rankings and are historically successful. Alabama is all 4 and 5 stars and is pretty much untouchable. Its as much about player development. Like Rick Barnes and his players.

 

[90 Vol]

IMO, stars are an indicator of potential but it’s not the be all end all as it relates to player performance. If these guys don’t get competent coaching, it doesn’t really matter.

 

[05_never_again]

Agree. But as of today....only 6 schools got more than one. And, only 16 have signed one or have one committed. (UT has 1). There are just not many out there and most go to established programs.

Yeah, more 5-stars is unrealistic. What we really need are more 4-stars, honestly.

Alabama got 22 4-star recruits. We have 20 guys signed total at the moment, 7 of them being 4-stars. That is the difference.

 

[newVOLworld]

I haven't seen where any of the recruiting services have said a 5-star should be an NFL 1st rounder.

5-star: exceptionally talented high school player. Good enough to get immediate playing time at the P5 level, possibly even being a key contributor as a true freshman, and in subsequent years is one of the best at their position in their conference, if not the entire country. If a 5-star ends up being a "pretty good" player, it is somewhat of a disappointment.

4-star: very good high school player, but likely not a major contributor as a true freshman at the P5 level, but probably doesn't redshirt. In subsequent years, they should end up being a consistent starter at the very least, and could grow into one of the better players at their position in the conference.

3-star: good high school player, but not exceptionally talented and will likely redshirt as a true freshman at the P5 level.

Of course there are exceptions - there are 3-stars (or sometimes even guys who weren't even rated) who get drafted and 5-stars who are complete busts. The key though is that star ratings give you an idea of what to expect. You're right in that Drew Richmond wasn't a consensus 5-star; that's why a lot of people like 247, because it is a composite of all the services. However "Well, Drew Richmond wasn't a consensus 5-star" is no excuse for how he's played. He was still a highly-rated 4-star. He was the #3 OT nationally coming out of high school. The two guys ranked above him are going to be drafted, and a guy right below him is an all-conference player. At a minimum, a guy rated that high should be, say, one of the 10 best at his position in the conference.

this is on 247 for the No 1 recruit according to them Nolan Smith where they project where he would go in the NFL draft and who they compare him too.

 

[05_never_again]

this is on 247 for the No 1 recruit according to them Nolan Smith where they project where he would go in the NFL draft and who they compare him too.
View attachment 184268

Yeah, that's just the top guy though. Click on some other guys they also rate 5-star. They aren't projected as first rounders, some not even as second rounders.