Recruiting rankings didn’t project Florida beatdowns of UGA
With Saturday’s 41-17 win over Georgia, Florida has beaten the Bulldogs by the aggregate score of 90-27 over the last two seasons. Based on the recruiting rankings of the last four or five years, there was nothing to suggest that the Gators would be so dominating at this juncture.
After the latest beatdown, I had a lot of Georgia people ask me: “Haven’t the Dogs recruited just as well as the Gators over the last few years?”
I told them I thought so but could not say for sure. So I decided to go back and look.
After a brief review I can say that the answer is “for the most part” and “sometimes better.”
The only quantification of such a thing is the annual recruiting rankings offered shortly after signing day by the three major evaluators of football talent: Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPNU. Make what you will of any validity.
Usually these outlets are quite close in their determinations but occasionally there is some disparity. For example, in 2007 Rivals had Georgia ninth and Scout had it 17th. In 2008, Rivals had Florida third while Scout had it 12th. In 2009, ESPNU had the Gators fifth while Scout and Rivals had them 21st and 11th, respectively. But occasionally they matched up such as Florida’s near-consensus No. 1 in ‘07 or Georgia’s consensus No. 4 in 2006. Mostly they were within a spot or two.
I won’t bore you with the entire hand-drawn grid of rankings I scribbled on a legal pad (besides I don’t know how to format it in WordPress). But I’ll try to summarize the last five recruiting classes, 2005-09, here:
- Florida’s average national ranking during that period: Rivals — 6.4, Scout — 9.4, *ESPNU — 3.
- Georgia’s average national ranking during that period: Rivals — 7.2, Scout — 6.8, *ESPNU — 7.
- On average, the Bulldogs had the higher-ranked classes in 2005 (7 to 13), ‘08 (5.6 to 6.3) and ‘09 (5.3 to 12.3).
- On average, the Gators had the higher-ranked classes 2006 (1.6 to 4) and ‘07 (1.3 to 13).
- The biggest disparity in classes was in 2007 when the Gators’ group was ranked an average of 11.6 spots higher. Those would be Florida’s current juniors and redshirt sophomores.
- Georgia’s most positively disparate class from Florida was 2009, which was ranked seven spots higher on average. Those players are the Dogs’ current true freshmen.
- The Gators’ 2006 and ‘07 classes were all ranked either 1 or 2 by all three outlets. They are now juniors and seniors.
So what conclusions can we draw?
Georgia will be glad to see Tim Tebow and his fellow Class of 2006 signees graduate from Florida. And with the better-rated classes the last two years, the Bulldogs can only hope brighter days are ahead.
But you knew that anyway.
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112 comments Add your comment
TampaGator
November 2nd, 2009
7:23 am
Good luck with that!!! The main difference is and remains coaching and game planning.
TampaGator
November 2nd, 2009
7:25 am
….and it’s not 7:23am
TampaGator
November 2nd, 2009
7:27 am
…and Georgia would win if they had a week off before the game. That is the reason Florida has been winning, along with bad calls by the refs.
sports fan
November 2nd, 2009
7:31 am
Florida is in another league compared to the dawgs..
Paddy
November 2nd, 2009
7:38 am
PLEASE, no more color changes with the uniforms. Sat we looked like the squad from Reidsville prison.
dawgno91
November 2nd, 2009
7:53 am
We are recruiting athletes and Florida is recruiting football players. There is a huge difference. The 1980 team was full of football players, not great athletes.
gator dawgpounding
November 2nd, 2009
7:54 am
If you examine the 2009 class closer, the only reason the Dawgs were ranked higher was because Florida could only sign 16 players. The average ranking by most recruiting services had the Gators ranked several higher in average ranking per player. The real telling sign was when 2 #1 picks and a high # 2 pick of UGA players in the NFL draft was still not a championship year for Ga. CMR and the whole staff need to go, but then again as a Gator I hope they all stay.
gators81
November 2nd, 2009
7:56 am
hmm…..better recruits….but loses 17 of 20…hmmm…..
Embarrassed
November 2nd, 2009
8:03 am
Can’t wait till Tuesday when Richt announces no significant changes again. His comments on Cox after the game personified the attitude that will lead to his downfall. He talked about what a fine young man he was, which has nothing to do with his ability to play football. He doesn’t have the tools to play qb in the SEC and Richt should have known that long ago. He’s too emotional and loyal to people (coaches and players) who have “paid their dues” but aren’t qualified to play or coach. I hate to say it, but if CMR doesn’t make changes now, he may be looking for a job sooner than later.
CommonSense
November 2nd, 2009
8:05 am
Stafford and Moreno left early…Spikes and Tebow stayed. You wouldn’t be saying this if the opposite had happened.
gator dawgpounding
November 2nd, 2009
8:10 am
The question is, why did they leave early? If they were good enough to go in the top 10 of the first round then it must be coaching that failed you.
Dawg 4 Life
November 2nd, 2009
8:23 am
I don’t think anyone expected us to beat Florida this year. What makes this so ugly is the way we lost. Turnovers and penalties taken away, we are in the game. We made some good things happen. We moved the ball on a great defense. Our defense obviously needs help but even there we did some good things and after 4 turnovers, our boys on defense were simply wore out. I certainly think Martinez is a problem. I think we have to find a solution at QB. We need develop concentration and focus. I an take a loss to an awesome Florida team. It’s hard to swallow when we look like the three stooges.
Football Fan
November 2nd, 2009
8:24 am
Georgia is a very young team. The best days are ahead. Believe in Coach Richt. He has forgotten more football than anyone on this message board ever knew. How quickly we forget a #2 overall ranking in the final AP poll two years ago. I am a lifelong Georgia fan and legacy, but Dawg fans are the most fickle bandwagon jumping group I have ever seen. Why don’t some of you look up Georgia’s record with Ray Goff and then leave CMR alone.
GaDawg
November 2nd, 2009
8:25 am
Common Sense – you have none. Stafford and Moreno left early for MONEY. In Staffords’ case $41 mil guaranteed. Tebow will not be a QB in the pros. His projected draft selection last year was in the third round. Tebow will be a running back or tight end in pros. Spikes, the pros are waiting for a dirty player like him. If Meyers had any class he would suspend Spikes for the remainder of the season.
Common Sense – you need to get some before naming yourself that.
hiveredtech
November 2nd, 2009
8:25 am
Over the past five vlasses….
Georgia Tech has averaged 47 on Rivals and 36 on Scout. The highest ever as 2007 when Rivals had us 18 and Scout had us 15….both rankings below UGa’s average.
hmmmmm.
Joe Blow
November 2nd, 2009
8:27 am
45-17
gator dawgpounding
November 2nd, 2009
8:29 am
UF fans are pretty fickle also; they were calling for Brantley to start after the Miss State game; total idiots!
Ohio State fan
November 2nd, 2009
8:32 am
This is but another example of why recruiting rankings don’t matter. The best coaches don’t give a rats butt what Scout, Rivals and ESPN has to say about particular players – they make their own evaluations.
Consider this season’s quarterback prospect Trey Burton from Venice, Fl. They all have him rated a three star player but to anyone that’s watch him on the field, that is a complete and utter joke – the kid is an absolute stud and will light it up in college. Joe Kinnan, a four time state championship coach in 5A in the state of Florida said that he was the best that he’s ever seen – this is a guy who coached Tommy Frazier and Peter Warrick. And he’s a three star athlete??
These recruiting services are good for name recognition only, don’t put too much stock into how they assign value.
Plus, you have to follow the recruiting up with solid coaching – which, at this point, looks like Georgia isn’t doing.
Captain
November 2nd, 2009
8:34 am
Chip you make the same mistake so many make when you fail to look behind the door. How many of Georgia’s signees were cleared by the NCAA as academically eligible vs never met NCAA eligibility? If you take the time to research you will find at least 3 DE’s which is a weak position on this team. There are also those with career ending injuries. However the biggest problem is the signing class which is now juniors. Georgia missed on Alan Bailey, Cam Heyward, Eric Berry and for some unexplainable/unbelievable reason ranked Jon Dwyer and Morgan Burnett behind a now third string TB and a since departed Safety. All of these players will be high draft choices, all are playmakers. I would argue it isn’t who Georgia signed as much as who Georgia didn’t sign. Yes, it is recruiting but regardless of what the rankings suggest it is recruiting “failures” in what would be today’s Senior and Junior classes – failure to evaluate athletically and academically. Georgia lacks “Playmakers” they have players, Florida has “Playmakers” big difference.
gator dawgpounding
November 2nd, 2009
8:38 am
Ohio State fan; good point. Friends of mine in florida agree and say that UF is laughing all the way to the recruiting bank over Burton. And look at Tech’s recruiting and what Paul Johnson (who I cant stand) is doing with. I hate to say it but if Tech can afford to keep him, he will build a dynasty.
MB
November 2nd, 2009
8:43 am
Not to defend UGA in any way but remember that its the job of the recruiting services to sell memberships so the higher they rank their larger subscription bases the higher their revenues. They are not an independent evaluation of talent. That said these are still the athletes that each program has self evaluated and decided they would fit in each program. Richt and Johnson both have stated that they do not put much stock in these services…..they are simply another method for fans to compete against one another.
Dooley's Cardiologist
November 2nd, 2009
8:43 am
Captain,
Well said. To add, I have watched a couple of HS games in which 4 and 5 stars have participated. One in particular: I watched a 5′6″ sophmore CB dominate a 5 star wide receiver. But, this area was in love with their high school football and I am sure that everyone in that community was a member of Scout.com. Otherwise, that kid might have been a 2 star at best.
Starring Peter Graves as Capt. Clarence Over
November 2nd, 2009
8:50 am
Steve Spurrier was right. It applied to Ray Goof & Jim Donnan & applies to Saint Richt. How is it that Georgia gets all these fine recruiting classes & does nothing with them?
Dawg Fud
November 2nd, 2009
8:54 am
exactly, Tampa Gator. Coaching. it is that painfully obvious to everyone except Richt.
Droopy Dawg
November 2nd, 2009
8:55 am
Tampa Gator? You are correct!!!
Dawg Fud
November 2nd, 2009
8:56 am
I am getting close to believing that UGA needs to offer Charlie Strong whatever he wants.
TybeeDawg
November 2nd, 2009
9:00 am
Joe…I must have missed the 2 safties.
Steve Spurrier
November 2nd, 2009
9:01 am
Something just happens to them, I guess.
Will
November 2nd, 2009
9:01 am
Two Reasons Why Saturday’s Game Was Better Than Expected
1. This team played Florida closer than last year’s consensus preseason number one football team.
2. UGA’s “motivational” hats and britches, along with pictures of Urban Meyer in the dressing room and the rehearsed sideline celebration (that caused an injury to one of UGA’s tight ends) all helped to keep this game closer than last year’s game. Without this thoughtful and innovative game planning, Florida likely would have top the century mark.
RAMBLE ON!!!
November 2nd, 2009
9:01 am
haha…wait till GT rolls up more than 500 yards on the fleabags in another beatdown, and then readdress this question.
Gordon
November 2nd, 2009
9:08 am
Here’s the difference between Richt and Johnson.
Johnson, after 1 bad half of defense: “Johnson said there will also be changes in the defense, though he won’t know what they will be until the team starts practicing again and he can evaluate the players.”
Richt, after years of poor defense: “I’m focused on the next game. We will evaluate at the end of the season and make adjustments then.”
GMan
November 2nd, 2009
9:14 am
I love the “we played close” and “wait til next year” statements. I think those were the same things that people said when Leak left and everyone felt Tim Tebow couldn’t play QB in the SEC. Wake up Dawg fans, the product the Gators put on the field are much better than the Dawgs. The only people who watch the recruiting hype are fans and some players (usually the ones that are ranked high and don’t pan out). The measure of a players ranking coming into college is not when they come in, but what they did in their 4 years of college. In that case, UF is light years ahead.
Richard Dawson
November 2nd, 2009
9:18 am
FIRE MARK RICHT.
GaDawg
November 2nd, 2009
9:19 am
Get off the color changes. it had nothing, nothing to do with the color changes. You idoits are forgeting that Florida is the No. 1 ranked team in the country and they played like one. They took advantage of turnovers, they stopped us period. And, we shot ourselves in the foot. So get off the uniforms and stop calling these young men thugs. Much is done about everything that happens at UGA especially the football team. Many of us had fake ID’s growing up. I knew exactly where to go in downtown Atlanta to get one that looked just like a drivers license. Plus, if you are true GA fans you know that the colors are red, white, silver and BLACK! Do you not think this was planned for along time? Give it a rest.
Saint Simons
November 2nd, 2009
9:22 am
41-17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dawgs accept bid to Carpets of Dalton Bowl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cobb Dawg
November 2nd, 2009
9:30 am
Richt is not going to fire Martinez, they were college roommates and are best friends. They are a package deal. They came here together and they’ll leave together. I think both Richt and Martinez are fine men and have been good coaches, at least in the past. I can’t say exactly what the problem with this program is, but it starts with DICIPLINE. Maybe it’s the players that we recruit or, probably more accurate, they way the staff interacts with them. Young college men need leadership. This program is lost and needs for someone to step up and show these young men some direction. And it has nothing to do with the color of their uniform.
Richard Dawson
November 2nd, 2009
9:31 am
Joe Cox’s QB rating is better than Stafford’s 2007 and 2006 ratings, better than Greene’s 2003 rating. The problem is not Joe Cox.
gator dawgpounding
November 2nd, 2009
9:49 am
Saint Simons must be a genius to come up with all these original blogs. I don’t like the dawgs either, but when Paul Johnson realizes that you cant sell out your stadium even when you win, he will be gone to greener pastures. Face it Tech is lucky to have him, without him you would still be %#@! and with your small fan base won’t be able to afford him for long.
extremerightwing
November 2nd, 2009
9:50 am
if CMR doesn’t let martinez go, then he should go. it is pretty apparent the defense has declined since VG left. just my two cents worth. GO PUPS!
CommonSense
November 2nd, 2009
10:11 am
GaDawg – Real smart comments. Thanks for enlightening us. My comments were about them leaving not why they left or why Tebow or Spikes stayed. That’s beside the point now. The fact is they are in college and Stafford and Moreno are in the NFL. NOBODY was calling for Richt’s head last year..NOBODY. Everybody knows you need a quality QB and/or RB to win in the SEC. We have neither at this point. We wouldn’t be talking about recruiting rankings now if they were still here. We would probably still have lost to FL but we wouldn’t be near as bad. I agree Willie and Bobo need to go but this article isn’t true. Look at LSU when they lost Jamarcus/Flynn they had the recruits but not the QB. Please try to make an educated comment or don’t post.
Romelus
November 2nd, 2009
10:14 am
As a die-hard Gator fan I would not like it one bit if you Dawgs offered Charlie Strong a pile of cash to coach!!!!! UF please pay Charlie Strong at least 1 million to keep this type of situation at bay!!!!!!
Mike
November 2nd, 2009
10:14 am
Did everyone just up and forget that Stafford and Moreno decided to leave early for the NFL? You want to know where the Dawgs talent is? National Football League. Sometimes when your stars leave early, it does upset the program. Florida lost Harvin early, but returned Spikes, Tebow, Dunlap, and others that didnt jump early to the NFL.
Seriously, Cox, King, and Samuel would not be starting otherwise. Would the Dawgs have won against Florida? Maybe not, but it would have been a better game and they probably would not have had any more than one loss coming in.
If your going to make a talent arguement, how about getting all the facts instead of just quoting raw recruiting numbers and tired old Spurrier lines.
collegeballfan
November 2nd, 2009
10:14 am
There is a lot of truth to the old rule, “recruit players who can perform in your system.” And your “system” includes both on the field, in practice & off the field.
Georgia seems to have a lot of players who do not fit Richt’s system.
The week of the biggest game of the year Richt is having to worry about players driving licenses. The week of the biggest game of the year Richt is having to use uniform color to motoviate his team. I would think there is a lesson to be learned here.
45-42
November 2nd, 2009
10:17 am
45-42. CPJ 1 – 0 CMR.
nodawgfan
November 2nd, 2009
10:27 am
Face it, Dawg fans. If you’re a premier southern FB player who’s interest in winning championships, you go to Florida or LSU or Bama. Consider the championships other SEC schools have won in the 29 years since UGA’s national championship. That goes for basketball and baseball too. Now if you happen to be a female gymnast, then Athens is where you want to be.
gator dawgpounding
November 2nd, 2009
10:47 am
nodawgfan, you forgot to include the manly sport of tennis with their foreign born players and some of the most beautiful women……
gatorsam
November 2nd, 2009
10:57 am
I really like Mark Richt, a man of true integrity. He does a great job of trying to recruit the best athletes he can find, however he falls short on the job when he does not try to do the same thing when looking for his staff. Georgia can afford to go for the best, however, as a Gator, I hope he does figure this out.
dawgno91
November 2nd, 2009
10:57 am
If i remember right David Pollack was an after thought recruit. How many stars did David Greene have? For this staff to say they don’t pay attention to stars is a joke. They do. Otherwise we would have players that play hard and players that DONT leave for the NFL. Recruit Georgia kids that love UGA and want to win a NC at all costs. Stop recruiting prima donnas that are looking to go pro. We are constantly getting beat by Ga kids that weren’t recruited to UGA. What does that tell you. How about the Ga kid at Ok state that finished the game with a sack. He ate our lunch the whole game. Never was offered at UGA. Think we could use him? What about the QB at Middle Tenn right now from Charlton Co? He could be playing at UGA now but wasn’t offered. (he was too slow and stiff) lol
This staff seems to have a mold of what they want. Well apparently “football player” isn’t part of that mold.
Mike
November 2nd, 2009
11:05 am
@nodawgfan – thats just not true. UGA has been in the national title hunt twice under Richt. Trivia, what is the difference between UGA in 2002 and Florida in 2006? Answer: Florida had the luck of two undefeated teams in front of them playing each other in the last week of the season. The two in front of UGA didnt. Both Florida national championship teams had the same record as UGA in 2002…13-1.
Why did UGA get voted down in 2007 when the BCS doesnt require a conference title for a national championship? Because they arent Oklahoma who can not only play for a national title without a conference title, but last year, the voters pushed them up over a Texas team that BEAT them head to head. That national championship last year should have been Florida playing Texas.
National Championship is a joke and a beauty pageant. You really never have control of your own destiny. Just ask 2004 Auburn.
Mike
November 2nd, 2009
11:10 am
@dawgno91 – I would love to see some of these blue chips come to UGA because of UGA, but that is unlikely from out of state. A J Green is one such player who loves UGA and Richt and spurned everyone to come hear. Blue chippers like Stafford and Moreno from out of state will come to UGA to get to the next level.
Besides, talent is not the problem on defense right now. Their line is solid, very good LBs led by Curran, and a lot of talent in the secondary with Jones, Boykin, and Smith. Problem? Martinez is their coach. The man is just not getting the job done and is a poster child for how a coach can ruin talent. He is running the same scheme as Van Gorder which is now 9 years UGA is running the same defense. I cant help but wonder if that is part of the problem too. I think its possible the SEC has seen it for so long that any flinch in the defense leads to disaster.