(02-07-2020 09:15 AM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 06:48 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 12:03 AM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  I think this is an Ok class based on our current roster. At our level I'm not looking for stars , I'm looking for development potential. I like our defensive pieces not sure about the offensive ones. I can't name the Qb's Elon had under Cig , and the OLine looks like we are going to be ground and pound.

Some guy named Davis Cheek lit us up for almost 300 yards as a sophomore ... Cig believes in establishing the run, but his offensive plays are generally balanced. Wish we had run a bit more in Frisco, it was working.

Thanks for the 1, looks like he had his best year without Cig. His play doesn't equate to win and his stats are just okay.

Agree.....I see Cheek as a solid starting QB. He is effective but not someone you are gonna hang your whole offense on. And I think that is what you are gonna get with Cig. He is not looking at the QB as someone who has to go out there and win the game on his own each week. He wants a leader on the field who is not gonna put the offense/team in bad positions. I was actually pretty impressed with Cheek starting as a true freshman and being solid.

Some of you all are worrying about this way too much. If you look at the history of our recruits, many who have 0 stars have become our playing stars. Many who had 3 stars, are not even in our system and are playing at lower levels. CC is clearly building his football team to the way he like to play - OL and RBs are the key. DL as well, but we had less holes to fill over there. Our RBs are great, we shall see how the OL pans out, but I imagine that everyone below 4 or 5 stars is truly a crapshoot. I trust in our coaching staff to evaluate talent to the needs of the team. Worrying about stars is a waste of time.

(02-07-2020 08:23 AM)olddawg Wrote:  And for the 2 defensive tackles we missed out on, don't discount the two headed monster:
1) We have not hired a defensive line coach yet. I'd sure want to know who my position coach was going to be if I was deciding between schools. Wished we'd have had someone in place as it certainly didn't help matters.
2) ODU, who got both of those DTs we wanted, got them in large part because the players had a comfort level w/ our old D-line coach, Andrew Jackson (now at ODU).

Good point olddawg. Don't think that really hurts this year, but will 2021, as both Green and Atariwa are seniors. Which means will likely need a DT transfer or 2 for 2021.

(02-07-2020 12:25 PM)19Duke97 Wrote:  Some of you all are worrying about this way too much. If you look at the history of our recruits, many who have 0 stars have become our playing stars. Many who had 3 stars, are not even in our system and are playing at lower levels. CC is clearly building his football team to the way he like to play - OL and RBs are the key. DL as well, but we had less holes to fill over there. Our RBs are great, we shall see how the OL pans out, but I imagine that everyone below 4 or 5 stars is truly a crapshoot. I trust in our coaching staff to evaluate talent to the needs of the team. Worrying about stars is a waste of time.

Yep. Especially in football. Watching film to assign a star ranking...hmmm...doesn't take competition level into account. Often only sees the top plays and doesn't see the plays taken off. And, so forth. I trust basketball star rankings much more - though, they are far from perfect too - mainly because of AAU, showcase events, etc., that now allow a much better live evaluation against closer-to-equal levels of competition.

The other issue I have in general is that folks think what a kid is ranked when they enter college somehow is static. It isn't. A 4-star can quickly fail if they don't continue to grow/work/improve. There is this thing called development...as well as lack of development. I LOL when I read/hear someone talk about an upper-classmen using their star rankings when the S-A was in high school. For even those who think these star rankings are meaningful, why would anybody care what a Jr or Sr (or maybe even a R-Soph or Soph ) in college's high school star ranking was/is?

Here's a summation of the 5 transfers (including the VMI WR who ha to sit out last season):

-rJr OC Stanley Hubbard (6’4”/300) (UConn transfer) 2 deep last 2 seasons. Started last game vs Temple. Was slated to start at center next season for UConn.

-Gr WR Scott Bracy (6’2”/210) (Duke transfer). Played 3 seasons, started last season for Duke (21 receptions, 270 yds, 2 TDs). Coming out of HS consensus 4 star & Dukes top recruit of 2016. Rivals had him as the 13th best WR/67th best player in the country Class of 16'. Just look at the offers he had- Clemson, Ohio St, Michigan, etc, etc
https://goduke.com/sports/football/roste...acey/10535
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2...acey-10097

-rSo DE Abi N-Okonji (6’3”/250) (Minnesota transfer, 3 star recruit). Was listed as 270 on Minnesota's bowl game roster, so I imagine he could be like Carter in 2017 as the 5th DL- could play inside or outside.
https://247sports.com/player/abi-n-okonji-93106/

-rSo Safety Jo Jo Norwodd (6’0”/195) (UMASS transfer). Originally committed to Tennessee. Was touted as the 2nd highest rated recruit for UMass recruit ever (UMass moved up 8 years ago). Played as a true. Last yr after starting the 1st 4 games at safety, & 2nd on the team in tackles, quit the team. UMass HC cited homesickness. Since only played 1st 4 games was able to count last season as a redshirt.
https://www.dnj.com/story/sports/college...051610002/
https://247sports.com/college/massachuse...136115111/

-rSo WR Kris Thornton (5’8”/170) (VMI transfer). Had to sit out 2019 due to transfer rules. As Soph had over 1,000 yds receiving in 2018.

If you in include the transfers, on paper at least, it looks like a very good group JMU has brought in. The only sleight concern I have is that lost the 2 DT targets to ODuh, likely in part because the JMU DT coach Jackson went to ODuh. Overall, not concerned about Cig's recruiting in the least.

(02-05-2020 12:28 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:17 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 11:58 AM)DukeQuin Wrote:  If this ranking had came back with us #1 or #2, we'd be excited.

This rating as of 1/27 has us #1 in the conference, and I feel pretty good about the work Hero Sports does. I don't know as much about 247Sports.

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2020...kings-ajaj

It doesn't matter if we were first or last. They all use a system that has no bearing on actual results.
There's so many factors in play that are impossible to predict. The only true way to tell how good/bad a class is to evaluate them years later when they've actually been college football players.

In the case of Polk and Palmer it was easy to evaluate them the first year on the field, and they were both homeruns brought in very late. To me that was just a taste of what we are going to see from Cig’s classes. Those 300 pounders we landed won’t be out of shape for long with our staff if they are now, and I suspect many of these are just “sleepers” that other big programs missed. Think we are finding a few Dylan Stapleton types that are hidden talent, and that’s not a bad thing.

I think Cig specializes in sleepers. He and Saban both said they don't care a bit about stars beside a kid's name. Recruiting sleepers will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. I think Cig knows what he is doing, but it won't show up in the recruiting evaluations, which are meaningless.

(02-07-2020 06:48 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 12:03 AM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  I think this is an Ok class based on our current roster. At our level I'm not looking for stars , I'm looking for development potential. I like our defensive pieces not sure about the offensive ones. I can't name the Qb's Elon had under Cig , and the OLine looks like we are going to be ground and pound.

Some guy named Davis Cheek lit us up for almost 300 yards as a sophomore ... Cig believes in establishing the run, but his offensive plays are generally balanced. Wish we had run a bit more in Frisco, it was working.

Yeah, I will never understand that.

(02-07-2020 03:34 PM)BDKJMU Wrote:  Here's a summation of the 5 transfers (including the VMI WR who ha to sit out last season):

-rJr OC Stanley Hubbard (6’4”/300) (UConn transfer) 2 deep last 2 seasons. Started last game vs Temple. Was slated to start at center next season for UConn.

-Gr WR Scott Bracy (6’2”/210) (Duke transfer). Played 3 seasons, started last season for Duke (21 receptions, 270 yds, 2 TDs). Coming out of HS consensus 4 star & Dukes top recruit of 2016. Rivals had him as the 13th best WR/67th best player in the country Class of 16'. Just look at the offers he had- Clemson, Ohio St, Michigan, etc, etc
https://goduke.com/sports/football/roste...acey/10535
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2...acey-10097

-rSo DE Abi N-Okonji (6’3”/250) (Minnesota transfer, 3 star recruit). Was listed as 270 on Minnesota's bowl game roster, so I imagine he could be like Carter in 2017 as the 5th DL- could play inside or outside.
https://247sports.com/player/abi-n-okonji-93106/

-rSo Safety Jo Jo Norwodd (6’0”/195) (UMASS transfer). Originally committed to Tennessee. Was touted as the 2nd highest rated recruit for UMass recruit ever (UMass moved up 8 years ago). Played as a true. Last yr after starting the 1st 4 games at safety, & 2nd on the team in tackles, quit the team. UMass HC cited homesickness. Since only played 1st 4 games was able to count last season as a redshirt.
https://www.dnj.com/story/sports/college...051610002/
https://247sports.com/college/massachuse...136115111/

-rSo WR Kris Thornton (5’8”/170) (VMI transfer). Had to sit out 2019 due to transfer rules. As Soph had over 1,000 yds receiving in 2018.

If you in include the transfers, on paper at least, it looks like a very good group JMU has brought in. The only sleight concern I have is that lost the 2 DT targets to ODuh, likely in part because the JMU DT coach Jackson went to ODuh. Overall, not concerned about Cig's recruiting in the least.

Thanks for bringing some sanity to this discussion, BDK. I was getting ready to jump out of my 17th floor hotel window.

I really like Bracey. He looks like he could pick up where Polk left off. He's fast(4.5), but not quite as fast as Polk. But, he is 6' 3 (by Duke's roster, anyway). He is going to cause some matchup problems against smaller DBs. And, he is considered the #1 all-time get by Duke. Could be a Larry Fitgerald type (same size), even though he is a good bit faster than Fitgerald. Looking for big things from Mr. Bracey.

https://n.rivals.com/news/the-highest-ra...cc-program

Of all the transfers, Norwood is the one I’m most psyched for.

Watch his umass film. He’s going to be a beast. And we need help in the secondary.

I think we are in very good shape, and Cig isn't done bringing in transfers yet, either. The big question, obviously, is QB. With studs Bracey and Thornton, who is going to get them the ball? I don't think Cole is mobile enough. I see that as a problem.

We won 14 of 16 games and lost to without question to the two best teams we played last year. The average margin of loss was 7.5 points.

Do we ever just stop and smell the roses? Are you all always this miserable in your real lives?

Wow! Thornton also looks like a fine receiver. Not big, but has Polk speed (4.4), good hands, can catch the ball in tight coverage, and has a nose for the endzone. And, check out that vertical in his profile (link below). Plus, his dad played for the Dukes.

We are stacked at WR next year.

Kris Thornton profile

(02-07-2020 09:00 PM)Potomac Wrote:  We won 14 of 16 games and lost to without question to the two best teams we played last year. The average margin of loss was 7.5 points.

Do we ever just stop and smell the roses? Are you all always this miserable in your real lives?

When you play FCS and don't win Championships, No.

(02-07-2020 07:41 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:28 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:17 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 11:58 AM)DukeQuin Wrote:  If this ranking had came back with us #1 or #2, we'd be excited.

This rating as of 1/27 has us #1 in the conference, and I feel pretty good about the work Hero Sports does. I don't know as much about 247Sports.

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2020...kings-ajaj

It doesn't matter if we were first or last. They all use a system that has no bearing on actual results.
There's so many factors in play that are impossible to predict. The only true way to tell how good/bad a class is to evaluate them years later when they've actually been college football players.

In the case of Polk and Palmer it was easy to evaluate them the first year on the field, and they were both homeruns brought in very late. To me that was just a taste of what we are going to see from Cig’s classes. Those 300 pounders we landed won’t be out of shape for long with our staff if they are now, and I suspect many of these are just “sleepers” that other big programs missed. Think we are finding a few Dylan Stapleton types that are hidden talent, and that’s not a bad thing.

I think Cig specializes in sleepers. He and Saban both said they don't care a bit about stars beside a kid's name. Recruiting sleepers will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. I think Cig knows what he is doing, but it won't show up in the recruiting evaluations, which are meaningless.

You technically can't specialize in a sleeper. If we had a list full of three stars this thread wouldn't have existed. Evaluations do matter. And all these high dollar coaches pay some sort of recruiting services in order to stay ahead of recruiting. Recruiting at this level makes or breaks a coach at a school like JMU. Also these evaluations can come from camps where they measure potential as well ( size, speed , strength). I don't believe in Transfers until they practice against our starters.

(02-07-2020 09:59 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 09:00 PM)Potomac Wrote:  We won 14 of 16 games and lost to without question to the two best teams we played last year. The average margin of loss was 7.5 points.

Do we ever just stop and smell the roses? Are you all always this miserable in your real lives?

When you play FCS and don't win Championships, No.

The 8 of the last 9 defending champions would beat all but the end of season top 25 FBS. Teams ranked 16-25 would be 50/50 games.

Don’t downplay the quality of the program. FBS teams won’t schedule them because they know they’d be scheduling a loss.

If Oregon doesn’t bring their A game next year, NDSU can knock them off.

This all comes down to whom do you trust more? Ranking sites rely on other evaluaters (college recruiters) to determine their rankings, (except for maybe top tier players) they don't do it themselves. That's why a player's stars reflects his offers and the level he signs at. So if you think about it it kinda makes sense- they just aggregate what college recruiters think of the players because they don't have the resources to evaluate thousands of kids all over the country.

So do you trust a system that generalizes players using a cookie-cutter formulary, or our coaching staff that has looked long and hard at these players individually? I'm on team Cig.

(02-07-2020 10:12 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 07:41 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:28 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:17 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 11:58 AM)DukeQuin Wrote:  If this ranking had came back with us #1 or #2, we'd be excited.

This rating as of 1/27 has us #1 in the conference, and I feel pretty good about the work Hero Sports does. I don't know as much about 247Sports.

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2020...kings-ajaj

It doesn't matter if we were first or last. They all use a system that has no bearing on actual results.
There's so many factors in play that are impossible to predict. The only true way to tell how good/bad a class is to evaluate them years later when they've actually been college football players.

In the case of Polk and Palmer it was easy to evaluate them the first year on the field, and they were both homeruns brought in very late. To me that was just a taste of what we are going to see from Cig’s classes. Those 300 pounders we landed won’t be out of shape for long with our staff if they are now, and I suspect many of these are just “sleepers” that other big programs missed. Think we are finding a few Dylan Stapleton types that are hidden talent, and that’s not a bad thing.

I think Cig specializes in sleepers. He and Saban both said they don't care a bit about stars beside a kid's name. Recruiting sleepers will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. I think Cig knows what he is doing, but it won't show up in the recruiting evaluations, which are meaningless.

You technically can't specialize in a sleeper. If we had a list full of three stars this thread wouldn't have existed. Evaluations do matter. And all these high dollar coaches pay some sort of recruiting services in order to stay ahead of recruiting. Recruiting at this level makes or breaks a coach at a school like JMU. Also these evaluations can come from camps where they measure potential as well ( size, speed , strength). I don't believe in Transfers until they practice against our starters.

No, you don't specialize in "a sleeper." But, specializing in kids who are flying under the radar, "sleepers," is certainly something a coach can specialize in and I believe Cig is an expert at it. I believe Alabama came back from the dead (while Cig was the Tide recruiting coordinator) in large part by hunting for sleepers.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Kids who were injured in their junior seasons, that critically important year when scouts really start looking at them is a good example. Seniors who never got to start before their senior season because they were playing behind a blue chip, even though they were as good or better themselves. Marcus Mariota is a good example. I have told the story on Marcus here before.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Most coaches and scouts tend to be attracted to the stars. For the smart ones, the stars are not very important at all. You have to evaluate horseflesh in person, and a good scout can spot a diamond in the rough superstar almost immediately. They are out there.

Mariota is only one example. Were it not for a scouting trip to his high school by an Oregon assistant to see another kid, he may never have gone to college, at least not with an athletic scholarship. Now he has a Heisman Trophy, $45 million, and stands to make a lot more.

Sleepers exist, and if I were a coach, I would be mining that rich field non-stop.

(02-08-2020 07:57 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 10:12 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 07:41 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:28 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:17 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  It doesn't matter if we were first or last. They all use a system that has no bearing on actual results.
There's so many factors in play that are impossible to predict. The only true way to tell how good/bad a class is to evaluate them years later when they've actually been college football players.

In the case of Polk and Palmer it was easy to evaluate them the first year on the field, and they were both homeruns brought in very late. To me that was just a taste of what we are going to see from Cig’s classes. Those 300 pounders we landed won’t be out of shape for long with our staff if they are now, and I suspect many of these are just “sleepers” that other big programs missed. Think we are finding a few Dylan Stapleton types that are hidden talent, and that’s not a bad thing.

I think Cig specializes in sleepers. He and Saban both said they don't care a bit about stars beside a kid's name. Recruiting sleepers will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. I think Cig knows what he is doing, but it won't show up in the recruiting evaluations, which are meaningless.

You technically can't specialize in a sleeper. If we had a list full of three stars this thread wouldn't have existed. Evaluations do matter. And all these high dollar coaches pay some sort of recruiting services in order to stay ahead of recruiting. Recruiting at this level makes or breaks a coach at a school like JMU. Also these evaluations can come from camps where they measure potential as well ( size, speed , strength). I don't believe in Transfers until they practice against our starters.

No, you don't specialize in "a sleeper." But, specializing in kids who are flying under the radar, "sleepers," is certainly something a coach can specialize in and I believe Cig is an expert at it. I believe Alabama came back from the dead (while Cig was the Tide recruiting coordinator) in large part by hunting for sleepers.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Kids who were injured in their junior seasons, that critically important year when scouts really start looking at them is a good example. Seniors who never got to start before their senior season because they were playing behind a blue chip, even though they were as good or better themselves. Marcus Mariota is a good example. I have told the story on Marcus here before.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Most coaches and scouts tend to be attracted to the stars. For the smart ones, the stars are not very important at all. You have to evaluate horseflesh in person, and a good scout can spot a diamond in the rough superstar almost immediately. They are out there.

Mariota is only one example. Were it not for a scouting trip to his high school by an Oregon assistant to see another kid, he may never have gone to college, at least not with an athletic scholarship. Now he has a Heisman Trophy, $45 million, and stands to make a lot more.

Sleepers exist, and if I were a coach, I would be mining that rich field non-stop.

Mariota wasn't a sleeper his senior year , he actually attended Oregon's fb camp and was highly rated in Hawaii. And those guys at Alabama that Saban and Cig recruited weren't sleepers. IMO anyone with multiple FBS offers is not a sleeper , these coaches talk among each other more than we know. A sleeper for me would be a guy like Birdsong who went from 1 FCS offer ( breaking school record)to playing FBS/FCS and then getting a pro shot.
I wouldn't making living in sleepers unless I was at a D2 or D3 school ?

(02-08-2020 07:57 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 10:12 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 07:41 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:28 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:17 PM)JMad03 Wrote:  It doesn't matter if we were first or last. They all use a system that has no bearing on actual results.
There's so many factors in play that are impossible to predict. The only true way to tell how good/bad a class is to evaluate them years later when they've actually been college football players.

In the case of Polk and Palmer it was easy to evaluate them the first year on the field, and they were both homeruns brought in very late. To me that was just a taste of what we are going to see from Cig’s classes. Those 300 pounders we landed won’t be out of shape for long with our staff if they are now, and I suspect many of these are just “sleepers” that other big programs missed. Think we are finding a few Dylan Stapleton types that are hidden talent, and that’s not a bad thing.

I think Cig specializes in sleepers. He and Saban both said they don't care a bit about stars beside a kid's name. Recruiting sleepers will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. I think Cig knows what he is doing, but it won't show up in the recruiting evaluations, which are meaningless.

You technically can't specialize in a sleeper. If we had a list full of three stars this thread wouldn't have existed. Evaluations do matter. And all these high dollar coaches pay some sort of recruiting services in order to stay ahead of recruiting. Recruiting at this level makes or breaks a coach at a school like JMU. Also these evaluations can come from camps where they measure potential as well ( size, speed , strength). I don't believe in Transfers until they practice against our starters.

No, you don't specialize in "a sleeper." But, specializing in kids who are flying under the radar, "sleepers," is certainly something a coach can specialize in and I believe Cig is an expert at it. I believe Alabama came back from the dead (while Cig was the Tide recruiting coordinator) in large part by hunting for sleepers.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Kids who were injured in their junior seasons, that critically important year when scouts really start looking at them is a good example. Seniors who never got to start before their senior season because they were playing behind a blue chip, even though they were as good or better themselves. Marcus Mariota is a good example. I have told the story on Marcus here before.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Most coaches and scouts tend to be attracted to the stars. For the smart ones, the stars are not very important at all. You have to evaluate horseflesh in person, and a good scout can spot a diamond in the rough superstar almost immediately. They are out there.

Mariota is only one example. Were it not for a scouting trip to his high school by an Oregon assistant to see another kid, he may never have gone to college, at least not with an athletic scholarship. Now he has a Heisman Trophy, $45 million, and stands to make a lot more.

Sleepers exist, and if I were a coach, I would be mining that rich field non-stop.

Alabama is Alabama because they sign 4* and 5* recruits. LOTS of them. Including when Cig was there.

(02-08-2020 09:50 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-08-2020 07:57 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 10:12 PM)Hotrod829 Wrote:  

(02-07-2020 07:41 PM)Purple Wrote:  

(02-05-2020 12:28 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  In the case of Polk and Palmer it was easy to evaluate them the first year on the field, and they were both homeruns brought in very late. To me that was just a taste of what we are going to see from Cig’s classes. Those 300 pounders we landed won’t be out of shape for long with our staff if they are now, and I suspect many of these are just “sleepers” that other big programs missed. Think we are finding a few Dylan Stapleton types that are hidden talent, and that’s not a bad thing.

I think Cig specializes in sleepers. He and Saban both said they don't care a bit about stars beside a kid's name. Recruiting sleepers will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. I think Cig knows what he is doing, but it won't show up in the recruiting evaluations, which are meaningless.

You technically can't specialize in a sleeper. If we had a list full of three stars this thread wouldn't have existed. Evaluations do matter. And all these high dollar coaches pay some sort of recruiting services in order to stay ahead of recruiting. Recruiting at this level makes or breaks a coach at a school like JMU. Also these evaluations can come from camps where they measure potential as well ( size, speed , strength). I don't believe in Transfers until they practice against our starters.

No, you don't specialize in "a sleeper." But, specializing in kids who are flying under the radar, "sleepers," is certainly something a coach can specialize in and I believe Cig is an expert at it. I believe Alabama came back from the dead (while Cig was the Tide recruiting coordinator) in large part by hunting for sleepers.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Kids who were injured in their junior seasons, that critically important year when scouts really start looking at them is a good example. Seniors who never got to start before their senior season because they were playing behind a blue chip, even though they were as good or better themselves. Marcus Mariota is a good example. I have told the story on Marcus here before.

There are lots of sleepers out there. Most coaches and scouts tend to be attracted to the stars. For the smart ones, the stars are not very important at all. You have to evaluate horseflesh in person, and a good scout can spot a diamond in the rough superstar almost immediately. They are out there.

Mariota is only one example. Were it not for a scouting trip to his high school by an Oregon assistant to see another kid, he may never have gone to college, at least not with an athletic scholarship. Now he has a Heisman Trophy, $45 million, and stands to make a lot more.

Sleepers exist, and if I were a coach, I would be mining that rich field non-stop.

Mariota wasn't a sleeper his senior year , he actually attended Oregon's fb camp and was highly rated in Hawaii. And those guys at Alabama that Saban and Cig recruited weren't sleepers. IMO anyone with multiple FBS offers is not a sleeper , these coaches talk among each other more than we know. A sleeper for me would be a guy like Birdsong who went from 1 FCS offer ( breaking school record)to playing FBS/FCS and then getting a pro shot.
I wouldn't making living in sleepers unless I was at a D2 or D3 school ?

Trust me, Mariota was a sleeper. I lived just down the street from his high school. He had a kid by the name of Jeremy Higgins starting ahead of him. When Higgins graduated, Mariota was going into his senior season without many reps. I lived there and I am a football fanatic. Mariota was not well-known, definitely what I would call a sleeper. He probably attended Oregon's camp after the assistant coach had seen him and offered him a scholly. Hawaii offered Mariota a scholarship but only after Oregon offered him. The article I linked below says Mariota received only one offer, from Oregon. Hawaii offered him to, but late. Oregon only wanted Mariota in a backup role to Johnny Manziel, who had committed there, then bailed, going to A&M. Voila, as chance would have it, Marcus got a shot, won the job, and the rest is history. DEFINITELY a sleeper!

You're right, Birdsong was a sleeper. Do you know why? As I said above in one of the most common scenarios of sleepers, he was injured in his junior year and scouts couldn't see what he could do. So, he was off the radar when he was a senior.

I always thought Birdsong was a tremendous quarterback, outside of the fact that he had absolutely no regard whatsoever for his own health and safety. "A fullback with a cannon," I called him. I know most here didn't think much of him, but I thought he was a very good QB who could play FBS ball and possibly at the next level. No doubt, he was a sleeper!

Mariota was a sleeper