(02-23-2023 10:13 PM)banker Wrote:  All you have to do is take the all conference team each year and then go back at look at their recruiting ranking. What you will find is that it will average about 2.4 stars.

Transfers impact that, because players get stars based on who’s recruiting them more so then how the recruiting service views them. Those services, at best, personally look at 400-500 kids. There are about 2,600 signings each year. If a kid gets a couple of middling P5 offers and several G5, he is a 3 star (5.6 or 5.7). No P5 but elite G5, 3 star (5.5). A couple Belt offers and a couple MAC, 2 star (5.4).

I won’t say ratings are worthless, but they are fairly close once you get past the those are are really evaluated.

Our "top recruits" are not yet to the level of being actual "top recruits" nationally. Yes I'll take the higher-ranked player every day and twice on Sunday because one you don't get rated at all unless you did something in high school and it is usually backed up by the offers in the bio and two I would rather have three, three stars battling it out for a spot than three non ranked guys. When folks bring up Mac Jones "only being a three star" as a criticism of rankings they are off base. First he was a high three which is much different than a low. He also had to beat out three to four other studs to win the job. Most G5 schools he is handed the job. The point being if you constantly throw higher-ranked kids at a spot the likelihood of success at that position goes up. The lower-ranked kid may win the spot but he had to fight like hell to get it and has to fight like hell to keep it. This is why AL is AL and now thUGA is thUGA.

The threshold of being a mid to low-tier three-star is not that high basically FBS scholarship worthy, size, and good camp data if available. You can easily be replaced by an unranked guy or lower rated three star by effort, scheme changes by new coaches etc.

The portal has basically killed the importance of building talent through HS kids. HS recruiting is basically a supplemental for G5's not sure what the long term is for FCS, G5, P5 but HS stars are in the rearview now. Why recruit a HS kid when an FCS sophomore that balled out and proved himself on the next level wants to come over or a stud at a major P5 that just can't beat out the never-ending line of four and five-stars at his spot and just wants to play? I have no idea how a G5 coach passes on an elite FCS starter or experienced transfer over an unknown mid-level at best HS recruit. Not saying I like or endorse it but unless the kid has character issues I am going with the portal kid most of the time.