AUFAMILY Forums: Recruiting Notes and Numbers - AUFAMILY Forums

Coach Gene Chizik’s staff finished out their 2012 recruiting class, bringing in 19 new recruits along with the transfer of All-American fullback, Jay Prosch. Chizik’s fourth recruiting class finished with a final ranking of No. 14 in the nation according to Scout’s recruiting service. It was another strong class for the Auburn Tigers, giving them four consecutive finishes in the nation’s top-16. Based on the average rating of Auburn’s recruits, the 2012 class was tenth nationally with an average ranking of 3.63 per recruit. Though Auburn missed out on several high profile recruits, Coach Chizik was pleased and committed to those who remained committed to Auburn University.

For the second consecutive season, eight Southeastern Conference teams finished in the top-25 of Scout’s recruiting service. Of all the teams at the FBS level that make up the 11 conferences and independent teams, 30 percent of the nation’s top-100 players faxed their LOI’s into Southeastern Conference programs. The Pac-12 and Big-10 were tied for second with 18 percent. Of all the 4 & 5 star recruits signed, 30 percent inked with Southeastern Conference schools. The Pac-12 was second with 18 percent of the high profile recruits. Once again, it was a clear case of the rich becoming richer as the Southeastern Conference remains the strongest conference in college football.

Though Auburn did not make the nation’s top-5 in recruiting, the Tigers continued to stock their roster with a high number of impact players. During the last 3 recruiting classes only Alabama and Florida has signed a higher percentage of 4 & 5 star recruits than Auburn. Alabama has signed 63 percent, Florida signed 62 percent, Auburn signed 53 percent, Georgia signed 52 percent and LSU has signed 47 percent. The current Auburn coaching staff has taken recruiting to another level, which will be necessary for Auburn to compete within the conference on a yearly basis. One more top 10-15 finish will likely place Auburn in a position of reloading, completing the initial rebuilding process.

When Auburn entered the 2008 season during Tommy Tuberville’s last season, their scholarship roster consisted of 32 percent of their players rated as 4 & 5 stars and 30 percent of the roster were rated as 2-stars or worse. When Chizik’s fourth team takes to the field in 2012, 49 percent of the scholarship players will be rated as 4 & 5 stars and only 13 percent of the roster will be rated as 2-stars or worse. There should be no doubt how much Auburn’s roster has been transformed into a more talented squad over the past 4 years. The final sequence to success will be the development of the talent stock piled by Auburn’s coaching staff. Gene Chizik will bank on new coordinators, Scott Loeffler and Brian VanGorder to make this happen.

Which teams have made the most of their success in recruiting?

Nick Saban and Alabama has turned their top-5 recruiting classes into 2 BCS National Championship teams over the past five seasons. Recruiting is indeed the lifeblood of college football but it doesn’t always translate to positive results. Other teams have been average in recruiting but have made the most of their talent. Here is a comparison of recruiting and how it translated to success on the field.

Here are the averaging recruit rankings of each team in the SEC from 2002-2005 and the results of each team during the 2006 season.

Tennessee – 5.5 (9-4 in 2006)
Georgia – 7.5 (9-4 in 2006)
LSU – 9.5 (11-2 in 2006)
Florida – 10.8 (13-1 in 2006) SECC & BCSNC
Auburn – 20.0 (11-2 in 2006)
South Carolina – 20.3 (8-5 in 2006)
Arkansas – 26.5 (10-4 in 2006) SECCG
Alabama – 29.3 (6-7 in 2006)
Ole Miss – 31.5 (4-8 in 2006)
Miss State – 34.0 (3-9 in 2006)
Kentucky – 59.5 (8-5 in 2006)
Vanderbilt – 64.5 (4-8 in 2006)

Tennessee had 4 consecutive top-10 classes (Average ranking of 5.5) from 2002-2005, fielding a 9-4 team in 2006. Georgia wasn’t too far behind with an average recruiting ranking of 7.5 during the same 4-year period, resulting in a 9-4 finish in 2006. Tommy Tuberville’s Auburn teams made the most of their top-20 average from 2002-2005, fielding an 11-2 squad in 2006. Arkansas made the SECCG in 2006 despite having an average recruiting class of 26.5 during the 4-years leading up to the 2006 season.

Here are the results from the recruiting period from 2006-2009.

LSU – 5.5 (11-2 in 2010)
Georgia – 7.5 (6-7 in 2010)
Florida – 9.0 (8-5 in 2010)
Alabama – 10.8 (10-3 in 2010) coming off a BCSNC season
Auburn – 12.3 (14-0 in 2010) SECC & BCSNC
Tennessee – 17.8 (6-7 in 2010)
South Carolina – 21.8 (9-5 in 2010) SECCG
Ole Miss – 25.3 (4-8 in 2010)
Arkansas – 27.0 (10-3 in 2010)
Miss State – 29.5 (9-4 in 2010)
Kentucky – 43.0 (6-7 in 2010)
Vanderbilt – 73.5 (2-10 in 2010)

LSU moved to the top of the conference in recruiting during the 4-year period (2006-2009) along with an 11-2 record in 2010. Georgia remained the second best recruiting team in the SEC during the same time period severely underachieving with a 6-7 record in 2010. The Florida Gators also underachieved in 2010 with an 8-5 record despite having a top-10 recruiting ranking during the 4 years leading up to 2010. Auburn improved their recruiting average from 20th to 12th nationally, rewarded with a BCSNC season in 2010. Alabama now under Nick Saban drastically improved their recruiting along with their winning percentage. Bobby Petrino should also receive credit for building a strong Arkansas team despite having only one top-20 finish in recruiting over the past 11 seasons.

Under Gene Chizik, Auburn has improved their national recruit ranking to 9.5 over the past four seasons. This should translate to a very successful season in 2013 if Auburn’s trend in developing their talent continues. Auburn’s 2012 season should be a solid step forward in making 2013 a special year. The Tigers had a talented roster in 2011 but it was youthful requiring further experience and development, especially on the line of scrimmage. Chizik’s coaching staff has already brought home the ultimate prize in college football but that 2010 squad was sandwiched between two 8-5 teams. In order for Auburn to become and remain one of the elite teams in the conference, the Tigers must find consistency in the development of their talent.

Auburn's 2012 recruit class was made up of 58 percent 4 & 5 star recruits, making it a very good class in terms of star-gazing. If my count is correct, Auburn is now sitting at 80 scholarship players going into the 2012 season. The only depth concern I see is at linebacker, where Auburn will have 9 LB's on scholarship in 2012. It would have been nice to ink one more LB but for the most part, Auburn met it's recruiting needs with this class. Now it's time to continue the development of the last 3 recruiting classes.

War Eagle!