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Where does the 2017 AU roster rank?


TigerWar

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I read this morning that we return 17 starters and arguably the most experienced talent that Auburn has had in the past 12 years.

I wanted to take it a step further and ask the question, from top to bottom, how does the 2017 Auburn roster rank in sheer talent and experience returning compared to some of the more talented rosters that Auburn has had in the past?

Most of us die-hard Auburn fans know that we have recruited at a high level on a more consistent basis when compared to past era's of Auburn football. With that said, has five straight years of Top 10 recruiting classes built one of the most talented rosters that the Tigers have ever had? How does it stack up to others from the past? Could this be one of the deepest and most talented rosters from top to bottom?

No matter what kind of talent and experience we're returning, I like the fact that Gus is preaching that no one has arrived and each guy needs to take that next step and become an impact player.

I truly believe we have the type of team that can compete for the SEC Championship and a birth in the College Football Playoff, but no matter how talented of a roster we return, a championship run involves a little luck in regards to avoiding injuries and the ball bouncing your way every now and then, but knowing the kind of roster that's taking the field in 2017 gives this Auburn fan a lot of optimism and excitement of what's to come.

War Damn...

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I thought the 2014 team in terms of potential on paper was more talented than this 2017 bunch . The fact that we have a good group of guys returning is positive , however I don't know if I can honestly rank this team just yet . Haven't even seen them scrimmage . I will say that I am not as enamored with recruiting rankings as much as others nor do I completely devalue them . The most talent team imo was the 2004 squad and quite frankly , if you were to base it strictly on recruiting and the team make up, they wouldn't stack up to be more talented than the Auburn teams of recent years (this is on paper).

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While it is not a great indicator of talent, seeing how many end up at the professional ranks can be somewhat of litmus test. So how many end up in the pro's? Some for sure from the O Line; receivers-there is some talent but our history there says we tend to underachieve at this position; running backs- a couple of guys will get looks. I won't even try to guess on QB.  On defense some of the  def line will play on Sunday; LB- maybe Williams, and some of the secondary may get a look. But overall outside of both D and O line not sure how many guys have pro potential past a couple of seasons.

It's hard to compare to past teams, but at the moment I don't think it is close to 1983, 1988, or 2004 team. 2010 team was skewed by Cam. It could be close to the 2013 team for sure.

Just my thoughts.

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Yes we have a very talented roster, but so do the teams we play.  Clemson, LSU, UGA, A&M and of course Bammer all have rosters that are equal or better.  We ain't winning the SEC and getting to the playoff without beating those teams and in order to do that we need two things, better QB play and better coaching on the offensive side of the ball. We haven't had that the past 3 years.  Maybe that is about to change, we will see.  The defense was plenty good enough to win every game last year and the team got into a groove in the middle of the season after the QB fiasco was settled and up to the point when Sean got hurt.  Then we lost three games we could have won had he stayed healthy.  Hopefully we have a backup plan now.  

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23 minutes ago, 80Tiger said:

While it is not a great indicator of talent, seeing how many end up at the professional ranks can be somewhat of litmus test. So how many end up in the pro's? Some for sure from the O Line; receivers-there is some talent but our history there says we tend to underachieve at this position; running backs- a couple of guys will get looks. I won't even try to guess on QB.  On defense some of the  def line will play on Sunday; LB- maybe Williams, and some of the secondary may get a look. But overall outside of both D and O line not sure how many guys have pro potential past a couple of seasons.

It's hard to compare to past teams, but at the moment I don't think it is close to 1983, 1988, or 2004 team. 2010 team was skewed by Cam. It could be close to the 2013 team for sure.

Just my thoughts.

Do not forget the 1972 class ever!

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I remember grumbling during 1992 that it was the most underachieving squad in the history of Auburn football but a lot of talent & experience from that team made our 1993 undefeated run.

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You need talent, but in college it really comes down to production in whatever system you're playing in.  College doesn't have the time for coaching/practice to allow maximization of talent.  Getting the right kids, in the right situations, in the right environment can do wonders.  We'll only know how productive this class is at the end of the season.  But, potential is there.

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This can't really be answered with any true value til a few games into the 2017 season at the earliest.

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On paper it is Bama, LSU, followed closely with AU and UGA, just a hair behind them are aTm, UF and Tennessee.  However I don't think UF has the offensive talent and aTm the defensive talent this year to win the conference.  So that puts us with about 6 (the original big 6) teams.  Bama, LSU, and AU in the west, UGA, UT, and maybe UF.  

Whoever gets good special teams play, solid QB play, can stop the run with the front 6-7, rush the passer with 4, and beneficial scheduling will probably win the conference.  

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1 minute ago, corchjay said:

On paper it is Bama, LSU, followed closely with AU and UGA, just a hair behind them are aTm, UF and Tennessee.  However I don't think UF has the offensive talent and aTm the defensive talent this year to win the conference.  So that puts us with about 6 (the original big 6) teams.  Bama, LSU, and AU in the west, UGA, UT, and maybe UF.  

Whoever gets good special teams play, solid QB play, can stop the run with the front 6-7, rush the passer with 4, and beneficial scheduling will probably win the conference.  

Aw, maaaaaan

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So ready for April 8 to get here so we have something. Though spring games are always complexing to me, I gotta see Stidham slanging the football to get that rust off if there is any. Even though Kyle Davis, Jamel Dean, and others won't play at least we'll get a better picture.

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16 hours ago, corchjay said:

On paper it is Bama, LSU, followed closely with AU and UGA, just a hair behind them are aTm, UF and Tennessee.  However I don't think UF has the offensive talent and aTm the defensive talent this year to win the conference.  So that puts us with about 6 (the original big 6) teams.  Bama, LSU, and AU in the west, UGA, UT, and maybe UF.  

Whoever gets good special teams play, solid QB play, can stop the run with the front 6-7, rush the passer with 4, and beneficial scheduling will probably win the conference.  

I get the uat thing given the REC can get saban most of whatever he wants.  But, I still can't understand why so many people think LSU is there with uat.  They aren't any closer to uat in talent than we are.  I've seen this same thing said by a lot of people for years and going off the recruiting numbers there's just zero support for it.  People act like uat and lsu are head and shoulders above everybody else in talent and it just isn't the case.  It's certainly not the case when it comes to lsu.   If anybody is going to include lsu in that category with uat, then Auburn should be in that same category. 

Comparing scout rankings since 2010:

    Auburn    lsu
2010    5    7
2011    2    8
2012    8    6
2013    13    9
2014    8    2
2015    3    12
2016    9    6
2017    11    7
        
Average    7.375    7.125

Now the 24/7 Composite rankings

24/7 Composite

Auburn   lsu

2010    6    8
2011    5    8
2012    11    14
2013    10    6
2014    6    2
2015    8    6
2016    9    3
2017    9    7
        
Average    8    6.75

Auburn's average record since 2010:  Wins:  8.571  Losses: 4.571

lsu average record since 2010:   Wins 9.857  Losses 3

Auburn 2 SEC titles

LSU 1 SEC title

Auburn 1 National title (2 title game appearances)
lsu ZERO. 

Sorry, I just can't buy into this lsu being more talented (even on paper) argument.  It just doesn't hold water with me.    Just at the skill positions alone.  Would anybody take their QB's over the ones we currently have (including Stidham)?   I wouldn't.     Would anybody take their RB's over the one's we currently have?  I wouldn't.   WR?   NO,  kicker:  Absolutely NOT.  

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1 hour ago, WarTiger said:

I get the uat thing given the REC can get saban most of whatever he wants.  But, I still can't understand why so many people think LSU is there with uat.  They aren't any closer to uat in talent than we are.  I've seen this same thing said by a lot of people for years and going off the recruiting numbers there's just zero support for it.  People act like uat and lsu are head and shoulders above everybody else in talent and it just isn't the case.  It's certainly not the case when it comes to lsu.   If anybody is going to include lsu in that category with uat, then Auburn should be in that same category. 

Comparing scout rankings since 2010:

    Auburn    lsu
2010    5    7
2011    2    8
2012    8    6
2013    13    9
2014    8    2
2015    3    12
2016    9    6
2017    11    7
        
Average    7.375    7.125

Now the 24/7 Composite rankings

24/7 Composite

Auburn   lsu

2010    6    8
2011    5    8
2012    11    14
2013    10    6
2014    6    2
2015    8    6
2016    9    3
2017    9    7
        
Average    8    6.75

Auburn's average record since 2010:  Wins:  8.571  Losses: 4.571

lsu average record since 2010:   Wins 9.857  Losses 3

Auburn 2 SEC titles

LSU 1 SEC title

Auburn 1 National title (2 title game appearances)
lsu ZERO. 

Sorry, I just can't buy into this lsu being more talented (even on paper) argument.  It just doesn't hold water with me.    Just at the skill positions alone.  Would anybody take their QB's over the ones we currently have (including Stidham)?   I wouldn't.     Would anybody take their RB's over the one's we currently have?  I wouldn't.   WR?   NO,  kicker:  Absolutely NOT.  

Your analysis is a good one. However, one additional thing to consider is how many of those are eventually good enough to play in the NFL. According to an NFL site I checked, LSU as 47 players in the NFL compared to our 34.  That's about a 33% difference in their favor.  Both teams have plenty of talent. The biggest difference I see is LSU averages 3 losses a year to our 5. 

Pat Dye preached a simple concept. To win championships you have to win the games you're supposed to win and split the rest. Auburn is losing 1-2 games a year they are supposed to win. (UGA comes to mind) 2017 is a good time to start a great run!

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I will say that 2015 team had the most hype of any team since the 2006 squad . The 2014-2015 years were squandered in terms of expectation . I blame the defense for the 2014 downfall.

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4 hours ago, WarTiger said:

I get the uat thing given the REC can get saban most of whatever he wants.  But, I still can't understand why so many people think LSU is there with uat.  They aren't any closer to uat in talent than we are.  I've seen this same thing said by a lot of people for years and going off the recruiting numbers there's just zero support for it.  People act like uat and lsu are head and shoulders above everybody else in talent and it just isn't the case.  It's certainly not the case when it comes to lsu.   If anybody is going to include lsu in that category with uat, then Auburn should be in that same category. 

Comparing scout rankings since 2010:

    Auburn    lsu
2010    5    7
2011    2    8
2012    8    6
2013    13    9
2014    8    2
2015    3    12
2016    9    6
2017    11    7
        
Average    7.375    7.125

Now the 24/7 Composite rankings

24/7 Composite

Auburn   lsu

2010    6    8
2011    5    8
2012    11    14
2013    10    6
2014    6    2
2015    8    6
2016    9    3
2017    9    7
        
Average    8    6.75

Auburn's average record since 2010:  Wins:  8.571  Losses: 4.571

lsu average record since 2010:   Wins 9.857  Losses 3

Auburn 2 SEC titles

LSU 1 SEC title

Auburn 1 National title (2 title game appearances)
lsu ZERO. 

Sorry, I just can't buy into this lsu being more talented (even on paper) argument.  It just doesn't hold water with me.    Just at the skill positions alone.  Would anybody take their QB's over the ones we currently have (including Stidham)?   I wouldn't.     Would anybody take their RB's over the one's we currently have?  I wouldn't.   WR?   NO,  kicker:  Absolutely NOT.  

First, throw the Scout rankings out because they are typically way off. Second, LSU has out-recruited us the last 5 years and even with questionable coaching have averaged over 1 more win per season and one less loss. Third, only the last 5 years matter because that's who makes up these teams leaving us with an average composite ranking of 8.4 vs LSU at 4.8. IMO that's a talent advantage. Throw in the NFL departures from both and clearly LSU has had more draftable talent.

And IMO, Guice is better than any running back we have or have had since Mason. They always have great WRs (maybe just lacking at QB to get the ball to them but I don't know about them this year).

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I just wanted to come here and complain about that 2014 team. One of the greatest offenses Auburn has ever fielded and our atrocious defense totally wasted it. 8-5?!?! with all that talent on offense we had? BLEHHHHHHHHHHHH. My heart hurts for my guy Nick Marshall senior season. The Iron Bowl that season was the microcosm of that 2014 season. Great Offense and the defense ruined the day. We let BLAKE SIMMS put up 55 on us.........

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2014 before Lawson got hurt was in my mind, the most stacked Auburn roster I've ever seen, especially in terms of proven talent

2017 could be more akin to a 2010 roster where it looks alot better after the fact

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10 hours ago, GTNupe11 said:

The 2014 season went downhill after that home loss to A&M. Demoralizing loss. 

I didn't think a loss could make me feel anywhere close as shoddy as the year of 2014 opener (I won't identify the team or the situations surrounding that game). But we literally found a way THE SAME YEAR to create almost just as bad a L 

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3 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I didn't think a loss could make me feel anywhere close as shoddy as the year of 2014 opener (I won't identify the team or the situations surrounding that game). But we literally found a way THE SAME YEAR to create almost just as bad a L 

2014 opener?  We thumped ArkMart. 

The loss to MS St. that year was really bad. And then the annual not showing up to play thuga was really bad too. Now that I think about it, every loss that year was very demoralizing, with the possible exception of the bowl game. 

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You can load up all the top talent in the world on a roster, but when your Head Coach with only 1 yr HC experience at ArkySt is literally thrown into the might SEC and he is training on the job, then you see what we've seen for the last 5 years.  >>>>>> Complete and total Inconsistency! 

On another topic, lets think about how overall weak the SEC Head Coaches are compared to 5 yrs ago.  Gus with his up & down seasons, who is most likely coaching for his job this season is in a solid 2nd place behind one of college football's elite coaches.  At the moment, I can't think of another SEC HC I'd put above CGM for 2nd place in the whole conference.

It's boarder line shocking how the conference HC pool has fallen off in the last few years.  Right now the ACC has better HC pedigree than the SEC, and that's sad.

 

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1 hour ago, keesler said:

You can load up all the top talent in the world on a roster, but when your Head Coach with only 1 yr HC experience at ArkySt is literally thrown into the might SEC and he is training on the job, then you see what we've seen for the last 5 years.  >>>>>> Complete and total Inconsistency! 

On another topic, lets think about how overall weak the SEC Head Coaches are compared to 5 yrs ago.  Gus with his up & down seasons, who is most likely coaching for his job this season is in a solid 2nd place behind one of college football's elite coaches.  At the moment, I can't think of another SEC HC I'd put above CGM for 2nd place in the whole conference.

It's boarder line shocking how the conference HC pool has fallen off in the last few years.  Right now the ACC has better HC pedigree than the SEC, and that's sad.

 

A year ago I would have said Hugh Freeze, but well, you know...

I actually think that Mullen is pretty undervalued/underrated. He has done an absolutely phenomenal job at Mississippi State.

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