Which SEC coach will break through 2018

[lionheartkc 6,150]

On 5/5/2018 at 10:51 AM, meh130 said:

Regarding recruiting busts, I include discipline problems like 5-Stars Michael Dyer and Zeke Pike, total busts like 5-Stars Byron Coward and Kiehl Frazier and 4-Star Jeremy Johnson, under-performers like 5-Stars Kris Frost and Roc Thomas, and I could probably go on.

if you look at every other team out there with the detail you look at Auburn, you'll find those things are part for the course, though Auburn is less likely to cover for discipline issues. Oh, and Frost was a 4 star.

[meh130 1,043]

44 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

if you look at every other team out there with the detail you look at Auburn, you'll find those things are part for the course, though Auburn is less likely to cover for discipline issues. Oh, and Frost was a 4 star.

Rivals rated Frost a 5-Star, and the #2 OLB in the nation (out of 75 OLBs rated by Rivals):

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2011/kris-frost-26973

247, Scout, and ESPN rated him 4-Star. 247 listed Frost as the #5 OLB in the nation (out of 142 OLBs rated by 247). ESPN rated Frost as an "Athlete" because he also played wide receiver in high school.

But even if one does not consider him a true 5-Star, he was clearly a top national OLB prospect, in the top 5% of rated OLBs and in the top 20% of 4-Star OLBs. He clearly under-performed expectations.

I forgot to mention another 5-Star discipline issue in Duke Williams.

Of course, we have our success stories too, like 3-Star Dee Ford, who outperformed expectations.

I don't doubt other schools also have issues with recruiting busts. But it does not mean there is not room for improvement in evaluating talent. There is no doubt Saban is the best at this, in large part because he learned under arguably the greatest football talent scout in history, Bill Belichick. Then there is developing talent. We have improved on the defensive side of the ball in every position. We still struggle with QBs and WRs with developing talent. We need to step up our game in those areas, or we will be struggling in the passing game come 2019.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

3 hours ago, meh130 said:

Rivals rated Frost a 5-Star, and the #2 OLB in the nation (out of 75 OLBs rated by Rivals):

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2011/kris-frost-26973

247, Scout, and ESPN rated him 4-Star. 247 listed Frost as the #5 OLB in the nation (out of 142 OLBs rated by 247). ESPN rated Frost as an "Athlete" because he also played wide receiver in high school.

But even if one does not consider him a true 5-Star, he was clearly a top national OLB prospect, in the top 5% of rated OLBs and in the top 20% of 4-Star OLBs. He clearly under-performed expectations.

I forgot to mention another 5-Star discipline issue in Duke Williams.

Of course, we have our success stories too, like 3-Star Dee Ford, who outperformed expectations.

I don't doubt other schools also have issues with recruiting busts. But it does not mean there is not room for improvement in evaluating talent. There is no doubt Saban is the best at this, in large part because he learned under arguably the greatest football talent scout in history, Bill Belichick. Then there is developing talent. We have improved on the defensive side of the ball in every position. We still struggle with QBs and WRs with developing talent. We need to step up our game in those areas, or we will be struggling in the passing game come 2019.

This article is old, but it demonstrated the even spread of busts. https://www.seccountry.com/sec/sec-football-recruiting-biggest-busts-2000-signing-day. As for Saban... he's not any better at evaluating talent than anybody else. He succeeds with sheer numbers, thanks to the bama recruiting machine. It just looks like he's better because when 1 high 4/5* busts, he has another 2+ high 4/5*s ready to take his place.

I do agree that we need to work on developing receivers, but Auburn has never been a great receiver school.