Rank the ESD class

[tbone4jc 2,241]

Our biggest need, and we get 1 3-star O-lineman. I love the players we have, and they worked hard to get who we got, but keep it real. 7 out of a possible 10 is really where it is. Def not 10 out of 10

[DAG 33,995]

So is that AU-24 going to eat crow , like he begged others to do?

[selias 2,398]

High B, trending towards A- depending on how we do on OL in the portal

[Tigger1985 808]

Staff worked very hard to get where we are now. Like the fact that we are going nationwide. It needed to be done long ago. Think we need to get some of our Oline from Hawaii 

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

This is a tough question. If I am solely looking at the class and not account extenuating circumstances, I honestly probably rate it a C+ or a B- as it sits right now. 

If I factor in that we started well behind the rest of the SEC due to coaching change, and who I think we end up with after NSD then it bumps it up to a solid B+. A day 1 starter type of WR and OL could have bumped it up to a A to A+ for me.

I will say, this class doesn't have any 5 stars. We don't have a single top 100 recruit. With that said, I don't remember a class with players I liked more from top to bottom. I am legit excited about every single one of these guys.

 

[Mikey 16,626]

It's a good class. Right now I'd grade it a B-. If Story does indeed sign in February, that would be a boost. He's an important piece of the puzzle. Also, they keep listing that 4* DB from Tallahassee but it's been said that he'll be basketball only. If Donaldson does go to basketball and Story doesn't sign, we'll take a hit in the rankings.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,674]

Think you definitely need another WR, possibly two QBs with one of Fin or Dee likely leaving, and def some OLman. But the paradigm has to shift to account for it being a foundational class, and for there being virtually no ace recruiters on offense outside of the RB coach and the spectre of William Friend 

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

12 hours ago, AUDevil said:

There's probably one intangible that lifts today's grade to B or B+ and that's that this staff proved they can recruit in the SEC.  Deck was stacked against them and they figured out a way to break through with several prospects that previously seemed out of reach.  That confidence is huge moving forward.

This is the biggest positive takeaway for me.   IMHO, Harsin didn’t realize how much more important recruiting is in the SEC and got a late start.    He adjusted and made a strong close.   I hope he and staff can pull off a February signing day like they did last year, and moving forward they start the intensity much much earlier for future classes (I think they already have for 2023).  
 

As for this class meeting needs, DL looks good, we got a solid QB and RB, and the DBs look pretty good.   Picking up Woodyard on Wednesday made the LB class look good.  As for misses, I would like to see more quality OL (broken record, I know), and a WR1.   

[80Tiger 899]

As others have said, from where we started in the rankings yesterday to where we finished was a really nice job by this staff. Credit is due to them for that. It looks as needs were met on defense but not so much on offense, especially O Line which is the exact same problem we have had for 3 years or so now. Portal is huge now for QB and OL. If successful in the portal, that could really change the outlook for the next couple of years (at least for me).

[Zeek 16,657]

13 hours ago, gr82b4au said:

Say we end with M’ba on the DL tomorrow. A:F - how do you rank this class so far??

I rank yesterday a solid B. Didn't get any of the four surprises I was hoping for (Perry, Clemons, Citizen, or Tolan). But locked down our commitments and flipped two kids we expected to get. M'ba, Scott, and Gilbert might be JUCO but that's a huge trio of pickups. We got the best JUCO players at three different positions. 

If the class ended today I'd say F+ and hear me out. We have 7 spots to fill plus another 7 in the portal we can utilize. Hopefully we keep Story and we just have 6 more spots. I would like us to get 1 RB, 1 LB, 3 OL, and another HS WR to round out our high school commits.

Short answer it's good for the moment but with 14 spots to fill we're just over halfway there.

 

[woodford 3,660]

Without context - B+
 

With context - A, with a potential to be A+ if they can finish in the top 10

 

Pull a top 10 class this year, don’t melt down in the season and we might be able to pull a top 5 class. That’s a stretch but we will see. Tons of opportunity at Auburn playing wise. 

[Gowebb11 9,330]

Tactically: Low B. Filled some key needs with very solid players. Needed studs in secondary and WR and got them. Still short on quality o-linemen.

Strategically: Solid A. This staff held on to their early commitments, established they they’re not afraid to cast a wide national net, flipped a Bama and LSU commit, and locked down a lifelong LSU legacy. They did this with a new staff and while having a below average on field record. Class of 2023 should be top 10 for sure. 

[AU_Canoe 230]

A solid "B" is justified for this cycle. Against our SEC peers we are middle pack, which is definitely better than our position on Monday. With the new Football Performance Center opening summer 2022, I would imagine the recruiting expectations will be much higher moving forward. Should be fun and interesting seeing what Harsin and company can do with top notch facilities and provide clarity on whether coaching is excelling or underperforming.  

The portal throws a wrinkle in an already questionable recruiting rating system and industry; however, there is no doubt we have to increase our future talent and depth if we are expected to compete for NC. 

Edited December 16, 2021 by AU_Canoe

[McLoofus 35,182]

11 minutes ago, AU_Canoe said:

The portal throws a wrinkle in an already questionable recruiting rating system and industry

Yeah, it's useless to measure this by traditional metrics. No matter how much some folks don't want- or don't have the processing power- to acknowledge them, we have numerous variables that don't currently factor into our competition's equations. Most of those variables go away after this cycle. This has been said by much more tuned in folks than myself from day 1, and it would really help some folks around here sleep better at night if they would just listen. It's always been about the 2023 class in terms of name recognition, rankings, etc. This class was never about that, not that top 15 is anything to be ashamed of. 

Alas, this class still has a gaping hole in it. That's not me stating an opinion. Harsin said himself that we still have big needs to address. I trust that we will, but until we do, we haven't. So, as excited and optimistic as I am, we're rocking a C with plenty of assignments and tests left to bring it up to at least a B+ before next fall. 

[gravejd 3,270]

I think i'm in agreement with most on here. Just looking at the class i would give it like a B- to C+. Mainly because of lack of players on both lines where we really needed bodies. If we sign that #1 JUCO DT then that helps because the main thing we needed on the DL is a major size upgrade in the middle of the line. Sledge is a good start and add in the JUCO guy and that need was fairly well met. The LB class looks light for a time that plays 4 most of the time. 

With that said i think the staff did an excellent job closing out the class and giving us a group we can try and compete with. They probably got a little lucky with LSU and FL both losing their coaching staffs but hey we'll take it. So really good first full class for Harsin but i'm still concerned we are not meeting our biggest needs. Next year we really need to sign 5 HS linemen, some monster LBs, and that elusive edge rusher. 

[tinman 305]

Based on many of our "gloom and doomers" posts of what was to come, I give it an A+.  But in reality a solid B.  But in effort by the coaching staff under adverse circumstances, a solid A+.

[IronMan70 3,277]

Overall a solid B, with an A+ for the close. That was impressive. Based on what we've just seen, I also have no doubt Harsin is going to fix our long suffering OL issue. 

[JMassie11 1,610]

Solid B borderline B+. To be continued with the portal and February. What I love about this class is we a modeling our defense to the likes of Seattle by solidifying the secondary then dline ( on paper at least). The other biggest take away is we didn’t sign a bunch of 4* or even 5* “athlete”. In recent history those types of players haven’t really paned out.

[slyinsocal 831]

15 hours ago, bigbird said:

Solid B.

 

Need to close with multiple OL, another WR, and a QB

This and an A+ for effort. As the relationships get better, and they are, so will the results.

[bigbird 60,567]

5 minutes ago, slyinsocal said:

This and an A+ for effort. As the relationships get better, and they are, so will the results.

Absolutely! They put in the work and the players, current and recruited, saw the staff walk the walk. That will only increase the effort and buy in from the team.

[akillshot 296]

At this point, I'd rate it a B- because of the oft mentioned OL. It can definitely go up with portal and February signing date. However, as others have stated, I'd give them and A for the effort that took the class to this point.

Also, some have stated that Harsin didn't understand the importance of recruiting in the SEC and then changed. I disagree. I think he understood but getting traction with recruits was challenging with being a new staff plus on campus visiting restricted. Coach Harsin has a good idea of what he is up against in the conference and I think he has plan to address it. If something is not working, he's going to make a change. I think the change in offensive coordinator is an an example of his willingness to address issues. I'm sold on him at this point in time.

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

3 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Class of 2023 should be top 10 for sure. 

If this consistently happens year-in and year-out, Harsin will be able to stay here a long time and have a good bit of success.  

[Hank2020 3,208]

1 minute ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

If this consistently happens year-in and year-out, Harsin will be able to stay here a long time and have a good bit of success.  

Perhaps we can get more players to commit early. I think that might influence more to jump on board.

[AUpreacherman22 3,888]

Just now, Hank2020 said:

Perhaps we can get more players to commit early. I think that might influence more to jump on board.

Yeah, I really think CBH and co got in late on some prospects, partly because they’re new and partly because he didn’t realize how much different recruiting is in the SEC.   It’s a full-time 24/7/365 job.   You can’t wait til November to turn up the heat around here.  

[gr82b4au 5,568]

I remember following the recruiting eagle website during the Bowden years and trying to convince myself that those players were really good. Haha Thank goodness we are not there…
It really is amazing how much recruiting has changed just in the past few years. Just a few short years ago I would have seen this class as a failure. There is some amazing talent in this class and the staff closed like champions, but it did not address our most pressing need (as we all know since it has been the same issue for years).
But now there is late signing day. And the portal… and NIL.
The portal brings us hope. We can bring in players to fill holes like the OLine. We can bring in a QB. 
The portal is also a scapegoat. Whenever we don’t do so well at recruiting high school players, we can always say “there is the portal”! 
The next few months will be a fascinating case study on whether or not the portal really can make or break a football program.