What a National Championship Recruiting Class Looks Like

[walkenvol]

You simpletons are stuck on recruiting rankings as some type of absolute scientific formula. What it takes to win a natty first is locker room culture and good leadership. A&M has highly ranked recruiting talent yet little to show in results. Next, in today’s high scoring game you need an elite qb and a lot of those lately were transfers. Next, deep and talented LOS on both sides of the ball. Following those I don’t know if any of the remaining positions are a priority over one another but they obviously all need to be competitive. Win the LOS and have an elite QB then you’re in the running for a championship.

 

[swchandler1988]

You simpletons are stuck on recruiting rankings as some type of absolute scientific formula. What it takes to win a natty first is locker room culture and good leadership. A&M has highly ranked recruiting talent yet little to show in results. Next, in today’s high scoring game you need an elite qb and a lot of those lately were transfers. Next, deep and talented LOS on both sides of the ball. Following those I don’t know if any of the remaining positions are a priority over one another but they obviously all need to be competitive. Win the LOS and have an elite QB then you’re in the running for a championship.

You think Clemson and Deshaun Watson won a natty birthed from locker room culture? It all matters, and the talent on the roster is over half of it. Rankings aren’t the end all be all but look at who’s at the top in recruiting and on the field, same faces

 

[Revived2002]

This is absurd

We are not winning national titles anytime soon - with Heupel or anyone else

Fulmer did what he did after Tennessee had been rolling for 10+ years under Majors/Fulmer

We need to think of Tennessee c. 1986, right after the Sugar Bowl win

We need to start having sustained success, then we can talk titles

Clemson, our doppelgänger in the ACC, took the same path under Dabo - many years of incremental growth and success, then they popped through

 

[MarcoVol]

I don’t think you have to have 8 5stars but I do think you have to have 70% bluechip (4star) or better. I’d have to dig it up but I did some analysis on recruiting classes and playoff competitors/champs. It basically came down to the perennial playoff participants had a combined overall former recruit (current player) rating of like 91.5-92 points or higher (bama, uga, Ohio state, Clemson, etc) and the perennial playoff/championship competitors had a player rating of 93 or better. And it takes about 2 classes of this magnitude and a “10+ win per season” coach to get there.

If my memory serves correct (and it could be a bit off), Kirby came in and sold the “dream team” concept. He went from a 8-5 coach with top 10 talent from Richt to an 13-2 coach the next year. His first class was #6. So top talent and certainly he developed them to that 13-2 spot. That said, and it should be noted, Kirby’s first 4 years were identical to Richts in wins and sec/nat champs numbers. The difference later showed from recruiting. By the time his second class (which was #3 with a 92 overall rating) were juniors/seniors (I don’t really factor in covid year with shortened schedule) and sophomores/juniors were the following number 1 overall class (94 overall rating), freshmen were the following #2 class (93 overall rating), they won their first championship.

Note that Clemson did it with top 10 classes.

So really you need top 10 and a couple top 3-5 close together to make it happen these days, plus a coach that is definitely top 25. I believe Heupel is top 25 for sure and if he can get us into that mostly blue chip players a couple top 5 classes with those a few consensus 5stars to make impacts at various levels of the offense and defense, we will win at least one championship, or more.

Actually Clemson’s 2016 NC only had one top 10 class leading up to it (started back in 2012) and it was ranked 9th.

Then another class outside top 10.

Then 2018 for their 2nd title, class was ranked 7th. They’ve been pretty much in the top 10 since then.

 

[OffTackleVol]

This is absurd

We are not winning national titles anytime soon - with Heupel or anyone else

Fulmer did what he did after Tennessee had been rolling for 10+ years under Majors/Fulmer

We need to think of Tennessee c. 1986, right after the Sugar Bowl win

We need to start having sustained success, then we can talk titles

Clemson, our doppelgänger in the ACC, took the same path under Dabo - many years of incremental growth and success, then they popped through

LOL............OK

 

[OffTackleVol]

Ready your slings and arrows, but know I want a Nattie just like you.

This is Georgia's recruiting class of 2018. These guys went on to win 2 in a row. While I believe Heupel can outcoach any other O in the nation, without elite players, is an NC possible?

We know Fulmer recruited the lights out. While they're no Rivals or Football 24/7 ratings back in the 90s, our NFL players show he had alot of talent.

So... can we win it all with our current class and trajectory? Can Huepel recruit at the highest level?

View attachment 560172

The class we signed last year and the kids currently committed are more than capable of winning a NC. The culture, commitment, player development, and coaching are all in place to do such. Unless we have some kind of unbelievable bad luck, 9, 10, and 11 win seasons are about to become the norm.

 

[HARTUPM]

Ready your slings and arrows, but know I want a Nattie just like you.

This is Georgia's recruiting class of 2018. These guys went on to win 2 in a row. While I believe Heupel can outcoach any other O in the nation, without elite players, is an NC possible?

We know Fulmer recruited the lights out. While they're no Rivals or Football 24/7 ratings back in the 90s, our NFL players show he had alot of talent.

So... can we win it all with our current class and trajectory? Can Huepel recruit at the highest level?

View attachment 560172

First thing I noticed was the 5 star 6'5 300 lber from Knoxville, OL Cade Mayes who ended up transferring to TN. How many of these guys were actually part of the team the last 2 seasons?

 

[bignewt]

STOP TYPING NATTY YOU TWITS

 

[norrislakevol]

Off the strength of only one 10+ win season, Heupel and his coaching staff are assembling what will likely be the best recruiting class we've landed in the last 20 years; yet, there are many Vol fans that do nothing but complain that the man can't recruit.

We have a 3.73 star average right now according to rivals. We should finish with about that same average. That is massive, and another class like that and we will certainly be national title contenders...hell, we were last year. Another thing that is different now is the transfer portal. JH has made bank there.

 

[norrislakevol]

We won’t win a natty or the SEC till we recruit like Georgia or closer to it we need back to back top 5 recruiting classes for starters. Heupel is the best coach we have had since Phil but in the end a plethora of 5 star studs usually win you a national championship. Our recruiting has to improve and it’s pretty good now but Georgia has dominated us on both LOS the past two years in their convincing wins primarily due to the talent difference in recruiting and rotating fresh guys in and depth. They plug and play 5 Star for 5 Star we can’t do that. We could very well end up with a a top ten recruiting class in the country for 2024 and 4th best in the SEC but that won’t be good enough if you want to win the SEC and natty and I’m not sure how we can close the gap and overtake Kirby and Georgia. Stealing a win this season in Knoxville and ending that 6 game losing streak against them would be a great first step though.

We do need to recruit better, and this year we are. Things change quite a lot with the 12 team playoff coming. Advantage Tennessee there because lot's of teams...particularly out of conference will have a tough out against the Vols because of the way we run the offense.

 

[sjt18]

Okay. So then this also is what a National Championship recruiting class looks like too, right?

Clemson 2012 Football Commits

 

[Voldog1998]

Okay. So then this also is what a National Championship recruiting class looks like too, right?

Clemson 2012 Football Commits

They also played in the much easier ACC which helped.

 

[Voldog1998]

Okay. So then this also is what a National Championship recruiting class looks like too, right?

Clemson 2012 Football Commits

They also played in the much easier ACC which helped.

 

[sjt18]

When Clemson won their first championship, their average player rating was 11th in the country.

Your staff has to find and sign talent. Your staff has to develop and coach well. But lost in all of these discussions concerning stars and schemes... is culture and leadership. I think those two things set Heupel apart and compensate for the "gap" in recruiting... assuming there is one when the dust all settles and we look back 4 years from now to see how these guys performed.

 

[sjt18]

They also played in the much easier ACC which helped.

And beat Bama in the NCG... who according to the recruiting composite had the #1 most talented roster that year @982.66 points vs 846.00 point for Clemson.

Interesting phenomenon since Clemson proved it could beat Bama... the recruiting sites tend to think more of the recruits Dabo goes after even if UGA and Bama don't make them a priority.

The recruiting rankings have a "general" accuracy. There is a "probability" that the #1 rated class has a lot more talent than #30. But to act like there isn't more than enough inaccuracy for the #10 or even the #20 rated team to have enough talent to win championships isn't true. The gap between UT and Bama was significantly more than the gap between Clemson and Bama above. UT didn't just beat Bama... they looked like they completely belonged on the field with them talent wise. Ultimately the depth wasn't there to close out... but that's a different matter when it comes to the unique circumstance Heupel inherited.

 

[headhunter15]

Gotta recruit the trenches, QB and secondary for this.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

I just don't get these types of posts.

Literally everyone knows we have to keep getting better recruits

DUH

All Heupel has done in two and a half years is perform better and better on the field and in recruiting

We just had the 10th ranked class and we are already way ahead of that one

Why would anybody be worried? How could anyone just snap their fingers and go from 3-7 to a top 3 recruiting class????

Kirby inherited Mark Richt program that came off a 10-3 season with multiple top 10 classes. Dude hardly had to build anything

Even Saban didn't inherit anything close to the sh*tshow Heupel did, because they at least went to a bowl game in 06 and were 10-2 in 05

We also don't have to recruit as well as them to win a title

Clemson proved you don't have to and you know who else did? Heupel. His Volunteers with the 19th ranked roster talent beat the number 1 ranked Crismon Tears.

We would have been in the playoff with the NINETEENTH ranked roster if we had anybody who understood how to play defense against the chickens.

And we are getting more talented as we speak.

 

[Voldog1998]

Gotta recruit the trenches, QB and secondary for this.

The trenches and secondary and edge guys is what doomed us against Georgia. Everytime we play them it looks like Georgia has 40 guys on defense on the field and they know exactly what play we are running next. Till we address and change this we aren’t beating Georgia. Kirby has Heup’s offense figured out and bottled up. The last two seasons we have only scored a combined 30 points against them that’s the lowest offensive output against any team in the two years Heupel has been at UT. Does anybody have any confidence that changes this season?

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

The trenches and secondary and edge guys is what doomed us against Georgia. Everytime we play them it looks like Georgia has 40 guys on defense on the field and they know exactly what play we are running next. Till we address and change this we aren’t beating Georgia. Kirby has Heup’s offense figured out and bottled up. The last two seasons we have only scored a combined 30 points against them that’s the lowest offensive output against any team in the two years Heupel has been at UT. Does anybody have any confidence that changes this season?

You're a troll...first of all, several wide open passes that were not "bottled up" at all, were dropped that would have changed the complexion of the game.

The crowd made a MASSIVE difference in the OLs work that day, and the fact that Georgia was in fact a monster all-time great defense means that of course open plays were and always are going to be at a premium against them.


Still those plays WERE absolutely there.

Our defense couldn't stop them before the monsoon, so even if we had scored 24-30 (which if you say wasn't possible IF said open plays were made...then you are either a troll, idiot or liar) we would most probably still have still lost.

 

[rickyyrs]

Ready your slings and arrows, but know I want a Nattie just like you.

This is Georgia's recruiting class of 2018. These guys went on to win 2 in a row. While I believe Heupel can outcoach any other O in the nation, without elite players, is an NC possible?

We know Fulmer recruited the lights out. While they're no Rivals or Football 24/7 ratings back in the 90s, our NFL players show he had alot of talent.

So... can we win it all with our current class and trajectory? Can Huepel recruit at the highest level?

View attachment 560172

I believe Saban and Smart have been doing the NIL deals before they became legal. That's why neither one of them like it now. It gonna even the playing field.

 

[MontyPython]

Actually, 9 of the 16 in your screenshot won 0 national titles, due to transferring out or going to the NFL. 6 won 1 national title. Only 1 person on your screenshot won 2 national titles.

Fair enough. Here's the follow-up class (2019) with players that won 2 NCs. 9 guys 6.0+.

Below it is our 2023 class. 2 guys 6.0+.

Can we win a Nattie with our current level of recruiting? That is the question at hand.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

You're a troll...first of all, several wide open passes that were not "bottled up" at all, were dropped that would have changed the complexion of the game.

The crowd made a MASSIVE difference in the OLs work that day, and the fact that Georgia was in fact a monster all-time great defense means that of course open plays were and always are going to be at a premium against them.


Still those plays WERE absolutely there.

Our defense couldn't stop them before the monsoon, so even if we had scored 24-30 (which if you say wasn't possible IF said open plays were made...then you are either a troll, idiot or liar) we would most probably still have still lost.

We also had a million procedure penalties

Cut those out alone and we do way better

 

[Adam Sandler]

Actually Clemson’s 2016 NC only had one top 10 class leading up to it (started back in 2012) and it was ranked 9th.

Then another class outside top 10.

Then 2018 for their 2nd title, class was ranked 7th. They’ve been pretty much in the top 10 since then.

Fair enough. If they were in the sec, I bet they’d have no titles.

 

[LAVol1]

Can Huepel recruit at the highest level?

It looks like he may. If he gets a top 6 in this class (I predict #6), that will lead to more recruiting success in the near future. My optimism has been restored after a decade in the toilet. My biggest fear is that Jimbo is fired at TAM and they send a Brinks truck after Heup. A&M may be the only program that could make him an offer we can't match.

 

[Enki_Amenra]

We won’t win a natty or the SEC till we recruit like Georgia or closer to it we need back to back top 5 recruiting classes for starters. Heupel is the best coach we have had since Phil but in the end a plethora of 5 star studs usually win you a national championship. Our recruiting has to improve and it’s pretty good now but Georgia has dominated us on both LOS the past two years in their convincing wins primarily due to the talent difference in recruiting and rotating fresh guys in and depth. They plug and play 5 Star for 5 Star we can’t do that. We could very well end up with a a top ten recruiting class in the country for 2024 and 4th best in the SEC but that won’t be good enough if you want to win the SEC and natty and I’m not sure how we can close the gap and overtake Kirby and Georgia. Stealing a win this season in Knoxville and ending that 6 game losing streak against them would be a great first step though.

We will win a title by '26