that we're not going to get Alabama caliber o-line recruits. They get guys that are SEC ready from day one and are going to be three year guys and in the NFL.
We get guys that we are going to have to develop over the course of 4-5 years. That's why it's so important for us to have a coach like Dan and a S&C coach like Balis. That's what coach is saying- it's not often that we're going to get Alabama type talent o-linemen.
I know he's not an o-lineman, but for us to get a guy like Fletcher Cox is the exception, not the rule.
I think you would also agree that Croom couldn't recruit worth a darn and having a class with 1-2 o-linemen in it is unacceptable. Much like leaving us with Tyson Lee and Chris Relf at QB was also unacceptable.
You can fault Dan and Hevesy for not getting some JUCO's to bridge the gaps- and I don't know why they didn't- but aside from that, I think he has done a good job with the o-line. Damien Robinson was a four-five star guy, Desper was an Under Armour All-American, Day looked promising last year, and now we're in good shape with the top OT in the state in Jake Thomas, a guy from South Panola that has a ton of offers, Flowers looks pretty solid, and Cole Carter was probably the most athletic o-lineman in the state last year and was a guy that Ole Miss tried to flip. I think Justin Malone was a good find as well.
Heck, we could have an o-line with a guy from Madison Central, a guy from South Panola, and a guy from JA on it in three-four years. Those are places we've had some difficulty recruiting guys to say the least.