Recrootin': Looking back at the Top Ten prospects of yonder year.....

[Goat Holder II]

These are the guys, in my opinion, that everyone wanted and we thought we had to have. Let's see how they turned out. I searched Scout for the most highly rated high school in-state guys.

<span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">2007</span>
Jeramie Griffin - Has he done anything at Bammer?
Chris Strong - nothing
Stevan Ridley - heads OOS and is going pro
Robert Elliot - goes to MSU hurts his knee
Derek Sherrod - going pro
Chaz Ramsey - injury
Jazzmen Guy - nothing
Jonathan Frink - who?
Antonio White - nothing
Lee Chambers - did he do anything at Miami?

Significant names in the next ten: KJ Wright, Johnny Brown, Marcus Green
A few significant names after the Top 20: Addison Lawrence, Mike Hunt, Bradley Sowell, Saulsberry

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">2008</span>
Deandre Brown - going pro based on talent alone
Tig - nothing
Zo Lawrence - whatever happened to this future All-SEC corner Steve Robertson??
Templeton Hardy - remains to be seen
Andre Wadley - did he get hurt?
Charles Mitchell - turned out great
JP Alford - quit
Marlon Walls - who?
Bo Tillman - where is this guy again? JUCO?
Willie Packer - ?

Next ten: Arceto Clark, Trevor Stigers, Josh Jackson, Tobias Smith, Devin Jones
Not many significant names after the Top 20 here either, Austin Davis is the only one who's done anything

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">2009</span>
Pat Pat - right
Josh Boyd - doing fine
Tyler Russell - not doing anything wrong at least
Rod Woodson - I guess he's still at Bama
Fletcher Cox - doing fine
Chad Bumphis - player
William Shumpert - doing OK I guess
Anthony Steen - playing at Bama
Chris Garrett - nothing
Deontae Skinner - doing OK

Next ten: Jamie Collins, Dennis Thames, Chris Smith, Gabe Jackson, a couple of guys at USM, Terrell Grant (I think he played a little at UM), Norwood at Bama
Big names like Perkins, Lampley, but not a ton of them. Of course as you get more and more recent the results haven't come together yet.

<span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">2010</span>
All the top ten look to be in school and contributing except Shon Coleman. But again the next ten look as good as the top ten. Then after that, you still have a few names like Corvell Harrison-Gay (he was good enough to play a little for us this year).

So all in all, this tells me a couple of things:

1 - Mississippi usually produces about 20-25 D1 players per year.
2 - Players are usually just as good anywhere on that list.
3 - Defections take place pretty evenly with the guys who stay instate and the guys who leave the state.
4 - Scout's rankings can only really be a guide, not the gospel.
5 - 2011 isn't really any deeper than any of these other classes. 2009 seems to be the best of the recent ones.
6 - We really shouldn't be too concerned with JUST the top star guys, because the #1 and #2 guys have just as big a propensity to fail as the #19 and #20 guys.
7 - Obviously, we either have to go OOS and get some solid guys or take chances on developing some lower rated and overlooked guys within the state. Shocking concept I know.

Just my thoughts on a work-free morning.

 

[TheStateUofMS]

About some of the top guys panning out.....when Croom was here, he did nothing to make them better. With Mullen now here one of two things are going to happen:
1)You're going to be a puss and quit or transfer
or
2)You're going to work your *** off and get coached up and become a really good player

I think the problem with alot of these top guys is they got by on their talent alone and they were full of themselves and don't put in the work at the next level. Mullen is going to work your butt off you can believe that. With the lower rated guys who pan out well, they wanna play at the next level so they know they have to give it there all. I think that's why Mullen can do so great with "lesser" talent. I think he has an eye for talent and finds guys that have higher potential than their ratings, but when he gets his solid athletes that are rated 3 stars and they come to work every day, many of them are going to pan out better than these pre madona rated 4 stars in MS.

 

[8dog]

which are the two he listed that Croom would have coached, Injury and Grades were the main culprit. Alford and Elliot got hurt. Guy and White never made it to campus and never even played anywhere.

 

[patdog]

There were literally more productive players in the 2nd 10 than in the 1st 10 for 07 and 08.</p>

 

[Goat Holder II]

we need to embrace it. I think Mullen has thus far.

 

[RebelBruiser]

From what I can find, he hurt his knee in his second season on campus, missed the entire season, and never recovered.

 

[croomsgone]

Marlon Walls plays at UT, Rod Woodson got in trouble at Bama and plays at UNA

 

[EAVdog]

Or so says Jortfro.

 

[RebelBruiser]

I guess not though. He signed in 2008 but didn't report to USM obviously. I guess he'd still have 2 years left if he can get his grades.