The 2018 class
- Thread starter hdhntr1
- Start date
R-E-L-A-X.
Time will tell if these guys can play. NU "always" seem to have the 50th ranked class in the US yet performs better on the field.
That and generally the difference between the 25th rated class and 50th is generally not huge. Just saying that for all of our talk about recruiting improving, have to ask, is it actually or are we just holding our own?
One way to judge our improvement in recruiting is roster depth. In the past, injuries to starters were devastating. I think that is no longer the case. We survived a relative plague at a key position, CB, and the wheels did not come off. That says something. We also have younger guys starting, which suggests less developmental recruits and kids who are much closer to being ready physically for power conference ball. This is especially apparent on defense.
Per your comment, I think the difference between 25 and 50 on the class ratings board is largely insignificant. I think a top 10 class is generally outstanding' a top 20 class is very good; and then it is mostly classes dominated by 3 star guys, for whom the distribution is fat and variable. At that point. it is probably more about your ability to "out scout" the ratings (something we do well) and develop kids (we do well in some areas, poorly in others).
Don't think that was true when Barnett was in charge. NU needs to start winning recruiting battles with the likes of Wisconsin and Michigan, along with getting more 4* kids. Maybe the new practice facility will help, along with increasing the number of offers they make.
More vs Michigan than Wisconsin, against whom we win our share of battles, none more important in recent years than Paddy Fisher. But yeah, I'm sick of Harbag nabbing kids like Hinton's kid (5-star). We need to win more head-to-head against them.
Wisconsin's recruiting classes consistently have been in the mid-30s nationally over the past several years.
The rankings are a joke.
The rankings are a joke.
We are going to end up dead last! Even behind the Fighting Lovie’s when they fill up to 25. Big deal. There isn’t a big difference this year after you get past the top three. I hope everyone remembers this when they ***** and whine that we don’t blow out Minnesota or Purdue. They get players too. I trust our staff to get the RIGHT guys for NU. Just sprinkle in a few more 4 stars going forward. I like our dead last rated class.
Officially in last. Good thing most of our prospects are smart enough to peel back the onion on the absurdity of these team ratings.
hasn't Wisconsin won the Western Division title in the last several years? Maybe recruiting rankings aren't the big joke to make them out to be.
WI classes typically are ranked not that much higher than ours by 247. WI is probably as close to NU academically in the B1G as any school, so I view them as an aspirational peer. They develop players extremely well.
Low 30's for WI versus low-50's for NU. Probably not a statistically significant difference. So the big difference must be in player development, because year in and year out over the last 9 years WI >> NU.
We are pretty close to WIS, They are the best and we are a
Really? THat is year in year out about the highest average ranking in the division. (true, they have also developed players fairly well) And guess what. They have won the division more often than not
But they are consistently higher. And they continue to win while we continue to aspire to get to their level.
While I agree, still a bit disappointing (and a bit concerning for the future) that for all the success on the field and improvements that should help recruiting, our class is ranked dead last in the conference
Who cares? We have good players coming in. Don’t know I can say the same for others in our division.
We need to just accept the fact that Northwestern isn't going to be the school of choice for most of the aspiring college football players at the FBS level.
And I'm fine with that.
I want kids who fit who we are. I don't want us to lower our standards or start accommodating teenagers to get more recruits.
And I'm fine with that.
I want kids who fit who we are. I don't want us to lower our standards or start accommodating teenagers to get more recruits.
Look at some of the classes ahead of us in the B1G. They have 0 to 1 4 stars, and several with multiple 2 stars. The difference? NU has smaller classes because we graduate almost everyone. If one looks at the average star rating for the entire class, we'd be closer to 8th. So...R E L A X.
But it looks like a lot of conference programs have better guys about to come aboard. When NU wins their division a few times then maybe we brag that they have better players then Wisconsin. Then there is a Big Ten Championship to get and that will involve equal or better recruiting then Michigan, MSU and Pen. St.. I won't even touch OSU.
Last edited:
That wasn't directed at you but since you asked, Stanford seems to win quite a bit without lowering or bending the rules.
I think he means that the separation between us at the bottom and other programs is likely getting wider
Is recruiting teenagers who have already committed to another program pushing the envelope ethically? If so, NU lives in a glass house.
In Stanford’s case, I would bet you that every recruit that verbals to the Cardinal understands that they are subject to getting bumped should they trash their knee, or should a better player at their position subsequently come along. This has been going on at Stanford since Hardback was the coach. Their recruits are willing to roll the dice on their commitments because 1) they want to play for a team that will regularly plays for the PAC 12 championship and 2) if they get bumped, there may well be other high quality academic programs that that will pick them up ( a la Kain Colter )
NU needs to win the West to begin the drive to reaching the next level.
Go ‘Cats!!
Hmmm. OK. I suspect you may be disinclined to elaborate on their skullduggery in a public forum, but I’m sure curious as to what other malfeasance the Cardinal is guilty of. ( apologies for the Medill F )
Harbaugh was pretty much a dirtbag when it came to recruiting. That’s about it, details just back it up more.
The point isn't Wisconsin's standing within the division. It's the team's standing within the conference and nationally.
Wisconsin might do a great job developing players, but I'd argue that it's at least as much about finding the right players for the type of football you want to play.
I'll try. Just what it comes down to is if NU recruits as well as Wisconsin, then guess they will have to coach them up better then they are currently doing. Or maybe they will just have to work harder and go after and get commitments from the same recruits that Michigan, MSU and Pen St. offer.
I follow recruiting pretty close and Wisky gets better recruits than NU. With their consistent winning, that gap will be harder to overcome. Just look at who their first 2019 recruits are. It helps that you are in the bowl championship discussion until the last week of the season and you have a fanatical following. This is more than a development issue. Sorry, but We hold our own in head to head recruiting on Defense, but on offense they get more talent. Plain and simple.
I really like this class, IMO, many of our 5.5 rated recruits should be 5.7 recruits. No way this is a bottom ranked team if properly ranked and we have a larger class. Having said that, we continue to lose out on 4 stars especially at QB, OL, and WR. If we expect to win division championships that will need to change. Like it or not, we will need to improve our talent coming in because if you believe the recruiting pundits we are falling behind the big boys and the bottom feeders are bringing in comparable classes/talent.
I don't expect us to out-recruit Stanford either. They have every advantage (and disadvantage) we have. But they have better weather and a stronger national reputation as a university.
First, I don’t think it’s worthwhile for NU to compare their recruiting to the teams that typically fall into the top 5. Ratings and rankings aren’t 100% accurate, blah blah blah,,, but its not fiction either. i think there is a difference typically between the top 5 ranked prospects per position and top 5 ranked classes. After 4 years, looking back the position of the top 5 may shift depending on who does pan out, injuries, transfers, too early departures, etc...
Same could be said about the 5 to maybe 10-15 rankings, then another gap before the 16-30 rankings. NU probably realistically falls into the third group most years but has the ability to every now and then get into the second group.
This isn’t to disparage the Wildcat recruits, but to give reasons why usually the rankings for NU don’t matter. Compared to other schools who might be recruiting athletes with similar athletic ability but without the academic requirements, Wildcat players are more intelligent top to bottom, more mature, more understanding of how effort and preparation equates to results, and more likely to stay 4 years which gives many starters more experience and more time together resulting in better chemistry. All which contribute to on the field results to outperform recruiting rankings.
Don’t worry about overall recruiting rankings as much as recruiting to fill needs with an occasional prospect who could have physically been included to a traditional top ranked recruiting class.
Northwestern isn’t likely going to be a perennial National Championship contender. They can put together a team that on any given day can beat anyone, one that can be a perennial contender for the West, and have a shot in the Conference Championship when they get there. Though may be limited to a few times in a lifetime (I mean playoffs), as it is for the vast majority of programs, if you get one of those magical years where you win the Conference, who knows...?
Same could be said about the 5 to maybe 10-15 rankings, then another gap before the 16-30 rankings. NU probably realistically falls into the third group most years but has the ability to every now and then get into the second group.
This isn’t to disparage the Wildcat recruits, but to give reasons why usually the rankings for NU don’t matter. Compared to other schools who might be recruiting athletes with similar athletic ability but without the academic requirements, Wildcat players are more intelligent top to bottom, more mature, more understanding of how effort and preparation equates to results, and more likely to stay 4 years which gives many starters more experience and more time together resulting in better chemistry. All which contribute to on the field results to outperform recruiting rankings.
Don’t worry about overall recruiting rankings as much as recruiting to fill needs with an occasional prospect who could have physically been included to a traditional top ranked recruiting class.
Northwestern isn’t likely going to be a perennial National Championship contender. They can put together a team that on any given day can beat anyone, one that can be a perennial contender for the West, and have a shot in the Conference Championship when they get there. Though may be limited to a few times in a lifetime (I mean playoffs), as it is for the vast majority of programs, if you get one of those magical years where you win the Conference, who knows...?
Well said, Klenman. Enjoy your input on this board. Merry Christmas and good luck to the Buckeyes and the rest of the Big Ten in their bowl games!
I would like to get half the top tier guys OSU gets and see what we could do with it.