Hilltop
All-Conference
The occasional low star kid does turn into a superstar but it's a much lower percentage than the highly touted kids %. The stars have become somewhat of a game but they do have real measurable data behind them as well. Physical size can't be coached. Quickness, overall speed, and athleticism can be coached to a degree but a recruit that has it coming in is at a distinct advantage. The more of those big, fast, athletic kids you have, the higher likelihood that a few of them realize their potential and become great at the college level. As Nebfanatic pointed out above, it's hard to find an example of a championship team that didn't have multiple highly ranked classes leading up to the title run. Recruiting matters.I am of the opinion that coaching plus strength and conditioning trumps all the stars ever given out. Some may get the vapors when I mention Pelini, but he took a bench warming wide receiver in Stanley Jean-Baptiste and made him into a NFL caliber cornerback. (2nd round pick). Also, does anybody remember how many stars Danny Woodhead had going in the recruiting season?
It's not where one starts out, it's where one ends up. So I will, for my part, ignore all talk of "good recruiting classes" or "poor recruiting classes" and wait to see what the finished product looks like on the field...but it IS the off season, so knock yourselves out. It passes the time.