Star rankings

[holvy83]

I don't follow recruiting much, but seems like there is so much hype surrounding a players that to me takes away the true traits of the football player. What makes a 5 star player out of say Southern California so much better than say a 3 star player from a small school in Nebraska? Is it just the stats, or the highlight reel? Or is it the level of competition the player goes against? I feel some with great talent and ability get left out b/c of no media coverage in the area which means no hype for the player. When it all comes down to it, a D1 athlete can come from anywhere, and from years past the players we have gotten did not take long to burn out.

[mmmtodd]

in the end, its all just opinion. but i read somewhere once, i think it was from that guy from rivals, that a two star is worth recruiting, would challenge for time at a major college; that a 3 star would have a good career at a major college, have a chance to play in the nfl; a 4 star would have a chance to play multiple years/have a real career in the NFL; and 5 star is darn straight lock to be a household name/contributor in the league.

 

i could have these a little off, but thats the general gist i get out of it. maybe someone with a better memory has his exact quote.

 

granted, i think guys slip through the cracks all the time. its more likely a guy from a more population dense area does though, there are simply more players there. i truely believe its not so much that guys get overlooked from where they are from, like a small time nebraska guy, but rather the simple string of logic of why recruiting in big states, like texas, is the focus. there are simply more players there, more talented players, and its easier to truly see the talent of a guy against great competition, if he really has "it" when hes playing ball in dallas compared to some stud playing 8 man in the sandhills. do i think that sucks? sure, but its the truth. theyre just rankings. like the AP preseason poll.

[holvy83]

Thanks man, was kind of thinking about this the other day, for example a guy like Vanden Bosch who came from a tiny school in NW Iowa, yes he was an extreme athlete and great college player, but don't know what his ranking was, but the level of talent he saw was probably less than say a good athlete from say like West Des Moines. I know 5 star recruits are serious gamers, and who wouldn't want those guys to come to the school, but man the last few years is seems like it is all about the stars! I feel bad for some of those that pressure of being the "stand-out" to choose what school to go to, but on the other hand I am sure it does good for the ego also.

[caveman99]

Exposure plays a ton in this also. Players in CA, FL, or TX are near the biggest camps where most of these young men get exposure. A lot of it is also pub on their HS team, biggest teams get biggest pub. Also if the player doesn't send film into Rivals or Scout then they aren't going to rate the young man.