So I was actually kinda meh on the '05 class until an article was posted here not too long ago analyzing it. At the time Crabtree who called it the #1 class noted if we got 10 starters out of it it'd be a resounding success. We got more.
I mean with 31 guys, how many of them can actually be expected to contribute? Sure we had high profile busts but we also had unreal success out of a guy like Zac Taylor (so we did get a QB out of that class and a darn good one), a #1 back for most of 3 years in Lucky, Ndamukong Suh, etc. If that class was a bust, no class isn't. With huge classes you get guys that are just bodies. Unavoidable unless we make the game 15 v 15. But the foundation it laid, everything it gave us - I am darn glad we got that class. Maybe it didn't give us a MNC like we hoped. But without it, I shudder to think where we'd be.
We had nothing at OL when BC came in. When he left we had plenty and so much more on the way. The drawers were stocked. Don't forget this is year 2 of Bo, and the cream of what BC left us are playing in the NFL or out for medical/other reasons. Freshmen OL from Bo's first class, completely invisible. I think that's why we were counting on freshman depth for this year. I saw your post you are talking about and we did have this disc. before. I feel though that all told, 2 years later and new OL are only beginning to be counted for on depth, that is hardly too surprising.
that is one of many dumb statements crabtree has made. someone has to start games. as to that standard, i see 11 starters: turner, suh, octavien (two seasons), taylor (two seasons), glenn (starter for one season), lucky, potter, congdon (two seasons), bowman (basically one season), hickman and dillard (basically one and a half seasons).
so, of the 11 starters we got out of 31 players, six gave us two years or less of significant contributions. i love what the guys that stuck around from that class gave to our program, but to consider that a "great" class just isn't accurate. it is an acceptable class (and a far cry from the parade of stars it was billed to be).
also, cally did not leave "plenty" up front. he continually failed to recruit enough quality high school OL and left us SIX quality linemen (an amazingly low number out of four classes that made up the roster), and two of them were seniors!
i'll agree that he had a great group of OL verbals, but that seemed to be falling apart on its own accord. the meltdown that was the 2007 season had kids looking elsewhere long before we pulled the plug on cally.
i will also agree though that one of major failures of the solich years was letting the pipeline slip up front.