LJS: Several RBs Benefit from Reps/Break

[Husker Psycho]

I think Devine clearly showed the best "complete package" RB we had this season when he was in. Enough speed to turn the corner, enough size to bully his way down the middle and get the tough yards when needed, and the agility to make the first 1-2 guys miss. Epley's testing listed Ozigbo as the best athlete this team has.

http://247sports.com/Player/Devine-Ozigbo-27459?Institution=21028

Since those who follow recruiting like to use 247's composite ranking (average of all 4 major recruiting services), Ozigbo was ranked the #56 RB coming out of high school. We should probably cut him from the team though, right?

No they don't.

I follow recruiting as much as anyone on this board and I use Rivals because they are the most accurate... period.

Why would anyone, if they actually care about the success of the program, want to use an inferior service or inferior information ?

Oh Great One of Recruiting, I do wish you'd come share your wisdom in the recruiting forums, even if just once.

There's no such thing as an "accuracy" rating, whatsoever. So your statement is in fact just an opinion.

*For the record, my opinion is that 247's rankings and their composite ranking are much better than Rivals.

I see my fanmail is piling up... so I'll answer this first.

If you do a goo search - "rating the recruiting services" - you will see this article near the top of the page.

It came out about 3 years ago. I saw it at the time and it actually does what you claim does not exist. I've never found any other sports writers or articles that dispute this article.

This is not an article about Michigan. It's an article written by a very smart blogger and a sports loving, math wiz. He wrote this simply to answer the questions many had about the quality of recruiting services and how they compared. The writer devised a VERY simple math formula to use as his methodology. It's works perfectly.

A lot of people have read this article which is why it's still at the top of the page. But this article also tackles some other touchy subjects... such as whether or not some services favor certain conferences. This writer holds nothing back.

It's all there by the numbers... facts.

This is a MUST READ for anyone who follows recruiting. Also do yourself a favor and read the "comments" section at the bottom of the page... it's hilarious.

If you disagree with any part of this article I would like to see you show where it is wrong or that you have better numbers.

There's other smart people who love football besides you.

http://mgoblog.com/content/rating-raters-reviewing-recruiting-services-success-and-bias

 

[DrunkOffPunch]

How can you claim facts that Rivals is currently head and shoulders above the rest based on an almost 4 year old article when 247's first class was in 2010? 247 has incomplete results for the 2 classes he used as an example and was in first place at the time he wrote it for the 2011 class which was based purely off freshman. 247 easily has the best website. I'd say Rivals and 247 are the interchangeable top two. Scout has fallen off in recent years, especially due to the rise of 247. And ESPN has always been sh#t.

 

[admo]

I haven't seen anyone fully support Newby as the best RB, and we all like Cross but recognize his limitations. Everyone seems to agree that Wilbon has something that the others just don't have.

Most fans aren't idiots. Contrary to some, the coaching staff isn't a bunch of idiots either. For Wilbon to basically not play at all this year points to some underlying issue, one that we the fans are not going to know about. We have to be OK with that and trust the coaches. If we don't, we'll never get ourselves out of the constant state of discontent we've been in the last 15 years.

That being said, I hope things get figured out and we see Mikale a lot more next year.

I'll take Newby over Cross as an every down back every time. I'm not saying he's great, but I think he would do significantly better if he was allowed to run more plays that fit his skills better.

Wilbon and Ozigbo may end up being better but I haven't seen enough of them to say. Of course, that was fairly true of our running game in general.

I've been up and down on Newby. Mostly because I agree with you. His worst attribute is going straight up the middle. His best is using his speed to the outside and what he can do in space. I've been critical of Cross as an every down back. But he showed up good down the stretch. So I have to eat crow on that (in a good way). Cross played very well when he got a lot carries.

I hope next season is an open race. I thought Oz did a good job. It was a small sample size, but I like him as the front runner. Newby and Wilbon or anyone else in the mix for the change of pace back.