[NU Sports] signing day

[Roy Lamberton]

All of the ratings are only as good as the data that is put into the system.

Several years ago, one of the old Rival's sites did a breakdown of their top
prospects 5 years later.

5 Star kids had all wound up starting, unless they had been injured, and
there was a pretty good list of those.

4 Star Kids were hit and miss, most had to redshirt and ride pine for 2
years before they got on the field regularly

3 Star kids tended to redshirt, then play part time until they were Seniors.

Lower rarely saw the field in Div I.

However, the guys who worked the numbers admitted that the number of stars
you got did not reflect itself in playing in the NFL. NU almost proves that
rule - RW's first 4 star was Loren Howard - who got hurt and never played
NFL ball. 

Almost all of our NFL guys were 3 star prospects.

The bottom line is that you can't predict how good a kid will eventually
become based on their Junior video. Too many kids are offered because they
got on the field as Soph's and looked good to the recruiting "gurus" but for
whatever reason, they don't pan out.

I know kids who have terrific Senior seasons, but because the offers were
all done the Spring before, got overlooked. Kids who don't start
kindergarten until they are 5 years old, have better senior years than those
who are rushed into school at 4, and many kids who develop at 18, just don't
get recruited. 

It's bad in Football, but even worse in baseball and basketball because of
the early signing period.

In any case, figure the 5 star kids to really do well, and everyone else's
future is based on where they go, how well they adapt and how good their
position coach is.

BTW - Joe Flacco left Div I Pittsburgh because he never could beat out the
other frosh & Soph QB there. He transferred to Delaware and nobody remembers
who that "better" QB was.

rsl 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate & Unix Guru.
Computer Applications & Support Associates
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I don't know if Rivals ratings are worth the paper they were written on, but
it was a discouraging bit of information. 

Tom