Recruiting
- Thread starter IND22
- Start date
Have you been following our recruiting at all this year? What do you base your comment on? It’s actually a a very solid class due to the limited numbers available. The next two years, however, will be much more revealing.
Most of our class was done before the season was over.
Wait til our next class to determine impact.
Wait til our next class to determine impact.
This was always going to be a small class. That has a big impact on class rankings. Plus one was a punter, which are never ranked appropriately.
This is a very good class, with impact players across the board. The fruits of the last two years will show up in the 2022 class.
This is a very good class, with impact players across the board. The fruits of the last two years will show up in the 2022 class.
Echoing the above. We had about 15 spots and about 13 were early commits. Was that class all 4-stars? No, but did have by some rankings 2-4 4 stars. But the obvious view out there after is after last season top 12, 2nd straight FL Jan 2 bowl game, all the attention on Allen, a new super recruiter as DC and if IU does have the year we hope next year (similar to this season) the 2022 class is where we will see the change in our recruiting success, elevating us into higher levels.
If you adjust the "Rivals" Big Ten Recruiting Rankings by overall player average rating we actually finished just .02 behind Maryland (who sits right in the middle of an eastern seaboard recruiting hotbed)...; And..., if you consider that one of our players (our Punter) was given a low rating just because the rankers haven't seen him..., and due to that slight, personally..., I'd adjust us up .02 for a tie with Maryland at number 7, smack dab in the middle of the Big Ten...
Same thing with the overall ranking... Rivals has us at 62 but in reality, based on player ratings averages..., we're actually sitting in the mid 30's...
Ultimately..., all these rankings, ratings and "stars" are (for the most part) fanbase driven to a large degree and no one knows who'll pan out and who won't... No class can be accurately rated until 3-4 years down the road, in my opinion...
I trust Tom Allen and Staff to identify who can play here at a high level... Their evaluations seem to have been on point so far...
You have to remember also that this class was being recruited prior to this season for the most part...The 2022 class is where this years success should start to show dividends in terms of rankings, ratings, and stars... I admit, I get caught up in it too, even though I know I need to wait 3+ years to get some true clarity...
Same thing with the overall ranking... Rivals has us at 62 but in reality, based on player ratings averages..., we're actually sitting in the mid 30's...
Ultimately..., all these rankings, ratings and "stars" are (for the most part) fanbase driven to a large degree and no one knows who'll pan out and who won't... No class can be accurately rated until 3-4 years down the road, in my opinion...
I trust Tom Allen and Staff to identify who can play here at a high level... Their evaluations seem to have been on point so far...
You have to remember also that this class was being recruited prior to this season for the most part...The 2022 class is where this years success should start to show dividends in terms of rankings, ratings, and stars... I admit, I get caught up in it too, even though I know I need to wait 3+ years to get some true clarity...
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IU Hickory is right, we had locked in 95% of our class before the big wins started to pour in. You can tell by the interest in the 2022 class that not only the big boys, but the big boys down south, are taking interest. What CTA did to fill in the players leaving with a balance of youth and veteran additions, we are in a good place to cash in on 2022.
Assuming IU has another decent season, I think IU jumps up near the top 25 in recruiting class next year. Just a guess but having the type of program CTA has built is contagious. High School coaches see him sending guys to the NFL and those coaches are then suggesting IU to their top players coming through.
We had a great uptick after the season actually. As other posters said, most of our class was signed before the season even started. After the season ended we added some very good transfers from Mich, Florida St and Ole Miss plus a highly rated WR from Alabama who had many good offers.
A few thoughts:
1) on an "average ranking" basis, IU is in the middle of the pack for the B1G. I'm happy with that because, as others have pointed out, the class was more or less booked before the season started and that's more based on 2019 results. Also, the way specialists get judged skews the average down more (punter this year, long snapper last year).
2) I have some level of anxiety about smaller classes only because there is a smaller margin of error for "misses." If you only hit on 40% of your recruits, if you are able to get a full class, that's 10 hits. With 15 kids, it's 6.
3) If the next recruiting class is a full 25 and good (which we all hope it will be), I think the trend will be for IU to have more classes in the 20-25 recruit range. Bringing in a crop of good young talent will inevitably lead to the eventual attrition of older kids who drop on the depth chart. Which is completely fine and healthy for a program.
1) on an "average ranking" basis, IU is in the middle of the pack for the B1G. I'm happy with that because, as others have pointed out, the class was more or less booked before the season started and that's more based on 2019 results. Also, the way specialists get judged skews the average down more (punter this year, long snapper last year).
2) I have some level of anxiety about smaller classes only because there is a smaller margin of error for "misses." If you only hit on 40% of your recruits, if you are able to get a full class, that's 10 hits. With 15 kids, it's 6.
3) If the next recruiting class is a full 25 and good (which we all hope it will be), I think the trend will be for IU to have more classes in the 20-25 recruit range. Bringing in a crop of good young talent will inevitably lead to the eventual attrition of older kids who drop on the depth chart. Which is completely fine and healthy for a program.
We've got a lot of talent now at IU. We went thru the dog days of having to play a ton of FR/RSFR and took our lumps. Now they are Jrs/Sr's and most of the true FR are sitting, watching, learning, lifting and practicing getting ready to contribute in year 2 and beyond. Any stud FR who can contribute right away are always welcome, but I believe IU is developing depth like we've never had. And with each class getting say 4-6 really studly players, layer that in over 2-3 classes and you have a fantastic starting team and then all the other good players remaining we're getting now fill in as depth behind them. This class of 14, the DB's are from the south, QB is a 6'5 athlete, Cooper Jones a 6'6 DE, the WR's we got look really gifted. These cats will be plugging in over the years to come and hopefully allow a lot if not most of our soon to be great 2022 class to also develop, RS and keep the new tradition of great FB at IU going!
That WR room is going to be a dogfight for game reps.
Although one thing I think we can all say positive about this coaching staff is that if a kid shows out in practice, they'll get reps. A ton of subbing on defense. Baldwin got plugged in for his big game this year. A couple of the young WRs got in and made the most of their chances. Case in point, the last drive of the PSU game featured two big catches by Swinton (FR) & one by Hewitt (SO). And let's be real a moment. You do NOT put kids that young in that situation in the first game of the year unless you have real faith in them.
The telling year in recruiting is in 2022 but as some have noticed we have seen the uptick the past two years with grad transfers coming to IU. IU has the roster in shape that not many freshman will play right away other than outstanding skill players. We should see and have started to see very good players sit for one or two years before becoming contributors on the field. Occasionally a freshman may shine so much they play earlier like Mullen.
