Top 30?

[PonyExpress]

That Morning News story you have on your home page says our recruiting class is ranked 35th (I think) in the nation at the moment, and quotes some recruiting guy named Crabtree as saying we potentially could get into the top 30. Does that mean we're in on some more top guys who haven't been written about?

[PerunaPunch]

I believe so. If you look at the Top 100 lists, in addition to the couple of kids interested in us from the State Top 100 list, the D/FW Area Top 100 is liberally sprinkled with kids who are interested in SMU.

Wasn't it Ron Meyer who said that he could win national championships just by recruiting up and down I-45?

Although there has been a lot of disagreement on this board as to how valid those Top 100 lists are, I think it's safe to say that this is shaping up to be our best recruiting class in over a decade. How long has it been since SMU headlined the recruiting page in The Dallas Morning News (in a positive way)?

All things being equal... coaching, training, facilities... four years of Top 30 recruiting should logically translate into a Top 30 team. Yes, yes, I know I'm oversimplifying, but this certainly gives us something to be excited about.

[Corso]

PP's right, this will be our best class in over a decade, and it won't even be close. Every class has had its good players - a Cunningham here, a Bordano there, a Flanigan there - but this is looking much more solid, top to bottom. So far.

And PP's point is well-taken about those top 100 lists. Anyone can make a list. Just look at the Star-Telegram's list next to the DMN list. Some of the guys are the same, but there's a lot of guys who appear on one list and not the other. Personally, as good as Bobby Burton is, I'd put more stock in the Star-Telegram list, since they're a local (sort of) paper and actually see these kids in person. And when they collect their information on who's looking where, they're not interviewing kids nationwide - they talk to local/regional kids. Which leads me to believe they might be more current in their updates.

Now that Coach Bennett and his staff don't have games to deal with, they are eating, sleeping and breathing recruiting. They'll get a strong class in here, real strong.

[SMUguy]

Do you think Bennett's going to stick to his stated goal of redshirting almost everyone who comes in here? I'd think that if some of the new kids are as talented as advertised, it might be hard to keep them off the field.

[PerunaPunch]

Sure these kids are talented and many are highly rated. But hopefully NONE of them will start next year. If a true freshman starts, that means we have a glaring hole somewhere. IMHO.

True freshmen start because 1) They're a unbelievable talent, 2) Somebody got hurt, 3) We don't have enough people currently who can play a certain position.

Since we don't have anyone in category 1, that leaves option 2 & 3, which are both bad.

I've caught a lot of flack for this statement, but I stand behind it. Ordinarily, there's no way a true freshman should start over a junior or senior. 18-year-olds should not be physically as well developed as a 21- or 22-year-olds. Also, since few high school programs are as advanced as college programs, the kids aren't as polished.

This also depends to some degree on position. Age, size and strength differences are more obvious on the line versus at tailback for example.

[Charleston Pony]

Punch: while I agree generally with your statement that no true frosh should start, you do acknowledge in your 1st option that frosh do play and typically at some of the top programs in the country because, as you say, they are incredibly talented. SMU is not that strong a program that true frosh shouldn't have an opportunity to play right away...and they don't have to be super-stars to do so. Bottom line is that if we are bringing in frosh capable of starting, it's more than likely the result of a new coach wanting to play "his guys" and probably an indication that our recruiting is improving. I say "probably" because I felt Bennett showed a tendency to stick with some of his "favorites" this year when it was past time to give someone else a look.