Turning the corner, circa 2003

[Cadillac]

I know that this is probably going to devolve into a shittoss about Rivals Star ratings, but that really wasn’t my intention in posting this. I’ve only been a College Football Fan for a year now. I readily admit that I don’t know crap about this game, especially when it comes down to the differences between college and the Pros. I think that chief among these differences is recruiting. I think that, had I been an SMU fan in 2003, I would have been Sunshining like an all-pro. The 2003 recruiting class was as good or better than our local analogs Baylor and TCU, and it certainly looked like it could amount to the turning point for the program (you know, that corner that we’re about to round every year).

To set the mood, here's the press release from signing day 2003:

http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... 03aaa.html

Of the 23 kids brought in 10 of them were 3 Star Rival athletes. I don't see how you could possibly argue that this wasn't indeed the best recruiting class since the Death Penalty. When these kids are Seniors, the Mustangs will clearly be back in the saddle, and running with any team in the mid-majors. But something happened on the way to the Stadium. While preparing for the 2007 season I'm stuck feeling like a 17 year old kid looking at my Dad's wrecked Pontiac and saying: "What the hell happened?"

Indeed, what happened to all that potential? Surely we could hit on 50% of our 3 stars right? They could be counted on to Start and play well at this level?

Here's the Cast of Heroes:

Justin Boren OL 6-4 285 5 - Grapevine, TX
Avery Cleveland LB 6-3 205 4.55 - Austin, TX
Zach Hall LB 6-3 225 4.7 - Irving, TX
Desmond Jones DT 6-1 275 4.8 - Dallas, TX
Richuel Massey RB 5-11 210 4.4 - Hillsboro, TX
Ervin McGee DB 5-8 175 4.4 - Ardmore, OK
Ricky Joe Meeks QB 6-3 215 4.7 - Mount Vernon, TX
Cory Muse LB 6-3 205 4.6 - Oklahoma City, OK
Chris Phillips QB 6-3 220 4.6 - Seagoville, TX
Joe Sturdivant DB 6-2 190 4.5 - Lilburn, GA


I went over some of the Official Press releases to see how much hype I could find on these kids. I am the first to admit that this was in no way an exhaustive search. I just looked at off-season items to see what kind of feel I could find. I’ve linked the articles to the end of each paragraph.

In the Spring 2004 Red-Blue Game, Only Chris Phillips managed a mention in the Official release:
http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... 04aaa.html
"The starting Red squad quickly etched into the lead however, as starting quarterback Chris Phillips marched the starters down the field on an 80-yard scoring drive..."

In a disturbing story, the 2004 class starts to overshadow the "best class in 15 years." A press release following the opening of Fall practice is quick to extol the talents of six newcomers, while only QB Chris Phillips is at all heralded of the 2003 3 star recruits. In a similar story from the fall of 2003, not a single 3 star was mentioned.
http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... 04aaa.html

It wasn't until the 2005 Spring Game that anyone other than Phillips was getting any mention in the Press releases. In that game, Richuel MAssey was noted as having run the ball well. Yet in the regular season he is soundly outplayed by DeMyron Martin.
http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... 05aaa.html

Now, obviously these press releases are slanted in favor of the glamour positions of QB and RB, so obviously only Massey and Phillips will be getting any Press. I mean, during the time we've covered so far, Joe Sturdivant hasn't been mentioned once, yet he has about to become an All CUSA player. Ok, so maybe these guys weren’t getting all the big plays, but surely they were solid starters, the real meat that holds the bones together right? Not so much. Here’s what happened to the top of our best class since the Death Penalty:

Justin Boren OL
-Redshirted in 2003, played sparingly in 04 as a RS Freshman. Drops off Roster in 2005. Transferred to Texas State. Had some injuries with the Bobcats, and seems to have disappeared.

Avery Cleveland LB
-Linebacker recruit that caught 14 passes over 2 years. WTH? Falls off Roster in 2006, but actually left the team during the 2005 Season (Thanks Blog!).

Zach Hall LB
-Drops off Roster in 2005, Transferred to Arkansas Tech. Home of the Wonderboys. Really.

Desmond Jones DT
-Starts out strong as SMU Freshman of the Year. This is fitting given that he was the highest rated player in the class. Yet he Drops off Roster in 2006, transferring to Tarleton State after STARTING for 2 years at SMU. Was he an Academic Casualty or what? Though his play at Tarleton State last year was pretty sad (Season totals of 11 tackles, and missed at least 2 games).

Richuel Massey RB
-Great size/speed combo, 3 star rating, stolen from Baylor’s backyard, what's not to love? Answer: His play on the field. Massey’s LOFT was as indecipherable as his first name. A tragic disappointment for a program that was desperate for talent in the backfield. You can't blame the line on this failure: DeMyron Martin just beat him outright in 2005. Massey Falls off Roster in 2006. After losing out to Martin, Massey took his ball and went home (well, to Northwestern State anyhow) where he put up 141 yards on 24 attempts. The Irony here is that he would have had one last chance at D1a football if only he'd have made it to last year when Martin went down with Injury.

Ervin McGee DB
-Drops off the Roster in 2004, transfers to East Central University. Perhaps they have hot chicks or something? Actually, it looks like he just went home. The world is such a small place, it's a shame to stay in a tiny corner of it.

Ricky Joe Meeks QB
-Drops off the Roster in 2004. After his redshirt year he transferred to Northwestern State where he started at QB in 2006 throwing twice as many picks as TDs.
Cory Muse DE
-A solid starter playing opposite Justin Rodgers. Looks to lead the team in Sacks his Sr. Year. Definately 3 stars worth of Athlete.

Chris Phillips QB
-Phillips looks like he has potential at QB. After getting reps his Freshman year howevever, he's beat out by JC transfers Jared Romo and Tony Eckert. Ends up listed as a TE on the team in 2006.

Joe Sturdivant DB
-Grows to become a becon of hope and competence in the secondary. A team leader that certainly lived up to his 3 star billing.

Here's a year by year dropoff list.

In 2003, all of these players made the roster.
In 2004, 8 Players survive the first year.
In 2005, 2 more fall, leaving 6
In 2006, 3 players leave, 3 stay
In 2007 - Only Cory Muse remains after Sturdivant and Phillips graduate.

So of our Ten 3 star saviors, only 3 survived a full college career, while only 2 managed to live up to their highly touted status. After looking at the record, and hunting down each of these kids, I still really don’t know what happened that kept most of them from continuing to rise at this level. Can a team really be that snake bit? That unlucky? Was it the result of poor coaching at the position levels? Was there a lack of motivation on the team as a whole? Perhaps the rivals star rating system is a total crapshoot designed to give us something to talk about during the lean months of Feb-Aug?

Or, and this is scary to me, Is the ratio 2/10 normal and acceptable for 3 star athletes in division 1a programs?

I really don’t know the answer, but I’m glad that I took some time to try and find it.

Someone educate me.

-CoS

[RGV Pony]

Excellent post, good work. The only thing I'll add is I think the Cleveland who caught all those passes was JayMond, not Avery. That Cleveland's playing days are also over, due to injury.

Oh, and PB said regarding Desmond, "playing football is a privelege, not a right." Grades, I think.

How did Zach Hall's brother do at OSU? I think his brother had committed to OSU, then we got throttled by OSU, then Zach changed his mind.

[Cadillac]

Excellent post, good work. The only thing I'll add is I think the Cleveland who caught all those passes was JayMond, not Avery. That Cleveland's playing days are also over, due to injury.

Thanks. And you're probably right about Jaymond, but (and I hate to throw Rivals under the bus lol) I found that stat on Rivals:
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/cview ... 0219#stats

For his game logs it lists catches. Didn't make much sense to me, but I'm guessing it was like you say.

-CoS

[FordtoTolbert]

...seriously slow day at the oil lube change place, huh?!?

[mr. pony]

Can we at least spell the head coach's name correctly?

[mavsrage311]

as far as Desmond Jones goes, it was more than just grades...I know he had a little bit of a disciplinary problem as well, rumor was he was the person that stole all the purses from the Hughes Trigg Building

[abezontar]

so that's what happened to my purse...i mean manbag

[Cadillac]

Can we at least spell the head coach's name correctly?

Apprently not. I'll try not to lose sleep over it.

-CoS

[Cadillac]

...seriously slow day at the oil lube change place, huh?!?

Ouch. Oh well. It was worth a try I suppose.

-CoS

[ponyfan84]

Great post. They had some real talent, especially when several of these players were thrust into the limelight after SMU couldn't win. Massey had big time potential. I heard Miami and UT were after him, and he stayed here to be close to home. Hopefully this new class picks up some slack next year. Less than 3 months til Tech/SMU on ESPN!

[Mexmustang]

Well...nuts. I've been an SMU and college fan for 44 years, and this post is considerably better that what I have previously done!