Who are our top recruits??

[Ponymon]

Pony Up, I agree with you. While I subscribe to a lot of the rags, they don't have nearly all the answers. I don't know how many "can't miss" recruits have missed. (Remember, for instance, Ben Gay!) Likewise, there are a lot of kids that are sleepers that are late maturing and are the real "STUDS". It doesn't hurt to have a lot of potential now, but the moveup to the next level is what really separates the wheat from the chaff.

[ponyboy]

Let me be the first then to state unequivocably that this year's recruiting class is MOST CERTAINLY not a resounding success

If you expected more with the win/loss records we've posted of late then perhaps it is you who are hopelessly naive. We are doing very well and there is much hope for the future. Bennett needs to be congratulated on his efforts.

[JasonB]

I wanted to clarify what I said before...

Our class this year isn't attracting the same level of recruits (when judging based on offers) as past years. However, it is a little hard to judge because of the JUCO aspect.

That said, even though the recruits aren't as highly touted last year, let me just say that with the winless season two years ago and our struggles this year, I think Bennett is doing all he can with recruiting. It is a miracle that he has gotten what he has. So I don't think that he is doing a bad job or anything like that, it's just that there are a lot of unknowns in the class.

Now, that said, let me just point out that Bennett has done a relatively good job with unknown recruits. I hate to rely on unknowns, but he has done a better job of finding "diamonds in the rough" than Cavan did. Bonds, McCray, Peveto, Warren, Bobby Chase, Pellerin, and Urbanus are all kids that were not that highly recruited out of HS and have made some things happen on the field. Cavan found Kennedy, but that is about it...

Just wanted to through some more thoughts out there. Fact is, this class isn't as tauted as the last couple of years, but there are some JUCO players that will be hard to judge (Eckert wasn't that highly recruited, but did a pretty good job last year, smae with Romo), and some small school kids that we will just have to see if they can make the grade.

So, in short, up front, this class isn't as great as the past. However, what is going to make this class sink or swim is the JUCO recruits, and we will find out how they perform in the spring.

[DallasDiehard]

Good points. Those guys you list weren't highly recruited, and have become good players -- some might still become better-than-good. The growth process that Coach Bennett and his staff have had to orchestrate -- including the compiling of talent -- is something we might never fully appreciate. He and his staff not only have raised the caliber of our starting guys, but they also have been able to bite the bullet and sit (redshirt) some talented guys (Martin, Henderson, Haynes, Lobo, etc.) who will be future contributors and perhaps starters.

[Hoop Fan]

the success story of this recruiting year is that we are at least getting some jucos at key postitions. SMU coaches seemed either unable or unwilling to do that up until now. I think that its finally been realized that we can't keep building for future and never getting there. SMU needs to get more competitive as soon as it feasibly can.

Its been said by others but with DD Lee and Carrington back, the D should get a big boost next year. After Kendall Mouton missed last year, he is essentially a new juco recruit also in addition to Heywood, McKindie, Therian, Goode and Cox. Even if only 3 of the 6 are ready to play and contribute this year, that would be a huge boost. Remember, we need mature athletes on special teams as badly as anywhere else. SMU has to get better at punt and kickoff coverage.

[Johnny Rock]

There you have it folks....the 'sunshiners' on this board somehow have managed to convince themselves SMU has either recruited players that several schools wanted or players that other schools just could not see the talent in them like Bennett did. Look out...the winning seasons and bowl games begin next year. Why? Because Eckart and Romo did a pretty good job last year and all of our injured players and redshirted players will be able to play next year. PPPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE! Let's be realistic. We still have a long, long way to go until we put a winning team on the field and it starts with recruiting. Will the 'sunshiners' please tell me how many State top 100 recruits as listed by the DMN Bennett has commited? And how many he has gotten commitments from since he was hired? Answer those questions and you will find the answers to the problems.

[SoCal_Pony]

I love the retort….’recruiting ratings don’t matter, remember how highly recruited Joe Blow was and look how he turned out’.

I do not follow recruiting closely, but I can bet my bottom dollar that for every highly recruited kid that was a bust, Stallion can name 20+ kids that were NOT highly recruited that also were busts. It’s called playing the percentages, and with this class, for most of our recruits, the odds are against us.

[Water Pony]

JR, why is it so important to you to be negative? The "let's be realistic" comments is childish. You conveniently ignore our record went saying we should sign star recruits. Da!

We will earn it on the field and with the promise that those who do commit are worth our graditute and confidence. We will find a way to win with those who do commit.

It makes me mad that you take shots and say it is not enough. What do you expect? We are not a state school! We are not in the cartel. We haven't earned even better respect.

But we will with those who want to be Mustangs and be part of our return to glory. They have my commitment because I don't withhold my support.

I still say you are not an SMU alum. Your posts are consistently negative with little or no genuine support for SMU, our teams, and our student-athletes.

[Johnny Rock]

Waterpony,
I only state facts. It may be negative, but the facts are the facts. The athletic department needs to be ripped constantly for the garbage they put out every year. I am sick and tired of watching our competition have success while we do not. I do not rip the administration and athletic department because we cannot compete with Texas, OU, etc. I rip the administration and athletic department because N. Texas, La. Tech, UTEP, Tulsa, etc. seem to find ways to get better players than SMU year in and year out, either straight out of high school or through transfers or Jucos. The aforementioned teams have had winning seasons and bowl games while SMU has not. I will continue to report facts and provide opinions based on facts. I too want SMU to be a winner but I hold out hope until SMU shows me otherwise. SMU has let me down too many times in the past. And for the record, I bet you I have more SMU diplomas hanging in my office than you do.

[EastStang]

Stallion is correct that unless we have a top 10 recruiting year, we will very likely not be in the Top 20, that is a fact. Utah, Louisville, and Boise managed to upset the apple cart a bit in that realm. But the fact remains that the odds are generally against us in this area and we've stacked the odds against ourselves even more over the past 17 years. I don't think any of us should be ecstatic with this recruiting class until we get to the point where we are getting at least Top 20 recruiting classes regularly. Its last call at the bar folks. Do you go home alone, or do you take what you can get? You might get lucky, or you might have to chew your arm off the next morning. Ain't life exciting.

[Stallion]

No non-BCS team can realistically hope to get a Top 20 recruiting class-although I think Louisville may have done alright and TCU under Fran was probably somewhere between 35-50 in a couple of years. SMU could accomplish most all of its goals with consistent classes in the Top 50-60 range. This year we are looking at a probable Top 80-85-although Justin Willis and Quenton Johnson would probably put us in the 70s. Don't bother telling me SMU's current ranking is higher in total points because(a) I already know and (b) it will fall in relation to other schools because we have filled a greater % of our class.

[JasonB]

JR, NOT being a sunshiner, just pointing out that 1) that Bennet had any decent recruiting last year after 0-12 is a miracle, 2) he has done a better job of finding decent players who weren't higly lauded than Cavan and 3) because of the influx of JUCOs we just won't know until they get out there.

Agreed that this class has a lot of unknowns. In the Spring, the JUCO players (whom the recruiting services don't evaluate as strongly, they just rate as 3 stars automagically) are going to determine if this class is decent or not.

Until we get to Spring, all we can say is that our HS recruiting this year probably isn't up to the standards of the last two classes.

[Stallion]

there are at least 4 recruits coming in this week who have or at least have had offers from Division 1A schools like the WAC, MWC, CUSA or better. I 'll let you know how well Bennett "recruited" after this weekend.

[Water Pony]

No non-BCS team can realistically hope to get a Top 20 recruiting class-although I think Louisville may have done alright and TCU under Fran was probably somewhere between 35-50 in a couple of years. SMU could accomplish most all of its goals with consistent classes in the Top 50-60 range. This year we are looking at a probable Top 80-85-although Justin Willis and Quenton Johnson would probably put us in the 70s. Don't bother telling me SMU's current ranking is higher in total points because(a) I already know and (b) it will fall in relation to other schools because we have filled a greater % of our class.

My point exactly. Non-BCS schools have a bigger gap in recruiting VS the Cartel, leaving aside our record.

[PK]

I don't give a [deleted] about Rival's or anybody else's rankings...let's let these guys hit the field and see what they can do. Some hot-to-trot guys pan out and some don't...and some times the over-looked do super well. The only thing that counts is W's and L's. Only time will tell on that. I appreciate the guys that were willing to commit to SMU...now get out there and work your butt's off, because that's what it's going to take to make it all work. Go MUSTANGS...new and old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!