Team Class Composition - Balanced or Lopsided?!

[BEAR]

I was looking over our updated team roster today and noticed a HUGE imbalance in class status for our players. Plus I don't see some players listed on the roster that I know have signed. Is this happening to your team or does it balance out 25 or so per year for you? If teams have about 100 players on it, some blue shirts and walkons, what should be the average class size for a team to be successful?

UCA team composition 2016
R-Fr. - 9 These were on the team last year but didn't play.
Fr.- 20 None of these players were on the team last year and still could R.Fr
Soph.- 14 Mix of returning players and transfers.
Jr.- 25 Mix of returning players and transfers.
Sr.- 17 All returning players.
-----------------------------------------
85 players total


Maybe it's just me but I don't like LARGE classes graduating or leaving. This past year UCA lost 30 players and had to heavily recruit. From the numbers above it looks like the JR class of 25 (plus possible incoming transfers) will create yet another NEED to recruit another large class. Sigh. How can a team contend for anything when such large classes are brought in? Maybe looking at the Freshman class above in 3 years it's possible but then here we go again with needing yet another large class. Does it ever even out? What's the composition on your team?

Thoughts? xeyebrowx

[Daytripper]

We are very slow in posting updated rosters. Our current breakdown that is on the website, which doesn't include incoming freshmen, is:

RFR - 13
Soph - 17
Jr - 16
SR - 21

With that kind of experience, this may be our best chance since our first championship appearance to win it all.

[KPSUL]

Sometimes having a great recruiting year will lead to a couple very successful seasons followed by the inevitable letdown season when that class graduates and you have to rush a bunch of inexperienced players into the line-up. It's probably better, and even more likely, that a team will have higher numbers of Freshmen and Sophomores on the full roster since the younger guys are still vying for meaningful playing time.

UNH: 23 R-FR; 18 So; 18 Jr; 16 Sr Also 4 True Fr., UNH Redshirts almost everyone so the fact that these 4 are listed on the roster indicates to me that they may see 2016 playing time.

[BEAR]

I'd be interested in knowing how NDSU classes have looked over the past 5 years. Balanced? They seem to play as a team so I'd think those kids stay for four years and the chemistry is great. Chemistry isn't necessarily a one year thing. Looking at our large freshman class it's almost like the team is starting over.

[Gangtackle11]

Villanova roster including walkons:

18 seniors
20 juniors
20 sophomores
10 redshirt frosh
17 incoming frosh

[BEAR]

Villanova roster including walkons:

18 seniors
20 juniors
20 sophomores
10 redshirt frosh

Now that's balance.
It's better than our:
30 FROSH
10 soph
25 Juniors
15 seniors

The whole every other year a big class is created sucks.

[Professor Chaos]

I'd be interested in knowing how NDSU classes have looked over the past 5 years. Balanced? They seem to play as a team so I'd think those kids stay for four years and the chemistry is great. Chemistry isn't necessarily a one year thing. Looking at our large freshman class it's almost like the team is starting over.
I don't know where to find the rosters beyond the current year for NDSU but I have a decent recollection of the number of seniors each year since the title run began:

2011: Quite a few - in the 20 range
2012: Very few - right around 10
2013: A ton - well over 20
2014: Again in the 20 range
2015: I believe it was 10-12
2016: Currently only 11 on the roster

For the rest of this year's current roster it's 22 juniors, 29 sophomores, and 22 RFr. The 2016 signing class included 14 scholarship freshman, 2 junior transfers, and 10 recruited walk-on freshman.

So the 2012 and 2015 teams were pretty young, the 2011 and 2014 teams were fairly experienced, and the 2013 team was incredibly experienced. This year's team is fairly experienced even with the small amount of seniors because there's a ton of juniors that will contribute. Next year (as in 2017) might be their best, and most experienced, team since 2013.

[IBleedYellow]

I don't know where to find the rosters beyond the current year for NDSU but I have a decent recollection of the number of seniors each year since the title run began:

2011: Quite a few - in the 20 range
2012: Very few - right around 10
2013: A ton - well over 20
2014: Again in the 20 range
2015: I believe it was 10-12
2016: Currently only 11 on the roster

For the rest of this year's current roster it's 22 juniors, 29 sophomores, and 22 RFr. The 2016 signing class included 14 scholarship freshman, 2 junior transfers, and 10 recruited walk-on freshman.

So the 2012 and 2015 teams were pretty young, the 2011 and 2014 teams were fairly experienced, and the 2013 team was incredibly experienced. This year's team is fairly experienced even with the small amount of seniors because there's a ton of juniors that will contribute. Next year (as in 2017) might be their best, and most experienced, team since 2013.

This is what people don't understand when I say "We could very well 7-peat if we 6-peat."

Look at what we return. It's dumb. Once we 4-peated the 6 or 7 seemed like there was a chance.

[bonarae]

Harvard's Roster Breakdown for 2016:
26 Freshmen
34 Sophomores
25 Juniors
28 Seniors

[SU DOG]

From the Samford Spring 2016 Roster:

Fr. - 18 incoming signees. The one announced xfer is numbered as a RS Sr.
RS Fr. - 25 (Includes walk-ons and partials as well as the scholly guys).
Soph. - 8
RS Soph - 12
Jr. - 8
RS Jr. - 14
Sr. - 6
RS Sr. - 11

I think this is a well balanced roster.

[Tribe4SF]

W&M is usually pretty balanced. We sign 12-15 each year and have about 10 walk-ons in the freshman class. Normally have about 10 walk-ons who have earned scholarships.

Current roster...

Freshmen - 24
Redshirt Freshmen- 24
Sophomores - 16
Juniors - 22
Seniors - 16

[Mattymc727]

Sometimes having a great recruiting year will lead to a couple very successful seasons followed by the inevitable letdown season when that class graduates and you have to rush a bunch of inexperienced players into the line-up. It's probably better, and even more likely, that a team will have higher numbers of Freshmen and Sophomores on the full roster since the younger guys are still vying for meaningful playing time.

UNH: 23 R-FR; 18 So; 18 Jr; 16 Sr Also 4 True Fr., UNH Redshirts almost everyone so the fact that these 4 are listed on the roster indicates to me that they may see 2016 playing time.

Those 4 freshman are just those freshman that were already attending UNH in the spring/summer. It doesnt indicate that they will actually play as true freshman.

[ST_Lawson]

I think we're pretty balanced for the most part...a bit light on 2016's senior class, but otherwise doing ok. Here's what we've got (according to our official roster):
Seniors - 13
Juniors - 24
Sophomores - 23
Redshirt Freshmen - 13
Freshmen - 16

Most of the true freshmen will likely be redshirted this coming year.

Further breakdown...
Offense: 10 seniors, 10 juniors, 10 sophomores, 7 R.freshmen, 6 freshmen
Defense: 2 seniors, 13 juniors, 12 sophomores, 5 R.freshmen, 9 freshmen

So, defense especially won't be losing much going into 2017.

There are a couple of transfers that I know about currently that are not listed on our official roster yet (a QB from Arkansas State and a TE from Central Florida) who both have 3 years of eligibility left (qualify as sophomores). So they'll likely be added to the roster soon.

[Bisonator]

I'd be interested in knowing how NDSU classes have looked over the past 5 years. Balanced? They seem to play as a team so I'd think those kids stay for four years and the chemistry is great. Chemistry isn't necessarily a one year thing. Looking at our large freshman class it's almost like the team is starting over.
If I counted correctly:




2011
2012
2013
2014
2015


Fr
31
23
35
31
29


RFr
13
20
16
27
25


So
28
18
16
18
23


Jr
10
31
18
13
13


Sr
18
7
24
17
14

[SFA 93]

SR:19
JR:17
SO:18
R/FR:17
FR:24

Pretty balanced at SFA