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carney2
March 13th, 2011, 09:50 PM
HOLY CROSS = 60

The Committee would like to extend a special thank you to Tom Gilmore and his staff for, by and large, recruiting student athletes whose last names are both spellable and pronounceable. It wasn't intentional, and it doesn't make them better athletes or students, but it made the Committee's research task just a little more manageable. We are appreciative when even a small and unintentional bone is thrown our way.

This recruiting class of 2011 makes the 'saders the Patsy Points leader in the clubhouse. Before we grab those purple and white pom-poms and burst into a chorus of the Woo U. fight song, it should be noted that the 60 point total is not very impressive when compared to prior year Patsy Ratings leaders. And this in a year when the Committee honestly feels that point totals should be higher due to changes in methodology. Overall, a good, but not a great, class.

The basics: 9 rated players; two 2-stars and a 1-star, none confirmed.

The good:
30 recruits fills a lot of pipelines. Gilmore even gives us a show off, behind the back, no look pass by signing and designating one recruit a long snapper. You don't see much of that in the Patriot League.
The number one need at QB has been addressed. More on this later in this discussion.
Some decent size down in the trenches – 6 jumbos: 5 OL and 1 DL.
One of the WR recruits looks like a keeper with decent size and speed.
The 4 LB recruits are Patriot League size, with one Rated and showing some speed.
We don't know if Gilmore and his staff actually got on planes, trains and automobiles, but the geographic distribution of this group is impressive, especially when compared to the two classes that have already been rated.

The bad:
None of the OL recruits are Rated, and both of the Rated DL recruits are undersized.
No one is certain where the Holy Cross running game stands. With Dominic Randolph under center for the past few years, it went largely unnoticed. Only one RB was recruited, and he does not arrive with much recruiting buzz.
Of the 4 WR recruits, 3 appear to be undersized. They will not win many jump balls in the corner of the end zone.

QUALITY = 19: 9 Rated recruits; two 2-stars, one 1-star, none of the recruits with star ratings confirmed. All recruits Rated but not starred by ESPN received the minimum score of 40.

CLASS SIZE = 6: 30 recruits.

DISTRIBUTION = 7: No kickers. Reminder: TE has been eliminated from the ratings.

SPEED = 12: The usual disclaimer that the Committee readily admits to having inadequate information in this category.

TRIGGER = 2: 3 QB recruits, 2 rated, one a 2-star.

JUMBO = 6: 5 OL jumbos @ 270+ and 1 DL jumbo @ 250+.

NEEDS = 10 (of 12):
QB = 5 (of 5): 3 recruits, one a 2-star, and another one rated. The 2-star recruit is not confirmed and, in fact, was only Rated (mentioned) by one other rating service. The Rated, but not starred recruit was acknowledged by all three rating services. Both of these guys received some recruiting buzz, and looking at the recruiting bios, it is not obvious which is the better prospect. In addition to having some talent, there should be some competition for a job over the next few years. This is the Patriot League and stranger things have happened, but the third recruit will probably develop superior clipboard skills.
DB = 3 (of 4): 5 recruits, which would indicate that this need has been addressed. Only one of the 5 is Rated however, and he received his Ratings recognition at positions other than DB. The Committee debated between 2 vs. 3 Patsy Points here, but quantity won the day.
DL = 2 (of 3): 4 recruits, 1 jumbo, 2 rated, one an unconfirmed 2-star. With two Rated recruits this would frequently be a no brainer 3 Points. Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 are seriously undersized, and that includes both of the Rated recruits. The assumption is that they will each be able operate in the upright position as a DE, dropping into pass coverage in some of the current trendy defenses, but neither will be able to go toe to toe with the monsters that are currently lining up in Patriot League OLs. In any event, this group does little to address interior line needs.

COMMITTEE ADJUSTMENTS = Minus 2
In adding up the Patsy Points the Committee noted that 13 Points came from the two Rated QB recruits, with probably 11 coming from the 2-star QB recruit by himself. The Committee felt that a negative adjustment was warranted.

THE RATINGS RACE with 4 to go:

60 Holy Cross
54 Lafayette
43 Lehigh

Apologies to all. It has only come to the attention of the Committee within the past few hours that Fordham has announced – over a month ago. This oversight will be addressed this week.

breezy
March 14th, 2011, 08:27 AM
Good job by Carney. Using the Patsy Ratings methodology, I had come up with a rating of 62, which exactly matches Carney's number prior to the Committee adjustment, which is reasonable and understandable.

Just a couple of nits to pick. The 4 WRs are 5-11, 5-11, 6-1 and 6-2; I would not use the term "undersized." There are 3 RBs in the class (one, rated at 1*, is designated as a FB). (HC also returns all RBs from last year.) With respect to the DL, HC has 4 full-sized DLs for the NT position returning this year, only one of whom is a senior. The DL need was more directed at the DE position (where, in my view, speed and agility is just as important as bulk), and 2 of the 3 "undersized" recruits are 6-4 and 6-5, so there should be excellent potential to add bulk as they mature.

We have frequently discussed the fact (and I think it is fact rather than theory) that on many occasions "rated" recruits will be bypassed in favor of others who are snubbed by Scout, Y/R and ESPN. It often happens that unrated recruits become contributors to the team earlier than rated recruits. This is an inherent flaw in the Patsy ratings (and has been acknowledged as such by Carney) and one which has no apparent remedy.

This is all guesswork and may result from the fact that my crystal ball is generally purple-tinted, but in addition to the 9 rated recruits there are, in my estimation, at least 5 or 6 unrated recruits in this class that have the potential to be early contributors to the HC team.

RichH2
March 14th, 2011, 12:42 PM
We already know that * rated players are not neceesarily even the best players in a class, but it is a convenient and somewhat less subjective way for Carney to rank classes. More importantly it is fun. Otherwise trying to rank kids from different states on 1 or another all star list would actually be a onerous task with little reward for us. Heck , most States have 4 or 5 A-S teams . I admire FCS for is current attempt to rate FCS classes by actually reviewing tape and other info. I wish him luck. I rather like our Patsy system much thanks to the estiminable Carney. Long may he reign.xsmileyclapx