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2008 class vs 2023 class

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SWFLHurricane said:
Still had no business being #1
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Yep! I've been following recruiting since 2000 and that 08 class being ranked #1 has always been a head scratcher to me. If i recall correctly, Arthur Brown left after 1 year or never even suited up for Miami, something happened with Aldarius Jonson and we were going through a carousel of coaches. Didn't Jacory play under 3 different offensive coordinator's while at Miami? Looking back at those days and what could be building here now is night and day different.
 
SWFLHurricane said:
Go look at Butch's 97, 98, and 99 classes....and look where alot of them ended up career wise (CFB/NFL)
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The 01 class was up there as one of if not our very best. That was technically “Coker” but it was Butch’s boys.

Frank Gore who was IMO the best RB recruit I’ve ever seen from this area. Never watched Freddie Miles…

Sean Taylor & Antrel Rolle enough said. Two of if not the best DB recruits in Miami-Dade history. In todays world Sean would’ve been a consensus #1 overall recruit.

Leon Williams was the top LB recruit nationally that year and was considered to be the best recruit to ever come out of NY at that point in time. He came here and had to sit behind a LOADED LB room for 3 years.
 
kyhurricane said:
Yep! I've been following recruiting since 2000 and that 08 class being ranked #1 has always been a head scratcher to me. If i recall correctly, Arthur Brown left after 1 year or never even suited up for Miami, something happened with Aldarius Jonson and we were going through a carousel of coaches. Didn't Jacory play under 3 different offensive coordinator's while at Miami? Looking back at those days and what could be building here now is night and day different.
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Brown did decent at Kansas State. The big kicker with him was his brother Bryce was the #1 recruit in the nation in the 09 class. So at that time it was looked at like we was gonna land him as well. He was drawing Adrian Peterson comparisons for whatever unknown reason. Went to Tennessee and didn’t do s***
 
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Canesfan_134 said:
The 01 class was up there as one of if not our very best. That was technically “Coker” but it was Butch’s boys.

Frank Gore who was IMO the best RB recruit I’ve ever seen from this area. Never watched Freddie Miles…

Sean Taylor & Antrel Rolle enough said. Two of if not the best DB recruits in Miami-Dade history. In todays world Sean would’ve been a consensus #1 overall recruit.

Leon Williams was the top LB recruit nationally that year and was considered to be the best recruit to ever come out of NY at that point in time. He came here and had to sit behind a LOADED LB room for 3 years.
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I was very close to Leon....
 
Canesfan_134 said:
This is facts but it was pre internet recruiting era. It would be interesting to see a blue chip ration of all the studs Butch signed…
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That doesn't make a difference. Even then everyone knew who the studs were. The difference was identifying the right ones from the large pool of "4*s" that were out there. That's where the evaluation and development came in.

In hindsight, many look at what some of the players achieved in college and the pros and assumed they were recognized studs out of high school. We have a few but the core of many of those classes was what today would be mid-level 4*s.
 
NorthEastCane said:
That doesn't make a difference. Even then everyone knew who the studs were. The difference was identifying the right ones from the large pool of "4*s" that were out there. That's where the evaluation and development came in.

In hindsight, many look at what some of the players achieved in college and the pros and assumed they were recognized studs out of high school. We have a few but the core of many of those classes was what today would be mid-level 4*s.
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I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I was saying what would those classes look like in a modern time like we have right now. Like Andre Johnson would’ve been a 5* all world recruit on the sites today. Vernon Carey would’ve been a 5* OL prospect as he was a prep All-American. Guys like Roscoe Parrish and Ethenic Sands would’ve been mid 4* guys but was absolute big playmakers. Clinton Portis supposedly went “under the radar” back then you can’t tell me he wouldn’t be a 5* recruit in todays game. That’s basically what I’m saying. There would be more media coverage for the guys who went under the radar.
 
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ChoadCane said:
I don't remember him being that good either. I know he was decent for Pittsburgh but nothing special. Maybe I'm misremembering
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As a Steelers and Canes fans I watched him closely and Spence was starting to do the same things oin the NFL as he did in college; diagnose plays very early and make plays. Spence was absolutely going to start for the Steelers.
 
Canesfan_134 said:
Brown did decent at Kansas State. The big kicker with him was his brother Bryce was the #1 recruit in the nation in the 09 class. So at that time it was looked at like we was gonna land him as well. He was drawing Adrian Peterson comparisons for whatever unknown reason. Went to Tennessee and didn’t do s***
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Arthur brown was an all American for ksu
 
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Canesfan_134 said:
I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I was saying what would those classes look like in a modern time like we have right now. Like Andre Johnson would’ve been a 5* all world recruit on the sites today. Vernon Carey would’ve been a 5* OL prospect as he was a prep All-American. Guys like Roscoe Parrish and Ethenic Sands would’ve been mid 4* guys but was absolute big playmakers. Clinton Portis supposedly went “under the radar” back then you can’t tell me he wouldn’t be a 5* recruit in todays game. That’s basically what I’m saying. There would be more media coverage for the guys who went under the radar.
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I understood what you were saying. I was using your post to comment on a common misperception that our past recruiting was a series of monster classes littered with high-level studs. The ones that do this for a living had a definite idea who the studs were, and we never were considered to have won the national recruiting championship. Our mojo was to cherry pick the large pool of 4*s that had traits that fit JJs and Butch's scheme. That was the core of our classes.

Vernon Carey was well known and was considered a recruiting coup by Butch. Portis wasn't under the radar, we got him because Spurrier wanted him as a DB. Andre Jonson was known also. Probably the best example would be Sean Taylor, he was well known in Dade, but nationally, he didn't blow up until his senior year. Butch recognized it early (evaluations again) and locked him up before anyone else had a chance.
 
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DadeCountyFinest said:
08' Class was poorly coached. Randy could never get a good OC to work for him
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This is true but alot of those kids made the NFL and weren't that good either and they got NFL coaching. Most just didn't have it. Randy isn't some eval God either as we see now.
 
SWFLHurricane said:
When all is said and done, Butchs 97-2000 classes are untouchable. Greatest job of evaluations, recruiting & development in UM History, and arguably NCAA History. Stars aren't everything. Great Staffs combined with Great coaching and development is where it's at.
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Butch was the goat evaluator nothing can touch that.....Sabans up there as well. Glad Mario seems to follow those two in who he targets.
 
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When it’s all said and done, the 2023 class will do things the 2008 recruiting class wishes it did. Mario is the 2nd coming of a talent evaluator that understands recruiting coupled with development will add to the disparity between these two classes. I know, it’s way early in the process and no player has played a down of college ball as of yet - I just trust Cristobal’s ability to recognize talent and how it fits into his offensive and defensive schemes which is the hallmark to me of recruiting. Butch did it like no other, coupled with his amazing staff. I think Mario has assembled an equally impressive amount of coaching talent as well, that will help develop these young men into much better players than when they arrived. For my $$$, Mario’s 2023 class will outperform the 2008 class, which will be the ultimate answer when it’s said and done.
 
what Butch was able to do WITH LIMITED SCHOLIES and trying to get kids to come to an on probation program is far ahead of Saban with far more scholies, a car and bag game and tons and tons of highly starred kids

i wonder what saban's hit %age is considering all the 4-5 stars versus what they produced as quality NFL players? Maybe that will put things in perspective better. It won't be anywhere as good as Butch's hit rate.
 
2008 class was the most overrated class class in the history of recruiting…..how it became number 1 might be a bigger secret than where Hoffa is buried..
 
AtlAtty said:
Sean Spence was right on the verge of being really good when he hurt his knee
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That was like towards the end of his senior year. Sean Spence was great here. He had a sophomore slump but his junior and senior year was really good. He had 100+ tackles and 14+ tackles for loss both years. Unfortunately his junior year the offense regressed a great deal and during his senior year we signed a worst coach in Golden who was rewarded with a contract extension after proving to be a horrible coach. But Spence was a stud here. But when your team struggles it over shadows every thing.
 
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