I would also add that not all 5* and high 4* are recruited equally. There is likely a correlation between being highly sought after and future success that isn’t always the same as recruiting rankings. This is one of the things we are doing better now. This gives me as much hope as high class rankings. For instance, Bain was heavily recruited by Alabama, FSU, and Auburn. He was just a top 100 player, but was recruited like a top 30 player by some of the best DL programs. He was more sought after than Cyrus Moss, who was ranked similarly. Another example would be Tommy Kinsler. We have gotten many 90 rated OL over the years. We haven’t gotten a lot of 90 rated OL that an SEC school wanted very badly. By all accounts, he will be a future starter on a team with a good OL. Recruiting rankings matter of course, but winning the battles is also important.
These are the same type of misses we have gotten at DB for a long time now. We get some decently rated guys, but we don’t win the important ones for the most sought after players regardless of rank.