In 2015 and 2016 Miami's recruiting classes were a disaster.
What is left of those kids are now seniors and there are so very little of them and few are difference makers.and we are paying the price for this now.
of the 2015 class Robert knowles and Scott Patchan are still on the team...neither was a highly rated recruit back then and neither is a difference maker today.
Larence Cager was in that class too but transferred and also wasn't a difference maker.
of the 2016 class remaining players are SHaq, Pickney, McCloud(now redshirting so not even playing), Mike Irvin, Romeo Finley and Pat Bethel.
The LB were difference makers, Bethel is solid if unspectacular and Finley isn't having a great year either. None of these players were 5 star recruits and I doubt any will be high draft picks.
The rest of the seniors on our roster transferred in and there are no seniors on the offensive line which is all Al Golden's fault as he was the primary recruiter of these classes.
Then you go into 2017 and this is all on Richt. HIs evaluations on recruits were terrible to say the least.
Here are all the busts:
Kai Leon Herbert
Zack Dykstra
Zillontae Hillary
DJ Johnson( transferred)
Deandre Wilder(injury)
Brian Polendey (is he still on the team)
Evidence Njoku (or lack thereof)
Steed
Cade Weldon
Bradley Jennings??
Derrick Smith(transferred, aweful in coverage)
Zach Feagles(transferred, couldn't punt)
It's hard to believe this was the 12th rated class in the nation and 2nd best in the ACC when out of 25 enrollees half of them either left or just couldn't play!!
When you move into the 2018 class thing start to get a little better but we are literally missing an entire class which is why we are not at full strength and the players who are difference makers are in the 2018 and 2019 classes only. It also doesn't help that we have had 3 coaches in the last 4 years as this constant turnover generates even more player turnover and poor recruiting classes.
Real player evaluation and recruiting along with redshirting and building up our roster to full strength is currently under way. We just can't win with 70 something players on the roster and the upperclassmen being outplayed by true freshman! Hopefully the new players will bring new attitudes of competition and sticking it out instead of running away from the competition.
2018 not fairing much better:
QB: Williams- transfer
RB: Lingard- transfer
RB: Harris- Likely starter in 2020, fighting off 2 incoming freshmen
FB: George- transfer
WR: Hightower- transfer
WR: Ezzard- transfer
WR: Pope- yet to make significant contribution
WR: Wiggins- is the biggest contributor from this group so far
TE: Jordan- difference maker
TE: Mallory- shown flashes here and there
OL: Scaife- started since freshman year
OL: Reed- In and out of the portal
OL: Campbell- hasn't shown much
DL: Silvera- In the mix to start in 2020
DL: Miller- In the mix to start in 2020
DL: Rousseau- LOL difference maker
LB: Joyner- yet to play
DB: Hall- settled in nicely late last year
DB: Ivey- up and down
DB: Frierson yet to contribute
DB: Blades- likely starter in 2020
DB: Bethel- transfer
K: Baxa- transfer
LS: James- he snaps the ball well?
24 guys got scholarships
7 have already transferred, and it's not hard to pick out another 3 or 4 that could/should in the next year
1 went to a long snapper
Only 2 guys you can call special or difference makers
Worst of all, this was the class we signed coming off our best season in ~15 years
/Edit:
Going into Spring 2020, we now sit at 79 guys on scholarship and prevented from getting above 81 by the annual limit. So by 2021, we should be the closest to 85 that we've been in almost a decade