Vanderbilt pulls 10 4star recruits-new SEC power?

If Duke BB can figure it out, VANDY ought to be able to figure a way,

Comparing Duke making it work in Basketball to Vandy in football is wrong.   You don't think making exceptions for players on a of 13 wouldn't be easier than doing it for a roster of 85?    Besides, it seems a heck of a lot of "Blue Chip" basketball players come from premiere "prep academies/schools".    Not to say the schools can't be creative with grading, but...

I was not chief.  Guess you missed the comment about Ron Mercer.  It is an institution wide policy that includes ALL sports, not just football.  My point was that other schools have figured a way to make it work.  I hope VANDY can do so.  It is comical to think DUKE can and VANDY WON'T. I don't think anyone would argue VANDY is more academically challenging than DUKE.  


Whenever the issue of SEC and academics come up, Team SEC is quick to link the academinc rankings of their schools as if they are on par with the Ivy League.   So if getting a good education and playing football in the "premiere" conference is what you're alluding too, then why not go to Bama, LSU, Florida... You know, teams that actually win and put players in the NFL?

So now you make the leap from getting a good education and playing in the "premiere" conference to "actually win and put players in the NFL?" That is not the same thing, is it?  One can go to any school in the SEC or any other conference and get a good education.  I was merely making the point that one can go to VANDY and play in the premiere conference in the country.  You figure it out.  Nothing was brought up about making it to the NFL.
 

Even though my original question was mostly rhetorical, we know the insinuations would be flying left and right about impropriety.  But because it's an SEC team, it's supposed to accepted as business as usual?   lol   Another rhetorical question there.  


Since you know the answers, why even ask the questions?         

Great job Coach Franklin is doing!  They're going to beat some good teams in the future.

    

Vanderbilt has pulled 10 4-star recruits according to ESPN: [http://espn.go.com/college-sports/f
ootball/recruiting/school/_/id/238/
class/2013]

They needed to just to tread water in the SEC.  Look at Bama, LSU, Florida, Goegia, and even Ole Miss.   

They needed to just to tread water in the SEC.  Look at Bama, LSU, Florida, Goegia, and even Ole Miss.   

Tell us something we don't know gators.  Coach Franklin has changed the dynamics at VANDY.  Instead of signing a bunch of guys that had offers from fcs schools, he has gone out and signed some classes where they beat out SEC teams, including the FLA's, UGA's ALA's and others.  That is a huge change.  This year they signed 26 players and had the first top 20 ranked recruiting class in the history of the school. 

Better players gives VANDY a fighting chance going up against the top teams in the SEC.  Only time will tell if they will be able to take down those top teams, but given the coaching job Franklin has done with primarily his predecessors recruits, the upside is tremendous.  It is interesting to read the VANDY recruiting page and see that all but a handful of the 26 they signed are destined for a redshirt.  

Things are looking up on West End and the future is bright.  I hope the recruits and his coaching pays dividends.  The bottom line is VANDY is headed in a totally different direction and for them, that is a great thing.   

I have to be honest.  I don't put a lot of credence to how these services come up with their ranking systems.  It's basically a game of follow the leader.

Look, they always rate the teams from the non-power leagues lower, no matter who they sign, and the teams from the power conferences higher.  This year, they are glowing about how well Ole Miss and Vandy did.  Wonderful.  More power to them.

Let's see how they do next fall.

Let's just put it this way.  If you go to Vegas and bet the farm on the Commodores to win it all, well, you probably won't have to do your farm chores next year because you won't have one.

Let's see how they do next fall.

if thay played a Boise st schedule, they would go undefeated........... But the play in the SEC, so their schedule is tough. 

Let's just put it this way.  If you go to Vegas and bet the farm on the Commodores to win it all, well, you probably won't have to do your farm chores next year because you won't have one.

That's funny smiles and very true.


I have to be honest.  I don't put a lot of credence to how these services come up with their ranking systems.  It's basically a game of follow the leader.
 
It has been shown there is a correlation between the rankings of the recruiting classes and winning.  Someone posted that each of the past 12 NC's had at least 1 top 5 recruiting class included in each of the 4 years of classes they won the NC.  Don't know if that is accurate and as someone pointed out, how valid is that stat?  A team could have only 1 of 4 classes ranked in the top 5 and still make that list.  On the other hand ALA has won 3 of the past 4 BCS NC's and now 3 national recruiting championships.  Add the coaching they get and it is a pretty safe bet that getting the great players makes it easier to win.  What does that portend for the future for the rest of the conference?


Coach Franklin has had a great deal of success at VANDY with less to work with.  His coaching has been unmatched by any previous VANDY coach going back almost 30+ years.  What will he be able to accomplish with better players?


Just the opposite can be true.  How much does bad coaching drag down great recruiting classes?  A certain team comes to mind.  Can great recruits win in spite of poor coaching?  Is there a limit?  Can a team achieve less with more, just as teams achieve more with less?  In that case does all this recruiting hype really make a difference?

I would agree, with conditions.  I think that the services do a good job of identifying the top athletes and following the top 10 or 20 programs in the nation.  They do a much worse job following the lesser regarded schools and conferences.  In the SEC, for example, some people do nothing more all winter long than parse scouting reports for the various high school athletes.  I don't think that too many kids slip under the radar.

But out in my end of the country, we are so used to getting ignored, that it's almost a pastime to see how wrong the experts are in gauging our class.  I think that Boise got perhaps its best recruiting class ever, but they still don't break 50 in any of the services.  I also think that Paul Petrino hit the ball out of the park in the kids he pursuaded to come to Idaho, but he is mired way, way down the list by everyone.  Why?  Andy Staples of SI said it best:

"So how did the evaluators at Rivals -- and Scout and SI and everywhere else -- so badly underestimate this class? Simple. Boise State doesn't have a huge fan base. There aren't as many potential subscribers, so, from a business perspective, it doesn't make sense to spend as much time evaluating Boise State recruits as Alabama or Texas recruits. That's probably the biggest flaw in recruiting rankings; the teams outside the traditional power structure can be vastly underestimated. Because if you look only at the teams that traditionally finish in the top 15, the rankings are usually pretty accurate."
Read More: [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20
10/writers/andy_staples/02/15/2007-
classes/index.html#ixzz2KEvR0ahh]


Look at the class of 2007.  Rivals ranked Boise's class as #68 in the nation.  That class included Young, Pettis, Doug Martin, Kellen Moore, Nate Potter, Billy Winn, and DJ Harper, and four others who are currently on NFL rosters.  Staples in his annual checkup column, rated this class, in terms of on the field production as the #2 class in the country, behind only Florida.

So, sorry, I don't plan on betting the farm on my class, or any other class for that matter.  And I give all respect to Vandy.  It's the only school in the SEC that does it the way it is supposed to be done, which is why they will never win in the conference.  They emphasize academics and only recruit kids with brains.  They don't have full page rap sheets listing the dozen or so players that got arrested last year.  They don't have embarrassing news conferences where the coach or AD got caught in bed with his "assistant."  They aren't under investigation by the NCAA nor coming off of probation.  They actually play equals in nonconference games.  Their fans are loyal, and I love the cheer "don't worry, it's ok, all your guys will be working for us one day."  I use research from the Peabody College of Education in my presentations on educational reform. 

In short, Vandy may be the only SEC school in which "Fee, fee, fi, fi, fo, fo, foo" isn't a lineman giving you his phone number.

There are always going to be guys that out-perform or under-perform there recruiting grades. On the whole the system is pretty solid. I generally view it as a probability grade. Chances of success are far higher on a 5 star than a 3 star. What people tend to forget is that the system does not grade the distribution or application of talent. Put a dual threat Qb on A&M and he may out-perfoem his ratings. Conversely, put him on Bama and it is likely he under-performs as his legs do not fit the system in place. Rankings are a measuring stick and should be considered as such.

In short, Vandy may be the only SEC school in which "Fee, fee, fi, fi, fo, fo, foo" isn't a lineman giving you his phone number.

That's a bad stereotype.  Vandy, Florida, aTm, and Missouri all belong to the AAU- the top 50 research institutions in North America that the B1G makes such a big deal about belonging to.  It's a fine distinction for a university.  Some of us have high academic standards as well as putting a competitive product on the field and court.  There have been frustrations with coaches and admissions boards at Florida- kids who are offered scholarships, clear the NCAA Clearinghouse, but don't meet Florida standards.  I am glad they are being held to a higher standard.  We haven't recruited a partial qualifier since Spurrier learned his lesson with Hambrick in the early 90s.  We still have won our share of games- and championships- doing it the right way.  Of course, you get the occasional disappointment in behavior- like Scam Newton, underage drinking, and driving while stupid, but we deal with them.  Unfortunately, many of these kids come to us without parenting.      

Vandy sure made it easy on themselves with their OOC slate of Austin Peay, UMass, UAB and Wake Forest.  It sure would have been a lot tougher if they had to play their original 2013 OOC schedule of Ohio State, Northwestern, UAB and Wake.

Buffalo, San Diego State, and Florida A&M says hello.

That was great for vandy, I didnt realize it till just today!

Those guys are gonna turn it around, you watch!  That coach is 1st rate!


The new STANFORD in the SEC, in a good division for it too! 

I rather think Vandy will have some very good seasons coming up if they can hang on to Franklin. 9 win seasons could be on the horizon.

I rather think Vandy will have some very good seasons coming up if they can hang on to Franklin. 9 win seasons could be on the horizon.

Franklin isnt going anywhere.  He understands the sky is the limit and he can name his ticket at VANDY.  He has already seen the powers that be step up and a 31 million dollar indoor practice facility will be completed this fall.  The Tennessean has an article today about upgrades to the stadium, including expansion.  

Franklin has seen VANDY'S baseball coach get everything he wanted and was satisfied with the results to turn down first AUB, then LSU.  He has assembled the top rated recruiting class this year and the #2 ranking in the preseason baseball poll.

VANDY just signed the first top 20 recruiting class in school history.  VANDY won 9 games this year for the first time since 1915.  Nothing will be easy as life in the SEC can turn on a dime.  Ask AUB how far one can fall.  8-0 and a BCS NC to 0-8 two years later.  

Franklin has won with other's recruits.  He has kept the coaching staff in place and now that he is getting his players in, it will be interesting to see what happens going forward.   

Thanks, SEC FAN, for that very informative post. I didn't know all of that. I have seen Vandy be a cellar dweller for so many years it will be great to see them win enough games to at least go to the Outback Bowl a few times. I have always admired their academic supremacy and the fact that they will not sacrifice it for football.

GO VANDY!

 SuckBearcat . . . . Vandy sure made it easy on themselves with their OOC slate of Austin Peay, UMass, UAB and Wake Forest.  It sure would have been a lot tougher if they had to play their original 2013 OOC schedule of Ohio State, Northwestern, UAB and Wake.


   Wah wah wah. If it hadn't been for the new contract with there being a SEC game EVERY week of the season they would have played you. Then you could have "possibly" have won a game over a SEC team without some of your players bringing down the ship. aka: The 2010 Bowl game vs Arkansas that you barely won since you allowed 4 players to participate that should have been sitting it out. The Arkansas coaching staff did keep a player or 2 from participating in the game for one reason or another.

Happy to see it! 

Look, they always rate the teams from the non-power leagues lower, no matter who they sign, and the teams from the power conferences higher.

When was the last time a team not from one of the power conference won the National championship?

** Crickets **