2021 Recruiting

Probably already answered, but is he a legacy? We had a Rhodes on the OL on back or QB or something

His grandfather is a longtime Tech contributor. His grandfather's wife works for GTAA. Great people, they are excited for Brody and I hope he does well and enjoys his experience at Tech.
 
News flash. We‘re not the only team that had transfers.

Actually, 8 ACC teams have no transfers while Tech is going to have 5 or 6 and 4 or so are the equivalent of Freshmen. Most of the teams that do have transfers have 1 or 2.

This class continues the drastic changes in the roster from a body type and ratings POV.

It might not change results on the field but from a Roster POV, Collins has done A+ work to this point. He will need to raise the bar going forward to get to where we need to be.
 
The talent level is certainly improving. There’s still work to do, but the foundation is there in our current group of underclassmen.

We continue to miss on most of our top DT targets which is certainly concerning. However it’s possible to grow large-framed DEs into great DTs, but it takes a little time. I think Stone and Johnson may be headed down that path from the 2020 class.
 
The talent level is certainly improving. There’s still work to do, but the foundation is there in our current group of underclassmen.

We continue to miss on most of our top DT targets which is certainly concerning. However it’s possible to grow large-framed DEs into great DTs, but it takes a little time. I think Stone and Johnson may be headed down that path from the 2020 class.
Stone is already playing DT. Not sure where we used Johnson when he played this year but send him to the V so he can bulk up and play inside as well.
 
Actually, 8 ACC teams have no transfers while Tech is going to have 5 or 6 and 4 or so are the equivalent of Freshmen. Most of the teams that do have transfers have 1 or 2.

This class continues the drastic changes in the roster from a body type and ratings POV.

It might not change results on the field but from a Roster POV, Collins has done A+ work to this point. He will need to raise the bar going forward to get to where we need to be.
Looking at the ACC rankings and going solely by ratings, I would say we are about middle of the road compared to other Coastal teams, even when you count the transfers. So while our recruiting has improved, it's not at a level yet that will allow us to win championships. This class is missing an elite player. It's missing a Jamhyr Gibbs.

Now, you can make a case that the ratings don't tell the full story. For example, Kelon White is rated as a two star transfer but he's ranked as one of the best returning DE's by one site. But now we're venturing back into the "stars don't matter" territory of the CPJ years.
 
Looking at the ACC rankings and going solely by ratings, I would say we are about middle of the road compared to other Coastal teams, even when you count the transfers. So while our recruiting has improved, it's not at a level yet that will allow us to win championships. This class is missing an elite player. It's missing a Jamhyr Gibbs.

Now, you can make a case that the ratings don't tell the full story. For example, Kelon White is rated as a two star transfer but he's ranked as one of the best returning DE's by one site. But now we're venturing back into the "stars don't matter" territory of the CPJ years.
Curious about how the rankings work. Do they rank JC transfers but not 4 year college transfers? How about players that get ranked on signing day then don't make it to campus in the fall and then go to prep school? Do they get ranked when they resign next year? Seems fishy to count them twice.
 
Looking at the ACC rankings and going solely by ratings, I would say we are about middle of the road compared to other Coastal teams, even when you count the transfers. So while our recruiting has improved, it's not at a level yet that will allow us to win championships. This class is missing an elite player. It's missing a Jamhyr Gibbs.

Now, you can make a case that the ratings don't tell the full story. For example, Kelon White is rated as a two star transfer but he's ranked as one of the best returning DE's by one site. But now we're venturing back into the "stars don't matter" territory of the CPJ years.

I mean, if there was ever a year where "stars don't matter" may be true, this one is it. Not in the same sense as argued previously, but I just find it hard to believe that the ratings and rankings this year are accurate even by the past standards for accuracy of these rating services.
 
Looking at the ACC rankings and going solely by ratings, I would say we are about middle of the road compared to other Coastal teams, even when you count the transfers. So while our recruiting has improved, it's not at a level yet that will allow us to win championships. This class is missing an elite player. It's missing a Jamhyr Gibbs.

Now, you can make a case that the ratings don't tell the full story. For example, Kelon White is rated as a two star transfer but he's ranked as one of the best returning DE's by one site. But now we're venturing back into the "stars don't matter" territory of the CPJ years.

As long as the overall trajectory points upward, we’re good. If this years recruiting turns out to be the worst under Collins, we’re really good.
 
Stars matter, but you have to use some judgment in applying them.

If you have an athlete that is outperforming his stars, and the stars are two years old, you do not look at the stars.

If you have a group of 15 athletes with high 3 stars, you will get a distribution of results, probably with a standout or two and a bust or two and a lot of contributors.

Stars on individual players is a crapshoot. Stars for an aggregate are useful, if you do not blindly follow them.
 
Stars matter, but you have to use some judgment in applying them.

If you have an athlete that is outperforming his stars, and the stars are two years old, you do not look at the stars.

If you have a group of 15 athletes with high 3 stars, you will get a distribution of results, probably with a standout or two and a bust or two and a lot of contributors.

Stars on individual players is a crapshoot. Stars for an aggregate are useful, if you do not blindly follow them.

Generally speaking, it's worth remembering how Rivals and 247 make money. They sell subscriptions. What do they need to drive up subscriptions? Drama. They need every fan to believe there's inside info and they're about to land a 5-star player. That means the largest, most engaged fanbases tend to get more stars, and it means uncommitted players tend to get more stars. Sure there's actual evaluation in there too, but not always (see the Blake Carringer incident). Always follow the $$$.
 
Generally speaking, it's worth remembering how Rivals and 247 make money. They sell subscriptions. What do they need to drive up subscriptions? Drama. They need every fan to believe there's inside info and they're about to land a 5-star player. That means the largest, most engaged fanbases tend to get more stars, and it means uncommitted players tend to get more stars. Sure there's actual evaluation in there too, but not always (see the Blake Carringer incident). Always follow the $$$.
I don't know how much or little that enters into it. My position does not require good faith, just statistical analysis.

When a name is associated with GT, the first thing I do is check the Hudl and see for myself. Some kids excite me. Some kids... I have to trust the coaches's evals. And some kids you will never know if they were good or bad choices if you do not do an interview with them and get to know them. And coaches do that. We don't.

So I don't really second guess coaches and recruiting for individual kids. I can say I really liked Richey, which I did, but I shrug when we lose him. O'Leary used to say, "We will win, with or without him. And this recent class will win, with or without any individual prospects.

I don't choose to give the services money, outside of clicks, on general principle. But if the fan feels they are getting the entertainment value they want, I have no issue with that. Do the services do some shady stuff to max the hype? Dunno. If so, they are not the only ones in society. Not by a longshot.

PS. And this supports your point. If a kid is unrated or lowly rated in error early in the process and commits to you, I have not noticed the services bending over backwards to correct that error, unless there is smoke that they may flip commitments. But if they are firmly for you, do not pay too much attention to the low ratings of these recruits. It is the low rated player who commits late in the process with a lousy offer sheet that is a bad sign.
 
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We don’t need flash and elite right now (although we wouldn’t turn it down). We just need upgrades across the board. The next round of Gibbs will come once we show solid performance. I think we are well on our way. I’ve said it before but with every passing season of UGA coming up short (insert their excuse) it will send more players to GT. The shine is off Kirby and the guy just seems to make a major coaching blunder every freaking year. UGA fans are already talking about Daniels leading them to the promised land next year, yet where was he this year? Oh yeah, again, Kirby went with loyalty over production. Yes, UGA has another top 5 class. And, yes, they’ll be on the outside looking in next year because their defense will continue to step backwards from their peak. If we get past COVID and can start on campus visits I believe Collins will continue to move GT up the recruiting rankings. UGA has become disappoint U which will start to show up in recruiting soon.
 
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