On Texas Football: Recruiting is not just a numbers, or stars, game
On the latest video episode On Texas Football’s Saturday Conversations with Paul, Inside Texas’ Bobby Burton and Paul Wadlington discuss the art of recruiting, a ranking of the four teams that are entering the Big 12 Conference for the 2023 season and other info surrounding Longhorns’ athletics.
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Burton talked about the realization of the recruiting game, where schools look for players that fit their system, fit their needs and can be developed rather than rely solely on recruiting rankings.
“A lot of Texas fans and recruiting fans in general bellyache about (when the Longhorns take) three-star recruits or low-four-star recruits and ask, ‘how come we’re not getting the elite of the elite,’” Burton said.
“Recruiting is not science – it’s an art. Yes, there is some science from a statistical probability standpoint, but each player is an individual. And there are some inherent flaws in recruiting rankings that the guys that do the recruiting rankings nationally always try to adjust for over time. But there are some leading indicators and problems and issues that they can’t adjust for.”
Burton added that he doesn’t wince when Texas or Georgia or USC takes a three-star player because he understands that there is a plan involved with that.
Wadlington said that programs keep their own counsel and have their own opinions about these players.
“They’re not slaves (to the rankings),” Wadlington explained. “There are guys who are a four-star that fit at Clemson who simply don’t fit with what they’re trying to do at USC. I know that’s hard for people to think because you think ‘well, player as a player as a player. Very good players may not be optimal in different systems.
Burton said that in college football recruiting there are “tiers of quality” as opposed to numerical ranking 1 through 100.
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“I know people want to equate it to the NFL Draft because the NFL Draft ultimately is, you know, 1-2-3-4-5,” he said. “When I tell you that Georgia has more depth than Texas it’s not because they have more guys in the top 100, it’s because they have more guys that are going to be NFL players in general, whether they go in the first round or the seventh, or even undrafted free agents.”
Wadlington added that there is another twist on the process in which is the classic, highly rated guy suddenly reopens his recruiting after other programs back off of him.
“Everyone says ‘what’s going on here? We lost this guy or he was committed and he decommitted,’” Wadlington said. “Texas hasn’t talked to that guy in three weeks. He might have committed early before they got to know him. Then they asked around the high school, they talked to some teachers, they talked to some peers, they talk to people in the community. And they realize, oh, this, this is not a guy who’s going to succeed in our program or in our city. And they give him the cold shoulder.
“The kid picks up the message, no communication, and then suddenly he opens up his commitment and everyone freaks out.”
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There’s plenty more to glean from the video so you owe it to yourself to go watch it in its entirety.
