Recruiting Rankings Matter But So Does Coaching

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With recruiting rankings heating up and USC headed toward a possible No. 1-ranked class, I’ll remind everyone what can be applied football and even basketball. It obviously means something to have a great recruiting class.

But coaching matters too. Maybe more. How does Oregon consistently perform better with lower-ranked recruiting classes? If Alabama has a class even close to USC, how much more of an advantage is it that Nick Saban is coaching?

USC basketball is starting to bring in talented recruits but how long will it be before there is organization and a common purpose? Sometimes, it just feels like the philosophy is we need to beat teams by just being a lot more talented.

43 thoughts on “Recruiting Rankings Matter But So Does Coaching”

    • Juannyboy! You are awesome – yes, there is definitely more need for talent around here… can you take over for Scott?

      • The talent question might be more aimed towards the coaching staff since it has been proven shoddy coaching causes loses in this program no matter how talented the team is, you think?

          • No but… if you remember after the Boston College & ASU games, Sark & Wilcox both apologized for shoddy coaching. They didn’t blamed the players, they blamed themselves after the players complained there was no communication from the coaches during certain plays.

          • Yes, that was obvious – but maybe you can mark it up as “growing pains” until proven guilty of being a “bad coach.” Even Clancy choked – remember ASU? Kiffin does

  2. Riveting analysis, Scott……a not so thinly veiled slam at our coaching staff…..Thank you again, Captain Obvious……those who can, do….those who can’t, teach…those who can’t do either become a beat writer for the Daily News…..

  3. Ohio State had top 5 recruiting class last 3 years. Oregon a top 20 recruiting class. It showed on the field Oregon got blown off the ball. It all starts with recruiting. A system and good coaching can take you far but you have to have big bodies.

  4. Sometimes, it just feels like the philosophy is we need to beat teams by just being a lot more talented.
    Huh?

  5. Wow. The Answer Man comes through again.

    So, we learned that both coaching and talent play an undefined role in success and failure. Genius. Pure genius.

  7. “Applied Football” — good idea for a class for the players to take, Wolf. Let’s keep those GPAs up.

  8. I have a feeling the USC team will be doing great in the near future Scott Wolf. The coach Sarkisian needs to be given an opportunity with a full team roster before you can truly and accurately evaluate his coaching ability.

    Also, I had a wonderful nap, thank you very much.

      • Hortense!!! How have you being, remember when we used to kick it at the roller coasters at Magic Mountain? Those were the days. Anyways, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday…

        Ladoo.

  10. Started wanting to respond to SW’s slam at coaches and slam at the USC readers…. No.. What was Alabama’s records and plan through and out of sanctions? …no where near USC…Coaching is a day to day process, its a program which starts with recruiting then goes to enrollment, Classes… Then training, practice, and then games… With a lot in between.. For the last few years we have had 15 recruits and walk ons…elite coaches and elite programs practice 3-4 deep with highly recruited players.. Our practices have been 1-2 deep then the young men who walk on. How many of them are really coachable ? To me the jury is still out on if this staff is the return to NC staff, however did any Elite coach really want the job a year ago? We don’t know… So let’s get full elite classes line up elite to elite players in practice,coach them in games and Win….If after top 5 classes this year and possibly next Sark doesn’t return to NC,the coaching job will be much more attractive to elite coach……But it begins here..25 excellent prospects..

  11. If there was a coach that can take a top 3 class to 7 win seasons, it is Sarkiffen!

  12. On a positive note, the great thing about Sarkiffin is that you won’t have to worry about him leaving until you get tired of the 7 win seasons! Nobody else wants him!

  13. Two observations: John McKay said games were won in the fourth quarter… definite lack of conditioning on last year’s team. Two, the bonehead decisions made by Sark and company last year that clearly cost us 2 games had nothing to do with sanctions. “Stupid is as Stupid does”.

    • Clearly, Sark’s coaching cost USC the BC and ASU games. Fact. But to say that sanctions never hurt SC badly, especially the loss of a whopping 30 scholarships, is silly. If the loss of 30 doesn’t hurt tremendously, I suggest we just stay 30 below everyone else forever. Result – USC would never be a football power again, regardless of how good our coach was.

      • So I take it you were not one of those that posted in blogs, or bought a t-shirt proclaiming “our 65 are better than.your 85”?

        • It was “our 75 are better than your 85”.
          The 65-85 shirt is quite valuable due to it’s rarity. In any event the statement pertained to just the players…include the coach and all bets are off.
          You and Jack negatively transcend any meaningful dialog on this blog regardless of your team preferences.
          “Babble On” guys. The ‘bunny’ would be proud of your contributions Perhaps you can add your thoughts on ‘Soft Serve’
          .

  14. I am still trying to figure out if this guy is UCLA plant, lol. An obvious hater covering the team he hates. As a USC fan born and raised in PA, I love reading this guy’s stuff just for a chuckle. He seems to have missed that USC was playing with 50 and 51 scholarship players the last couple of years, go look up Alabama’s records when on probation.

  16. This is where the Ted Tollner syndrome kicks in for Steve Sarkisian, because just like Tollner , he will bring in great players and not know what to do with them . Tollner set the table for Larry Smith’s success with the consecutive Rose Bowls , so look for a similar situation when Sarkisian gets fired .

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