what does Rivals or Scout really know?

[Matt]

i have seen a lot of guys come thru these scouting resources and not amount to anything.  but yet, millions of college fans live and die by how their coaches did in recruiting according to these sites.

i think grothe and his 3 stars is enough to put these sites to bed in these cases.

but hey...they gave fred rouse 5 stars...where is he right now?

[Grothe4Heisman]

I've always wondered the same thing...I never put much stock into the scouting websites.

[windbane]

they know quite a lot.  according to rivals:  louisville had 2 4 star recruits in 2003, 1 was michael bush.  louisville had 1 4 star recruit in 2004:  brian brohm.

usf's only 4-star recruit that remained:  andre hall.

sure, they are going to be wrong about a lot of people, but there are thousands to rate.  top recruits are fairly accurate imo.

carlton hill was also a 4-star and probably would have started this year.  that would have been interesting.  i guess im glad now that it didnt happen.

[lotsofbull99]

They know guys like us will pay them $10 dollars a month that's what they know.

[Knight_Light]

i have seen a lot of guys come thru these scouting resources and not amount to anything.  but yet, millions of college fans live and die by how their coaches did in recruiting according to these sites.

i think grothe and his 3 stars is enough to put these sites to bed in these cases.

but hey...they gave fred rouse 5 stars...where is he right now?

It's just a BUSINESS.

These companies, others as well as magazines, etc...have learned that College Football fans will read everything and ANYTHING about their program.

Many of these fans are spending $100 plus memberships just to read stories of "possible" players...and future "star" players who have never played a down for their team.

Obviously, some don't make it, burn out, don't live up to the hype...but there is always another class...every Feb (or Dec) that excites EVERY fan base (every hear of a Football Coach "downplaying" their recruiting class on signing day? Signing Day is the only day were EVERY football coach says their team got better "on paper").

Plus, it does help to promote players that might sign with programs with the MOST FANS...which leads to the MOST CUSTOMERS...which leads to the MOST REVEVUE for said business.

It's just a business...and a profitable one, especially those that were on the "ground floor" (i.e. owner of Warchant.com, etc...)

KL

[GetAHobby]

I think they are doing pretty good, being they are giving rankings of 17-18 yr old kids. Athletes can crap the bed at any level and that is more so the younger they are. Look at how many draft bustes there are, does that mean that teams don't do their homework, no, it means that nobody really knows what is going to go on in a players head and body.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

Recruiting in general is an incredibly inexact science.  Just think of how many "nobodys" have become trmendous college football players (not just USF, but all schools) and how many "studs" have barely seen the field.

I love coach Frey (great OL coach), but is anyone familiar with how highly rated he was coming out of Clearwater and going into FSU?  He was one of the top rated O-linemen in the nation, and he never really saw the field over a five year span in Tallahassee.

Fans who get too hung up on this stuff will eventually learn how little people really know.

[bullwark]

Its a crap shoot, just look at the RB at UF, Wynn was supposed to be one the top five RBs in the nation coming out and he has not played like a top RB.  For every case of a top recruit living up the hype there are at least five that did not.

[Joe]

I know someone at Rivals so I am biased.

When it comes to the top 250 those guys (at both services) have it nailed for the most part. Some falter because of grades, legal problems, just bad attitudes, but they aren't ranking the players on that (see Noel Devine) instead they are ranking them on their ability to play at the pro level.

Go look at past rankings and you'll see them littered with names that are big in college football

Does that mean they're always right? No! But no scouting servicing in the history of any sport has ever been 100% correct and they never will be. There will always be highly rated guys that stink and there will always be guys who slip through the cracks.

Lets get 1 more thing out of the way. Three Star players are not bad. In fact go look at any of the top ranked schools last year and you will see a good bit of those schools signed 3 star guys. THEY ARE GOOD PLAYERS.

I'll add one more thing. Don't base your knowledge on a player on their videos they usually only show the good highlights and not the the guy fumbling or making a boneheaded throw. And also if you get a chance to see a player go see him, there are several good players in the Tampa Bay area that aren't ranked high on these things for whatever reason. Doesn't mean they won't make great college players.

[Bullpride08]

i have seen a lot of guys come thru these scouting resources and not amount to anything.  but yet, millions of college fans live and die by how their coaches did in recruiting according to these sites.

i think grothe and his 3 stars is enough to put these sites to bed in these cases.

but hey...they gave fred rouse 5 stars...where is he right now?

Like I've always said if you use those sites as your exclusive comparison/evaluation on talent then you'll be in big trouble.  I always look at all-state, region, what's their comp level, how did they do in big games.  Matt always rated tops in every one of these areas of comparison.  Not to mention, the owner of Rivals Bullseye saw Matt Grothe the summer before his senior year and said he was the one.  Said he outshone other kids on-campus at the sling and shoot that at the time USF was more high on.  So many Rivals in general missed a bit on Matt, but USF's rivals guys did not.

There are countless examples of guys that rivals miss, sometimes because big time schools do not consider them or just miss.  My pick like that from our class last year was Aaron Harris.  Aaron was first team all-state 3A on the DL, the other guys that received that distinction with him were all four star players- Livan Joseph, John Paul, Steven Wesley, Dustin Doe, and Joel Joseph....check it out, Livan is a four star player this year committed to UF, John Paul was four star last year now at a JC (academics), Wesley was four star and signed with UM, Doe was four star and signed with UF.   Harris was defensive POY in his county, and had a 3 sack game against Live Oak Suwannee.  He's going to be great, two stars by rivals.  FSU was on him early but they got their DT commits, and USF was on him throughout and we beat out some decent non-BCS and smaller BCS programs for him.

A fine example for USF.  But there are lots where rivals gets right, many are no-brainers, and but I find those sites to carry a bit of a pack mentality.  If UF, and Vtech thinks the kid is good then he is, if they pass on them then he must not be.