Trending down: Five on the decline in recruiting
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Florida coach Will Muschamp may not survive his second straight difficult season.
Recruiting Rank By Year
2015: 45
2014: 8
2013: 4
2012: 3
2011: 12
For most of the Rivals.com era, Florida has been a force on the recruiting trail. Even through coaching changes and tough seasons, the Gators are ideally located in the talent-rich Sunshine State, where athletes are as common as afternoon thunderstorms. But after a 4-8 season last year, things are not shaping up well for the Gators on the recruiting trail. Florida currently sits at No. 45 in the Rivals.com team rankings, uncharted territory for a school that has finished outside of the top eight only once in the past five years.
Because of the uncertainty surrounding Will Muschamp, five-star prospects like defensive ends Byron Cowart and CeCe Jefferson, as well offensive tackle Martez Ivey, have taken a wait-and-see approach. Back in the spring when most were viewing last year's struggles an anomaly, it was believed that it would only be a matter of time before all three would be in the fold for the Gators. But the longer the Muschamp situation drags on, the more it opens the door for other schools. Cowart is still being courted by Florida State, while Ole Miss, the Seminoles and Alabama are working hard on Jefferson. Meanwhile, Ivey, who grew up rooting for the Gators, finds himself torn between Florida and Auburn. Even if the current staff stays in place this year, it might not be enough to salvage this year's class. Even if it does, recruiters from rival schools won't be afraid to use the same tactics next fall as they are using now.
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2015 Recruiting Rank: No. 17
Texas welcomed Charlie Strong with open arms when he was hired in January.
Recruiting Rank By Year
2015: 17
2014: 20
2013: 24
2012: 2
2011: 3
It can be argued that things are back on the upswing in Austin, especially with the recruiting track record of first-year head coach Charlie Strong. But when you compare the past success of the Longhorns, the recent run just hasn't been up to snuff. After peaking at No. 2 with the Class of 2012, things bottomed out in 2013 as questions about then-coach Mack Brown hampered the Longhorns recruiting efforts. Even with names like current starting quarterback Tyrone Swoopes signing with school, the Longhorns finished at No. 24 in the Rivals.com team rankings, the worst finish since a No. 20 finish in 2005 (a year that the school only signed 15 players).
After Brown was fired last fall, Strong came in and made quick work on the recruiting trail, adding five more commitments including four-star defensive back Eddie Freeman. The late additions made for a late push, but Texas still finished at No. 20 in the team rankings, not exactly the Top 10 caliber finishes the burnt orange faithful are used to. This year Strong and Longhorns are having a decent year, both on the field and on the recruiting trail, but their downtime has allowed other schools in the Lone Star State to jump up and become recruiting powers. Texas A&M is having another terrific year of recruiting, while Baylor and TCU are on the upswing as well. The same can be said for Texas Tech, with head coach Kliff Kingsbury a favorite of prospects throughout the country.
As of today, Texas sits at No. 17 in the Rivals.com team rankings with a class that boasts five four-stars. There's no doubt the availabilty of early playing time will be there, especially considering the recent departures of several players for disciplinary reasons, but Strong and his staff need to get to work before finishing outside of the top 15 becomes the norm in Austin.
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2015 Recruiting Rank: No. 23
Signing Trevor Knight was a nice recruiting victory for Oklahoma.
Recruiting Rank By Year
2015: 23
2014: 15
2013: 15
2012: 11
2011: 14
It's tough to be hard on the Sooners, especially considering that they are a fixture in the top 15, but it wasn't that long ago that the school was a fixture in the Top 10. From 2002-10, the Sooners only finished ranked outside of the Top 10 three times, with an average class rank of No. 8. In the five years since (including the 2015 cycle), Oklahoma has finished no higher than No. 11, with a yearly average of No. 16.
So what has caused the slip? There are a number of factors in play, including the team's performance on the field. From 2002-08 the Sooners won the Big 12 conference five out of seven years. That led to big success on the recruiting front, including impressive pulls from out of state like Class of 2006 four-star running back Demarco Murray (Nevada) and Class of 2008 quarterback Landry Jones (New Mexico). But with just one outright conference title since 2009, things have taken a bit of a dip. The highest ranked class over the last five years for the Sooners came in 2012, with a No. 11 finish and a group of signees that included current quarterback Trevor Knight and four-star Florida offensive lineman prospect Ty Darlington. In 2013 and 2014 the Sooners finished No. 15 and this year's class sits at No. 23, on pace for the lowest finish during the Rivals.com era.
While there's a clear corollary between on-field success and success in the recruiting rankings for the Sooners, the arrival of new recruiting rivals in the state of Texas is clearly taking it's toll. Much like archrival Texas, the Sooners now have to battle Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and TCU for prospects from the Lone Star State. This has led to Oklahoma branching out to California with surprising success, including the signing of five-star running back Joe Mixon in 2014. The Sooners will have to finish strong to avoid finishing outside of the top 15 for the first time in the Rivals.com era.
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2015 Recruiting Rank: No. 73
Defensive back Malik Psalms is Cal's lone four-star commit for 2015.
Recruiting Rank By Year
2015: 73
2014: 46
2013: 32
2012: 23
2011: 17
When it comes to the current state of recruiting, California isn't really thought of in the context of a national power. But it wasn't long ago that the Golden Bears were a fixture in the Top 20, with players like Marshawn Lynch and Desean Jackson excelling in Berkley. But since struggles led to the ouster of coach Jeff Tedford, things have fallen off for the Bears. From 2003-2009, Tedford led the Golden Bears to seven consecutive bowl games, including a 10-win season in 2006. Even when the program took a minor dip in 2010 and missed a bowl game, Tedford and his staff reeled in a class that finished No. 17 overall in the Rivals.com team rankings and featured current contributors like four-star defensive end Todd Barr and four-star defensive tackle Mustafa Jalil.
The Bears rebounded to make a bowl game again in 2011, but recruiting was already on the decline. The Bears fell to No. 23, at that time the lowest finish since 2009. After a rough season in 2012, Tedford was shown the door and offensive wiz Sonny Dykes was brought in to get the program back on track. He closed well with the 2013 class despite just two months on the job, landing 16 of the 26 signees and more importantly hanging on to Rivals250 quarterback Jared Goff, now the starter. But a 1-11 finish in the fall of 2013 made things tough on Dykes and his staff and lead to a No. 46 finish in the Rivals.com team rankings.
The sub par recruiting effort marked the lowest finish for the Golden Bears program since a No. 51 finish in 2004. Despite a 4-3 start to this season, things haven't gotten much better, with Cal currently sitting at No. 73 in the rankings and only one four-star prospect, defensive back Malik Psalms, in the fold. Assuming Cal can win two more games and make a bowl game, it could help with momentum off the field, but even with a strong finish it will be tough for Cal to top last year's No. 46 finish and that's nowhere near the Top 25 days under Tedford. Rebuilding isn't an easy process and with programs like Oregon, USC, Arizona and rival Stanford all having recruiting success, it makes the road back even tougher for Cal.
Woody Womack
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
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