We've already reviewed the 2003 and 2004 Recruiting Classes as well as the 2005 Recruiting Class.
Today, we examine the 2006 recruiting class.
| Player | Pos | Stars | Ht | Wt | 40 | RR | Comment |
| Taylor Potts | QB | 3 | 6-5 | 210 | 4.8 | 5.7 | Eventual starter. |
| Baron Batch | RB | 3 | 5-10 | 190 | 4.4 | 5.7 | Contributor - possible eventual starter. |
| Jocques Crawford | RB | 3 | 5-11 | 208 | 4.5 | 5.5 | Did not qualify - at JUCO. |
| Steven Harris | WR | 3 | 5-11 | 180 | 4.59 | 5.5 | Now at safety - did not contribute. |
| Lyle Leong | WR | 2 | 6-2 | 158 | 4.5 | 5.3 | Greyshirt - should contribute. |
| Adam James | TE | 3 | 6-2 | 230 | 4.6 | 5.5 | Greyshirt - should contribute. |
| Adrian Reese | TE | 3 | 6-6 | 205 | 4.6 | 5.5 | Should contribute - played 12 games. |
| Adrian Archie | OL | 2 | 6-5 | 285 | 5.4 | 5.3 | Project. |
| Buddy Brumit | OL | 3 | 6-3 | 285 | 5.28 | 5.6 | Project - possibly not on team. |
| Ben Davis | OL | 2 | 6-8 | 292 | 5.1 | 5.2 | Project. |
| Tyler Duggins | OL | 2 | 6-6 | 265 | - | 5.3 | Project - possibly not on team. |
| Dimitri Lott | OL | 3 | 6-2 | 271 | 5.49 | 5.5 | Kicked off team. |
| Ofa Mohetau | OL | 4 | 6-3 | 340 | 5 | - | Possible starter. |
| Chris Olson | OL | 3 | 6-5 | 280 | 5.2 | 5.6 | Possible starter. |
| Dewayne Baziel | DE | 3 | 6-3 | 233 | 4.7 | 5.5 | Possible non-qualifier. |
| Sean Estelle | DE | 3 | 6-3 | 245 | 4.76 | 5.5 | Project. |
| Jonathan Hollins | DE | 3 | 6-3 | 228 | 4.8 | 5.5 | Unsure as to status. |
| Brandon Williams | DE | 2 | 6-3 | 245 | 4.8 | 5.4 | Should start - played 12 games. |
| Ra'Jon Henley | DT | 3 | 6-3 | 250 | - | 5.7 | Contributor - played 11 games. |
| Richard Jones | DT | 3 | 6-0 | 265 | 5.29 | 5.6 | Contributor - played 10 games. |
| Broderick Marshall | DT | 2 | 6-5 | 260 | 4.96 | 5.4 | Unsure as to status. |
| Dan'Tay Ward | DT | 3 | 6-2 | 291 | 5.2 | 5.5 | Transfer. |
| Blake Collier | LB | 3 | 6-2 | 208 | 4.46 | 5.6 | Contributor - played 11 games. |
| Brian Duncan | LB | 3 | 6-2 | 228 | 4.6 | 5.5 | Project - possible redshirt. |
| Julius Howard | LB | 3 | 6-0 | 220 | 4.5 | 5.5 | Project - possible redshirt. |
| Trevor Reilly | LB | 2 | 6-5 | 200 | 4.8 | 5.2 | Project - possibly not on team. |
| Marlon Williams | LB | 3 | 5-11 | 209 | 4.59 | 5.5 | Contributor - played 13 games. |
| Leonard Hewitt | DB | 4 | 5-10 | 175 | 4.42 | 5.8 | Unsure as to status. |
| Daniel Johnson | DB | 4 | 6-3 | 195 | 4.41 | 5.8 | Unsure as to status - non-qualifier? |
| Franklin Mitchem | DB | 3 | 6-3 | 200 | 4.58 | 5.6 | Unsure as to status. |
| Laron Moore | DB | 3 | 5-9 | 179 | 4.49 | 5.6 | Project - possible redshirt. |
| Jarell Routt | DB | 2 | 6-0 | 187 | - | 5.2 | Unsure as to status. |
| Michael Crabtree | ATH | 4 | 6-1 | 190 | 4.5 | 5.8 | Starter - will be a star. |
| Jamar Wall | ATH | 3 | 5-10 | 180 | 4.5 | 5.7 | Returned kickoffs - played 11 games. |
So what can we tell from this class? A pretty successful class all things considered. A couple of disclaimers, it's difficult for me to find out about a player's status. I'm not part of the main-stream media and so access for me is limited to my television or my computer. Not being in Lubbock makes it even more difficult. I wish I didn't have to comment that I'm unsure about their status, but it is what it is. Let's look at the numbers:
Number of stars:
- 4 stars: 4
- 3 stars: 9
- 2 stars: 7
Right now there aren't a ton of stars from this class, but I don't think that's what should be expected. If things are on track then it's our hope that most of these kids are redshirted or have time to develop and aren't forced into playing before they're ready. I think it's a given that Crabtree will produce along with Potts given some time. Batch, Williams, Reese Olson Henley Collier and Wall have already contributed in some capacity. There's a number of linebackers here that haven't even hit the field and I would expect a number of them to step up this year and get some real playing time.
James and Leong are really part of the 2007 class, but I've included them here just just so you can see which class they actually committed.
The average Rivals.com star rating for the entire class was 2.88. For comparison purposes here's the previous classes along with the 2007 class:
- 2007: 2.73
- 2006: 2.88
- 2005: 2.66
- 2004: 2.24
- 2003: 2.60
Remember, I wrote in the 2005 Recruiting Class entry, a suggested idea of how recruiting classes might/should break down:
- From the class 4 years ago (2003) a team needs 2-4 players either starting or contributing heavily to the team.
- From the class 3 years ago (2004) a team needs 8-10 players either starting or contributing heavily to the team.
- From the class 2 years ago (2005) a team needs 6-8 players either starting or contributing heavily to the team.
- From the class 1 year ago (2006) a team needs 4-6 players either starting or contributing heavily to the team.
- From this year's class (2007) it would be a luxury if 2-4 players either start or contribute heavily to the team.
It seems like we're ahead of the curve for 2006 and it makes sense, especially if you base your rational of success on the Rivals.com rating system. There's a couple of other factors. First, offensive linemen, for the most part, are not going to have an impact until their junior or senior year. So the likelihood that they can impact a team quickly is not as realistic for other positions so it's important to take into consideration the number of offensive linemen in each class, in the case of 2006, it there were 7 offensive linemen. Second, the success rate of more recent classes will naturally be less because fewer players are afforded an opportunity to play because there are players with more experience in front of them. Obviously, as each year passes, the percentage of players who contribute "should" increase (I say should because you expect players to continue to develop and not digress or quit the team).
The next post will break down some of the numbers between the the 2004 through the 2006 classes.