In college football, there are numerous factors that determine how "good" a team is. Depending on how you define "good," certain factors may bear more weight than others. But when it simply comes to wins and losses, the two largest factors seem to be coaching and recruiting. At Texas Tech, recruiting seemed to pick up during the Tommy Tubberville era. This left many fans to wonder why Kliff Kingsbury's teams have seemed depleted of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Compared to some of Leach's teams, Kliff Kingsbury has had much more talent to work with, right?
Searching for a reasonable explanation for this apparent talent deficit, I took a very in-depth look at recruiting. Using ESPN, Rivals, 247 Sports, and 247 Sports' composite rankings, I compiled a chart of some recruiting classes of Mike Leach, Tommy Tubberville, and Kliff Kingsbury. After looking at an overview of recent classes, we will take a look at several specific classes, especially on the defensive side.
Recruiting from 2007 to 2016
*ESPN only ranked the top 25 until 2012, and Tech did not rank in the top 25 until 2012.
**247 Sports compiled composite rankings until 2011, then began compiling rankings based on their own opinions as well as the composite rankings.
Trends
The very first things you probably notice are some trends. Among the more obvious trends:
- Not a single 5 star recruit (no, not even Breiden Fehoko garnered a 5 star rating from these sources).
- Recruiting appears to have been at its strongest during Tommy Tubberville's tenure here (2010-2012).
- The number of 4 star recruits consistently increased during the last 9 years.
Another trend that might go unnoticed at first glance supports the notion that recruiting suffers in years that see head coaching changes. According to Rivals, the worst classes from 2009 to 2016 were the 2010 class and 2013 class. These were also the first recruiting classes of Tubberville and Kingsbury. According to ESPN, which did not begin ranking Top 25 classes until 2012, the 2013 class was the worst class from 2012 to 2016.
Due to lack of data, it is difficult to say for certain what Mike Leach's early recruiting classes may have looked like relative to these, as far as rankings go. If they looked anything like his last three, it would be a testament to just how much Mike Leach could do with less talent.
Stopping here, one might conclude that Kliff Kingsbury is doing very little with the talent that he inherited from Tommy Tubberville. Refusing to believe this, because I would like to think that Kliff is not wasting talent, I dove deeper into the recruiting classes.
Recruiting Under Tommy Tubberville
Notable Offensive Recruits from 2010:
Shawn Corker, WR: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 3 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
Scotty Young, QB: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 4 Star, 247 Composite 4 Star, 247 Sports 4 Star
Delans Griffin RB: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 4 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
Beau Carpenter OG: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 3 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
If you are like me, your reaction is probably something along the lines of "who???" I recognize Beau Carpenter as a former starter along the offensive line, who was dismissed before the 2014 season. I recognize Shawn Corker as a former backup wide receiver. A little research tells me he never started a game in his five seasons. Outside of recruiting, I have never heard of Scotty Young or Delans Griffin. Don't worry, the 2010 class was known for its defensive depth, so let's look at defensive recruits. Maybe it gets better?!
Notable Defensive Recruits from 2010:
Jackson Richards, DE: ESPN 4 Star, Rivals 4 Star, 247 Composite 4 Star
Tahrick Peack, OLB: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 3 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
Joe Carmical, OLB: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 3 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
Coby Coleman, DT: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 3 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
Desmond Martin, S: ESPN 3 Star, Rivals 3 Star, 247 Composite 3 Star
Oh, dear... Jackson Richards is the only name that sticks out, having started multiple games. He contributed some in his four year career, but not as much as you would like to see out of the star of the class. The other guys listed? NOT ONE SINGLE START. Only Martin made it past his first year, only to leave the team shortly after a sophomore season on the scout team. In a class of 26 recruits, there are 15 defensive recruits that I have never even heard of due to their lack of contribution. I counted another 3 offensive players I have not heard of. Keep in mind, these men would have been seniors in 2014 and 2015. The foundations of the 2014 and 2015 seasons were built on sand.
Incase you were wondering, yes, this trend of attrition continues through the 2011, 2012 and 2013 classes too, particularly on defense. The 2011 class produced some real gems on offense such as Jace Amaro and Jakeem Grant, but the defensive side still leaves a lot to be desired. Why on earth Kliff Kingsbury and Company have been playing JUCO transfers and underclassmen, especially all over the defense, can be easily explained by playing a simple, yet disappointing game:
Let Us Play a Game: VTM'er to Recognize the Most Recruits from Tubberville's Recruiting Classes Wins!
Conclusion
This leaves us with a simple conclusion: while recruiting classes were ranking higher than ever, they were quite possibly some of the worst in decades. The class of 2010 might go down as one of the worst classes in school history, and rightfully so. The 2011 class was carried by some very talented offensive players. 2012 left us with a few solid offensive players and 2015 starting linebacker Micah Awe, but not much else. After seeing what little talent the football program was left with, I am less and less surprised at Tubberville jumping ship as soon he got and opportunity. That Kliff Kingsbury has only suffered one losing season in his tenure here is even more impressive. Not-so-coincidentally, Kingsbury's worst season came four years after the signing of the 2010 class, when those freshmen would be seniors.
Thankfully, recruiting appears to be picking up under Kliff Kingsbury, who seems determined to recruit excellent students with high character, decreasing the chances of attrition (non-injury related attrition, that is).
Questions, comments, complaints? Let me know below!
Guns up, and here's to a bright future! Wreck 'em, Tech!
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Viva The Matadors' writers or editors.
