Generally, I think Mandel is a very average sports writer, which puts him in the upper 5% in his profession. When I read an article, whether its politics, sports, fishing, foreign affairs, or investments, I first scroll down to see what position the writer holds. Then I am prepared to make some judgments about the accuracy/credibility of the piece I am reading. In Mandel's case, its in his best interest to champion the credibility of those in his profession, including himself, of course.
The first conclusion I would draw from this article is that Iowa must have the best coaches in the nation. If we can win as much as we have, even in some of the down years, with the "quality" of players we have, then KF and his staff deserve high praise.
Secondly, if we pin down players early, many of whom were not rated highly (read, undiscovered) early on, the chances that we will see Iowa recruits receive high ratings and the accompanying attention, are slim/none. In short, how many times do we see recruits' rankings become upward mobile when they get offered by the big guys on the football market? And, interestingly, I notice that teams ratings on the recruiting placements, are based on the raw number of recruits they sign...see a problem here? Think about it.
Finally, what percentage of high school players who are rated by the various pundits, are ready for action in power 5 conference schools as freshmen? Think of it this way: How many 17-18 year olds are physically, let alone mentally,(Read, mature) enough to compete with young men who are in their early twenties? Read up on the maturation tables that human beings go through (especially males) between the teens and the twenties. Watch pro football for evidence.
So, I would not completely dismiss star ratings. Yes, Mandel has some interesting, though unsubstantiated data, to support his position. But come on guys...throw some logic into the melting pot that does not just accept the bias inherent in Mandel's conclusions. Acceptance of the variables that are present in these predictions would be a good place to start.
