Recruiting the Star System

[Winterhawk]

Looking back at the classes and players that make a season like this possible - below are the players that were given two stars or less in the last few classes. Really remarkable that the success rate for significant contribution rate/starting is probably 65% or better already - with the potential to go up as some of these guys still have several years left. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this season - but hitting a high percentage on the lightly recruited guys probably makes a bigger difference at Iowa than most places. We'll take all the AJ Epenesa's we can get, but give me all the Josey Jewell's, Drew Ott's and CJ Beathards we can find too. Credit to the staff in talent evaluation and player development.

Rivals
2011	2012	2013	2014
Damon Bullock	Kevin Buford	Josey Jewell	Mick Ellis
Jordan Canzeri	Connor Kornbrath	Anjeus Jones	Parker Hesse
Marcus Collins	Nate Meier	Jonathan Parker	Terrence Harris
John Lowdermilk	Reid Selby	Matthew VandeBerg	Josh Jackson
Dean Tsopanides	Laron Taylor	Akrum Wadley	Dillon Kidd
			Ben Neimann
			Ross Reynolds
Scout
2011	2012	2013	2014
John Lowdermilk	Reid Selby	Jonathan Parker	Ross Reynolds
Marcus Collins	Anothony Gair	Josey Jewell	Dillon Kidd
Damon Bullock	George Kittle	Anjeus Jones	Marcel Joly
Dan Heiar	C.J. Beathard	Akrum Wadley
	Nate Meier	Damond Powell
	Barkley Hill	Andre Harris
	Cody Sokol
	Daumantas Venckus
	Greg Mabin
	Drew Ott

 

[deanvogs]

It is pretty crazy how good Iowa is at "hitting" on 2* kids. Taking those rival numbers Iowa got multiple year starts from 3 out of the 5 2011 kids. 1 out of the 5 2012 kids. Have or will on 3 out of the 5 2013 kids. Then 2014 possibly 4 or 5 out of 5.

If if you take the Scout 2* They rated Ott and CJ 2* kids???? Probably our best offensive and defensive players.

The services can easily identify the top kids. They are the ones that all the teams want, and just from the eye test both dominated HS football and have all the measurable. So I think it is always good to get 4* and 5* guys. Yet the majority of NFL players are 3* or 2* kids, so there is a lot of opportunity to find very high quality players From that group and develop them.

 

[DJL]

That's an incredible list. Thanks for sharing. More proof that stars aren't everything. There are a lot of teams in the BIG this year that would've taken guys like Jewell, Mabin, and Ott on their defenses,

 

[Clark]

It just goes to show what many of us already know, it's impossible for them to see everyone let alone spend hours watching tape of every high school player, especially in the midwest where it's rare to go to a single game and know you'll get to see multiple d-1 recruits.

 

[FCAS]

Recruiting rankings generally only reflect what a player has done, but not necessarily what that can do.

Some guys are 4 and 5 stars simply because their bodies have matured a little faster than normal. Some guys are 2 or 3 stars because they're not quite as mature, or they come from a program that doesn't have the greatest coaching and facilities. Some guys are 2 or 3 stars because they play on loaded teams where others are getting all of the attention.

The trick for teams like Iowa is to be good a projecting a player's potential (i.e., their body frame, their motor, their love of the game ...). As a tangent, I think this is a reason why Iowa looks favorably on guys who wrassle in HS.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

Stars are not the gospel. Overall, I still think that if you're getting a lot of 4-5* recruits that you're going to have more talent compared to if you get nothing but 2-3* players, but IMO all that matters is good talent evaluation and development, and finding those players who have great heart and work ethic who will do what it takes to get it done.

A 2 or 3* recruit can ultimately play like a 4 or 5* player with the proper coaching. They may just need a bit more polish compared to someone who is more "ready" right out of the gate. And yes, Iowa tends to not get many 4+ star recruits, so it is a developmental program that needs to do a good job of finding the overlooked players and turning them into good football players.

There's also a difference between finding a 2-3* recruit that has the physical tools to be a good player and just needs some development, versus finding those who simply have a low ceiling. Our coaching staff seems rather good in this department.

Of course, get the highly rated players when you can.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

It is pretty crazy how good Iowa is at "hitting" on 2* kids. Taking those rival numbers Iowa got multiple year starts from 3 out of the 5 2011 kids. 1 out of the 5 2012 kids. Have or will on 3 out of the 5 2013 kids. Then 2014 possibly 4 or 5 out of 5.

If if you take the Scout 2* They rated Ott and CJ 2* kids???? Probably our best offensive and defensive players.

The services can easily identify the top kids. They are the ones that all the teams want, and just from the eye test both dominated HS football and have all the measurable. So I think it is always good to get 4* and 5* guys. Yet the majority of NFL players are 3* or 2* kids, so there is a lot of opportunity to find very high quality players From that group and develop them.

Agreed. And if you went strictly by Rivals ratings, Iowa had no business going 12-1 this year. Yet there they are.

 

[alexzelada]

I get in more trouble with this subject than any other. I've had at least a dozen posters hire an assassin when I post on this topic. But I like to live dangerously so I'll open my big mouth.

The stars are primarily handed out according to name-brand behind the kids. I'm not saying Ohio State doesn't get great athletes. Same for Alabama, Michigan, etc. They do. But if Rudock goes to Michigan out of high school he is a 4 star and no one blinks when he does a good job. When he comes to Iowa he is a 3 star and nobody besides Iowa fans expects much from him. It's not that the stars are meaningless. It's that they are weighted against non-blue bloods. Brian Bobek is the number 1 center in the nation according to scout AFTER he verbals to Ohio State. That same kid transfer to Minnesota. You think he gets that high rating if he verbals to Minnesota while in high school?

Iowa's best class comes in 2005 after 3 top 10 finishes. Yes, we win a BCS bowl with those kids. But we also win it with under-the-radar Stanzi who wasn't an 05 recruit. Stars are fun and I luv them. How many stars did our doak walk winner get out of high school? 2 (in 04) according to hawkeye report. How many for our outland winners? How many for our thorpe winner? Our groza winner? Hell our mackey winner was a frickin walk-on!!!!

 

[ohhawk]

Star Wars - Since we normally aren't in the Top 25 of recruiting class rankings......we often criticize their importance when we have a good season and make them a key point of debate when we have a bad one.

Some things don't change much.

 

[Undefeated]

It is pretty crazy how good Iowa is at "hitting" on 2* kids. Taking those rival numbers Iowa got multiple year starts from 3 out of the 5 2011 kids. 1 out of the 5 2012 kids. Have or will on 3 out of the 5 2013 kids. Then 2014 possibly 4 or 5 out of 5.

If if you take the Scout 2* They rated Ott and CJ 2* kids???? Probably our best offensive and defensive players.

The services can easily identify the top kids. They are the ones that all the teams want, and just from the eye test both dominated HS football and have all the measurable. So I think it is always good to get 4* and 5* guys. Yet the majority of NFL players are 3* or 2* kids, so there is a lot of opportunity to find very high quality players From that group and develop them.

This might be true but I read that 55% of the NFL first round draft picks were 5 star high school recruits.

 

[deanvogs]

[/I][/U]

This might be true but I read that 55% of the NFL first round draft picks were 5 star high school recruits.

In 2015 it was 25% that were 5* kids.

8 - 5*
7 - 4*
16 - 3*
1 - 2*

Usually about 70% of the 5* kids end up getting DRAFTED in some round in the NFL I think. That is an outstanding % obviously, and that is why people get excited to get 5* kids. Keep in mind there are usually about 35 or so 5* ranked kids a year.

Don't sleep on 3* kids though, as they make up about 50% of every draft. I thought this was interesting as they break down the high 3* ranked kids (an area the Hawks get tons of kids). https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1763675

This year for instance Iowa's verbals with a 5.6, 5.7, or 5.8 ranking are:

Toks - RB 5.7
Beyer - TE 5.6
Fant - TE 5.7
Golston - DE 5.6
Hooker - DB 5.6
Lattimore - DE 5.6
McKnight - DE 5.6
Nieman - LB 5.6
Stanley - QB 5.6
Taylor LB - 5.7
Young - RB 5.6

They also had 7 more 3* that are graded at 5.5

 

[PCHawk]

I get in more trouble with this subject than any other. I've had at least a dozen posters hire an assassin when I post on this topic. But I like to live dangerously so I'll open my big mouth.

The stars are primarily handed out according to name-brand behind the kids. I'm not saying Ohio State doesn't get great athletes. Same for Alabama, Michigan, etc. They do. But if Rudock goes to Michigan out of high school he is a 4 star and no one blinks when he does a good job. When he comes to Iowa he is a 3 star and nobody besides Iowa fans expects much from him. It's not that the stars are meaningless. It's that they are weighted against non-blue bloods. Brian Bobek is the number 1 center in the nation according to scout AFTER he verbals to Ohio State. That same kid transfer to Minnesota. You think he gets that high rating if he verbals to Minnesota while in high school?

Iowa's best class comes in 2005 after 3 top 10 finishes. Yes, we win a BCS bowl with those kids. But we also win it with under-the-radar Stanzi who wasn't an 05 recruit. Stars are fun and I luv them. How many stars did our doak walk winner get out of high school? 2 (in 04) according to hawkeye report. How many for our outland winners? How many for our thorpe winner? Our groza winner? Hell our mackey winner was a frickin walk-on!!!!

I'm not sure why anyone would get on you for those thoughts. They seem perfectly logical to me.

 

[ISUhawk]

Being a 2* recruit doesn't mean you will never be good. The point of the star system is to show how fast you can contribute to a major D1 team. With the exception of a very very few, the star system has been pretty much spot on with the Iowa recruits. Out of the rivals list, 4 of those guys have played early. Some played early bc the guys in front of them were other 2/3 stars that sucked. Here are the 4* the last couple years:

James Daniels - Starts as freshman and is a freak. Will play Sundays
Jay Scheel - Injuries have killed him
Tyler Wiegers - Will start once CJ is gone
Faith Ekakitie - Pretty solid
Greg Garmon - lol but could have been really good
Jaleel Johnson - Got major playing time early and will play Sundays
Ryan Ward - Not positive
Austin Blythe - Stud and will play Sundays...also started very early
Rodney Coe - haha well whatever
Ray Hamilton - Pretty solid, on NFL practice squads and up to teams at points
Jordan Walsh - Starter and played early. Solid

Looks like the star system has been pretty good to what it actually means.

"The ranking system ranks prospects on a numerical scale from 6.1-4.9.

• 6.1 Franchise Player; considered one of the elite prospects in the country, generally among the nation's top 25 players overall; deemed to have excellent pro potential; high-major prospect
• 6.0-5.8 All-American Candidate; high-major prospect; considered one of the nation's top 300 prospects; deemed to have pro potential and ability to make an impact on college team
• 5.7-5.5 All-Region Selection; considered among the region's top prospects and among the top 750 or so prospects in the country; high-to-mid-major prospect; deemed to have pro potential and ability to make an impact on college team
• 5.4-5.0 Division I prospect; considered a mid-major prospect; deemed to have limited pro potential but definite Division I prospect; may be more of a role player
• 4.9 Sleeper; no Rivals.com expert knew much, if anything, about this player; a prospect that only a college coach really knew about"

That all being said, Iowa has done pretty well with a couple low recruited players! Keep it up!