Some are not strong believers when it comes to buying into the ranking of college football recruiting classes. Scouts have different opinions on particular recruits, just like websites have different rankings for recruiting classes. ESPN, Rivals and Scout are considered “The Big Three,” and always do a fine job weighing the pros and cons for each recruit and an overall projection of what position they will play in college.
Yes, every once in a while a player that has a very successful college football career (Mark Ingram Jr.) will fly under scouts’ radars. Just like the occasional overrated five-star athlete (B.J. Scott) that transfers because he can’t crack Nick Saban’s starting lineup.
However, in the long run, these scouts do their jobs very well and almost all the highly-touted players live up to their potential, barring injuries and legal trouble. Star players and top recruiting classes do not in any way guarantee success for the upcoming season (Florida 2010), but it is far easier to bring a team from bottom to the top (Alabama 2007-2009) when a team is bringing in a top-three recruiting class every year.
With that being said, here is how “The Big Three” ranked the 2011 recruiting classes.
ESPN.com
1. Florida State
2. Alabama
3. Auburn
4. USC
5. Texas
6. Georgia
7. Ohio State
8. Clemson
9. Notre Dame
10. LSU
Rivals.com
1. Alabama
2. Florida State
3. Texas
4. USC
5. Georgia
6. LSU
7. Auburn
8. Clemson
9. Oregon
10. Notre Dame
Scout.com
1. Florida State
2. Auburn
3. Ohio State
4. Texas
5. USC
6. Georgia
7. Alabama
8. Notre Dame
9. Oregon
10. LSU
