In [South Carolina defensive line coach Brad] Lawing’s opinion, the rating of players and the r...

In [South Carolina defensive line coach Brad] Lawing’s opinion, the rating of players and the ranking of signing classes is a scam.

"I can take a three-star and make him a four-star, and I can take a four-star and make him a three- or two-star with the contacts I have," Lawing said. "That’s how ridiculous recruiting on the Internet is. I took Chris Culliver (USC safety) from a three- to a five-star in three weeks. All you’ve got to do is talk to the right people."

Lawing added that a danger of the rating systems is the fans are sometimes misled about the talent level of a prospect and a class overall.

"There are a lot of staffs getting fired for unrealistic expectations," Lawing said.

Recruiting: Star system has flaws, coach says | GoGamecocks
. Scam is probably too harsh of a word, but they can definitely let false hype, pressure from fans, regional biases,and other external factors get in the way of good and honest evaluation. Take all rankings with a grain of salt, and when in doubt try to form your own opinion or just reserve judgment.

8 months ago Richard Pittman 2 comments 0 recs |

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This is kind of obvious...

But if you aren’t aware of the inherent flaws, I know that I can sometimes become susceptible to the star rating system.

by Zandor435 on May 27, 2009 8:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Star Rankings are Reactive tos Schools Offering Players

His point is that most of the sites offering star rankings raise a players rating as he gains more offers. The ranking is reactionary to a school like USC offering a player. Former UCLA and Minnesota Recruiting Coordinator Randy Taylor on rankings:

When we offered a guy his star ranking would go up. In fact, recruiting coordinators around the country are schmoozing the local guys to get their class ranked higher to make them look better at their signing day booster party that night. Many head coaches are doing this too.

by Brian D on May 27, 2009 10:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs