OT: Looking back at Auburn's 2008 recruiting class

Submitted by Moleskyn on

Just saw this article from an Auburn site that breaks down how Auburn's 2008 recruiting class has panned out (LINK). For some perspective, ESPN ranked the class #20 for that year (Michigan's was ranked #13). It was Tommy Tubberville's last class before he moved on. Per the article, here's how the class has fared:

28 total commits
Eight 2*s
Fifteen 3*s
Four 4*s
One 5*

5 failed to qualify
Three of them are playing for other FBS schools (LSU, Southern Miss, Central Florida), one transferred to a community college in Mississippi and hasn't been heard from since, the other has been charged with first degree murder.

7 never played a down
Two never played due to injury, two have transferred to FBS schools (Florida State and Memphis), two transferred to Grambling State, and one has been charged with capital murder.

5 stayed in the program 1-2 years
Two are no longer with the team due to injury, 1 transferred to South Carolina St. and is doing well, 1 was dismissed from the team but just said a world record in the 60m for Auburn's track team, 1 just seems to have left the team.

6 stayed in the program for 3-4 years
Two guys played for 3 years and have gone on to pursue academics, 2 guys were dismissed from the team for violating team rules, 1 left due to injury, 1 left early for the NFL Draft (currently is a WR for the Panthers).

3 used up all of their eligibility (all 3 were 3* recruits)
One contributed on special teams all 4 years, 1 was a 3-year starter in the secondary, 1 was a JUCO transfer and started in his senior year ('09).

2 are still on the team as 5th year seniors
Both were 4* recruits and are expected to be starters this next year (RB and DB).

Holy crap! That has to have a massive negative effect on their APR, right? That's over 80% of the class that won't graduate (from Auburn). I know attrition is a normal part of college football, but this can't be normal, right? Anyway, I just thought this was interesting, if not sad.

Witz57

January 27th, 2012 at 4:54 PM ^

Something I like about our coaching staff is that they tend to shy away from the guys who commit murder.  Hoke's stance on murder really shows that he gets it.

thisisme08

January 27th, 2012 at 5:09 PM ^

Dang thats a terrible track record.  I dont care if they are good athletes or not but a coach needs to at least try to get kids into the program who will be there for 3-4 years. 

sheepdog

January 27th, 2012 at 5:23 PM ^

FWIW, I know QB Barrett Trotter personally and he is a shining star (as a person) in this class. He was benched this year about half way through the season.  He just left the team with one year of eligibility left.  All in all though, he is a really great kid that is focused on finishing his masters right now.

LSAClassOf2000

January 27th, 2012 at 5:15 PM ^

....about any organization that must recruit or hire 28 people to retain 2. Being that it is the SEC, I don't know if they  do a lot of introspection on how much wasted money that is, time and effort, etc....

knappianbum

January 27th, 2012 at 6:17 PM ^

When that big of a class disintegrates like that, it shows that something is wrong in the locker room such as no trust between the players and coaching staff, team cohesiveness, accountability, etc.

Tater

January 27th, 2012 at 7:39 PM ^

As much as I detest giving Sparty or Dantonio credit for anything, they have managed to stay out of jail after the arrests of Max Bullough and Brian Linthicum in Colorado for their part in a bar fight last March.  That's almost an entire year of staying out of jail.  

Maybe Sparty and Dantonio will make it back to the Bell Curve after all.  Also, since the Columbus police don't arrest Ohio State players as often as they would normal citizens for the same offenses, Meyer's count might be drastically reduced, too.  

I almost feel guilty for wanting to be proven wrong.