HEROSPORTS
  • Home
  • FCS
    • FCS Home
    • Big South-OVC
    • Big Sky
    • CAA
    • Ivy
    • MEAC
    • MVFC
    • NEC
    • Patriot
    • Pioneer
    • SoCon
    • Southland
    • SWAC
    • UAC
  • FBS
    • FBS Home
    • AAC Football
    • CUSA Football
    • MAC Football
    • Mountain West Football
    • Pac-12 Football
    • Sun Belt Football
  • College Basketball
  • Register at BetMGM
  • BetMGM Promotions
  • More
    • About HERO Sports
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • FCS
    • FCS Home
    • Big South-OVC
    • Big Sky
    • CAA
    • Ivy
    • MEAC
    • MVFC
    • NEC
    • Patriot
    • Pioneer
    • SoCon
    • Southland
    • SWAC
    • UAC
  • FBS
    • FBS Home
    • AAC Football
    • CUSA Football
    • MAC Football
    • Mountain West Football
    • Pac-12 Football
    • Sun Belt Football
  • College Basketball
  • Register at BetMGM
  • BetMGM Promotions
  • More
    • About HERO Sports
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
HEROSPORTS
No Result
View All Result

Recruiting Rankings Undersell Group of Five Teams 

Bennett Conlin by Bennett Conlin
June 21, 2023
Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt

AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw

Visit any national sports site during the college football offseason, and you’ll be inundated by recruiting headlines. 

“Florida makes a huge recruiting push.”

“Notre Dame adds a key player from Oklahoma.”

“Michigan lands an in-state star.”

The recruiting coverage focuses heavily – almost entirely, actually – on Power Five programs. That’s no surprise, as those programs often bring in the “best” recruits and have a large audience. 

While it’s not a surprise that Power Five programs generate most recruiting coverage, Group of Five recruiting coverage from those major sites is borderline abysmal. The flawed rankings are harmless on paper, but those recruiting metrics are used by writers and analysts to project results. Those rankings impact how a team is viewed entering the preseason, which can be critical for Group of Five teams looking to gain national respect.  

Group of Five recruits deserve respect

National recruiting sites have a tough job. It’s nearly impossible to parse through thousands of high school football players and share accurate predictions of their value. As a result, much of the coverage focuses on obvious five-star caliber players with dozens of offers from Big Ten and SEC schools.

Group of Five and even FCS offers aren’t viewed as favorably as offers from teams like Alabama or even teams like Missouri, Arkansas, and South Carolina, making it easy for fans and media members to assume the players being targeted by Group of Five teams simply aren’t as good as Power Five prospects. As a result, many Group of Five and FCS commits fly way under the radar. 

Take Trey Lance for example. The athletic quarterback was considered a 3-star recruit by 24/7 Sports and other sites, yet it was evident almost immediately upon his arrival at North Dakota State that he was a special talent. Lance developed into an FCS superstar, using a cannon of an arm and elite running ability to guide the Bison effectively. 

Lance was then selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was viewed by NFL teams as a five-star talent, and it’s fair to say he was largely overlooked as a recruit. 

Plenty of other examples exist. JMU’s Isaac Ukwu was a zero-star recruit in 2017. This offseason, he left the Sun Belt to join Ole Miss as one of the most coveted transfers this spring.

Recruiting rankings almost always undersell Group of Five players and teams. 

System needs work

Again, it’s really hard to properly rank every player in the country. Even with the difficulty, something needs to be done to better assess Group of Five recruits. 

There’s a disconnect between the recruiting rankings and on-field results, as numerous Group of Five teams well outperform recruiting expectations annually. One Group of Five team was in the top 60 of 24/7 Sports’ 2023 recruiting class rankings. Yet 10 Group of Five teams finished in ESPN’s SP+ top 60 at the end of the 2022 season. 

Appalachian State had the 83rd-best 2022 recruiting class, per 24/7 Sports. The Mountaineers never broke into the top 70 of the rankings from 2019-22. Last fall, the Mountaineers defeated Texas A&M, which ended 2022 with the nation’s No. 1 class. Texas A&M boasted a top-10 class from 2019-22. 

On paper, the Aggies were loaded with talent. On the field, they missed a bowl game. App State’s Sun Belt peers, Troy and South Alabama, each won more than 10 games in 2022 despite minimal recruiting attention over the last five years. Each roster was stacked with quality players.

Tulane’s 2020 recruiting class, which includes current quarterback Michael Pratt, was ranked 68th nationally. The Green Wave defeated USC in last year’s Sugar Bowl to go 12-2. Tulane was every bit the part of a top-15 team nationally, also earning a win over Kansas State.

Maybe the gap between the Power Five and Group of Five is widening, and on-field results will align with recruiting rankings in future years, but that seems unlikely with playoff expansion on the horizon. Playoff access should only bolster recruiting at the Group of Five level. 

It’s time we all agree recruiting rankings need more work, and we should be cautious to discuss them like they’re obvious facts. Doing so discredits Group of Five talent.

Bennett Conlin is a college football contributor for HERO Sports, and he works full-time covering sports betting industry news and legislation for Sports Handle and US Bets. 

split-fbo-6-23-25
Previous Post

2023 FCS Top 25: No. 11 SEMO Football Preview

Next Post

2023 South Dakota State Football Game-by-Game Predictions

Next Post
SDSU crowd Frisco

2023 South Dakota State Football Game-by-Game Predictions

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • 2025 SWAC Football Preseason Poll
  • 2025 UAC Football Preseason Poll
  • College Football House Settlement: FBS Teams Opting In & Opting Out

HERO Sports is the go-to website for FBS and FCS football news, analysis, and predictions.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US)
877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY)
1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR)

For new customer offers, Bonus Bets expire in seven days. One New Customer Offer only. Add'l terms. For existing customers, Bonus Bets expire in seven days. Add'l terms.

21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. This promotional offer is not available in DC, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico.

Welcome Offer Bet $10, $150 in Bonus Bets

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER (AVAILABLE IN THE US). 21+ ONLY. CO, MI, NJ, PA, WV ONLY. PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY. SEE BETMGM.COM FOR TERMS. THIS PROMOTIONAL OFFER IS FOR NEW PLAYERS ONLY. SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. BONUS BETS ARE NON-WITHDRAWABLE. US PROMOTIONAL OFFERS NOT AVAILABLE IN MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW YORK, ONTARIO AND PUERTO RICO.

  • About HERO Sports
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 HERO SPORTS.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • FCS
    • FCS Home
    • Big South-OVC
    • Big Sky
    • CAA
    • Ivy
    • MEAC
    • MVFC
    • NEC
    • Patriot
    • Pioneer
    • SoCon
    • Southland
    • SWAC
    • UAC
  • FBS
    • FBS Home
    • AAC Football
    • CUSA Football
    • MAC Football
    • Mountain West Football
    • Pac-12 Football
    • Sun Belt Football
  • College Basketball
  • Register at BetMGM
  • BetMGM Promotions
  • More
    • About HERO Sports
    • Contact

© 2022 HERO SPORTS.