I think you also have to factor in time. Let’s compare Cody Barton and Jaylon Johnson for a minute. I know, I know, different position, but it will illustrate my point.
Let’s all agree that JJ and CB had pretty good years this year and remained healthy.
I love CB and he embodies Utah football as a program. He was serviceable as a player the first 2.5 years, turned the corner the back half of last season and had a strong senior year. Now he’s gone.
JJ came in as a 4* guy, started immediately, and is our lock down corner. We have him, at that level of production, for 3 years. Let’s assume he’s NFL bound for his 4th.
Mathematically, we get JJs level of production for twice the amount of time (3 years vs. 1.5 years from CB).
On the average, better recruits increase the likelihood of getting am impact player for longer.
Extra time turns into continuity, reps, increased competition in practice, leadership, etc.
There are 3* guys like Covey that are impact players, immediately no doubt. But we can’t bank on that year in and year out.
The point is that coaching and recruiting both matter. But if you expect to coach up lesser recruits ALL the time, you’re already chasing your tail in terms of time. Same goes for Juco guys.
Lastly, I think Whitt has built this program over the years fighting that uphill battle. Now we need some of these bigger recruits to sign to turn the corner as a program. The solve there is to win games.
.
Loading ...
