Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
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There has never been a bad recruiting class in the history of college football. Ever.
Just ask any coach as he rolls out his latest batch of signees each February.
Who can blame them? A new group of players always brings hope that they will be the class that elevates a program to new heights. Fans can't wait to watch players develop into stars that lead their favorite team to victory on Saturday's.
That's why it was refreshing to hear Bronco Mendenhall say this at BYU's signing day press conference.
"I can't predict, nor can I tell you with certainty what this class will end up doing."
He's right. You can read all the recruiting websites and add up all the stars and, still, no one knows. Not the so-called experts and not even the coaches who have spent countless hours convincing these kids to join their program. They have no clue how good these players will be in four years. This has been proven time and time again and no one knows this more than Mendenhall.
"I've had players come in who have had as many stars as you can give 'em and have not played well or stayed at BYU," Mendenhall said. "I have had some that have come in as walk-ons who have started both ways."
Bronco has witnessed 5-star flops at BYU like Ben Olsen, Ofa Mohetau and Jake Heaps. He's also coached walk-ons who have developed into NFL players like Dennis Pitta and more recently Ezekiel Ansah.
The same story has played out at Utah. The year BYU made headlines getting a commit from Ofa Mohetau in 2003, Utah quietly received a commit from a 5-11, 180 pound safey from Alta Loma, Calif. named Eric Weddle. Weddle had two stars and his only offers came from Wyoming, Boise State and Utah. One became an All-American in college and an All-Pro in the NFL. It wasn't the 5-star guy.
Utah's 2005 class is a great example. All but three recruits in that class were two-star athletes or lower. That class of two-star athletes produced five current NFL players: Koa Misi, Zane Beadles, Tony Bergstrom, Sean Smith and Brice McCain. That class also featured an unranked player named Darrell Mack who would rush for 1,200 yards as a junior and was a key member, as were those previously mentioned, of the undefeated 2008 team that finished the season ranked 2nd in the country. They embarrassed an Alabama team in the Sugar Bowl that was loaded with four and five star talent.
I've had players come in who have had as many stars as you can give 'em and have not played well or stayed at BYU. I have had some that have come in as walk-ons who have started both ways.
–Bronco Mendenhall
So what do we know about the class of 2013 at BYU, Utah and Utah State?
We know BYU stocked up on offensive linemen, their greatest position of need going into next season. Four of them are junior college transfers and the Cougars will rely on some if not all of them immediately to help shore up a position that has been devastated by injuries.
We know Utah did not land any four or five star recruits, but as mentioned above that has never been a problem. Kyle Whittingham and his staff will get a chance to work with another class of recruits who come to Salt Lake City with a chip on their shoulder after getting overlooked by the big name programs. They hope this class can become like the class of 2005 and help the Utes compete in the Pac-12.
We know Utah State has dramatically improved in-state recruiting recently, and that continued in 2013. In 2007 the Aggies only had 18 players on the entire roster from the state of Utah. Now they have 12 Utahns in their recruiting class alone. Utah high school football players are what new head coach Matt Wells calls, "The bedrock of this program." It's a change of philosophy that has helped Utah State become a winning program.
Other than that we know nothing and that's what makes it fun. Who is the next Dennis Pitta, Paul Kruger or Bobby Wagner who comes out of nowhere to become a star? Will the highest ranked members of the class of 2013 fulfill the expectations that come with being a highly rated prospect? Four years from now we can look back and make those judgements.
Why do we get so excited about a bunch of 18 year old kids signing a piece of paper? Perhaps it is because we love football and we also love to see guys like Dennis Pitta, Eric Weddle, Bobby Wagner or Paul Kruger develop into the players they have become in the NFL.
It's a journey that begins on National Signing Day, a day these players will never forget.
