Reviews of all 5-stars since 2002

[Curly Bill]

Rivals has a free article with reviews on all the 5-stars since 2002.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1240142

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Velly interestink! Far too many of those kids went to FL schools, and the cows.

[Curly Bill]

...and too many of those that went to OU didn't turn out to be 5-star worthy, but that could be said about a lot of these players.

[Curly Bill]

Definitely 5 star worthy:

2006 Gerald McCoy #4
2004 Adrian Peterson #1


Okay to good player, but not a 5 star:

2008 Stephen Good #29
2005 Demarcus Granger #11
2005 Ryan Reynolds #26
2002 Zach Latimer #31


Busts:

2008 RJ Washington #13
2008 Jermie Calhoun #19
2004 Rhett Bomar #4
2004 Chris Patterson #15

So...out of 10 5-star recruits, 2 were unqualified successes, 4 were okay to good players, and 4 were, or at least so far have been busts. Tells ya what a crapshoot the recruting game is.

[CU Sooner]

If not for injuries i think Granger would have lived up to his expectations.

[Curly Bill]

Granger and even more likely Reynolds.

[BoulderSooner79]

Granger and even more likely Reynolds.

Agreed. Reynolds was pretty amazing his last season given he had 2 bad wheels.

[Curly Bill]

He was always a very smart player, and before the injuries was a physical specimen. Had he not gotten injured he might well be a Pro Bowl linebacker right about now.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Amazing how few of those guys ever make it to the NFL and become stars

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Amazing how few of those guys ever make it to the NFL and become starsand the guys who had relatively undistinguishable college careers and become stars in the NFL. For example, Tom Brady and Chris Johnson.

[OU_Sooners75]

Definitely 5 star worthy:

2006 Gerald McCoy #4
2004 Adrian Peterson #1


Okay to good player, but not a 5 star:

2008 Stephen Good #29
2005 Demarcus Granger #11
2005 Ryan Reynolds #26
2002 Zach Latimer #31


Busts:

2008 RJ Washington #13
2008 Jermie Calhoun #19
2004 Rhett Bomar #4
2004 Chris Patterson #15

So...out of 10 5-star recruits, 2 were unqualified successes, 4 were okay to good players, and 4 were, or at least so far have been busts. Tells ya what a crapshoot the recruting game is.

Kind iof being unfair to Stephen Good, arent you? He is still playing. Same as RJ Washington. Good is a Senior this year and Washington is a Junior.

So, more on Good...he has very seldom played a full game since we have been rotating our Oline thanks to the hurry up.


2010
Part of a season-long rotation at guard, he had 81 knockdowns on 500 snaps ... started the first two games of the season ... had 10 knockdowns against Utah State, Florida State and Colorado (http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/good_stephen00.html#) ... graded out a season-high 86% vs. Oklahoma State.

2009
Versatile guard who played in all 13 games while starting seven on either the left or right side ... played 718 snaps, third-highest on the team, was second on the team to All-American Trent Williams with 79 knockdowns ... season-high 93 plays at Nebraska ... knockdown best was 12 at Kansas ... top outing was an 80% grade on 80 plays against Oklahoma State ... notched a season-high 88% passing grade in that game ... his 80% run grade at Miami (http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/good_stephen00.html#) was tops by an underclassman during the season.

2008
Saw action in seven games as a reserve offensive lineman ... had a season-high four knockdowns against Nebraska.


More on Washington: Washington only played in 4 games last year and four games the season before. he has not been a starter and has been a backup to Beal his entire career so far. Kind of harsh saying he is a bust when he has not had the reps to prove it correct or incorrect.


2010
Had a career (http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/washington_rj00.html#)-high two tackles vs. Utah State ... also recorded two quarterback hurries.

2009
A backup (http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/washington_rj00.html#) defensive end ... played in four games ... recorded a half sack against Texas A&M.

2008
Redshirted.

[Curly Bill]

Unfair to Good & Washington? I said Good has been an okay to good player. I don't think anyone could argue he's lived up to 5-star status. And Washington has definitely been a bust. I qualified in one of my posts that some of the guys weren't done yet. If these two improve we can revisit the issue.

[Curly Bill]

And if you're not good enough to get reps, or have been injured, or kidnapped by space aliens, or whatever the hell, if you're not getting PT and you came in as a supposed stud, than you're a bust!!

[OU_Sooners75]

Come on bill. Just because one may be a five star doesn't mean that they are completely developed or ready to play at the college level. Sure, it's easier for a player that is a rb or wr, but it is a little more of a transition for other positions. Especially when there have been stud defenders or Players that have more experience and are older than you in front of you.

Love ya bro, but don't take lack of playing time as a player being a bust. Some people love to comment when they haven't experienced the development process. Some develop faster than others.

[Curly Bill]

Good grief. Do U not understand that we sign these kids to play football? If you sign a 5 star player and he doesn't ever play, or play much, then he's a bust and I don't care what the reasons for it are.

If RJ Washington leaves OU never having really contributed how are you going to excuse that? Are you going to say he wasn't a bust because he never played? And again recall: we sign these guys for one reason: to play football.

[Curly Bill]

Oh...and the reason these kids are 5 star recruits is because they are considered ready to play college football. If they weren't thought to be ready they'd be a 3 star, or a 2 star or whatever.

[SoonerofAlabama]

Got to agree with Curly Bill on all aspects of this. It may be ugly, but football is an ugly sport. If the player can't fight his way to the starting line-up, anywhere on the field, and goes through four years at a school not being the starter after being rated a 5-star recruit he is a bust. You have to get on the field. Injuries are one thing, you can't control them. But you can come back from them. As it stands now, Washington is a bust. He could fight back, have two of the greatest seasons in a long time for Oklahoma. But, in any case at this point in time, he is a bust.

[Curly Bill]

Yup.. He's got a chance to turn it around, but to this point he's a textbook case of: BUST!

[fwsooner22]

You may not live up to your 5-star rep but if you are playing at OU you are NOT a bust. Period.

[Widescreen]

Not sure how you come to that conclusion. You're saying as long as you suit up, that means you're not a recruiting bust? Guys are recruited to come in and play, not suit up and consume a scholarship.

[Scott D]

Latimer is a bad example. Wasn't he originally recruited to be a TE, and got converted to LB? He ended up being a solid player for OU with solid production.

[WE ARE dirtburglars]

You guys cant be serious? To this point in their careers, Washington, Calhoun, and Ill even throw Good in, have all been busts. Good was replaced by a freshman on the oline last year in Ikard, and I dont forsee that changing. If these guys had been recruited as 3 star guys we wouldnt necessarily be calling them busts, but they were 5 stars who never see the field, and in the rare instances that they do, they dont contribute much if anything. I dont understand all the argument over this, sometimes facts are just facts.

[Eielson]

Busts:

2008 RJ Washington #13
2008 Jermie Calhoun #19
2004 Rhett Bomar #4
2004 Chris Patterson #15

RJ and Calhoun aren't fair to judge just yet. That's been discussed, so I'm not going to go into detail, though.

Bomar was a solid 5-star...just not for us. Can't blame the recruiting services on this one.

Patterson never qualified, did he? Once again, I don't know that you can really blame the recruiting services for that, either. They rate people based on their football ability, not their intelligence.

[Eielson]

You guys cant be serious? To this point in their careers, Washington, Calhoun, and Ill even throw Good in, have all been busts. Good was replaced by a freshman on the oline last year in Ikard, and I dont forsee that changing. If these guys had been recruited as 3 star guys we wouldnt necessarily be calling them busts, but they were 5 stars who never see the field, and in the rare instances that they do, they dont contribute much if anything. I dont understand all the argument over this, sometimes facts are just facts.

Nobody says that they have been 5-star caliber players thus far. The argument is that it isn't fair to judge a career before it's over.

...and honestly, I think everybody pretty much agrees. They have work to do to get away from bust status, but they do have time.

[WE ARE dirtburglars]

Nobody says that they have been 5-star caliber players thus far. The argument is that it isn't fair to judge a career before it's over.

...and honestly, I think everybody pretty much agrees. They have work to do to get away from bust status, but they do have time.

I completely agree with that. I just think that Goods career is as good as over (no pun intended) after Ikard took his spot and shined last year. Calhoun will probably never see the field. Our two deep is pretty solid with Finch and Clay at 1 and 2, and then we hear nothing but positives about Williams already and never a peep about Calhoun. Lastly, Washington is the only one who looks like he has a chance to contribute if Ronnell isnt with us at the start of the season, but if he is, Washington will probably see very few reps. The future isnt looking too bright for these guys, although I hope they can all somehow break out of that bust status.

[Scott D]

to be fair in Calhoun's place, he's trying to come back from a pretty serious knee injury he suffered last season.

Found it, Calhoun suffered a torn ACL in the win over Colorado last season.

[OU_Sooners75]

Good grief. Do U not understand that we sign these kids to play football? If you sign a 5 star player and he doesn't ever play, or play much, then he's a bust and I don't care what the reasons for it are.

If RJ Washington leaves OU never having really contributed how are you going to excuse that? Are you going to say he wasn't a bust because he never played? And again recall: we sign these guys for one reason: to play football.


And there are 85 players on the team.

To say a 18-22 year old kid is a bust is a little degrading.

You can definitely tell those that didnt play the sport or past high school at any level.

If he never sees the field again at OU, doesnt mean he is a bust, just means he wasn't better than those that were ahead of him.

Pretty damn simple IMO. But coming from you bill... It must be a Venebles thing, so lets fire BV, right?

[fwsooner22]

Criticism is so easy isn't it ?

[goingoneight]

A bunch of stars really only means one thing. It means someone wants to read up on the future of the program and see who all signed and what kinda player/athlete they are.

What it DOESN'T mean is any of the following:
1. How good the player is on crutches his whole career
2. How good he is when he's suspended
3. How he'll get along with his coaches
4. How homesick he is.
5. How well he competes against the rest of the players on his team for a starting spot.
6. How hard he works in the off-season.
7. Whether he plays quarterback like a deer in the headlights or running back like a bull in a china shop.
8. How fast he REALLY is (fake 40 times).
9. How fast he is in full pads with knee braces and ankles taped up.
10. How mentally tough he is when his opponent disses his mama in the trenches.
11. How hard he'll continue to work once he gets himself a "fat little girlfriend"
12. Whether or not he takes pride in the school/team he "committed" to. I think we all see the difference between how Ryan Broyles fights for every last inch he can get on the field versus how Jarboe wanted to gizangsta his way out of Norman more than he wanted to make an impact.
13. How football smart he really is.
14. How many times he'll get himself arrested
15. Can he catch the ball when he's open (Tennell)?

We do sign these guys to play football, I agree with that. I will say you might save yourself a lot of anger at the RJ Washingtons and Brent Rawls's if once they get to Norman, you forget about the who's who of the recruiting world. Put 3-star Sam Bradford on the same level as JUCO Joey Halzle and everybody's favorite blue chipper Keith Nichol and see who wins out for PT. IOW, David King, RJ Washington and Geneo Grissom as of right now are all DEs to me. I've seen nothing so far to suggest a Beal exists in the group, but that doesn't mean the story's been completely told so far. Stoops doesn't recruit a bunch of bums, clearly. When a guy measures up to OUr standards, we go after him whether he's Adrian Peterson of Jonathon Miller. Let the rest play out.

[oudavid1]

Recruiting services are a waste of time.

[Curly Bill]

And there are 85 players on the team.

To say a 18-22 year old kid is a bust is a little degrading.

You can definitely tell those that didnt play the sport or past high school at any level.

If he never sees the field again at OU, doesnt mean he is a bust, just means he wasn't better than those that were ahead of him.

Pretty damn simple IMO. But coming from you bill... It must be a Venebles thing, so lets fire BV, right?

Didn't you get like a few snaps at some Kansas juco or something and this is what you're falling back on? :O May be why you're so sensitive to the "bust" label on these "kids." :D

[Eielson]

Recruiting services are a waste of time.

They're obviously not perfect, but they're not completely worthless.

[oudavid1]

They're obviously not perfect, but they're not completely worthless.

Well I meant a waste of our time. They tell us how good a guy is, but these are still kids.

[OU_Sooners75]

Didn't you get like a few snaps at some Kansas juco or something and this is what you're falling back on? :O May be why you're so sensitive to the "bust" label on these "kids." :D


Yeah a Juco! :rolleyes:

No, it was a small school in Kansas, But I started out at one of the two bigger schools in Kansas.

Dick! :D