Florida State and Clemson have both won a National Championship over the past decade. Notre Dame have played for one in 2012 Season and fell short to Alabama. Impressive to say considering Notre Dame and Clemson have both averaged 12th ranked recruiting class over the past decade.
Mike Farrell • Rivals.com
With the 2020 class wrapping up in February, we thought it would be interesting to see which programs in each Power Five conference have done the best job of recruiting over the last decade. We continue with the ACC and Notre Dame.
1. FLORIDA STATE
Average national ranking: 7.0
The skinny: The Seminoles have long established themselves as a national recruiting power, but they are also coming off their worst class of the decade (No. 18). Add to that their No. 10 finish in 2018 and their No. 14 average finish over the last two seasons is very uncharacteristic of Florida State. Despite these recent struggles, numerous top recruits developed into stars, such as
Derwin James
Dalvin Cook
Jalen Ramsey
Eddie Goldman
Jameis Winston
DeVonta Freeman
.
Farrell’s take: Recruiting has been down lately under Willie Taggart, but the Jimbo Fisher years were good and led to a national title. However, the recent struggles are unacceptable considering this national ranking on average, and player development has been an issue at the end of Fisher’s tenure and through Taggart’s first couple of years. The player development grade would be very low in recent years.
2. CLEMSON
Average national ranking: 11.7
The skinny: Clemson has long been one of the top recruiting programs in the country, but in recent years the Tigers have taken it to the next level. With four of their last five classes finishing in the top nine, this looks to be a trend that shows no signs of slowing down. And the top recruits that are arriving in Death Valley are producing, such as
Trevor Lawrence
Christian Wilkins,
DeAndre Hopkins
Sammy Watkins,
Mike Williams
Deshaun Watson.
Farrell’s take: Clemson should finish No. 1 in 2020 and that will take this ranking even higher. There is no questioning Dabo Swinney’s ability to recruit, and Clemson could be creating a dynasty here. Two national titles and a ton of five-stars have been the result in recent years and it’s remarkable they are outside the national top 10, but that's mainly because of some smaller classes.
3. NOTRE DAME
Average national ranking: 12.0
The skinny: While Notre Dame isn’t a full member of the ACC, the Irish's relationship with the conference makes sense to include them on this listing. The Irish have been one of the more consistent recruiting programs in the nation, especially during the last six classes. During this time the Irish have finished at No. 11, 11, 13, 13, 11 and 14. This is the definition of consistency. And with this consistency has come production, as top recruits such as
Quenton Nelson
William Fuller
Jaylon Smith
Manti Te’o
Stephon Tuitt
produced in South Bend and beyond.
Farrell’s take: With academic restrictions, it’s impressive that Notre Dame has been so consistent in recruiting and has done so at such a high level. Brian Kelly has the program headed in the right direction and the Irish have had the on-field success (except for one season) in recent years that speaks to his recruiting ability. They’ve done a very good job developing players as well.
4. MIAMI
Average national ranking: 19.5
The skinny: Finishing with an average recruiting class in the top 20 is nothing to complain about for most programs, but for Miami a 19.5 average seems like a disappointment. This includes two finishes in the top 10, but also two finishes at No. 36. With this has come some disappointment on the field, which has been partially due to many top recruits not meeting expectations. A few who have during this decade include
Anthony Chickillo
Shaquille Quarterman,
Joseph Jackson
Artie Burns
.
Farrell’s take: The Canes haven’t been very good on the field for the most part over the last decade - or at least you could say they’ve fallen short of expectations. And this national ranking doesn’t reflect what is expected of Miami on a recruiting level. The Hurricanes need to be closer to the top 10 every year and they have been inconsistent in their efforts year to year.
Mike Farrell • Rivals.com
With the 2020 class wrapping up in February, we thought it would be interesting to see which programs in each Power Five conference have done the best job of recruiting over the last decade. We continue with the ACC and Notre Dame.
1. FLORIDA STATE
Average national ranking: 7.0
The skinny: The Seminoles have long established themselves as a national recruiting power, but they are also coming off their worst class of the decade (No. 18). Add to that their No. 10 finish in 2018 and their No. 14 average finish over the last two seasons is very uncharacteristic of Florida State. Despite these recent struggles, numerous top recruits developed into stars, such as
Derwin James
Dalvin Cook
Jalen Ramsey
Eddie Goldman
Jameis Winston
DeVonta Freeman
.
Farrell’s take: Recruiting has been down lately under Willie Taggart, but the Jimbo Fisher years were good and led to a national title. However, the recent struggles are unacceptable considering this national ranking on average, and player development has been an issue at the end of Fisher’s tenure and through Taggart’s first couple of years. The player development grade would be very low in recent years.
2. CLEMSON
Average national ranking: 11.7
The skinny: Clemson has long been one of the top recruiting programs in the country, but in recent years the Tigers have taken it to the next level. With four of their last five classes finishing in the top nine, this looks to be a trend that shows no signs of slowing down. And the top recruits that are arriving in Death Valley are producing, such as
Trevor Lawrence
Christian Wilkins,
DeAndre Hopkins
Sammy Watkins,
Mike Williams
Deshaun Watson.
Farrell’s take: Clemson should finish No. 1 in 2020 and that will take this ranking even higher. There is no questioning Dabo Swinney’s ability to recruit, and Clemson could be creating a dynasty here. Two national titles and a ton of five-stars have been the result in recent years and it’s remarkable they are outside the national top 10, but that's mainly because of some smaller classes.
3. NOTRE DAME
Average national ranking: 12.0
The skinny: While Notre Dame isn’t a full member of the ACC, the Irish's relationship with the conference makes sense to include them on this listing. The Irish have been one of the more consistent recruiting programs in the nation, especially during the last six classes. During this time the Irish have finished at No. 11, 11, 13, 13, 11 and 14. This is the definition of consistency. And with this consistency has come production, as top recruits such as
Quenton Nelson
William Fuller
Jaylon Smith
Manti Te’o
Stephon Tuitt
produced in South Bend and beyond.
Farrell’s take: With academic restrictions, it’s impressive that Notre Dame has been so consistent in recruiting and has done so at such a high level. Brian Kelly has the program headed in the right direction and the Irish have had the on-field success (except for one season) in recent years that speaks to his recruiting ability. They’ve done a very good job developing players as well.
4. MIAMI
Average national ranking: 19.5
The skinny: Finishing with an average recruiting class in the top 20 is nothing to complain about for most programs, but for Miami a 19.5 average seems like a disappointment. This includes two finishes in the top 10, but also two finishes at No. 36. With this has come some disappointment on the field, which has been partially due to many top recruits not meeting expectations. A few who have during this decade include
Anthony Chickillo
Shaquille Quarterman,
Joseph Jackson
Artie Burns
.
Farrell’s take: The Canes haven’t been very good on the field for the most part over the last decade - or at least you could say they’ve fallen short of expectations. And this national ranking doesn’t reflect what is expected of Miami on a recruiting level. The Hurricanes need to be closer to the top 10 every year and they have been inconsistent in their efforts year to year.
