A Better Way of Ranking Recruiting Classes

If you're one of those folks who's still feeling pangs of jealousy at all the 5-star players and gaudy recruiting rankings our SEC competitors are piling up, here's a really interesting article to make you feel better:

SI's Andy Staples has re-evaluated the 2008 recruiting rankings not based on the estimates of a bunch of scouts looking at a bunch of unproven high school players, but by - gasp! - the players' actual production on the field in the college game. Not too shockingly, the 2008 rankings and 2011 re-rankings don't always match up.

The big winner in Staples' new evaluation, as it turns out, is Arkansas. Ranked a measly #36 at the time by Rivals (and #24 by Scout), the Hogs' 2008 class is now sitting pretty in the #5 slot. Given that it included Ryan Mallett, Tyler Wilson, Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Jarius Wright, Jerico Nelson, Tenarius Wright and other big-time contributors, that's not too surprising in retrospect.

Of course, who knew at the time that these mostly unheralded 3-stars would turn out so well? As it turns out, Bobby Petrino and his staff did. Keep the faith!