The way I look at this is that Auburn replaced everyone on the coaching staff this past year, from the waterboy all the way to the head coach! If I were coming out of a high school being recruited by the powerhouses of the SEC, Auburn being one of those teams and I was really interested in them, I would wait to see the product put out on the field before I commited. I would guess that some of these recruits have the same mind set as I do. With that being said, I think some of the 4 and 5 * recruits will wait until after the season to commit (see LO). I think that the staff is doing a good job getting some of the top recruits in the country interested in Auburn without them even seeing the staff coach one game. We will see come Feb.
I agree.
Don't get me wrong, I recognize that our class doesn't look as good as most of our SEC rivals at this point, and that is disconcerting.
And for the reason you quoted above, I am hoping more than usual for a stellar season. Cause if we have another season like last year, or God forbid, worse, we're in a world of hurt. Recruits at least need to see that we're turning the corner.
That being said, I am far from panicking about this recruiting class at this point.
More food for thought:
Shaun Kitchens, Kenneth Carter, and Jawara White are all on the ESPN 150 Watch List, yet they're all listed as 3*s. Being on that 150 Watch List means they're at least a 79 on Lugenbill's scale, which usually translates to a 4*.
Bonomolo is still unrated, but is clearly a beast.
DJ Howard's 3* rating is based on his sophomore year because he didn't play his junior year.
Cody Parkey is an UnderArmour All-American, and is widely considered the #1 kicker in the nation, but is still sitting at 3*s, because apparently that's the max a kicker can get.
Yes, we need some momentum, and yes we still need some major impact players to jump on board still, but I'm just saying, it's not as bleak as it's being made out to be.