TTB Ratings: Class of 2011

Tag: prospect ratings


17Aug 2011
Uncategorized 5 comments

TTB Ratings: Class of 2011

Freshman offensive guard Chris Bryant

These ratings are listed on the 2011 Offer Board as well as on each player’s commitment post, but I thought it would be easier for some to see Michigan’s 2011 commitments ranked in order.  For an explanation of what the numerical scores mean, you can find it at the top of the page:

OG Chris Bryant: 87
CB Blake Countess: 84
TE Chris Barnett: 82
DE Brennen Beyer: 82
LB Antonio Poole: 82
LB Kellen Jones: 78
LB Desmond Morgan: 76
QB Russell Bellomy: 74
RB Justice Hayes: 72
C Jack Miller: 69
RB Thomas Rawls: 68
CB Raymon Taylor: 67
DE Keith Heitzman: 63
FSTamani Carter: 62
LB Frank Clark: 59
CB Delonte Hollowell: 58
DE Chris Rock: 58
OG Tony Posada: Inc.*
K Matt Wile: Inc.*

*I haven’t seen much of Posada and I know very little about kicking.

30May 2011
Uncategorized 8 comments

Final Player Rating System

Charles Woodson would have been approximately a 1,000

Last week I proposed a player rating system that received some positive and some negative comments.  Sifting through the comments and using my own preferences/judgment, I liked the idea of adding a letter grade to the numeric rating, but it seemed too complicated for people to easily understand.  I reserve the right to tweak the system at some point, but this is the jumping-off point:

100 = Best prospect in the country at his position; high likelihood of 1st round NFL potential
90-99 = Outstanding starter in Big Ten; likely All-Big Ten and All-American; high likelihood of NFL draft potential
80-89 = Very good starter in Big Ten; good chance of All-Big Ten; some NFL draft potential
70-79 = Solid starter in Big Ten;  some NFL draft potential
60-69 = Average starter in Big Ten; little NFL draft potential
50-59 = Below average starter or good backup
40-49 = Average backup or solid special teams contributor
1-39 = Below average backup or special teams contributor

I realize that the scale probably won’t rate many players in, say, the 1-20 range, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.  No scale is perfect, everybody has good reasons for an argument, etc.  This gives me eight different categories in which to place players, so that already makes it somewhat more refined than the 5-star rating systems used by recruiting sites.  And in the meantime, it prevents me from having to say some poor high school kid is a 10 out of 100.  I’m cold-hearted, but not heartless.

Also, some people were against using a scale of 1-100, but this system allows me to place two players in one category (for example, the 80-89 range) while also highlighting which player I might prefer by a slim margin.

This rating system will be permanently placed on a page at the top of the screen, allowing for easy access whenever someone needs a reference point.

Some initial ratings will be out later this week.

Happy criticizing!

23May 2011
Uncategorized 40 comments

Feedback Requested: Potential Rating System

Denard Robinson – Image via MGoBlog.com

I have been toying with creating my own ratings system for a while, and the increased readership here at Touch the Banner – although far short of being a college football blogging juggernaut – has made it a more realistic option.  I’m somewhat flattered that people trust my analysis and observations to the point that some are requesting even more information, but this is just as much an entertaining endeavor for me so I can look back at my ratings in a few years and see whether I was in the ballpark.

Moving beyond all that, I’m requesting any feedback you might have on the rating system I’m proposing below.  The 5-star systems used by Rivals and Scout make very little sense to me (sometimes the 30th-best player and the 300th-best player both have a 4-star ranking), and ESPN’s 100-point scale is somewhat ridiculous, too (even though ESPN has 100 points to play with, virtually all recruits seem to fall within the 77-81 range on the scale).

Therefore, I’m proposing using a rating system loosely based on . . . EA Sports’ NCAA Football series, because everyone understands it and there’s more opportunity for differentiating between prospects.  Here are my thoughts for rankings:

100 = Prospect could immediately be star in the NFL
90-99 = Prospect has high likelihood of developing into All-America or first round NFL draft pick
80-89 = Prospect has high likelihood of being an all-conference player or mid-round NFL draft pick
70-79 = Prospect has high likelihood of being solid starter in college or fringe NFL draft pick
60-69 = Prospect has high likelihood of being a career college backup or occasional starter
50-59 = Prospect has little chance to make an impact at FBS college level
0-49 = Prospect has little chance of tying shoes without falling down

Please leave comments or e-mail me if you have any suggestions for tweaking the rating system, or if you just want to say, “Looks good, so get on with the ratings!!!!”

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