Kstate is evidence that coaching matters more than recruiting. So is USC.
For every KSU there are 5 schools that recruit well and it shows year in and out.. Bama, LSU, Florida, Oregon, and Ohio state. But I totally agree, coaching is everything. Saban is a genius, as is Kelly. They get the kids they want, that fit in their system. That is the problem with USC. They just get whoever they have with a 5 star next to their name and go from there. I have always thought for us to be good (and most schools for that matter) we have to try and get the following:
1-2 5 stars- not that we will ever consistently get them, but get some big time talent in for visits and think hard about committing.
8-10 4 stars- these are the impact players we need, especially on D. We need players that can go up and get the ball, get big time sacks, and make big time blocks and pancakes when we need them most.
10-12 3 stars or lower- these are the players who didnt get evaluated or aren't quite as physically gifted but push the other players and make them worry about their starting spot. If we look at our team, I would say 60% of our starters were three stars according to one site. I think Bo really knows what to look for and does a great job with these kids.
5-10 walk ons- I love the walk-on program. These are those annoying players in practice who treat every practice like a try-out, annoy the piss out of the starters and hopefully make them work harder in return. We usually find 1 or 2 gems a class from the walk-ons.
Anyone who says that stars don't matter and don't care about rankings and all that are lying to themselves. I don't think being the #1 class is necessarily everything but I think we should strive to be in the top 20 annually. Look at the last 5-10 past NC'S and I bet all of them would have averaged in the top 10-15 in recruiting. KSU shows that you have to have a coach and recruit the right players for that system.