Hits & Misses
Hit: Travis Swanson (IOL) — Originally ranked 713. Outcome: NFL Pro Bowl. Swanson significantly exceeded expectations, achieving the highest outcome among his peers.
Hit: Robert Thomas (DL) — Originally ranked 2. Outcome: NFL Starter. Thomas demonstrated strong performance, living up to his high ranking with a solid NFL career.
Hit: Knile Davis (RB) — Originally ranked 135. Outcome: NFL Starter. Davis proved to be a valuable asset, surpassing expectations as a starter at the professional level.
Hit: Cobi Hamilton (WR) — Originally ranked 402. Outcome: NFL Starter. Hamilton's performance exceeded his initial ranking, contributing effectively at the NFL level.
Hit: Alvin Bailey (IOL) — Originally ranked 504. Outcome: NFL Starter. Bailey performed well enough to be recognized as a starter in the NFL, illustrating development beyond his ranking.
Miss: Darius Winston (CB) — Originally ranked 19. Outcome: College Starter. Despite a high ranking, Winston did not reach the expected professional level, settling for a college starter role.
Miss: Austin Moss (LB) — Originally ranked 376. Outcome: Bust. Moss underperformed significantly relative to his expectations, failing to make a notable impact.
Development Story
The 2009 recruiting class for Arkansas exhibited a mixed bag of outcomes relative to their initial rankings. With a significant number of recruits achieving high outcomes, particularly in the case of Travis Swanson, Robert Thomas, Knile Davis, Cobi Hamilton, and Alvin Bailey, the program demonstrated an ability to develop players beyond their recruiting rankings. The presence of multiple NFL starters from this class indicates a positive trend in player development and utilization within the program.
However, the class also featured underperforming recruits, particularly those ranked higher, like Darius Winston and Austin Moss. Winston, despite being a top 20 recruit, did not achieve a professional career, which indicates that not all highly touted recruits reach their potential. Moss's outcome as a bust further highlights the inconsistencies that can occur within recruiting classes, particularly among higher-ranked prospects.
Overall, the outcomes suggest that while Arkansas had several notable successes in their 2009 class, there were also significant misses, particularly with higher-ranked players who failed to meet expectations. This juxtaposition reflects the unpredictable nature of recruiting and player development.
Outcome Summary
The 2009 recruiting class for Arkansas met expectations overall, with a notable shift down in the S2S rerank from 18 to 31. This change indicates that while the class produced several high-performing players, it also included a number of significant underperformers, particularly among the higher-ranked recruits. The takeaway from this class is that while Arkansas successfully developed multiple players into NFL starters, the inconsistency in outcomes reflects the challenges faced in maximizing the potential of all recruits.