Georgia Tech 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: Mike Cox (RB) — Originally ranked 746. Outcome: NFL Starter. Cox substantially exceeded expectations, becoming an NFL Starter from a relatively low-ranking position. Hit: Gary Guyton (LB) — Originally ranked 787. Outcome: NFL Starter. Despite his original ranking, Guyton developed into an NFL Starter, significantly surpassing expectations. Miss: David Brown (EDGE) — Originally ranked 334. Outcome: College Starter. Brown fell short of expectations, only managing to become a College Starter despite his initial high ranking. Miss: Darrell Robertson (EDGE) — Originally ranked 413. Outcome: Contributor. As a relatively highly-ranked recruit, Robertson underperformed by only reaching the level of a Contributor.

Development Story

Georgia Tech's 2004 class was one full of surprises and exceeded expectations. Despite an original ranking of 91, the class achieved a substantial rerank to 19, demonstrating a considerable development success for the program. This leap in ranking can be largely attributed to multiple lower-ranked recruits outperforming their expectations. The bulk of the class contributed effectively at the college level, with a standout being the rise of several recruits to an NFL Starter level. What stands out is the ability of the coaching staff to develop players who were initially not highly touted into NFL Starters. This pattern of development is a testament to the program's ability to maximize the potential of their recruits.

Outcome Summary

Overall, the 2004 Georgia Tech recruiting class significantly outperformed expectations. The substantial jump in the S2S rerank, moving from 91 to 19, is a testament to the program's success in developing their recruits, particularly those initially ranked lower. The key factor in this rerank is the number of recruits who reached the NFL Starter level, despite none of them being blue-chip recruits. This development success is a strong indication of the program's ability to nurture talent regardless of the initial ranking. In conclusion, the 2004 Georgia Tech class demonstrated that initial rankings are not always indicative of the final outcome.