Iowa State 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: Tim Dobbins (LB) — Originally unranked. Outcome: NFL Drafted. Despite the lack of initial ranking, Dobbins managed to exceed expectations and was drafted into the NFL. Hit: LaMarcus Hicks (DC) — Originally unranked. Outcome: Undrafted NFL Roster. Hicks was another unranked recruit who surpassed expectations by making it onto an NFL roster. Miss: Webster Patrick (RB) — Originally ranked 84. Outcome: Bust. Patrick, a highly ranked recruit, unfortunately did not live up to his recruitment hype and was labeled a bust. Miss: Brandon Gunn (RB) — Originally ranked 212. Outcome: Bust. Another highly ranked recruit, Gunn also underperformed, failing to meet his initial ranking.

Development Story

The 2004 Iowa State recruiting class tells a story of unexpected turns and missed opportunities. Despite having a respectable original ranking of 35, the class significantly underperformed, leading to a drastic S2S rerank of 111. The class included a number of unranked recruits who managed to exceed expectations, including Tim Dobbins and LaMarcus Hicks, both of whom made it to the NFL. However, the class also suffered from a number of high-ranked recruits who did not live up to their initial promise. The most notable of these were Webster Patrick and Brandon Gunn, both of whom were labeled as busts. This pattern of underperformance among higher-ranked recruits contributed to the disappointing overall outcomes for the class.

Outcome Summary

Overall, the 2004 Iowa State recruiting class underperformed in relation to their original expectations and rankings. The S2S rerank moved significantly down due to the high number of higher-ranked recruits who did not meet their potential and were labeled as busts. Despite the unexpected successes of some unranked recruits, the class as a whole failed to deliver on its initial promise. In sum, the 2004 recruiting class is a testament to the unpredictable nature of college football recruitment, where initial rankings are not always indicative of eventual performance.