New Mexico 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: DeAndre Wright (S) — Originally unranked. Outcome: NFL Drafted. Despite his unranked status at recruitment, Wright managed to rise through the ranks, culminating in an NFL Draft selection. Hit: Travis Brown (WR) — Originally unranked. Outcome: All Conference. Brown exceeded expectations for an unranked recruit, making significant contributions to his team and achieving All Conference recognition. Miss: Steve Harris (QB) — Originally ranked 989. Outcome: Bust. Despite his high original ranking, Harris's college career did not live up to expectations, ending as a bust. Miss: Rodney Ferguson (RB) — Originally ranked 988. Outcome: All Conference. Although Ferguson did achieve All Conference status, his performance did not meet his high original ranking.

Development Story

The 2004 New Mexico recruiting class illustrates a pattern of unranked players exceeding expectations and higher-ranked recruits underperforming. This is evident in the cases of DeAndre Wright and Travis Brown, both unranked recruits who went on to achieve significant success on the field. Conversely, higher-ranked recruits like Steve Harris and Rodney Ferguson did not live up to their initial rankings. The lack of blue-chip recruits in the class also points to a trend of the program focusing on developing less heralded players. This emphasis on player development, however, did not correlate with a higher class rating, as the class rating dropped from the original ranking of 63 to a rerank of 92.

Outcome Summary

Based on the outcome scores and the S2S rerank, the 2004 New Mexico recruiting class underperformed expectations. The drop in ranking from 63 to 92 indicates that the class's performance did not meet the initial expectations set by the original recruiting ranking. The lack of blue-chip recruits and the underperformance of some top-ranked players contributed to the drop in class rating. The standout performances of unranked recruits were not enough to offset the overall underperformance of the class. The 2004 New Mexico recruiting class serves as a reminder that initial rankings do not always predict college success.