Hits & Misses
Hit: Lane Taylor (IOL) — Originally ranked 1190. Outcome: NFL Starter. Taylor significantly exceeded expectations as an unranked recruit, achieving the status of NFL Starter.
Miss: Kye Staley (RB) — Originally ranked 101. Outcome: All Conference. Staley, despite being a highly ranked recruit, did not reach the anticipated level of impact as a top 100 player, falling short of expectations with an All Conference outcome.
Miss: Adrian Richards (WR) — Originally ranked 557. Outcome: Bust. Richards, a mid-tier ranked recruit, underperformed significantly, resulting in a Bust status.
Miss: Alfred Dupree (LB) — Originally ranked 583. Outcome: Bust. Dupree also failed to meet expectations, earning a Bust label despite his ranking.
Development Story
The Oklahoma State 2008 recruiting class showcases a mixture of outcomes that reflect both strong development and disappointing performances. With a total of 28 recruits, the class had a modest blue-chip percentage of 7, indicating that the majority of players were not elite prospects. The S2S rerank moving from 40 to 36 suggests a slight improvement in the perceived talent level of this class, perhaps driven by the contributions of lower-ranked recruits who outperformed their expectations.
Among the notable successes, Lane Taylor stands out as an unranked recruit who became an NFL Starter, demonstrating the program's ability to develop talent effectively. However, the class also saw several highly ranked players, such as Kye Staley, Adrian Richards, and Alfred Dupree, not living up to their original rankings, which highlights a pattern where expectations were not met for some of the higher-profile recruits.
Overall, the outcomes show that while Oklahoma State managed to develop talent from its recruiting class, the presence of multiple Busts indicates that not all players transitioned successfully into impactful contributors on the field. This blend of outcomes illustrates the unpredictable nature of recruiting and development within college football.
Outcome Summary
The 2008 recruiting class for Oklahoma State largely met expectations, with a few notable exceptions. The S2S rerank reflects a slight improvement, but the presence of highly ranked recruits who fell short of their potential suggests that there were areas of underperformance. The class's outcome is characterized by a mix of successful development from unranked players and disappointments among some of the higher-ranked recruits.
Overall, this class demonstrated both the challenges and successes of recruiting, with the key takeaway being that while development can yield unexpected success stories, high expectations do not always lead to commensurate performance.