Hits & Misses
Hit: Richard Sherman (CB) — Originally ranked 635. Outcome: NFL Pro Bowl. As a cornerback with an initial ranking of 635, Sherman exceeded the expectations placed on him, reaching the high outcome level of NFL Pro Bowl.
Hit: Toby Gerhart (RB) — Originally ranked 315. Outcome: NFL Starter. Gerhart, initially ranked 315, rose above his original projection to become an NFL Starter, marking a significant achievement for the program.
Miss: Levirt Griffin (EDGE) — Originally ranked 413. Outcome: Contributor. Despite a promising rank of 413, Griffin's contribution to the team was relatively minimal, resulting in an underwhelming outcome.
Miss: Alex Loukas (QB) — Originally ranked 484. Outcome: Contributor. Loukas, originally ranked 484, underperformed expectations by only reaching the Contributor level.
Development Story
The 2006 Stanford recruiting class is an interesting study in player development. Despite an original ranking of 47, the class outperformed initial projections to achieve an S2S rerank of 35. This improvement can largely be attributed to a few standout recruits who significantly exceeded expectations, notably Richard Sherman and Toby Gerhart, who both achieved high NFL-level outcomes.
However, not all recruits lived up to their initial rankings. Some players, such as Levirt Griffin and Alex Loukas, fell short of their projected impact. These underperformances underscore the inherent unpredictability of college football recruitment and the challenge of consistently developing all recruits to their full potential.
Outcome Summary
Overall, the 2006 Stanford recruiting class outperformed expectations, as reflected in the S2S rerank of 35, an improvement from the original class rank of 47. This positive shift was primarily due to the standout performances of a few recruits, who significantly exceeded their original projections. It should be noted, however, that the class also had its share of underperformers, underscoring the complex nature of player development and the challenge of transforming recruiting success into on-field results.
The main takeaway is that while the Stanford 2006 class had a few misses, it also had some significant hits that helped elevate the overall class performance beyond initial expectations.