Western Michigan 2004 — Recruiting Outcomes

Hits & Misses

Hit: Londen Fryar (WR) — Originally unranked. Outcome: All Conference. Despite starting his college career without any ranking, Fryar managed to make a significant impact on the team, eventually earning All Conference honors. Hit: Nick Varcadipane (EDGE) — Originally ranked 1033. Outcome: All Conference. Varcadipane clearly outperformed his initial low ranking, developing into an All Conference player for Western Michigan. Miss: Mark Bonds (RB) — Originally ranked 394. Outcome: All Conference. Despite achieving All Conference status, Bonds didn't meet the high expectations that came with his original ranking. Miss: Brandon Brady (RB) — Originally ranked 721. Outcome: Bust. Brady's college career fell short of expectations, with him ending up as a bust despite a meaningful original ranking.

Development Story

The 2004 Western Michigan recruiting class showcases a pattern of strong development for unranked and low-ranked players. Both Fryar and Varcadipane, who started their college careers without significant expectations, managed to earn All Conference honors. Conversely, recruits who entered the program with higher rankings like Bonds and Brady didn't fully live up to the initial hype. This indicates a strong development program for recruits who might have been overlooked by other teams, and possibly an over-ranking issue for those who were expected to perform exceptionally.

Outcome Summary

Looking at the outcomes, the 2004 class met expectations overall. The S2S rerank of 104, compared to the original ranking of 103, indicates that the class performance was in line with initial recruiting assessments. However, the slight dip in the S2S rerank may be attributed to the underperforming high-ranked recruits like Bonds and Brady. The key takeaway here is that while the class had its share of overperformers and underperformers, it largely met the expectations set at the time of recruitment.