Attention Crybabies,
ESPN just did a ranking looking back at the 2013 recruiting class for all B12 teams. Guess who they had with the #1 recruiting class? WVU. The "star" predictions aren't as important as what actually happens with the class when they get here. Holgorsen and Staff crushed it with their 2013 Class. You sissies want to just complain about him non-stop. Look at the facts of what Holgs' 2013 actually did.
Re-ranking the Big 12 classes of 2013
1:16 PM ET
Max Olson
ESPN Staff Writer
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Four years later, it's time to re-rank the Big 12's recruiting classes of 2013. This class was a particularly interesting one to go back and evaluate. It's full of blue-chip busts and three-stars who shined, and the best player of them all was a walk-on. Here are our revised letter grades.
1. West Virginia
2013 grade: B-
2017 grade: B+
Top signees: WR Kevin White, RB Wendell Smallwood, CB Daryl Worley, WR Shelton Gibson, WR Mario Alford
The Mountaineers enjoyed incredible retention with this class (19 of 26 stayed) and most of those 19 became quality contributors. Five are already in the NFL and seven were key starters this season. There were a bunch of great junior college finds in this class, and the wide receiver group of White, Alford, Gibson and Daikiel Shorts definitely delivered.
2. Oklahoma State
2013 grade: B
2017 grade: B
Top signees: S Jordan Sterns, DT Vincent Taylor, OL Zachary Crabtree, S Tre Flowers, K Ben Grogan
Eight starters, eight backups, seven departures. Not bad at all. Taylor and Sterns developed into terrific players who'll get drafted this spring. The Cowboys missed on WR Ra'Shaad Samples, who transferred to Houston, but fellow ESPN 300 wideout Marcell Ateman should be a difference-maker again in 2017.
3. Oklahoma
2013 grade: B+
2017 grade: B
Top signees: LB Dominique Alexander, LB Jordan Evans, DB Ahmad Thomas, LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, DT Charles Walker
The highly-touted members of this class mostly fizzled out, but Oklahoma's staff brought in a solid number of starters with this group. All five of those top signees were three-stars who exceeded expectations and helped the program win two Big 12 titles. Top recruit RB Keith Ford transferred to Texas A&M and was one of nine signees who left the program.
4. Kansas State
2013 grade: C
2017 grade: B-
Top signees: DE Jordan Willis, QB Jake Waters, DT Will Geary, WR Kody Cook, QB Jesse Ertz
Willis, the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year, was of course a three-star find. Geary and Cook were walk-ons who became studs, as is tradition at K-State. Including those walk-ons, this class produced a dozen future starters. Top signee LB Nick Ramirez was a big get for the program but never played a down.
5. Baylor
2013 grade: B
2017 grade: B-
Top signees: DT Andrew Billings, LB Taylor Young, DB Travon Blanchard, DE K.J. Smith, DT Byron Bonds
Billings was a terrific player, one of the Big 12's best, but only three other signees have started more than 10 games for the program so far. Nearly all the players who panned out play defense. Top signee WR Robbie Rhodes was a major bust, and RB Johnny Jefferson is unfortunately done at Baylor after rushing for 1,000 yards in 2015.
6. TCU
2013 grade: C+
2017 grade: B-
Top signees: RB Kyle Hicks, DB Denzel Johnson, CB Ranthony Texada, OL Joseph Noteboom, WR Ty Slanina
This was a solid class that produced seven reliable starters. Hicks broke out as a playmaker and a leader this season, and Johnson was one of the great no-star, last-minute finds of the 2013 class. This is also a group that hasn't had great luck with injuries over the years.
7. Iowa State
2013 grade: C
2017 grade: D
Top signees: TE E.J. Bibbs, S Kamari Cotton-Moya, QB Joel Lanning, OL Jake Campos, RB Aaron Wimberly
More players left the program than stayed from this class, but Paul Rhoades' staff did find some solid talent. Bibbs was one of the nation's best tight ends in 2014. Cotton-Moya earned Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors and Campos, Lanning and CB Nigel Tribune have played a lot.
8. Texas Tech
2013 grade: C
2017 grade: D
Top signees: QB Baker Mayfield, QB Davis Webb, OL Baylen Brown, CB Justis Nelson, WR Dylan Cantrell
Kliff Kingsbury and his staff brought in most of these signees in their first month on the job, which is never easy. More than a dozen ended up leaving the program, and there were too many junior college busts. Tech does deserve some extra credit for landing a future Heisman Trophy finalist as a walk-on.
9. Texas
2013 grade: A-
2017 grade: D
Top signees: QB Tyrone Swoopes, OT Kent Perkins, TE Geoff Swaim, DE Naashon Hughes, WR Jacorey Warrick
Texas only took 15 signees in the final class that Mack Brown signed. Eight ended up leaving the program. So that's not good. Swoopes, Perkins and Hughes at least played a lot of games, and Swaim is still in the NFL. The toughest loss was probably Darius James, a top-25 ranked recruit who transferred and became Auburn's starting left tackle this season. Bad classes like these help get coaches fired.
10. Kansas
2013 grade: C
2017 grade: F
Top signees: CB Dexter McDonald, P Trevor Pardula, S Cassius Sendish, S Isaiah Johnson, QB Montell Cozart
Former coach Charlie Weis signed a whopping 18 junior college recruits in 2013 and only seven actually panned out. The star of that group was DT Marquel Combs, ESPN's No. 3 ranked juco recruit, who left KU after a couple months and ended up at Southeastern Louisiana. Because Weis went all-in on the quick fix of juco recruiting, guess how many of his 26 signees in this class were still on the Jayhawks' roster this season? Four. This class is a big reason why rebuilding Kansas has taken a long time.
Wasn't giving a new contract to the Offensive Genius supposed to help recruiting?
I guess two blowout losses on national television trumps (no pun intended) a new contract for the head coach.
Time for the coaches will be searching for lost gems on the recruiting scrap heap this week.
