...the thing to remember is that over the past 5-8 years LSU has turned out as many or more NFL players, and NFL players who made it to their 2nd contracts, and some of whom were pretty high draft picks to boot, from the last-minute add-on recruits as they have from the superstar splash recruits they've gotten.

In fact, particularly in the last few years the bust rate on 5-star recruits at LSU is nothing short of appalling.

One reason the LSU job is so attractive for a lot of coaches is that Louisiana every year puts out a bunch of kids who are 2- and 3-star recruits but end up going to the NFL.

Just at LSU you've got the Foster Moreaus, Justin Jeffersons, Lloyd Cushenberrys, Russell Gages. DJ Chark and Clyde Edwards-Helaire were 3-stars.

You can get a LOT of talent out of the bottom end of your recruiting class at LSU because it's right here in Louisiana.

So don't discount the ability of a coach to evaluate talent and find those 3-stars who are underrated and/or can become star players with some development and coaching. If you can marry that with LSU's brand, which will get you 12-15 4-star recruits or higher every year, you are going to have enough talent to win with if you can spread it out to enough positions.

I don't think there's any real question that, for example, Aranda and Campbell can go out and coach a game. Both of them outcoached Lincoln Riley the last couple of weeks with less talent, and that's not a shot at Riley.

You don't have to be a great recruiter at LSU. If you're a good evaluator of talent and people know you develop that talent and put it in position to succeed, the kids will come.

LSU really is a special place. When we've had high quality coaching in charge of this program, we've played national championship football. The problem has been a lack of high quality coaching. Most of the last 40 years we've been coached by guys whose next stop has been the garbage heap or oblivion.