Interdasting note from Dandy Don re: Recruiting / Records & Bama Game

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I took a look back at some of the better LSU recruiting classes during the Nick Saban and Les Miles era, and was somewhat surprised to find that the outcome of games and a team’s win/loss record does not usually have a big impact on the upcoming recruiting class. For example, let's take a look at the 2003 class, which was Nick Saban's finest at LSU and quite possibly the best ever at LSU. It featured JaMarcus Russell, Dwayne Bowe, Buster Davis, Matt Flynn and LaRon Landry and came on the heels of a 8-5, 5-3 season in which the Tigers suffered November losses to Alabama and Arkansas and lost to Texas in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day. Coach Les Miles’ best class came in 2009 on the heels of a 8-5, 3-5 season in which the Tigers suffered three losses in November – to top-ranked Alabama on November 8, to Ole Miss on November 22 and to Arkansas on November 28. This class included the likes of Rueben Randle, Russell Sherpard, Craig Loston, Chris Davenport and Morris Claiborne. What this tells me is that a recruit’s decision is usually influenced more by what the team’s needs are at his position and by the player’s relationship with the staff than by a team’s win-loss record.

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