HJS {l Wrote}:3 of those 5 were 4-star recruits with the others being high 3-star recruits. We used to regularly be able to recruit elite OLinemen. That hasn't happened with any sort of consistency in almost a decade. We are in Year 4 and the program is regressing and does not show the stability or direction one would expect from a coach guaranteed to return for a 5th year. While I think Daz is actually pretty decent at identifying talented kids who are lightly recruited, he hasn't been able to show any ability to beat out programs for recruits that have good offers (outside of a handful of wins in his first recruiting cycle). You simply can't win on a regular basis with recruiting classes that are composed mainly from battles won versus the MAC.
Maybe you're right and its simply a talent issue, but one thing is for sure less talented players having to play earlier at a position where size and strength, which generally increase during the ages of 18-22, matter greatly, is not a recipe for success. There may be an earlier TOB OL that is a better example of not quite as talented older players having a good deal of success, I'm not sure.