BOL Round Table

I've been documenting this for a few seasons now. Auburn's always touted as having lots of "young talent" from "great recruiting classes" that will make them a power. The media doesn't, and isn't going to, spend the time to see behind the numbers as noted in this thread. Auburn has lately been averaging about a 50% attrition rate after two years.

And call it "luck" if you want, but this class had a critical mass of character issues from the beginning. It's no different than signing a class full of 5*s vs a class full of 3*s, a class full of questionable character athletes is statistically going to be far more likely to have attrition. It's moneyball, with exponentially worse results as the number of bad character kids increases. 1 or 2 bad kids might have a bad idea, but get talked down. 4 or 5 bad kids will follow through with it (and rob somebody). Get 15, and they start messing around in social circles with a low-life with a gun.

Further, all it takes is one guy willing to pick a fight with that guy with a gun. The more people you have willing to fight, the more likely a shooting will happen. The players who were shot were not at fault in being targeted. But you could argue that the administration was at fault in making the recent tragic stories at Auburn more likely to happen.

i wouldnt call it bad luck (outside of Coleman) , i would say the Swag-masters were reaching for talent vs talented student-atheletes & it didnt work out . to make it worse it wasnt just 2010 it is a boog-staff pattern .

there is a reason that they claim to be young every year & its not due to losing upperclassmen to the NFL but more simply that their recruits never make it to "upperclass" status .

But Jake Holland is still on the team.

You nailed it.