By Jimmy Burch
jburch@star-telegram.com
As college football fans prepare to engage in premature celebrations about whether their school won or lost this years recruiting battle, we offer a sobering reminder heading into Wednesdays National Signing Day:
Blue-chip status is temporary. Production is permanent.
The only way to judge the accuracy of signing-day grades assigned to incoming teenagers at FBS schools is to reflect on the success of those players at the end of a five-year eligibility window that overlaps most college careers.
For a sixth consecutive year, the Star-Telegram has revisited recruiting classes from five years ago at former Big 12 South Division schools, as well as TCU, and revised the pecking order to reflect on-field production from those groups. And for a sixth consecutive year, the team thought to have the best class when recruits were judged in 2011 (Texas) slid toward the back of the pack, according to our points system based on production on the field. …