College Football Recruiting: NFL Draft Reminds Us That Yes, Stars Matter

There is an ongoing battle in college football that truly has nothing to do with X's and O's or conference supremacy. This battle is about more than just the haves and have-nots, it is the ongoing war of the "stars don't matter" camp. By stars, I mean the glorious rankings that recruiting services bestow upon recruits in the evaluation process.

Every year around February, this facet of the college football world emerges as they look at recruits and scream about how the recruiting services are biased and the stars next to a player's name do not matter.

The gang rears their heads again during the season when an underdog beats one of the big boys. They are even known to chirp when a big-time player gets in trouble or transfers schools; using a kid's personal failings as a way to push their own agenda.

Last year, Matt Hinton did a nice write-up on the evaluation of how highly-ranked players fared in their careers and heading to the NFL.

This year, Andy Staples is picking up the torch as he takes a look at this year's projected first-round picks and sees where they were ranked as high school players.

Ultimately, these articles remind us of one thing: Yes, stars matter.

Stars matter, folks. To say that they don't or that it can't be proven is to prove a lack of understanding where percentages are concerned. A small handful of the literally thousands of 3-star or lower-ranked players succeed and suddenly stars don't matter?

When the numbers are laid out, it is clear that a larger percentage of the top players are the elite athletes that get to the top of the NFL draft.

Doe having a roster full of four and five star players guarantee you'll have a winner? No. However, to say they don't matter when it comes to the talent levels of players is to totally ignore the facts. Game situations are about preparation, player development and matchups.

Getting to the league is about being able to play the game on an individual level and that's what the star ranking system is all about.