College Football Recruiting's 10 Worst Letdowns of the Last Five Years

College football recruiting has to be about more than individual classes, it needs to be about consistency.

There's a reason Florida, USC, and Texas have stayed near the top of the standings for the last few years. All of these schools have brought in top 10 recruiting classes every year for the last five seasons. 

That's the type of consistency that helps you replace seniors and reload rather than rebuild. It's what keeps the top dogs on top year after year. 

But the flip side of that coin is the recruiting letdown. It's when a school brings in a top recruiting class one year and comes up short the following year. 

In those cases, the gap in talent can be a problem. And those problems can lead to drop-offs in production on the field. 

Here are the 10 worst recruiting letdowns over the last five years. 

10. Ohio State: 2009 To 2010

2009 Recruiting Class Rank: 1st

2010 Recruiting Class Rank: 20th

Ohio State put together the top recruiting class in the country in 2009 but dropped to No. 20 in 2010.

Not the worst drop-off by any means, we're still talking about two top 25 recruiting classes, but when you bring in two 5-star prospects and 14 4-star prospects one year, expectations go up for the following season.

That's why Ohio State's 20th ranking recruiting class in 2010, which featured one 5-star recruit and nine 4-star recruits has to be considered a letdown. 

9. Miami: 2008 To 2009

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 18: Aldarius Johnson #4 of the Miami Hurricanes runs on the field during the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 18, 2008 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

2008 Recruiting Class Rank: 3rd

2009 Recruiting Class Rank: 24th

Miami put together one of the best recruiting classes in the county in 2008, bringing in pretty much then entire senior class from Miami Northwestern high school; which was considered by many to be the top high school team in the nation. 

That class featured such star recruits such as Arthur Brown, Marcus Forston, Brandon Harris, and Aldarius Johnson. 

The following year the Hurricanes failed to bring in a single 5-star recruit and nearly dropped outside of the top 25 in recruiting. 

8. FSU: 2006 To 2007

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 22: Myron Rolle #3 of the Florida State Seminoles walks off the field after defeating the Maryland Terrapins on November 22, 2008 at Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

2006 Recruiting Class Rank: 11th

2007 Recruiting Class Rank: 33rd

In 2006, FSU narrowly missed out on a top 10 recruiting class after bringing in one 5-star recruit in Myron Rolle and 13 4-star recruits, and 10 3-star recruits to round things out. 

The Seminoles didn't have nearly as many scholarships available the following season, however, and that's partially to blame for the drop outside the top 25. 

FSU's 2007 class included one 5-star prospect and just five 4-star prospects; a significant dropoff from the year before. 

7. North Carolina: 2009 To 2010

2009 Recruiting Class Rank: 6th

2010 Recruiting Class Rank: 31st

North Carolina had their best recruiting class of the decade in 2009 when they brought in the sixth-ranked recruiting class headlined by 5-star defensive end Donte Moss. He was joined by 10 4-star recruits and 12 3-star recruits.

Things didn't pane out nearly as well in 2010 though. Though they brought in a somewhat comparable class, there was a lot more talent available that year and the Tar Heels missed out. 

Besides 5-star offensive tackle James Hurst and four 4-star recruits, there wasn't much to be excited about in 2010. 

6. Texas Tech: 2006 To 2007

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterback Taylor Potts #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders drops back in the pocket against the Houston Cougars at Robertson Stadium on September 26, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)

2006 Recruiting Class Rank: 18th

2007 Recruiting Class Rank: 44th

Texas Tech doesn't appear on as many top 25 lists as the other schools on this list so it might not come as much of a surprise that the school experienced a drop-off from 18th to 44th.

2006 was a strong class that featured 5-star offensive tackle Ofa Mohetau and seven 4-star recruits. 

2007 featured 4-star offensive guard Lonnie Edwards and 13 3-star recruits; the Red Raiders generally fall somewhere between the two. 

5. South Carolina: 2007 To 2008

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 24: Defensive end Cliff Matthews #83 of the South Carolina Gamecocks sacks quarterback Jevan Snead #4 of the Mississippi Rebels during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 24, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo

2007 Recruiting Class Rank: 7th

2008 Recruiting Class Rank: 34th

South Carolina's 2007 recruiting class was one of the top in the country. Headlined by 5-star defensive end Cliff Mathews, 13 4-star recruits, and 13 3-star recruits was good enough to rank seventh in the nation. 

Things went sour the following year when Steve Spurrier and Co. weren't able to crack the top 30 when they failed to bring in any 5-star talent and just four 4-star prospects; three of which came from prep schools. 

4. Clemson: 2008 To 2009

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 10: Da'Quan Bowers #93 of the Clemson Tigers against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 10, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

2008 Recruiting Class Rank: 11th

2009 Recruiting Class Rank: 42nd 

Clemson has been recruiting well on and off for the last few years and the disparity between it's accomplishments in 2008 and 2009 is a perfect example of the trend the Tigers seem to follow; though not normally to such an extreme. 

In 2008, the Tigers' recruiting class ranked 11th with 10 4-star and 5-star prospects, but in 2009 the Tigers recruiting class dropped outside of the top 40; though the lack of available scholarships played it's roll. 

You can't be too disappointed when you bring in 5-star quarterback Tajh Boyd to headline your class. 

3. Tennessee: 2007 To 2008

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 31: Safety Eric Berry #14 of the Tennessee Volunteers gets ready for action during the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Hokies beat the Volunteers 37-1

2007 Recruiting Class Rank: 3rd

2008 Recruiting Class Rank: 35th

Now we're staring to get into the serious drop-offs. While UCLA and Penn State, the two schools above Tennessee on the list, have time to improve their place in the standings, Tennessee's 2008 recruiting class is history. 

After bringing in the 3rd ranked class in 2007, the school suffered by far the worst letdown in the country the following year when the Vols failed to deliver even a top 30 recruiting class. 

2. UCLA: 2010 To 20011

2010 Recruiting Class Rank: 8th

2011 Recruiting Class Rank: 57th

UCLA generally brings in some of the best recruiting classes in the country, consistently ranking among the top 15 year after year. But like most schools, the Bruins do have their off-years. And 2011 is turning out to be one. 

After putting together the 8th ranked class in 2010, UCLA has only received commitments from seven prospects, none of whom rate higher than 3-stars. 

There's still time to turn things around, but it's not looking good. 

1. Penn State: 2010 To 2011

2010 Recruiting Class Rank: 10th

2011 Recruiting Class Rank: 62nd

Penn State is in trouble when it comes to recruiting. The fear that coach Joe Paterno won't be around for the 2011 season has really hurt their recruiting efforts for 2011 and if you're looking for any single thing to place the blame on, that's it. 

The Nittany Lions 2010 recruiting class ranked 10th in the nation, but so far they've only been able to get commitments from four prospects for 2011 and rank outside the top 60 classes for the year.