[socalstanfan1]

[quote author=TrumpCard link=topic=7902.msg94584#msg94584 date=1408390727]
Equanimeous St. Brown appears to be an academically elite student-athlete.  He reports a 4.0 GPA and is quadralingual.  I have to think Stanford is a great fit for him.  Yet the 247 predictions have him joining Tristen Hoge (another academically elite recruit) at the university of cheaters in bumble Indiana.  What gives?

All of the predictors at 247 have to give their opinion on hundreds of fickle high school kids they have never met. Sometimes these "experts" have valid information. Sometimes they don't. But, they have to give their opinion. They don't have a lot of time. And, when they are wrong, no one cares.
[/quote]

Is there any particular aspect of the online recruiting coverage that leads to lemming-like group behavior than the "crystal ball"? For all the reasons mentioned above (pressure to make predictions on kids you have never seen or covered), writers are most often going to follow the consensus. Better to be wrong with the group than to appear totally disconnected. What you also see are the reporters who are attached to a particular school coming out with predictions for their school, particularly In the time immediately after a student visits their campus and makes all the obligatory comments: "I was really blown away by Texas A&M Commerce's facilities, their coaches are so great and spent so much time with me, I want to go someplace where I can start right away and TAMC gives me that chance"....blah blah blah...Then when the kid doesn't commit they forget about him until his NEXT visit, when he says the same things: "Idaho State has great facilities...blew me away"...

[socalstanfan1]

[quote author=TrumpCard link=topic=7902.msg94584#msg94584 date=1408390727]
Equanimeous St. Brown appears to be an academically elite student-athlete.  He reports a 4.0 GPA and is quadralingual.  I have to think Stanford is a great fit for him.  Yet the 247 predictions have him joining Tristen Hoge (another academically elite recruit) at the university of cheaters in bumble Indiana.  What gives?

All of the predictors at 247 have to give their opinion on hundreds of fickle high school kids they have never met. Sometimes these "experts" have valid information. Sometimes they don't. But, they have to give their opinion. They don't have a lot of time. And, when they are wrong, no one cares.
[/quote]

Is there any particular aspect of the online recruiting coverage that leads to lemming-like group behavior than the "crystal ball"? For all the reasons mentioned above (pressure to make predictions on kids you have never seen or covered), writers are most often going to follow the consensus. Better to be wrong with the group than to appear totally disconnected. What you also see are the reporters who are attached to a particular school coming out with predictions for their school, particularly In the time immediately after a student visits their campus and makes all the obligatory comments: "I was really blown away by Texas A&M Commerce's facilities, their coaches are so great and spent so much time with me, I want to go someplace where I can start right away and TAMC gives me that chance"....blah blah blah...Then when the kid doesn't commit they forget about him until his NEXT visit, when he says the same things: "Idaho State has great facilities...blew me away"...