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The one area we need to question Coach G is his recruiting for both this year's class and last year's class. These two classes have produced a somewhat limited contribution to the team this year. There are a few of these players that are making a difference but not enough of them to fill the void that is apparent.
I've been thinking about the overall talent level on this team so I decided to go back and study the impact of the 2013-2016 recruiting classes. I think there is an argument to be made about the significant drop in overall talent on the team.
2013 (6 signees) - this year's seniors have produced exactly 1 impact player in Ashlynn Harryman, who was a 3-star prospect. And she has been injured for most of this season. That means we basically have had 1 contributing senior on this year's team in Grace Wright, who was the lowest rated prospect in the class. 2 players left the program and 2 players are backups with little to no contribution. So about 33% of the class actually had a consistent contribution to the program on the field. That is a near disaster for Coach G.
2014 (4 signees) - now this was a stellar Top 5 level signing class and the current heart of the team. All 4 signees - Harvey, Pounds, Paulson, and Malherbe - are high impact players with 3 of them being 5-star level prospects. Malherbe's limited contribution this year really hurt the team because we didn't have anyone near her level of talent to replace her minutes. This group will be next year's seniors and they need to be true leaders on and off the field. We need Harvey to mature and lead by example and encourage her teammates on the field because she is a great player.
2015 (9 signees) - this is where things get interesting. On paper it looked like a very good and deep class and so far it's been hit or miss. The top of the class produced Watt and Bates, who are both elite 5-star prospects, but Watt didn't play this year and Bates has been injured all season with limited minutes. Then Hajdu, a solid 4-star prospect, was injured and missed most of the season as well. The jury is still out on a few of the players like Hummel who is still recovering from injury, and the lower rated prospects in the class have been forced to start this season in Ritchie and Schmidt. There are also a couple of busts in the class that have not lived up to expectations. We really won't know the full impact of this class for another year or so but certainly at the top of the class it's been a solid group. They just need to stay healthy.
2016 (8 signees) - at first glance back in August it looked like we had quite a coup in signing some under the radar prospects, but as the season has progressed the class has reverted to about where they were ranked coming into the season. This is still an incomplete grade because both Jenna Byers, who could have had a big impact on the midfield, and Quinn Murphy didn't play this year and redshirted. There are a couple of prospects that are trending toward busts while there have been a couple of surprises in Arrieta and Piper. Several players have been forced to play this season before they were ready and it has hurt the team. There is potential with this group once everyone is healthy, but overall the impact of this class has been limited to below average to this point.
So when you look at the classes in summary there are several high impact players but some of them are not even playing this season. And when you have almost no senior contributions and a lack of leadership on the field combined with several true freshmen playing before they were ready, you have the recipe for a bad season. I also do think the coaching has been suspect this season and we need to get back to the fundamentals of the game, but the overall talent level that is actually playing the majority of minutes on the field is way down from where the team was a few years ago. Also, the 2012 class had only 3 players remaining in it last year and one of them was too injured to play anymore. We had 1 high impact player in Mueller and another that was basically a backup for most of her career. That led to a subpar SEC season as well in '15 that was overshadowed by the great run in the NCAA tourney. A&M is now 8-9-2 over the past 2 seasons in the SEC.
The good news is that some very good talent is on its way in the Spring and we should hopefully have everyone back in good health next Fall. But I do think Coach G needs to elevate the overall talent in the program over the next few years if A&M is going to continue to be a top program in the SEC and advance far in the NCAAs. The '18 and '19 classes are off to good starts but there are some elite kids in Texas still available that we need to sign.