Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Who'd be starting for Vanderbilt this season if stars were all that mattered


It’s easy to lose perspective when you’re following recruiting, where all that matters is the number of stars on a piece of paper or on a computer screen.

So today we’re revealing our all-paper Vanderbilt team. We’ve taken all the players on the 2009 roster and chosen a starting lineup of the guys with the highest ratings coming out of high school. Here we’ve used star ratings from rivals.com and scout.com and, for a tie-breaker, the 100-point scale grades from espn.com.

The team includes 27 players, a second running back, a nickel back, a third defensive lineman (Greg Billinger and Taylor Loftley tied) and a kicker and punter. Of the 27 most celebrated recruits at each position, only eight have actually played in a game.

Pictured above are T.J. Greenstone (not all-paper) as well as all-paper selections Billinger and John Stokes, the only 4-star player on the current roster. Here's the list:

QUARTERBACK
• Larry Smith, R-SO (2007); 6 total stars, 78 espn

RUNNING BACKS
• Ryan van Rensburg, R-SO (2007); 6 total stars, 75 espn
• Zac Stacy, FR (2009); 5 total stars, 76 espn

WIDE RECEIVERS
• Brady Brown, FR (2009); 6 total stars, 75 espn
• Udom Umoh, R-SO (2007); 6 total stars, 40 espn
• John Cole, R-FR (2008); 5 total stars, 74 espn

TIGHT END
• Mason Johnston, FR (2009); 6 total stars, 77 espn

OFFENSIVE LINE
• Wesley Johnson, FR (2009); 6 total stars, 78 espn
• Kyle Fischer, R-SO (2007); 6 total stars, 75 espn
• Richard Cagle, R-FR (2008); 5 total stars, 74 espn
• Michael Bryant, R-FR (2008); 5 total stars, 74 espn
• Mylon Brown, FR (2009); 4 total stars, 77 espn

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
• Adam Smotherman, R-JR (2006); 6 total stars, 70 espn
• Greg Billinger, SR (2006); 5 total stars, 75 espn
• Taylor Loftley, R-FR (2008); 5 total stars, 75 espn

DEFENSIVE ENDS
• Thad McHaney, FR (2009); 6 total stars, 74 espn
• Walker May, FR (2009); 5 total stars, 75 espn

LINEBACKERS
• John Stokes, JR (2007); 7 total stars, 72 espn
• DeAndre Jones, R-FR (2008); 6 total stars, 78 espn
• Blake Southerland, FR (2009); 5 total stars, 76 espn

CORNERBACKS
• Eric Samuels, FR (2009); 5 total stars, 78 espn
• Trey Wilson, FR (2009); 5 total stars, 75 espn
• Eddie Foster, FR (2009); 5 total stars, 74 espn

SAFETIES
• Al Owens, R-FR (2008); 4 total stars, 78 espn
• Micah Powell, R-FR (2008); 4 total stars, 78 espn

KICKER
• Ryan Fowler, R-FR (2008); 4 total stars, 40 espn

PUNTER
• Brett Upson, SR (2006); 4 total stars, 40 espn

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