You're missing the entire point of modern recruiting, and it shows. Sure, development is key, but acting like evaluation and rankings are mutually exclusive is a loser's mentality. The real elite programs at our level, the ones that dominate the CIAA year after year, are the ones starting to win those battles for the higher-rated guys within our footprint. Saying we shouldn't care about the rankings is just an excuse for losing ground. Those players with the better composite ratings have higher ceilings, period. When we let a 3-star kid with multiple FCS offers go to a conference rival because we're too busy patting ourselves on the back for finding a "hidden gem," that's a loss. The portal has changed everything. If we're not even in the conversation for the top-1000 kids nationally, we're not building a sustainable pipeline. Our success comes from finding diamonds, but imagine what we could do if we started landing a few of those guys everryone else wants too. The goal should be to develop AND recruit better talent. Settling for the bottom of the conference in average rating is a choice, and it's a ceiling. I want to see us flip a kid from an FBS offer, not just out-work everyone for a project. The "system" needs to evolve, or we'll get left behind.