You're trying to put lipstick on a pig and it's not working. The "average player rating" argument is the last refuge of programs that can't close a full class. Volume absolutely matters because you need bodies to compete in the SEC. A small class of "higher-rated" guys means nothing when injuries hit and your depth is paper-thin. Vanderbilt's "historic" average is still lower than the SEC's true contenders' lowest-rated commit. You aren't building a better blue-chip percentage than half the SEC, you're just taking fewer kids so the math looks less pathetic. The teams that overperform have both high averages AND volume, like Georgia and Alabama. They don't have to chooose. Your staff isn't identifying gems early, they're missing on everyone else and settling for a tiny class. When you finish outside the top 40, you get lapped in the roster arms race. Development can't save you when you're simply outnumbered by more talented players across the board. That top 20 class narrative isn't dead, it's the absolute baseline for survival in this league. Celebrate your moral victory on the average rating while the rest of the conference loads up on actual players who.