This is exactly the kind of soft thinking that gets you beat in the SEC. I've been watching this program since Warren Powers was on the sideline, and you cannot tell me that development happens in a vacuum. Sure, you can find a diamond in the rough, like we did with Justin Smith back in the day, but you build a consistent winner with talent. Northwestern's little story is cute for the Big Ten, but we're in a different league now, literally and figuratively. You think those lightly-recruited guys are going to hold up against Georgia and Alabama in November? I remember when we had to line up against those Nebraska teams in the Big 8, and you needed horses to compete. Stars matter because they represent a baseline of athleticism you simply cannot teach. The 2007 team that won the Cotton Bowl wasn't built on two-stars. It was Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin, guys everyone wanted. This modern idea that you can just out-scheme everyone is a fantasy. The portal has made it worse, turning rosters into a free-for-all, but the foundation still has to be there. You develop the four and five-stars into first-round picks, not just hope you get lucky with a project. Ask any coach from the old days, and they'll tell you the same thing. You can't bake a cake without the right ingredients, no matter how good your oven is.
