BYU's 2018 recruiting class graded as a C

DB Malik Moore is a member of BYU's 2018 recruiting class (Twitter: @malik9moore)

College football recruiting rankings and star ratings are a very inexact science. Even when the recruit lives up to the hype, it can still take two or three years before that recruit starts to have an impact on the field. In the case of the BYU Cougars, that window of time from signing day to impact player can be four or five years due to two-year missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Nevertheless, Blue Cougar Football conducted a survey the last few days asking, "How do you grade BYU's 2018 recruiting class?" Maybe, we are all better off listening to @OldSchoolBYU and just let things play out.

You should be asking how we’d grade BYU’s 2011 recruiting class. Who knows how these 2018 guys will turn out.

— OldschoolBYU (@OldSchoolBYU) February 9, 2018

Then again, it is February 12. What else better do we have to do? The official poll results are below.

Official Results
3% A
35% B
41% C
21% D

There wasn't a clear consensus, but C received the most votes.

It was a little surprising that there were any votes for an A grade. The only way I can explain them is that these were Ute trolls, or BYU fans grading on a curve. The Cougars didn't have a single five-star recruit, and lost several high-profile verbal commits in the middle of the seven-game losing streak last fall. BYU was presumed to have the inside track for superstar quarterback Tanner McKee. McKee didn't sign during the early signing period, and then came out and said he would wait until after his missionary service to select a school. Last Wednesday, however, McKee signed with Stanford.

Depending on your perspective, coming off this 4-9 season, you could see this as the best possible class BYU could have signed and give it an A. With a more pessimistic perspective, for all those same reasons, you could give this recruiting class a D grade.

There is no justification for a failing grade. BYU snatched up three-star quarterback Zachary Wilson after Jeff Grimes was announced as offensive coordinator, and held on to Arizona standout wide receiver Gunner Romney. That is why F was not an option.

A B grade feels too high, at least on paper. Wilson, Romney, Dallin Holker, project Chinonso Opara, and several other players may prove to be underrated, like Australian Danny Jones.

Danny Jones looks like a stud kicker... try him also at other positions, like RB, if given the chance bet he'll do well! Go for it!

— Gary Jacobson (@Jacobs__Gary) February 8, 2018

Until then, there isn't much to support a B grade.

In fact, the way the coaching staff started dishing out preferred walk-on "offers" and the national class ranking ranging from the high seventies to low nineties, it makes the D grade seem more and more appropriate. As noted, however, the recruiting rankings aren't very reliable, so I am not going to hold the national ranking against this group of players.

It is a mediocre class for BYU, which merits a C grade. How things shake out on the field will depend on coaching. Good coaching is going to get better than C results out of this group, and poor coaching will see more miserable seasons like what was just witnessed.

Thank you to everyone who voted. A breakdown of the votes from each polling source is below.

BCF	Vote Breakdown	Twitter
0% (0)	A	4% (2)
31% (8)	B	37% (20)
50% (13)	C	37% (20)
19% (5)	D	22% (12)
100% (26)	Total	100% (54)

The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com