And all those rankings mean, well, not that much

We talk about what an inexact science recruiting is, but nothing proves that point better than a look at the national rankings of several Carolinas players.

Take, for instance, DL Kelcy Quarles of Greenwood High, a South Carolina commitment. Rivals.com, one of the two largest recruiting services, says Quarles is the No. 38 player in the country. Scout.com, the other big boy, ranks Quarles at No. 242.

This is not a shot at either recruiting service; we’re just highlighting how difficult it is to quantify the football-playing ability of 17-year-old boys.

Some players, of course, dominate. Duncan (S.C.) Byrnes RB Marcus Lattimore is ranked second nationally by Scout and seventh by Rivals. But not long after that, it becomes pretty much a crapshoot.

West Brunswick High DE Alfy Hill is rated 69th by Rivals. Scout has him at 198. Northern Guilford’s Keenan Allen is 31st according Rivals, 59th according to Scout.

Oh, and check out Byrnes DL Corey Miller. Scout has him at No. 170. Rivals says he should be 25th.

The bottom line? If there were ten major recruiting services, most players would have ten different rankings.

--Stan Olson