Top End Talent

[RoverNation05]

So the North Penn conversation on the Suburban One thread piqued my curiosity about recruiting rankings - namely, which schools are putting out the most top end kids, and how is that spread out/clustered. The results are kind of interesting. I used the 247 database, because it blends all of the recruiting sites into a composite ranking (so the best way to capture industry consensus). I sorted by Pennsylvania rankings for each year going back to 2000. Here are the schools with more than 10 players who have earned "stars" in the system (listed by number of players).

41: Pittsburgh Central Catholic
39: Woodland Hills
34: Gateway
33: Bishop McDevitt (D3)
26: Erie Cathedral Prep
25: McKeesport, Penn Hills
24: Aliquippa, Imhotep Charter
23: St. Joseph's Prep
20: Archbishop Wood
18: Harrisburg
16: North Allegheny
15: West Catholic, Coatesville
14: Pine-Richland
13: Erie McDowell, Thomas Jefferson
12: Clairton, Greensburg Central Catholic, Liberty, State College
11: Cardinal O'Hara, Downingtown East, Malvern Prep, Montour, Parkland
10: Franklin Regional, George Washington, Greater Johnstown, Neshaminy, Upper St. Clair, Neumann Goretti

Notable Other Programs
9: Bethlehem Catholic, West Allegheny
8: Southern Columbia, Pennsbury
7: LaSalle, North Penn, Central Dauphin
5: Cumberland Valley, Jeanette
4: Wilson West Lawn
3: Easton, South Fayette
2: Allentown Central Catholic
1: Ridley

 

[RoverNation05]

Stripping out just the four and five stars, these are where the best of the best have come from in PA since 2000

8: Woodland Hills
7: Bishop McDevitt, Gateway
6: Erie Cathedral Prep, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, St. Joseph's Prep
5: Cardinal O'Hara, Harrisburg, North Allegheny
4: Archbishop Wood, Downingtown East, Penn Hills, State College, Thomas Jefferson
3: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, McKeesport, Montour, North Hills, Pine-Richland
2: Beaver Falls, CB West, Central Valley, Clairton, Erie McDowell, Fox Chapel, Imhotep Charter, Jeannette, Liberty, Manheim Central, Neumann Goretti, Parkland, Roman Catholic, Southern Columbia, Sto-Rox, Strath Haven, Trinity, Valley, West Allegheny, West Catholic, West Scranton, Wyoming Valley West
1: Altoona, Archbishop Carroll, Baldiwn, Blue Mountain, Boyertown, Camp Hill, Canon McMillan, CB South, Cedar Cliff, Cedar Crest, Central Dauphin, Central York, Coatesville, Conestoga, Connellsville, Cornell, Council Rock North, East Stroudsburg South, Exeter Township, Franklin Area, George Washington, Great Valley, Greensburg Central Catholic, Hampton, Harriton, Hickory, Hopewell, JP McCaskey, Keystone Oaks, Lake Lehman, LaSalle, Lebanon, Manheim Township, Marian Catholic, Mars, Mechanicsburg, Morrisville, Mount Lebanon, Nazareth, Neshaminy, New Castle, North Penn, Northeast, Oil City, Penn Charter, Penn Trafford, Penn Wood, Pennridge, Pennsbury, Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pottsgrove, Prep Charter, Reading, Sharon, Spring Grove, Steel Valley, Susquehannock, University Prep, Warwick, Washington, Westmont Hilltop, Whitehall, Wilmington, Wilson West Lawn, Wyomissing

And for fun, your five stars from PA
Jonathan Baldwin, Aliquippa
LeSean McCoy, Bishop McDevitt
Noah Spence, Bishop McDevitt
Kevin Jones, Cardinal O'Hara
Robert Foster, Central Valley
Justin King, Gateway
Dorian Bell, Gateway
Shariff Floyd, George Washington
Micah Parsons, Harrisburg
Callahan Bright, Harriton
Ruschel Shell, Hopewell
Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette
Jeff Smoker, Manheim Central
Anthony Morelli, Penn Hills
Marlin Jackson, Sharon
Julian Fleming, Southern Columbia
D'Andre Swift, St. Joseph's Prep
Dan Connor, Strath Haven
Nolan Rucci, Warwick
Marcus Slocum, West Catholic
Chad Henne, Wilson West Lawn
Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills

 

[new2pa]

Would be fun to see how the total number of stars correlate with the total number of wins during that period. Could be interesting.

 

[shfoot]

Stripping out just the four and five stars, these are where the best of the best have come from in PA since 2000

8: Woodland Hills
7: Bishop McDevitt, Gateway
6: Erie Cathedral Prep, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, St. Joseph's Prep
5: Cardinal O'Hara, Harrisburg, North Allegheny
4: Archbishop Wood, Downingtown East, Penn Hills, State College, Thomas Jefferson
3: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, McKeesport, Montour, North Hills, Pine-Richland
2: Beaver Falls, CB West, Central Valley, Clairton, Erie McDowell, Fox Chapel, Imhotep Charter, Jeannette, Liberty, Manheim Central, Neumann Goretti, Parkland, Roman Catholic, Southern Columbia, Sto-Rox, Strath Haven, Trinity, Valley, West Allegheny, West Catholic, West Scranton, Wyoming Valley West
1: Altoona, Archbishop Carroll, Baldiwn, Blue Mountain, Boyertown, Camp Hill, Canon McMillan, CB South, Cedar Cliff, Cedar Crest, Central Dauphin, Central York, Coatesville, Conestoga, Connellsville, Cornell, Council Rock North, East Stroudsburg South, Exeter Township, Franklin Area, George Washington, Great Valley, Greensburg Central Catholic, Hampton, Harriton, Hickory, Hopewell, JP McCaskey, Keystone Oaks, Lake Lehman, LaSalle, Lebanon, Manheim Township, Marian Catholic, Mars, Mechanicsburg, Morrisville, Mount Lebanon, Nazareth, Neshaminy, New Castle, North Penn, Northeast, Oil City, Penn Charter, Penn Trafford, Penn Wood, Pennridge, Pennsbury, Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pottsgrove, Prep Charter, Reading, Sharon, Spring Grove, Steel Valley, Susquehannock, University Prep, Warwick, Washington, Westmont Hilltop, Whitehall, Wilmington, Wilson West Lawn, Wyomissing

And for fun, your five stars from PA
Jonathan Baldwin, Aliquippa
LeSean McCoy, Bishop McDevitt
Noah Spence, Bishop McDevitt
Kevin Jones, Cardinal O'Hara
Robert Foster, Central Valley
Justin King, Gateway
Dorian Bell, Gateway
Shariff Floyd, George Washington
Micah Parsons, Harrisburg
Callahan Bright, Harriton
Ruschel Shell, Hopewell
Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette
Jeff Smoker, Manheim Central
Anthony Morelli, Penn Hills
Marlin Jackson, Sharon
Julian Fleming, Southern Columbia
D'Andre Swift, St. Joseph's Prep
Dan Connor, Strath Haven
Nolan Rucci, Warwick
Marcus Slocum, West Catholic
Chad Henne, Wilson West Lawn
Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills

Rover: Wasn't Tyler Palko a 5 star?

 

[shfoot]

Stripping out just the four and five stars, these are where the best of the best have come from in PA since 2000

8: Woodland Hills
7: Bishop McDevitt, Gateway
6: Erie Cathedral Prep, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, St. Joseph's Prep
5: Cardinal O'Hara, Harrisburg, North Allegheny
4: Archbishop Wood, Downingtown East, Penn Hills, State College, Thomas Jefferson
3: Aliquippa, Belle Vernon, McKeesport, Montour, North Hills, Pine-Richland
2: Beaver Falls, CB West, Central Valley, Clairton, Erie McDowell, Fox Chapel, Imhotep Charter, Jeannette, Liberty, Manheim Central, Neumann Goretti, Parkland, Roman Catholic, Southern Columbia, Sto-Rox, Strath Haven, Trinity, Valley, West Allegheny, West Catholic, West Scranton, Wyoming Valley West
1: Altoona, Archbishop Carroll, Baldiwn, Blue Mountain, Boyertown, Camp Hill, Canon McMillan, CB South, Cedar Cliff, Cedar Crest, Central Dauphin, Central York, Coatesville, Conestoga, Connellsville, Cornell, Council Rock North, East Stroudsburg South, Exeter Township, Franklin Area, George Washington, Great Valley, Greensburg Central Catholic, Hampton, Harriton, Hickory, Hopewell, JP McCaskey, Keystone Oaks, Lake Lehman, LaSalle, Lebanon, Manheim Township, Marian Catholic, Mars, Mechanicsburg, Morrisville, Mount Lebanon, Nazareth, Neshaminy, New Castle, North Penn, Northeast, Oil City, Penn Charter, Penn Trafford, Penn Wood, Pennridge, Pennsbury, Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pottsgrove, Prep Charter, Reading, Sharon, Spring Grove, Steel Valley, Susquehannock, University Prep, Warwick, Washington, Westmont Hilltop, Whitehall, Wilmington, Wilson West Lawn, Wyomissing

And for fun, your five stars from PA
Jonathan Baldwin, Aliquippa
LeSean McCoy, Bishop McDevitt
Noah Spence, Bishop McDevitt
Kevin Jones, Cardinal O'Hara
Robert Foster, Central Valley
Justin King, Gateway
Dorian Bell, Gateway
Shariff Floyd, George Washington
Micah Parsons, Harrisburg
Callahan Bright, Harriton
Ruschel Shell, Hopewell
Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette
Jeff Smoker, Manheim Central
Anthony Morelli, Penn Hills
Marlin Jackson, Sharon
Julian Fleming, Southern Columbia
D'Andre Swift, St. Joseph's Prep
Dan Connor, Strath Haven
Nolan Rucci, Warwick
Marcus Slocum, West Catholic
Chad Henne, Wilson West Lawn
Miles Sanders, Woodland Hills

Rover: Jeff Smoker was 1999. MC lost to SH at West Chester Univ field 30-21. That was also Mark Jones senior yr.

 

[RoverNation05]

I think 247 (and most recruiting sites) list classes by graduating year rather than football season. So the first year they have in the system is the 1999 football season that signed on February 2, 2000.

And 247 has Palko as a 4 star in their composite rankings - the top player in PA in the class of 2002 and the #5 dual threat QB (behind Vince Young, Marcus Vick, James Banks, and Gavin Dickey - Heisman winner Troy Smith was #8 and future number one draft pick Alex Smith was #37). I like the 247 composite ratings because it puts together Rivals, Scout, and ESPN - it looks like Palko was also a four star on Rivals, and the other two don't have their old rankings archived.

 

[shfoot]

thx Rover. Great job as usual