Where the Talent Is

This little item in SI made me think more about our discussion about whether Texas has comparable talent to the other programs. But, before I get to that, check this out. The 2001 Hurricanes were 12-0, outscored opponents 512-117, produced 16 first round picks, including 10 future pro-bowlers. Hello. Given the fact that the 'Canes gave away championships in '02 vs Ohio St. and in '87 vs Penn St., I think you can make the case that they had the best 20-yr run in history. 5 championships, 2 should haves, and innumerable draft picks.

As for Texas, Mack arrived in 1998 and that year the Horns had 1 player drafted. The next year it was 2 players and the next it was 1 again. Starting in '01 his recruits started to mature and enter the draft. Since then he has had 38 players drafted, 13 of which were first-rounders. I wanted to see how this compared with the other top programs of the decade (2001-2009).

TX - 38/13
FL - 45/8
USC - 56/14
Okla - 40/7
LSU - 47/9
Ohio St - 63/15
Oregon - 32/3
Va Tech - 42/4
Penn St - 34/7
AL - 32/1
GA - 54/10

Ohio St. is the king for both total drafted and 1st-rounders. Va Tech surprised me with how many they had. Mark Richt wears the under-achiever crown by far. He's done little with an incredible amount of talent. Mack's 13 1st-rounders during the period was 3rd highest.

S