Is this the best recruiting class ever

[dthomas=ddixon]

^^ I didn't mean to come off as harsh and defensive as I did, so sorry about that.

Cliff was a great prospect for us, but coming out of HS at least I don't think many people considered him 'elite.' DAT is universally considered to be an elite CB prospect.

What's scary though is that he has the athleticism and know-how to be a beast, and I mean BEAST on the offensive side of the ball as well. His versatility makes him special.

Cliff was by and large considered the best cover corner in the nation that year as well as the top CB in the West. I think concerns about his grades were cause for him to be not as widely respected in his overall grade on a few sites. Same thing happened with Colt Lyerla this year. Lyerla dropped on every site from his summer ratings and this was basically due to rumors about his attitude/grades. Same thing happened with Cliff and like Lyerla, he only became considered elite with Rivals and after dominating the All-American week. Scout and ESPN severely lacked follow through in their final rating of Cliff and Lyerla IMO. And this is maybe why you don't think Cliff was considered elite.

What Pontius said. He was the #1 CB on both Rivals & Scout IIRC before questions about his grades surfaced. He dropped quite a bit after that but everyone still knew he was an elite prospect. And you can't teach Cliff's mentality, its what makes him so great IMO. Elite skills paired with the perfect mentality for a DB.