The Bodda Getta

You speak as if talent and performance are mutually exclusive. I suppose it depends on what the meaning of talent is. If, by talent you mean the ability to perform at a specified level if properly trained, coached, etc., then you very well may be correct. However, at what point in a players progression do you concede that the player isn't as "talented" as you may have been led to believe? And, what good does "talent" do if it never makes the transition to production on the field. I like Jeff Whitaker, great kid and he's going to be successful in whatever he chooses to do outside of football. But, is he a starter if he's playing at UGA, Bama, LSU, or Florida? No. Was he a consensus 4-star recruit. Absolutely. I could say the same thing about every other D-Lineman with the exception of maybe Dee Ford and Angelo Blackson.

The fact of the matter is this, and it's something you pointed out long before Chizik arrived: Chizik and company recruited based on recruiting rankings and when you do that, you get what Auburn's got. That's a cold hard sobering reality that a lot of folks aren't willing to accept because they play the "well, Bama, LSU, and UGA all wanted him too". However, that's not always the truth. You never know how hard some schools who are allegedly "recruiting" a kid are really recruiting him.