Here is a blog from columnist Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic, one of our Gannett partners:
Gut reaction to Arizona’s firing of Mike Stoops …
Substandard recruiting has hurt the program. I took a look at Rivals.com’s recruiting rankings of conference teams the past five years and the Wildcats were always at or near the bottom.
For the 2011 class, they were ranked 12th among the new-look Pac-12 teams. From 2007 to 2010, they were seventh, eighth or ninth in the Pac-10. It surely didn’t help that Arizona State was ranked higher in recruiting each of those years and so far this recruiting season (for 2012 class), the Sun Devils are atop the Pac-12.
Granted, recruiting is subjective and this is only one site’s opinion, but when the perception is similar for so many seasons, you have to consider it seriously.
Recruiting is also reflected in depth of talent. ASU, which, like Arizona, has dealt with a variety of injuries, has been far more successful handling the loss of players this season.