Clark column: Disappointing '15 class was beginning of end for Fisher

I've never been one of those old-school media members who mocked or dismissed the importance of recruiting rankings.

Every year around this time, we see these guys spout off about how so-and-so was a first-round pick despite being a two-star recruit. Or how this five-star or that four-star fizzled out and never became even a productive player, much less a standout.

We get it. Not everyone gets evaluated correctly when they're 17 years old.

But, as anyone who has a Rivals.com account can attest, the teams that finish near the top of the recruiting rankings each year also typically finish near the top of the actual rankings. That's not a coincidence.

The more four- and five-star kids you bring in, the better chance you have of going to New Year's Six bowl games and competing for championships. That's just the reality.

There are exceptions, of course.

Case in point: The Florida State recruiting class of 2015.

The Seminoles finished No. 3 that year in the Rivals team recruiting rankings, behind USC and Alabama and ahead of Clemson and Georgia.

The Seminoles landed an astonishing five five-star recruits, highlighted by future first-round pick Derwin James.

But when you look back at that class, especially within the context of last weekend's NFL Draft (I wrote about that right here!), you can get a glimpse of why things went so poorly for Florida State a season ago. And why the Seminoles will be young at several positions this fall.

Of the 21 signees (including greyshirt offensive lineman Ethan Frith) in that star-studded class from three years ago, 13 are already gone: James, Tarvarus McFadden, Auden Tate, Josh Sweat, Frith, Darvin Taylor, David Robbins, De'Andre Johnson, Da'Vante Phillips, Lorenzo Phillips, Sh'Mar Kilby-Lane, Marcus Lewis and Jalen Wilkerson.

Look at that list. Really look at it.

That's the majority of the 2015 recruiting class. One, that I should remind you, was ranked in the Top 3 in the United States.

How many of those departed guys made any impact at all? The first four. That's it (unless you count Da'Vante Phillips being a witness in Dalvin Cook's trial).