Another irrelevant insert by me: "Development" is the taking of something or someone from a beginning state and then doing something which improves that person or that thing into a (hopefully) more advanced state towards some goal. A grade school coach might do wonders in teaching grade school kids how to hold and catch and run the ball, and have really developed them. On the other hand, if they were all in the middle sectors of natural size and other physical traits, they'd still not play RB on the high school team. They MIGHT see some action just because they were so good at what COULD be taught, but there were some kids just too much naturally bigger and faster.
And the point is...? It is my belief, and to a degree my observation, that over the years the ND coaching staff has done generally VERY well at "developing" who they have to work with. Put one way: If you do not have Leonard Fournette, you will not turn C.J. Procise into him --- but you MIGHT blow everyone's mind and turn CJ Procise into a back who makes an NFL team. ... and in the RB room, the WR room, and even the QB room, that is what the ND staffs have typically been doing. They DO "develop", and develop all over the place. The staff seems to get some top level OLinemen, and guess what? They are developed into NFL players, lots of whom start (and a couple might just make the Hall.) They seem to get some top level TEs, and guess what? Same thing. What they get, they raise to the next level of "good" unless the player or some third circumstance comes in and ruins the process.
So what's their Development Grade? Kind of depends on whether people (irrationally) believe that anyone with a scholarship should be "developable" into an NFL quality player --- I don't, and doubt anyone here does. So the gripe should be: we don't get the masses of players that certain teams get who are just built fundamentally advanced for their age to begin with. I'll bet that with some good textbooks and film, I could have developed a young Usain Bolt into someone who won most of his races --- way less than he did of course, but the point is that it's nice to start with a headstart on the next guy.
I've watched ND for decades get less and less of the very top players migrating in to THE school as freshmen. How good REALLY was Leahy? vs how impossible to deal with were Leon Hart, Jungle Jim Martin, Jerry Groom, Johnny Lujack, and go on for another several pages. Leahy? Sure. A really good coach. Those other guys? Killers. Destroyers. ... who "developed" who in what areas? Saban makes a lot out of who he gets --- but he gets almost EVERYBODY (just like WWII Army did, or Leahy's ND.)
... and IE thoughtful commentary? Usually not too "developed", despite the intensity with which it is presented.
