Posted by: Chris Vannini on January 28, 2013

Recruiting rankings mean different things to different people. The major recruiting services even have different ways of ranking classes.

For example, Pete posed this scenario earler today: "Team A" has two 5-stars, 12 4-stars and 11 3-stars, while "Team B" has zero 5-stars, 21 4-stars and six 3-stars."

Which class would you take?

Most respondents to Pete's question picked Team B, but 247 Sports recruiting analyst Barton Simmons picked Team A and explained why.

@coachingsearch "Team A" for me....The right 5-stars can be program changers and the right three-stars can still be studs #SigningDay

— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) January 28, 2013

Different teams also have different needs. Just because it's a smaller class doesn't mean it's a weaker class.

Recruiting is far from an exact science, and player evaluation and development from coaches are the most important things. The positions of those highly-rated recruits matter, too.

Defensive linemen and quarterbacks are two of the most important positions. You need to be strong in the trenches. You can win games relying on skill position players, but if you don't win up front, you won't win it all. People talk about SEC speed, but a big part of that is from the defensive line.

As for the above scenario? Florida was Team A, with the No. 2-ranked class in 247 Sports, while LSU was ranked No. 7.

Which one would you take?

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Chris Vannini is the lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com