Blue chip (sports)
Blue chips are athletes, particularly high school players, targeted for drafting or signing by teams at the college level. Collegiate players being scouted by professional franchises may also be referred to as blue chips.
Blue chip players are those who have proven themselves to be among the best at their positions in their respective sports and are more sought after and wanted than other players.[1] They are typically perceived as "can't miss" prospects[2] who are desired by most organizations. Blue chip athletes are likely to have an immediate impact on teams that acquire them[2] and have proven skills rather than speculative or untapped potential. Many top recruits eventually go on to be successful at the professional level, especially in basketball and baseball.[3]
Blue-chip ratio in college football
In college football, the term "blue chip" is synonymous with four-star and five-star recruits. In 2013, sports writer Bud Elliott created a concept known as the "Blue-Chip Ratio" (BCR), which calculates which college football teams have enough talent to win the national championship in any given season. Essentially, the Blue-Chip Ratio is the ratio of blue chips to non-blue chips a team signs over the previous four recruiting classes. Furthermore, Elliott posits that teams need to sign more four-star and five-star recruits (blue chips) than two-star and three-star players (non-blue chips) over the previous four recruiting classes (in other words, having a BCR of at least 50%) to be able to win a national championship. Since 2011, every national champion has had a BCR of 50% or higher.[4]
According to Elliott, the Blue-Chip Ratio has been referenced by all major broadcast networks and closely monitored by head coaches and administrators.[5] It has also been covered by other sports writers, lending credibility to the concept.[6][7]
Blue-chip ratio by year
The following are lists of all the teams that had enough talent to win the national championship (BCR of 50% or higher) in recent seasons. Teams that won the national championship are highlighted in bold.
2019
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/LSUvsNWLA_772A_%2849105254476%29_%28Cropped-CF%29.jpg/300px-LSUvsNWLA_772A_%2849105254476%29_%28Cropped-CF%29.jpg)
- Ohio State – 81%
- Alabama – 80%
- Georgia – 79%
- LSU – 64%
- Florida State – 61%
- Clemson – 60%
- USC – 60%
- Penn State – 60%
- Michigan – 60%
- Texas – 60%
- Oklahoma – 60%
- Auburn – 58%
- Washington – 54%
- Notre Dame – 54%
- Florida – 53%
- Miami – 51%
2020
- Alabama – 83%
- Georgia – 82%
- Ohio State – 80%
- Texas – 64%
- LSU – 63%
- Oklahoma – 63%
- Clemson – 63%
- Florida – 63%
- Michigan – 59%
- Auburn – 59%
- Penn State – 59%
- Notre Dame – 56%
- Washington – 54%
- USC – 50%
- Texas A&M – 50%
2021
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/James_Cook_Georgia.jpg/300px-James_Cook_Georgia.jpg)
- Alabama – 84%
- Georgia – 80%
- Ohio State – 79%
- Clemson – 67%
- LSU – 66%
- Oklahoma – 66%
- Texas – 66%
- Florida – 66%
- Texas A&M – 61%
- Michigan – 58%
- Auburn – 56%
- Oregon – 56%
- Penn State – 56%
- Notre Dame – 55%
- Miami – 55%
- USC – 53%
2022
- Alabama – 89%
- Ohio State – 80%
- Georgia – 77%
- Oklahoma – 71%
- Texas A&M – 70%
- Texas – 68%
- LSU – 66%
- Clemson – 63%
- Notre Dame – 62%
- Florida – 60%
- Oregon – 60%
- Michigan – 59%
- Penn State – 55%
- Miami – 55%
- Auburn – 54%
2023
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Michigan_2023_Offensive_Line.jpg/300px-Michigan_2023_Offensive_Line.jpg)
- Alabama – 90%
- Ohio State – 85%
- Georgia – 77%
- Texas A&M – 73%
- Clemson – 72%
- LSU – 71%
- Texas – 70%
- Oklahoma – 70%
- Oregon – 67%
- Notre Dame – 65%
- Florida – 64%
- Miami – 61%
- Penn State – 55%
- Michigan – 54%
- USC – 52%
- Auburn – 51%
2024
- Ohio State – 90%
- Alabama – 88%
- Georgia – 80%
- Texas A&M – 79%
- Oregon – 76%
- Oklahoma – 73%
- Texas – 72%
- LSU – 70%
- Notre Dame – 67%
- Clemson – 64%
- Florida – 63%
- Miami – 61%
- Penn State – 61%
- USC – 59%
- Michigan – 56%
- Auburn – 53%
See also
References
- ^ Fisher, Derek; Brozek, Gary (September 8, 2009). Character Driven: Life, Lessons, and Basketball. New York City: Simon & Schuster. p. 151. ISBN 9781416580539.
...I was never one of those blue-chip prospects, the kind of player who was spotted in junior high, recruited heavily by the who's who of Division I basketball powerhouses, inundated with phone calls and enough mailings to fill a bedroom, and going to bed each night with the thoughts of eager coaches touting their respective programs.
- ^ a b Calhoun, Jim; Ernsberger, Richard Jr. (September 16, 2008). A Passion to Lead: Seven Leadership Secrets for Success in Business, Sports, and Life. New York City: St. Martin's Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780312384661.
Every year there are, maybe, fifteen five-star, blue-chip prospects who—if you believe the recruiting 'experts' and other pundits—are destined for instant college stardom as the first step toward a glittering career in professional basketball.
- ^ Tomik, Jeffrey (2015-02-04). "Do top high school prospects go on to win championships in the pros?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2024: These 16 college football teams can actually win the national championship". CBSSports.com. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2024: These 16 college football teams can actually win the national championship". CBSSports.com. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Why Tennessee threatens to bust 2024 Blue-Chip Ratio with Nico Iamaleava spearheading Josh Heupel's offense". CBSSports.com. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio Suggests Clemson a National Title Contender in 2024". The Clemson Insider. 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ Kirk, Jason (2019-08-08). "Blue-Chip Ratio 2019". Banner Society. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2020: The 15 teams who can win a national title". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2021: The 16 teams who can win a national title". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2022: The 15 teams who can actually win a national title". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2023: The 16 teams who can actually win a national title". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Blue-Chip Ratio 2024: These 16 college football teams can actually win the national championship". CBSSports.com. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-29.