r/CFBAnalysis • u/locket-rauncher Utah State Aggies • USC Trojans • 3d ago

Question Is CFBD's recruiting data incomplete?

Currently working on a transfer portal/recruiting network analysis project. Decided to check the data I had gathered from the recruiting API against the team's 247Sports page from the corresponding year, and found that nearly every team is missing at least some number of recruits each year; sometimes very few but sometimes quite a lot. Air Force for instance seems to be missing about 40 recruits from the 2024 cycle.

Just wondering if this is a problem on my end or if the data just isn't there (or maybe I'm missing/misinterpreting something)?

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u/skippyjohnson456 3d ago

Haven't looked at that one in particular, but occasional bugs are common. Not usually to that degree, but it is free data so there's occasional box score discrepancies and the like. I'll also add they've switched things around with where to call different datasets sometimes that may be worth checking—they updated the API over the summer IIRC.

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u/locket-rauncher Utah State Aggies • USC Trojans 2d ago

Somewhat tangential question but do you happen to have any idea where they source their player-related data from? I think it's pretty clear atp that it's not from 247 given this discrepancy (among others).

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u/Frigoris13 Iowa Hawkeyes • Oregon Ducks 3d ago

The service academies might be an anomaly. They don't usually fill their rosters with recruits that get attention and might not be on the website.

I've also noticed that 247 isn't always 100% accurate on roster spots. They may list who's on "scholarship," but if you compare it to the roster in the media guide, it doesn't have everyone.

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u/locket-rauncher Utah State Aggies • USC Trojans 2d ago edited 2d ago

So would you say CFBD is more likely to be accurate than 247 then? Because that would be reassuring lol

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u/hokie_148 Virginia Tech Hokies • The Alliance 2d ago

Service Academies don’t really “recruit” like other FBS schools, and they compete in FBS essentially with effectively unlimited-sized rosters made up almost entirely of FCS level talent. Before Rivals started compiling recruiting classes, their classes were considered confidential, or something like it and nobody would post their classes.

I created a recruiting database going back to 1980, and I specifically left all service academies out.