Anyone that thinks recruiting ranking mean "nothing" is wrong.
I usually look at offers over rankings but they often go hand in hand. If a 2-3* guy has offers from Bama, MSU, UM, OSU, FSU, Florida, etc, I assume the rankings are wrong. On the other hand if a 4* has only MAC. lower B10 or non P5 offers I also assume the rankings are wrong.
You may notice that the same teams that have the highest rated recruiting classes are usually the same teams in the top 20 every year. No, recruiting rankings aren't the end all be all, but they mean something.
As for taking JUCO and transfers, that is perfectly fine. No issue and understandable why it is happening.
I have no problem only taking 10 freshman. However, when we are the best, and in many cases, the only D1 offer, that is an issue. Sure, there are a few exceptions here and there, Nelson for example, where they had other options, but for the most part UA is the best offer. That's a tad concerning IMHO.