@juillet - The ranking was not mine, it was that of the department based on publications, academic paper presentations, teaching, etc. The while male was viewed as easily the standout student of the class, and when the job offers came out, people were very surprised, if not shocked that the two less promising students ended up at institutions that were considered as prestigious or more prestigious than the one they earned their PHD from. This was at a time when universities were just starting to seek diversity in hiring professors, particularly in this male centric field, so gender and race were the reasons given their placement.
BTW, I just googled the white male and it turns out he has a very solid career at a major research university with a laundry list of publications, teaching awards, presentations, and editors positions. Like cosmicfish’s tiering system, he is at a school one tier beneath that he earned his PHD at.