Official 2016 Recruiting Updates Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos, Stories, Rumors, etc.

This program is seen as a continuation of JK s program. The clock is not starting over. They have. 2-3 yrs to have a good season, which I think will happen. We are taking this class for a grade, they want to win now and we should.

500k buyout for Claeys each of 2 years...I think? Hardly a continuation. Why wasn't he given 5 years like most 1st year coaches?
 

Do any other successful BIG teams sign 5-7 JuCo guys regularly? I'm not saying it is the worst strategy, as a lot of Big 12 schools do OK with it, but the BIG seems like most a sign-and-develop league. OSU and the likes seem to bring one in every once in a while but generally take a blue chip grad transfer if there. More comparable programs like Iowa and Wisky - Iowa does a bit, Wisky almost never does (I think they started to under Andersen). Sure I'd take Russell Wilson as a grad transfer, but not all JuCos are going to fit in.

You can't not acknowledge the negative side to it. "Well, we just needed some upper-level depth at d-back and the offensive line...we have some young recruits at those spots." Guess what, maybe you're ignoring WR or LB to plug the holes and you're going to have the same problem in 2 years at those positions when the 1 young guy you were counting on at LB is a bust or transfers away.

The vast majority of our recruits are from high school. That's the way it should be, and the way Claeys has said he prefers it. We currently have 4 JUCOs in this class: Merrick Jackson, a 300 lb. DT who has a great chance of starting along side Richardson for the next 2 years; Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright, who both in all likelihood are starting at RG/LG in game 1; and Kobe McCrary. Given our issues on the line last year, how could anyone not want the first 3 guys??? We've also supplemented the 2 JUCO O-lineman with 2 high school recruits and are actively trying to get a few more. All 3 had multiple power 5 offers and are big-time JUCO recruits for us. It's hard to get as excited about McCrary, but if you look at the roster it's clear why we need him.

As far as consistently recruiting JUCOs, last year we took 1: Ace Rogers. For the 2014 class we took 1 JUCO: Cody Poock. So the notion that we are "loading up on JUCOs" and taking 5-7 per class is far from accurate.
 

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I see Bart Miller's hard at work, Williams had been previously offered by FAU, maybe there's enough of a relationship to flip him.
 

This program is seen as a continuation of JK s program. The clock is not starting over. They have. 2-3 yrs to have a good season, which I think will happen. We are taking this class for a grade, they want to win now and we should.

Unless Croft or Green are complete studs, this coming season will be our best record-wise I'd guess. The schedule is just too good. That's why I didn't necessarily blame Claeys for going for the quick fix this year. If they win 8+ games, he probably gets his extension.
 



Speaking of flipping, Matt Humbert (Daily Gopher) has Noah Fant flipping to us. We have a long ways to go on this, but he'll be here this weekend and things look very promising.

I'm starting to get a little giddy - would someone please rain on my parade.
 

How could he hurt us by trying to go "all in" now? The other major revenue-generating sport coach is showing you exactly how.

Really? You're going to compare the two??? It is WAY easier to screw up a basketball program than a football one. Pitino only has 12 guys, only gets to bring in a few per year. Claeys on the other hand pretty much has to take about 20 high school kids per year. If he tried to sign enough Juco players to wreck a future senior class, it would stand out pretty easily.
 

Really? You're going to compare the two??? It is WAY easier to screw up a basketball program than a football one. Pitino only has 12 guys, only gets to bring in a few per year. Claeys on the other hand pretty much has to take about 20 high school kids per year. If he tried to sign enough Juco players to wreck a future senior class, it would stand out pretty easily.

Really? You do realize a few more players are needed to field a football team than basketball team, right?
 

500k buyout for Claeys each of 2 years...I think? Hardly a continuation. Why wasn't he given 5 years like most 1st year coaches?

Because he wasn't chosen with a coaching search. He was chosen for continuity and based on the current recruiting class. He's been the best of the coaching staff since he got here (out of Kill, Limegrover and himself), so I'm not too worried. Win and you get a contract. Look lost like Brewster and we move on to someone else. Recruiting and wins are going to be very big in 2016...
 



Really? You do realize a few more players are needed to field a football team than basketball team, right?

Considering the production on the basketball side if we just stored football players there we could get some extra scholarships / practices in....
 

500k buyout for Claeys each of 2 years...I think? Hardly a continuation. Why wasn't he given 5 years like most 1st year coaches?
Perhaps he would have if the AD position wasn't also open. Claeys only wanted a chance to prove himself, the administration didn't want to tie the hands of an incoming AD, whomever the new AD is will have the chance to make the program theirs. It's a finesse solution to keep as many options as possible while filling the AD position.
 

It has been stated many times on the bball board that people think rock bottom this year has a little bit to do with Richard trying to win with/for the Hollinses and others by bringing in Matheiu, King, Morris, etc.

Those people are wrong. King and Morris are still around. The problem wasn't bringing them in as transfers (King wasn't a JUCO); the bigger problem with them is that it means our seniors are role players.

An even bigger problem was that Pitino missed on McNeil, Martin, Diedhiou (all brought in as freshmen) and Lofton. And that is giving him the benefit of the doubt on Konate, also brought in as a freshman.

If King, Morris, Diedhiou and Konate were better -- and McNeil, Martin and Lofton still here -- things would look better in Williams Arena. That has little to do with a focus on JUCOs.

To bring it back to football, a few JUCOs won't hurt if the HS players being brought in with them can play and stay.
 

Snelson aside, wouldn't it make more sense to see how a recruit's college career pans out before declaring them overhyped?

I said he was the most over-hyped recruit. Based on the attention he gets on this board, you'd think he was a top 10 player in the country instead of the #166 rated receiver who is currently ranked lower on several services than our other 3 WR recruits...:banghead:
 




Any big prospects coming to campus this Saturday for the Junior Day?
Never to early to start looking ahead!
 


Speaking of flipping, Matt Humbert (Daily Gopher) has Noah Fant flipping to us. We have a long ways to go on this, but he'll be here this weekend and things look very promising. I'm starting to get a little giddy - would someone please rain on my parade.

I think it looks really good for Fant to commit here now. He has upset the Iowa coaches supposedly and according to the Rivals guys, he no longer has a committable offer from Nebraska either.
 


Assume a 33% hit rate for recruits. If we had a class of 24 this year, that means 8 are probably starters or key players. I realize this year is more JuCo than most years, but we may take 6-8. Say we took 18 freshmen and 6 JuCos, you may have 2 less key players down the road given the hit %.

That may not seem like a lot but if it is your strategy, it adds up. You also can't redshirt as much because some of your young players are always a backup. Maybe you think losing a bit of this depth can be covered by more JuCos in 2 years, but you're again adding guys that have never been in your system.

I also think that getting a kid as a freshman gives you a better chance of developing an All BIG player.

Finally, I am all for kids getting every chance to achieve. I'm glad JuCos exist and I'm glad that kids can get back into major college programs. Most of them are great kids and just needed a different environment to succeed or had a tough situation in life.

All of that said, we are grouping ourselves with Iowa State, Kansas State, Baylor, and Tennessee. We like to talk ourselves up as a world class institution (including for athletes) and we are not exactly bringing in a bunch of top tier students. I don't see Northwestern, Purdue, Vanderbilt, ND, Wisky, Stanford bringing in a bunch of JuCos. Can't have our cake and eat it, too. Ok, I guess Purdue does take a lot of JuCos.

Again, you are just reaching. If the trend was 3 or 4 years then maybe...but this is one year. Let it go.
 

Perhaps he would have if the AD position wasn't also open. Claeys only wanted a chance to prove himself, the administration didn't want to tie the hands of an incoming AD, whomever the new AD is will have the chance to make the program theirs. It's a finesse solution to keep as many options as possible while filling the AD position.

Exactly, the OP was intimating that he had 2-3 years where I feel he has 1 year to prove he's worthy.
 


The vast majority of our recruits are from high school. That's the way it should be, and the way Claeys has said he prefers it. We currently have 4 JUCOs in this class: Merrick Jackson, a 300 lb. DT who has a great chance of starting along side Richardson for the next 2 years; Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright, who both in all likelihood are starting at RG/LG in game 1; and Kobe McCrary. Given our issues on the line last year, how could anyone not want the first 3 guys??? We've also supplemented the 2 JUCO O-lineman with 2 high school recruits and are actively trying to get a few more. All 3 had multiple power 5 offers and are big-time JUCO recruits for us. It's hard to get as excited about McCrary, but if you look at the roster it's clear why we need him.

As far as consistently recruiting JUCOs, last year we took 1: Ace Rogers. For the 2014 class we took 1 JUCO: Cody Poock. So the notion that we are "loading up on JUCOs" and taking 5-7 per class is far from accurate.

Aaron Rogers, OJ Simpson, Rick Upchurch were all JUCOs. I'd take someone of that caliber even for just 2 years.
 


<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 





Dior Johnson and Ray Buford are also from Southfield MI.

This ought to help with recruiting.

Tamarion at 6' 5'' 200 lbs has size and can develop into a nice DE in SC program.
 

Dior Johnson and Ray Buford are also from Southfield MI.

This ought to help with recruiting.

Tamarion at 6' 5'' 200 lbs has size and can develop into a nice DE in SC program.

Up to 220 on hudl. I personally like him a lot better than Epting and evidently so do the coaches.
 




Top Bottom