2015 Recruiting Season is in full swing

[Hiphopopotamos]

For those curious - here are our recruiting rankings since 2000 (according to 247 composite):

2000 - 6th

2001 - 11th

2002 - 1st

2003 - 8th

2004 - 9th

2005 - 13th

2006 - 5th

2007 - 4th

2008 - 9th

2009 - 6th

2010 - 2nd

2011 - 4th

2012 - 2nd

2013 - 17th

2014 - 17th (Strongs first class - but recruited by Macks staff)

In all likelyhood Texas is looking at a class in the 10-15 range.  Its certainly the worst stretch in the last 15 years - but with the SEC and other schools in Texas coming to prominence I don't think its going to be as easy having long stretches top 10 classes like it used to be.

 

[Hiphopopotamos]

The booger-eaters may get them all -- Kirk, Jefferson, McNeal and Lodge.

Certainly looks that way - and if Wyatt gets hired Lodge might very well go there despite Sumlin calling him out.  IMO not retaining Wyatt was the biggest mistake Strong made.  He's a good enough coach and a fantastic recruiter with ties to the state - would have been a good guy to keep for a staff new to the area.

Over on 247, they were talking that STrong is much more interested in having coaches that can develop players than he is interested in guys that specialize in recruiting.  These next few years should be a pretty good case study for that idea.

 

[DMAC]

It is worrisome that we have a hard time hanging onto 3 or 4 star recruits.  Then the ags get loaded on five star recruits?  WTH.  

I love CS as much as anyone, but this just feels wrong. I bet Baylor fans felt this way when they were doormats and Kwame Cavil was snatched right under their noses.

Our highest rated recruits right now are Gentry and Burt and both are OOS.

The ags defense is a freaking joke.  Hill for Heisman?  Please stop it tickles.  Yet they are kicking our ass in recruits.

Something else is up  :huh:

 

[Juan]

Scout's JUCO Top 100 rankings

http://recruiting.scout.com/story/1492301-2015-juco-top-100?s=73&?ref=12125&utm_source=SocialMedia&utm_medium=HootSuitePost&utm_campaign=HootSuite

Hodges #26

Vasser #48

 

[Juan]

.....IMO not retaining Wyatt was the biggest mistake Strong made.  He's a good enough coach and a fantastic recruiter with ties to the state - would have been a good guy to keep for a staff new to the area.....

OC?

 

[primal defense]

It is worrisome that we have a hard time hanging onto 3 or 4 star recruits.  Then the ags get loaded on five star recruits?  WTH.  

I love CS as much as anyone, but this just feels wrong. I bet Baylor fans felt this way when they were doormats and Kwame Cavil was snatched right under their noses.

Our highest rated recruits right now are Gentry and Burt and both are OOS.

The ags defense is a freaking joke.  Hill for Heisman?  Please stop it tickles.  Yet they are kicking our ass in recruits.

Something else is up  :huh:

It just doesn't make any cent$.

 

[Dieselprime]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011


Now I'm confused. I thought whoevers gear he wore the second day would be the one he picked. Now I'm lost.

 

[Juan]

Just FYI. Today is the first day in which Devonaire Clarington did not have !00% Crystal Balls for Miami. It's now 92% Miami and 8% Texas.

Looks like all four of the latest CB selections for TE Devonaire Clarington go Texas,

Including Ryan Bartow (switched from LSU) and Bobby Burton (the other 2 are Notre Dame and tOSU folks).

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

Now I'm confused. I thought whoevers gear he wore the second day would be the one he picked. Now I'm lost.



That's #2 of his final 3.

Yesterday was us.

Tomorrow is aggy.

 

[Randolph Duke]

It just doesn't make any cent$.

People who are claiming aggy is doing so well in recruiting because they are paying players is foolish and sounding like the aggys during the Mack Brown era. Since Sumlin took over at aggy, there has been absolutely zero evidence offered that aggy is offering any prohibited benefits, including financial payments. Not even the flimsiest evidence of any such behavior. None of us has truthfully seen any evidence of improper benefits being given to aggy recruits. Common sense says it is unbelievable that 18 year old kids could keep their mouths shut about being lavished with relative large sums of money. It is juvenile and foolish to make such blind accusations without any direct knowledge or any evidence. If it was going on, someone would have something to show that it is going on. Supposed insiders on this board have made claims in the past of personal knowledge of such benefits being given to aggy players. I do not believe anyone should take such accusations with a grain of salt. 

Anyone who knows me knows I am not one to rush to defend aggy. Making false and baseless accusations to detract from the fact the UT coaching staff isn't on par with they aggy staff makes the UT fanbase look small and childish. To claim someone has evidence of such wrongdoing, but that the best interests of the game dictate it should be kept secret is beyond absurd. Texas is losing out on top talent to aggy because our recruiters simply aren't as good as theirs right now. Why they are better is a subject we can argue about for hours, but it isn't because Kevin Sumlin's staff is paying players. We just need to accept the staff Charlie Strong assembled is not as good as the one Kevin Sumlin has built right now. Accept it. 

 

[streettopeschel]

People who are claiming aggy is doing so well in recruiting because they are paying players is foolish and sounding like the aggys during the Mack Brown era. Since Sumlin took over at aggy, there has been absolutely zero evidence offered that aggy is offering any prohibited benefits, including financial payments. Not even the flimsiest evidence of any such behavior. None of us has truthfully seen any evidence of improper benefits being given to aggy recruits. Common sense says it is unbelievable that 18 year old kids could keep their mouths shut about being lavished with relative large sums of money. It is juvenile and foolish to make such blind accusations without any direct knowledge or any evidence. If it was going on, someone would have something to show that it is going on. Supposed insiders on this board have made claims in the past of personal knowledge of such benefits being given to aggy players. I do not believe anyone should take such accusations with a grain of salt. 

Anyone who knows me knows I am not one to rush to defend aggy. Making false and baseless accusations to detract from the fact the UT coaching staff isn't on par with they aggy staff makes the UT fanbase look small and childish. To claim someone has evidence of such wrongdoing, but that the best interests of the game dictate it should be kept secret is beyond absurd. Texas is losing out on top talent to aggy because our recruiters simply aren't as good as theirs right now. Why they are better is a subject we can argue about for hours, but it isn't because Kevin Sumlin's staff is paying players. We just need to accept the staff Charlie Strong assembled is not as good as the one Kevin Sumlin has built right now. Accept it. 

i agree with your overall premise that blaming any recruiting shortcomings on someone else buying players is to ignore the bigger issue of our program not selling itself successfully to recruits....yet.

but the reasons highlited mean nothing imo. i never saw any evidence of sherrill or switzer doing it either. it happened. and plenty of 18-year olds took money in the hey day of the swc and kept it quiet.

the ags have had two sustained periods of success in modern times. bear in the 50s and jackie/slocum in the 80s-90s. both periods ended in probation. if some of our fans are conditioned to think another period of aggie success might be tainted, it's not an unreasonable supposition.  

 

[texasdobbs]

I am still waiting for the dust to settle. ... if anyone knows anything about recruiting it's about relationships first... although relationships is not the only factor in recruiting it's the main factor.... Charlie has had about one year to build relationships with the top recruits in the state compared to 2 plus years other coaches have had.... so what I'm saying things will get better so get your horns up!!!!

 

[bcherry168]

Everyone needs to understand that Charlie Strong is 2 years behind Sumlin on a lot of these kids. Don't despair. We are going to do fine, and get much better each year. For those worrying about Malik, don't. I really like Cecil Cherry, and he may well make Jefferson look bad by the time its all said and done. He is mobile, agile, and hostile. A bit of coaching and he will be a force in the middle.

I am really very pleased at how Strong is recruiting. Next year, the class ought to be very good, and the next one even better.

I am thinking right now that we are going to be down to the quarterback position to have a pretty good team next year and to challenge for the conference the next. We really need for one to come through for us. I am not thinking that Swoopes is going to be the answer, so Heard needs to get it done. Or a transfer if there is one out there.

I approve of what RD says, except I don't see that Sumlin's staff is better than Strong's. In fact, other than Chambers, we are better across the board. As I said above, the real problem here is lack of time spent on the 2015s.

 

[buice77]

It's three letters it damn sure isn't Sumlin and his coaching staff it's SEC. If Texas was in the SEC with the aggy do y'all really think they would be out recruiting us Hell No. These recruits know we are the flagship university in this state but it's the SEC. The only way we get these recruits in this state back is by winning and it's coming soon.

 

[Bear19]

I am thinking a full year is enough time for a coach to catch up on relationships.it certainly did not take Mack that long. But I hope I am wrong and we see much better results next year. After all haven't the aggy lost about half of their 13 class?

 

[Davharjac]

Recruiting is about relationships...aggy and other schools have been in on 14 and 15 for a while..this class isn't going to be labeled great, but they are getting guys that will be the foundation for what they want...and if they suck...they'll be a new staff. But give it time. They came in a burned it down. 

 

[MikeV73]

Agree time will improve our recruiting as Strong builds relationships with the HS coaches and players. He seems to be getting some good commits this cycle, and possibly some bigger fish as time to signing day counts down.

PS: Dickerson still enjoying his gold Trans-Am, still not talking about how he got his ride or the cash Craig James says never changed hands at SMU. Aggie seems to be selling their vision well, recruiting well last few years. Thankfully they don't coach them up to their potential.

 

[Randolph Duke]

i agree with your overall premise that blaming any recruiting shortcomings on someone else buying players is to ignore the bigger issue of our program not selling itself successfully to recruits....yet.

but the reasons highlited mean nothing imo. i never saw any evidence of sherrill or switzer doing it either. it happened. and plenty of 18-year olds took money in the hey day of the swc and kept it quiet.

the ags have had two sustained periods of success in modern times. bear in the 50s and jackie/slocum in the 80s-90s. both periods ended in probation. if some of our fans are conditioned to think another period of aggie success might be tainted, it's not an unreasonable supposition.  

Remember there was prohibition on playing payers prior to 1953. Bear got in trouble in 1956 because when some teams tried to abide by new rules, he didn't and was turned into the NCAA. When Darrell Royal was turned in for handing players meal money instead of giving it to the hosts to pay the tab (in 1964, his only probation), it was Haden Fry who turned him in. The Switzer violations of the mid 80s were discovered precisely because ex-players and recruits talked (and players got shot). When the ags got in trouble under Sherrill, it was because people talked. When SMU got into trouble, it was because a disgruntled former player talked.

When the players were receiving low level benefits (boosters buying tickets, etc) there wasn't a lot of complianing. When there were major violations, coaches turned in other programs, recruits talked and both current and former players talked. 

[SIZE=12pt]People bash Darrell Royal for a lot of reasons, claiming he was a dirty coach but none of them had any proof. During Royal's tenure, he had 58 players drafted into the NFL. During the same time, OU had 92 , aggy had 69 drafted, Houston had 70, SMU had 35, and Rice had 29. Royal didn't win because he was dirty. Darrell wasn't dirty, he won because he out-coached others who arguably had better talent. In the post-Akers 80s, Texas sucked because we weren't paying players, but there is no evidence we kept quiet when others were cheating.[/SIZE]

When there is cheating, it has always been uncovered in short order because coaches, players and recruits talked. As it stands now, the only people who are talking are rival fans on internet boards with zero evidence. As much as it frustrates me to say so, enough time has gone by and no one has said anything credible to indicate the ags are cheating. Not even those facing like in prison for gun and drug charges. Just as Darrell kicked other teams around because he was a better coach, as it stands now, we have to just grudgingly admit Sumlin is just a much better recruiter and not a dirty recruiter. Claiming otherwise, without any evidence whatsoever, just makes people seem small, jealous and petty. 

 

[swaha]

Sumlin is still riding the Johnny Football wave.  That wave has peaked and it is starting to slowly fade.  When your school is new to a conference, have an exciting Heisman winning QB, and lots of media attention, recruits are going to take notice.  It doesnt matter if the school wins conference championships or not.  The media is still keeping A&M in the lime light but they are now starting to see they were a quick flash.  Kids now days tend to get caught up in the flash instead of the substance, i.e. Swag Copter. Strong is going to win more games but it is going to take time.  The more kids he puts in the NFL will get the recruits attention.