OWH: High school coaches hoping in-state offers will increase with Mike Riley

[SouthLincoln Husker]

Sorry, there is not enough D1 talent in Nebraska. Plus, in TX & CA they play year round.

 

[Mavric]

During our fans with Wisconsin it was said that Wisconsin has made a living taking More local Midwestern kids and making them into great Olines.

No reason Nebraska shouldn't be doing some of this.

Wisconsin In-State Commits:

2014 - 6

2013 - 7

2012 - 3

2011 - 8

2010 - 8

2009 - 5

2008 - 7

2007 - 5

2006 - 6

2005 - 4

2004 - 8

2003 - 10

2002 - 8

Wisconsin took 6.5 in-state kids per year over that range. Nebraska took 3.5. Wisconsin has over three times the population of Nebraska. So we're actually taking more per capita. Plus a lot of those Wisconsin kids are two-star rated. Perhaps a lot of them developed into contributors but I don't have enough info to say one way or the other.

 

[Mavric]

Look...ALWAYS take the very best players you can. Period.

 

[BigRedBuster]

During our fans with Wisconsin it was said that Wisconsin has made a living taking More local Midwestern kids and making them into great Olines.

No reason Nebraska shouldn't be doing some of this.

Wisconsin In-State Commits:

2014 - 6

2013 - 7

2012 - 3

2011 - 8

2010 - 8

2009 - 5

2008 - 7

2007 - 5

2006 - 6

2005 - 4

2004 - 8

2003 - 10

2002 - 8

Wisconsin took 6.5 in-state kids per year over that range. Nebraska took 3.5. Wisconsin has over three times the population of Nebraska. So we're actually taking more per capita. Plus a lot of those Wisconsin kids are two-star rated. Perhaps a lot of them developed into contributors but I don't have enough info to say one way or the other.

Hmmm....I actually stand corrected. I went to prove you wrong and I somewhat proved myself wrong.

LINK

According to this two deep depth chart for this year for the 5 O line spots:

4 - Wisconsin

2 - Ohio

1 - Minnesota

1 - Illinois

1 - Washington

1 - Maryland

That's 8 of the 10 spots that they locked up with either Wisconsin kids or surrounding states.

LINK

Contrast that with Nebraska's two deep:

4 - Nebraska

2 - Texas

1 - Colorado

1 - Ohio

1 - Arizona

1 - Illinois

That makes 5 spots coming from Nebraska or surrounding states.

I still believe we should be pulling more from states like Iowa, Missouri, Kansas...etc. My comment wasn't that all these kids need to come from inside the borders of Nebraska. But, we need to be locking down recruiting of big beefy linemen from surrounding states in the midwest.

This obviously shows we have been doing some of that. I believe we can develop it even more.

Hopefully a new O line coach can make these kids even better than we have seen lately.

 

[ScottyIce]

Was that quote from Hortdog?

 

[Hayseed]

Hope they don't.......we hear these homer stories every time, as if the championship teams were made up of mostly locals and walkons. Better recruit the populated areas instead and quit all this nostalgia and wishful thinking.

There are Nebraska kids playing football for better and higher ranked teams than the Huskers. Stanford has a good one right now. Kansas St. doesn't mind poaching our best players.

The best players in this state should be playing for Nebraska.

We aren't talking about all out devotion to recruiting this state. It's our own back yard! It's easy to know where the best players are and to evaluate them. Quit bitching about access to a private plane and just get in a car, drive an hour, and check out a game.

Secondly, why do we act like we are recruiting ready to play all stars? The college game is where these kids are developed. Were we not able to evaluate the basic strengths of a player such as footwork and upper body strength? Hand strength? Or maybe, just maybe we knew player development wasn't a strong suit.

I don't know. I'm glad the circus tents are gone and the show has left town.

Everything we've heard about Riley says he's a talent evaluator, teacher and developer. Not a doubt in my mind he knows how to spot teachable kids and mold them. I know it's kind of a new concept for some of you. It's been awhile since we developed a player. Obviously recruiting Texas and Cali's three and four star players has just been miraculous for the former staff.....#9wins.

So you're saying Bo didn't recruit Nebraska players? Seems like we hear that line of bull from the local sports writers who are perpetually desperate for a story every time there's a coaching change. The only one I know who missed big time was Callahan (and to some extent Solich) who thought Danny Woodhead wasn't big enough. I'm all for recruiting locals and the walkon program, but let's not turn it into some big failure of the former staff just because we're hurting for a story. And another thing, let's not act like we're the only program in the country that encourages walkons and develops unrecruited no-star players.......every school does.

Oh, and Callahan more than made up for missing Woodhead when he got back to the NFL.

 

[NUinID]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

The toughest part of projecting the success of Nebraska high school kids to the next level is the level of competition that they face each week, especially if the kid plays in the lower classes (C or D). Yes, it's tough to project high school kids anyway, but when there is a true lack of competition within the state, then a kid can stand out more than usual.

I don't know if Bo and his staff looked at kids in this state "fairly", but it looks like he had some misses with Drew Ott and Harrison Phillips. I would think that NU could get some good linemen (both offense and defense) within the state and bordering states. The tough part is to do with the skill players that come from Nebraska.

 

[BigRedBuster]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

The toughest part of projecting the success of Nebraska high school kids to the next level is the level of competition that they face each week, especially if the kid plays in the lower classes (C or D). Yes, it's tough to project high school kids anyway, but when there is a true lack of competition within the state, then a kid can stand out more than usual.

I don't know if Bo and his staff looked at kids in this state "fairly", but it looks like he had some misses with Drew Ott and Harrison Phillips. I would think that NU could get some good linemen (both offense and defense) within the state and bordering states. The tough part is to do with the skill players that come from Nebraska.

This is all something that somehow, TO really understood.

I firmly believe that if the Makovicka brothers were coming through school right now, they wouldn't even get looked at because they come from such a small school. Nebraska coaches that didn't grow up here and know the state just don't understand where and how to look for players in areas like that.

 

[DrunkOffPunch]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

I played class D. There are nowhere near ten D1 football athletes yearly in those ranks. The thing about C-D schools is you do everything. Football, basketball, track, baseball, wrestling, choir, band etc. Most students in these schools are too busy to focus solely on football. The amount of development time most would need would be much greater than from some 4A Texas school where he plays football year round. FWIW, a 4.8 forty is probably pretty fast for a RB in a class D school.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

The toughest part of projecting the success of Nebraska high school kids to the next level is the level of competition that they face each week, especially if the kid plays in the lower classes (C or D). Yes, it's tough to project high school kids anyway, but when there is a true lack of competition within the state, then a kid can stand out more than usual.

I don't know if Bo and his staff looked at kids in this state "fairly", but it looks like he had some misses with Drew Ott and Harrison Phillips. I would think that NU could get some good linemen (both offense and defense) within the state and bordering states. The tough part is to do with the skill players that come from Nebraska.

This is all something that somehow, TO really understood.

I firmly believe that if the Makovicka brothers were coming through school right now, they wouldn't even get looked at because they come from such a small school. Nebraska coaches that didn't grow up here and know the state just don't understand where and how to look for players in areas like that.

Yet, the Mackovicka brothers came to NU as walk-ons, and they played a position that is nearly extinct in today's football. Nowadays, those same kids that went to NU as walk-ons, are now going to Ohio or Wyoming or a FCS school because the cost of going to college is so expensive.

 

[Hayseed]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

The toughest part of projecting the success of Nebraska high school kids to the next level is the level of competition that they face each week, especially if the kid plays in the lower classes (C or D). Yes, it's tough to project high school kids anyway, but when there is a true lack of competition within the state, then a kid can stand out more than usual.

I don't know if Bo and his staff looked at kids in this state "fairly", but it looks like he had some misses with Drew Ott and Harrison Phillips. I would think that NU could get some good linemen (both offense and defense) within the state and bordering states. The tough part is to do with the skill players that come from Nebraska.

This is all something that somehow, TO really understood.

I firmly believe that if the Makovicka brothers were coming through school right now, they wouldn't even get looked at because they come from such a small school. Nebraska coaches that didn't grow up here and know the state just don't understand where and how to look for players in areas like that.

How many players was TO allowed to have on the sidelines? I think it was around 150 back in the 70's. I have all kinds of confidence that any standout Nebraska player will be easy to find. It seems to me the difference is whether the coach thinks that the one Nebraska guy is as good as the ten with similar stats he could recruit from a populated area. Again, I think this is another rehashed subject without much foundation that comes up every time we hire a new coach and the sports writer can't think of anything else to write about.

 

[BigRedBuster]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

I played class D. There are nowhere near ten D1 football athletes yearly in those ranks. The thing about C-D schools is you do everything. Football, basketball, track, baseball, wrestling, choir, band etc. Most students in these schools are too busy to focus solely on football. The amount of development time most would need would be much greater than from some 4A Texas school where he plays football year round. FWIW, a 4.8 forty is probably pretty fast for a RB in a class D school.

To be fair, he said 5-10 in both C and D.

The difference between the two scenarios you just spoke of is the kid from C or D in Nebraska is going to take a couple years in Lincoln to develop. The kid from 4A in Texas much closer to his peak when he gets to Lincoln.

So, let's say you have two players that genetically are exactly the same, the Texas kid is probably going to be closer to being ready to hit the field when they land in Lincoln compared to the kid from Valentine or Mullen.

Much has happened in college football that makes coaches not want to take chances on these kids. When you reduce scholarships to 85, there are way fewer resources to commit to one of these kids for 3 years hoping they grow into a stud.

This is where at least to some extent, I want Riley and his staff to work with HS coaches (not just in Lincoln and Omaha) to teach them to develop these kids as much as they can in HS.

If you have a kid in Gothenburg who is 6'4, 190 lbs and plays QB, he should be being taught proper throwing techniques. He should also be being taught at least to some extent how to run a passing offense. You never know when a kid like that actually has the amazing talent that shines.

Also, want to point out, yes....the kid from 4A in Texas plays football year round. But, I will go to my grave believing there is a benefit to playing all the various sports that a kid in class C and D do in Nebraska. I know some really good linemen who developed good footwork...etc. by playing basketball. I know kids who wouldn't be anywhere close to the receiver they are without also playing baseball...etc.

 

[Hayseed]

There are probably somewhere between 5-10 football players in the class C-D ranks that have the physical ability to play division 1 football. They have the measurable to play. The problem is that they are not nearly as developed as players from other states so because of that they are a much bigger risk.

A lot of these guys are 6'4" 240lb maybe played fullback or tailback, played linebacker in HS and were really good athletes but maybe not at the positions they played in HS. They may run a 4.8 forty, but that is not good enough to play those positions at the D-1 level. Put 50lbs on them and they have the potential to be solid d tackles or guards and centers on offense. Most these kids end up playing at div 2 or 1AA schools.

These guys can play they are just a big risk. That's why they want them to walk on.

The toughest part of projecting the success of Nebraska high school kids to the next level is the level of competition that they face each week, especially if the kid plays in the lower classes (C or D). Yes, it's tough to project high school kids anyway, but when there is a true lack of competition within the state, then a kid can stand out more than usual.

I don't know if Bo and his staff looked at kids in this state "fairly", but it looks like he had some misses with Drew Ott and Harrison Phillips. I would think that NU could get some good linemen (both offense and defense) within the state and bordering states. The tough part is to do with the skill players that come from Nebraska.

This is all something that somehow, TO really understood.

I firmly believe that if the Makovicka brothers were coming through school right now, they wouldn't even get looked at because they come from such a small school. Nebraska coaches that didn't grow up here and know the state just don't understand where and how to look for players in areas like that.

Yet, the Mackovicka brothers came to NU as walk-ons, and they played a position that is nearly extinct in today's football. Nowadays, those same kids that went to NU as walk-ons, are now going to Ohio or Wyoming or a FCS school because the cost of going to college is so expensive.

Those same players are recruited by Nebraska and play on special teams as well as two plays on Senior Day. Would a talented quarterback from Wood River still be recruited today? I'm thinking so.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

The number of players allowed on the sidelines is limitless for home games. The coach will allow as many kids as he can "control". Roster sizes during Osborne's days were probably in the 150-175 range. I think the scholarship limit was around 100 to 105. I am not sure when the scholly limit was dropped to 85 players.