dylan

I don't think that's the case at all. I do think though that NCAA compliance is at an all time low and that dirty programs are getting smarter and ballsier with their cheating. If you don't think all the smoke in the SEC in recent years is fire, then I don't know what to tell you. I will tell you that I'm proud that NU does things the right way and that I hope it never changes. We'd never be able to out cheat them anyway, and I'd just as soon we don't try.

That's an inane statement since he's not going anywhere after that much success and if he for some reason did it wouldn't be to a more challenging recruiting situation. Comparing NU recruiting to cheating schools in talent rich regions is pointless. Unless you are one that thinks NU can or should try the same tactics.

And yet they've always had talented players and boosters willing to buy them.

Yeah, it's weird how much better of a coach and recruiter saban became when he went to a dirty program in a talent rich region.

Tom's recruiting rankings rose and fell, but you're right that he consistently brought in elite talent from across the country (though there were many fans in the 70's and late 80's to early 90's that may have disputed that). The major differences fall under how few National programs there were that played on TV back then, the level at which TO won (I disagree that Bo can match even the pre-90's level, but almost no one in history can) and the rules that allowed us to use kids that don't qualify academically today, which TO and our support staff used brilliantly to make up for our geographical disadvantage.

Agree on MSU, they probably cheat like the rest of the south, but there's no doubt that Mullen is coaching his ass off and is due for a promotion in the near future. Ole Miss has been buying up top recruits at a record pace lately and it's starting to pay off for them. Any comparison to the way they win games and what NU does is irrelevant, as I hope to god we never stoop to their level.

I'm not sure which is more ridiculous, the idea that Mississippi shares Nebraska's geographical handicap in recruiting or the continued belief by some that Callahan was a superior recruiter to Pelini. Actually, I take that back. One of those things can at least be debated. Mississippi has a ton more talent within its borders and in easy driving distance. There is simply no comparison. As to Callahan vs. Pelini, I don't think there's been a significant difference if you go by recruiting rankings. If you go by things that actually matter (bringing in kids that can win games due to a combination of talent and attitude), I think it's pretty clear that Pelini comes out ahead. Callahan's team quit on him. Some of that is crappy coaching, but a lot of that is selling kids on the right or wrong reasons to come here and selecting kids with the right attitude.

Yup. Iowa made a killing in Illinois for years. Nice to see us taking advantage of a BIG state that's within reasonable driving distance.

I'll just note here, again, that we need to be recruiting other running backs. Bussey is a great prospect, but he should not be considered a commit. It's been clear for a long time now that he hasn't decided yet and committed to NU as a placeholder.

You would hope he's noticing Abdullah's success in particular, as he seems to have a similar combination of quickness and strength that obviously works so well in our offense.

I doubt there's restrictions against giving advice, but I do think coaches would want to be careful about even the perception that they're pushing kids to one high school or another, particularly in major Texas football. Most of all though, it's just plain not our coaches' place to give advice on where a kid goes to school.

#directhit How dare you tell it like it is! +1 Yup. There was a river of fans leaving at half time and early in the third. I know because I was late getting back from halftime and had to fight through the current on the viaduct to get back to the stadium. Bo was directly asked about the fans leaving and responded honestly in what was supposed to be an off the record conversation. Painting it as some attack on all NU fans has always been ridiculous. As for the original point of this thread, I agree that he came damn close to getting fired, and that some key regents/boosters stepped in and stopped Eichorst from doing it. If Eichorst wasn't planning on firing Bo, he's even worse at his job than I already thought, as Bo (and the team) sure seemed to think he was gone. I think Bo has a bit more breathing room now, but a poor season (less than 8 wins) would probably still finish his stay here. Not sure 8 wins will be safe either. Luckily for those of us that like Bo, I think he'll clear that hurdle. I think we'll surprise a lot of people this year (10-11 wins) if we can avoid being stricken by too many more injuries. It's too bad that our hardest games are away, but I like our talent level for the most part.

Big Ten Media Day last week, IIRC. I think his point was that Bo didn't actually make any accusations, and yet everyone somehow knows what he meant, because everyone knows Ole Miss is dirty. Pretty funny that their coach responded to a cheating allegation that wasn't even made. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

I figured I covered that when I called him an idiot. Now that's funny. Almost as funny as the writer calling Bo's comments irresponsible, as if Bo made wild allegations up about an innocent, law-abiding program. None but the most deluded of Ole Miss fans has any doubt about what happened and who the bad guys are in this situation.

Actually, it's not laughable. To lump Nebraska in with Ole Miss, notorious cheaters, under the "everybody does it" argument is just plain offensive and makes me wonder why you even cheer for NU, assuming that you do. Did we always have choir boys in the glory days? Of course not, but we went out of our way under TO to do the right thing, run a clean program and develop young men. We're doing the same under Bo. You think quality young men like Kenny, Ameer and Rex come here because we run a dirty program? You think Ron Brown and TO are hypocrites? As mentioned before, there's always going to be minor violations by individuals in any program, including NU, because there's no way to make sure 100 young men always make the right decisions. But to compare that to the blatant, systematic, wholesale cheating in the south is just ludicrous.

I actually enjoy having a program that does things the right way and expect it to stay that way. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it provides us one of our few real advantages in recruiting. We can honestly tell the young men and their parents that they're joining a program that instills the right values and will help them to become better men. The reality is that we will never be able to out cheat/recruit the SEC types by trying to do it their way anyway. Now, I'm not naive enough to think none of our players get free drinks or meals on occasion from fans, or maybe even more from a random booster. I'd also bet one or two has made an agent friend before leaving the program. The important thing though is that it isn't part of the culture of the program and that our coaches are doing their best to teach these kids to do the right thing. Seeing young men like Abdullah and Bell represent our school makes me proud to be a Nebraska fan and proud to have a coaching staff that cares about developing their players as young men, not just as football players.

FWIW, I assumed the "read between the lines" referred to the standard Ole Mi$$ approach to recruiting. Seems pretty obvious to me that they straight up bought this kid away from us. It was the reporter that brought up parents in a follow-up question.

Pretty sure Bo has been very clear that he hasn't changed who he is. This has been echoed by the players and others that know him. The "PR narrative" is that he's allowing the media and public more access so that we can have a more complete view of him, rather than only seeing him in game situations.

Zoogies - if championship-level coaches don't make mildly controversial statements to the press on occasion, then I must have imagined the championships won by Stoops, Saban, Bielema, Spurrier, Etc. You're stretching.

Yup. The media articles on the toothless NCAA, the comments by Spurrier on Alabama's ridiculous recruiting, it all adds up. At some point the schools that care about doing things the right way (including most of the big ten) will need to either find a way to reign the rampant cheating in or to leave the cheaters to their money leagues and start a level playing field. Of course, the legal system may just topple the current scholar athlete system anyway and leave us with true amateur competition.

Zoogie, you're stretching awfully hard to turn a short, vague response to a specific question into evidence of larger flaws in the man and/or the program he runs.

Yes, answering a question at a press conference is sure to negatively impact our preparation for the season. Bo could have spent that ten seconds reviewing game plans in his mind.

I love the "read between the lines" answer. Sour grapes or not, I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to do everything right and then lose out on a kid because someone pays them (or their family) off. As to the second part, it's a bit of a stretch to say he's calling out stringfellow's mom specifically. Someone asked another question and he answered it. Doesn't necessarily mean his answer is related to the last question (though it could have been).

I would attempt to keep 18 on scholarship at all times. Considering 5 of the starting 22 are OL, it should really be 19-20 of our 85 scholarships, but we get so many quality walk-ons on the line, 18 ought to do it. Also, I'd much rather take 4 in this class and 5 in the next than 3 and 6. Recruiting classes are about balancing the roster for future seasons, not replacing what just walked out the door.

Absolutely. It's harder to project than most positions and has a higher rate of injuries and busts. Gotta keep the pipeline full.