Coaches concentrate on talent, not numbers.

[Husker_Power]

Coaches concentrate on talent, not numbers.

 

It's Husker football, so naturally there are worried parties, even in May.

 

Still more than eight months until national letter-of-intent signing day, it's not so early in the process that some who closely follow recruiting are showing anxiety.

 

They worry about the heights and weights of the defensive linemen, the 40-yard dash time of a running back, the number of scholarship offers made by other schools to Nebraska's five known commitments for the 2009 class.

 

You know who's not worried? Nebraska assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ted Gilmore.

 

Whatever perceptions there might be about Husker recruiting don't really matter to the receivers coach.

 

"The only perception that matters is those guys that are in that office, sitting there watching the tape and doing their evaluations," Gilmore says.

 

Having five commitments at this point in the recruiting process puts Nebraska in the company of most schools, but still, there are those who get concerned when they take a look at what some of the bullies of college football are doing.

 

Did you see Texas has 18 commitments already?

 

Yeah, and USC has 10 — all "4 stars" and "5 stars."

 

"It's a process. You never know when a kid you're going to recruit is going to put his hand up or not," Gilmore says. "Obviously, there's some places out there, because of the talent in their back yards, that might have more (recruits) than others. But there's no need for us to panic. There's a lot of days left in this recruiting calendar."

 

Husker head coach Bo Pelini has said he's not interested in star rankings, just getting good football players. That's not to say Nebraska coaches aren't after some heralded recruits, too. But one thing they've shown early on is that they're not afraid to trust their eyes and extend scholarship invitations to kids not on the national radar screen.

 

Just look at Nebraska's most recent recruiting class and a scholarship given to safety Mason Wald, out of Birmingham, Ala. The other school courting Wald was Samford.

 

It didn't matter to Husker coaches. They saw someone who could play. Sign him up.

 

"You just want to find ballplayers and guys that have great character, great intangibles," says Jeff Jamrog, NU's associate athletic director for football operations. "Those are the things you can't measure. Because everyone's doing it right now, just measuring height, weight, 40 speed, all these things that you can measure. And in the end, what really separates talent are those intangibles that you can't measure.

 

"Some of that stuff of who really has offers out and all that? A lot of kids who say they have offers, they don't. There's so much misinformation out there. It's a marriage, and in the end it's who you feel good with."

 

Certainly, patience is required to judge a recruiting class. Jamrog reminds that Tom Osborne's teams that went 60-3 during his last five years were made up of guys from recruiting classes that were usually ranked 20th or worse.

 

Jamrog and Gilmore say there are no set number of commitments they'd like to have by fall camp.

 

"We just want to see that we're thorough on the process and we get the class we want," Jamrog says. "And if it ends up taking until Feb. 4, it takes until Feb. 4. Most important is you just get the right ones that are a good fit for your program."

 

And while the focus is heavy on prep players, Husker coaches will still keep a lookout for any potential help that may be found in the junior college ranks.

 

"We'll scour the country, we'll still look at junior college players," Jamrog says. "And if there is a certain position where we need upgraded to a point where they have to play immediately, we may go the junior college route on a certain position."

 

Coaches will be able to see plenty of prospects next month when about 1,200 to 1,300 kids roll into Lincoln for football camps.

 

Recruiting season is in its evaluation period until May 31. Assistant coaches can visit prep prospects during this time, but head coaches can't.

 

Some have argued this rule provides a disadvantage to new head coaches who weren't able to meet recruits last year and now can't visit their high schools during this evaluating period to gather information.

 

Gilmore says he doesn't think the rule hurts Nebraska.

 

"I think where the head coach has an effect more than anything is locally, in-state. And, obviously, those kids know who Bo is."

 

The recruiting process has accelerated dramatically since Gilmore got into coaching 14 years ago. It was always competitive, but it's become more fast-paced, scholarships sometimes even being offered to babyfaced underclassmen.

 

"It's the times that we're in, dealing with the Internet and different things like that," Gilmore says. "Whether it's an early-signing period, I think that's something they have to seriously look at. Honestly, I think it's ludicrous some kids are getting offered as sophomores and juniors and haven't even played a lick their senior year. I think you're rolling the dice when you do that, quite honestly."

 

Link

[Husker_Power]

Sorry about the sloppy post, my computer wont let me submit the modified post.

[Axl_sued_me]

Great article......but the FACT remains.....

 

 

Teams with 4 and 5 star kids > 1 and 2 star player teams 99 out of 100 times.

[Hunter94]

true dat, Bo needs to get some starred kids in this class.

[Overland Park Husker]

Great article......but the FACT remains.....

 

 

Teams with 4 and 5 star kids > 1 and 2 star player teams 99 out of 100 times.

FACT? We lost to KU, MU and Okie St. all of whom have "lesser" talent than us (according to stars given out by Rivals and Scout). And we almost lost to Ball St, who I guarantee you doesn't get 3-5 star players year in and year out. Fact is, if you don't have a coach who can teach and motivate then you will be no good, 5-stars or no stars.

[Danimal]

Overlook the stars if you want but if you want to consistently ignore that and the other teams offering I'd say you aren't being logical. The competition have qualified, experienced guys evaluating potentials too. To me it seems unrealistic to think we are onto so many "sleeper" picks other decent BCS-programs haven't caught on to. A few I can definitely believe, plenty of quality players weren't big recruits. Mason Wald seems like a good example of a real player that fell through the recruting-cracks that we picked-up on. But to think we are so superior at evaluating and into a bunch of sleepers? That is pushing it IMO. Other programs aren't just copying a list of potentials from rivals and going after them either.

 

We won't really know til a few years down the road whether these guys were stretches or smart offers. I certainly hope I have egg on my face and our coaches turn-out to have been just that good at finding undervalued guys. Guess we'll see how it turns out.

[Axl_sued_me]

Overlook the stars if you want but if you want to consistently ignore that and the other teams offering I'd say you aren't being logical. The competition have qualified, experienced guys evaluating potentials too. To me it seems unrealistic to think we are onto so many "sleeper" picks other decent BCS-programs haven't caught on to. A few I can definitely believe, plenty of quality players weren't big recruits. Mason Wald seems like a good example of a real player that fell through the recruting-cracks that we picked-up on. But to think we are so superior at evaluating and into a bunch of sleepers? That is pushing it IMO. Other programs aren't just copying a list of potentials from rivals and going after them either.

 

We won't really know til a few years down the road whether these guys were stretches or smart offers. I certainly hope I have egg on my face and our coaches turn-out to have been just that good at finding undervalued guys. Guess we'll see how it turns out.

 

 

What's hard for me to understand about the Mason Wald thing is that his teammate was getting the attention from the recruiting services. You mean to tell me that you go to games to watch Justin Rogers and give him but you overlook his teammate??? What, do you go take a piss and buy nachos and a hot dog when the defense take the field??? And in my opinion, Mason Wald's video looks 10x's more impressive than Rogers's vid.

 

Something isn't right with this picture.

[Ohio Pete]

It's done wonders for Florida State, Tennessee, and Miami.

 

All kidding aside, I don't think there's any argument that you need talent to win a National Championship. The past several National Title winners have averaged Top 10 classes in the years prior. (Ohio State is the exception though they are usually in the top 20).

 

On the other hand, Auburn, Georgia, and Oklahoma are in the top 10-15 consistently in recruiting and have not translated that to National Championships or even consistent top 10 finishes.

 

For every Missouri or Boise State over-achieving with classes outside the top 25, there's a South Carolina or Texas A&M squandering Top 25 talent.

 

First, I'd like to see this coaching staff make something of the talent Nebraska does have. While the average class was just inside the top 25, this is a better average (17th) than ~100 other schools. It is time to start playing better than those schools.

 

Second, it may be unfair to judge the effectiveness of the recruiting this year as many players were committed to (or long recruited by) other schools prior to the coaching staff being hired. While a top 25 class is still a possibility, Nebraska was never going to be able to get a class like Texas' or USC's.

 

Third, if this staff expects to eventually be in the top 10 consistently and compete for a national championship, they are going to have to recruit and sign classes that rank among the best in the country. A great coaching staff can make up for bad recruiting for awhile (ex: Iowa 2002-2004), but it eventually is going to come back and bite you (ex: Iowa since then).

[RedDenver]

Third, if this staff expects to eventually be in the top 10 consistently and compete for a national championship, they are going to have to recruit and sign classes that rank among the best in the country. A great coaching staff can make up for bad recruiting for awhile (ex: Iowa 2002-2004), but it eventually is going to come back and bite you (ex: Iowa since then).

I think FSU, Tenn, and Miami are great examples of recruiting hype versus actually being a good team.

 

As for recruiting and signing "classes that rank among the best in the country", ranked among the best according to whom? And how do you even know after the players have left? Recruiting and evaluating talent is, and will always be, purely a matter of opinion.

[Axl_sued_me]

Third, if this staff expects to eventually be in the top 10 consistently and compete for a national championship, they are going to have to recruit and sign classes that rank among the best in the country. A great coaching staff can make up for bad recruiting for awhile (ex: Iowa 2002-2004), but it eventually is going to come back and bite you (ex: Iowa since then).

I think FSU, Tenn, and Miami are great examples of recruiting hype versus actually being a good team.

 

As for recruiting and signing "classes that rank among the best in the country", ranked among the best according to whom? And how do you even know after the players have left? Recruiting and evaluating talent is, and will always be, purely a matter of opinion.

 

 

FSU, Tenn, or Miami don't play in the Big XII north. If they did, they would crush every one including KU and Mizzou.

 

 

And look how many players come out of those programs that are IMPACT players in the NFL.

[Ohio Pete]

Recruiting and evaluating talent is, and will always be, purely a matter of opinion.

Of course, with the exception of the top spot in the Coaches poll, the polls are also a matter of opinion.

 

And in those subjective measures of team worth (based on objective on-the-field results), the top 5 teams have generally averaged Top 15 recruiting classes according to analysis of Rivals and AP rankings from 2001 to 2006.

 

The exceptions (teams with top 5 AP ranks that have not had top 15 recruiting):

Oregon 2nd in the AP in 2002

Penn State 3rd in the AP in 2005

West Virginia 5th in the AP in 2005

Utah 4th in the AP in 2004

Boise State 5th in the AP in 2006

(Ohio State is averaging a little less than 15th.)

 

I know, I know. Correlation is not the same thing as causation. Just like gum disease correlating with low birth weight doesn't mean it causes it, just because teams sign players that Rivals thinks are talented does not mean they will have on-the-field success and vice versa. Certainly schools like Florida State and Rutgers demonstrate exceptions both ways. However, it is my opinion, based on previous results, recruiting and signing top-ranked players can only help improve the on-the-field results.

 

Now as to the subject at hand, the talent of the currently committed recruits. Several of these guys have not been evaluated by recruiting services. For instance, C.J. Zimmerer has scouts inc rating of "40: Pending Prospect -- Player has redeeming qualities and is projected to contribute at the Division I level, however film has not yet been received." Tray Robinson is "45: Pending Prospect w/ film -- Scouts Inc. has received film of the prospect and an evaluation is pending." Cole Pensick is the same. The other 2 guys are rated "70-79: Good Prospect -- Player does not dominate in every game, especially when matched up against the top players in the country. Could become a good starter at the Division I level." I suspect these guys will end up getting 3 star rankings. (Oops, Cole Pensick already has 3 stars from scouts.)

[Danimal]

Third, if this staff expects to eventually be in the top 10 consistently and compete for a national championship, they are going to have to recruit and sign classes that rank among the best in the country. A great coaching staff can make up for bad recruiting for awhile (ex: Iowa 2002-2004), but it eventually is going to come back and bite you (ex: Iowa since then).

I think FSU, Tenn, and Miami are great examples of recruiting hype versus actually being a good team.

 

As for recruiting and signing "classes that rank among the best in the country", ranked among the best according to whom? And how do you even know after the players have left? Recruiting and evaluating talent is, and will always be, purely a matter of opinion.

 

 

FSU, Tenn, or Miami don't play in the Big XII north. If they did, they would crush every one including KU and Mizzou.

 

 

And look how many players come out of those programs that are IMPACT players in the NFL.

 

What the hell? FSU is not that good, they'll be around .500 AGAIN in the totally meh ACC this year. Miami isn't much better. What year do you think it is? Kansas just beat the ACC-champ, hell our sorry asses beat one of their better teams in WF in their own crib. Tenn is definitely good but not a worldbeater.

 

 

Recruiting like these teams is still important though, wouldn"t begin to argue that, we just want to be better-coached and get more out of our talent than they do.

[Axl_sued_me]

Third, if this staff expects to eventually be in the top 10 consistently and compete for a national championship, they are going to have to recruit and sign classes that rank among the best in the country. A great coaching staff can make up for bad recruiting for awhile (ex: Iowa 2002-2004), but it eventually is going to come back and bite you (ex: Iowa since then).

I think FSU, Tenn, and Miami are great examples of recruiting hype versus actually being a good team.

 

As for recruiting and signing "classes that rank among the best in the country", ranked among the best according to whom? And how do you even know after the players have left? Recruiting and evaluating talent is, and will always be, purely a matter of opinion.

 

 

FSU, Tenn, or Miami don't play in the Big XII north. If they did, they would crush every one including KU and Mizzou.

 

 

And look how many players come out of those programs that are IMPACT players in the NFL.

 

What the hell? FSU is not that good, they'll be around .500 AGAIN in the totally meh ACC this year. Miami isn't much better. What year do you think it is? Kansas just beat the ACC-champ, hell our sorry asses beat one of their better teams in WF in their own crib. Tenn is definitely good but not a worldbeater.

 

 

Recruiting like these teams is still important though, wouldn"t begin to argue that, we just want to be better-coached and get more out of our talent than they do.

 

 

Nebraska barely beat a banged-up WF team with their starting QB out.

[T-BONE]

So how many recruits can we get for the 09 class ?

[Danimal]

Third, if this staff expects to eventually be in the top 10 consistently and compete for a national championship, they are going to have to recruit and sign classes that rank among the best in the country. A great coaching staff can make up for bad recruiting for awhile (ex: Iowa 2002-2004), but it eventually is going to come back and bite you (ex: Iowa since then).

I think FSU, Tenn, and Miami are great examples of recruiting hype versus actually being a good team.

 

As for recruiting and signing "classes that rank among the best in the country", ranked among the best according to whom? And how do you even know after the players have left? Recruiting and evaluating talent is, and will always be, purely a matter of opinion.

 

 

FSU, Tenn, or Miami don't play in the Big XII north. If they did, they would crush every one including KU and Mizzou.

 

 

And look how many players come out of those programs that are IMPACT players in the NFL.

 

What the hell? FSU is not that good, they'll be around .500 AGAIN in the totally meh ACC this year. Miami isn't much better. What year do you think it is? Kansas just beat the ACC-champ, hell our sorry asses beat one of their better teams in WF in their own crib. Tenn is definitely good but not a worldbeater.

 

 

Recruiting like these teams is still important though, wouldn"t begin to argue that, we just want to be better-coached and get more out of our talent than they do.

 

 

Nebraska barely beat a banged-up WF team with their starting QB out.

 

Ya I do think their starting-qb would've made a little difference, maybe enough to get a W, but we did still beat them in their own crib with a 5-7 team. Point remains that the ACC just isn't that good right now. I'd say that even the Big East was better, ask OU.