Will it ever happen?

[HuskerJen]

We'll have to disagree, Jen. Maybe if every other factor is equal then it comes into play, but certainly location hasn't been a huge factor for NU throughout the years in terms of the level of player they've been able to bring in versus the likes of ASU, any Cal. school other than USC in recent years, and even Texas pre Mack Brown.

 

I would think, proximity to home is going to be a consideration for any recruit. Especailly those that grow up rooting for a specific program, much like Husker kids pre Callahan. But based on what I've seen throughout the years, when it comes to those that are the "star" recruits, location must be #3 on their lists, and it must be a far cry below #s 1 and 2.

 

We're not as far apart here in our thinking as it seems. You said that the whole location thing is crap and I proved to you that it's not. Is location the primary consideration for some recruits? Probably. Do other factors: relationship with a particular coach or coaches, program prestige, game day atmosphere, sense of family, etc come into play? Sure. So, location isn't #1, but it's not "crap" either.

[HUSKER 37]

We'll have to disagree, Jen. Maybe if every other factor is equal then it comes into play, but certainly location hasn't been a huge factor for NU throughout the years in terms of the level of player they've been able to bring in versus the likes of ASU, any Cal. school other than USC in recent years, and even Texas pre Mack Brown.

 

I would think, proximity to home is going to be a consideration for any recruit. Especailly those that grow up rooting for a specific program, much like Husker kids pre Callahan. But based on what I've seen throughout the years, when it comes to those that are the "star" recruits, location must be #3 on their lists, and it must be a far cry below #s 1 and 2.

The whole location argument is crap. It didnt seem to hurt us during the Devaney/Osborne years. Unfortunately, we ended up with a coach in Solich that let recruiting slip, and then a coach was brought in that destroyed the program. As said by another, winning will cure all.

I've lived in Phoenix for 20 years now. Loved my youth in Omaha. Other than '96, ASU's done nothing There are many hotties out here and not too many places have better year round weather.

 

Huskrpwr13...

(I've beem out here ~19 years..)

 

ASU has had some trouble keeping in the homegrown talent..Even lost Mike Brown, Kenny Cheatham, and Ritchie Incognito to Nebraska and 5 top recruits to NU a couple years ago.

 

They've kept some great recruits over the years (Terrel Suggs went to high school down the street from me then on to ASU).

But They've never had a great coaching staff.

 

College and High School is where the coaching still makes a huge difference.

 

Also..In the Devaney/Osborne years, Our Offenses relied more on the (Primarily homegrown) Offensive Lines to carry us on their backs...These new and improved "Corncoast Offenses" cannot run if the QB or his receivers have a bad day.

 

 

 

I've been reading this book during my lunches ("Heart of a Husker")..Where even our former players admit we didn't usually have the most talent...Even when we were consistently beating Colorado by large scores, they would always put more players in the NFL.

 

We're probably doing a good job sprucing up the facilities as much as we can, and my Ex-Wife even remarked how clean Lincoln was compared to where she grew up (Columbus Ohio)...But we also need to focus on improving the home grown talent...I've heard there have been great strides in some of the smaller towns' weight rooms.

 

The little league system out here in the Phoenix area is amazing..and sometimes I'll even see elite "Club Leagues" trying to horn in on our practice fields from time to time..These "kids" are 10 to 14 year olds...My biggest fear for them is burn-out.

 

Shoot..When I was growing up in Nebraska..We only played two or three games a year against one of the other three grade schools in town, and then, only if one of the fifth graders could remember the phone number of the red headed girl's brother that went to the other school.

 

There's also a lot to be said about the rest of us..Even outside Nebraska..

We need to start recruiting these kids in our neighborhoods and even our own kids.

If Solich would've been at UNL ONE more year..My Nephew would've walked on at Nebraska..(A two year starting I-Back at Dobson High with a 4.3 forty).

 

Most of our best walk-ons rooted for us as kids (see I.M. Hipp).

[Danimal]

We did get the #1 qb on our board this class. He wasn't the top rated guy by rivals but he was the guy Bo and Shawn wanted most.

 

I don't think we'll ever be swimming in the tippy-top recruits but as the program improves we should be able to compete with the big-dogs more for the highly-sought guys. We may become a real force in Texas.

 

But I'd say we'll always have to depend on evaluating better and developing guys better than the competition.

[gamecocks]

Recruiting is all about selling. The coaches have to upsell our program so much to these recruits that they stop thinking about other schools or at least have a feeling that our school is so much better. We may not have the best weather but our coaches have to sell the points that the weather is not always bad, we have indoor facilities, and the NFL plays in poor weather all the time.

 

I work in sales and the trick is to out sell the competion. Just like recruiting is trying to out recruit the other guys. We have to find each prospects hot buttons and know their reasons for not wanting to come here. We have to push on all their hot buttons and overcome all the negatives about us.

 

The harder we sell the school, the easier it is to overcome the negatives. However, if we are not selling the school, we will not get the kids here. No matter what the weather is like, or how many championships we have won in the past.

[HUSKER 37]

Recruiting is all about selling. The coaches have to upsell our program so much to these recruits that they stop thinking about other schools or at least have a feeling that our school is so much better. We may not have the best weather but our coaches have to sell the points that the weather is not always bad, we have indoor facilities, and the NFL plays in poor weather all the time.

 

I work in sales and the trick is to out sell the competion. Just like recruiting is trying to out recruit the other guys. We have to find each prospects hot buttons and know their reasons for not wanting to come here. We have to push on all their hot buttons and overcome all the negatives about us.

 

The harder we sell the school, the easier it is to overcome the negatives. However, if we are not selling the school, we will not get the kids here. No matter what the weather is like, or how many championships we have won in the past.

... and from a perception standpoint we don't have any hot women here. However, usually when recruits get on campus they come away saying that Lincoln is nothing like what they would thought it would be and that it is actually a pretty nice city. Perception of Nebraska and the midwest is what is hurting us. People from the coasts literally think that we just have cows walking around all over. When we start winning with consistency that perception will not matter anymore.

 

No Hot Wimmen back there?..But yeah..Perception wise..you're probably right..But..

I seem to remember P L E N T Y of women back home that were way out of my league when I lived there..Granted, when I was a horny Teen and First visiting my Brother out here in the PHX area, there seemed to be a higher percentage of beautiful wimmens out here, but as you get older, and even sometimes the young/wise see more beauty below the surface.

 

It might help to try to show that preconception is totally false..Show more women in the health clubs, have every night be "Ladies Night" at the bars..Maybe some wet T-shirt infomercials..

Point out that it's just the Iowa Girls with thick ankles pulling plows...

 

Hire Melissa Midwest HuskerJen as a Recruiting Coordinator.

[UGAHusker]

Like Norman or Lubbock? Are Athens, Auburn, Gainesville and Blacksburg better?

 

I can't speak for Blacksburg, but as far as Athens and Auburn go...yes.

[HuskerJen]

Hire Melissa Midwest HuskerJen as a Recruiting Coordinator.

 

 

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

[Captain K]

Location isn't as big of a problem once you get the guys to visit. Getting a foot in the door to start is the problem. I think Lincoln sounds like a cold and barren place to an 18 year old from Louisiana, for example. If a kid gets a letter from USC, Florida, Tennessee and Nebraska, all else being equal, we are probably in 4th place to start. If you took a map, without the state borders, and told that kid to point to Lincoln NE, he would have trouble and probably point further North than we actually are. Even if the kid is open to us, I'm sure he hears from friends and other recruiters ''Nebraska???"

[huskertim]

I agree location is an issue, and to say it wasn't during Osborne/Devany is completely naive. TO's staff recruited from evreywhere because they had great success and great relationships with high school coaches from coast to coast. Take a guy like Mike Rozier, for instance, do you think his first notion was to go to Lincoln Nebraska for college. I'll bet most kids in Jersey couldn't find it on a map. Osborne's staff had spent years making relationships with his coaches and NU was a prominent program, thats why they landed a guy like that. If Nu was on the beach in sunny California, they probably never would have needed to recruit New Jersey.

 

Bottom line, USC, Florida, Texas, don't have to recruit everywhere because they have talent in their own backyard and plenty of ammenities (beaches,big cities,hoties,Hoties,and more Hoties)to encourage regional talent to stay put.

[huskered17]

R

I agree location is an issue, and to say it wasn't during Osborne/Devany is completely naive. TO's staff recruited from evreywhere because they had great success and great relationships with high school coaches from coast to coast. Take a guy like Mike Rozier, for instance, do you think his first notion was to go to Lincoln Nebraska for college. I'll bet most kids in Jersey couldn't find it on a map. Osborne's staff had spent years making relationships with his coaches and NU was a prominent program, thats why they landed a guy like that. If Nu was on the beach in sunny California, they probably never would have needed to recruit New Jersey.

 

Bottom line, USC, Florida, Texas, don't have to recruit everywhere because they have talent in their own backyard and plenty of ammenities (beaches,big cities,hoties,Hoties,and more Hoties)to encourage regional talent to stay put.

 

D.Evans was the top running back recruit in the nation, when he signed with the Huskers. When Bo gets this program up and running again, we will see some of the top players start taking harder looks at the Huskers, and Bo will land a few "blue" chippers.

I have to laugh, when I read that most kids on the either coast don't know where Nebraska is. That's not so far fetched. I went out to Azusa, Calif when I was 17, to stay with my uncle for the summer and got a job at a car wash for a little more spending money. Granted not many Rhodes Scholars work those jobs, but some of the kids I worked with were also still in school, and making some spending money also. When I told them where I was from two of them wanted to know if that was up in northern Calif, and they weren't joking. So yeah, winning does help get the recruits attention. T.O. proved it and so will Bo.

 

GBR!!!

[huskertim]

Interesting, Deangelo Evans was from Kansas, like Bryce Brown last year, Blake Bell, and Justin McCay this year. Will location play a factor with these guys. Certainly it used to. In the husker heyday these kids would have been far more likely to go to NU than anyplace else even to the point that the national powers would often back off. Without the pretige factor playing in NU's favor and with the apparent emergence of KU and MU these kids have other regional options. Still, if we can reclaim our place among the elite, they would probably play for the big dog in their own back yard as often as not.