The 500-mile Radius and the Current State of Nebraska Recruiting

[Huskerfan1985]

Husker Nation needs Dirk to keep us in check. We have a ridiculous ego as a fan base and we need one writer to keep us from going overboard.

I take it you are new here. Just go back and read some posts from the past year and you will see we don't need Dirk to be the consumate pessimist to the program. There are several right here.

Dirk's problem is that he just isn't very good at what he does. His article (and the turnover one) are basically "SEE, NUMBERS!!!! OMG!!!"

The problem is, without context, you're just reciting stats. Applying his logic to Taylor Martinez' stats would mean he's the greatest QB to ever play NU. Which is simply not true.

Well rather than just blindly bashing, please go ahead and state what problem you have with this article

Blindly bashing is a Dirk specialty. He didn't really say anything other than "Tom did it this way" and cites stats from 20-30 years ago. The problem is, demographics have changed during that time, and high school football in Nebraska isn't producing the guys it used to. Sure, some of the success we had with Nebraska guys back then was due to our system, but the numbers show the state isn't producing as many BCS caliber guys. I've stated what he should have done, above, but I'll spell it out.

 

If I were getting paid to write this article, I would have highlighted those changes. I also would have pointed out the shift in elite CFB talent over the past 20-30 years to the sunbelt. Those places have football year round, producing athletes that are ready to play earlier. The elite teams are getting their starts from there, and it's something we have struggled with. You have to be more selective, because we can't afford to waste schollies on guys that don't hit their stride until midway through the junior year, or as seniors. We don't have the luxury of 100 man rosters, huge coaching staffs, and huge classes of walk ons. The economy plays a role in forcing guys who would have formerly been walk ons, to take scholarships at other schools. We don't have a monopoly on TV time, and parents can watch their kids play on TV at just about any school.

 

We had more in state talent back then compared to now. That pads the "500 mile" numbers, because you have homegrown recruits that are almost guaranteed to be Huskers. We also had the novelty to bury guys on the roster, put them through 2-3 years of S&C, and have them ready to roll as Sophomores and Juniors. We don't have that luxury anymore. This emphasizes to need to recruit CA, FL, and TX, and we're more dependent on it than teams like OSU and UM who have 10x the number of BCS recruits in their states. When we were churning along, we had a core group of NE guys, and a large amount from the surrounding states, finally, we sprinkled in guys from the sunbelt. The high schools in Nebraska ran similar offenses. We had a well established system that simply needed pieces to make it go. Today, we don't have that core group of NE guys, and aren't getting the better guys from surrounding states, partially because we aren't the big dog, partially because recruiting efforts weren't there, and partially because there aren't as many elite guys in that radius.

 

What can the staff do to address the differences in recruiting between Dr Tom's days, and the current climate?

 

For starters, the percentage of recruits inside the 500 mile radius is irrelevant. What's more important, is getting the good players to come to NU. Whether that's 2 guys or 10, NU needs to get the cream of the crop inside that radius. The only other "big dog" in that circle is OU. Since NU isn't the national powerhouse we were in the 90's, the coaches need to sell themselves and our program to the highschool coaches in this radius. That will help influence the kids. Also, we need to figure out WTF is wrong with football in Nebraska, and get the AD more involved with helping our highschool kids get caught up to their counterparts who play football all year long.

 

So.... back to my statement, Dirk didn't really say much of anything other than "Tom did it this way, and we need to do it again." The problem is, things have changed, and we need to figure out what we need to do to adapt, instead of trying to re-create something from the past.

+1 Excellent points. I could not agree more.

[Saunders]

FWIW......

 

From Dirk himself in yesterday's Mad Chatter:

But big picture, I think the story is another illustration of how it’s increasingly more difficult for northern programs to compete. Not just Nebraska, but everybody. Population changes. Scheme changes. The specialization of high school athletes. It all points to a wider gap between warm-weather and cold-weather schools.

 

That doesn't translate into a shot at Pelini to me.

I don't think he was necessarily taking a shot at Bo. I think he was just doing what he does in almost all his stories. Find some "fact(s)" and create a superficial story about how we aren't back yet. It's an easy way to drum up page views, because people are naturally drawn to critical or negative stories. He should have expounded on his original story with more info from what he put into his Mad Chatter.

[BigRedBuster]

Husker Nation needs Dirk to keep us in check. We have a ridiculous ego as a fan base and we need one writer to keep us from going overboard.

I take it you are new here. Just go back and read some posts from the past year and you will see we don't need Dirk to be the consumate pessimist to the program. There are several right here.

Dirk's problem is that he just isn't very good at what he does. His article (and the turnover one) are basically "SEE, NUMBERS!!!! OMG!!!"

The problem is, without context, you're just reciting stats. Applying his logic to Taylor Martinez' stats would mean he's the greatest QB to ever play NU. Which is simply not true.

Well rather than just blindly bashing, please go ahead and state what problem you have with this article

Blindly bashing is a Dirk specialty. He didn't really say anything other than "Tom did it this way" and cites stats from 20-30 years ago. The problem is, demographics have changed during that time, and high school football in Nebraska isn't producing the guys it used to. Sure, some of the success we had with Nebraska guys back then was due to our system, but the numbers show the state isn't producing as many BCS caliber guys. I've stated what he should have done, above, but I'll spell it out.

 

If I were getting paid to write this article, I would have highlighted those changes. I also would have pointed out the shift in elite CFB talent over the past 20-30 years to the sunbelt. Those places have football year round, producing athletes that are ready to play earlier. The elite teams are getting their starts from there, and it's something we have struggled with. You have to be more selective, because we can't afford to waste schollies on guys that don't hit their stride until midway through the junior year, or as seniors. We don't have the luxury of 100 man rosters, huge coaching staffs, and huge classes of walk ons. The economy plays a role in forcing guys who would have formerly been walk ons, to take scholarships at other schools. We don't have a monopoly on TV time, and parents can watch their kids play on TV at just about any school.

 

We had more in state talent back then compared to now. That pads the "500 mile" numbers, because you have homegrown recruits that are almost guaranteed to be Huskers. We also had the novelty to bury guys on the roster, put them through 2-3 years of S&C, and have them ready to roll as Sophomores and Juniors. We don't have that luxury anymore. This emphasizes to need to recruit CA, FL, and TX, and we're more dependent on it than teams like OSU and UM who have 10x the number of BCS recruits in their states. When we were churning along, we had a core group of NE guys, and a large amount from the surrounding states, finally, we sprinkled in guys from the sunbelt. The high schools in Nebraska ran similar offenses. We had a well established system that simply needed pieces to make it go. Today, we don't have that core group of NE guys, and aren't getting the better guys from surrounding states, partially because we aren't the big dog, partially because recruiting efforts weren't there, and partially because there aren't as many elite guys in that radius.

 

What can the staff do to address the differences in recruiting between Dr Tom's days, and the current climate?

 

For starters, the percentage of recruits inside the 500 mile radius is irrelevant. What's more important, is getting the good players to come to NU. Whether that's 2 guys or 10, NU needs to get the cream of the crop inside that radius. The only other "big dog" in that circle is OU. Since NU isn't the national powerhouse we were in the 90's, the coaches need to sell themselves and our program to the highschool coaches in this radius. That will help influence the kids. Also, we need to figure out WTF is wrong with football in Nebraska, and get the AD more involved with helping our highschool kids get caught up to their counterparts who play football all year long.

 

So.... back to my statement, Dirk didn't really say much of anything other than "Tom did it this way, and we need to do it again." The problem is, things have changed, and we need to figure out what we need to do to adapt, instead of trying to re-create something from the past.

 

It's been a few days since I read the article. But, when I read it, the bolded part of your post is what I took from the article. You and Dirk really aren't saying anything different. He is showing the statistics to back up what you are saying.

 

First off, if there is a top recruit in that 500 mile radius, Nebraska needs to get him. How? The coaches need to have good relationships with the HS coaches in that radius. That is a major part of a staff putting an emphasis on an area. Second, the Husker program needs to work with HS coaches and the NSAA in Nebraska to do what it can to raise the level of HS development. Again, this is basically what you said and I don't see anything in Dirk's article that argues with that point.

[Husker from Kansas]

While getting recruits in a 500 mile radius is nice. But if Dirk is going to compare what Tom did almost 20 years ago to now, lets not forget that Tom did not win a NC until he went outside of that 500 mile radius and recruited speed. Well that is no different than what Bo is doing now, except Bo is putting more of an emphasis on recruiting those players outside of the 500 mile radius. And lets be honest, as long as the recruits Bo and co are pulling in are talented and are going to help take this program to the next level, I think we can all care less where they are from. Winning cures all, and that is what Bo is trying to do. Dirk will always look for ways to bag on Bo, and as long as Bo wins I dont give a rats ass what Dirk or anybody else has to say about it.

[Saunders]

It's been a few days since I read the article. But, when I read it, the bolded part of your post is what I took from the article. You and Dirk really aren't saying anything different. He is showing the statistics to back up what you are saying.

 

I just read his mad chatter where he clarified a few things. I think it's the tone at the start of the article that rubbed me the wrong way.

[Count 'Bility]

FWIW......

 

From Dirk himself in yesterday's Mad Chatter:

But big picture, I think the story is another illustration of how it’s increasingly more difficult for northern programs to compete. Not just Nebraska, but everybody. Population changes. Scheme changes. The specialization of high school athletes. It all points to a wider gap between warm-weather and cold-weather schools.

 

That doesn't translate into a shot at Pelini to me.

It's not a shot. Dirk's just a big booger-head.

[tschu]

Saunders, I think you read the article with anti-Dirk goggles on, or maybe blindfolded. Everything that you posted, you basically exactly agreed with what Dirk was saying. Seriously.

[walksalone]

Dirk just has a dartboard with "things I can say that will piss off Husker fans", and that's how he chooses his subject matter...

[kchusker_chris]

Blindly bashing is a Dirk specialty. He didn't really say anything other than "Tom did it this way" and cites stats from 20-30 years ago. The problem is, demographics have changed during that time, and high school football in Nebraska isn't producing the guys it used to. Sure, some of the success we had with Nebraska guys back then was due to our system, but the numbers show the state isn't producing as many BCS caliber guys. I've stated what he should have done, above, but I'll spell it out.

 

If I were getting paid to write this article, I would have highlighted those changes. I also would have pointed out the shift in elite CFB talent over the past 20-30 years to the sunbelt. Those places have football year round, producing athletes that are ready to play earlier. The elite teams are getting their starts from there, and it's something we have struggled with. You have to be more selective, because we can't afford to waste schollies on guys that don't hit their stride until midway through the junior year, or as seniors. We don't have the luxury of 100 man rosters, huge coaching staffs, and huge classes of walk ons. The economy plays a role in forcing guys who would have formerly been walk ons, to take scholarships at other schools. We don't have a monopoly on TV time, and parents can watch their kids play on TV at just about any school.

 

We had more in state talent back then compared to now. That pads the "500 mile" numbers, because you have homegrown recruits that are almost guaranteed to be Huskers. We also had the novelty to bury guys on the roster, put them through 2-3 years of S&C, and have them ready to roll as Sophomores and Juniors. We don't have that luxury anymore. This emphasizes to need to recruit CA, FL, and TX, and we're more dependent on it than teams like OSU and UM who have 10x the number of BCS recruits in their states. When we were churning along, we had a core group of NE guys, and a large amount from the surrounding states, finally, we sprinkled in guys from the sunbelt. The high schools in Nebraska ran similar offenses. We had a well established system that simply needed pieces to make it go. Today, we don't have that core group of NE guys, and aren't getting the better guys from surrounding states, partially because we aren't the big dog, partially because recruiting efforts weren't there, and partially because there aren't as many elite guys in that radius.

 

What can the staff do to address the differences in recruiting between Dr Tom's days, and the current climate?

 

For starters, the percentage of recruits inside the 500 mile radius is irrelevant. What's more important, is getting the good players to come to NU. Whether that's 2 guys or 10, NU needs to get the cream of the crop inside that radius. The only other "big dog" in that circle is OU. Since NU isn't the national powerhouse we were in the 90's, the coaches need to sell themselves and our program to the highschool coaches in this radius. That will help influence the kids. Also, we need to figure out WTF is wrong with football in Nebraska, and get the AD more involved with helping our highschool kids get caught up to their counterparts who play football all year long.

 

So.... back to my statement, Dirk didn't really say much of anything other than "Tom did it this way, and we need to do it again." The problem is, things have changed, and we need to figure out what we need to do to adapt, instead of trying to re-create something from the past.

But those changes you mention are not backed up by facts - at least not ones that have been quantified by someone at this point. I agree they are relevant, but I view his article as Dirk writing a factual piece and leaving you to draw your own conclusions. For you those are what you mentioned. I don't open every article he writes with a premonition of hatred for his content like some (not addressing you specifically). He lays it out, and then you come to your own conclusion. If he went on offering opinions on the state of the talent inside the 500 mile region, or demographic shifts, or anything of that matter he'd just get crucified for writing an editorial rather than a factual analysis of then and now, combined w/ the changes in the recruiting landscape.

 

Who's Dirk to say the talent is worse inside that radius? Or that Nebraska football isn't producing talent like it once did? How do we know it isn't? There's no real way to measure that. We just assume because Nebraska isn't signing in-state guys that there isn't talent, yet you continually see unrecruited players like the Long brothers, Choi, Jackson, etc starting. And other lower recruited players like Crick having a huge impact.

 

Further...our recruited "talent" lately consists of guys like Niles Paul - who's mention angers many..or Collins who never did anything. How about Josh Cherry that went on to have a solid career at KState? Or Robinson at NDame. Or Shaun Prater at Iowa. How about Jon Lechner - played 3 years at Ohio alongside Herman. 6'5" 330 on the OL. Would have been nice to have that guy. How about the lowly 2 star Daryle Hawkins who had 200 yards receiving as a Junior for Oregon and will likely make a run up the roster as a senior. Or Bryce Deitz in the 2 depth on the OL at Ohio, looking to earn starting time next year. Losing Cole Fisher to Iowa. I'm still not thrilled about seeing 2 wrestlers in Drew Ott, or Mike Shoff find a place elsewhere. The last 2 when we had scholarships available in spades last minute. I'm not saying we recruiting these guys from Day 1. But when it gets close to signing day and we're likely to be sitting at 83 or 84 schollys after...why not?

 

I guess I am not convinced Nebraska is absent of talent like some seem to think. It certainly in't Texas - and skill positions will be hard to come by. But we can build some pretty damn solid OLs and DLs with a few more Nebraska guys. We just maybe use the walk-on program as leverage a little too much. Lot of good it did in getting us Shoff or Ott.

[mnhusker]

I liked the article just cause the information was interesting. I did not think about it as a shot being taken at the staff. My issue with the article is that while the info was good I think that when a radius goal "500 Miles" or whatever is set, it is not done at the expense of all else. Pretty much the purpose of the goal is the idea that w/in 500 miles we have 1) Strong name appreciation (everyone knows the Huskers but I think the appreciation may diminish some with distance) 2) Close to home, so Mom may not take off with the signing papers. 3)Less time and $ needed to get make visits. Time for the Staff is important, for the Kid on an unofficial $ may be important.

 

Back to my point, the article suggests that the "500 Mile" thing is detrimental not clarifying only if that is the only focus, I'm pretty sure the staff already know this. A better headline would have been "Why the Huskers have to Recruit Everywhere".

[NUinID]

Nebraska should always recruit the 500 mile radius as hard as it can. But I agree the shifting demographics have cause NU to have to search farther for recruits. Dirk likes to show what he finds wrong with Nebraska football. If Nebrska won the NC I am not sure he would have anything to write about