bo's last season

[Hayseed]

4 hours ago, 84HuskerLaw said:

I would hope that our next coach, whomever he may be, doesn't bother to do much research and read a bunch of the stuff on this board.   No right minded coach would want to come to Nebraska to be our new head coach when we haven't even fired this one and comments on here suggest that if the next coach is not winning the Big Ten west by year two, he'll be on the hot seat too.  Come on people!    It is absolutely not fair to any coach to expect miracles over night.  If things are not that bad, then we sure should not be firing a well respected coach whose only been here for 2 and a half seasons.    

 

Seriously, evaluate our talent level currently and over the past five reasonably.   How many players from the past 5 years' teams are actually actively playing in NFL games now?  How many of our starters from the Wisconsin game could start for Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State or even Michigan State (presumably the five best programs in the Big Ten besides NU?

How many seniors on this year's squad will be drafted or even actually sign as free agents and hold a position on the NFL roster in year two?

How many members of the past five Husker teams made first team all conference?    How many made second team all conference?

The juniors and seniors and even red shirt sophomores were mostly recruited by the previous staff/Pelini, correct?  

Most of the top 35 ranked college teams are going to be starting primarily 3rd, 4th and 5th year players.  I believe this is a true statement.

NU is NOT going to compete at a high level with players that are not even going to make the third string at Ohio State.  Recruiting must improve from where its been.   I believe the Huskers played Saturday night vs Wisconsin at about a number 35 or 40 level, assuming Wisconsin is fairly considered around a top 10 to 15 level.  I think that is fair.

It is atleast arguable that Nebraska's current talent level is perhaps as low as number 45 - 50, especially in certain areas of the team such as offensive line, tight end and linebacker.   We may not be much above number 35 in defensive line, RB and QB and perhaps even with WRs hurt or AWOL, redshirting, etc around that as well.  

Our punter is doing much better than last year certainly and Brown is a top ten kicker in my view.  Not sure where I'd place our secondary and the rest of the team.  We don't have any player that is playing like an All American nor anywhere near playing like a lombardi, butkus, rimmington,  or any of the other major award winning levels.   

Now, one can argue that our coaches have not 'coached em up' enough but you can't make DPE run 4.3 in the forty or 10.2 in the hundred.  He's not that fast.  None of our WRs have demonstrated an ability to get deep on even the corners they've faced this year so far.  For many on this board, Tre Bryant is our 'best' RB and we won a heated recruiting battle for him with Kansas State, not anybody in the top ten.  

 

It's not for lack of trying in my view.   How many scholarships have we offered so far in this recruiting class?   Hundreds?   We are courting, offering and blanketing the country to find the best we can possibly get but the number of 5 star guys seriously considering NU are dam few.   We've had a surprising number of visits by some highly rated 4 star guys.   This pattern is nothing new and Bo Pelini, even with Tom Osborne greeting his recruits on arrival as the Athletic Director, had less than 5 star results. 

 

I say all this, not to excuse Riley and his recruiting success/lack thereof, but to remind all that we have a long ways to go to get back to where we were 20 years ago when Scott Frost was a senior.   Recruiting is critical.   NU is not the same program as it was when Frank Solich took over and it was not the same when Callahan took over.  It surely wasn't the same when Bo took over and it is not the same today.   Turning this around will NOT happen in one or two seasons.   

 

If we should hire Scott Frost or any other coach (I want the most highly regarded, middle aged, top notch, smooth talking, parent impressing, recruiter in the country), he needs to arm himself with good recruiting staff that are exellent coaches that can lead and inspire excellence.   The next Husker coach has a tremendous challenge but the rewards will be astronomical if he succeeds.  The sky is the limit and he will become a legend, on a par with Osborne (or even better).   So - if the guy is as good as his ego and self confidence level can be to take the job, he will rise to the pinnacle of his profession.  He can name is price when the contract is renewed after 5 or 6 years.

  

Are you a sportswriter?

[Nebhawk]

Man I can ramble on and make a post seem like a novel, but that one by 84husker is a piece of work.........took me a whole monday night to read it!

 

You got many valid points.  I have been saying since the start of  the season, this current team was under talented.  Very under talented.

 

Its not just one coaches mess at this point.  Its 3.  Callahan started this process of apathy.  Pelini, how much I can't stand this guy, did win 9-10 games a year, but never could recruit enough skilll players to win the big ones.  Riley is just another line in the sand thats been crossed and has to go.  Riley didn't inherit a championship level team, but he can't revive this one either to that status.

 

Riley is the odd man in the middle right now.  He is an up standing coach with good values.  He replaced the opposite, maybe polar opposite!

I honestly think that if we would have hired him when we hired Bo, he might have done alot better.  That would have been his highlight years at the Beavs.  I think we needed him to come here in order to see that this program is not just one coach away, its whole system away.

[Nebhawk]

3rd stringers at Ohio ST?  I would settle for there 3rd stringer right now.  I think that they have had 4 classes in the Top 5.  I am guessing they have 3rd stringers that are 4 star recruits waiting for there time yet.

[Nebhawk]

I remember when we had our 3rd teamer on the field against the likes of KU, KSU, and ISU and still scored points just running fullback dives!

[Saunders]

In regards to the Big Ten West, the "lack of talent" argument is weak, at best. Nebraska has consistently outrecruited it's peers since we got here. What they haven't done is develop that talent and use it correctly.