Pelini faces uphill battle at Nebraska

[hack]

Pelini faces uphill battle at Nebraska

By Craig Haubert of Scouts Inc.

Father's Day is around the corner so the post office is busy, but there is always time to get the mail delivered from recruiting fans. In this edition of the mailbag, we take a look at some questions about the evaluation process. We also look at the state of Nebraska recruiting and how it may do under its new leader. I also disclose some key information again.

As always thanks for the questions and keep them coming. Also happy Father's Day to all of you who raised, and are raising, recruiting fans.

Craig in Lincoln, Neb.: Craig, early indicators show that Bo Pelini and the NU staff are still offering top talent, but how likely are they to lure them to Lincoln? Bill Callahan was very good at evaluating talent and selling the recruits on Nebraska. Can Pelini's staff do the same? Thanks!

Craig: Nebraska is off to a slow start as far as commitments go, but it's still too early to hit the panic button. This is Bo Pelini's first shot at running the show, so it remains to be seen how he does as the one making the final decisions and being the closer. Based of his past ability and his level of enthusiasm and intensity you would imagine he will do just fine, but it is still early and only time will tell.

I don't think you should use Bill Callahan as the measuring stick for Pelini and his staff. Callahan made a big splash with his first class and was putting together a good 2008 class before he was let go. In between though, Nebraska did not have great classes and we felt the Huskers relied a little too heavily on junior college players. Obviously something was not right in the formula that was being used under Callahan; Nebraska struggled to compete with top competition. So Callahan did recruit well at times, but if I am a Nebraska fan, I would hope that Pelini can do better.

That being said, recruiting to Nebraska is not the slam dunk it used to be. Nebraska is a historically powerful program, but times are changing. Back in the day when television coverage was minimal, Nebraska was one of the handful of programs nationally known and seen. It was a winning program of which recruits nationwide had heard. Today coverage of college football is huge and the pool of programs getting exposure is deeper than ever. Nebraska has amazing fans, a huge stadium and good facilities, but the lure to Lincoln is not what it used to be.

The question is can Pelini make Nebraska a key destination again for recruits? It will be tough because unlike other programs, the talent pool in Nebraska's area is not as deep as some others. Pete Carroll was able to rebuild USC into a national power, but he had a much greater pool of talent around him. Nebraska cannot reach out to stack its program with local talent like schools in California, Texas and the South can. Like in the old days, Pelini and his staff will need to get into California and the Chicago area among others. Callahan tried this and had success at times, but with Pac-10 programs also competing for that talent in California and Notre Dame, Illinois and Ohio State competing for Chicago-area kids, it won't be easy.

The past is just that, and it is getting to the point where many of these kids do not know much of the Cornhuskers' past success, so that selling tool is not what it once was. You can recruit with the facilities at Nebraska, but the key is to win. Pelini needs to do what Callahan couldn't -- win some big games and get Nebraska back into the national picture.

so according to guy, pellini could be an okay coach but...

• he's coaching at nebraska, which is okay... sorta.
  
• he's got no talent local talent pool because it's nebraska.
  
• and if he go a-calling elsewhere, he has to compete with other schools which have the principle advantage of NOT being in nebraska.
  
• nebraska is has-been program.
  
• unless pelini win fast and wins big, nobody will want to come to nebraska.
  

discuss?

 

[Bring Out The Gimp]

I thought it was an interesting point about the negative impact of more televised college games on Husker recruiting. I never thought of that as a negative on Nebraska before, but I could see how that might be. I'm sure 17 year old kids want to be on TV. It probably doesn't help that a lot of our games have gone to pay-per-view.

 

[junior4949]

1) Well I think we all have to admit that things around here aren't anywhere close to where they used to be. We were a power house once upon a time, but things have changed. In 2 out of BC's 4 years, we didn't even make a bowl. Record after record of the beatdowns we sustained fell. When we're getting throttled on TV, I'm sure it would make any 18 year old kid think twice about coming here.

2) Same old story on the local talent. I highly doubt Michigan, Florida, USC, etc. watch a lot of game film on Nebraska high school players. However, we've always done a really good job of using what we had. We've had some outstanding local talent play here (Crouch, Ahman, Frost, etc.) I don't see this point as being any different than it's ever been.

3) Anytime you leave your border, you're at a disadvantage when compared to the local team. Most kids like to stay relatively close to home when they go to college. Back in our heyday, Texas and some of the other Texas schools weren't all that great. This gave us a decent advantage. USC and Cal really weren't very good either, so we had a good shot there. Now, the Florida schools with the exception of Florida really aren't that good. We might be better served hitting that area. However, we then have to compete with the likes of LSU, Georgia, and some other big time schools. IMO, it isn't any harder to recruit to Nebraska as it is lets say Manhattan, KS. The coaching staff may have to work a little harder than some coastal area staffs, but we can still recruit good/great talent here.

4) We are a has been program. We're a lot like Miami. Just because we've been down doesn't mean we're dead forever though. I have faith that us along with Miami will be powerhouses again. I have no idea how long it will take, but we will get back there. We've seen other storied programs fall (OU) and rise again. I have faith we will do it also.

5) 4 and 5 star athletes for the most part choose a college based on two things. 1) which one will I get to play at faster. 2) which one will get me into the NFL. We may not get a lot of blue chippers in here for a year or two, but that will be ok if this staff is able to find those 3 star athletes that go the extra mile. You can't tell me that after watching last season that most of the D1 programs don't have at least some good/great talent. I just hope this staff can evaluate talent better than the last one. We may have gotten some blue chippers, but they just couldn't piece them together. We seemed to recruit to just a few positions which were inevitably always on the offensive side of the ball. We went several years playing with FB's that walked on, and they always turned out to be very good. There are a lot of kids out there that can play ball. Hopefully this staff can evaluate them and put them together on the field better than the last staff.

 

[Landlord]

I think the original poster is reading into it way too much.

 

[DeathCultArmaggedon]

4) We are a has been program. We're a lot like Miami. Just because we've been down doesn't mean we're dead forever though. I have faith that us along with Miami will be powerhouses again. I have no idea how long it will take, but we will get back there. We've seen other storied programs fall (OU) and rise again. I have faith we will do it also.

I agree with your post, except for this point. I disagree that we are like Miami. Sure, they are in a slump after being in the spotlight just like us, but we have a lot steeper of a slope to climb. Miami has one of the best talent pools in the country to recruit from, and continues to recruit there with success. I also think that their national reputation is some what better than ours (minus the Thug U issues), especially in the eyes of 18-year olds.

I'm not trying to get all Debbie-downer here, because I do think that we will reach the top once more, especially with the ability of this coaching staff to recruit. Right now we are in contention on a few kids that are the cream-of-the crop (Cody Green, Jarvis Giles, Tana Patrick, David Oku, etc.). I just think it will be a harder journey for us than it will be for Miami.

BTW, I think this should be moved to the main recruiting forum.

 

[junior4949]

4) We are a has been program. We're a lot like Miami. Just because we've been down doesn't mean we're dead forever though. I have faith that us along with Miami will be powerhouses again. I have no idea how long it will take, but we will get back there. We've seen other storied programs fall (OU) and rise again. I have faith we will do it also.

I agree with your post, except for this point. I disagree that we are like Miami. Sure, they are in a slump after being in the spotlight just like us, but we have a lot steeper of a slope to climb. Miami has one of the best talent pools in the country to recruit from, and continues to recruit there with success. I also think that their national reputation is some what better than ours (minus the Thug U issues), especially in the eyes of 18-year olds.

I'm not trying to get all Debbie-downer here, because I do think that we will reach the top once more, especially with the ability of this coaching staff to recruit. Right now we are in contention on a few kids that are the cream-of-the crop (Cody Green, Jarvis Giles, Tana Patrick, David Oku, etc.). I just think it will be a harder journey for us than it will be for Miami.

BTW, I think this should be moved to the main recruiting forum.

I don't really disagree with you in regards to Miami. However, they also right now should be facing some recruiting woes of their own. Florida right now is the hot team in Florida. Then, you have the emergence of USF. We all know Bobby typically recruits very well at Florida State. One could almost assume Nebraska would have a better chance recruiting than Miami does. When you're a school in a recruiting hotbed, you are blessed unless you have a lot of competition from other local schools. The kids that want to stay close to home will more than likely go to the "hot" school right now which would obviously be USF or Florida. IMO, Miami is facing similar problems as in they have lost their identity. I watched a couple of their games last year where they had superior talent, but they just didn't play very well together. Hopefully, Pelini will help us get our identity back this year. We need to find our swagger.

 

[sCrUmptious!]

I don't really disagree with you in regards to Miami. However, they also right now should be facing some recruiting woes of their own. Florida right now is the hot team in Florida. Then, you have the emergence of USF. We all know Bobby typically recruits very well at Florida State. One could almost assume Nebraska would have a better chance recruiting than Miami does. When you're a school in a recruiting hotbed, you are blessed unless you have a lot of competition from other local schools. The kids that want to stay close to home will more than likely go to the "hot" school right now which would obviously be USF or Florida. IMO, Miami is facing similar problems as in they have lost their identity. I watched a couple of their games last year where they had superior talent, but they just didn't play very well together. Hopefully, Pelini will help us get our identity back this year. We need to find our swagger.

For the record, Miami pulled in the #5 class nationally last year according to rivals. Florida was #3, Florida State #9, South Florida came in way down at #54.

 

[Bleeding Husker Red]

One thing that always seems to stand out to me in regards to recruiting is how much the analysts seem to NOT know about the kids they talk about. Cae in point is this idea that kids from other parts of the country won't come here because they don't know NU's history.

Then I listen to the kids themselves talk and they know a whole lot more about NU than the so-called experts give them credit for. All of this extra coverage college football gets these days also means more NU highlights from days gone by being played, more games being rerun and more commentary about the team year after year on more stations at more times. And guess who's watching?

A lot of these kids know more about NU than many of us may think, and history matters to a lot of them. They do their homework when they're being recruited. Count on that.

BP may have an uphill battle ahead of him, but I don't think the hill is quite as steep as some people say.

 

[HUSKER 37]

I don't really disagree with you in regards to Miami. However, they also right now should be facing some recruiting woes of their own. Florida right now is the hot team in Florida. Then, you have the emergence of USF. We all know Bobby typically recruits very well at Florida State. One could almost assume Nebraska would have a better chance recruiting than Miami does. When you're a school in a recruiting hotbed, you are blessed unless you have a lot of competition from other local schools. The kids that want to stay close to home will more than likely go to the "hot" school right now which would obviously be USF or Florida. IMO, Miami is facing similar problems as in they have lost their identity. I watched a couple of their games last year where they had superior talent, but they just didn't play very well together. Hopefully, Pelini will help us get our identity back this year. We need to find our swagger.

For the record, Miami pulled in the #5 class nationally last year according to rivals. Florida was #3, Florida State #9, South Florida came in way down at #54.

I would think Florida State would have a problem recruiting with "Weekend at Bernie's er Bobby" at the helm as a lame duck coach, but their hire of Jimbo was genious.

For the eighth consecutive year, Florida State begins a season far removed from the Top 10, the perceived title contenders, the elite plateau of college football. It's a place the Seminoles once occupied as if they had a trademark.
But the current facts are stunning. Florida State finished the past two seasons unranked. The Seminoles have twice finished 7-6. Consider, they lost only 13 games during the entire decade of the 90's, which produced two national championships.

Their last win in a BCS bowl game was beating Michael Vick and Virginia Tech in the Jan. 4, 2000 Sugar Bowl to finish No. 1.

All this for a program once boasting an unbeaten bowl record for 14 straight years.

"We've got work to do to change who we are as a football team," said offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, the head-coach-in-waiting when Bobby Bowden retires.

Reading the above almost makes me glad Tom got out when he did..The cycle was bound to be on a downturn and I'd hate for his legacy to be as tarnished as Bobby's to have had him go through our down years and feel responsible.

And there appears to be more than enough talent to go around in Fla. to supply UM, UF, FSU, USF, University of Florida @ Rutgers..Plus the token players defecting to places like DONU.

 

[jayhawk]

Miami does have crappy fan support as well. I will grant you their new coach is a good recruiter and keeps their local talent home, but as far as a cool environment, Miami does not really have it so much...

 

[huskered17]

It's to early to know how this staff will be able to recruit, until they show the kids around the country what type of team Bo has put together. If the defense plays the way his past teams have shown and there are enough big wins against top teams in the next two years, then the doors will open up a lot more for the coaches. Then we will be able to see what type of recruiting, these coaches can do and if Bo has the type of personality to get the the blue chippers in here. Bo has to put some good wins on the board, and it won't be easy if the defense can't play like the Huskers of old. I'm hopping Bo is the answer, I think he is, but he can't do it with out the right kids in the system. Tom O, fans, stadium, tradition give Bo the edge I think he needs.

GBR!!!

 

[junior4949]

I don't really disagree with you in regards to Miami. However, they also right now should be facing some recruiting woes of their own. Florida right now is the hot team in Florida. Then, you have the emergence of USF. We all know Bobby typically recruits very well at Florida State. One could almost assume Nebraska would have a better chance recruiting than Miami does. When you're a school in a recruiting hotbed, you are blessed unless you have a lot of competition from other local schools. The kids that want to stay close to home will more than likely go to the "hot" school right now which would obviously be USF or Florida. IMO, Miami is facing similar problems as in they have lost their identity. I watched a couple of their games last year where they had superior talent, but they just didn't play very well together. Hopefully, Pelini will help us get our identity back this year. We need to find our swagger.

For the record, Miami pulled in the #5 class nationally last year according to rivals. Florida was #3, Florida State #9, South Florida came in way down at #54.

If USF has another year like they did last year, their recruiting prowess will grow by leaps and bounds as Miami and Florida States fall. Miami has no identity, and they have lost their swagger just like we did. I believe we will have a faster climb back to the top than them by a couple of years. I guess time will tell.

 

[Cy the Cyclone]

Nebraska cannot reach out to stack its program with local talent like schools in California, Texas and the South can. Like in the old days, Pelini and his staff will need to get into California and the Chicago area among others.

Hmmm...how many California guys were on the roster of National Champion LSU....1? How about their opponent Ohio State....1?

Wow...that state must be loaded with "local talent"..... <_<

 

[skersfan]

I think he hits pretty spot on. Population is the key to good recruiting. We do not have the numbers so there fore we must reach out to pick the top kids.

Getting them to come here is not an easy task. We have very little to offer at this time. WE are not a National Power and have not been for a very long time. We gained National recognition for our booing fans last year, something that was thougt to be impossible.

Bo has a major job, there is no question. No matter the thoughts he does not have the talent to play with the top 20 teams in the country. WE have finished just about where the talking heads have said for the last 4-5 years. Maybe we should listen to what they say and learn from them. Loyalty is great, but this is not poker, You have to have the cards to win this game. But the major concern about this team in my mind is heart. If they develop it, they have a chance to be pretty good. VaTech will tell us what we have and what Coach Pelini has to face. No more we are going to beat SC to a pulp, no more NC screams breaking the huddle. Just put it on the line and let the chips fall where they may. '

I think we are in for a tough couple of years. But look at what Kansas did last year with kids that supposedly did not have talent. Heart and loyalty made them winners. It can happen here, but I honestly have my doubts it will happen this year.

 

[Hunter94]

slow, steady improvement. a couple upset wins along the way, you have to get those, cally didn't even come close.....3-4 years, depending on recruiting to make it back to the top 12 in the country....you have to start somewhere.