Recent Recruiting Success & Failure

[Guy Chamberlin]

The hype is insane. Doesn't mean he's not a great prospect or that he's not a great addition for a number of reasons. I just hate to see anther kid being set up to fail/disappoint.

I do think the idea of becoming Calabassas U is misguided. We've seen it before and building NU's foundation with recruits from 2000 miles away is not a great idea, even though individually they can be great contributors.

It wasn't a great idea for Callahan. That doesn't mean it won't work for Riley.

New Jersey and Florida were also on the other side of the country and they laid a pretty nice foundation for Tom Osborne's run, which also featured a game-changing running back from California.

But whatever, Capt. Crabbypants.

 

[cm husker]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

 

[GBRFAN]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

The hype is insane. Doesn't mean he's not a great prospect or that he's not a great addition for a number of reasons. I just hate to see anther kid being set up to fail/disappoint.

I do think the idea of becoming Calabassas U is misguided. We've seen it before and building NU's foundation with recruits from 2000 miles away is not a great idea, even though individually they can be great contributors.

Not sure what you don't like about bringing in 4* talent. Even if we get 8 guys from CA we will still have a strong core of players from the 500 mile radius. Any Historian of NU football would need more than one set of hands and toes to count ALL the superstars that have come from CA / NJ / FL / TX during our glory years.

Not sure how you think the kid is being set up to fail / disappoint? I haven't heard a single person on this site say that we expect him to break every record and guide us to our first NC in 20 years. The talk that i'm hearing is that he could lead a crop of higher level talent to NU then what we have seen in the past 18 years. By the looks of it he is on his way to doing this - making him a success and appreciated. Will he also be an asset to the wideouts - Would assume so!!! however that will come with time.

This foundation that you dream of was mostly a result of cheap education & program success over a 20 year period - leading to a strong walk-on program. Those days are mostly over.

You should try to enjoy what is happening!!! If not, you may want to apply your energy in another avenue.

 

[BigRedBuster]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

The hype is insane. Doesn't mean he's not a great prospect or that he's not a great addition for a number of reasons. I just hate to see anther kid being set up to fail/disappoint.

I do think the idea of becoming Calabassas U is misguided. We've seen it before and building NU's foundation with recruits from 2000 miles away is not a great idea, even though individually they can be great contributors.

Not sure what you don't like about bringing in 4* talent. Even if we get 8 guys from CA we will still have a strong core of players from the 500 mile radius. Any Historian of NU football would need more than one set of hands and toes to count ALL the superstars that have come from CA / NJ / FL / TX during our glory years.

Not sure how you think the kid is being set up to fail / disappoint? I haven't heard a single person on this site say that we expect him to break every record and guide us to our first NC in 20 years. The talk that i'm hearing is that he could lead a crop of higher level talent to NU then what we have seen in the past 18 years. By the looks of it he is on his way to doing this - making him a success and appreciated. Will he also be an asset to the wideouts - Would assume so!!! however that will come with time.

This foundation that you dream of was mostly a result of cheap education & program success over a 20 year period - leading to a strong walk-on program. Those days are mostly over.

You should try to enjoy what is happening!!! If not, you may want to apply your energy in another avenue.

Because we are never going to be able to recruit them here so when they do commit, we shouldn't be happy because we will never be able to get them here even though they committed and then ultimately sign.

And by gosh we fired Bo so we shouldn't be happy about anything.

 

[girlknowsfootball]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

The hype is insane. Doesn't mean he's not a great prospect or that he's not a great addition for a number of reasons. I just hate to see anther kid being set up to fail/disappoint.

I do think the idea of becoming Calabassas U is misguided. We've seen it before and building NU's foundation with recruits from 2000 miles away is not a great idea, even though individually they can be great contributors.

Not sure what you don't like about bringing in 4* talent. Even if we get 8 guys from CA we will still have a strong core of players from the 500 mile radius. Any Historian of NU football would need more than one set of hands and toes to count ALL the superstars that have come from CA / NJ / FL / TX during our glory years.

Not sure how you think the kid is being set up to fail / disappoint? I haven't heard a single person on this site say that we expect him to break every record and guide us to our first NC in 20 years. The talk that i'm hearing is that he could lead a crop of higher level talent to NU then what we have seen in the past 18 years. By the looks of it he is on his way to doing this - making him a success and appreciated. Will he also be an asset to the wideouts - Would assume so!!! however that will come with time.

This foundation that you dream of was mostly a result of cheap education & program success over a 20 year period - leading to a strong walk-on program. Those days are mostly over.

You should try to enjoy what is happening!!! If not, you may want to apply your energy in another avenue.

Because we are never going to be able to recruit them here so when they do commit, we shouldn't be happy because we will never be able to get them here even though they committed and then ultimately sign.

And by gosh we fired Bo so we shouldn't be happy about anything.

 

[cm husker]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

The hype is insane. Doesn't mean he's not a great prospect or that he's not a great addition for a number of reasons. I just hate to see anther kid being set up to fail/disappoint.

I do think the idea of becoming Calabassas U is misguided. We've seen it before and building NU's foundation with recruits from 2000 miles away is not a great idea, even though individually they can be great contributors.

Not sure what you don't like about bringing in 4* talent. Even if we get 8 guys from CA we will still have a strong core of players from the 500 mile radius. Any Historian of NU football would need more than one set of hands and toes to count ALL the superstars that have come from CA / NJ / FL / TX during our glory years.

Not sure how you think the kid is being set up to fail / disappoint? I haven't heard a single person on this site say that we expect him to break every record and guide us to our first NC in 20 years. The talk that i'm hearing is that he could lead a crop of higher level talent to NU then what we have seen in the past 18 years. By the looks of it he is on his way to doing this - making him a success and appreciated. Will he also be an asset to the wideouts - Would assume so!!! however that will come with time.

This foundation that you dream of was mostly a result of cheap education & program success over a 20 year period - leading to a strong walk-on program. Those days are mostly over.

You should try to enjoy what is happening!!! If not, you may want to apply your energy in another avenue.

Mostly, I've already addressed the strawmen in your post.

You misunderstand the history if you think it was mainly about walkons. NU gave a ton of scholarships to Nebraska players. A huge % when you look in terms of population. Scholarship athletes from Nebraska were the foundation of NU's success.

As far as the hype goes, I've seen people refer to KJJ as being the best recruit landed since TO was coach. That's an insane statement, whether it specifically says he's the next Johnny Rogers or not.

I made a fairly innocuous statement along the lines of NU should cherry pick CA talent rather than invest in it as a foundational strategy and I'm attacked as though I slammed KJJr.

If people can't allow some discussion, even contrary opinions, on a msg board, maybe they should use their energy in other avenues.

 

[cm husker]

the amusing thing is that those of us who look at history and try to apply some lessons are told to "stop settling." I'd tell the pipe dreamers to quit wasting resources on failed strategies.

I guess we'll know in 4 to 6 years if this focus on CA relationships, which certainly does involve opportunity costs, is ultimately beneficial to NU. But history indicates it won't be.

 

[GBRFAN]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

The hype is insane. Doesn't mean he's not a great prospect or that he's not a great addition for a number of reasons. I just hate to see anther kid being set up to fail/disappoint.

I do think the idea of becoming Calabassas U is misguided. We've seen it before and building NU's foundation with recruits from 2000 miles away is not a great idea, even though individually they can be great contributors.

Not sure what you don't like about bringing in 4* talent. Even if we get 8 guys from CA we will still have a strong core of players from the 500 mile radius. Any Historian of NU football would need more than one set of hands and toes to count ALL the superstars that have come from CA / NJ / FL / TX during our glory years.

Not sure how you think the kid is being set up to fail / disappoint? I haven't heard a single person on this site say that we expect him to break every record and guide us to our first NC in 20 years. The talk that i'm hearing is that he could lead a crop of higher level talent to NU then what we have seen in the past 18 years. By the looks of it he is on his way to doing this - making him a success and appreciated. Will he also be an asset to the wideouts - Would assume so!!! however that will come with time.

This foundation that you dream of was mostly a result of cheap education & program success over a 20 year period - leading to a strong walk-on program. Those days are mostly over.

You should try to enjoy what is happening!!! If not, you may want to apply your energy in another avenue.

Mostly, I've already addressed the strawmen in your post.

You misunderstand the history if you think it was mainly about walkons. NU gave a ton of scholarships to Nebraska players. A huge % when you look in terms of population. Scholarship athletes from Nebraska were the foundation of NU's success.

As far as the hype goes, I've seen people refer to KJJ as being the best recruit landed since TO was coach. That's an insane statement, whether it specifically says he's the next Johnny Rogers or not.

I made a fairly innocuous statement along the lines of NU should cherry pick CA talent rather than invest in it as a foundational strategy and I'm attacked as though I slammed KJJr.

If people can't allow some discussion, even contrary opinions, on a msg board, maybe they should use their energy in other avenues.

No misunderstanding on the scholarships for MOST Nebraska players - they came here with a CHANCE TO GAIN a scholarship and if they climbed to the top it was given to them (no sooner....no later).

I would love to see some examples of your KJJ comment - again the overall trend has not been as you have stated.

Discussion is what this is all about, just not sure why you are so bent out of shape over us grabbing talent from a portion of the country that has a lot of talent.

 

[Mierin]

The reason having a lot of "homegrown talent" plus some stars from other areas worked so well before is our weight lifting program was miles ahead of most everyone else's. That's no longer the case.

 

[cm husker]

The reason having a lot of "homegrown talent" plus some stars from other areas worked so well before is our weight lifting program was miles ahead of most everyone else's. That's no longer the case.

Disagree.

NU wasn't that far ahead of the other top 30 to 40 programs, especially by the 90s.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

NJ and Florida were never foundational in Osborne's recruiting.

One doesn't need to be a Husker historian to understand that pieces from all over the nation were brought in to supplement the true foundation, which was built Nebraska and border state home grown talent.

Well yeah. Homegrown talent was great and seemingly more plentiful.

But I think you get to celebrate Mike Riley plucking some California talent the same way you would have tipped your hat to Tom Osborne for getting Sheldon Jackson, Lawrence Phillips, Michael Booker and Riley Washington from California, Christian and Jason Peter from New Jersey, and Tommie Frazier and Tyrone Williams from Florida, along with a few other guys from each of those states on the same 1995 roster (along with Terrell Farley, plucked out of SEC country in Georgia.)

Some historians have even noted that Osborne's willingness to recruit outside of Nebraska's traditional comfort zone made those dominant '90s teams possible, if prone to incarceration.

 

[cm husker]

Seemingly more plentiful because we had a system for taking advantage of and utilizing it.

As I've said dozens of times, NU should "go outside the safety lines" to supplement classes, not as a basis for them. Going to those regions wasn't a new thing in early 90s, nor did it redefine what NU had been doing.

That 1997 team had like 11 native Nebraska starters including at every offensive skill position. Yes, we can list some phenomenal players from far away but the heart of 30+ years of teams was from Nebraska and its border states.

 

[wanderful]

This entire "Callahan as an example that you can't recruit players from far away" fails to consider the rise of social media and the fact that kids are in constant contact with their friends no matter where they are in the country. I'm not saying the point is wrong, I'm just saying the world works differently today than it did 10-12 years ago. It's easier to combat homesickness now.

 

[cm husker]

To put a point on it, if you look at the heart of those championship teams,

1990 - 7 from NE (8 from NE and its border states) out of 20 - 5 players failed to letter from the class (4 of the 5 were from outside NE and its border states)

1991 - 5 from NE (7 from NE and its border states) out of 22 - 6 players failed to letter from the class (5 of the 6 were from outside NE and its border states)

1992 - 9 from NE (10 from NE and its border states) out of 24 - 7 players failed to letter from the class (4 of the 7 were from outside NE and its border states)

1993 - 7 from NE (7 from NE and its border states) out of 20 - 7 players failed to letter from the class (4 of the 7 were from outside NE and its border states)

1994 - 3 from NE (7 from NE and its border states) out of 21 - 7 players failed to letter from the class (4 of the 7 were from outside NE and its border states)

1995 - 7 from NE (10 from NE and its border states) out of 28 - 6 players failed to letter from the class (3 of the 6 were from outside NE and its border states)

1996 - 5 from NE (9 from NE and its border states) out of 18 - 6 players failed to letter from the class (4 of the 6 were from outside NE and its border states)

Avg - 6.2 from NE (8.3 from NE and its border states) out of 21.9 - 6.3 players failed to letter from the class (4 of 6.3 were from outside NE and its border states)

Summary:

NU's typical championship class was comprised of 28% Nebraskans and 38% from within the radius.

During that period, only 8 players from Nebraska failed to letter. That's an attrition rate of only 16%, which is low compared to the rest of the class, which was at 29% (which, itself, is a very low attrition rate).

In most years, NU took at most 1 to 3 players from each of the various high populations state where it reached outside of the 500 mile radius.

I hope that Riley thinks about these factors when developing and maintaining relationships; it's most speculation at this point. We don't really know where he's going to pull most of the talent. Last year was fairly scattered. 2015 class was drawn 3 different states with no state contributing more than 2 people. The 2016 class was more concentrated, with 2 from Nebraska, 8 coming from the radius and the single biggest contributor being California at 4.

 

[cm husker]

This entire "Callahan as an example that you can't recruit players from far away" fails to consider the rise of social media and the fact that kids are in constant contact with their friends no matter where they are in the country. I'm not saying the point is wrong, I'm just saying the world works differently today than it did 10-12 years ago. It's easier to combat homesickness now.

It's not about whether you can recruit them. It's about whether you can effectively retain them and get production from them.

You also have to consider that besides homesickness, there's a very real draw in a players' parents/friends/family being able to attend games in person. That's simply not easy for most people in CA or other far away states. So, while NE can pull players from those states, can they pull guys who are better than those available within 500 miles?

Personally, I think the 500 mile issue is a little overstated. It should be though more of as a 500 mile radius plus each state within the conference footprint. So, the approach should be more oblong than circular. Because you can tell kids in that corridor that they'll at least travel to nearby games 2 or 3 times a year (kind of what we used to be able to tell Texas recruits when we were part of the B12).