Analysis On Recruiting Results 2015!

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Here are some of my views on Signing Days and recruiting on a few Schools' Football Programs. First, I do believe recruiting more Star Players in numbers and higher levels over consistent years does result in more winning for most Schools. More importantly, it grows Revenue Resources that can pay for Head Coaches & Staffs. Summer Camp Invitations, Coaching Clinics and Traditions on winning on a high level. This attracts Coaches that know how to coach, choose staffs, develop recruits into players and creates complete teams that wins 10+ games and can be selected for the National Championship. This is my opinion, and subsequently Pitt has to increase its Recruiting Rankings and it starts and ends with Coach Pat Narduzzi & Staff now at Pitt.


WVU:

They really did a great job in Florida but were shutout in Pennsylvania. Even worse in Big-12 Country where Holgorsen is from they play against mostly players from Texas. The Mountaineers grabbed a few recruits from Ohio, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia. WVU had a Top 20-25 Recruiting Ranking most of the season, but ended up dropping to 33rd. What is strange is that they took more Recruits than they have Scholarships to offer. Yet, Coach Holgorsen did not seem to be too concern about it. Now he has to get rid of 7 Players with Scholarships telling them to leave. When Recruits come to WVU this year you can bet there will be much negative recruiting on that kind of thinking that if you choose WVU, do not expect a full 4-year scholarship? I really think this will hurt WVU this year. They also only signed 4 Star Recruits and one has to wonder how WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen's claims they are close to winning the Big-12 Championship is going to keep good on that promise??? Especially, seeing how TCU, Texas, Baylor, and Oklahoma will be hard to beat again this year! I just think if a Coach grabbed younger recruits than scholarships and has to tell current players to leave, how can you expect to win a Championship when you cannot keep a Commitment to your current Players and cannot add??? I mean, on WV's Rivals Commitment Listings, it should say, Commitment Maybe Listing By WVU Depending On How Many Players Are Let Go By April 85 NCAA Scholarship Roster Limits???? No question, the next time WVU Coaches go into Parents Living Rooms, explanations will be needed before any offers and the word Commitment only counts one way....against the Recruits & Players. Now that Oliver Luck is gone, I think Dana Holgorsen is nearer to being fired if he cannot win 9 to 10+ games this year. I hope I am wrong and have no problem if WVU should win the Big-12 this or next year!


USC:

All I have to say, I wish Pitt would have just have attracted 3 of their recruits. They grabbed everything except Snoop's Dog son from Vegas that went to UCLA. They even grabbed 2 Running backs out of Texas and Linebackers from Utah and the rest came from Cali with one lone Vegas recruit. USC have almost complete Teams for Defense and Offense of Four and Five Star Recruits and just dominate the Pac-12 almost every year as far as recruiting. Whether Sarkisian (Or As Some USC Fans Call Him "Kissmyassagain" For Losing 4 Games?) can win them National Title remains to be seen? Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona State had Top 25 Recruiting in multiple years as well. Nevertheless, USC is still the Platinum Standard in recruiting in the PAC-12!


NOTRE DAME:

Once again, Coast to Coast Notre Dame recruits nationally and signed more Four Star Recruits as usual. Pitt has been able to compete with the Irish and has beaten them with far less Star recruits. If Pitt's Special Teams had been better under Chryst has he learned to become a Head Coach that missed some violations that the Refs missed too, Pitt would have beaten more often as well. It should be a good game this year even with Notre Dame being a Top Recruiter in 2013 #3, 2014 & 2015 #11.


PENN STATE:

Coach Franklin recruited pretty darn well at Vanderbilt and he did even better at Penn State these last two years. Franklin did take the most Four Start Recruits in Pennsylvania and the higher ranked Three Stars taking 11 of the Top 30 PA Recruits rated by Rivals. Additionally, Franklin signed more Four Star Recruits in New Jersey than any other College Football Program. Out of the 35 Top Recruits in the Garden State, Penn State got the cream of the crop of 5, and Rutgers signed 5 as well, but none of them 4 Stars. In Virginia and Maryland, Franklin grabbed another 4 Star Recruit but Larry Johnson did too for Ohio State. I predicted when Franklin was selected, that he would be a formidable Recruiter& Coach. I took some heat for that observation, hunch, and prediction, it was based on how Franklin did at Maryland and Vanderbilt. He actually was promised the job at Maryland but when Maryland did not move fast enough he ran off to Vanderbilt and recruited in the Top 40's there too. Franklin also won in SEC with the players he inherited and recruited with his personality is hard to resist. Throw in he carefully selected Assistants that can recruit and coach and he spent time growing up in Western Pennsylvania and Living in Philadelphia while coaching at Maryland, and Franklin already knew the region. More importantly, Franklin knows how much easier it is to sell recruits to come to Penn State with its Top Programs able to fund Assistants, Summer Camps, High School Coaching Clinics and all other advantages that come with a Top 10 Revenue Producing Program supported by 100,000+ Fans. I can hear his pitch now, "look how much talent we are recruiting right now, and you can join all of us on our march to a Big Ten Title and National Championship." Sorry folks, but sometimes a few early Four Star Recruits can bring in more. When the Staff could not recruit much more and lost some Decommits, they resorted to looking toward Pitt. However, that might not be the panacea it will turn out to be in the end? Unlike in 2014, Franklin was shutout in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi this year. We know he tried, and we know they had some players down there because WVU grabbed 9 of them. Moreover, we know Franklin was still looking for recruits to sign the last month because he went after Pitt Recruits when he could not attract any others elsewhere. Franklin had almost just as many Decommits as Pitt, but Pitt had coaching changes? It is my belief, Franklin and Staff took it personally when Pitt's Petersen OL Coach started the Twitter Chatters. Chris Peak alluded to it as well. Only time will tell if that was smart move. I say this, because Penn State was actually ranked in the Top Ten before it added 3 Star Recruits of Miller, Petrishen, Bowers, and Givens. These were the last recruits signed by Penn State but they actually dropped in the Rankings from the Top 10 to 15th and drops occurred in other Rankings such as Scout, 247Sports, and ESPN even as they acquired these 4 recruits. Yet, I still admire the Recruits Franklin did sign and they will fill up the Roster very quickly based on needing them to beat OSU, MSU, and Michigan this year.


OHIO STATE

It just seems unfair for Ohio State to acquire Coach Meyer's that is 38-3 the last 3 Years and won the National Championship with recruiting classes ranked 2012 #4, 2013 #3, and 2014 #2 and #9 in 2015. Meyer's combine with Ohio State Contributors, Revenue Resources, Summer Camps, Coaching Clinics, Traditions that dominate Ohio and all Teams in the Big Ten. There are just 3 Coaches that have beaten Coach or should I say, Pope Urban and that is Dantonio (Narduzzi's Defense) MSU, Swinney Clemson, and Beamers Virginia Tech giving the ACC two wins over the Best College Football Coach & Program in College Football right now. Penn State's Franklin took a big step this year in at least coming nearer to Ohio State's talent in the Big Ten and barely lost to Meyers in OTs.


PITT:

Chris Peak's Radio Show pretty much summed up Pitt recruiting with less than one-month-old Head Coach Narduzzi & Staff. Narduzzi did have his share of Decommits but there was no panic as when Graham took over. Narduzzi is quite satisfied in taking the recruits, he did sign, and with just 2 Four Stars compared to WVU 4. Unlike Holgorsen or Franklin, Coach Pat did not just give Scholarships away the last week to meet a higher class in numbers. Pitt is within the 85 Scholarship limit unlike WVU. What puzzled me and is how Pitt needed Defensive Players that could play sooner at Pitt more than WVU or Penn State. I very much respect the decisions of Miller, Petrishen and Givens no matter how others may feel, because if Pitt wanted them and Penn State signed them, then their choices deserve just as much respect. What puzzles me is the opportunity to play Defense at Pitt is in higher demand than at Penn State that had a Top 10 Defense this year. As Chris Peak pointed out Jordan Whitehead carefully judged where he is needed and has a chance to play by seeing how many Defensive Backs have come from Narduzzi's Defenses at MSU. PITT lost the Bowl Game by 1 point after giving up a big lead to Houston. MSU won their Bowl Game by 1 point after being down by a big lead to Baylor. Miller, Petrishen, and Givens are Defensive Players and the key to learning to play Defense is playing time as soon as possible and like Whitehead knows PITT needs them more than Penn State does right now. Franklin pulled in #24 Class last year and now a #15 Class and already has some great recruits committed for 2016. It will be interesting to see how these recruits develop at Penn State just like Foster at Alabama. Foster is standing in line waiting for his opportunities where Star Talent abounds and waiting is happening more often and longer than playing right away at PITT. I wish them all well regardless and I have no problem if Penn State wins the Big Ten. Just as Pope Urban is Coach Franklin challenge to develop his recruit's talent into better Team. Coach Pat has the same challenge now up against Coach Franklin in 2016-19, so what goes around, can come around as they say too?
MICHIGAN;
Notice Coach Harbaugh also took two QB;s and got Houston's QB to transfer to Big Blue. Narduzzi and Chaney did the same thing because they know a good QB is needed to lead any recruiting class into becoming better players and teams. I predict Harbaugh will win 10 games this year and will use a QB far from the starter at Michigan last year. Harbaugh's first priority will be Dantonio MSU along with Meyer's OSU! This is going to be terrific football to watch in 2015!

This post was edited on 2/6 3:10 AM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[thebadby2]

Couple of things:

1. OSU's loss to VT early in the season has a huge asterisk next to it. If those teams had played each other even 2-3 weeks later OSU would have won by 30-plus. VT sucked. That was an anomaly--Total one-off.

2. No way Harbaugh wins 10 games at Michigan this season. No way, no how. Even though there;'s a lot of talent, he has a rebuoild job on his hands. The O line got very weak under Hoke and they have some personnel issues there. I expect to see positive results beginning in 2016, but this year will be a tough one for the Wolverines. The 2nd string QB, 4 star Shane Morris, looked as bad as 5 star starter Devin Gardner did last year. 3rd stringer Russell Bellamy transferred. Wilton Speoight is a lightly regarded RS freshman who has apparently shown some potential. So it's Morris or Speight--neither of the true freshmen will play. As for them, I have watched Alex Malzone play a number of times as he plays at local (local to me here in metro Detroit) powerhouse Brother Rice H.S. I was not overly impressed. He's overrated IMO and will have trouble cracking the 2 deep while at U of M.

3. As you said, we will be much better able to judge Narduzzi's recruiting this time next year, when he's had the benefit of a full recruiting year, camps, etc.

 

[kjb32812]

Nice job Captain. The Givens offer may have been because Zach Allen, a 3* DE committed to NW was being pursued by Penn State. He actually committed to BC instead and never made it on campus at PSU the weekend prior to Franklin offering Givens. We'll see how much he grows, but some think there is an outside chance that Givens could play DT.

 

[vulcan80]

Captain great writeup again but I think your take on WVU over signing and taking scholarships might not be true.The people down there say they're 5 over right now with 90.But I have afeeling that "some" of the 17 or 18 redshirt seniors won't be back for their 5th year!A lot of these guys aren't starters and have graduated so some will not be back.I don't think Holgy's going to get the rep of taking scholarships,that's bad PR and he can't afford that.BWDIK I'm a Cal U grad!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Vulcan80, To Be Fair!

I am going on an Article, Recruiting Expert, Reporter and Big Contributor to the Football Program comments. WVU actually was not funding all 85 Scholarships a few years ago when it addressed Coach Rod's leaving, and Coaching changes that brought about and later the Big East Buyout. Oliver Luck had quite a job to do and went about correcting the money problem. WVU now has 80 million in the bank in Athletics.

I will share a story with you, when Coach Rod was about to leave a WVU reached out to Big Money Contributors, one in Sewickley PA I know personally. He gave them $800,000 along with a few others to match and increase Michigan Offer for all of Coach Rod's Contract and Assistants and other Demands with Expenses. Coach Rod did not stay even after that knid of showing from Big Alumni. So, I had lunch with this Big Donor and he told me what happen. He said, well, can I have my money back since this offer was not accepted. WVU said no, once you give to a Non-Profit Athletic Department they said we can't give it back. He was a tad miffed, but he is so well off he let it go, and they told him they will use it for a New Coach and funding Players Scholarships and Walk-ons. This week he called me again and again was miffed because he was upset to learn WVU had some problems and was only funding 69 to 72 Scholarships until a few years ago and he wanted to know where his money really went, but he again he is letting it go but might not be so generous next time since Oliver Luck has said they a $80 Million in reserve now.

The Scholarship Funding was confirmed by an Expert that appeared on the Radio and a Reporter that cover WVU saying the same thing on not having all 85 Scholarships funded a few years ago? I also at WVU this past week with a Petroleum Professor from UTexas and sat in a lecture on using CO2 in liquid form to pump into the ground to force more oil out of old wells and the C)2 then stays in the ground. WVU Research funded by Coal, Gas, and Oil Companies along with UTexas and some other schools is working on increasing the CO2 Viscosity to make it much thicker so he does the job in bringing back more oil but can stay in the ground and the EPA really would be happy as a means to get rid of the CO2 instead of going into the air and it can reduce water for fracking. Right now this is a very expensive process but it is also a way to take captured CO2 and use it to produce more energy as well as store CO2 into the ground and in old coal mines. Nevertheless, this where I learned more about WVU and PSU too.

What Oliver Luck was able to do as AD was create his own WVU Golden Panthers of well heeled Alumnus, Corporations, and WVU Fans that raise money for WVU Football and this is what PITT must go back to under their New AD and like they did way back in the 1970's. This really requires a commitment from the Chancellor and that is happening at PITT even though the AD search has gone slow. So, I will be meeting with my WVU friend soon and can learn more about WVU.

Yet, at the same Luncheon, I was surprised to learn that UTexas does not provide Free or Reduced Tuition for Professors or UTexas Employees. One reason is because it is very low for In-State Students! However, I also learned UTexas has taken steps to reduce certain level of science engineering spaces for students to keep costs down since many universities are no longer having the benefit of NIAH, NSF, and other Government Funding. Yet, Penn state has done the opposite and increased their spaces for these students to doubling UTexas and now found out they have big problems with cost that can no longer support those programs. This happening at most Universities but the smart one have taken steps to find the point whereby the number of student spaces will be adequate to meet the budgets regardless of what happens to the funding going up or down. I am going to call these Professors and learn more about this info that was briefly discussed over Lunch and it was too brief and little to follow it so quickly. There was Penn State Professors there too!

In any event, this is what I learned this week at WVU and among far smarter people than myself employed by these schools and working on research that will impact on America's Energy needs in Coal, Gas, and Oil in the future while addressing ways to reduce CO2 regarding Global Warming.

I am going back to WVU soon and will learn more too and this time hang with some Contributors that tell me more about what is happening in Athletics.

What the heck is going on at CALU over not looking at the Transfers Qualifications and Arrests Records of their Recruits, this was in all the Newspapers down in the Mon Valley when I was at WVU with the Texas Professor?

.

 

[vulcan80]

Oliver Luck was really into the fund raising and getting the WVU Athletic Department into better financial shape.He rubbed a lot of Good Old Boy Mountaineers the wrong way.He was all about making money and not caring who got mad.See John Raese for one!!!Beer at Mountaineer Field,$20 parking for Basketball,doubling the price of season basketball tickets,selling media rights etc!But bless his soul he did get them into the Big12!He also brought Holgorsen to WVU and gave him lots of money for his assistants, be this good or bad?Some were sad to see Oliver go,lots of people were glad.Plus he gave Huggy a big raise,so the money came from those people you mentioned.Cals in a bit of a mess right now!Something like 20 arrested players in the last two years.The problems started when John Luckhardt brought in D1 transfers and other risky players onto campus.Some,well a lot of his D1 transfers were let go by the D1 schools they attended for lots of different reasons.Lucky did pretty much as he wanted at Cal while he was there.Dr Armenti the President went along with what Luckhardt wanted,then Armenti got fired!Luckhardt retired and Mike Kellar was hired 3 years ago.Kellar inherited a football culture that wasn't exactly what I would say was ideal!Mike's a good guy and I'm glad he wasn't let go.It's up to him to get the program back to respectability in regards to public opinion.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Kjb32812, Judgments, Logic & Link Versus Laughter Lacking Think!

Originally posted by kjb32812:
Nice job Captain. The Givens offer may have been because Zach Allen, a 3* DE committed to NW was being pursued by Penn State. He actually committed to BC instead and never made it on campus at PSU the weekend prior to Franklin offering Givens. We'll see how much he grows, but some think there is an outside chance that Givens could play DT.

Good Comments and i was thinking that is where Givens would play if he had gone to Pitt too. Another point is Altoona is Penn State place more than Pitt as Johnstown was more Pitt than Altoona. Jack Ham is an example. I was not surprised this happen but I was surprised Givens had verbal Pitt earlier?

What few Penn State Posters on BWI did not understand during all the "hoopla yaw" taking joy in Pitt Flips by Recruits did not realize why this was happening. It was happening due to Franklin's own Decommitts earlier of Top Talent (5 & 4 Stars Recruits) that went elsewhere. As well as, Franklin & Staff inability to recruits other Top Talent in their last two weeks as that Top Talent turned down Penn State and Franklin????

Consequently, they went after Pitt recruits with no choice as spaces were not filled and those scholarships were still available. In effect, these players only changed when they finally got an offer from Penn State and they were not pursued until Penn State decided to fill the Scholarships instead of saving them for next year. Therefore, these 3 Star Recruits took scholarships meant for 4 & 5 star recruits that actually rejected Penn State or did not buy what Franklin & Staff were selling??? It was really a Public Relations move by Franklin & Staff and may come back to haunt them in their haste to stick it to Pitt Narduzzi & Staffs faces.

And this is not spin, or excuses or an opinion since it is based up on Math Facts in the Recruiting Rankings. When we did talk about Football among these Professors at WVY Seminar, one brought up the over reach of WVU numbers of Recruits without Scholarships right now and dropped from Top 20 status to 33rd, as well as Penn State dropping from Top 4 to 10
to 14th and 15th after they grabbed those 3 Star Recruits.

At the same time, Pitt could have been a Top 40 Ranked Class had it kept these Recruits and Curtis attracted Miller, but ended dropping from the higher 50's to lower 70's, when the Recruits Flipped. Yet, that did not hurt Pitt that much in my opinion, and Pitt wanted those Recruits versus Penn State only offering them when they could grab Higher Rated Recruits and once again the BWI Penn State CULTure was too dumb to see it.

Even more questionable is the judgment of those Recruits that flipped compared to Jordan Whitehead smarts of sticking with Pitt. As seen by the example of the Link below!




Clearly, Penn State with the Number #2 ranked Defense in the FBS this year, does not have the same need as Pitt Defense that ranked 33rd and even worse needs DBs, DLs, and LBs????
FBS TOTAL DEFENSE RANKINGS 2015:


2 Penn St. 13 849 3623 4.27 24
33 Pittsburgh 13 837 4677 5.59 43
NR WVU Not Ranked In The Top 50???
LINK:
http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/22


Moreover, Narduzzi is a proven Defensive Coordinator that knows how to build Defenses by developing 2 and 3 Star Recruits for MSU and for the NFL that all these Football Recruits forgot about as they flipped for Penn State and were DL, DB, and LB?

Furthermore, Narduzzi & Staff did not panic like Franklin & Staff did by filling Scholarships with 3 Star recruits when losing 4 & 5 Star recruits. Franklin could have saved them for next year where he can recruit even higher ranked recruits especially when he does not need them on Defense.

I understand these Players Hearts were always with Penn State and I respect all of them, and wanted all to come to Pitt, so not shaming them in anyway, and wish them success at PSU. Still logic is often better than language, and Franklin did panic and got caught lying to his Vanderbilt Players during a Rape Crisis. Clearly, Franklin's willingness to misuse words could wear thin in the coming years, if he can't win against OSU, Michigan, and MSU with these great ranked classes. Or like the Vandy Boys he recruited with his "Cheerleder Corp" becoming involve in crimes that often comes with higher ranked recruits thinking they are entitled to being treated differently than others?

In addition, Narduzzi & Staff did not panic like WVU Holgorsen that took more players than Scholarships and was happy some of their recruits went elsewhere and now must tell players that once committed to WVU, they no longer have a Scholarship and they have to leave? Clearly, Holgorsen lost his Head in not planning his recruiting that regard and that will reflect on Holgorsen and WVU for the future.

Therefore, Narduzzi & Staff kept their heads and did not panic in trying to fill Scholarships with recruits to replace the Penn State and Missy State Flips. Pitt will have these Scholarships for next year, unlike PSU and WVU. As WhiteHEAD kept his Head all year long without any doubts where he is most needed in spite of many pleads and offers to flip to WVU or SPU unlike those that followed their Hearts over the Heads?

Pitt without a doubt has much farther to go to rebuild their Football Program than WVU & PSU,. Plus, no one knows how Narduzzi & Staff will actually turn out as his tests on learning to become a Head Coach????

Nevertheless, Narduzzi did show class, forthright honesty, and character when he refused to take any of Dantonio's Staff, and refused to go after MSU or Wisconsin Recruits and did not seek out lower recruits to replace higher ones that flipped, nor over promise recruits where there are no scholarships for them????

I would say, this may portend how Narduzzi keeps his Head and did not over talk his Program and will let his Coaching do his talking as he builds the Foundation for his Football Program at Pitt according to Chancellor Gallagher Vision. Clearly, Narduzzi will not lie to his recruits and players and this gas been back-up by his former players at MSU and those that know him best.

Versus the tads of truth decay within Holgorsen to prior recruits that will no longer be WVU Players or Franklin's panic look when he had to admit he lied to his players at Vanderbilt when under oath, and recruiting "Cheerleaders Corp" to host recruits knowing it is a violations and saying all schools do it, and that was on the record too.

Little things count as far as I am concern when asking young men to commit their hearts, spirits, and health to their Alma Mater (Adopted Mother).

Cracks in character begins with the small lies that look bleary at the moment and can be justify they have a greater purpose. Yet, this is what misled Sandusky and caused the Penn State Scandal as silence, wins and money were more important than disadvantaged children nightmares?

The same that caused a WVU President to falsify Credits for a Politically Connected Billionaire Graduate to keep that money flowing in the name of a greater good, built on shady practices that end up hurting the reputation of every graduate that went to classes honestly. Or telling a players years later you have to leave because we cannot keep that scholarship we gave you because we gave it to a new recruit?

These are opinions, and we shall see how that goes, but I like how Narduzzi conducted himself with Character in Action and still can compliment Franklin and Holgorsen for Top 30 and Top 15 Classes, but could turn out not as expected due to a few Public Relations images for their own personal and professional purposes?

This post was edited on 2/6 3:43 PM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[kjb32812]

Franklin wasn't going to bag four scholarships and it would have been dumb on his part. We only had two commits (not including McLean because he wasn't truly a commit) and they were long, long ago. What hurt PSU was that they didn't land Wilkins and thought they had him. They also could not get Seymour to sway from Rutgers. Then you had Allen, who I mentioned. There were no other DTs/DEs that I know of that spurned PSU late in the game. There could have been but our recruiting mod is pretty good at being honest and telling us everything he can. He didn't even name Zach Allen until the whole thing was over with.

John Urschel was a Plan C and so was Jordan Hill. Sometimes you just have to grab bodies and see what happens. Whether or not Franklin flipped Givens to stick it to PITT? Who knows. That being said, I do find the timing to be interesting since it only happened after Allen's ship had sailed.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Thebadby2

Originally posted by thebadby2:
Couple of things:

1. OSU's loss to VT early in the season has a huge asterisk next to it. If those teams had played each other even 2-3 weeks later OSU would have won by 30-plus. VT sucked. That was an anomaly--Total one-off.

Sorry, I very much appreciate and highly value your postings because you provide superb information and analysis, but I respectfully disagree with you on VT loss. It was a loss, Meyer's was out coached and one cannot change that at all, it is on the record.

At the same time, I do recognize that Urban Meyer's is a very Special Coach not because he can Recruit at OSU in the Top 5 and 10 every year or because he lost 3 games in 3 years. I do so because Pope Urban has ordain that same kind of winning at Bowling green, Utah, and Florida! While earning his learning at Saint Xavier High School, Ohio State, Illinois State, Colorado State, and Notre Dame. Where the Ohio Native and Favorite Son and UCincy Graduate came back to Ohio!

VT was a lost and Pope Urban came back still focused on the National Championship even as most Experts wrote OSU and Big Ten off for the Playoffs Selection Committee that happen due to Big-12 not having a Championship Game that hurt Baylor or TCU chances for selection.

Additionally, it should be noted that Pope Urban needed a few Big Ten Ref Calls in helping him and his Team exorcise some demon plays that almost upset the Buckeyes in multiple OTs at Penn State and that would have eliminated OSU for sure.

Never count out Big Ten Delany protecting his Conference anyway necessary just like ACC Swofford protect UNC Basketball when needed and both learned at a school noted for cheating in academics and building a Basketball Program while intentionally skirting NCAA Rules in 1950s-60s-70s and now dealing with the Academic Frauds & Lawsuits!


2. No way Harbaugh wins 10 games at Michigan this season. No way, no how. Even though there;'s a lot of talent, he has a rebuoild job on his hands. The O line got very weak under Hoke and they have some personnel issues there. I expect to see positive results beginning in 2016, but this year will be a tough one for the Wolverines. The 2nd string QB, 4 star Shane Morris, looked as bad as 5 star starter Devin Gardner did last year. 3rd stringer Russell Bellamy transferred. Wilton Speoight is a lightly regarded RS freshman who has apparently shown some potential. So it's Morris or Speight--neither of the true freshmen will play. As for them, I have watched Alex Malzone play a number of times as he plays at local (local to me here in metro Detroit) powerhouse Brother Rice H.S. I was not overly impressed. He's overrated IMO and will have trouble cracking the 2 deep while at U of M.

I very much respect your analysis here and defer to your superior knowledge and have no fear from you enlightening me as your did, because that is why I am here, to discus and learn from others that know more.

Yet, I just have a hunch and still believe Harbaugh will win 10 games this year.

I spent time at Stanford going there on Gaming Seminars when Harbaugh took over for Walt Harris. It took Coach Jim 3 years to build Stanford into a 12 game winner and with Admission Regulations hard to overcome versus other PAC-12 Schools, and Salaries limited by the University. Yet, he did establish a football Of Excellence that still exists today as built by him!

Still, I know I am going out on a ledge, but my Hunch is based on Michigan having much talent there right now than Harbaugh faced at Stanford. Thus, I am going to stand by my prediction knowing full well your logic and analysis is superior, more accurate and most likely will be proven factually right.

I just feel Harbaugh did not go after QB's because he wanted or needed them, he knows how to develop them and does it fasters than most, and we shall see?

Michigan Players are in for a change that will become as focused with fear as Pope Urban uses at OSU! These two coaches know football and no one can tell them anything and that comes off as arrogance many times, but it is nit arrogance if you back it up, then it becomes a fact.

3. As you said, we will be much better able to judge Narduzzi's recruiting this time next year, when he's had the benefit of a full recruiting year, camps, etc.

I agree and would appreciate your same insight on reading my comments to Vulcan and Kjb in this thread. Pitt football is still unknown territory as we were under Chryst as we were waiting to see if his Head Coaching in his 4th Year but will now have to be seen at Wisky instead?

Yet, I really like Narduzzi just keeps his nose to his what he knows, and demands the same kind of character from his players as he conducts himself. We will know right away too because Great Coaches show it right away more often than waiting for 3 years.

Pitt has so much little done right now in rebuilding the Program in Chancellor Gallagher's Vision and so much more to do, and up for Narduzzi to do it, just like Harbaugh at Michigan.

We shall see, but I just have a Hunch not a Divine Revelation?

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Vulcan80, Excellent Post!

Originally posted by vulcan80:
Oliver Luck was really into the fund raising and getting the WVU Athletic Department into better financial shape.He rubbed a lot of Good Old Boy Mountaineers the wrong way.He was all about making money and not caring who got mad.See John Raese for one!!!Beer at Mountaineer Field,$20 parking for Basketball,doubling the price of season basketball tickets,selling media rights etc!

Yes, I am very aware of that and have many close WVU Friends very upset about how he did increase prices in all sports and some cancelled Ticket Renewals in protest, but they still bleed WVU too!

In the end, Oliver left WVU with $80 Million too, and he did not leave but was looking to leave for sometime. I know where he went to High School in Cleveland and spent some time there and learned much about him and his family from those that know them.

But bless his soul he did get them into the Big12! He also brought Holgorsen to WVU and gave him lots of money for his assistants, be this good or bad?Some were sad to see Oliver go,lots of people were glad.Plus he gave Huggy a big raise,so the money came from those people you mentioned.

WVU went through turmoil in Academics, Conference Rejections, Big-12 Invites & Buyouts and Coaching and Presidents Changes not to mention the Pitt 13-9 Defeat that denied WVU a chance at its first National Title just like when Major Harris got hurt in the first Quarter against ND in the late 1980's.

WVU Alumnus that became M.I.T. President Charles Best actually came in and reset the University on a plan of recovery with his Committee Oversight. President Gee returned too, and is in his swan song to set more changes. Still, Oliver Luck did what he thought he had to do and left the University better off than when he found it. It is my belief and hunch Oliver is the Next President of the NCAA!

Cals in a bit of a mess right now! Something like 20 arrested players in the last two years.The problems started when John Luckhardt brought in D1 transfers and other risky players onto campus. Some,well a lot of his D1 transfers were let go by the D1 schools they attended for lots of different reasons. Lucky did pretty much as he wanted at Cal while he was there.Dr Armenti the President went along with what Luckhardt wanted,then Armenti got fired!Luckhardt retired and Mike Kellar was hired 3 years ago. Kellar inherited a football culture that wasn't exactly what I would say was ideal! Mike's a good guy and I'm glad he wasn't let go.It's up to him to get the program back to respectability in regards to public opinion.

Thank you for those details, I know CALU took many players from Beaver County based on my discussions with some Aliquippa Coaches at the YMCA in Sewickley.I think some Pitt recruits ended up there too and Walt Harris coached there did he not after he left Akron as QB coach? Also, Joe Sarra the Penn State Assistant that Sandusky would make fun of and PSU Player Dan Conners made Prank Phone Calls to and then later said no one knew about Sandusky is a CALU graduate?

Armenti came from Villanova and filed a Lawsuit for his firing, but he grew CALU by 45% more than any other University in the Commonwealth during his era. Looks like after reading your info, he just did what he felt he needed to do to grow, and ended up hurting himself and the school?

Great post thank you!

 

[vulcan80]

Dr Armenti did a world of good at Cal.What he did for the campus is amazing and he was really into athletics,especially football.Unfortunately he got the school into deep financial difficulties and finally got himself fired!My Uncle was a Dean of Admissions at Villanova when Armenti was there and they were good friends.I actually had to call in a favor to Dr Armenti when my son was at Cal but that's another story!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Kjb32812, Very Good Comments Thanks!

Originally posted by kjb32812:
Franklin wasn't going to bag four scholarships and it would have been dumb on his part. We only had two commits (not including McLean because he wasn't truly a commit) and they were long, long ago. What hurt PSU was that they didn't land Wilkins and thought they had him. They also could not get Seymour to sway from Rutgers. Then you had Allen, who I mentioned. There were no other DTs/DEs that I know of that spurned PSU late in the game.

Well, my comments were never directed at anything you posted and I very much appreciate your knowledge and comments on the Lair and you are patience against flames and clearly just want to know what really happen at Penn State and I thank you for your attitude, posts and hope you continue to discuss Football here. I just wanted to let you know that before I respond.

This is what I said, but lacked the details you posted. Therefore, I am right based on what you said, Franklin did have Scholarships available due to some early DeCommitts and his inability to flip other Players he wanted from other Schools, and Recruits that rejected his efforts and offers in the last 2 weeks, so he turned to Pitt Recruits as an alternative and lower his Rankings since they were 3 Stars.

There could have been but our recruiting mod is pretty good at being honest and telling us everything he can. He didn't even name Zach Allen until the whole thing was over with.

I have no doubt what you said and confirm here is accurate based on your previous postings, and if I did, I would challenge them as I did before, with facts, or backing up opinions with facts, and to agree to disagree if we have different opinions or conclusions with no offense given or taken and appreciate you take the time to discuss Football at Penn State.

John Urschel was a Plan C and so was Jordan Hill. Sometimes you just have to grab bodies and see what happens.

Great Students and Players that graduated and played at PSU and I agree. Pitt had Donald that ended up being a great recruit for Pitt and went through multiple coaches.

Whether or not Franklin flipped Givens to stick it to PITT? Who knows. That being said, I do find the timing to be interesting since it only happened after Allen's ship had sailed.

This is my point as well, I do not know for sure either, but the timing looks like a flip for Franklin because he did not get someone else he wanted.

Then and only then, Franklin made Givens dream come true by offering him a Scholarship when he really did not offer him until better recruits he wanted rejected PSU.

I agree, it does not matter that much now, as Givens is now a Nittany Lion and whether he plays early and often is more up to Givens to show Franklin & Staff what his skills and hard work will prove in the future!

Although I really wanted Givens to come to Pitt because I know Narduzzi could turn him into a great player if he works hard, but if his heart was always at University Park, better for him and Pitt too!

The BWI Posters took that as some kind of victory but it actually lowered PSU Ranking by Givens just being 3 Stars where more 4 Stars were at PSU even as it lowered Pitt Rankings too, because the lost of those 3 Stars among far lesser 4 Stars and les players in Pitt Class.

Now we shall now how and when Miller, Petrishen, and Givens develop as players and are put in the line up. Miller is on record saying he was told he can play this year? We do know Franklin has not kept his word before and that is on Franklin and Staff now.

I am sure some WVU Players are not going to be happy either after being told they have to leave now. Just like Joe Paterno told Nick Marmo there is no Scholarship for him when he wanted to stay another year!

Narduzzi is very happy with what him and his staff signed for Pitt and we shall see if he can make good players sooner than later because Pitt really has those opportunities on Defense Needs far more than Penn State. Recruits that study what schools they want to consider and stick to their commitments afterwards even when coaches change, did it because it was what they concluded a long time ago where they were needed and could play faster, like Jordan Whitehead.

Franklin and Staff did what they promised to do in dominating Pennsylvania and New Jersey but looks to be disappointed in not grabbing more Four Star Players the last 2 weeks and made some recruits very happy finally inviting them to Penn State as alternative.

Finally, I think Narduzzi is dead on right when he said, we want Players that want to come and commit to Pitt and not have thoughts elsewhere because they did not get an offer to where they wanted to play all along. Franklin at the same time, has acquired Recruits that very much want to show they can play at Penn State too.

In the end, this is good for both Coaches, Staffs, Teams, and Programs and whether is going to be great for those Recruits is up to them now!

Thank you again on your insight and please continue to express your thoughts and the Lair appreciates them, and if some don't, I do!

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Interesting!

I lived in Devon, Pennsylvania for a few years when based in Philadelphia and Villanova has a great campus and know a few Alumni. It should be remembered, that the Big East Catholic Schools demanding Villanova be voted in for FBS Football led to PITT, WVU, CUSE, and RUTGERS AD's walking out of that meeting and the ended that proposal.

I think that is when Pitt and Cuse began talks with the ACC that led to an ACC Invitation Shocking Surprise and caused Oliver Luck left to step and fetch looking for a Power Conference and later Rutgers invited to the Big Ten with Maryland.

Thank you for the info and educating me on CALU! and WVU!

 

[kjb32812]

I was not aware that Franklin had not kept his word to anyone.

I don't know the back story of the kid you mentioned but going forward I think that non contributors need to realize that they will need to wrap things up in four years or less.

I didn't see the Miller comments. Doubtful he comes in and plays at his size, but who knows.

 

[thebadby2]

Re: Thebadby2

Capt, you give me way too much credit, but that's your style-you're a good guy and show everyone a lot of respect on this board even when they don't deserve it.

I happened to be at the Notre Dame v Michigan game the day OSU lost to VT, but we watched the last quarter or so of that game on TV while tailgating. My memory is it was Barrett's first start after Braxton Miller went down and he turned the ball over a few times-so I have to disagree thatf Urban was outcoached. As a side note one of the guys we were tailgating with was Wendell Countess, the father of Blake Countess, Michigan's starting CB. Countess is from Maryland and when that VT DB picked Barret off in the 4th quarter and took it to the house, Wemdell exclaimed that he knew the kid from HS football and that he and Bkake had trained together. As another side note, Wendell, who played inncoklege as well, can shotgun a beer with the best of them. Michigan RB Justoice Hayes' dad was with us as well. Very cool dudes.

I'm not a Michigan fan by any means but I am very familiar with the program and have been for many years. I think Harbaugh is a great-not good-coach and he will turn it around there as fast as anyone could. But it won't be this year-and it may not be next year either. That program is in a weird place right now, trust me. Hoke made a mess of it.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Thebadby2, Again Good Comments But Still Like Michigan!!

Originally posted by thebadby2:
Capt, you give me way too much credit, but that's your style-you're a good guy and show everyone a lot of respect on this board even when they don't deserve it.

I disagree with respect and you are kind and honest to say such things, but I also honestly enjoy reading your comments, you remind me when I was younger and you have zeal in your knowledge and beliefs and that is a good thing as far as I am concerned. I have disagreed with you on other occasions but always with respect because you explain your positions if need be, but also just give them as you see it, and you do contribute very good info and love the game that is clear.

I happened to be at the Notre Dame v Michigan game the day OSU lost to VT, but we watched the last quarter or so of that game on TV while tailgating. My memory is it was Barrett's first start after Braxton Miller went down and he turned the ball over a few times-so I have to disagree thatf Urban was outcoached. As a side note one of the guys we were tailgating with was Wendell Countess, the father of Blake Countess, Michigan's starting CB. Countess is from Maryland and when that VT DB picked Barret off in the 4th quarter and took it to the house, Wemdell exclaimed that he knew the kid from HS football and that he and Bkake had trained together. As another side note, Wendell, who played inncoklege as well, can shotgun a beer with the best of them. Michigan RB Justoice Hayes' dad was with us as well. Very cool dudes.

Meyers still lost and Barrett almost lost to Penn State too. In my opinion, Meyers did get lucky at Penn State, but he also blew it with VT, but I can agree to disagree. I really respect Urban Meyers but I ma not sure if I like him.

I'm not a Michigan fan by any means but I am very familiar with the program and have been for many years. I think Harbaugh is a great-not good-coach and he will turn it around there as fast as anyone could. But it won't be this year-and it may not be next year either. That program is in a weird place right now, trust me. Hoke made a mess of it.

I know it took Coach Jim 3 years to build Stanford into a winner, but that was in the PAC-12 Conference and I truly believe that conference is just behind SEC and often does not get the respect they earn every year. I do follow USC, Stanford, and Arizona very much since I spent considerable time at all 3 places. I also like to follow CoachRod.

I cannot and will not discount your wisdom and you are far more on the mark then myself, yet, I just have a hunch Michigan can pull off 10 wins in the Big Ten, this year. Again, just a hunch and your analysis is far more factual with logic and info behind it than my own.

Michigan has their entire OL back and Harbaugh will use that kind of experience if he can find a QB, and they will be a better Team as the year goes along. I admit they have a tough schedule this tear in my opinion.

I will revise my prediction upon seeing the schedule to 8 to 9 wins not 10 for this year.

MY HUNCH FOR BIG BLUE:


L-Thursday Sept. 3 Utes at Utah Utes



W-Sept. 12 Beavers Oregon State Beavers



W-Sept. 19 Rebels UNLV Rebels


W-Sept. 26 Cougars BYU Cougars


W-Oct. 3 Terrapins at Maryland Terrapins



W-Oct. 10 Wildcats Northwestern Wildcats


L-Oct. 17 Spartans Michigan State Spartans


W-Oct. 31 Gophers at Minnesota Golden Gophers COULD BE LOSS


W-Nov. 7 Scarlet Knights Rutgers Scarlet Knights


W-Nov. 14 Hoosiers at Indiana Hoosiers


W-Nov. 21 Nittany Lions at Penn State Nittany Lions


L-Nov. 28 Buckeyes Ohio State Buckeyes

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Thank You, Good Comments & A Story!

It is often interesting how things work out for late Recruits added or rejected by a Coach.

Ralph Cindrich tells the story how Paterno kept asking him to change his commitment from Pitt to Penn State, but Ralph ket saying no, and the guy that was given the Scholarship Paterno was saving for Ralph after Ralph said no for the last time was Jack Ham! Ham is in the HOF!

Bernie Kosar from Youngstown has his heart to go to Pitt and kept waiting for Foge Fazio to give him a Scholarship but Foge ran out and could not offer Bernie, so he went to Miami Canes!

One never knows how recruits turn out and late offers turn into great players! The CFB ranks and Pro ranks are full of such stories.

Great discussion Thank You very much!

I still would have loved Pitt to have Miller, Givens, Bowers, and Petrishen, because Pitt really needed them, but their Hearts are with Penn State and that is where they will play and win in my opinion.

Good luck!