Recruiting by State (hint: look at Fla)
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Without getting into the pettiest elements of this discussion, I will say that the Miami/Ohio State national championship game in 2002 felt about as crooked as they come.
I have always said that everyone was so sick of Miami that no one cared that they were getting hosed. However, had that happened to literally anyone else, people would've raised holy hell over the obvious highway robbery took place that night.
That was just plain wrong.
I have always said that everyone was so sick of Miami that no one cared that they were getting hosed. However, had that happened to literally anyone else, people would've raised holy hell over the obvious highway robbery took place that night.
That was just plain wrong.
Nice research comparisons and your contributions to the Lair like UPitt89 is a joy to read and share to learn as well as others. This is what Message Boards are all about by having solid information, links, comparison raw data and factual sources and then gather opinions together with valuable insights. I used to do this often but it far better to learn from others now.
I would like to see the same research comparisons in comparing our ACC Coastal Teams Pitt competes in the Divisions as well as Clemson, ULou and FSU being the top Teams ACC Atlantic. As well as ND, Michigan, PSU, Ohio State & WVU as Western PA and Conference Elite Rivals too.
Thank you so much for your time, information, and others to comment upon. opinions based on good sources and research not seen everywhere but specific to Pitt and and Pitt competitors is valuable, insightful and the Lair has the Posters from Pitt and other Website Program Fans have the Brains to dissect and provide even more insights.
This kind of Info shows if Pitt is competing and developing their recruits and and how coaching them up can predict winning and outcomes. I hope the Best PSU, Michigan, OSU, Clemson, FSU, and WVU Posters do the same for their own Teams and bring it to the Lair to Share and Compare.
Great Subject Thread and can be updated easily before and Signing Day. Again, many thanks!
The Ref was from Nebraska with that Late Flag, that was upset the CANES of PAIN pounded the Corn Huskers with a Lame Heisman Winner Eric Crouch into Oblivion the year before too. The Games was over in the first Quarter. Jason White was as Bad as Crouch too as a Heisman choice. Neither had abilities in the NFL!
Ohio State Tressel's Team were competitive and it was OK with me, and Urban's Florida Team was even better, and why he ended up in Native State. I like Stoops, Pelin, Tressel and Narduzzi the Youngstown Boys!
This is not the time to go to Notre Dame in my opinion, but if that is what Recruits love and want to do, so be it, and Godspeed! Pitt has developed what they recruit and I was amazed how many Players Pitt has ready to be even better in 2017. Hall, Moss, Ollison, Henderson and Ashton can play anywhere and against anyone.
At the start of this year, Pitt had few Wideouts good enough with some hurt and losing Tyler Boyd. Now Pitt has Weah, Matthews, Tipton, Ford and I am hearing big things coming from "Flowers in the Spring"? I'll leave those evaluations on the Smarter Posters that know more about them on the Lair.
OL and DL are staring to develop Pipelines & Back Ups just like the RBS and WRS above. The QBs, DBs, LBs, and TEs will need a tad more time as the Smarter Recruits that want Play sooner in College to prepare for the NFL choose Pitt. I have not seen this kind of talent being developed at Pitt since 1970s-80s! It is due to Coaching that is superb and wants to stay at Pitt and build Champions.
Narduzzi has them focused on getting better and living in the film Room and with far fewer Off the GridIron Problems happening elsewhere like ND. I very much respect Notre Dame and went there often, but I am no longer a fan of Kelly anymore.
I used to end Posts in 2015 with SO LITTLE DONE AND SO MUCH MORE TO DO, in 2016 I used to end them SO LITTLE DONE SO MUCH TO DO, Today, SO LITTLE DONE AND SO MUCH BEING DONE!
I can wait and see and I am very Proud of These Pitt Players, Recruits and Coaches.
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Some truth in your post, but Pitt Is on the path and in the right direction and it is not anomaly, that was solid win. So was Penn State. Pitt still does not have the Back-Ups to replaced key Players as seen in NU Bowl game. Pitt is on the right path of progress in just its 4th year in the ACC & 2nd with Coach Pat & Staff.
Pitt has shown in close wins and losses and in 2015 and 2016 they can play with anyone and anytime home or away far more often then being blown away. This is not anomaly Pitt being blown away in games is the anomaly now.
Good reminder & post but you must agree the Pitt & Staff has Good Game Plans, All 3 Units Improving together and the Players Attitudes and Having Fun is far better than in previous years.
Establishing Coaching Stability and not with Coach Pat but his Staff too. Conference stability is here at Pitt and Budget reliability is at Pitt too. Pitt needs an Athletic Director that takes care of Pitt not himself and his Consultants that will build the Booster base and bring an On Campus Stadium in the next 10 years. Narduzzi Coaching is still better than WVU and PSU and one can see how he leas talent and plays against tougher competition in 2015 and 2016. Pitt needs more time but it is going to happen.
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Agree, and having Coach that knows the Big Ten & Eastern Recruiting Areas as well as Learning the ACC Southern Regions bodes well for Pitt finding the Gems that develop into Unexpected Players from his Great Coaching and Caring.
Everyone knew Andrew Johnson was a 4 Star recruit with a bright future and the PSU Scandal broke helping Chryst Flip him and now a Consensus All Americans.
However, few saw Henderson growing into a Consensus All American one when he was recruited and Price too. No one saw Conner, Orndoff and Bisnowatny coming in doing what they did last few years? Chryst brought many them in but Narduzzi & Staff develop them into far better Players and Teams with far better Game Plans and Players with No Quit Attitudes.
There were so many players that perform all game long and did a super play here or there I can't name all of them. They just stepped up and performed.
There was a time when the Panthers offensive line was ranked No. 118 in the country with 3.31 sacks allowed per game, but look at it now and next year will be good too.
The Defense is in need of such a sea change as well, but i no doubt it will improve once Coach Pat & Staff get more back-ups ready for it.
Clemson, Penn State, Miami, Iowa, UNC, VT, OKSU, all out recruited Pitt in prior years but Pitt Players stay with them too and gave them close games even when having key injuries and lacking many Back-Ups and still do?
Sure Pitt needs more time but progress is happening year to year and by player to player with more consistency now.
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Once again, don't forget to recall what Coaches know....most CFB games are won by 4 to 6 plays and by 2 to 3 Players that lead and make those Plays happen. In light of their wisdom and those facts they coach. Pitt has done well in finding gems in WPA and developing into great NFL players too.
Revis, McCoy, Donald have all been Players of the Years in NFL, Boyd, Conner, and Whitehead have all been ACC All Conference or various Players of the Years IN CFA, as Johnson, Price as Consensus All Americans and Bisnowaty all being quite good enough for the NFL Draft too. ll From WPA!
You are correct, there are far fewer High School Players coming from Pennsylvania now, but the Quality is still there even if the Quantity has dipped quite a bit.
Two to Three Great Players can do wonders for any Team! Pitt and WPA has proved that and since 2000-16 not from just 1970-80 or 1920-30?
Ford will do it too.
Ohio State still dominates the Big Ten and has one of the Best Winning Percentage the last 3, 5, 10 and 17 years. Also, the Players from Ohio going to the NFL have been outstanding as seen in the Steeler's and other Teams. Urban Meyer's will have a Top Recruiting Year and Urban lost many Players last year to the NFL and Early to The NFL. Along with many Assistant Coaches being promoted to Head Coaches and still his Winning, Recruiting, and playing Championship Games has not been diminished overall.
I-A Winning Percentage 2014-2016 (3 years
1 Alabama 0.93023 40 3 0 43
2 Ohio State 0.90244 37 4 0 41
3 Clemson 0.88095 37 5 0 42
4 Florida State 0.82500 33 7 0 40
5 Wisconsin 0.78049 32 9 0 41
(59t Pittsburgh 0.56410 22 17 0 39)
I-A Winning Percentage 2012-2016 (5 years)
1 Alabama 0.91429 64 6 0 70
2 Ohio State 0.91045 61 6 0 67
3t Florida State 0.86765 59 9 0 68
3t Clemson 0.86765 59 9 0 68
5 Oklahoma 0.78462 51 14 0 65
(69 Pittsburgh 0.53846 35 30 0 65)
I-A Winning Percentage 2007-2016 (10 years)
1 Alabama 0.86364 114 18 0 132
2 Boise State 0.83333 110 22 0 132
3 Ohio State 0.82500 99 21 0 120
4 Oklahoma 0.78195 104 29 0 133
5 Oregon 0.77273 102 30 0 132
(51t Pittsburgh 0.56589 73 56 0 129)
I-A Winning Percentage 2000-2016 (17 years)
1 Boise State 0.84163 186 35 0 221
2 Ohio State 0.81250 169 39 0 208
3 Oklahoma 0.80973 183 43 0 226
4 Louisiana State 0.76364 168 52 0 220
5 Texas Christian 0.74299 159 55 0 214
(41t Pittsburgh 0.57477 123 91 0 214)
Pitt Narduzzi 2 Years 2015-16:
43t Pittsburgh 0.61538 16 10 0 26
Penn State Franklin 3 Years 2014-16:
40t Penn State 0.62500 25 15 0 40
West Virginia Holgrosen 6 Years 2011-2016:
45t West Virginia 0.59740 46 31 0 77
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Finally, ACC Freshmen Team in 2016 by Athlon is also a good Barometer. Anyone thinking Syracuse will be an easy win, think again:
Pitt got 2 on Second Team Moss & Tipton
LINK:
http://athlonsports.com/college-football/acc-all-freshman-team-2016
Pitt got 2 on Second Team Moss & Tipton
LINK:
http://athlonsports.com/college-football/acc-all-freshman-team-2016
I like that we're hitting Ohio hard; I just wish that we were getting
It truly is a crazy notion held around here. People speak as if the Florida kids have two extra legs. I'm all about getting quality talent, regardless of where it is from. But people act as though anyone who comes from Florida, Texas, or California is a sacred and/or overlooked gem. Guys like Jabaal Sheard, Keyshon Camp, Henry Miller, Jerry Drake, etc. - with really nice offer sheets - are no-brainers. But, for every Greg Romeus, I'll show you a James Folston (FL), Malik Henderson (FL), or Gentry Ivery (TX). The verdict is still out on Henderson, but he appeared to be last on the depth chart among a weak group of corners - some redshirt freshmen just like him - last year. No, it is not true that every 3-star FL kid would be a high 4-star if he played in PA.
Again, I'm all for keeping a broad recruiting base and landing talent from anywhere we are able to get it from. But we shouldn't act like we just bought a winning lottery ticket every time we scrape the barrel and offer a 2-star with a desolate offer sheet just because he happens to hail from Florida.
You are faster if you are from Florida?
It truly is a crazy notion held around here. People speak as if the Florida kids have two extra legs. I'm all about getting quality talent, regardless of where it is from. But people act as though anyone who comes from Florida, Texas, or California is a sacred and/or overlooked gem. Guys like Jabaal Sheard, Keyshon Camp, Henry Miller, Jerry Drake, etc. - with really nice offer sheets - are no-brainers. But, for every Greg Romeus, I'll show you a James Folston (FL), Malik Henderson (FL), or Gentry Ivery (TX). The verdict is still out on Henderson, but he appeared to be last on the depth chart among a weak group of corners - some redshirt freshmen just like him - last year. No, it is not true that every 3-star FL kid would be a high 4-star if he played in PA.
Again, I'm all for keeping a broad recruiting base and landing talent from anywhere we are able to get it from. But we shouldn't act like we just bought a winning lottery ticket every time we scrape the barrel and offer a 2-star with a desolate offer sheet just because he happens to hail from Florida.
Why the State of Florida Turns Out So Many Great Football Players
By Michael Oleszek, Analyst Aug 11, 2008
Emmitt Smith. Deacon Jones. Michael Irvin. Ted Hendricks. Larry Little. Jack Youngblood.
Pro football royalty? Yes. Hall of Famers, or soon to be? Yes.
What do these players and dozens of others all have in common? They are all from the state of Florida.
No disrespect to the other football hotbeds of California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, but Florida's got your number on this one. The state of Florida consistently turns out player after player, year after year, from high schools to colleges, and colleges to the NFL.
What makes Florida any different? Why the obsession with Florida players?
The high schools have talent. Since USA Today began ranking teams in the Super 25, Florida has placed at least one school in the final Super 25 every year. Florida high schools turn out so many college players that after the Big Three take their picks, there are plenty of players for the rest of the nation to choose from.
There is so much talent in the state of Florida that there even is an uprising from the small three of the Florida colleges (UCF, USF, and FAU). USF was ranked No. 2 at one point last season.
The colleges have talent. The big three colleges in Florida (UF, FSU, Miami) have won nine National Championships in the last 25 years, or about one every three seasons. USF was ranked No. 2 at one point last season. UCF and FAU were solid last season in their respective conferences
What makes the players in Florida so different from the rest of the country?
The Climate
It gets warm in other parts of the country, but not like this—it's hot year round. The joke about Florida is that it only has two seasons: Summer and January.
The heat is unbearable in the summertime, when the temperature gets above 90 degrees on a near-daily basis. The only thing that makes it worse is the humidity. The air is so thick and stale from the humidity, it can be hard to breathe. When the breeze blows, it doesn't cool anything off—it only shifts the heat around.
Now, try to play football here. Remember, this is the state where Gatorade was invented to replenish fluid loss.
The Terrain
Florida is a pretty flat state. When they issue hurricane warnings and say, "If you live in a low-lying area, evacuate now," and you pull out your driver's license and it says Florida on it, you live in a low-lying area.
Florida has sandy beaches, farmland, swamps, and the famous black muck of Belle Glade for football players to work in, play on, and live near year round. Belle Glade Central High School has turned out Fred Taylor, Reidel Anthony, Brad Banks, and Santonio Holmes among its players.
When players in other parts of the country are snowed in, Florida players are getting in their work in the sugar cane fields of South Florida and on the farms of Central Florida, building their bodies year round. When football season rolls around, they're in prime shape.
The Competition
Football in Florida is a year-round sport. Spring football bleeds into summer workouts, which bleeds into two-a-days, then into the actual season, and finally into offseason workouts right before starting over again. These players play against each other often times from pee wee right into college football.
Competition breeds both intensity and hostility. Look at the FIU-Miami brawl from a couple of years ago. Say what you want about thugs and lack of coaches' control, but these are all kids who know each other. They all grew up together, played either together or against each other for years, and all chose colleges together.
The Miami players were the elite, an elite program with years of tradition, while FIU was a newer program. Miami gets the better recruits, while FIU's players were just the leftover recruits that Miami had passed over.
The Speed
There is fast, and then there is Florida fast. Noel Devine fast. Chris Rainey fast. C.J. Spiller fast. Deion Sanders fast. Devin Hester fast. Explosive speed that is both game-breaking and hard to defend.
Tom Osborne didn't win a national championship until he recruited some Florida speed. Tommie Frazier of Bradenton propelled the Cornhuskers to two straight championships, beating both Miami and Florida in the process.
Ohio State couldn't keep up with Florida, much like the Nebraska teams of old couldn't keep up with the Florida States and Miamis of the world. You can't teach speed, and you can't defend speed—but you sure can recruit it.
So pack your bags and take the trip down to the Sunshine State, but skip Disney World and Shamu. There is better entertainment on football fields throughout the state.
But don't blink—you might miss the next great player from the state of Florida.
By Michael Oleszek, Analyst Aug 11, 2008
Emmitt Smith. Deacon Jones. Michael Irvin. Ted Hendricks. Larry Little. Jack Youngblood.
Pro football royalty? Yes. Hall of Famers, or soon to be? Yes.
What do these players and dozens of others all have in common? They are all from the state of Florida.
No disrespect to the other football hotbeds of California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, but Florida's got your number on this one. The state of Florida consistently turns out player after player, year after year, from high schools to colleges, and colleges to the NFL.
What makes Florida any different? Why the obsession with Florida players?
The high schools have talent. Since USA Today began ranking teams in the Super 25, Florida has placed at least one school in the final Super 25 every year. Florida high schools turn out so many college players that after the Big Three take their picks, there are plenty of players for the rest of the nation to choose from.
There is so much talent in the state of Florida that there even is an uprising from the small three of the Florida colleges (UCF, USF, and FAU). USF was ranked No. 2 at one point last season.
The colleges have talent. The big three colleges in Florida (UF, FSU, Miami) have won nine National Championships in the last 25 years, or about one every three seasons. USF was ranked No. 2 at one point last season. UCF and FAU were solid last season in their respective conferences
What makes the players in Florida so different from the rest of the country?
The Climate
It gets warm in other parts of the country, but not like this—it's hot year round. The joke about Florida is that it only has two seasons: Summer and January.
The heat is unbearable in the summertime, when the temperature gets above 90 degrees on a near-daily basis. The only thing that makes it worse is the humidity. The air is so thick and stale from the humidity, it can be hard to breathe. When the breeze blows, it doesn't cool anything off—it only shifts the heat around.
Now, try to play football here. Remember, this is the state where Gatorade was invented to replenish fluid loss.
The Terrain
Florida is a pretty flat state. When they issue hurricane warnings and say, "If you live in a low-lying area, evacuate now," and you pull out your driver's license and it says Florida on it, you live in a low-lying area.
Florida has sandy beaches, farmland, swamps, and the famous black muck of Belle Glade for football players to work in, play on, and live near year round. Belle Glade Central High School has turned out Fred Taylor, Reidel Anthony, Brad Banks, and Santonio Holmes among its players.
When players in other parts of the country are snowed in, Florida players are getting in their work in the sugar cane fields of South Florida and on the farms of Central Florida, building their bodies year round. When football season rolls around, they're in prime shape.
The Competition
Football in Florida is a year-round sport. Spring football bleeds into summer workouts, which bleeds into two-a-days, then into the actual season, and finally into offseason workouts right before starting over again. These players play against each other often times from pee wee right into college football.
Competition breeds both intensity and hostility. Look at the FIU-Miami brawl from a couple of years ago. Say what you want about thugs and lack of coaches' control, but these are all kids who know each other. They all grew up together, played either together or against each other for years, and all chose colleges together.
The Miami players were the elite, an elite program with years of tradition, while FIU was a newer program. Miami gets the better recruits, while FIU's players were just the leftover recruits that Miami had passed over.
The Speed
There is fast, and then there is Florida fast. Noel Devine fast. Chris Rainey fast. C.J. Spiller fast. Deion Sanders fast. Devin Hester fast. Explosive speed that is both game-breaking and hard to defend.
Tom Osborne didn't win a national championship until he recruited some Florida speed. Tommie Frazier of Bradenton propelled the Cornhuskers to two straight championships, beating both Miami and Florida in the process.
Ohio State couldn't keep up with Florida, much like the Nebraska teams of old couldn't keep up with the Florida States and Miamis of the world. You can't teach speed, and you can't defend speed—but you sure can recruit it.
So pack your bags and take the trip down to the Sunshine State, but skip Disney World and Shamu. There is better entertainment on football fields throughout the state.
But don't blink—you might miss the next great player from the state of Florida.
Definitely no false grandeur being worked in THAT article. It's weird that it starts off apologizing to states (Texas and California) that both have more active NFL players than Florida, as well as states (Texas - nearly 3x as many, California - about 2x as many, Pennsylvania - nearly 3x as many, and Ohio - about 2x as many... and you can add Illinois) that have produced more NFL Hall of Famers than Florida (ranks 6th overall, but 29th if we're doing this per capita). So, again, give me the best talent we are able to land, regardless of where it comes from.
Pittsburgh is a great sports town, and one of America's finest cities. I would really like to see Pitt at least invest in their recruiting budget and allow our coaches to recruit nationwide.
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