Recruiting Ohio

[tylersmyth]

Why does Pitt struggle to recruit the state of Ohio?

Surprised we don't have an ace recruiter for the state?

It has a great number of recruits and a school like Kentucky has capitalized on the ones OSU doesn't get.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

If you want to recruit "hot" football states a program must have a successful recruiter" connected" to the pipeline in those states.
Successful is the operative word. With success comes compensation which is the PITT football and basketball problem. No commitment!
Commitment means hiring top head coaches and assistants and paying them top $!

Lyke and the PITT admin must get off the fence and make a 100% commitment to
both football and basketball or both sports will trend down over the years!

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

If you want to recruit "hot" football states a program must have a successful recruiter" connected" to the pipeline in those states.
Successful is the operative word. With success comes compensation which is the PITT football and basketball problem. No commitment!
Commitment means hiring top head coaches and assistants and paying them top $!

Lyke and the PITT admin must get off the fence and make a 100% commitment to
both football and basketball or both sports will trend down over the years!

This completely contradicts your post in another thread. Why commit? Most of these kids could care less about being "student athletes". They want paid and a path to the pros, they don't want to do fractional distillation experiments.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

Narduzzi has gotten some kids from Ohio that looked like good recruits at the time, but they just haven't panned out: MacVittie, Moss, Flowers, Reeves.

Obviously OSU, UM, ND and MSU are all going to be favorites there. UK has been helped by Stoops Youngstown background, but also because Meyer and Harbaugh actually shifted to more national recruiting. They still got the top kids, but UK stepped in to recruit that next tier, offering the chance to play in the SEC and still be within a few hours of home. Even for a kid in B1G country that is a draw.

Pitt is similar in geography, but the ACC isn't as much of a draw, at least over the B1G.

 

[Saboteur]

I live outside of Columbus and grew up in Steubenville...CCHS...
Once you cross that river, all eyes turn west. It helps that Ohio is less hilly and the interstate highways are Ohio centric...
Ohio is far more Midwestern and far more homogeneous than PA.
For example, the Ohio State Fair is an event for everyone...all 88 counties have a stake in it. I lived in PA for a decade and I couldn't tell you if PA has a State Fair and if so, where it is held.
The Big ten has monopolized football coverage and the large Catholic population in the cities (my son goes to Bishop Watterson) gravitates toward South Bend.

There is no direct east west route to Pittsburgh via auto...when 70 was designed to cross 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh became a place you had to try hard to get to.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

This completely contradicts your post in another thread. Why commit? Most of these kids could care less about being "student athletes". They want paid and a path to the pros, they don't want to do fractional distillation experiments.

That's true!

I support minor league football and basketball just like MLB and NHL for HS athletes not interested in education but want a path to Pro Sports.

I support college sports programs for true student athletes, who actually qualify to be admitted to colleges, who want an education, to improve themselves, their lives, and want a path to Pro Sports.

I don't support the hybrid system in place at this time. College athletes who don't qualify for entrance to the colleges they attend, they only reason they're there is for their athletic abilities, with zero interest in a college education mixed with those who want an education and a chance to play college sports with a pathway to the Pros.

But:

If college sports and our competitors are still going to have "fake" student athletes, most who aren't qualified and can barely survive in a college system, a program like PITT needs to commit and be good at the sport or find something else to do with the money, until the system changes.

Commitment might bring in fans and donor money.

This won't bring in fans and donor money!
5 HC's in 6 years
Tear down an on campus stadium
Play in an off campus stadium not easily accessible for students
Bad coordinators & assistants
Can't retain good coordinators or assistants
Good coordinators leave quick for committed programs
Not to mention the ancient history of winning NC's
and de-emphasizing football after having success
Can't recruit its own area and no expertise in recruiting other hot areas
Few star players
On and on

 

[pittdan77]

Obviously OSU, UM, ND and MSU are all going to be favorites there. UK has been helped by Stoops Youngstown background, but also because Meyer and Harbaugh actually shifted to more national recruiting. They still got the top kids, but UK stepped in to recruit that next tier, offering the chance to play in the SEC and still be within a few hours of home. Even for a kid in B1G country that is a draw.

Don't forget all of the MAC schools. A lot of those kids would just as soon play for Akron or Toledo than go to Pitt so they can stay home.