Seeing all these threads bemoaning recruiting reminds me of something I have often repeated about the formula for teams like Pitt to maximize success without a boatload of 4-5 stars, and here it is in a nutshell
RECRUIT INTELLIGENTLY----we have to recognize at the outset that we are never going to recruit the number of 4-5 stars that the Alabamas and USC's of the world get. They have far bigger budgets, greater cache and more fertile recruiting territory than we do but you can still win if you recruit smartly. That starts with making quarterback a priority every single year!!. There is no single position in ANY sport (except maybe the goalie in hockey) that so controls the outcome of the game as QB, and as our record demonstrates, it has been a shortcomming here in recent years. The good news is that , relative to other skill positions, there are still a lot of good QB's in the Northeast and MId Atlantic region.
The second priority every year needs to be defensive lineman. After QB, they are the players who most influence the outcome of the game because they are key components in defending both the run and the pass. The single most important asset bar none on defense is disruption/penetration at the line of scrimmage. It wreaks havoc with the timing and direction of running plays and its virtue in getting to the QB is self evident. More than any other position on the field this is what has distinguished the SEC from everyone else----terrific, big , explosive D lineman. And the added bonus with focusing defensive recruiting on lineman is that many of them can flip to the O line . It doesnt happen vice versa
So every year you have focus constantly on QB and D line!
CREATE CONFUSION/HESITATION WITH YOUR OFFENSE---For years one of the great equalizers in college football has been a less talented team's ability to create an offense that causes hesitation or confusion, or otherwise neutralizes, far the superior athletes the other team may have on defense . That certainly is the impetus for things such as the spread offense (force a team to make one-on -one tackles in open space) the option ( confusion personified) and misdirection packages ( causes hesitation and disrupts timing). Our success two years ago is a great example of this . How are we able to chew up yards in large chunks and score 40 plus points against the great athletes Clemson put on the field ? Simple. We had a very polished QB with great ballhandling and a surrounding cast that had mastered the timing of a misdirection offense such that we were able to keep a defense stocked with 4 and 5 stars off balance for the entire game. I am not suggesting a full blown "gimmick" offense but I AM suggesting that teams such as Pitt invest the time and drills to perfect an offensive package that is heavy on deception and timing and not so reliant on brute athleticism.
It can be done with the right players
AVOID INJURY----Lastly, develop training and coaching techniques designed to minimize injury. The Alabama's of the world are stocked with 4 and 5 star players but only fortunately only 22 get on the field. The gap between our first team and their first team is clear but trust me , there is an even bigger difference between their reserves and ours. Thus a team like Pitt needs to minimize the number of times that they have to play reserves and the only way to do that is to minimize injury..
So that 's my take on an approach to compete yearly against teams that get better recruiting classes.
RECRUIT INTELLIGENTLY----we have to recognize at the outset that we are never going to recruit the number of 4-5 stars that the Alabamas and USC's of the world get. They have far bigger budgets, greater cache and more fertile recruiting territory than we do but you can still win if you recruit smartly. That starts with making quarterback a priority every single year!!. There is no single position in ANY sport (except maybe the goalie in hockey) that so controls the outcome of the game as QB, and as our record demonstrates, it has been a shortcomming here in recent years. The good news is that , relative to other skill positions, there are still a lot of good QB's in the Northeast and MId Atlantic region.
The second priority every year needs to be defensive lineman. After QB, they are the players who most influence the outcome of the game because they are key components in defending both the run and the pass. The single most important asset bar none on defense is disruption/penetration at the line of scrimmage. It wreaks havoc with the timing and direction of running plays and its virtue in getting to the QB is self evident. More than any other position on the field this is what has distinguished the SEC from everyone else----terrific, big , explosive D lineman. And the added bonus with focusing defensive recruiting on lineman is that many of them can flip to the O line . It doesnt happen vice versa
So every year you have focus constantly on QB and D line!
CREATE CONFUSION/HESITATION WITH YOUR OFFENSE---For years one of the great equalizers in college football has been a less talented team's ability to create an offense that causes hesitation or confusion, or otherwise neutralizes, far the superior athletes the other team may have on defense . That certainly is the impetus for things such as the spread offense (force a team to make one-on -one tackles in open space) the option ( confusion personified) and misdirection packages ( causes hesitation and disrupts timing). Our success two years ago is a great example of this . How are we able to chew up yards in large chunks and score 40 plus points against the great athletes Clemson put on the field ? Simple. We had a very polished QB with great ballhandling and a surrounding cast that had mastered the timing of a misdirection offense such that we were able to keep a defense stocked with 4 and 5 stars off balance for the entire game. I am not suggesting a full blown "gimmick" offense but I AM suggesting that teams such as Pitt invest the time and drills to perfect an offensive package that is heavy on deception and timing and not so reliant on brute athleticism.
It can be done with the right players
AVOID INJURY----Lastly, develop training and coaching techniques designed to minimize injury. The Alabama's of the world are stocked with 4 and 5 star players but only fortunately only 22 get on the field. The gap between our first team and their first team is clear but trust me , there is an even bigger difference between their reserves and ours. Thus a team like Pitt needs to minimize the number of times that they have to play reserves and the only way to do that is to minimize injury..
So that 's my take on an approach to compete yearly against teams that get better recruiting classes.
