Perpetual Loser

Mean Green 93-98 · October 20, 2014

But the reality is that his recruiting has sucked--just as it pretty well has every year since we moved up to FBS. At some point, you have to ask yourself why recruiting can just be that bad 20 years after you move up to FBS and go through 4 different (in every imagianable way) head coaches. The only commonality amongst all 4 head coaches is they were recruiting to play football here. Simon was recruiuting to come play I-A football and get playing time right away. Dickey was recruiuting--stealthily--to get playing time and that we were finally in a conference setup that we could win in and go to bowls. Dodge was recruiting on his SLC legacy and his offense, as well as plans to build a new stadium. And now Mac has had the oppportunity to recruit on a new stadium, new conference, and a bowl winning season. And yet nothing ever really improves that much on the recruiting front. So, to me, the factor that easily comes to mind is the fact that the reputation here for the last 30 years has been about not caring enough (or at all) about athletics. I don't really see how anything else can really stand out as to why recruiting here just stinks year in and year out.

The coaches themselves--that absolutely stands out. Have any of them ever proved themselves anywhere as ace recruiters?

untjim1995 · October 20, 2014

The coaches themselves--that absolutely stands out. Have any of them ever proved themselves anywhere as ace recruiters?

Well, only one had ever been a head coach before he got here at the college level, so I don't think so. Dodge did fairly well in his first full year of recruiting, but those kids he recruited from the rich, suburban schools all bailed out within two years.

Maybe "ace" recruiters don't want to coach here in football? To be honest, I don't know who would be an ace recruiter that we could afford or that could actually do a better job of seliing this place than Coach Mac has done. All that he has done to help with freshmen orientation, alumni relations, media interviews, etc...had been nothing but inspirational and positive--until now. He obviously thought that there would be a nice payback for all of his PR moves and the hotbed of recruiting that is in this state. Now, it appears that even that positivity is being crushed by the reality of what the job entails.

I will say this--if he leaves or retires anytime soon, we better not go the cheap way out and hire some unknown assistant. That way was so North texas, it wasn't even funny...and it go us nowhere. Basketball has proven the same thing, basically. That will piss me off more than anything else, to see us go cheap after we FINALLY went out and built some nice facilities and have increased coaches pay. We cannot go back to hiring inexperienced, cheap assistants from name-your-college to come here. And high school coaches better never have even an interview ever again...