Recruiting question.

[MonkeyCheese]

We're working on our recruiting class that is one past our 9-4 season. Many people thought that the class of Feb '11 should have received an uptick because of going 8-4 and then adding a blowout win against Michigan in the Gator Bowl. But most people say it takes an extra year and you see the results in the NEXT recruiting class.<div>
</div><div>But as I keep looking at the guys we have committing, I've not seen that upswing I was expecting. I think we have some guys mentioning us that are really good guys. And we may still get a commitment and signing papers from them. I don't doubt that we will. But my wonderment is about the guys that have publicly committed already. Looking at their offer sheets it seems we've beaten out Southern Miss, or Arkansas State, or Memphis, or La Tech for these guys.</div><div>
I know, I know...trust the coaches. And I do. They must see something in these guys early that other schools have not. But does anyone else share the early concern? I do expect Grindle, and Evans and Voytic and either Croom or Cowan to be a Bulldog. I hope Ducksworth and Liggins and Kimbrow and Jefferson and Ward choose to be Bulldogs. As well as Brown, Howard, and Alford. So I'm not a doom and gloom thinker. And I'm not worrying about recruiting rankings vs other programs that we're slapping around the football field.</div><div>
</div><div>But just wondering if anyone else has thought similar thoughts.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>

 

[MonkeyCheese]

We're working on our recruiting class that is one past our 9-4 season. Many people thought that the class of Feb '11 should have received an uptick because of going 8-4 and then adding a blowout win against Michigan in the Gator Bowl. But most people say it takes an extra year and you see the results in the NEXT recruiting class.<div>
</div><div>But as I keep looking at the guys we have committing, I've not seen that upswing I was expecting. I think we have some guys mentioning us that are really good guys. And we may still get a commitment and signing papers from them. I don't doubt that we will. But my wonderment is about the guys that have publicly committed already. Looking at their offer sheets it seems we've beaten out Southern Miss, or Arkansas State, or Memphis, or La Tech for these guys.</div><div>
I know, I know...trust the coaches. And I do. They must see something in these guys early that other schools have not. But does anyone else share the early concern? I do expect Grindle, and Evans and Voytic and either Croom or Cowan to be a Bulldog. I hope Ducksworth and Liggins and Kimbrow and Jefferson and Ward choose to be Bulldogs. As well as Brown, Howard, and Alford. So I'm not a doom and gloom thinker. And I'm not worrying about recruiting rankings vs other programs that we're slapping around the football field.</div><div>
</div><div>But just wondering if anyone else has thought similar thoughts.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div>

 

[aTotal360]

nm

 

[Jago]

these guys havent even started their senior year yet. These guys will get more offers in the next year when coaches see them on the field this year i'm sure

 

[Coach34]

long way to go in recruiting

 

[EAVdog]

There is no need to start the 'they don't have good offers' meme.

There area whole whoppingtotal of 3 players from the entire State of Mississippi in the Rivals top 250 players! Anthony Alford @ 105, Channing Ward @ 120, and Quay Evans @ 169. Every other player in the State of Mississippi is considered a nobody right now. A state that produces a ton of NFL caliber talent supposedly only has 3 in the top 250, and nobody in the top 100?

Now don't get me wrong I'd love to get Ward and Evans and some other high profile recruits, and I think we will in the end. But if the staff is evaluating the rest of these 'nobodies' during camps and decides they deserve an offer I'll go with their judgement. For now. And if we do round out the class with the likes of Ducksworth, Cowan, Croom (seems like a longshot to me), Jefferson, Grindle et al then we could have a very good class.

I just think people are pushing the panic button way too early.

 

[Foronce]

I tend to see how I would do it if I was the recruits' father...

so they say MSU has one winning year they should be able to recruit a higher level of talent, but wouldn't you think that recruit will want to see if the "hottest coaching comodity" will stick around or jet, cause I feel like more than not these HLOT is choosing along 'I love Coach' lines, rather that 'Man Starkville is a hot spot'

your question is valid next january after we show whether we take the next step and become great or if the indian mounds have their way with us


Also, most of these guys that are committing have been told they can only commit when they choose not to take anymore visit ...so you might have some HLOT guys wanting to pick, but they also want to enjoy the process.

 

[olemissbydamn]

I think the guys you have committed are all solid at this point.

You'll get your stars in the end. Heck, IMO Desper is the weakest one of your commitments thus far (not that he is bad...weak compared to the others) and he has the highest ranking of them all on scout. I think Bell and Adams can both be forces, despite their lack of big offers at this point.

And as you mentioned, it is usually the second recruiting class after a great season where you start seeing recruiting results. And it certainly helps to have a couple of winning seasons in a row before you see the recruiting uptick.

 

[ckDOG]

These guys have been thoroughly evaluated by the staff. This isn't "filler" where you snag a guy wanting an SEC offer in the week leading up to signing day after plan A, B, and C head elsewhere. Scholarship offers are not treated lightly and if the staff didn't think these guys could fill our needs, a commitable offer would never have been extended this early in the game.

 

[coach66]

25 scholarships to anyone that they didn't fell strongly could help us be successful? Why would you offer someone early like this if you didn't feel very, verygood about the kid? answer, you wouldn't. Mullen and company are winners, they aren't giving scholarships to guys that can't help us win. How many two stars will be in this class when it is finished? My guess, none. Mullen and the other coaches put their current jobs and future on the line with the recruiting choices they make. They are all making pretty nice coin so I suspect they are pretty serious about the process.

I just don't want to return to the time when we are scrambling to fill up the class with two starts on signing day or a few days after. I would love to have this class finished before Christmas.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

This class is shaping up to be a dud. We are offering guys that no one else wants. This class is miserable so far. Eventually, the lack of talent will catch up with Mullen.

 

[RobbieRandolph]

Either way, only 2 of our commits have a BCS offer other than MSU. That's a bit startling.

 

[coach66]

nm

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

it is more than startling to me.

 

[War Machine Dawg]

He's headed to Bama. Put it in stone.

 

[DiligenceDawg]

I'm just glad you guys have already found the down fall of the mullen experience. Hurry and get some mass emails to boosters goin, if you act fast we can get rid of that prick stricklin too!
If you are going to be a star chaser then at least wait until December and January to start talks of our upcoming 0-12 years. To say we lack star power in this class, even at this point, is probably accurate. To say it is "already shaping up to be a dud" is just stupid.

Man this makes me miss growing up in Bama country. Even when things were rough in Tuscaloosa people were convinced that next kid or that next class would make it all better. Sure, they were vastly delusional but it's times like this, when crying over recruiting in june, that I'll take happy delusional over cry baby delusional.

 

[Foronce]

recruiting questions

 

[olemissbydamn]

You really think Bama uses one of their remaining schollies on Liggins? I certainly don't. Bigger fish to fry.

Can I retract that if it turns out this info is straight from "the dust"?

 

[Hot Rock]

"I'm just glad you guys have already found the down fall of the mullen experience. Hurry and get some mass emails to boosters goin, if you act fast we can get rid of that prick stricklin too!
If you are going to be a star chaser then at least wait until December and January to start talks of our upcoming 0-12 years. To say we lack star power in this class, even at this point, is probably accurate. To say it is "already shaping up to be a dud" is just stupid.

Man this makes me miss growing up in Bama country. Even when things were rough in Tuscaloosa people were convinced that next kid or that next class would make it all better. Sure, they were vastly delusional but it's times like this, when crying over recruiting in june, that I'll take happy delusional over cry baby delusional. "

What he said.

</p>

 

[Shmuley]

looked at as a QB.

At Jack, Saban has 2 others much higher on his list, Noah Spence and Jordan Jenkins, both of whom are natural jacks. I don't see Liggins in the mix at Bama.

 

[OMlawdog]

Does he want to play QB on the next level? If so his only options to do that would be MSU and Ole Miss, maybe Auburn.

I've seen him play and he certainly looks like a DE playing QB. In Mullen's offense, he is simply a bigger slower Relf, which would work well on short yardage and several other packages that Mullen uses.

As far as recruiting, Id be stunned if Evans and Ward go to the same school. I have no idea where they are headed, but I would be stunned if they went to the same school.

It looks like another year of splitting in state talent (which there isn't enough of) and relying on scouting of out of state kids. The kid out of New Orleans you just got a commit out of is really good. A friend of mine coached against him last year and said he was SEC material for sure.</p>

 

[Hector.sixpack]

1.) Make it to campus
2.) Receive Redshirts
3.) Develop and mature

The strategy is not to solely go after the high profile recruits but its to get as manykids on campus as possible (camps)and evaulate in person.Find playersand developthem for 5 years. Look at our team- something like 50 players on the team have at least 3 years left. Maturity and development goes along way.

With that said, Mullen's biggest weakness is recruiting and I don't think his first impression iswarming.He'sprobably brutally honest (I'm guessing)- some kids like that,some kids don't.Hopefully his recruiting will improve in time (aka. wins).

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

I love Mullen as coach, but he is shaky at best as a recruiter. If you can't see that, then its time for a shearing. I understand a lot of the valid points, such as it is harder to recruit to MSU than the rest of the s.e.c, we are limited on funds etc etc and I know we have to take some chances on some guys and work hard to develop them, which I think our staff does a great job at. I would just like to see half our signees as heavily recruited players rather than "diamonds in the rough" or projects.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Thanks for bringing a level headed discussion in, rather than a sarcastic flame.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I would ask you to explain what on the field proof versus Scout stars proof you have to back up this claim, but instead I invite you to just chuck it all off to being a flaw with Dan and let this recruiting **** die till next Feb.

 

[Foronce]

shaky as a recruiter? name one bust so far in 3 YEARS


ballard, chris white, mcphee, bumphis, perkins ...etc


maybe you should tell us what pitches you got for highly recruited kids
...playing time, not really we just reshirted like 20 kids
...location, we don't even have a mall
...stadium, 56,000 ...drive around the sec
...coaching staff ...lost a dc last 2 years, coach rumored everytime there is an opening

 

[AlCoDog]

I love Mullen as coach, but he is shaky at best as a recruiter. If you can't see that, then its time for a shearing. I understand a lot of the valid points, such as it is harder to recruit to MSU than the rest of the s.e.c, we are limited on funds etc etc and I know we have to take some chances on some guys and work hard to develop them, which I think our staff does a great job at. I would just like to see half our signees as heavily recruited players rather than "diamonds in the rough" or projects.

You have no idea what these committed guys are like, where as our coaches have spent a lot of time with them. They wouldn't be taking commits form scrubs this early. These aren't fill a spot,desperation guys.

 

[Foronce]

didn't have a lot of offers ... chose to shut his recruitment down early

...he could be our starting lt as a rs fr, not because we don't have anyone but because he beat out 4*/3* guys to do it.