The Football Cupboard

[BenEClone]

The cupboard is thin, but, not bare - the last four recruiting classes (Rivals system):

year rank ave. stars
2003 46 2.46
2004 42 2.43
2005 58 2.52
2006 53 2.50

In the four years, three signees were in the 4-5 star category. Game day coaching can help. Player development can help. But, to reach the goal every year, the recruiting needs to improve. Just a couple of guys could help. A couple of 4-5 star performers on each side of the ball can make a huge difference. A capable coach should look at our situtation with hope.

 

[Harry]

Is that the rating of the players signed? How many never made it to campus or have already left?

 

[Jake]

The cupboard has always been thin. We have some talent there. A good O-Line would solve many a problem.

 

[cyputz]

Have there been any OL recruits which were moved to other positions (DL) which weakened our depth in the long run?

 

[Stormin]

Our biggest problem has been the "busts" in our recruiting classes. Most of our OL recruits from the Brickey-Fine era were busts. Out of the last 4 recruiting classes we have had around 26 commits that are not on the team. That is a "whole recruiting class". Not good. That is why Mac would sign 28-30 commits. We would be lucky if 25 would even qualify. Remember that Running Back class that was rated so highly a few years ago. Right now the only back from that group on the team is Jason Scales. And he has been injured alot.

Our DL recruits have also had some busts. Where is Scherbring, and some others who played as freshmen? And some highly touted recruits like Ferguson and others like the Juco, Patton? Walkons like Berg and Moorehead have done okay, but yet have they been playing because our primary recruits have been "not too good". In Moorehead's case he has been okay but this year hasn't been as good probably due to the loss of Berryman and Leaders. Curvey's play has suffered this year as well for the same reason.

Parker was playing great at the beginning of the year. But with some ISU coaching has disappeared, has he been injured or am I missing something. Singleton showed great promise as a freshman, but is repeatedly getting burned after being "coached Harder" by our ISU staff. Our safeties are really "bad" this year. A converted RB (Jason Harris) can elevate himself to first team in a couple weeks? Is he THAT GOOD???......or were weTHAT BAD???

I think that all in all our talent level is better NOW than when Mac came.....as far as players. I think our talent level in Assistants is way down compared to what we had in the late 90's and through 2001. Mac's biggest strength is his loyalty and dedication. Ironically, it is also his biggest fault. Our Offensive problems are much bigger than our defensive problems. Coaching is our NUMBER ONE problem and combined with the injuries we have had plus the recruiting mistakes made we are where we are today. A program in disarray, better than when Mac came but worse than we were a year or two ago.

 

[Wesley]

Our secondary is like the sands of time...it just keeps slipping away.

 

[Cyclonepride]

I'm originally from Atlantic.......word on the street is that there were more injuries than reported, as it didn't want to be seen as an excuse.

 

[isucy86]

The Cupboard is Pretty Bare on the Lines

Having Meyer, Blythe, Moses, Sumrall, Hamilton, Messiah & Scales back is a positive for the offense. However, the new coach will need to work miracles on the o-line. It would not surprise me if they don't go out and bring in 3-4 JUCO OL prospects.

On defense its harder to say what we have. I'm not sure if we return any players ready to start for a competitive Big 12 team. I thought Braacksma showed a good motor, but I'm not sure he's a starter on a good team. Same goes for Parker- he might be a year or 2 away. Again it wouldn't surprise me if a new coach went out & signed 3-4 JUCO DL prospects.

Bowen, McKenzie & Carper would seem like a solid corp to build around, but each needs to get bigger.

We have a ton of experience returning at DB, but opponents completed 70+% of their passes against ISU. Either the the coaching stunk, the game plans were bad or there is a serious shortage of talent back there.

 

[9seven]

We have the skill players on offense, but the line is just so bad that its going to be hard to get anything done. I agree that the new HC needs to bring in some serious juco linemen... The D has some potential, it was hard to gauge how bad they all were because they were on the field 75 percent of the game... It will be interesting to see what the new coaching staff can put together next year... I personally would like 5 wins, which i think is very reasonable.

 

[MaxPower57]

We have a lot young talent, but they need more time to develop into having Big XII bodies. Guys like Rashawn Parker, Nate Frere, Drenard Williams, Fred Garrin, Josh Johnson etc. are not physically ready and under ideal circumstances, would have been redshirted. I also see we burned Alexander Robinson's redshirt yesterday too.

 

[9seven]

Why/when did we burn Robinson's redshirt?

 

[Wesley]

We have a lot young talent, but they need more time to develop into having Big XII bodies. Guys like Rashawn Parker, Nate Frere, Drenard Williams, Fred Garrin, Josh Johnson etc. are not physically ready and under ideal circumstances, would have been redshirted. I also see we burned Alexander Robinson's redshirt yesterday too.

They ran out of time this year. I say we need a better coaching staff and playcalling "kicked up a notch" more than better players. The players will only come if we have some success at showing we have our act together. Our Big 12 act was horrendous this year. The secondary looked like mush, the dline rushed like weinies, and the oline blocked like stone men, and the rushing game was like a rusty spoigot. Other than that, we were okay.

 

[Wesley]

We have a lot young talent, but they need more time to develop into having Big XII bodies. Guys like Rashawn Parker, Nate Frere, Drenard Williams, Fred Garrin, Josh Johnson etc. are not physically ready and under ideal circumstances, would have been redshirted. I also see we burned Alexander Robinson's redshirt yesterday too.

Drenard Williams needs to practice through the bowl season to get better. Nate needs to put on twenty pounds. Josh might want to practice on his receiving skills if he cannot plow into the holes better. Glad to see that Ryan Koch knows how to run hard. Burning Robinson redshirt means it will be more difficult to transfer as he has less time for next team.

The cupboard was down to its last cans of hearty soup. We are looking at going grocery shoppoing for a new coaching staff to restock the pantry.

Maybe Mark Farley will call and ask for a JP interview.

 

[jdoggivjc]

the only problem is each of these years (i think) we've been in the bottom quarter of our conference in recruiting strength. whoever's gonna take over is gonna have to squeeze whatever talent he can out of those recruits to compete.

 

[darts180]

The thing that has always bothered me is how badly we have missed on most of the linemen, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Football is a game that is won in the trenches, and that is yet another reason why we have come up short in the past years.

 

[zdorr40]

The thing that has always bothered me is how badly we have missed on most of the linemen, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Great point. In addition to this, what has bothered me about recruiting is that is seems like they could never build on momentum. What I mean by this? 2000-2002 were pretty good years and the program SHOULD have become more prominent nationally, then 2003's winless season happened.

2004 and 2005. Again, should have become more prominent nationally. Now this debacle. It just seems like they recruit hard for a couple of years, and then suddenly nobody wants to come here. Just awful recruiting. What gives?

 

[Bobber]

The thing that has always bothered me is how badly we have missed on most of the linemen, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Great point. In addition to this, what has bothered me about recruiting is that is seems like they could never build on momentum. What I mean by this? 2000-2002 were pretty good years and the program SHOULD have become more prominent nationally, then 2003's winless season happened.

2004 and 2005. Again, should have become more prominent nationally. Now this debacle. It just seems like they recruit hard for a couple of years, and then suddenly nobody wants to come here. Just awful recruiting. What gives?

Actually the schedule has a little bit to do with it too...

 

[zdorr40]

Actually the schedule has a little bit to do with it too...

I'm sure it does, but winless?

 

[darts180]

The thing that has always bothered me is how badly we have missed on most of the linemen, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Great point. In addition to this, what has bothered me about recruiting is that is seems like they could never build on momentum. What I mean by this? 2000-2002 were pretty good years and the program SHOULD have become more prominent nationally, then 2003's winless season happened.

2004 and 2005. Again, should have become more prominent nationally. Now this debacle. It just seems like they recruit hard for a couple of years, and then suddenly nobody wants to come here. Just awful recruiting. What gives?

I think that there are a couple of reasons. One, I truly believe that Mac really thought that he could use the 9-3, and turn it into a big job. Unfortunately the TCU wasn't what he had in mind, however it did get him a new contract with Iowa State.

'02 brough Meyer, Blythe, et. al. But the collapse in the second half of 2002, and the horrible 2003 season took whatever momentum that 2000 had created away.

It is a many years process, the benefits of 2000 would have begun in 03-04-05. But because we had the records that we did it took any exposure that we had gained from 2000, and with Seneca, totally away.

The past two years would have been opportunities to regain that, but not winning the big games cost possible national exposure that is needed to recruit at the level you have to in order to compete.