Putting things into perspective

[Bummerbry]

I know many seemed to get a little down on this class of recruits when Peat chose Stanford. But let's think about a few things. What are the chances that he would have been the gem of this class anyways? Slim! Rarely does the "top" recruit of any schools' class become the gem of the class. Similar to the NFL, it is always the 2nd, 3rd, or 5th round picks that end up being the gem of a team's draft. So think about that.

Also, we are loaded on the o-line. And listening to experts yesterday, a few thought more of or as much of Paul Thurston as they did Peat. It wasn't life or death that we get him.

And when breaking down the class, break it down by position. Needs were addressed. Leaders were signed! Kids not used to losing and with the character of Rex Burkhead were signed. The group of LB's would get an A! The one WR gets an A and will contribute right away! And I don't think any other position would get less than a B-. Of course it is too early to tell and we are all probably premature to try and even rank this class but in the quality kids they got, the upside they got, I can't see a reason to be down about it, especially if the only reason anyone is down is because we lost Peat.

We did learn how hard it is to recruit to Lincoln anymore. It isn't like it was in TO's day. The parity in CFB has made many other teams, in more desirable locations, enticing options for kids anymore. I am less disappointed that Andrus didn't come to play for Nebraska than I am that he didn't come to play with his brother and very close cousin. The coaches will also gain from this. They learned yesterday that a kid's word isn't always his word!

All in all, I am very happy with the class considering its size. I know not everyone shares in that but just ask you consider the class we got and not the one player we didn't. One player doesn't make a recruiting class.

[tfree32]

For me at least, losing Peat was just part of it. We simply need more talent. We're recruiting a lot of 3/4 star kids. Our competition is recruiting a lot of 4/5 star kids. We have less talent than in-conference teams like Michigan and Ohio State as well as other top teams around the country. And the recruiting news from yesterday just showed the gap widening.

I like a lot of the kids we did get. I think some of them are potential stars. But we need to seriously step up our game on the recruiting trail if we're going to compete for conference and national titles. And losing the only 5-star guy we were in on, despite having his brother and cousin already in the fold makes it clear what an uphill battle we face in doing that.

[cktuba]

Bummerbry,  what are your thoughts on the Whitaker kid? We've all seen the article on how he feels he was underrated, which is a possibility,  but in my experience if someone has to blow their own horn about how underrated they are -- they usually aren't.  If he is as good as his highlight film indicates then we could potentially have picked up 2 really good o-linemen and I would feel alot better about this class.

[Bummerbry]

Bummerbry,  what are your thoughts on the Whitaker kid? We've all seen the article on how he feels he was underrated, which is a possibility,  but in my experience if someone has to blow their own horn about how underrated they are -- they usually aren't.  If he is as good as his highlight film indicates then we could potentially have picked up 2 really good o-linemen and I would feel alot better about this class.

I don't much about him. I would defer to Red Said Ted or some of the other members who follow recruiting and/or evaluate film. Maybe Jen has evaluated his film. She is pretty good at that.

[Jarhead Husker]

I know many seemed to get a little down on this class of recruits when Peat chose Stanford. But let's think about a few things. What are the chances that he would have been the gem of this class anyways? Slim! Rarely does the "top" recruit of any schools' class become the gem of the class. Similar to the NFL, it is always the 2nd, 3rd, or 5th round picks that end up being the gem of a team's draft. So think about that.

Also, we are loaded on the o-line. And listening to experts yesterday, a few thought more of or as much of Paul Thurston as they did Peat. It wasn't life or death that we get him.

And when breaking down the class, break it down by position. Needs were addressed. Leaders were signed! Kids not used to losing and with the character of Rex Burkhead were signed. The group of LB's would get an A! The one WR gets an A and will contribute right away! And I don't think any other position would get less than a B-. Of course it is too early to tell and we are all probably premature to try and even rank this class but in the quality kids they got, the upside they got, I can't see a reason to be down about it, especially if the only reason anyone is down is because we lost Peat.

We did learn how hard it is to recruit to Lincoln anymore. It isn't like it was in TO's day. The parity in CFB has made many other teams, in more desirable locations, enticing options for kids anymore. I am less disappointed that Andrus didn't come to play for Nebraska than I am that he didn't come to play with his brother and very close cousin. The coaches will also gain from this. They learned yesterday that a kid's word isn't always his word!

All in all, I am very happy with the class considering its size. I know not everyone shares in that but just ask you consider the class we got and not the one player we didn't. One player doesn't make a recruiting class.

Good points. We potentially have some good offensive line talent that should be good if developments continues. And, we did address needs at LB and DL. It is important to consider that we don't need a top 5 class to win championships. Wisconsin, Michigan State, Stanford, etc all have raised their level of play with less than elite "rated" classes. We do need to do a great job of developing guys once we get them and we will see how well this staff does that moving forward.
I think we need to win a championship to be able to take our recruiting up a notch. Several programs have matched the Husker's success on the field the last 5-10 years and kids have a short memory. Recruiting analysts say kids don't care as much about titles from 1995, and it makes sense. When I was a teenager in the 80's, I didn;t care that Minnesota had been good in the 60's. Many of these top players used to winning want to win championships at the next level. I think we need to rack a trophy before we can sell to everyone that we are "back". JMO

[Bummerbry]

For me at least, losing Peat was just part of it. We simply need more talent. We're recruiting a lot of 3/4 star kids. Our competition is recruiting a lot of 4/5 star kids. We have less talent than in-conference teams like Michigan and Ohio State as well as other top teams around the country. And the recruiting news from yesterday just showed the gap widening.

I like a lot of the kids we did get. I think some of them are potential stars. But we need to seriously step up our game on the recruiting trail if we're going to compete for conference and national titles. And losing the only 5-star guy we were in on, despite having his brother and cousin already in the fold makes it clear what an uphill battle we face in doing that.

We are recruiting 4/5 star guys, just those guys are also being recruited by Alabama, LSU, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Either those teams are better now, have been better while we died off (thank you Steve Pedersen) and/or have better locations than Lincoln. And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars. TO never got these 4/5 star kids and he 3 won titles in 4 years. People have done the research and ust as I said the perceived gem of the class doesn't always end up being the gem of the class. Well a lot of these 5 star kids don't end up being 5 star players.

We won't know for years for the most part but you can only get the kids who want to and are willing to come. Bo is not going to promise these 5 star players what they want to hear, maybe what other schools promise. Many are primadonnas and expect preferential treatment, promises of PT, etc. Every recruit interviewed yesterday said they were promised nothing and were told they would have to earn positions. BC promised those big star players the world, including getting them to the NFL. None of them came to be a Cornhusker and play for Nebraska pride. They came to get to the NFL and we suffered badly for it.

[Jarhead Husker]

And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars.

I think what has happened with The Longhorns the last few years is strong evidence to support you may be right.   

[tfree32]

For me at least, losing Peat was just part of it. We simply need more talent. We're recruiting a lot of 3/4 star kids. Our competition is recruiting a lot of 4/5 star kids. We have less talent than in-conference teams like Michigan and Ohio State as well as other top teams around the country. And the recruiting news from yesterday just showed the gap widening.

I like a lot of the kids we did get. I think some of them are potential stars. But we need to seriously step up our game on the recruiting trail if we're going to compete for conference and national titles. And losing the only 5-star guy we were in on, despite having his brother and cousin already in the fold makes it clear what an uphill battle we face in doing that.

We are recruiting 4/5 star guys, just those guys are also being recruited by Alabama, LSU, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Either those teams are better now, have been better while we died off (thank you Steve Pedersen) and/or have better locations than Lincoln. And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars. TO never got these 4/5 star kids and he 3 won titles in 4 years. People have done the research and ust as I said the perceived gem of the class doesn't always end up being the gem of the class. Well a lot of these 5 star kids don't end up being 5 star players.

We won't know for years for the most part but you can only get the kids who want to and are willing to come. Bo is not going to promise these 5 star players what they want to hear, maybe what other schools promise. Many are primadonnas and expect preferential treatment, promises of PT, etc. Every recruit interviewed yesterday said they were promised nothing and were told they would have to earn positions. BC promised those big star players the world, including getting them to the NFL. None of them came to be a Cornhusker and play for Nebraska pride. They came to get to the NFL and we suffered badly for it.

I see the comparisons to what TO did as being apples to oranges, for a variety of reasons. Our offense back then was fairly unique. As a result, we recruited quarterbacks who could run the option, offensive linemen who were roadgraders, but didn't need to do much pass blocking, receivers who could block but didn't need to be able to catch, etc. So there were a lot of guys who were great for our system, but didn't really fit in at other schools. In addition, our strength and conditioning programs were superior, maybe to what anyone else in the country was doing. Our coaching staff was one of the best in the country at turning kids that other programs overlooked into good players and even stars.

Now we run an offense that once it finally estables an identity, looks to be pretty similar to what lots of other schools are doing. So we've lost the edge to recruit special breeds of athletes. Other schools have ramped up their strength and conditioning programs, and we no longer have a clear advantage there. And the recruiting services have improved in the last 15 years or so. There is way more film and information available about way more players. So the odds of finding diamond in the rough guys everyone else missed have decreased substantially.

Not all 5 star recruits become 5 star players. The recruiting rankings are not an exact science. Yet there's a strong correlation between having top recruiting classes and having a top program.

And the reason Texas sucks is because Mack Brown is a crappy head coach. He's one of the best recruiters in the country, but it's hard to find a coach who does less with more than he routinely does.

[tonyhusker]

I think, considering the circumstances, we are in good shape.  Some people have it wrong.  We need on the field results in order to get the top tier recruits.   It is not that we cannot get good recruits, but have not consistently shown that we are title contenders.  We need to have one good year, get a bounce or two, then get things turned around.  With one, two, or three runs in a conference championship game/get into a BCS game, then we are in good shape for the Peats of the world.

I also think that it would be interesting to look back at former Huskers as siblings and find out how many scholarship players were on the same team.  It is one thing to go where your brother is if he is not currently on the team and follow those expectations, but I think it is another to go to the team where you are one year behind your brother in age.  You truly are following in the footsteps at that point.  Plus, with Peat, distance plays a role in most decisions.  If he is the youngest in the family, maybe wanted to stay close to home.  There are more factors other than relationship with brother / cousin. 

[Valiantsailor]

And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars.

I think what has happened with The Longhorns the last few years is strong evidence to support you may be right.   

Not at all, just an indictman of Mack Brown

[Jarhead Husker]

And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars.

I think what has happened with The Longhorns the last few years is strong evidence to support you may be right.   

Not at all, just an indictman of Mack Brown

That was my point.  Mack Brown gets a top 5 class every year and then coaches them down. Doesn't the fact that he sucks tell us that landing star studded classes doesn't necessarily translate into success? Obviously you want to have the best athletes you can get, but good coaching is a big piece of the puzzle.

[Wingback Reverse]

For me at least, losing Peat was just part of it. We simply need more talent. We're recruiting a lot of 3/4 star kids. Our competition is recruiting a lot of 4/5 star kids. We have less talent than in-conference teams like Michigan and Ohio State as well as other top teams around the country. And the recruiting news from yesterday just showed the gap widening.

I like a lot of the kids we did get. I think some of them are potential stars. But we need to seriously step up our game on the recruiting trail if we're going to compete for conference and national titles. And losing the only 5-star guy we were in on, despite having his brother and cousin already in the fold makes it clear what an uphill battle we face in doing that.

We are recruiting 4/5 star guys, just those guys are also being recruited by Alabama, LSU, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, etc. Either those teams are better now, have been better while we died off (thank you Steve Pedersen) and/or have better locations than Lincoln. And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars. TO never got these 4/5 star kids and he 3 won titles in 4 years. People have done the research and ust as I said the perceived gem of the class doesn't always end up being the gem of the class. Well a lot of these 5 star kids don't end up being 5 star players.

We won't know for years for the most part but you can only get the kids who want to and are willing to come. Bo is not going to promise these 5 star players what they want to hear, maybe what other schools promise. Many are primadonnas and expect preferential treatment, promises of PT, etc. Every recruit interviewed yesterday said they were promised nothing and were told they would have to earn positions. BC promised those big star players the world, including getting them to the NFL. None of them came to be a Cornhusker and play for Nebraska pride. They came to get to the NFL and we suffered badly for it.

I see the comparisons to what TO did as being apples to oranges, for a variety of reasons. Our offense back then was fairly unique. As a result, we recruited quarterbacks who could run the option, offensive linemen who were roadgraders, but didn't need to do much pass blocking, receivers who could block but didn't need to be able to catch, etc. So there were a lot of guys who were great for our system, but didn't really fit in at other schools. In addition, our strength and conditioning programs were superior, maybe to what anyone else in the country was doing. Our coaching staff was one of the best in the country at turning kids that other programs overlooked into good players and even stars.

Now we run an offense that once it finally estables an identity, looks to be pretty similar to what lots of other schools are doing. So we've lost the edge to recruit special breeds of athletes. Other schools have ramped up their strength and conditioning programs, and we no longer have a clear advantage there. And the recruiting services have improved in the last 15 years or so. There is way more film and information available about way more players. So the odds of finding diamond in the rough guys everyone else missed have decreased substantially.

Not all 5 star recruits become 5 star players. The recruiting rankings are not an exact science. Yet there's a strong correlation between having top recruiting classes and having a top program.

And the reason Texas sucks is because Mack Brown is a crappy head coach. He's one of the best recruiters in the country, but it's hard to find a coach who does less with more than he routinely does.

Part of the genius of Tom Osborne!

[FreightTrain]

Whether you are high on the class or a bit down, it's all a matter of perception at this point.  If one were to put all his trust in a star system that some self anointed expert puts out, then your probably disappointed.  Many of those so called superstars will fall along the wayside.  Some will believe their press and importants before they put the time in.  Some will have a lapse in character along the way and you will forget their names.  If I learned anything about the Nebraska program, it is to understand how it all works for an overachieving system.  Devaney and Osborne did things their own way. 

Character is a big part of their personal evaluating system and not so much for the star systems of the anointed.  Nebraska has to do things in a different way.  It's only been in the past twenty years that the anointed have given Nebraska any notice.  Nebraska won five national titles, many conference titles and played for many more and never had a number one recruiting class.  This is a program that for fifty years was the winningest program in the country and barely broke the top twenty in recruiting.  One service had that class that won three national titles out of the top 25.  So take the self anointed experts in stride.  If one bet football according to the anointed's lists then Texas, USC and Ohio State has won every title there was in the past forty years.

Bo Pelini has learned a lot about Nebraska in the past few years.  You can bet he's learned a few things from Coach Brown, Cotton and the man himself.  He has said he's not taken up in the star system.  Nebraska still puts out a good product and with many academically noted players.  We have all agreed that coaching is very important to the end product.  We have said it in this thread and many others in the resent past.  Sometimes they have said we were overrated come Saturday.  Overrated one day and afraid to play us the next.  It's funny sometimes how the rhetoric comes down.  It's all relative to our situation.  Nebraska is trying to rebuild what was lost.  The walkon program is again alive and well.  We seem to be making strides in a new conference with a new staff.  It is a process that has worked for NU in the past and will again.  So take it all in and watch how it works.  Overachieving is an art.

[Big Sky Husker]

And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars.

I think what has happened with The Longhorns the last few years is strong evidence to support you may be right.   

More of a blip, than a trend, IMO.  What were Texas's recruiting classes rated during their run for the national title?  If memory serves me right, they've had highly rated classes for the better part of decade.  And they've been pretty good, at least record wise, for the last decade.

[Jarhead Husker]

And then there is the debate about putting too much emphasis on stars.

I think what has happened with The Longhorns the last few years is strong evidence to support you may be right.   

More of a blip, than a trend, IMO.  What were Texas's recruiting classes rated during their run for the national title?  If memory serves me right, they've had highly rated classes for the better part of decade.  And they've been pretty good, at least record wise, for the last decade.

They have done fairly well, but they have too much talent to be going 5-7 and then 8-5 in the last 2 seasons.