Four-Star In-State Standout T.J. Bollers Getting Down to Nitty Gritty
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
homes
Well-Known Member
We'll see. Nixon had an Alabama offer. So, it's not a slam dunk he's not staying in state.
SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
My understanding is Bollers really wants to play LB in a 3-4, which is why he is high on Wisky and Nebby. Will be interesting if he picks Alabama because they run the same base 4-3 as we do.
homes
Well-Known Member
I hate to acknowledge this but going to Wisconsin because they play a 3-4 makes sense. Going to Nebraska for that reason makes no sense. He’d do better learning to play defense under Parker than any system at Nebraska.
SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
I agree, but kids will be kids. I still can’t understand how Nebby pulls in Top 25 classes with as shitty as they’ve been the last 5 years...
eveningnewsteam
Well-Known Member
High on Iowa State too. They’re a serious contender here. No joke
Fryowa
Administrator
If that's the case and he did say that, I'd think Iowa would walk away. Eno Benjamin was a totally different situation, but I don't see Ferentz getting cozy with a kid who will air dirty laundry in public. Probably weren't going to land him anyway, who knows.
https://allhawkeyes.com/pages/story/details/3474
From the article:
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SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
The coaches, including KF, did an in-home visit back in mid-January. Things have cooled since then which leads me to believe that the coaches were probably told that Iowa wasn't currently in the Top 5, so they've moved on to other prospects.
I get the sense he's trying to shield himself from any twitter backlash for not going to Iowa by pinning the blame on Iowa coaches when he ultimately opts for a school like Nebraska (what a mistake that would be) or Wisconsin. He's obviously a better 3-4 fit and that's not Iowa.
RobHowe
Administrator
This did not happen and I'm not sure where you got that info. There has been no in-home visit with TJ and his family.
As KF always says, "Are we dating, or are we holding hands?"
The Bollers' camp (his dad and his strength coach, former Hawkeye coach and shameless self-promoter JC Moreau) has made it clear from the start that the goal is to become a "national recruit." If you want to do that, part of the playbook is being seen holding hands with as many pretty girls as possible, that gets the other pretty girls more interested.
There is nothing more TJ Bollers can learn about Iowa that he does not already know. If he is not interested yet, then he is just using Iowa as another pretty girl, and I don't blame Iowa if they are not interested in playing along.
The Bollers' camp (his dad and his strength coach, former Hawkeye coach and shameless self-promoter JC Moreau) has made it clear from the start that the goal is to become a "national recruit." If you want to do that, part of the playbook is being seen holding hands with as many pretty girls as possible, that gets the other pretty girls more interested.
There is nothing more TJ Bollers can learn about Iowa that he does not already know. If he is not interested yet, then he is just using Iowa as another pretty girl, and I don't blame Iowa if they are not interested in playing along.
RobHowe
Administrator
I disagree. TJ Bollers can learn more about the coaches and get to know them better if they were willing. Reese Morgan built a strong bond with TJ and when he left, Iowa and Kelvin Bell did not really pick up the ball.
If they're put off by the way TJB and his family are handling recruiting, that's fine. Maybe the Iowa coach don't see him as a good fit. And that's fine.
But to say, hey, we've shown you what we have, take it or leave it, is not a sound recruiting approach if it's someone that's obviously coveted by other top programs and you are interested in having in your program. Again, if Iowa doesn't want him, that's fine. But it's a two-way street.
If they're put off by the way TJB and his family are handling recruiting, that's fine. Maybe the Iowa coach don't see him as a good fit. And that's fine.
But to say, hey, we've shown you what we have, take it or leave it, is not a sound recruiting approach if it's someone that's obviously coveted by other top programs and you are interested in having in your program. Again, if Iowa doesn't want him, that's fine. But it's a two-way street.
How many games has he attended? How many times has he heard their pitch?
I agree that if they think he is an absolute must-get, you plug your nose and play the game. But they must either be getting signals that he is not sincere in his interest, or they think they have options that are equally as good but are more likely gets. It seems like they have earned the benefit of the doubt in their recruiting decision-making.
Fryowa
Administrator
Either way, whether it's Iowa or Bollers that has cooled off on the recruitment (if at all), I'd rather he picked somewhere else other than here.
If you're going to go out in the media and air your frustrations with coaches you don't fit here. Iowa's defense will be just fine.
If you're going to go out in the media and air your frustrations with coaches you don't fit here. Iowa's defense will be just fine.
Fryowa
Administrator
Do you really think Ferentz would even entertain the kid now that he's bitched about them to the media?
This is a moot discussion in my opinion.
RobHowe
Administrator
I think he went to one game last season.
Reese Morgan retiring changed the dynamic here and the flow of this recruitment. It happens.
These things aren't black and white. There's a not of nuance in recruiting.
The narrative that TJ and his family are 100 percent responsible for this thing not working out will prevail here. It's an Iowa board. Again, there are two sides to the story.
Reese Morgan retiring changed the dynamic here and the flow of this recruitment. It happens.
These things aren't black and white. There's a not of nuance in recruiting.
The narrative that TJ and his family are 100 percent responsible for this thing not working out will prevail here. It's an Iowa board. Again, there are two sides to the story.
TJ and his family are 100% responsible for where he decides to go to school. That is indisputable. If he decides not to go to Iowa, that is 100% their decision. And if they make that decision, it is 100% because they like the pitches that other schools are making over Iowa's pitch. And there is nothing wrong with that.
We know what Iowa's pitch is. We have heard it from every interview with a recruit after visiting. It's not resonating with this particular young man. That doesn't mean it's Bollers' fault, it doesn't mean it is Iowa's fault, it just means that perhaps this isn't a perfect fit.
